"Who stole the cork from my lunch?" - Updated 11/8 - Kouzzina Dinner

[TheMaxRebo]

Hey Everyone,

This will be my first attempt at a dining review. I have enjoyed so many others and learned so much from them that I thought I would at least try one out with the aim to entertain some and enlighten at least one.

First the cast without whom this would be a really short report as we wouldn't be going:

Me: 31 - been going to Disney ever few years since I was a tot. Really enjoy almost any kind of food (except cream cheese so you will see no cheese cake for me) and really, really enjoy wine (specifically into NY State wines). Thus, all recent trips have been schedules around the F&WF.

DW: 29 - didn't go much as a kid but has gone with me several times in recent years. Like me love wine and also like me is lamenting the closure of the Adventurers club :(. She loves most food but doesn't eat beef or pork.

DD: 8 months - her first trip to Disney World (duh :laughing:) She loves people and loves going out (we started taking her to Mets games at 7 weeks old). Loves Puffs - not sure about other food yet.

MIL: I'm too polite to ask - hasn't been to Disney very often but is looking forward to the trip. She has graciously offered to babysit some so DW and myself can go off on our own at times. I wouldn't call her a foodie but she is up to try just about anything - although found out during this trip she doesn't like spicy food and thus won't eat Mexican food.

As we will have the little one with us, I have totally scaled back my planning (I am one of those crazy Excel people - although I am still using it a little), so we only planned a few meals (those marked with an *):

Meals Reviewed:
Saturday 10/24: Raglan Road (Dinner) (http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=34157439#post34157439)
Sunday 10/25: *Kouzzina (Dinner) (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=34258941&postcount=36)
Tuesday 10/27: Picnic in the Park (Lunch)
Tuesday 10/27: *Fulton's Crab House (Dinner)
Wednesday 10/28: Peco's Bill (Lunch)
Wednesday 10/28: *California Grill (Dinner - just DW and myself)
Thursday 10/29: Paradisio 37 (Dinner)
Friday 10/30: *Akershus Royal Banquet Hall (Princess Dinner)

F&WF Seminars:
Sunday 10/25: Culinary Demonstration: Dinner Impossible: Robert Irvine (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=34194796&postcount=29)
Friday 10/30: Culinary Demonstration: Bizarre Foods: Andrew Zimmern

Along with this we will definitely be sampling our way around the world at the F&WF kiosks and I definitely need to hit The Ditch at least once :thumbsup2
Reviews:
Kiosk Vittles Part 1: Sunday October 25th (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=34194503&postcount=28)
Kiosk Vittles Part 2: Sunday October 25th (cont.) (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=34195130&postcount=30)



I am planning to use the following rating system - although I do welcome any and all feedback:

Michael Scott:
http://www.zwixy.com/images/339633758MichealScott.gif
This is the pinnacle of food. It has the respect of its peers and its supporting cast (or at least it thinks so). It deserves to be recognized by those who give out awards and may just be the worlds best food - it even has the coffee cup stating so

Jim and Pam:
http://www.zwixy.com/images/1058130402Jam.gif
This is a food that you love to spend time with and are sorry to see it go. While it might not be the most exciting food ever, it certainly is something you root for and would love to see again.

Bob Vance, Vance Refrigeration, and Phyllis:
http://www.zwixy.com/images/563271458BobVanceandPhyllis.gif
This is a dependable food that certainly gets the job done. You aren't necessarily telling your friends about it or scheduling future meals around it - but is a nice, solid food.

Kevin:
http://www.zwixy.com/images/788437200Kevin.gif
You can certainly tell that the food is trying - and you appreciate the effort - it's just that everything didn't quite function the way it should and there was a little bit of awkwardness. Had its moments but you might not go there again

Dwight Schrute - Assistant to the Regional Manager
http://www.zwixy.com/images/1017982760dwightschrute.gif
Now this food just annoyed the heck out of you. You gave it a chance, you wanted to like it, but you just couldn't wait to be done with it and move on to something else. Definitely something you will advise others to avoid.


I am super excited about the trip as we have never been to any of the restaurants we have scheduled - I am particularly looking forward to California Grill.

Oh, one last thing - I will do my best to take what pictures I can but I am not sure how my fellow travelers will react, so no promises :)

[KatMark]

Sounds great...can't wait. :thumbsup2

[hmgray95]

Oh, Max, you had me at the ratings system. Any Office fan will surely provide a very entertaining report! Looking forward to your reviews!

[BriarRosie]

Aha! You succumbed to the lure of the ratings system! :rotfl2:

Nice lineup you have. I'll be suitably jealous when I'm home completely sated from food and wine and your adventure is just beginning.

And I like how you incorporated all your graphics posted into your signature. :thumbsup2

[jeminni]

I'm in. Can't wait to read more. Have a great trip. :goodvibes

[TheMaxRebo]

Sounds great...can't wait. :thumbsup2

Thanks! - we can't wait for the trip either ;)

Oh, Max, you had me at the ratings system. Any Office fan will surely provide a very entertaining report! Looking forward to your reviews!

Thanks! - Hope to provide at least a chuckle or two. Glad to see there are some other Office fans here

Aha! You succumbed to the lure of the ratings system! :rotfl2:

Nice lineup you have. I'll be suitably jealous when I'm home completely sated from food and wine and your adventure is just beginning.

And I like how you incorporated all your graphics posted into your signature. :thumbsup2

Thanks !- I didn't want to post the graphics on all of the F&WF related threads so thought this was a decent idea.

I'm excited to the line-up too. Not too many meals booked, but haven't been to any of them so it should be fun!

I'm in. Can't wait to read more. Have a great trip. :goodvibes

Thanks! - First trip with a little one for us so hopefully it will work out


As things get closer I will post anything relevant prior to the trip and try and post when I can during the trip as well. My DW will be brining her netbook so I anticipate being able to post some during the trip

[Soldier's*Sweeties]

I just found out they had these dinning reviews on here and I can NOT get enough of them!

Can't wait to hear your views and stories from the seminars! I love Andrew Z! Not big on the Dinner Impossible guy, but it should be interesting!:thumbsup2

[TheMaxRebo]

Hey All,

Well, we are heading down to The World in just about 36 hours.

Just a note that I will try and post as often as I can about how the conditions, etc. are, but the full reviews may be a day or two behind.

Quick question: We are staying off site (I know, I know), and will probably do at least a few meals at non-Disney places .... are people interested in reviews of those places as well?

[MickeyNicki]

Oh man you have me cracking up at the rating system, it is AWESOME!

Have a safe and wonderful trip and come back to tell us all about it!

[disneyfav4ever]

I love the rating system! The Office is one of my favorite shows right now.

[MyTalula]

Hey All,

Well, we are heading down to The World in just about 36 hours.

Just a note that I will try and post as often as I can about how the conditions, etc. are, but the full reviews may be a day or two behind.

Quick question: We are staying off site (I know, I know), and will probably do at least a few meals at non-Disney places .... are people interested in reviews of those places as well?

Ohhhhh have a great trip!!! :banana::banana: I'd love to read about and see porn from the non-disney places as well!! :woohoo:

[TDC Nala]

I'll be at the same Andrew Zimmern seminar so it's Simpsons vs. The Office on that one.

I've done some Universal food porn. If it's mostly a Disney report I don't think offsite food is too off-topic.

[TheMaxRebo]

I'll be at the same Andrew Zimmern seminar so it's Simpsons vs. The Office on that one.

I've done some Universal food porn. If it's mostly a Disney report I don't think offsite food is too off-topic.

http://www.zwixy.com/images/1224450884OfficevsSimpsons.gif

See you there! - just watched his Bizarre World Florida last night, so am totally in the proper mood :goodvibes

[BriarRosie]

http://www.zwixy.com/images/1224450884OfficevsSimpsons.gif

See you there! - just watched his Bizarre World Florida last night, so am totally in the proper mood :goodvibes

You're completely cracking me up with the Ratings System Deathmatch. :rotfl2:

[TheMaxRebo]

Hi everyone,

[TheMaxRebo]

Hi everyone,

We arrived on saturday safe and sound but to the unfortunate fact that the condo we are satying at charges an exorbitent amount for internet access - so i am posting this from my phome.

i am hoping to hit up a Starbucks or something to get the fun going but for know i will tease you with upcoming reviews of an unplanned dinner at Raglan Road that was great and a planned dinner at Kousina that slightly disappointed..

hope to see you again soon :)

[larklynn]

can't wait to hear more

[Jamie77]

Oh goody! Another juicy trip report!:goodvibes

[TheMaxRebo]

Well, we left Disney this morning and am now out DW's relatives for the rest of our vacation - so I will have at least some internet access :thumbsup2 ... so here is the actual start of the reviews ....

********

Arrival Day - Saturday 10/24

Well, we arrived safe and sound at just about 10 am and DD did very well on her first plane ride

We got our bags (for the first time I can remember ours came out very fast) got the minivan, did some shopping for baby stuff and bathing suits (up by us no one was selling them any more) and checked into the condo. Yes, we are staying off-site and as such are not on the dining plan (free or otherwise) so you will see a lot of sharing of apps, or having an app for main course, etc.

After getting settled we decided to head over to Down Town Disney to get some Disney flavah' as today was a non-park day


After walking around a bit and showing MIL some of DTD (she had never been) we agreed to see if we could get into Raglan Road despite not having an ADR - I was actually not super in favor of this as I had read some mixed reviews here .... but I am really glad we tried it.

It started out with the plesant surprise that there was no wait for a table despite it being a Saturday evening and were seated in a back room with other families with young kids which worked out really well as the kids started entertaining each other.

Our waitress was Kayleigh and she was very freindly and overall did a good job (although she did commit the cardinal sin of bringing the entrees prior to clearing the apps)

We were started off with some rolls with a Guiness Honey Oil for dipping:
http://www.zwixy.com/images/74903274410241Raglandrollsandoil.JPG

The rolls were good, if heavy, and the dipping oil was surprisingly good (and a bit addictive) -> overall we gave it a Jim and Pam as it was a bit out of the ordinary and enjoyable ... a good start to the meal.
http://www.zwixy.com/images/1058130402Jam.gif

For drinks, I started with a Murphy's Irish Red and DW had a Strongbow hard cider (figured we would stick with the whole Irish pub theme). MIL had a water, so no picture of that.
http://www.zwixy.com/images/104064866410242RaglanBeerandcider.JPG

They were good and got the job done. I will say that the Murphy's tasted a little watered down. Overall, we give these a Bob Vance and Phyllis
http://www.zwixy.com/images/563271458BobVanceandPhyllis.gif

For an appetiser we decided to split the Crock o' Pate - rustic chicken liver pate served with an apricot chutney -> given that Disney no longer has Fois Gras, we figured this was the closest thing we would be able to get:
http://www.zwixy.com/images/73521684310243RaglanPatte.JPG

Wow - this was so good. It came with nice slightly toasted bread and the chutney really put this over the top. It was also a large portion as the three of us could not finish it all and at a reasonable price to boot. I was heistant to pull out the Micheal Scott this early, but this really deserved it.
http://www.zwixy.com/images/339633758MichealScott.gif

For our entress, DW got the Goats Town - which was basically a salad with goat cheese and some berries.
http://www.zwixy.com/images/82851408410244RaglanGoat.JPG

She really liked it, but actually felt like there wasn't enough lettuce. She still gave it a definite Jim and Pam:
http://www.zwixy.com/images/1058130402Jam.gif

MIL decided to get a cup of asparagus soup and side salad:
http://www.zwixy.com/images/121063599210245Raglansoupandsalad.JPG

She loved the asparagus sould which was topped with scallions and came with a bread twist. The salad was just ok and didn't come with enough dressing - if she could have done it over she would have gotten the dressing on the side. On average this gets a Jim and Pam:
http://www.zwixy.com/images/1058130402Jam.gif

I decided to get the Heavan on Earth appetizer for my entree which was a bowl of ribs with a Guinness and honey glaze:
http://www.zwixy.com/images/114892759410246Raglanribs.JPG

These were very good with a very sticky sauce coating and was a perfect sized portion for me. The only shortcoming I had was that some of the ribs were a little light on their coating and didn't have enough flavor. So it also gets a Jim and Pam:
http://www.zwixy.com/images/1058130402Jam.gif

I also ordered a glass of Konensber beer with dinner which I liked better than the Murphy's.
http://www.zwixy.com/images/4625380710247Raglanbeerno2.JPG

It was light but with a lot of flavor and was similar to a Stella Atrois but I would say smoother. Definite Jim and Pam:
http://www.zwixy.com/images/1058130402Jam.gif

We ordered some massed potatos for DD. I didn't get a great pictures as it got washed out, so instead of that and of a rating, I will just post a picture of DD enjoying said mashed potatoes
http://www.zwixy.com/images/747287810248RaglanDDandmashedpotatos.JPG

We decided against ordering desert (although we were tempted by the bread pudding) as we wanted to walk around DTD some more and get desert at Geredelli ....

... well, until we saw the line at least 20 people out the door, so we decided to march on and went to Goofy's Candy Company, and came home with these vittles:
http://www.zwixy.com/images/75535358710249Goofysvittles.JPG

We got (clockwise) a giant snickerdoodle (sorry for the piece missing - we couldn't wait), pumpkin fudge, vanilla fudge and a reces pieces coated pretzel .... these were all really good expecially the pumpkin fudge.

We actually didn't eat much of the candy that night as we were all ready for bed as we had been up since 4am.

Up next: Food and Wine Festival kiosks, Robert Irvine Food semina, and Kousina

[redzinner]

http://www.zwixy.com/images/121063599210245Raglansoupandsalad.JPG

She loved the asparagus soup which was topped with scallions and came with a bread twist.

http://www.zwixy.com/images/75535358710249Goofysvittles.JPG



I looove the asparagus soup too. Good choice. It's hit and miss with Raglan Road but we've been fortunate in our selections. I'll be there again in November :) to try again.

Pumpkin fudge ... I'll have to nibble a bit of that one. Sounds good.

[2xcited2sleep]

I'm in! Your rating system is genius! Cracks me up!! :lmao: Looking forward to more!

[Nicole786]

Had to comment to subscribe when I saw where you guys are from! Grew up in Yorktown but spent a lot of time in Mahopac! My ex lives there, and every wednesday we took a trip to Stop n Shop for food shopping!

[BriarRosie]

Nice start! Now I want to order paté from Raglan Road!

[TheMaxRebo]

I looove the asparagus soup too. Good choice. It's hit and miss with Raglan Road but we've been fortunate in our selections. I'll be there again in November :) to try again.

Pumpkin fudge ... I'll have to nibble a bit of that one. Sounds good.

Yeah, definitely read mixed things about Raglan but we really enjoyed it ... and the pumpkin fudge was great (we would up picking up a second one the day we left :goodvibes

I'm in! Your rating system is genius! Cracks me up!! :lmao: Looking forward to more!

Thanks!

Nice start! Now I want to order paté from Raglan Road!

Thanks! Still not foie gras but pretty darn good

Had to comment to subscribe when I saw where you guys are from! Grew up in Yorktown but spent a lot of time in Mahopac! My ex lives there, and every wednesday we took a trip to Stop n Shop for food shopping!

haha - we go shopping there all the time

[Lizziejane]

Great start...I really enjoyed your review of Raglan Road. As a first-generation Dubliner, I am anxious to try Raglan Road in January. My sons are also into their ale, so I think I"m going to enjoy your descriptions of the drinks too! Keep em' coming!

[kabuki]

Great Reviews! I wish we could have said hello - love all your art work!

We love us some Raglan Road.. keep it coming!:thumbsup2

[kabuki]

Nice start! Now I want to order paté from Raglan Road!

Ummm yea! Lori why did we not get this at some point! We always have December! :rotfl2:

[TheMaxRebo]

Sorry for the delay - hopefully I can get a few done today as I have access to the internet today :)

So Day 2 Sunday October 25th was our first day at the parks and it was and EPCOT day.

Once it hit 11 am we hit The Showcase for some Kiosk Vittles ....

Our first stop was New Zealand as DW wanted to try the Lamb Slider with Tomato Chutney:
http://www.zwixy.com/images/90995690610251FWFLambBurger.JPG

She said it was quite good and not dry at all (like other reviews I had read had said - maybe b/c this was early in the day?) but was a bit spicier than she was expecting. She gave it a Jim and Pam:
http://www.zwixy.com/images/1058130402Jam.gif

Next stop was Cork, Ireland where both MIL and myslef got the Lobster and Scallop Fisherman's pie which I had heard nothing but good things about and this did not disapoint:
http://www.zwixy.com/images/115862773510252FWFFishermanspie.JPG

It was a large serving with large chunks of lobster and scallops in a really nice, rich broth toped with mashed potatoes. Everyone loved this (DW stole some) and we all give this the maximum score of Micheal Scott:
http://www.zwixy.com/images/339633758MichealScott.gif

Next, onto Paris as I had been eager to try the brased short rib and DW had to get the Escargo and MIL tried the Chocolate Creme Brulee:
http://www.zwixy.com/images/2720141710253FWFShortrib.JPGhttp://www.zwixy.com/images/12038601510254FWFEscargo.JPGhttp://www.zwixy.com/images/58452473110255FWFChocCremeBrulee.JPG


The braised short rib was pretty darn good, but not super deluxe - some of the meat was a little tough. DW thought the Escargot were quite good as well, although some bites (those with more garlic sauce) were better than others. We give both of these a Jim and Pam:
http://www.zwixy.com/images/1058130402Jam.gif

MIL thought the Chocolate Creme Brulee was ok - but not chocolately enough, she gave it a Bob Vance and Phyllis:
http://www.zwixy.com/images/563271458BobVanceandPhyllis.gif

I then hit up the Brewers Collection Booth and picked up an Affligem Blonde in the souviner mug:
http://www.zwixy.com/images/29519016010256FWFAffilgemBlonde.JPG

I thought the Affligem Blonde was quite good and gave it a Jim & Pam:
http://www.zwixy.com/images/1058130402Jam.gif

At the same time, DW stopped at the booth by Paris to get a Gray Goose Citron Frozen Lemonade:
http://www.zwixy.com/images/125450360010257FWFCitronGrayGooseLemonade.JPG

DW thought the Gray Goose Lemonade was ok, but nothing great, and gave it a Bob Vance and Phyllis:
http://www.zwixy.com/images/563271458BobVanceandPhyllis.gif

Next we headed back to the F&WF Center for the Robert Irvine Seminar....

[TheMaxRebo]

Day 2 - Sunday October 25th (continued)

As instructed by the workers there that morning (and as I had seen mentioned here) we arrived about 18 minutes early for the seminar. Well, by then, all but 3 people had checked in and all the extra tickets had been gone by 9am that morning ... so I guess Robert Irvine is pretty popular.

We were seated towards the back, but could see fine - although my camera wasn't great when zoomed in so not the best photos, sorry :guilty:

The seminar first started with a Melissa Straus, a representative from Micheal David winery, who talked about the wine we would be getting a small sample of paired with the food.
http://www.zwixy.com/images/62818368310258RIMelissaStraus.JPG

It was called Petit Petit which was a blend of 85% Petit Sarah and 15% Petit Verdot. It was pretty good and had some flavors of black cherry and paired pretty well with the food we had which was Green Pepercorn Steak Au Province.

Robert started off by chatting with Pam, the ever present host and then tried to get the crowd a bit more excited.
http://www.zwixy.com/images/28137513710259RIRIandHost.JPG

He then had a young kid come up to help cook. Robert indicated that last year he had people break down the plant wall and open up the seminar to whomever wanted to attend but he then got a talking to by Disney.

He spent much of the rest of the time walking through the crowd - sitting on women's laps, etc. while his assistant and the young boy did the cooking:
http://www.zwixy.com/images/1225390396102511RIRIincrowd.JPG

Below is the wine and the steak. We thought the steak was quite good and actually a pretty decent portion:
http://www.zwixy.com/images/122901932102512RISteakandwine.JPG

He also brought up two women who were celebrating their birthdays and they got full steaks to try that were cooked on stage. He also had a good line about Guy Fieri saying "you know Guy - he doesn't cook"

Overall we enjoyed the seminar itself quite a bit as the food and wine were good and the seminar itself was quite entertaining. Robert also took up a lot of time answering questions about his show, etc. which was informative.

Afterwards, however, we were disappointed to find out that earlier in the day they passed out bracelets for those who wanted to do the book signing for Robert (something they neglected to mention when we checked in for the semilar earlier that morning) and the line that formed of other people while we were in the seminar was huge - so we decided to not wait.

This knowledge did help out a lot later in the week for the Andrew Zimern seminar, but we kinda felt that the people who paid to be in the seminar should have the first crack for the book signing.

up netxt ... some more Kiosk Vittles

[TheMaxRebo]

So following the seminar we ventured back to The Showcase to sample some more Kiosk Vittles.

We headed to the New Delhi stand as DW was craving something sweet and wanted to try the Gulab Jamun (Freid dough in Rose Syrup with Pistachios):
http://www.zwixy.com/images/295737794102514FWFNewDelidessert.JPG

She thought it was pretty good but mentioned that is was a bit warm out to fully enjoy a heated dessert (it was about 90 degrees that day). She gave it a Jim and Pam:
http://www.zwixy.com/images/1058130402Jam.gif

MIL had a Mango Lassi and definitely enjoyed it:
http://www.zwixy.com/images/515239756102513FWFMangoLassi.JPG

She too gave this a Jim and Pam:
http://www.zwixy.com/images/1058130402Jam.gif

We then headed to Germany as I was craving a beer and from their reglular stand, selected a Spaten Octoberfest in Germany Souvenir Mug. At the same time DW stoped by the Munich Kiosk and got a glass of the Schloss Reinhartshausen:
http://www.zwixy.com/images/1288573591102515FWFOldVineReisling.JPG

I really enjoyed the Spaten Octoberfest (probably the best beer I had that week) and gave it a Jim and Pam:
http://www.zwixy.com/images/1058130402Jam.gif

DW thought the wine was nothing special, but ok, and gabe it a Bob Vance and Phyllis:
http://www.zwixy.com/images/563271458BobVanceandPhyllis.gif

We then attended the Sam Adams Beer seminar as we got there right before one was starting and figured we would at least get a free keychain. Here is a picture of the beers laid out for us:
http://www.zwixy.com/images/522629294102516FWFBeerSeminar.JPG

The guy sitting next to me commented that he appreciated that I brought a beer to the beer seminar, just in case they didn't have any beer :lmao:

While we were at the benches in the back row, DD entertained hereself, until she had a question for the beer guy (that's my girl!):
http://www.zwixy.com/images/758017017102517FWFDDBeerSeminar.JPGhttp://www.zwixy.com/images/438638810102518FWFDDasksquestionBeerSeminar.JPG

Overall, we enjoyed the seminar and the host we had actually added some facts and was pretty good (I've read of some hosts not really doing more than reading the placemats). The crowd was a little rowdy with some cat calling throughout - but nothing too bad.

After the seminar we headed over to the boardwalk for dinner at Kousina ....

(what? I gotta tease a little bit to keep you coming back)

[Pooh's-Honey-Pot]

Ohhh great reviews!!

[TDC Nala]

The festival hosts name is Pam, not Ann... Robert Irvine has the biggest chest I have ever seen on a chef (that expands sideways, not outward I should say) And last year he messed with Palmhenge? I bet Disney got mad.

I sort of miss Raglan Road. I can't bring myself to go back to DTD yet for any specific length of time.

Should have asked the guy behind us with the baby in line for the Zimmern demo if it was you. There were at least two babies in the line so not sure.

[Quacktatty]

I can see myself in one if your Robert Irvine pictures!! I was at one of the front tables. Robert was awesome to listen to and meet. I am so glad that I took the time to see him.

[BriarRosie]

I liked the Robert Irvine review. He was nice enough to pose for a self-inflicted photo with me, but he did the lap sitting thing last year at the event I attended. That must be his schtick.

And way to go, starting the kid early with beer questions. :laughing:

[TheMaxRebo]

The festival hosts name is Pam, not Ann... Robert Irvine has the biggest chest I have ever seen on a chef (that expands sideways, not outward I should say) And last year he messed with Palmhenge? I bet Disney got mad.

I sort of miss Raglan Road. I can't bring myself to go back to DTD yet for any specific length of time.

Should have asked the guy behind us with the baby in line for the Zimmern demo if it was you. There were at least two babies in the line so not sure.

Oops! Thanks for the correction! (I've updated my post)

And that might have been me behind you in line ... we were towards the end of the roped section for the line and did chat with a friendly woman in front of us who was then joined by her friend. My DD was in a bright pink stroller if that rings a bell...

[TheMaxRebo]

Day 2, October 25th continuned ... Dinner at Kouzzina

We were really excited for our dinner at Kouzzina as we love Iron Chef, really enjoy Greek food and were just excited to try a new restaurant at Disney (we had made the ADR's before it was even open)

Well, due to hitting the beer seminar and then just missing a boat to the boardwalk, we rushed over to Kouzzina via personal bi-pod mod of transportation (a.k.a., we ran/pushed the stroller) and arrived about 5 - 10 mins after our ADR time and were called for our table about 20 mins after we arrived.

We were seated near the entrance and the first thing I noticed was that the dinning seemed pretty plain and also very loud. Our server was Lynn and she was very pleasant and overall did a pretty good job.

For drinks, DW ordered the Sangria and I had a glass of the Greek Dry Rose (sorry, can't find the exact name at the moment :confused3). MIL just got water (which was a trend for this trip :goodvibes)
http://www.zwixy.com/images/848979057102519KousinaSangriaandDryRose.JPG

DW liked the Sangria (I tried it as well and thought it was pretty good and a little different). She gave it a Jim and Pam:
http://www.zwixy.com/images/1058130402Jam.gif

I wasn't too impressed with the Dry Rose. I have been getting into that wine of late and have had quite a few that were better than that. It wasn't bad or anything, just nothing I would look for again. I give it a Bob Vance and Phyllis:
http://www.zwixy.com/images/563271458BobVanceandPhyllis.gif

To start, we shared an order of the Brick Oven Bread with Caramelized Onions, Olives, and Roasted Sweet Peppers:
http://www.zwixy.com/images/862846217102520Kousinabakedflatbread.JPG

We thought this was pretty tasty - especially if you had some of the olives in your bite and was enough to share. We give this a Jim and Pam:
http://www.zwixy.com/images/1058130402Jam.gif

We were then given our bread (after the appetizer and also after our bread plates were removed :sad2:) which was a multigrain bread served with butter with black Hawaiian sea salt on top:
http://www.zwixy.com/images/1017146066102521Kousinabreadandbutter.JPG

We thought the salt was pretty tasty and added a bit to it, but other than that was nothing special. We'll give it a Jim and Pam but probably only because we all really like salt ;)
http://www.zwixy.com/images/1058130402Jam.gif

For our entrees, I ordered the Cinnamon Stewed Chicken as that was what was appealing to me most on the menu:
http://www.zwixy.com/images/973829546102524KousinaCinnimonChicken.JPG

It was served over Orzo and I thought this was ok, a little different, but it just didn't work for me. Again, not bad, but definitely not what I was hoping for from this meal. It gets a Bob Vance and Phyllis:
http://www.zwixy.com/images/563271458BobVanceandPhyllis.gif

DW got the Slow-cooked Lamb Shank which was served with Oven-baked Gigantes Beans and Pepper Sauce:
http://www.zwixy.com/images/1208120600102525KousinaLambShank.JPG

This was quite good and definitely the best of our entrees. It fell off the bone and DW really enjoyed it. It gets a solid Micheal Scott:
http://www.zwixy.com/images/339633758MichealScott.gif

MIL ordered the Whole fish which that day was a 1.5 lb Yellow fin, which she had filleted tableside:
http://www.zwixy.com/images/655590831102522Kousinawholefishbeingfileted.JPGhtt p://www.zwixy.com/images/699825277102523Kousinawholefishafterbeingfileted.J PG

MIL thought this was ok, but needed to add a lot of salt and pepper. Also, even after being filleted there were still a lot of little bones and she just didn't think it was worth the effort - and she is a fish person. She only gave this a Bob Vance and Phyllis:
http://www.zwixy.com/images/563271458BobVanceandPhyllis.gif

We decided to skip dessert as we were pretty tired and still had some candy left from the previous night.

Overall, while not a bad meal, we were pretty disappointed with this meal. Perhaps our expectations/hopes were just too high, but it just didn't seem "iron chef worthy" to us. ...

... the good news is that this was the worst of our table service meals during the trip and it was still not bad.

Up next: Animal Kingdom Picnic in the Park

[eliz991]

I had to check out this report when I saw the graphics in your signature - loving it so far and your daughter is so adorable!

Oh, and I am also a wine lover. Wino. Fine line.

[kabuki]

Sorry Ko-Zima was just OK for you! Try it for breakfast if you get a shot!
Love your reviews!

[kxs401]

I hope this hasn't been abandoned! I'm enjoying the reviews. And I will definitely be getting the lamb when we try Kouzzina in... a little more than a week?!