The "I Can't Come Up with a Catchy Title" Disney Food Review - Updated 12/7!

[cbg1027]

Hello fellow food porn lovers!

If you want to read more about the cast involved with this review, click on the link in my signature for Abby and Estelle's Birthday Wish: A Food Centered Disney Trip!

A quick overview of our dining habits/preferences/restrictions:

I am extremely adventurous when it comes to food and will try almost anything once. I have not come across any menus for a place at Disney with something I wouldn't be willing to sample. My favorite cuisines are French, Italian, Thai, and Middle Eastern. Compared to most people, I have eaten some strange things. My mother is a really fabulous cook, so I was exposed to a lot of "different" foods at a young age and have always been a pretty daring eater.
The only stuff I've ever come across that I just plain don't like is Japanese. And it's not the raw aspect of it - I love carpaccios, tartares and the like. But something with Japanese flavors just doesn't do anything for me.

As for my traveling partner in gluttony (my grandma), she's not quite as adventurous as me. She's by no means picky, but she isn't a fan of any Asian cuisines, and doesn't like spicy food. Her favorite cuisine is definitely Italian - she even went so far as to marry an Italian (my Grandfather, he died before I was born).
Gram has somewhat of a lactose intolerance. She can't have milk, cream, or soft, young cheeses (like ricotta) or items made with them. But she is fine with butter (:confused3), medium (cheddar) or hard cheeses (parmesan). She can have goat or sheep milk products because they don't contain lactose.

We leave on Friday Oct 30 for a long weekend of Food and Wine Festival fun! I won't be able to post from Disney. Sorry guys, just not in to paying $10 bucks a day for internet access. I'll only be gone 4 nights, so you won't miss me too much! ;)

I've done a few individual restaurant reviews, but never a whole trip's worth. So forgive me if I break any of the food porn commandments. I just got a brand new camera for my birthday yesterday, so you can expect lots of awesome photos! I've already told my traveling partner, my Grandma, that she's not allowed to eat anything until I've taken a photo!

We will be giving ratings on a simple 1-10 scale, 10 being the best! We will base our rating mostly on the quality and taste of the food, but also consider ambiance, value for the money, and service.

Our reviews will cover the following restaurants and dining events:

Oct 30 - Wolfgang Puck Express for Dinner (http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=34209996#post34209996)

Oct 31 - Epcot Day
Everything POP for Breakfast (http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=34212209#post34212209)
F&W Kiosks 'Grazing' (http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=34260387#post34260387)
A Culinary Demo with Andrew Zimmern (http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=34318891#post34318891)
Kouzzina for Dinner (http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=34349290#post34349290)

Nov 1 - AK Day
Everything POP for Breakfast (http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=34391516&posted=1#post34391516)
Yak and Yeti (http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=34391662&posted=1#post34391662)
Everything POP for Dinner (http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=34489157#post34489157)

Nov 2 - Epcot Day
Everything POP Breakfast (http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=34489741&posted=1#post34489741)
F&W Kiosks 'Grazing' (http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=34521283#post34521283)
Citricos for Dinner (http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=34547457#post34547457)

Nov 3 - Cape May Cafe Character Breakfast (http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=34591349#post34591349)

[MickeyNicki]

Count me in!

[beroh2253]

See you Oct. 31 'Grazing' all day @ the F &WF:cool2::hippie:
Less the 1 day till we leave this rainy place in PA.

[disneyfav4ever]

Have fun!

[Dis_Yoda]

I'm in!

[cbg1027]

See you Oct. 31 'Grazing' all day @ the F &WF:cool2::hippie:
Less the 1 day till we leave this rainy place in PA.

Oooh wear your LGMH's! I will have 3 dangling from a red backback!

Thanks for joining in everyone! I'm soooooo excited to do this review! Only 6 more days til I leave!:banana:

[cbg1027]

Dinner addition for Nov 1 - instead of eating at POP, we have decided we will go the CS at another resort! Most likely Mara at AK Lodge....keep with the AK theme for the day. :cutie: I was also considering Captain Cook's because I haven't been to the Poly in like 20 years! We're choosing more based on what resort we want to see more than the food. Soo.....Zebra Domes or Dole Whips? :rotfl: Yummmm.

Today is my birthday but I just want the day to be over with so we can be that much closer to Disney! 3 Days!:banana:

I got a new camera for my birthday and my photographer friend was showing me how to use it the other day and pointed out that there is a food setting! So I'm excited....we should get some awesome food porn!

[cbg1027]

I just got home an hour ago. I am sitting in front of the computer eating leftover food from the POP food court! :rotfl: Greek Salad and some pieces of flatbread...but more on those later. :thumbsup2
I'm tired but couldn't resist getting on the boards....have yet to start uploading photos so I will probably begin the reviews tomorrow!

[BriarRosie]

Welcome back! Looking forward to the food porn.

[MickeyNicki]

Welcome home!

[Dis_Yoda]

Welcome back!

[cbg1027]

We drove down and went directly to DTD. We arrived around 8pm and boy, was that place hopping!

After getting our tickets at Guest services we went to Wolfgang Puck Express to have dinner. The West Side location of WPE has very limited seating. There are maybe 8 seats inside at a counter. There are about 20 tables outside on a covered patio so if you want to eat here, be aware you will most likely need to sit outside. This was fine for us Friday evening because the weather was perfect! It was 75 degrees and breezy. It was nice sitting outside because DTD was hosting a Halloween Trick-or-Treat so we were able to watch all the people going by in their costumes.

Gram selected the Roasted Ruby Beet, Spinach, and Goat Cheese Salad with candied pecans, mandarin oranges, and a citrus vinaigrette.
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h70/cbg1027/Nov%20Disney/DSCN0217.jpg
We both thought this was a very good salad. The spinach was fresh and crisp, the beets sweet and slightly soft, the pecans were nice and crunchy, and the goat cheese was tart and delicious. There was a good amount of dressing on it too, bur it wasn't drowning or lacking. I HATE when salads are drowning in dressing - you can always add more but you can't take any off once it's mixed in! The vinaigrette was slightly tart, but mostly sweet, not too oily. The only part of this salad that was slightly lacking were the mandarin oranges - they were definitely from a can.

I had the Chinois Chicken Salad made with roasted all natural chicken breast, fresh Asian vegetables, cripsy wontons, and dressed with Honey Mustard.
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h70/cbg1027/Nov%20Disney/DSCN0219.jpg

This was also a very good salad. It was tangy, a tad spicy on the finish, crunchy, and fresh. The dressing was much more mustardy than your standard Honey Mustard, but I liked it. There were shredded carrots, red cabbage, some other cabbages...maybe Napa? The portion was huge, there was probably 3.5 cups of salad. I took some of it back to our room at POP and ate it later that night.

I also had a fountain Coke with the meal. Gram just drank water.

Costs:
Spinach Salad $11.95
Chinois Chicken Salad $11.95
Coke $2.95

I purchased a Tables in Wonderland Card for the Passholder rate of $75. It gives us a 20% discount at most TS locations and a few CS places in WDW. WPE does not take TIW so we didn't get a discount here. I later realized they do offer a 10% discount for passholders, so we could have saved a couple of bucks.

For a CS place, the food is pretty darn good but it is a bit more expensive. Overall a good value though. A good option for CS at DTD.

Gram's Rating: 7.5
Mine: A Solid 7.5

Coming up next: Breakfast at Everything POP.

[cbg1027]

I got up before my Grandmother this morning to go to RD at Epcot so I had breakfast alone at Everything POP.

I got the Bounty Platter with scrambled eggs, bacon, a sausage patty, potatoes, french toast sticks, and a biscuit. I also got a small OJ.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h70/cbg1027/Nov%20Disney/DSCN0237.jpg

I was disappointed when I walked up to the counter and they gave me an already packaged plate that had been sitting there for who knows how long. The eggs were too dry and overcooked. The sausage was ok, good enough that I ate it. The potatoes were too greasy for my tastes but had a good flavor. I liked the French toast sticks, but they would have been better if they were hot! The biscuit was ok, a tad overcooked, but certainly edible. Everything on the plate was just kind of lukewarm so I'm sure it would have tasted better if it was hot and freshly plated. I don't really like bacon and didn't eat that so I can't tell you how it was.

I know Disney carries Coke products, which I am very thankful for since I HATE Pepsi, but do they have to use Minute Maid OJ? I'm not looking for fresh squeezed at a food court, but some other brand that's not from concentrate would be a nice change.

The platter was $8.69 and the OJ was $1.69. I was able to use my TIW card for a 20% discount which brought the total to $8.50.

I would rate the POP Breakfast a 4.

[LarryinArk]

I'm in

[MissBritt]

Interesting to read that about the Bounty Platter... I wonder if they do the same thing with the ones at POR?

[msce2]

Great start! WPE looks great, we may have to go there on our next trip. Thank you for the tip on the AP discount!

I'm sub'ing

[cbg1027]

Interesting to read that about the Bounty Platter... I wonder if they do the same thing with the ones at POR?

I think it just kind of depends on how busy it is when you go and who is working. If it's super busy then you'll probably get a freshly plated dish. Seven months ago when we stayed at ASMo the breakfasts I got were always plated right when I ordered.

[mousebymarriage]

I'm in! Can't wait to hear more!popcorn::

[cbg1027]

Gram and I headed straight for the WS around 11am when it opened. We first hit the Athens, Greece booth.

We started with the Greek Salad with Pita Bread:
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h70/cbg1027/Nov%20Disney/DSCN0251.jpg

As Greek salads go, I thought this was good. It wasn't anything special, but I definitely enjoyed it. The vegetables were fresh, it had Kalamata olives, and it wasn't drowning in dressing. I liked the preparation of small chopped vegetables, which made it easier to eat without having a table to sit down at and cut up your food. I think the Feta in the salad was American made cow's milk cheese. Real Feta is made from sheep's milk and is much stronger so it lost a few points for me there. The pita bread was a bit hard around the edges, but it didn't taste stale...so I don't know what that was about. Cost: $2.75. Overall, a respectable 5 rating.

We also had the Spanikopita:
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h70/cbg1027/Nov%20Disney/DSCN0253.jpg

Again, decent, but nothing special. The phyllo was buttery, flaky, and crisp, but I thought the filling was lacking something. It was kind like spinach and not much else.I just thought it was kind of like the Spanikopita you could get in the freezer section at a grocery store. Back home a week before our trip, I attended a Greek Food Festival and their Spanikopita was much more flavorful and exciting. Cost was $4.00. So we give the dish a 5 rating.

We also got the Chicken Souvlaki with Tzatziki:
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h70/cbg1027/Nov%20Disney/DSCN0252.jpg

We thought this was best dish of the booth. The chicken was flavorful and moist, it wasn't dry like Souvlaki can easily be. I'm not positive, but I think Souvlaki is traditionally made from Pork....but I'm not a pork fan, so no points lost there for me. We rated this a solid 7. It was $4.00.

After Greece, we hit up the nearby (and busy!) Montreal, Canada booth.

Our first selection was the Canadian Cheddar Cheese Soup, of course!
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h70/cbg1027/Nov%20Disney/DSCN0258.jpg

Well this was more my selection since there was no question that Gram couldn't eat this. I'm glad I had it all the myself though. ;) I had tasted this back at the 2006 Festival and remembered liking it. It was just as good this time around. I don't normally like bacon, and that is partially what flavors this soup, but this I love. I understand why everyone raves about it so much. The only thing I didn't like about it was that it's a really heavy dish for a hot day, and it was like 88 degrees out that day so that killed my enjoyment of it a little. I'd rate it an 8. The soup was $3.75.

We also picked up a Spicy Chicken Sausage with Sweet Corn Polenta:
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h70/cbg1027/Nov%20Disney/DSCN0257.jpg

They weren't kidding when they said spicy. Now, I like spicy foods, but on a hot day, this was just too much. I liked the sausage, it was very good, but just too spicy for me to be able to enjoy on that day. The pairing with the sweet polenta was a great idea. It cooled your palate down and the items complemented each other very well. Gram doesn't like spicy, so she took 1 little bite of the sausage and said "ick"! :rotfl: I couldn't finish it due to the heat, but we ate up all the polenta. This gets a 7 from me....Gram's rating we won't count. :laughing: Cost was $3.75.

We also ordered a Maple Glazed Salmon with Lentil Salad:
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h70/cbg1027/Nov%20Disney/DSCN0256.jpg

This was one of the standout dishes of the Festival to me. The salmon was perfectly cooked - not overdone, or undercooked, moist and just finished all the way through. The top was nicely crusted from the Maple glaze and oh so tasty. Sweet but complex flavor - definitely something else in there besides Maple syrup...maybe some cracked black pepper? The fish is served hot off the grill, but the lentil salad it sits on top of is cold. The lentils were cooked til they were soft but not mushy and mixed with a somewhat sugary dressing. I thought the items paired really well and this dish was absolutely delicious! Gram agreed and we rated it a 9, short of a 10 because we thought the dressing on the lentil salad was a bit too sweet. $4.50 very well spent!

On our way up to the Festival Center, I grabbed a Bacardi Frozen Dragon Berry Colada:
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h70/cbg1027/Nov%20Disney/DSCN0259.jpg

Oh man this was good. I could get in to some serious trouble with a few a these! Rum is probably my favorite liquor, and I love a good, sweet, frozen adult beverage. ;) It was a tiny cup - maybe 4 oz, but I'm a lightweight so it was a great portion for me. I didn't get to sample as much alcohol at the festival as I would have liked because if I have more than 1 serving in an hour, I'm pretty much shot for the next day. This was a very berry tasting drink - I tasted mostly strawberry flavor. Again, since I'm a lightweight, I don't like drinks that taste overwhelmingly of the booze. This was great on that front to me because it had just enough rum that you could taste it and tell it was in the drink without it being the overwhelming presence. A bad value for those who really like their liqour, especially at $7.25. :scared1: This was freakin' expensive, but I REALLY liked it! An 9 rating!

These were only the booths we made it to that day! We were attending a culinary demo at 1pm so we had to head over to Festival Center before then.

Coming up next: Andrew Zimmern's Culinary Demo!

[klacey1]

We went to the other WPE-- no lines and PLENTY of indoor seating. DEfinitely the superior one!
Subscribing and can't wait to read the rest!

[cbg1027]

We went to the other WPE-- no lines and PLENTY of indoor seating. DEfinitely the superior one!
Subscribing and can't wait to read the rest!

I had originally planned to visit the Marketplace location since I saw photos of all the indoor seating, but we were on the West Side anyways to pick up our tickets and the weather was pleasant enough that we didn't mind sitting outside.

Thanks for joining in!

[belle8306]

I am enjoying your reviews! Great pictures!:thumbsup2

[cbg1027]

Thanks to everyone who has joined in! :goodvibes
I was about to post my next review but I have some videos to go with it and haven't uploaded them yet....and it's taking soooo long. It will have to wait until tomorrow.

[cbg1027]

OK, have the videos uploaded now so I can continue with the review! I know you were all eagerly waiting on baited breath. ;)

We headed over to the festival center to watch the sold out demo with Andrew Zimmern. He's a chef, but he's best known for his TV show Bizarre Foods, which airs on the Travel Channel. He visits different locations around the globe and explores the culture by sampling unusual and exotic foods. So ever since I booked our space, I, and everyone else I'm sure, were wondering..."What on earth is he going to cook? Crispy fried ants? Chocolate covered worms?" :rotfl:

There was probably only space for 100 people at the demo, so everyone got a pretty good view of the cooking area. Here's the view from our table:
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h70/cbg1027/Nov%20Disney/DSCN0274.jpg

On our tables were copies of the recipe Andrew would be making: Sweet and Sour Bangkok Style Quail with Red Chiles. Alright, no insects!

There were also little cups and pitchers of water. Shortly after everyone was seated they brought us out thimbles of wine.

After a short introduction from Pam, a lady who seems to have been the Festival MC, we met a guy from Meeker Vineyards. I don't remember his first name, but he was a Meeker. The wine pairing with Andrew's dish was Meeker FroZin. It's a dessert Zinfandel but they use a special process for making it. I'll let Mr. Meeker tell you more:
Video (http://s61.photobucket.com/albums/h70/cbg1027/Nov%20Disney/?action=view&current=DSCN0279.flv)

Pretty darn cute, owns a vineyard....are you single?
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h70/cbg1027/Nov%20Disney/DSCN0277.jpg

I'm not usually one who enjoys a really sweet wine. But this FroZin was pretty good. I like wine, but I'm not someone who sits down and says "Ohh I taste notes of melon and pear with a hint of spice." All I know is that I like it or I don't. My Gram tasted it and said it reminded her of Manischewitz wine, which is a kosher wine Jews drink on holidays. It's like straight grape juice with the faintest hint of alcohol. After she said that, I did agree with her somewhat. But the FroZin was a much more delectable version to me.

After our mini-wine lesson, Mr. Zimmern came out and got right to the cooking. He was great to watch and now I wish he had a cooking show. He's very entertaining and explains things clearly and throws in a lot of great tips. There were some instances where Pam would chime in and I was really wishing she'd just shut up and drink her wine because Zimmern doesn't need any guidance or coaxing. I understand from other reviews that some of the chefs were quite dry at their demos, but Andrew Zimmern was not.

While Andrew was cooking, they had a camera man giving the audience close ups of the food. They had a few TV's around the area so everyone could see the detail from above, which was a really nice touch. Otherwise it would have been next to impossible to really see the food that was being cooked.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h70/cbg1027/Nov%20Disney/DSCN0282.jpg

Here's a video (http://s61.photobucket.com/albums/h70/cbg1027/Nov%20Disney/?action=view&current=DSCN0284.flv) I got of some of the demo....I would have recorded the whole thing but my arm got tired and I wanted to see out of my own eyes and not from behind a camera!

Halfway through the demo they brought out the food! :banana:
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h70/cbg1027/Nov%20Disney/DSCN0286.jpg

This was my first time tasting Quail. Like they say about most things....tastes like chicken. It's more...gamey and dark meaty though. I don't know if I'd go to the trouble of seeking it out to cook myself, but I would definitely have it again if it showed up on the menu at California Grill or something.

The sauce was delicious! I LOVE Thai Food so this was a perfect dish for me. They definitely toned down the amount of chiles in the samples brought out to the audience. It was barely spicy, and Andrew put quite a lot of chiles in the dish he was making on stage. I would have liked more spice, but we have the recipe so I can adjust it to suit my tastes one day. It had carrots, peas, shallots, lemongrass, cinnamon, turmeric, several kinds of chiles, ketchup (yup, ketchup!), vinegar and garlic. Most of the ingredients were pureed and then the carrots and peas were added in. Mmm wish I would have some of that for lunch right now!

Andrew said this dish could be used with almost any type of protein - chicken, fish, shellfish, pork, tofu....the only thing he said it didn't work well with is beef.

I will definitely be trying my hand at making this myself....one day. :rotfl:

I'd rate the demo an 8. For $8, it's well worth the money, but the fact that in the past these things were free brings the score down. On a slightly hypocritical note, I wouldn't mind paying a bit more to be served a lunch -sized portion of the featured dish and a full glass of the wine. Zimmern himself gets a 9.5. I just adore watching whatever he does - cooking at Epcot or eating still beating frog hearts in Japan. Ok so I prefer the cooking at Epcot. :rotfl:

One more shot of the food and wine :lovestruc
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h70/cbg1027/Nov%20Disney/DSCN0287.jpg

[cbg1027]

We had an 8:20pm ADR for dinner at Kouzzina on Halloween. The Boardwalk was quite the happening place that evening!

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h70/cbg1027/Nov%20Disney/DSCN0338.jpg

I love this location. Great place to be if you have to wait to be seated. Which we did. We were a bit early and checked in at 8:10. They gave us a beeper and we sat outside and people watched until we got buzzed at 8:40, 20 minutes past our ADR time, which was the longest we waited for almost anything, rides included. Not to bad eh?

Once we were seated we waited....and waited...and after 10 minutes or so, a server finally showed up and got our drink orders. At least we think that's what he asked for. It was so LOUD in there. My grandmother didn't really hear a word the server said all night and I had a lot of trouble as well.

The restaurant is really pretty and I love the open kitchen....but with wood floors there is nothing to absorb any of the noise. It might be ok at 5pm when they first start seating, but at almost 9 with a full house.....you couldn't hear yourself think, much less a server speaking to you.

View of the kitchen from our table:
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h70/cbg1027/Nov%20Disney/DSCN0344.jpg

One of the chefs came out and spoke to us about what Gram could eat. Being a Greek restaurant, we figured she would have a lot of options and she did for the most part. But what we both found really disappointing was that the Feta cheese Kouzzina uses is made from cow's milk. Real feta should be made from sheep's milk (which has no lactose), and at this kind of establishment we expected the real thing.

The chef who spoke with us was really nice. Gram asked about the Lamb Burger, and the chef told us that it had the cow's milk feta already mixed in with the meat. But they could make her a pattie from the lamb meatballs that are served with the appetizer sampler.

I should mention that after our server took our drink orders we did not see him again for quite sometime. It was actually the chef who took our food order. :confused3 Our server finally delivered our drinks and bread sometime shortly before the first course arrived.

The Bread and Butter with Black Sea Salt:
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h70/cbg1027/Nov%20Disney/DSCN0345.jpg

The bread was a very good multigrain variety served somewhat warm. Good butter but my Gram hogged most of the salt!

We had barely started on the bread when the Crisp Calamari with Lemon, coated in Arborio Rice Flour with Garlic Yogurt and Spicy Yogurt Dipping Sauces arrived.

I first have to mention that I HATED the way this was served. See the cone thing on the left in this photo?
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h70/cbg1027/Nov%20Disney/DSCN0350.jpg

That's what the Calamari is served in. Here's a shot of the actual food:
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h70/cbg1027/Nov%20Disney/DSCN0348.jpg

I hated the serving dish because you can't really see the food....and that's the first impression. The food is hiding away. I'm 5'8 and I could barely see in to the cone, so I imagine anyone shorter wouldn't get a view of the food until it's on a fork or plate. Also, when the calamari cone first came out, we had no dipping sauces. Our server dropped off the food and ran away before I even noticed they were missing. It was a good 15 minutes before we could track him down again, and by then the calamari was getting cold. We didn't get any sauces because I guess they thought we were both lactose intolerant, although I thought I made that clear at the beginning of the meal when we were discussing Gram's options that I am not. It was also on the special request form that Gram was the only one with special dietary concerns.

So we started to nibble on the calamari while waiting for the sauces. And that's when the overwhelming issue of the night really began - SALT. Way too much of it.

Gram has Addison's Disease, a type of adrenal and sodium insufficiency. She has to add salt to everything to get enough so her tastes of what constitutes too salty is way off from most people's. Even she thought the calamari was too salty - so that's really saying something.

When the sauces finally came, I took a taste of the Garlic Yogurt dip. Big mistake. Now, I LOVE garlic and used to be of the belief you can never have too much of it. Apparently, I was very, very wrong. There was a ton a raw garlic in this dip and it really knocked my socks off in a bad way. Imagine sucking on a raw clove of garlic.....that's kind of what this dip was like.

And the spicy yogurt dip...well it lived up to it's name. I couldn't really taste much of it after the garlic dip.

I think the calamari could have been good if it wasn't so salty. The texture of the Arborio rice flour makes for a great coating and it wasn't too oily. But it was so salty my tastes buds couldn't really recognize anything else.

Our entrees arrived next, brought out to us by another server.....ours was no where to be found.

Gram had the Char-grilled Lamb Burger made with the Lamb Meatball mix as I mentioned earlier. It was served with Sweet Potato Fries.
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h70/cbg1027/Nov%20Disney/DSCN0353.jpg

It looked so sweet and innocent. But then Gram took a bite. It was quite spicy. Now as I've said before, I like spicy food. But Gram does not. So she didn't like this burger. Now usually, I'm of the thinking that a customer simply not liking something is not reason for the restaurant to have to take it off the bill. But when something is spicy, I think the menu should state that. No where on the menu at Kouzzina was there any indication that the Lamb Burger, or the Lamb Meatballs, are spicy.

The sweet potato fries were pretty good - but too salty.

I ordered the Avgolemono: egg-lemon soup with chicken and rice. I also got the Sauteed Brussel Sprouts with Capers and Lemon to go with it.
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h70/cbg1027/Nov%20Disney/DSCN0351.jpg

Brussel Sprouts, ready for their close-up:
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h70/cbg1027/Nov%20Disney/DSCN0352.jpg

The soup presentation was interesting. The bring you out the bowl with the chicken and rice in it, and then someone else comes with a pitcher they pour the liquid from. Pretty schnazzy. But instead of focusing on fancy presentation I wish they would train their chefs on the proper use of salt. Again, I think this could have been really good if it wasn't so darn salty! It had good texture, it was hot, lemony, and the rice and chicken were cooked nicely......but all that gets overshadowed by the salt.

The Brussel Spouts were just OK. They were one of the few items that weren't completely oversalted, but they were a bit hard and undercooked. I liked the sauce...it was lemony and had a hint of balsamic vinegar. They were sprinkled with some shredded cheese that was good, but it wasn't a dish I would bother ordering again.

Gram complained to the server about the spicy burger as he was clearing our plates and he said that he would take it off the bill. I appreciated that, but it would have been nice of him to be around shortly after she sampled it to offer her something else to eat!

I really wanted to find something good about Kouzzina so I decided to order dessert. They didn't have anything Gram could eat except that nasty Rice Dream faux ice cream. It tastes like cardboard, so we especially didn't want to pay theme park prices for it.

I went with the Galaktoboureko - Semolina custard in a baked phyllo dough with Vanilla-Praline Ice Cream. Hmmm.....Apparently I forgot to take a picture of it. Sorry!

I had sampled this item at a local Greek food festival a week before and LOVED it. It's somewhat like Baklava, but instead of the nut filling you get a delicious custard. The Kouzzina version was a huge piece, and it was quite good. Just not AS good as what I ate at the Greek Food Festival back at home. The little ball of vanilla praline ice cream it was served with was DIVINE! I wish I had just ordered a bowl of that!

I had noted our birthdays on the ADR, so AFTER I finished my dessert, they made a stink and shouted some things and Greek and presented me with the standard Disney cupcake:
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h70/cbg1027/Nov%20Disney/DSCN0357.jpg

Umm, thank you, but I never understood why they give you those after you've already ordered and eaten dessert. I was able to get a box and took it back to the room with me though.

When we got our check, the chef we had spoken with earlier in the night came out and apologized for the spicy burger.

After taking the burger off, and adding in a small Pellegrino to drink and my TIW discount, our bill came to $38.95.

I was so excited about Kouzzina and had really been looking forward to it. But sadly, it fell below our expectations. The poor service coupled with the salt issue did not really make for a Disney-worthy meal. I was really wishing we had gone next door to Flying Fish instead!!

Total Rating - A measly 3

Now before you consider writing off Kouzzina, I have to say a few more words. I've worked in a restaurant. I know how things go and sometimes for whatever reason(s) things just don't come together. So I would be willing to try Kouzzina again. There is a restaurant where I live that was pretty awful the first two times I visited. But thanks to a friend, I ended up going one more time and now I frequent the place.

But since Kouzzina is at Disney and there are still so many other things I want to try, and old favorites I know are fabulous, I won't be eating here anytime in the near future.

[Linda67]

Great review, I must admit I haven't seen too many good reviews of Kouzzina
It's a real shame as the setting and location look wonderful
I don't think this is going to be on my list for my trip in March
Lovely photo of you and your Gram

[eventamy]

It really is a shame that Kouzzina wasn't better! They replaced my favorite restaurant, Spoodles, to have this place! What a waste if it's not a great restaurant, and from what I've been reading lately, it's not!
Can't wait to see more!

[wishspirit]

Subbing!

I recently heard a review of Kouzzina on the DisUnplugged, who pretty much said the same thing, including the noise level. I hope they get that sorted!

Plus if you like Zimmern, they did an interview with him recently at F&W, click here (http://www.disunplugged.com/2009/11/05/travel-channels-andrew-zimmern-mickey-melons-and-haggis/#more-5007) if you want to listen!

[cbg1027]

Great review, I must admit I haven't seen too many good reviews of Kouzzina
It's a real shame as the setting and location look wonderful
I don't think this is going to be on my list for my trip in March
Lovely photo of you and your Gram

I hadn't seen many either, but I'm of the thinking one needs to form their own opinions. I was also hoping that the longer Kouzzina was open, the better the would get. Next time I might heed the reviews of the DISboards when trying a new restaurant though!

Thanks about the photo!

It really is a shame that Kouzzina wasn't better! They replaced my favorite restaurant, Spoodles, to have this place! What a waste if it's not a great restaurant, and from what I've been reading lately, it's not!
Can't wait to see more!

I had always wanted to try Spoodles and never made it there. Everyone has said good things about, so now I think I'm with that crowd, wishing it was still Spoodles!

Subbing!

I recently heard a review of Kouzzina on the DisUnplugged, who pretty much said the same thing, including the noise level. I hope they get that sorted!

Plus if you like Zimmern, they did an interview with him recently at F&W, click here (http://www.disunplugged.com/2009/11/05/travel-channels-andrew-zimmern-mickey-melons-and-haggis/#more-5007) if you want to listen!

I saw the Zimmern interview and have it bookmarked to listen to....haven't gotten to it yet, but thanks!


Thank you to everyone who is following the reviews! I love doing this. If you like this, I will have another set to begin shortly since I go back on Dec 12!

[klacey1]

I am not a fan of either Greek food or Cat Cora, so I really had no plans to visit Kouzzina. This review confirmed that I have no desire to visit there. I don't like bland foods, but overly salty?? That's such a basic thing! Not too easy to mess up!
Like you said, there are so many restaurants at Disney. No need to try one I'm not even remotely interested in!

[msce2]

I love Greek food! We have this great local restaurant. They have a fantastic vegetarian platter (I'm not even a vegetarian) Spanakopita, Tiropita, stuffed grape leaves, roasted red peppers - I digress.....

I WAS really looking forward to Kouzzina in June but I have opted for Flying Fish instead. I think conceptually the dishes are good they're just not being executed well. I'm not sure whether this is due to untrained or unqualified chefs. :confused3 Although you would think at this point they know there's an issue and wonder why they haven't addressed it.

I also can't understand why any chef wouldn't have informed his customer that a dish is extra spicy???? Very unprofessional. Your Gram could have made a different choice had he let her know.:sad2:

[cbg1027]

I love Greek food! We have this great local restaurant. They have a fantastic vegetarian platter (I'm not even a vegetarian) Spanakopita, Tiropita, stuffed grape leaves, roasted red peppers - I digress.....

I WAS really looking forward to Kouzzina in June but I have opted for Flying Fish instead. I think conceptually the dishes are good they're just not being executed well. I'm not sure whether this is due to untrained or unqualified chefs. :confused3 Although you would think at this point they know there's an issue and wonder why they haven't addressed it.

I also can't understand why any chef wouldn't have informed his customer that a dish is extra spicy???? Very unprofessional. Your Gram could have made a different choice had he let her know.:sad2:

I love Greek food too and the stuff I get in town has been so much better than Kouzzina.

I REALLY wish I had gone with Flying Fish instead too, but hey hindsight is 20/20.

I think most of the stuff I ate would have been really good if it was so darn salty! I actually saw at one point when a chef was adding salt to dish......and unless she was cooking the dish for 10 people.....it was a scary sight!

I know, I couldn't believe they didn't inform us about how spicy the burger was....much less even note it on the menu!

I don't know what's going on this place, but my friend manages a Steak N Shake and is majoring in Hospitality Administration and I'm pretty convinced she could do better job running Kouzzina than these folks!

[Nancy for Disney]

Thanks for the review of Kouzzina. I have an ADR there three weeks from today. I still think I am going to try it for myself although what has made want to change more than anything is the noise. I am very sorry to hear about that. :upsidedow

[cbg1027]

This will be my super short and photo-free review!

I ate at Everything POP with Gram on the morning of November 1st. We got the same Bounty Platter I reviewed earlier, and a kids pancake platter and shared everything.

The Bounty platter was slightly better this morning because the eggs were hot. Still nothing to write home about though.

The pancakes were certainly decent and we enjoyed them, but again, nothing special.

That's it!

[cbg1027]

Thanks for the review of Kouzzina. I have an ADR there three weeks from today. I still think I am going to try it for myself although what has made want to change more than anything is the noise. I am very sorry to hear about that. :upsidedow

I hope there isn't a salt problem when you go, because other than that, I think the food could have been really good! Just hope you don't get the same server as we did!

[cbg1027]

After breakfast we headed to AK for the day. Originally we were planning to try Flame Tree BBQ for lunch.

It was still pretty hot out though, so when we walked by Yak and Yeti around 11:00 and I saw the place was empty, the AC spoke to me! I didn't think Gram would be too keen on the idea, but I had her take a look at the menu and she agreed to try it!

So we walked in at 11:10 and I asked if they could take a walk up. They said no problem and seated us right away! :banana: We really lucked out with the crowd levels on this trip, the longest we ever waited for anything was sitting in the auditorium before Finding Nemo for 30 minutes!

Yak and Yeti had never been high on my list of places to try. Usually I don't even like doing a TS meal for lunch when I'm at the park because I don't want to make a touring plan based around an ADR.

We were seated upstairs next to the staircase.
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h70/cbg1027/Nov%20Disney/DSCN0466.jpg

I loved the decor in this restaurant! So exotic, elegant, and rustic at the same time. It was very Thai and Indian looking to me. The 2 floors of seating was pretty neat too.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h70/cbg1027/Nov%20Disney/DSCN0469.jpg

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h70/cbg1027/Nov%20Disney/DSCN0467.jpg

Our server greeted us really promptly. Her name was Tami and boy was she a little spitfire! That woman never stopped going. She was so full of energy!

Gram and I had a difficult time selecting what to order. Being an Asian restaurant, we didn't really have to worry about dairy products so everything seemed appealing, even to Gram!

We finally settled on sharing 3 appetizers and an entree.

For our first appetizer, Gram really wanted the Pork Pot Stickers with soy lime dipping sauce. You can choose to have them steamed or seared.
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h70/cbg1027/Nov%20Disney/DSCN0472.jpg

Sorry, Gram dug in before I could catch a photo! I'm not a pot sticker person but these were pleasant enough. I ate one and Gram finished them off, so she obviously really liked them.

I had read about the Wok-Fried Green Beans with sweet Thai chili dipping sauce here on the boards in several reviews and wanted to try those.
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h70/cbg1027/Nov%20Disney/DSCN0470.jpg

These were outrageously good! Green beans are one of my favorite vegetables to begin with, so breading and frying them? I don't think you could go wrong with that. These were crispy and lightly breaded and cooked to a point that the green beans still had a hint of crunch to them. I really liked the dipping sauce as well - it was mostly like a sweet duck sauce, the chiles were in flakes so you only got the spicy if you picked up a flake. Gram wasn't wild over these, but she ate some of them.

Then we also got the Pork Egg Rolls with chili-plum dipping sauce.
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h70/cbg1027/Nov%20Disney/DSCN0471.jpg

Gram and I both loved these and thought they were some of the best egg rolls we've ever had. They were cooked wonderfully - not too greasy and perfectly crisped. I liked the filling because the vegetables weren't slimy and overcooked like the inside of most egg rolls. They had a nice ratio of meat to veggies, probably 50/50. The chili-plum sauce was good, but I like the egg rolls in the Thai chili sauce that came with the green beans better because you could get that fleck of spice with them.

As an entree, we shared the Baby Back Ribs with hoisin BBQ sauce, chicken fried rice, and sweet chili slaw.
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h70/cbg1027/Nov%20Disney/DSCN0473.jpg

We both thought these were outstanding. As you can see, they are served with a huge steak knife, but there is absolutely no need for it. These ribs were so fall off the bone tender they just broke apart at the slightest touch. The meat was moist and flavorful, not at all dry. I liked the sauce that they were basted in....it was sweet and smokey and the sesame seeds sprinkled on top added another layer of flavor to the dish.

The fried rice was just ok....neither one of us really ate much of it because we were getting really full and wanted the room for the ribs!

The slaw that's served with it was very good. It had some cabbages and red bell pepper with a light dressing. Very good dish for a hot day...cool and crunchy with the slightest hint of spice. Gram didn't like it because she's not in to raw bell peppers, but I thought the slaw was an excellent accompaniment to the ribs.

Some more decor:
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h70/cbg1027/Nov%20Disney/DSCN0468.jpg

The biggest surprise about Yak and Yeti for me was that Gram actually really liked it! I was surprised she agreed to try it in the first place, but for the both of us, I'm so glad she did!

Tami was an excellent server. She was very attentive and anticipated our needs well. We never had empty glasses and there was never a dirty dish in our way. She also timed things nicely for us and made sure we were finished with the appetizers before bringing out the entree.

I would highly recommend Yak and Yeti if you're in AK. I'm trying to make an ADR for lunch there on December 13 for my next trip and they seem to be all booked up!

If you know what to expect (Americanized Pan-Asian) then you will enjoy it. Just don't go in thinking you're in for an authentic Asian meal.

This was a wonderful, uplifting meal after the disaster that was Kouzzina.
Gram and I both rate Yak and Yeti an 8.

[cbg1027]

After a hot day at AK, we were pretty wiped out. Originally we were planning to check out a food court at another resort, but we decided to just catch the bus back to POP and have dinner there.

We went straight in to food court after we got off the bus and settled on splitting 2 different flatbreads. We took them back to our room to eat.

The first one was the Meditteranean:
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h70/cbg1027/Nov%20Disney/DSCN0532.jpg

This was pretty darn delicious for a food court. The crust was thin and crispy and topped with artichoke hearts, feta cheese, kalamata olives, capers, raosted red pepper, and sun dried tomatoes. Gram and I both liked this a lot.

Our second choice was the Chef's Special of the Day, a Cuban Flatbread:
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h70/cbg1027/Nov%20Disney/DSCN0531.jpg

This was basically an open-faced Cuban sandwich. It was full of shredded pork, sliced ham, pickles, swiss cheese, and a dijon mustard/mayo drizzle. I LOVE Cuban sandwiches so this was right up my alley. Very tasty and I liked the flatbread crust instead of regular Cuban bread. They don't have this all the time, but I'm glad we went on a day they did!

I thought our dinner at Everything POP was a lot better than our breakfast experiences there. A good choice for an evening when you're tired and don't want to leave the resort. We rated it a 6.5.

[OurDogCisco]

Great reviews so far!!!

[cbg1027]

We didn't want to eat a big breakfast this day since we were going to head straight to Epcot around 11am for the F&W Festival. So the night before when we got our dinner from Everything POP, we grabbed a couple pf pastries to hold us over til lunchtime.

We had a Blueberry Muffin and a Pain au Chocolat:
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h70/cbg1027/Nov%20Disney/DSCN0552.jpg

The muffin was decent. It was moist and crumbly and had lots of juicy blueberries, but it was just a muffin.

The pastry, on the other hand, was excellent! It had a croissant-type bread with a chocolate filling. It was so close to what I used to eat when I living in France. I was very impressed with it!

Pastry: 8
Muffin: 5

[Linda67]

thanks for the great reviews

[mossyflossy]

I'm a little late joining, but thanks so much for these reviews, and happy to see that they'll be some more in Dec....lucky you!:)

We also had such a surprisingly good meal at Yak n Yetti last month, so I agree that we should form our own opinions on stuff;).

That said, think we'll be giving Kouzzina a wide berth along with Tutto...too much salt is pretty unforgiveable in a place that calls itself a restaurant, as is an italian restaurant that can't cook pasta or a tomato sauce!

Such a lovely pic of you and your grandma!

[cbg1027]

Great reviews so far!!!

Aw thanks!

thanks for the great reviews

My gastronomic pleasure!

I'm a little late joining, but thanks so much for these reviews, and happy to see that they'll be some more in Dec....lucky you!:) I know, I am so lucky to live 4 hours from Disney and be able to afford to go again so soon!

We also had such a surprisingly good meal at Yak n Yetti last month, so I agree that we should form our own opinions on stuff;).

That said, think we'll be giving Kouzzina a wide berth along with Tutto...too much salt is pretty unforgiveable in a place that calls itself a restaurant, as is an italian restaurant that can't cook pasta or a tomato sauce!

Such a lovely pic of you and your grandma!Oh thank you!

[cbg1027]

We went straight to the WS at 11am on November 2. We picked up where we left off, in the UK pavilion.

Our first booth was Wellington, New Zealand, where we had the Seared Sea Scallop with Vegetable Slaw and Lemon Oil:
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h70/cbg1027/Nov%20Disney/DSCN0554.jpg

This scallop was cooked to perfection. Tender and delicious with a wonderful crust from the searing, lightly accented with the lemon oil and few herbs. We both thought this was great and would love to see this an entree somewhere! The vegetable slaw was kind of boring, but a nice accompaniment.
Rating: 8.5

We also had the Lamb Slider with Tomato Chutney:
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h70/cbg1027/Nov%20Disney/DSCN0553.jpg
This was another wonderful item. The meat was juicy, tender, and flavorful. The chutney was a bit sweet and paired well. It was like a really nice version of those slider mini burgers that are so in vogue right now.
Rating 8.5

A few steps away from the New Zealand booth was the much talked about Cork, Ireland kiosk, where we purchased the Lobster and Scallop Fisherman's Pie:
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h70/cbg1027/Nov%20Disney/DSCN0557.jpg

Umm, hello, gastronomic heaven. :cloud9: This was outstanding as most people had been reporting. The top was fluffy whipped potatoes and underneath were substantial chunks of scallop and lobster in a lovely, creamy broth. Luckily, I got this little delight all to myself since it clearly had dairy that Gram couldn't eat. On one hand I felt bad she could try it, but mostly, I was glad I got it all to myself. :rotfl:
Rating: 9.5
The only reason it doesn't get the full 10 is because the lobster chunks were slightly overcooked.

Also from Cork, Ireland, we got the Kerrygold Cheese Selection:
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h70/cbg1027/Nov%20Disney/DSCN0556.jpg

This time, Gram was able to partake in all the deliciousness because these were aged cheeses. The plate had pieces of an aged Cheddar, Dubliner, and Ivernia. All three were wonderful, but we both liked the Cheddar the best. These were all fairly sharp, semi-hard cheeses. My only complaint with this selection was that I would have liked to have seen more variety - a proper cheese plate should feature a soft, a medium, and a hard cheese, and preferably a goat selection. At least in my French-taught book. I didn't care for the bread - it was like cardboard to me, but Gram snapped it up and said it was good. The apple chutney was sweet and yummy, a nice contrast to the sharp cheeses.
Rating: 9

Next, we moved on to France. Instead of getting the savory items at the Paris booth, we decided to spend our calories on pastries from the Boulangerie Patisserie.

Gram has the Almond Croissant:
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h70/cbg1027/Nov%20Disney/DSCN0565.jpg

This was amazing. Croissant bread with a marzipan-like filling. Delicieux, as they say in France!
Rating: 8.5

I picked the Nid d'Abeille (Bee's Nest):
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h70/cbg1027/Nov%20Disney/DSCN0564.jpg

This was disappointing. The cream filling made me a little sick....there was so much of it, and it had that weird after feeling in my mouth that you get from creamy items made with artificial crap and things that aren't supposed to be in it, like soybean oil. I had a few bites and then stole more of Gram's croissant!
Rating: 3

After our vacances a la belle France, our next food stop was Melbourne, Australia, where we split the Grilled Lamb Chop with Red Wine Sauce and Murray River Sea Salt:
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h70/cbg1027/Nov%20Disney/DSCN0580.jpg

Gram adored this dish. I wouldn't say I was as enamored by it as she was, but I did like it. I loved the sauce, and the chunks of salt, and the greens under it were delicious. But the lamb chop was cooked well done, and I like my red meat medium-rare, so that spoiled it a little for me. I sopped up the sauce with most of the greens and let Gram have the meat.
Gram's rating: 9
My Rating: 7

Our next booth, well MY next booth, was Bangkok, Thailand. Gram doesn't like Thai so I had these dishes all to myself!
My first selection was the Green Papaya Salad with Shrimp:
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h70/cbg1027/Nov%20Disney/DSCN0583.jpg
This was good, but not great. I really liked the green papaya salad....very refreshing on a hot day, and I loved the pairing with the shrimp. But the shrimp were just kind of lackluster. They were cooked nicely, not overdone, but they didn't have any flavor. It was like plain seared shrimp, and for Thai, I was expecting something spicy and flavorful!
Rating: 6

I also had the Chicken and Coconut Soup with Mushrooms, Lemongrass, and Ginger:
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h70/cbg1027/Nov%20Disney/DSCN0584.jpg

This gets my award for best item of the festival. Unconventional pick, I know, but it was so incredibly delicious. The flavor of this soup was out of this world good. The broth was a coconut milk base and just teeming with bright lemongrass and ginger aromas. I don't usually like large bits of cooked mushrooms, but the ones in this soup were very good. I found the recipe over on the recipe exchange, and it calls for ****ake mushrooms, so I guess that's what these were. There were also chunks of chicken, and the garnish on the top was more lemongrass. I am about to drool on keyboard thinking about this dish! :rotfl:
Rating: A Perfect 10!

Our last festival booth stop of the day was Cape Town, South Africa for the Seared Beef Tenderloin with Sweet Potato Puree and Mango Barbeque Sauce:
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h70/cbg1027/Nov%20Disney/DSCN0585.jpg

This was another favorite of my Gram's, but had the same problem for me as the Lamb Chop did - overcooked! Otherwise it would have gotten a 10 rating from me! The sweet potato puree had some spices in it...I could definitely pick out cinnamon, maybe cloves and allspice? The sauce was sweet and spicy, and two on top of a piece of beef.....yummy! Another thing I wish they would serve at a restaurant so I could get a whole serving and have the beef cooked medium rare. Gram loved the beef and the sweet potato puree, but wasn't a fan of the sauce since it was too spicy for her liking.
We both rated it an 8.

That was the end of our grazing around the world. My eyes were much bigger than my stomach apparently. There were soooo many other items I wanted to sample, but we just did not have that much room. I actually wish the portions were SMALLER (with smaller prices) so I could sample more.

If we didn't have a dinner ADR, we would have stayed, taken a break, and then kept going!

I've only been to the F&W Festival one other time, in 2006, and while some people claim it's gone down in quality, I enjoyed it MORE this time around. Probably because I got to eat more! :rotfl: To truly appreciate F&W, I would say one would need to give it a good 3 days and six meal times.

Coming up next: Birthday Dinner at Citricos!

[cbg1027]

****ake mushrooms?

:lmao::rotfl::rotfl2:

[mossyflossy]

it's a shame the F&W offerings aren't all, say, $2, with smaller bite size portions...that way you could sample more and fill up on favourites. I love mushrooms, even s@@t ones!

[oybolshoi]

Great reviews and pics - really enjoyed reliving the F&W Festival through your last update. We really liked the tenderloin & sweet potatoes from South Africa ... a very tasty combination. :thumbsup2

[cbg1027]

it's a shame the F&W offerings aren't all, say, $2, with smaller bite size portions...that way you could sample more and fill up on favourites. I love mushrooms, even s@@t ones!

I know, that would be great if they were one or two bite servings for $2!

I love the flavor of mushrooms, but sometimes I dislike the texture when they're cooked and in whole pieces, so usually chunks of them in soup would turn me off, but apparently I'm ok with ***take!

Great reviews and pics - really enjoyed reliving the F&W Festival through your last update. We really liked the tenderloin & sweet potatoes from South Africa ... a very tasty combination. :thumbsup2

Thanks - I definitely enjoyed sampling everything in order to bring you this review! :laughing:

[cbg1027]

November 2nd was my Gram's actual birthday. We also decided to celebrate mine on this trip since it was October 27th. We both agreed that we wanted our special birthday dinner to be at Citricos. We ate here back in early April on our last trip and really fell in love with it.

We didn't have time to go back to POP between Epcot and dinner, so we just took the Monorail over to the GF and hung out in the lobby until our ADR time. I love the atmosphere here - it's kind of fancy and upscale, but you don't feel out of place because most people are walking around in t-shirts! We sat on a couch in the middle and listened to wonderful Pianist.

When our ADR time arrived (7:35) we checked in at the podium and I asked if Keira, the waitress we had last time, was working. They said she was, but that none of her tables were free. So we decided we would rather not wait and give someone else a try.

The hostess lead us to one of the few tables in the restaurant that have a partial view of Wishes! I felt like they did they special for us, because when they set down our menus, they were each personalized with our names and, much to my Gram's dismay, the ages we were turning! :rotfl:

We were greeted almost immediately by our server, Nancy. She was a fun bundle of enthusiasm with a very pronounced Minnesotan accent! She talked to us for a bit about Gram's dietary concerns and assured us there would be no problem. I knew I wanted wine with this meal, but hadn't decided on anything yet, so she went and got us some water and bread in the meantime.

We ADORE the bread at Citricos. Everyone in our family is a carboholic so good bread is like oxygen for us! It's baked fresh in house and there's a sundried tomato and a multigrain. I like the sundried tomato and Gram likes the multigrain, so that works out well. :cutie:
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h70/cbg1027/Nov%20Disney/DSCN0597.jpg

It's served with nice, real butter, sprinkled with sea salt.
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h70/cbg1027/Nov%20Disney/DSCN0598.jpg

We had to ask Nancy for some extra salt since my Gram hogs it all (and also needs it for the rest of the meal).

It's so hard for me not fill up on the bread here!

I finally made my wine selection after we agonized over what food we would be ordering - although I'm a big believer in the "drink what you like" school of wine selection, I didn't want it to totally clash!

So I went with the only champagne they had by the glass:
Mumm Cordon Rouge Brut
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h70/cbg1027/Nov%20Disney/DSCN0599.jpg

This was certainly tasty, good champage, but it wasn't my favorite. It was a little too.....toasty on the finish for my tastes. I'm glad I had some bubbly with our celebratory meal, but it's not something I'd want to spend $15 bucks on again.

After we had noshed on some bread, Nancy brought us out an amuse-bouche, compliments of Chef Cory for our birthdays! :goodvibes

It was a Chorizo Croqueta with Violet Mustard Sauce
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h70/cbg1027/Nov%20Disney/DSCN0596.jpg

Yum Yum in our tums! We love chorizo. These were just perfect - crispy, hot, soft on the inside, and bursting with an attention grabbing flavor. The violet mustard was tart and really woke up your tastebuds in good way. A perfect dish for an amuse-bouche!

As we were eating our croquetas, Chef Cory came out and spoke with my Gram about what she could eat. Last time they let her order off the kids menu, and she liked what she had so much, she got almost the same dish again! Chef Cory was very sweet and personable with my Gram. He knelt down to talk to her and acted like he had all the time in world and that he wasn't responsible for cooking for anyone except us!

After our consultation with the chef, we decided to split an appetizer of
Arancini- Crispy Risotto with Italian Sausage, Four Cheeses, and a White Truffle Aioli
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h70/cbg1027/Nov%20Disney/DSCN0600.jpg

Now this dish normally comes with four of those balls, but they split the serving for us before bringing it to the table. :cutie:

Wow were these little buggers fantastic! Whoever came up with the idea of frying balls of risotto is a genius! I loooved the white truffle aioli - so earthy, a nice flavor for the fall on top of the light cheesy goodness.

Wishes started while were enjoying our appetizer. They don't pipe in the music at Citricos since most tables don't have any view of the fireworks, but it was still awesome to look up from the food and see the fireworks. :)

After we finished the appetizer, they gave us a few minutes before bringing out our entrees. I HATE when your entrees arrive while you're still working on the first course, so I appreciate the effort that goes in to timing this.

Gram had a specially made kid's size meal:
Seared Beef Tenderloin with Wild Mushroom Risotto and Broccolini
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h70/cbg1027/Nov%20Disney/DSCN0607.jpg

This was a wonderful little 4oz (or so) tenderloin cooked perfectly to Gram's medium rare specification. Just a simple lightly seasoned steak that was delicous and melt in your mouth tender. The mushroom risotto was great, as was the broccolini. Gram adored this meal just like she did last time. One of the best parts? They only charged us $13 for it!

I selected the Roast Chicken Breast - Tanglewood Farms Chicken with Pappardelle Pasta, Wine-braised Artichokes, Grape Tomatoes, Basil Pesto, and a Savory Chardonnay Broth
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h70/cbg1027/Nov%20Disney/DSCN0609.jpg

Another wonderful Citricos creation! The skin was all seasoned and salty and the meat was so moist and perfectly cooked. The pasta was obviously house made and just wonderful with the pesto. I don't think I have ever eaten fresh artichoke hearts before....and these were great. None of that tart, tinny flavor you get from the canned kind.

Now....on to the most important part: DESSERT! :woohoo:

Luckily, one of the desserts already on the menu safe for Gram to eat, so that's what she ordered.

Honey Spice Cake with Caramelized Pears and Poached Cranberries:
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h70/cbg1027/Nov%20Disney/DSCN0613.jpg

What a perfect autumn dessert this was! The cake was almost wet, but not at all soggy. It wasn't too sweet, and was full of warm spice flavor. The pears were so good. I'm not a cranberry fan, but Gram really loved the whole dish. I liked how it was sweet but not too sugary - this isn't one of those desserts that make you feel too full and heavy afterwards.

For my pick, I had the Lemon Cheesecake with Fresh Raspberry Sauce:
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h70/cbg1027/Nov%20Disney/DSCN0614.jpg

Oooooooohhhhh. :cloud9: My. :) This was the the best thing of the whole trip! :rotfl: This was a cheesecake, but the texture was different than any other cheesecake I've ever tried. It was.....smoother, very creamy, but not as heavy as regular cheesecake. And the lemon flavor was outstanding - ever so slightly tart, but mostly just Lemony! I love all the fun garnishes on this dish. The big net piece was like a spun, caramelized sugar. It was really great to break off pieces of it and scoop up some of the cheesecake with! The little sign was dark chocolate, and the blue and white spirals were white chocolate. The red sauce was the raspberry, and I think the yellow was passion fruit. My one little complaint with this dish would be that there's not enough raspberry sauce to advertise it as a real part of the dish. Maybe a little bowl of it would be nice on the side, but the cheesecake is so good by itself you don't need the sauces. They are, however, just as tasty!

The lovely Citricos kitchen I would like to steal and plant in my house:
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h70/cbg1027/Nov%20Disney/DSCN0622.jpg

Can I get those all to go please?
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h70/cbg1027/Nov%20Disney/DSCN0619.jpg

And our wonderful Chef Cory:
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h70/cbg1027/Nov%20Disney/DSCN0621.jpg

I wish I had gotten a picture of Nancy - if you go, you'll know her by the accent right away! :rotfl:

Another wonderful experience at Citricos. This is currently my top restaurant choice in all of Disney. They really make you feel special, and give your tatsebuds something to dance about! :wizard:

[GoofySon'sMom]

That chicken looks so good! I cannot wait to try Citricos!

[MickeyNicki]

Wowza...that meal at Citricos is making me miss our dinner there!

I wish I tried the risotto balls! I had the chicken too and it was insanely wonderful and that honey spice cake, I have dreams about it! :goodvibes

[TigerKat]

Great review of one of our favorite places!!!:thumbsup2

[mossyflossy]

MMMMMMM, that looks so good!

Had a chuckle at the yum in the tum expression....I always say "yummy in my tummy" too!

[cbg1027]

Wowza...that meal at Citricos is making me miss our dinner there!

I wish I tried the risotto balls! I had the chicken too and it was insanely wonderful and that honey spice cake, I have dreams about it! :goodvibes

I read your recent review and was surprised that we had 2 of the same dishes.

I noticed on your chicken, they put several little dollops of the pesto....mine just had the one and I had to mix it in.

And your cake....what was the whitish sauce that was on it? Creme Anglaise? Gram's didn't have that....I'm guessing whatever it was they just left it off for her?

I had been wanting to try the risotto balls since I first went to Citricos last spring. Like I said over on your DR, when does the next report begin? :rotfl: You have to go back to Citricos and have Arancini!

[Nancy for Disney]

Another great review. :)

[cbg1027]

Tuesday November 3 was our departure day. :sad1: But we decided to say goodbye in style with a character breakfast! :yay:

We had a 10:35 ADR and checked in at 10:15. They gave us a beeper, and as soon as we sat down to wait, it started buzzing!

We were led to a 2 top booth right next to the buffet. Oh yeah. :rotfl:

This was the view from my seat:
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h70/cbg1027/Nov%20Disney/DSCN0648.jpg

We waited a little longer than I would have liked before our server came to greet us. But after that, she was very good the rest of our meal. I can't recall her name right now.

We ordered some coffee and OJ and were told to dive in when we were ready, but we were greeted by a visitor before we could make it the 3 steps over to the buffet:
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h70/cbg1027/Nov%20Disney/DSCN0650.jpg

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h70/cbg1027/Nov%20Disney/DSCN0649.jpg

Donald was very cute. I loved watching him walk away because his tail waddles. :goodvibes

I made a preliminary walk around of the buffet begfore picking up a plate. I was pretty impressed by all the offerings. Everything looked delicious, fresh, and didn't have the appearance of sitting out too long.

My first plate:
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h70/cbg1027/Nov%20Disney/DSCN0651.jpg

You can obviously pick out the asparagus. Then starting with the little cup going clockwise: REAL maple syrup, Mickey waffle, cheese and pepper omelet, pork sausage, breakfast potatoes, and breakfast pizza.

The asparagus was good, not over cooked, but a little too on the oily side. I liked the flavor though. Just wasn't wild over having it with breakfast, so it's not anything I got more of.

I'm so happy they had real maple syrup. I especially loved that they provided the little cups for it, so you didn't have to get syrup over all the food on your plate.

The Mickey waffles were fantastic as always. They're that good Belgian waffle style - light, fluffy, somewhat sweet, and delicious. One of my favorite Disney foods! They could not keep those things coming out fast enough. People were always waiting around like vultures to attack the platter when they brought out more.

The omelet was great. Really fluffy eggs, not overcooked, not runny...just perfect.

The sausage was good. I liked dipping it in the maple syrup. Wasn't anything to write home about, but if you're wanting sausage, it will certainly please you enough.

The potatoes very nicely seasoned and hot, but they were a tad too oily and could have been cooked more, IMO. I like it best when they're kind of cripsy around the edges.

The breakfast pizza was quite a surprise to me. For some reason, it just didn't look all that great to me, but I wanted to be open and sample it. I'm really glad I did, because I loved it! I'm not even entrely sure what was on it....eggs, cheese, and some sort of light green veggie? I knew the flavor but for the life of me can't place what it was.

My Gram got eggs to order since all the egg dishes already on the buffet had dairy in them. The waffles have dairy in them, but they can make special dairy-free waffles, so this was Gram's first plate:
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h70/cbg1027/Nov%20Disney/DSCN0655.jpg

Two eggs over easy, a sausage, and some Mickey Waffles. I tasted the waffles and them seemed a bit less sweet than the regular ones, but other than that, they were just as good. My Gram was very pleased with them and her eggs.

Part of my next trip to the buffer including this fruit plate:
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h70/cbg1027/Nov%20Disney/DSCN0654.jpg

I really enjoyed this because everything was so fresh, ripe, and tasty. Alot of times, fruit in restaurants isn't any good....it's just not ripe enough or not high quality but it's all they have to serve because it's what they got shipped. All of these fruits, however, were really good! Especially the watermelon! Usually we don't have good watermelon so late in the season...it peaks in August, so this was a great surprise.

We had another visitor:
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h70/cbg1027/Nov%20Disney/DSCN0656.jpg

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h70/cbg1027/Nov%20Disney/DSCN0657.jpg

It was about 11am by this point and Cape May was getting pretty empty, so the characters were wondering around and visiting tables 2 and 3 times. So I guess thats the secret for great character interaction - eat breakfast late!

Another plate for me:
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h70/cbg1027/Nov%20Disney/DSCN0660.jpg

To the right of the syrup cup is a piece of bread pudding with vanilla sauce. This was pretty good, it was very dense and moist. Not the best, but I liked it. The eggs on this plate were plain scrambled. They were great, a huge step up from the POP food court eggs!

Gram with "Gooshy", as my brother called him when he was little:
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h70/cbg1027/Nov%20Disney/DSCN0659.jpg

I had a 3rd plate (can you believe it?) but I got the same items, save for a random little pastry. It was croissant type bread with some chocolate and icing drizzled on it. Good, but the same stuff you could get anywhere at WDW, so I took one bite and then saved my calories for the hot items.

Our server kept our OJ and coffe filled throughout the meal and was quick to get any anything we needed, like extra napkins.

We really enjoyed Cape May. It was still busy and hectic, but the noise level was very tolerable. The characters interaction was great for us. I'm not normally a buffet person because a) it's so easy to overeat, b) I don't feel like I get my money's worth, and c) the food isn't too good. But I like most of the buffets I've been to at Disney. It's a good way to get in some character time without having to wait in line, and the food is quite decent and sometimes great. Even though they can be $20 or more, compared to our other sit down meals, it's a cheap option at Disney.

Overall, we give Cape May a 7.5. Only considering it as a character meal and not pitting it against everything else, I'd rate it a 9.

Thank You for joining in my DR. This is my last review for this report, but I will be back in about 2 weeks with a whole new DR!