Madame, the duck? The good, the bad and the ugly of 4 days on the DDxP with Pics

[SoonipiLady]

DH and I spent 3 days and 4 nights from September 11-15th on the DDxP. I am a pastry chef by trade and we are both very much foodies, so we upgraded to the deluxe plan. We were going childless for the first time and decided to eat at places we wouldn't normally go when you have two kids clamouring to get back to the rides.


Here's what I'll be reviewing:

California Grill-Dinner
Boatwrights-Breakfast
Artist Point-Dinner
Sassgoula Floatworks-breakfast/snacks
Tutto Italia-Lunch
Chefs De France-Dinner
Boma-Breakfast
Riverside Mill Foodcourt-Lunch
Narcoossee's-Dinner

I have pictures for most, but not all.

Enjoy!

Karen

[HonnyDipp]

I am SO in! Can't wait!!! popcorn::

[MickeyNicki]

Cannot wait to hear all about it!

[SoonipiLady]

We arrived for our 9:10 ADR at 8:35 and checked in. There was no one in the check in area and as we approached the desk, and the girl who was working there was on the phone, so we stood back to give her some privacy. Another couple and a single gentleman arrived a moment later. The other couple took advantage of our manners and slid in front of us. They will from here on out be referred to as the “offending couple” Slightly annoying, but, oh well, we were very early so we decided to let it go. The single man then interrupts the offending couple to see if he can be seated. He has no reservation, but they find him a place at the bar. The offending couple then says that they don’t have a reservation, but would like a window seat. The hostess tells them that it will be about an hour to an hour and 15 minutes. They say they will wait. We are then helped by the girl who is running the elevator as there is now a significant line behind us. She finds our reservation, lets us know things are running late, but that we can sit in the lounge and have a drink while we wait, and watch wishes there. I let them know that we are celebrating our anniversary, and we would like a nice table. I do not specify a window (mistake!)

We arrive upstairs, find a table in the lounge and order drinks. I get a Cosmo and DH has a Bacardi & Coke. Both arrive quickly and we pay our tab. (we noticed that they don’t offer to put it on your dinner tab, they just bring you a bill). We notice that the table behind us, at the window is open, and are hopeful that it is our table. No such luck. It is indeed given to the “offending couple”. So much for an hour wait! Just as they are seated, wishes begin. It really is a great view, and the music piped in makes it magical.

We are sitting looking at the menu and DH is trying to take a picture of the menu for me. Not easy as the lighting is quite low. Our buzzer goes off, and I look up and notice that three very large women are standing around our table STARING at us! (We are at a table that has the couch on one side and two chairs across from the couch.) These three ladies are actually basically trapping us in. One moves out of the way, saying “Go on, you ARE leaving right? I mean your table is ready!” I respond, “As soon as my husband it done taking his photos, we are.” DH is standing with the menu on the table, and I have now moved behind Lady #1. Lady #3 drags Lady #2 around DH and plops down on the couch. “No sense standing here waiting for them to leave. We’ll just sit, OK?” DH responds, calmly “No, it’s not.” Lady #1 titters, as if he is joking and plops down in one of the chairs.

We are led to our table, at the far end of the bar, near the wait station and the kitchen. It is near the windows, but because of the location, there is a bench seat on the window side, so the only view is of the observation deck. Not my idea of a nice table, but it’s now 9:30 and we have been traveling all day and are tired and hungry. We also are pretty mellow so we don’t get to uptight about table locations. This will change over the next few days. One of the things we learned is that if you don’t like the table they bring you to; tell them that you’d like a different table. Insist!! There was NEVER an incident where there wasn’t another open table. Usually there were several.

Our waiter came over and introduced himself. His name was Rob and he was awesome! He has been at Disney since they opened. He was recruited out of high school and is one of the few remaining original cast members. His knowledge of the menu and wines is outstanding. I strongly recommend him, if he is available. Here’s a picture of him.

http://i477.photobucket.com/albums/rr140/SoonipiLady/CGOurWaiterRob.jpg

Rob goes over the menu with us, makes a few suggestions, and takes our drink order. DH orders a glass of wine that Rob suggests (DH knew he was having the Filet.) I skip the wine as I have already had several drinks on the plane and in the lounge.

For appetizers DH chose the roasted chicken flatbread

http://i477.photobucket.com/albums/rr140/SoonipiLady/CGRoastChickenFlatbread.jpg

This was amazing, but HUGE. It was plenty for two or even three. We shared that, but only ate half to save room for the appetizer I chose. The sautéed Maine lobster and crab cakes.

http://i477.photobucket.com/albums/rr140/SoonipiLady/CGLobsterCrabCakes.jpg

These were also amazing. The Vietnamese melon relish was a nice touch. A little spicy with a nice touch of mint. We did finish these all!

On to the entrees. As I said, DH decided on the Filet, rare. It came with Boniato potatoes and green beans. I’m not sure what the potatoes were, other than delicious. The Teriyaki BBQ sauce was tangy, but not overpowering. Perfection!

http://i477.photobucket.com/albums/rr140/SoonipiLady/CGFilet.jpg

I chose, after much deliberation and help from Rob and DH, the Pan Roasted Grouper Filet with olive oil crushed potatoes and red wine butter sauce.

http://i477.photobucket.com/albums/rr140/SoonipiLady/CGPanSearedGrouper.jpg

All I can say is OMG! The grouper was firm, but incredibly tender and moist. The potatoes were amazing. Lightly seasoned as not to overpower the flavor of the grouper. The red wine butter sauce was the perfect compliment to everything.

After finishing all this, there was no room for dessert. Rob however brought us a piece of chocolate cake with a Happy Anniversary chocolate. It was amazing, even though I am not much of a chocolate fan.

http://i477.photobucket.com/albums/rr140/SoonipiLady/CGChocolateAnniversarycake.jpg

DH had coffee; I chose the pear green tea. Both were excellent. We chose not to have a second dessert, but started back to the resort.

Overall experience at the California Grill:

Food: 10 of 10. There was nothing that wasn’t outstanding in both taste and presentation

Service: 8 of 10. Rob, our waiter was impeccable; hostesses and lounge staff seemed harried and were easily “led” by rude patrons. I’m sure they are trained to not make waves. In an establishment of this caliber, staff gently following the rules of etiquette would go a long way in setting the tone for the evening. They should be leading the patron’s behavior, not be led by it.

Atmosphere: 5 of 10. I found the atmosphere disappointing. The view of wishes was amazing. Other than that, the table we sat at was lousy, the overall restaurant was loud and full of overbearing, rude people. (And this is coming from a girl who grew up in New York!)

Overall: 8 of 10. I would give it another chance, but earlier in the evening and insisting on a better table. I would request Rob, if he were available in an instant!

[suzimar57]

excellent photos and review of CG!

those stupid pushy women - sheesh!!!

[TigerKat]

The nerve of those women! Great review of CG, looking forward to more!!

[habg1]

I'm in as well! let the food review continue!!!

[mickeysgirl17]

I'm in! I love the review and pics of the California Grill! I'll be going in December for the first time.

[SoonipiLady]

I'm in! I love the review and pics of the California Grill! I'll be going in December for the first time.

California Grill is really a treat! It has the most amazing food and I'm sure the atmosphere, just like any restaurant is affected by the clietele on any particular evening. You are sure to enjoy it! Be sure to ASK for a window seat. It seems that if you're very specific, they do their best to accomodate you. While our placement in the restaurant was horrible, Rob our waiter more than made up for it. He was especially great since we hadn't been there before and his knowledge of the menu items was beyond amazing!

[SoonipiLady]

I unfortunately had some camera malfunction on this one, so no pics!:headache:

we had a 10:45 ADr at boatwrights and so we walked over from POFQ. It's a nice 10 minute walk. We arrived around 10:00AM, checked in and got a pager. There were alot of empty tables, so I'm not sure why there was a wait, but we wanted to look around the Riverside half of Port Orleans, so no biggie.

At about 10:35 our pager went off and we were brought to the table once again, right in front of the kitchen. Again, it was only a quick breakfast so we didn't quibble, but we did kind of laugh about it. Two for two, we joked!

DH started with Coffee, OJ and asked for milk with his meal. I started with Tea and a Sassagoula Swing Smoothie low-fat yogurt and raspberries. the smoothie was wonderful. I was glad to ba able to have this as one of my beverages. Our waitress was Amanda. While friendly and efficient, not notably great. She basically plunked things down and breezed away. She brought all our drinks, including the milk, which we asked not to be served until the meal was brought out, spilled coffe as she poured it, spilled cream as she put it down, ignored the mess and off she went.

DH ordered the French toast with bacon and I ordered the sweet potato pancakes with sausage. The meal was unimpressive. The French toast was certainly tossed in cinnamon and sugar. So much so that it was crunchy with the sugary coating. DH could only eat one piece it was so sweet. The bacon was obviously cooked ahead (as one would expect), but had not even been put on the grill to heat it up before serving it. Pretty much buffet fare.

I chose the sweet potato pancakes with sausage and they were much better than DH's French toast. They were sweet without being overly so. They were a bit undercooked, though, so they were a bit "doughy". The Honey-pecan butter added a nice flavor without being overpowering. They definitely did not need syrup. The sausages were cooked well and almost hot. Again they were obvioulsly cooked well ahead of time, held, and not heated up prior to being put on the plate.

Overall, not a bad meal, but not a great one. I wouldn't have liked to have to have paid OOP for this one, but if you're on the DDP and want a sit down breakfast, it wasn't bad.

Overall experience at Boatwrights:

Food: 6 of 10. There was nothing that stood out as exceptioinal, but nothing was truly bad either

Service: 6 of 10. Again, not bad, but nothing stood out.

Atmosphere: 4 of 10. Interesting things to rest your eyes on hanging on the walls. (DH and I are avid sailers, so the theme was interesting), but our table was fair and overall it was a loud, busy space. more of a Diner feel (or ihop).

Overall: 5 of 10. I probably wouldn't try this loction again unless I was staying at POR. It really wasn't worth the money or the walk over even from as close as POFQ.

[John's Mom]

Great reviews!

The Wine Room at the California Grill is quiet and very roomy. The only downside is there is no MK view. We got to see some of the Illuminations' fireworks from our table.

[TigerKat]

Disappointed to read about Boatwright's. We planned on walking over from POFQ on our last morning for breakfast.:guilty:

[CanadianPaco]

subpopcorn::

[butiflfeet]

Thanks for the reviews of California Grill! I'm looking forward to our dinner there one week from tonight!

Keep the reviews coming :thumbsup2

[SoonipiLady]

Disappointed to read about Boatwright's. We planned on walking over from POFQ on our last morning for breakfast.:guilty:

It's not that the food was bad, it just wasn't anything special. If we were seated over by the fireplace, I'm sure that it would've been a more intimate experience as well. We walked through the closed restaurant late one afternoon and found the other section quite cozy. We were seated on the upper level directly in back of the hostess stand. The was a doorway right near our table that went to the bar and the kitchen. It was extreamly loud, from the kitchen noise and the blenders in the bar, making the smoothies.

If there's somethng you really want to try, by all means go for it! It's a nice walk over and a nice change from the food court. It seems a bit pricey for what you get, but if you're using a TS credit on the ddp, it's fine.

Karen

[TigerKat]

It's not that the food was bad, it just wasn't anything special. If we were seated over by the fireplace, I'm sure that it would've been a more intimate experience as well. We walked through the closed restaurant late one afternoon and found the other section quite cozy. We were seated on the upper level directly in back of the hostess stand. The was a doorway right near our table that went to the bar and the kitchen. It was extreamly loud, from the kitchen noise and the blenders in the bar, making the smoothies.

If there's somethng you really want to try, by all means go for it! It's a nice walk over and a nice change from the food court. It seems a bit pricey for what you get, but if you're using a TS credit on the ddp, it's fine.

Karen

Thanks Karen. We really wanted to just take a walk and check out the POR side and have a leisurely breakfast on our last day. We have some mighty fine dining lined up for this trip so by then simple and warm should work just fine.;)

[SnowWhite12]

OK, I'm ready for the Narcoosee's review!

[SoonipiLady]

I worked a double shift today, and just got home. I promise to post my Artist point review in the AM. In the mean time. Here's how we worked off all that sugar at breakfast.

We spent our afternoon checking out the resorts around the lake in front of the Boardwalk. We took the boat down to DTD from the POR; Saw a lot of activity at the Treetop Villas, there were a lot of people there working on them.

http://i477.photobucket.com/albums/rr140/SoonipiLady/Resort%20Photos/TreetopVillas.jpg


http://i477.photobucket.com/albums/rr140/SoonipiLady/Resort%20Photos/TreetopVillasconstruction.jpg

Then we took a bus to the Boardwalk. UGH! What a bus ride that is. You stop at the Swan, the Dolphin, the Beach Club and the Yacht Club before finally getting to the Boardwalk. We walked around the boardwalk, which on this hot day was deserted! It was almost creepy. There was NO ONE around at the resorts or the pool.

The empty pool
http://i477.photobucket.com/albums/rr140/SoonipiLady/Resort%20Photos/BoardwalkPool.jpg

The empty boardwalk
http://i477.photobucket.com/albums/rr140/SoonipiLady/Resort%20Photos/BoardwalkResortside.jpg
http://i477.photobucket.com/albums/rr140/SoonipiLady/Resort%20Photos/BoardwalkVillaSide.jpg
http://i477.photobucket.com/albums/rr140/SoonipiLady/Resort%20Photos/BoardwalkDolphin.jpg

DH trying to sell something for $2.00/inch....Don't ask after 13 years I'm still baffled by his sense of humor!
http://i477.photobucket.com/albums/rr140/SoonipiLady/Resort%20Photos/Boardwalk200perinch.jpg



We went to DHS, which was also creepily deserted.

http://i477.photobucket.com/albums/rr140/SoonipiLady/Resort%20Photos/DHSFriday.jpg


We decided to check out the wait for Toy Story Mania. It was over an hour, apparently everyone who was at DHS was in line for TSM, so we walked over to TT, rode it 4 times, walked over to RR, rode it twice and within the hour we were headed back to the hotel to get ready for our early ADR at Artist Point.

[SoonipiLady]

We took the buss to the MK, and then got the boat to the WL. We were there about 45 minutes early for our 5:40 ADR because we had never been to this resort before. We checked in, (asking for a nice window seat), walked around a bit but it was still incredibly hot, so we decided to head to the bar for a pre dinner drink. DH had a beer, I had a glowtini.

http://i477.photobucket.com/albums/rr140/SoonipiLady/APGlowtini.jpg



We were seated right as they opened at 5:30 and were given a nice private table for two by the windows. Stephanie was our waitress and she was amazing! She was friendly, funny, and informative and by far the best server we had during our visit. She made the entire meal a pleasure.

Stephanie asked about our dining plan, and immediately decided we needed a large bottled water instead of “our icky FL tap water” and that we might as well as we got a beverage included. I don’t think it really mattered to us one way or another, but we didn’t argue (honestly, the tone she set as she greeted us basically required you to trust her judgment, and we were on vacation, so why not?)

For appetizers, DH chose the salad.

http://i477.photobucket.com/albums/rr140/SoonipiLady/APSalad.jpg

It was perfect with just the right amount of dressing and the fresh berries on it were amazing. This was not the salad that was on the menus posted anywhere, but that’s fine since my husband hates blue cheese and beets. This had the pecans over the mixed spring greens with fresh berries and citrus vinaigrette. (I think)

I chose the Smokey Portobello Soup.

http://i477.photobucket.com/albums/rr140/SoonipiLady/APPortobellaSoup.jpg

Stephanie described this as “heaven in a bowl” and it did not disappoint! If she had not told me that the crunchy bits on the top were smoked ****ake mushroom slivers, I would have SWORN that it was bacon. I am of the mindset that “Bacon makes everything better!” If it wouldn’t have attracted attention, I would have licked the bowl. Even DH who thinks mushrooms are generally not something that should be eaten was impressed.


We decided that we wanted some wine with our dinner, and asked for Stephanie’s suggestions. She asked what we liked in wines and brought samples of three different reds. We decided on Amavi Syrah from Walla Walla Valley. It was a perfect choice for our entrees, and very reasonably priced ($53.00).

http://i477.photobucket.com/albums/rr140/SoonipiLady/APWine.jpg

On to entrees; DH chose the smoked pork chop-medium rare. I know it may seem weird to order pork MR, but as it is smoked, this was Stephanie’s suggestion, and as earlier, we went with it.

http://i477.photobucket.com/albums/rr140/SoonipiLady/APPorkChop.jpg

This was wonderful. It was cooked perfectly and the apple cider sauce wasn’t really a sauce at all but a light glaze on the chop and a bit on the plate. The fingerling potatoes were sliced. This was nice as they are often not, and can be a bit dry and boring. These were not! They were moist, nicely browned and seasoned perfectly.

I chose the Buffalo Sirloin-rare.

http://i477.photobucket.com/albums/rr140/SoonipiLady/APBuffalo.jpg

Again, it was perfect. It was incredibly tender. The Sweet Potato Hazelnut Gratin was a wonderful compliment to the steak. Stephanie explained the Sweet Potato Gratin did not have any cheese in them as a normal “Gratin” did. They were basically a creamy sweet potato casserole with ground, toasted hazelnuts baked in. YUMMY! The Onion Jam on top of the steak was sweet, but not cloying. Again, perfectly complimented the rest of the meal.

For dessert, I had the berry cobbler. Yummmmm! It was basically a muffin top with lots of fresh raspberries, blackberries, blueberries and strawberries. I don’t normally like black raspberry ice cream, but this was nice. Not overly sweet and creamy.

http://i477.photobucket.com/albums/rr140/SoonipiLady/APBerryCobbler.jpg

DH chose the hazelnut chocolate tart. No picture, sorry….camera failure or maybe DH just finished it before I got a chance to snap a picture;) . It also was wonderful. It was basically a tiny pie shell filled with chocolate-hazelnut ganache with honey-lavender ice cream. This ice cream was amazing. Sweet, but subtle. Even better than the black raspberry. DH had coffee and I had a lavender tea, both were the perfect ending to a great meal.

Overall experience at Artist Point:

Food: 10 out of 10. Everything was fresh, cooked perfectly and beautifully presented
Service: 10 out of 10. Stephanie was perfect. Definitely in tune with us and our mood. Knew when to interrupt, when to leave us alone and very knowledgeable about the food and wines.
Atmosphere: 10 out of 10 Beautifully decorated, tables were nicely spaced and while the room is very big and open, still felt intimate.

Overall: 10 out of 10. We will definitely be going back!

[SoonipiLady]

We got up very early this morning to get to DHS at rope drop. We decided that we really wanted to ride TSM. We stopped at the Sassagoula Floatworks and picked up some pastries and fruit cup for breakfast. Sorry, no pictures, but I had the croissant and DH had a cinnamon roll. We both had a fruit cup. Everything was fresh and really good. We tried the beignets, but they were way too sweet and greasy for us for breakfast. I know lots of people love them, and they would make a great dessert, but too much for breakfast!

We makde it to DHS in time to see rope drop, got some great pics with Stitch and Donald Duck, and get over to TSM to get a fast pass and get in line. Our fast pass was for 10:35. Ther was a 30 minute wait in the standby line so we got in it (it was 8:30). It really was 30 minutes, so I'm guessing that the wait times posted are pretty close to being accurate.

We came out, walked over to TT and RR. Rode them each a few times. By then it was about 10:30 so we walked back over to TSM and rode using our fast passes. I have to say the ride is awesome! We really liked it. When we got out, we got two more fast passes. The return time by then was 3:30. We gave them to a single mom and her little boy who had just arrived at the park as we left. The standby line by now was 70 minutes.

We left DHS and took the boat over to epcot. It was about noon when we got there, so we decided to get a couple drinks at France. I got the Grand Marnier slushie and DH got the Grey Goose Lemonade. They were amazing!

http://i477.photobucket.com/albums/rr140/SoonipiLady/FranceSlushies.jpg


We wandered over to Italy and checked in for our 1pm ADR around 12:30. We were sat in about 10 minutes. They at first tried to put us right next to the kitchen door. This time, we insisted that we be moved. There were plenty of tables and so they didn't object.

I am embarrased to say that I forget our waiter's name. He was excellent, although a little difficult to understand.

For appetizers DH ordered Prosciutto di Parma - ham with thin slices of seasonal melon

http://i477.photobucket.com/albums/rr140/SoonipiLady/Tutto-ProsciuttodiParma.jpg

This was fantastic. The cantalope was sweet and fresh and the proscuitto was not salty (my biggest problem with most proscuitto)

I decided on Calamari.

http://i477.photobucket.com/albums/rr140/SoonipiLady/TuttoCalamariFritti.jpg

This also was amazing. There was enough for a meal. I ate less than half because I wanted to save room for our entrees.

for our entrees DH ordered the Chicken Cutlet Milanese

http://i477.photobucket.com/albums/rr140/SoonipiLady/Tutto-ChickenCutletMilanese.jpg

This was also excellent. It was very lightly breaded and crispy. The salad that was served with it was there perfect side.

I chose the Tagliata di Manzo (NY Sirloin served with arugala and fennel salad)-rare

http://i477.photobucket.com/albums/rr140/SoonipiLady/Tutto-TagliatadiManzo.jpg

It was excellent. Very tender, coooked perfectly. There was a bit of fresh herb puree on top that was delicious. The potatoes were nothing special. Roasted wedges. I'm not ahuge potato fan to begin with, so I have to admit, if they're not AMAZING, they're staying on the plate. These stayed on the plate.

DH had Iced tea with his meal, but since I had just the water (the Grand Marnier slushie went right to my head!), I asked if I could get cappucino for my beverage with dessert. Our waiter had to ask his manager, but they did allow it.

For dessert, I had the zabaglion Freddo ( Zabaglion and berries) & DH had the Copetta Sotto Bosco (berries, zabaglione cream gelato and chocolate sauce)

http://i477.photobucket.com/albums/rr140/SoonipiLady/Tutto-ZabaglionewithStrawberriesCop.jpg

Both were amazing. We finished every bite!

Overall Experience at Tutto:

Food: 8 out of 10. evertything was good and fresh, although there wasn't anything that was "over the top".

Service: 9 out of 10. Our server was attentive but a bit aloof. It is very typical of European service, but if you have not had the experience before, it might be off putting. Having lived in Europe, I found it fine, just "European"

Atmosphere 7 out of 10. The room is beautifully decorated to look like an old grand home or palace in Italy. Because of this it seems a bit stuffy and the tables are very close together (we got to listen to the gentleman next to us scold his 12 year old daughter "You are ruining my experience! Just be happy, please!". ) Again, it has a very typical feel of dining in any busy European city, but it does make some uncomforatble.

Overall experience 8 out of 10 Definitely worth it if on the DDP, not sure it would be if you were paying OOP. It would have been well over $100.00 for lunch for the two of us before tip. A bit pricey.

Karen

[butiflfeet]

we got to listen to the gentleman next to us scold his 12 year old daughter "You are ruining my experience! Just be happy, please!".


:lmao: That's a great quote!

Now you have me really curious about Artists Point but my husband made me promise not to change any more of our ADRs. Your pictures are great, it's helping me wait the last 3 DAYS until our trip! Not that I've been counting or anything like that though...

[suzimar57]

desserts at tutto look great!

[jess20k]

I am enjoying your reviews! I love that mushroom soup, it is the best!!!

[frdeb1999]

Love your reviews and am looking forward to the rest! :)

[SoonipiLady]

:lmao: That's a great quote!

Now you have me really curious about Artists Point but my husband made me promise not to change any more of our ADRs. Your pictures are great, it's helping me wait the last 3 DAYS until our trip! Not that I've been counting or anything like that though...

was the look on the 12 year old's face when Dad turned back to his meal. I almost snarfed my wine through my nose! (I have an 11 year old girl myself, so I totally get those looks myself)

I highly reccommend AP if you can swing it. It's a really unique menu and worth the trip over to WL, which is beautiful.

If not this trip, make sure that you get there on your next trip.

Karen

[SoonipiLady]

I am enjoying your reviews! I love that mushroom soup, it is the best!!!

at restaurant reviews, and DH and I had fun making notes and taking pictures!:lovestruc

I would have never thought I could enjoy any soup so much. It truly was as our server described, "heaven in a bowl"

desserts at tutto look great!

Both were excellent! I bake for a living, so I truly appreciate a good dessert!

Love your reviews and am looking forward to the rest! :)

Thanks! It has been fun! Just a few more to go! Including France, where the true meaning of the title of my review is revealed!



Karen

[SnwflkCts]

Quoted: "DH trying to sell something for $2.00/inch....Don't ask after 13 years I'm still baffled by his sense of humor!"

OMG ... our DHs were brothers separated at birth!!! :lmao: ... only I am afraid I have the same sense of humor ... now don't tell your DH I am wondering about the extra cost for the beads ... hmmm ... interesting ...

(ps ... keep laughing cause I have 23 years in and laughter keeps you from ... oh ... killing each other!)

I'm enjoying the reviews alot and those pics of an empty boardwalk ... eerie!

Was the glowtini good? I love martinis but didn't try one of these and would like to ... assuming they will still have them in 2009!

[SoonipiLady]

Was the glowtini good? I love martinis but didn't try one of these and would like to ... assuming they will still have them in 2009!

It's more a a sweet drink, like a cosmo and has a sugared rim, but is quite tasty! I had several on this trip. They are on all the bar menus which were basically the same everywhere. Of course any drink with a glowing ice cube in it tastes better ahen you're on vacation.

Karen

[oybolshoi]

Enjoying your reviews and pictures so far. :thumbsup2

You touched on perhaps my biggest pet peeve when you described your CA experience ... the "offending couple." That kind of deliberate rudeness drives me batty! :headache:

I was glad to read that the dinner was good ... I think TigerKat mentioned the wine room - definitely try that the next time you dine there. It's almost as if you're in a different restaurant ... very quiet and relaxed.

And those desserts at Tutto were just gorgeous ... I wonder if we can just show up there for dessert one night next month? :rotfl2:

Thanks for taking the time to post!

[tiggrsbride]

I am loving your review! :wave2: to a fellow New Englander!

DH and I are doing a kid-free trip for the first time since our honeymoon. We are looking forward to the Food and Wine and some yummy dining at nicer spots. Your review and pictures from California Grill have me so excited!

Can't wait for your update! Thanks for sharing!

[BriarRosie]

Your pics turn out so much better than mine! I always have a hard time getting the shots to be not blurry (without flash) or super exposed (with flash).

The mushroom soup is one of my favorite menu items at any Disney restaurant, so I think that means it's doomed to be removed from the menu any day now. :rolleyes1

You made me hungry for California Grill, too. I will try my hardest to be pushier than the pushiest person I encounter there. :laughing:

[Minniespal]

Excellent:thumbsup2

[mickeysgirl17]

Thanks for the update! I love the reviews and pics from Artist point and tutto italia.

[TPCShauna]

Lovely reviews and pics. I've had some culinary training as well so I consider myself a bit of a foodie also. It's nice to see reviews from someone with a similar (or more advanced in your case) background.

I wish I was surprised by the behavior of the couple and group of women at Cali Grill. Alas, I see that kind of thing all the time at Disney. People just don't have manners any more or don't choose to use them there. I do believe I would have spoken to the manager about the hostess's poor judgement in giving away a prime table to a walk-up rather than a guest with a reservation. :sad2:

I'm looking forward to your France review. We are on the DxDP also so it's interesting to read about your experiences.

[SoonipiLady]

Lovely reviews and pics. I've had some culinary training as well so I consider myself a bit of a foodie also. It's nice to see reviews from someone with a similar (or more advanced in your case) background.

I wish I was surprised by the behavior of the couple and group of women at Cali Grill. Alas, I see that kind of thing all the time at Disney. People just don't have manners any more or don't choose to use them there. I do believe I would have spoken to the manager about the hostess's poor judgement in giving away a prime table to a walk-up rather than a guest with a reservation. :sad2:

I'm looking forward to your France review. We are on the DxDP also so it's interesting to read about your experiences.

Thanks for the kind words.:cloud9:

I became less and less surprised by the absolute rudeness of people in general over the four days we were there. I just makes me very sad. :sad1:
I know I was raised better, and DH & I make a real effort to do so with our kids. I know that we are suceeding when DS (as only 7 year old can), says out loud to me "Mommy, why did that lady do that? It was SO mean!", while the "offending lady" is right there in ear shot. My loud response is usually "I know honey, but some people just don't know any better. But it's not their fault that they were never taught their manners. Maybe their Mommy and Daddy just didn't have the time to teach them. But we don't have that problem do we?" and smile sweetly to the "offending person". It usually gets the "dog hearing a whistle" look from the offender!:lmao: It makes me feel better though.

Coming up next: Dinner at France.

Karen

[TigerKat]

My loud response is usually "I know honey, but some people just don't know any better. But it's not their fault that they were never taught their manners. Maybe their Mommy and Daddy just didn't have the time to teach them. But we don't have that problem do we?" and smile sweetly to the "offending person". It usually gets the "dog hearing a whistle" look from the offender!:lmao: It makes me feel better though.


Love it!!:rotfl2:

[Disney owl]

great review & photos

[SoonipiLady]

Chefs de France

We had an 8:20 pm ADR for Chefs de France. DH and I were really looking forward to this meal. We had bee here in April and had a fabulous lunch. Originally we were going to have lunch here, but switched to dinner since there were more menu options. We had planned on staying at Epcot all day, but because of the heat, we went back to the hotel after lunch, swam for a few hours and then headed back to arrive around 8:00 to check in for our ADR. They were turning table after table away at the front desk. Absolutely no walk ups.

We asked for a table by the windows and said that we would wait a bit longer for a nice table. Right around 8:15 we were brought to a table for two right on the windows. Unfortunately this was the only luck we would have this evening. At 8:40, we finally stopped a bus person to see if they could find out where our server was. We had up to this point been totally ignored. No water, no bread, not even any eye contact from the numerous wait staff running about.

After another 10 minutes our waitress Claudia came by. She acted as if we had just arrived! Within a minute or two a bus person brought us water and bread. We immediately placed our entire order with Claudia, including a bottle of wine.

Our wine arrived about 10 minutes later. Claudia was nice, but quite frankly just “not there” as a waitress. It was now 9:00 and we have just placed our order. The couple next to us comments, “Not exactly the type of service you expect at Disney is it?” They were having the same issue with Claudia. They had been seated about 10 minutes before us and were still waiting for their drinks. They got their appetizers about 9:15 and when Claudia cleared their plates, they asked for their remaining cheese plate to be wrapped to go. She didn’t take the leftovers, and never re-appeared. At 9:30 when their dinners arrived the plate was still on their tiny table and there was no room for their dinner plates. A waiter (again NOT Claudia), plunked their dinners down, balanced precariously on the edge of the table and breezed away. The couple promptly put the plate of leftovers on the floor, yes, the floor!! The gentleman points it out to a passing bus person who almost steps on it. She thanks him, AND PROMPTLY STEPS OVER IT!

We, in the meanwhile, still have not received our appetizers. A waiter (NOT Claudia), comes up to our table with one plate. “The duck, Madame?" he says. He tries to put it down in front of me. I explain that it can’t be mine since we haven’t had our appetizers yet. He gives me a look that reminded of a dog who has just heard a whistle gets. You know, tilts his head to one side, draws his eyebrows together and generally just looks confused. He walks away and attempts to give the duck to a table, ANY table in our general vicinity. No luck. Still we wait for our appetizers. It is now 9:45. Five minutes late another waiter walks over with a plate. “Madame, the Duck?” And again we explain, a bit exasperated, that we are still waiting for our appetizers. The couple next to us roll their eyes, and the woman says, “You just know that you’re going to get THAT plate later, don’t you?” Sadly, I said, “you’re probably right. I hope not, but I’m sure you are”. A young woman walks up with a plate “Madame, the duck?” I don’t even explain, I just say “Sorry, no it’s not mine!” Now DH and I, and the couple next to us are giggling hysterically. The poor girl wanders away, looking totally lost. Now mind you, in all of these three attempts to deliver my dinner, never once did anyone attempt to deliver DH’s meal. It makes you wonder where exactly was his meal? Hmmmmmm? It is now after 10:00. We have been there for 1:45 minutes and I have had 2 glasses of wine and a roll. I’m almost hungry enough to eat the cheese plate off the floor that our next table mates jokingly offer us.

At this point over breezes Claudia with our appetizers. She plunks them down. “sorry” she says and breezes over to our neighbors. Pulls a to-go box out from under her arm, picks up their cheese plate from the floor, dumps the leftovers in it and puts it on their table with a smile. Off she goes.

For appetizer I had the Escargot

http://i477.photobucket.com/albums/rr140/SoonipiLady/France-Escargot.jpg

I did enjoy it, but it wasn’t great. It didn’t have nearly enough garlic in it. It wasn’t bad, just not fantastic

DH ordered the salad with baked goat cheese. He isn’t a real goat cheese fan, but really wanted a salad and figured I would eat the goat cheese.

http://i477.photobucket.com/albums/rr140/SoonipiLady/France-GoatCheeseSalad.jpg

This one shocked me. I expected a wedge of baked cheese. What it actually was- a round of breaded, deep fried goat cheese about the size around of a quarter and as thick as maybe a stack of four quarters. There was one of them atop a baby greens salad. Now in my opinion the only cheese I want deep fried is served with a side of mozzarella at the bar while I’m watching the Patriot’s game. The salad was fine. It was fresh and had a nice dressing, but the goat cheese part of it was a disappointment.


About 10 minutes later our plates were cleared and our dinners were brought out. DH had the short ribs with pasta.

http://i477.photobucket.com/albums/rr140/SoonipiLady/France-ShortRibs.jpg

This was very nice. It had a good portion and the sauce on it was nice. Of course, a nice gravy on my sock would have tasted good at this point! It was about 10:20pm

I ordered…drum roll please………THE DUCK!

http://i477.photobucket.com/albums/rr140/SoonipiLady/France-Duck.jpg

This also was very nice. I do suspect that it was the same one that they attempted to deliver to me earlier. It wasn’t cold, but it wasn’t really hot either. I’m not sure how they kept it a servable temperature, as it wasn’t dried out or overcooked, but having seen the plate three times already, I was intimately familiar with it.

We finished our dinners very quickly as were conscious of the time. At this point we were truly the last ones in the restaurant.

We ordered our dessert and asked for our check. No pictures sorry, as I had basically started dozing off at this point. I had the Crème Brulee. It was excellent. DH had the chocolate tart. It was also very good. The check was delivered around 10:50pm. Since there wasn’t anyone else around, we did ask Claudia directly what happened with our food, and why we waited so long. To her credit, she did admit that “it was a little bit of a problem with the kitchen, but mostly it was my fault.”

I know from experience that once you start having a bad night, especially on an insanely busy one, as this obviously was, all you can do is keep going until you make it through the night. I was just disappointed that it happened here, as we were so looking forward to this meal! We tried to find Phillip (the manager), but there truly was no one around, and we needed to get to the front entrance to get the busses back to the resort.

As a side note, I did wake up around 5am, very sick. I’m guessing that one of the held dinners was held a bit too long. Fortunately, it was short lived and by 7am, I was able to function and even managed a cup of tea.

Overall experience at Chefs:

Food: 4 out of 10. Everything was just a little off. Not quite there, either in presentation or temperature. Not bad, just not great.
Service: 2 out of 10. Claudia needs to find a new job. Cute only goes so far. Enough said.
Atmosphere: 5 out of 10. Beautifully decorated, tables are very close together and the space is very loud. We knew this going in though., and we did get to watch illuminations from our seat, which was nice.

Overall: 4 out of 10. We probably won’t try this place for dinner again, but might try lunch. I hesitate to write it off totally since we had such a great experience in April.

Karen

[MickeyNicki]

That really stinks about Claudia and Chefs. DH and I ate there in April and our waiter never refilled our ice tea...we signaled to him and stuff but he just did not get it. DH had to get up with our glasses and walk over to him and ask for more ice tea.

But the food was amazing

[mickeysgirl17]

Thanks for the update.

[luvpooh]

I'm sorry to laugh at your expense, but your dinner at Chefs is just comical! I cannot believe the comedy of errors that occurred!
I am enjoying your reviews, looks like you had some good meals! :)

[TigerKat]

It's a shame, the service you guys had was beyond horrible. You truly never expect that in WDW.:sad2:

Now I understand your thread title!!!:laughing:

[MelanieC]

OMG it was almost all I could do not to bust out loud here at work while reading about your duck. Way to funny. Thanks for posting your pictures - they are great!

[SoonipiLady]

I'm sorry to laugh at your expense, but your dinner at Chefs is just comical! I cannot believe the comedy of errors that occurred!
I am enjoying your reviews, looks like you had some good meals! :)

Hey, don't worry about it. It really was kind-of comical, even at the time. Two weeks later, we really giggle about it when we talk about it. At the timeI felt like I was trapped in a bad "I Love Lucy" episode!:lmao:

It's a shame, the service you guys had was beyond horrible. You truly never expect that in WDW.:sad2:

Now I understand your thread title!!!:laughing:

When trying to come up with a title, both DH and I said in unison; "Madame, the duck?" I knew that's what it had to be!!:rotfl2:

OMG it was almost all I could do not to bust out loud here at work while reading about your duck. Way to funny. Thanks for posting your pictures - they are great!

Glad you're enjoying the reviews! Overall our experiences were great. This was definitely the exception, not the rule! We had lots of fun trying new places and it was odd that our only return visit was such a bust! I guess you just never know!:confused3

Karen

[suzimar57]

enjoying your reviews photos!

and how you ever eat those esgargots, i'll never know - i tried them last year at F&W (in those mini brioche) - obviously an "acquired taste"!

[jeminni]

You have alot more patience that I do, I would have walked out of there if I had to wait that long for a meal. Hope the rest of your meals went better. :goodvibes


Just out of curiosity did you tip 18%?

[SoonipiLady]

I usually wouldn't wait that long either. Epcot was absolutley PACKED that night though and I'm not sure where else we could've eaten unless we left the park. At the point we would've left, it was after 9:00.

And no, we didn't leave 18%. I waitress part time in addition to my baking job. I can always sympathize with wait staff having a bad night, but this was beyond bad. I think we left around 12%. That was probably generous, but it was what I felt comfortable with. That and I think that if we had to wait for change, we would've missed the bus entirely!

Karen

[TPCShauna]

Wow! Y'all had penny service! That's what my mom would leave when service was really, really bad. Why a penny? Because a server can write you off as a cheapskate if you leave nothing but leaving a penny sends a message.

I'm with you, though. I've been a server and I know what it is like to get weeded and never find my way out. I would probably have left 10% also.

The dog whistle look had me cracking up, though. And your CDF review is the straw that broke the camel's back for me. I just changed our ressie there to a ressie at Raglan Road. Claudia scared me off!

[tweetylori]

Truly excellent reviews...thank you!

[wdwfanatic316]

Just wanted to say I really enjoyed reading your reviews! We're going to DW next month with free dining, and we have ressies at California Grill and Les Chefs de France, but now I'm rethinking that one! :rotfl2:

[distherapy]

I'm so enjoying your reviews! I like that you really appreciate the food. We're going to Ca Grill and Artist Point on our upcoming trip and you have made me even more excited. Thanks!

[butiflfeet]

We just got back from our trip a few days ago and I have to agree with your Chefs review. We had dinner there our first night and I'm sorry to say it was probably our least favorite meal of the trip. The service was slow (not as slow as your experience thankfully) and the food was just ok. Our meals really weren't anything that I couldn't make at home. Hopefully your other meals were much better, ours were!

[PixieDustandEeyore]

loving your reviews but to that one experience..YIKES