I would love to help but I can't see any pictures. Check your settings.

I think you've made improvements, but I would shorten the peninsula run by at least 6" so you can have 36" clearance. Offsetting the pantry doors helps, and it's okay to walk through where there is no work, but there are also things to be considered like being able to move a new fridge or other appliances in or out of the kitchen. You are giving up a lot of cupboard or shelvng space there in the entry. I can see that it might not make for the entry vibe you want, but they can be dressed up. Make sure you can afford to lose that space -- most folks want more storage, not less. Looks like you want stools at the counter, but you are creating a roadblock in front of those French doors. If you have much traffic in and out there, If they are for kids to sit and do homework, make sure they are backless and can slide under the counter and be out of the way when not in use. When entertaining, I'd even move them to another location so people don't pull them out and block the access to the patio/deck, especially if you are cooking outdoors. If you decide you want to keep the entry cabinets and not move walls, you could look at sliding options, even barn doors for the pantry. They wouldn't open into the aisle, and if you shorten the peninsula, you could really open that up. By moving the micro and fridge, you've already picked up more usable counter space in a more needed area than you would lose by giving up 6" on the peninsula.

If the aisle is 3-feet, it's 3-feet. If the shallower cabinets means your aisle will really be 3.5-feet, that's different. But, yeah, test it out. I just think that even if you could work in a 3-foot aisle, you're not going to get the visual appeal you want to showcase your serving dishes. Nobody will see them except for the person putting them away. If you did a shallow pantry on the side wall and then did glass cabinets on the shorter back wall, then at least people would see the pretties when walking past but they still wouldn't be on display to enjoy and appreciate. Your plan basically hides them and I'm under the impression that's not your intent. Perhaps I'm mistaken? I just really think the display case with glass doors, glass shelves and lights facing into that space will let you really showcase those pieces when they're not being used while still being easy to access for use. I think the butler's pantry idea takes too much space away that you really need for your kitchen. Especially if you want an area to use your dad's heirloom table. Yes, the fridge would be back-to-back with the pantry cabinet. Again, my idea is rough but I really like the way it opens up the center of your home so it's open from family room to dining room. You will have visual sight-lines across your house and light from windows and any views you have will be able to be glimpsed from all the main living areas. Your house will feel bigger and more spacious. And you can entertain throughout the house without barriers making for nicer flow. The kitchen layout is really rough. If you like the general idea, it needs to be tweaked and scrutinized a bit better to ensure it's actually going to be functional and efficient, and suit your cooking style, and give you the storage you need in the places you actually need it. Is that something you want to pursue? If so, a few more questions. What size and shape of dining room table do you have? How many chairs? Does it have leaves that you need space for to be able to use the entire length the leaves give your table? Do you have a buffet and/or china hutch? Could you draw your windows into the diagram with the graph paper with the squares? I would love to have a clearer idea of where the windows are in the kitchen and dining room, especially, but it would be nice to have the family room ones as well. Also, please indicate any place where you have a particularly nice view that you'd like to enjoy. Especially in the kitchen. I see that they are on the other floor plan you posted but it would be so much easier for us to help you if it's on the drawing with the graph "paper" background so we don't have to keep looking back-and-forth.

If the kitchen walls are not load-bearing, you could easily remove them and redesign the kitchen to include a pantry and banquette seating by slightly expanding the kitchen in one or both directions. The kitchen design needs help anyway. A redesign would also give you a open, flow-through space in one or both directions. If the walls are load bearing, you could substitute appropriately sized new beams and re-design/expand the kitchen. 4,000 SF +/- is a lot of house to heat and cool, considering that the air leakage of windows and walls is probably high and the insulation remaining in walls and roof is probably low. Might want to consider some rehab to make the house more energy efficient. That would include checking the age and condition of all heating and cooling equipment and the water heater. Good luck with your project.