We ate here, there, and back to here...8/19 to 8/25 from Beach Club on DDP complete

[TxRabbit]

Here is my attempt to add to the wealth of knowledge here on the boards, reviewing many restaurants that aren't reviewed often. There will be a lot of photos as I bought a new memory card for my camera right before we left. And my DH was so kind and generally paused to let me photograph his food before he took a bite. DS thought this was hillarious and generally wanted to pose while looking like he was drooling over his food (so I apologize for that in advance ).

The wacky family includes, yours truly, DW (35), DH (34), and DS (6). DH and I have been trying to eat on the healthy side more often than not...although we do still enjoy a junk food binge . DS simply loves meat and pasta. We were on the DDP. We stayed at the Beach Club 8/19 to 8/25 2007.

Included in this review will be:

Table Service:
Yacht Club Galley lunch p.1 #3
Cape May Cafe character breakfast p.1 #15
Wolfgang Puck Cafe lunch p.3 #37
Yacht Club Galley breakfast p.3 #45
San Angel Inn dinner p.4 #51
Sci-Fi Dine Inn lunch p.4 #59
Crystal Palace character dinner p.6 #76

Counter Service:
Wolfgang Puck Express Marketplace location lunch p.2 #17
Pinocchio Village Haus lunch p.3 #35
Yakitori House Japan lunch p.4 #46
Tangierine Cafe lunch p.4 #47
Wolfgang Puck Express West Side location lunch p.5 #68
Yakitori House Japan lunch AGAIN p.6 #85
Random Epcot Cart p.6 #86
Beach Club Marketplace lunch (and snacks) p.6 #89

Snacks:
Goofy's Candy Company snack p.2 #22
Beach Club Marketplace snack (gelato) p.2 #23
Beach Club Marketplace snack dinner (lunchables) p.3 #39
Popcorn Cart in MK p.6 #84
Beach Club Marketplace (lunch and) snacks p.6 #89

Dinner Show:
Mickey's Backyard BBQ p.5 #64

I hope this review is helpful to you...enjoy!

I'm off to write review #1!

 

[Liz]

Can't wait to read your reviews and see the pics of your DS! Sounds like lots of fun!

 

[TxRabbit]

This was an unexpected meal. When we arrived to check in, we found out we were the Beach Club Family of the Day!

Unfortunately, our room was unavailable (it was before noon) and so for our inconvenience, the hotel would buy us lunch! How about the Yacht Club Galley? Fine by me! As we walked past Beaches and Cream, we were offered to eat there instead...but I actually was interested in the Galley...I had read mixed reviews, mostly regarding whether or not it was worthy of a TS credit, and generally favorable toward quiet and uncrowded. Ahhhhh. That sounded nice.

The Galley is a quiet restaurant. The music playing is very soft, instrumental. Before noon, the restaurant was virtually empty. It is decorated in a nautical theme and would otherwise remind me of an IHOP or CoCos type restaurant with fewer, if any, booths. Mostly tables with chairs. It is an open restaurant, meaning that the traffic that flows from the YC lobby toward the YC/BC common area flows around the perimeter of the restaurant. Even so, it isn't loud. The restrooms are located outside the restaurant. You exit doors in the buffet area into the hall area.

We were fairly hungry after our travel morning. We left our home at 5:30ish CDT. DH and I ordered the Galley Steak Salad - grilled and sliced top sirloin, served medium-rare, with bibb lettuce, vine-ripened tomatoes, carrot curls, cucumbers, red onions, crumbled blue cheese, and roasted red pepper ranch dressing.

The picture does not do justice to how high this salad was stacked. This was a very tasty salad. The lettuce was crisp. The sirloin was tender, and although it looks quite brown in this picture, it was quite pink in the center. Juicy and delicious, with a very nice seasoning. The dressing was good, nice and hearty to match the sirloin, but it did seem over dressed toward the end. I might ask for the dressing on the side next time. The blue cheese was YUM! DH was even impressed with the amount of meat served with the salad. There was plenty to share with DS.

DS ordered Beef and Macaroni with marinara sauce and topped with mozzarella served with veggies and fruit salad, however, his only came with the fruit, which is just as well, considering that he doesn't really like his veggies. I didn't take a picture of his cute Mickey plate, because he was very hungry and started eating right away. The highlight of his meal was the build your own sundae.

which we helped him finish. Even though this meal would be reimbursed, we did not "go to town." We were so full from the salad, we didn't order dessert. The total cost of the meal, with two beverages and whatever tip DH left was $53.88.

I wouldn't go out of my way to eat here. However, I would certainly consider this a fine table service restaurant if you were staying in the area. It is a nice break from the crowds, very convenient, and what we ordered was very tasty.

 

[CJ]

Your review sounds like the first of many wonderful descriptions!

But when I try to look at your pictures I get this:

Forbidden

You don't have permission to access /photos4118/6/27/43/64/14/0/14644327612_0_ALB.jpg on this server.

 

[TxRabbit]

Your review sounds like the first of many wonderful descriptions!

But when I try to look at your pictures I get this:

Forbidden

You don't have permission to access /photos4118/6/27/43/64/14/0/14644327612_0_ALB.jpg on this server.

Thank you for posting the problem...I'll have to deal with it tomorrow though...I'll move the photos over to photobucket and edit my post. I was trying to just access the Kodak gallery account I have and I am glad to hear early that it's not working.

 

[natalielongstaff]

great review so far

 

[Minniespal]

Looking forward to reading more

 

[my3disneygirls]

Can't wait for more and the pics.

 

[sandybobandy]

We aren't eating at ANY place you're about to review, but being a true foodie I'm signing on. Looking forward to it!

 

[Tricia1972]

I was able to see the pics after copying and pasting the address into my browser.

Great review so far. Thanks!

 

[TigerKat]

Signing up, can't wait to read more and see the pics!

 

[TxRabbit]

I switched out the pics...I hope everyone can see them now.

If my plan had been followed, the next review would have been of Citrico's. I was SOOOO looking forward to that meal. However, after traveling and swimming, it would have been too much for DS to do the necessary traveling to get from BC to GF and then deal with such a sit down meal. There are plans, and then there's wisdom, which knows when to ditch the plan

We received major and an upgrade to Club Level at check-in in combination with being the family of the day...and we made a meal out of what was served in the lounge that night, which happened to be ribs, clam chowder, kalamata olive hummus, pita bread, garlic bread, veggies galore, cheese platter, etc. etc. (not to mention the beers and wine).

I add this brief note to share with all others who alter plans (even much longed for plans) in the interest of what is best for the entire family's happiness. You are not alone. Hopefully, there will be a next time to try the plan again.

Next up: Cape May Cafe Character Breakfast...

 

[TigerKat]

Yep, can see the pics now.

 

[memomuffin]

Thanks for posting! I'm eagerly awaiting more of your rest. reviews!!

 

[TxRabbit]

We had an 8:10 am ADR for CMC. We checked in right on time and were seated in short order.

This restaurant is the sister restaurant to the YC Galley, if you were to take a mirror image of the two resorts. So, like the Galley, the restaurant is open to the walkway that links the BC lobby to the common YC/BC areas. Separating the restaurant from the walkway are closed, colorful patio umbrellas spaced like fence posts around the perimeter of the restaurant. You must exit the restaurant to reach the restrooms.

Rows of booths create dividing areas within the restaurant. It feels bigger than the Galley. The theme is the beach. There are several sand castle statues encased in glass in the restaurant that are really cool. The characters are dressed for the beach. The music playing is an upbeat techno-pop type piece of instrumental music that just rumbles with the base beat and adds to a general atmosphere of louder (but not truly LOUD) with excited kids pointing and yelling out that they see Goofy! Minnie! Dale! Chip!

The buffet area is in the center of the restaurant and is open to the restaurant. It is a large square shape. One one side of the square are the cold offerings, canteloupe, watermelon, honeydew, red grapes, pineapple, bagels, smoked salmon, other bagel toppings, maybe cereal even? Two other sides of the square are mirror images with the same hot breakfast offerings, bacon, sausage, scrambled eggs, potatoes, asparagus, cheese blintz, etc. The last side of the square has all the bread products, Mickey waffles, breakfast pizza, and many different danishes and breads.

Close to the podium/entrance is a separate counter area where there is a granola bar. There is yogurt is various flavors, with granola, raisins, cut strawberries, and many other offerings that could be used to create some sort of yogurt based parfait.

Here's what meat lover DS ate:

From the syrup clockwise, chocolate croissant, breakfast pizza, bacon, Mickey waffle, and sausage in the middle. The cup of strawberries on the side looked to have been sprinkled with sugar and stirred so that they were more of a topping than cut strawberries. I found them over with the granola. Note: there are packs of crayons on the tables. The white table covers are big pieces of paper that you can draw on.

Here's my first plate:

Fruit, cheese blintz, asparagus, and potatoes.

The sausage is the big, fat kind, that is best if you get one that looks a little over cooked. I prefer spicy sausage...this wasn't, but DS liked it.

The bacon on the buffet was generally floppy. I asked our server if we could possibly get some that was crispy and she brought me a nice plate of crispy bacon, which was very good.

The fruit was fabulous, ripe but not grainy...and the pineapple was fantastic! The asparagus was very good. The potatoes were cooked with some onion and were just a little salty, but not too bad.

The cheese blintz was heavenly...it had a chocolate sauce with sliced bananas on it that was melt in your mouth good. (now picture Homer Simpson...Ahhhhhgggggggg...cheeeeese blintz).

The chocolate croissant was tasty...the chocolate was dark and the pastry was light and flaky.

I like well done eggs, no wetness in my scrambled eggs, so I didn't get any eggs. The breakfast pizza looked good, but when I tried a bite from DS plate, it was cold and wasn't very tasty cold.

The characters at CMC are WONDERFUL! However, there could be some frustration here, if you are in a hurry. Unlike Crystal Palace, the seating here seemed much more random, not totally filling out a section and then moving on to another area, etc. I don't know if this is unusual or the norm, but this caused the characters to keep coming around to be sure to get to all the tables. If you are willing to have a relaxed meal, you could see the characters multiple times as they keep coming around, which happened for us with Goofy and Minnie. The second time Minnie came around, she peaked over DHs shoulder at the paper:

She leaned over and kissed DSs head and then gave him a big hug:

and Goofy started tickling and generally teasing DS:

I guess with the autograph book signing and formal posing for pics out of the way, the characters are more able to just interact and have fun, which we thoroughly enjoyed.

However, we were never able to see Chip because he just couldn't get around to our section. We weren't in a big hurry because we were headed to DTD and the Lego store after breakfast, but I think Chip went for a break and it was just time to go.

I love character meals, so I would definitely recommend this buffet. It has all the ingredients of a good character meal, decent enough food, with enough choice for everyone, and a few select items that are just mouth watering good (Ahhhhgggg cheeeeese blintz...pineapple), and really good character interaction, which is the most important thing at a character meal.

 

[John's Mom]

Enjoying your reviews. Thanks for posting.

 

[TxRabbit]

We finally had walked off our buffet breakfast and headed over to Wolfgang Puck Express for lunch at about 1:30 pm. We were at the marketplace location which is very near the bus stop area of the Marketplace side.

We were the only people in line. Few people were in the restaurant. There are only 4 or 6 indoor tables in the air conditioning. However, there is a large fully covered patio area with many tables under the whirling ceiling fans. Even in the afternoon heat, the patio was very pleasant. The a/c was actually a little too cold. Inside, it is an open kitchen. The closest restrooms are around the corner, down the way, and right at the entrance to the DTD Marketplace from the bus stop area.

After you order, they give you a plastic number tent to place on your table. A server will bring you your meal. The fountain drinks are self service, which translates into all the refills you can drink, which we found to be nonexistent in the park CS locations. I don't drink soda and prefer unsweetened iced tea. WPE has fantastic Mango flavored unsweetened iced tea. I drank a ton of it. At the time we were there, there was a dedicated worker keeping the patio clean and offering to refill drinks for guests on the patio.

DH ordered BBQ Chicken Salad - Sliced pan roasted chicken breast tossed in sweet and tangy bbq sauce over romaine lettuce, tomato, red onions, and cucumbers with Ranch dressing. The dressing was served on the side. They give you a large 1/2 cup portion. If you are watching your calories, you can use very little dressing because the sauce on the chicken also helps to coat and flavor the salad.

I ordered Young Spinach Salad - Fresh baby spinach with Granny Smith apples, radicchio, gorgonzola cheese, caramelized pecans and sherry vinaigrette. At first, the CM thought that they were out of spinach. I asked if they could make the same salad and use mixed greens. He went to go check and found out that they did indeed have spinach.

Both of these salads are generous entree sized salads served on dinner plates and piled high in the mountain, pile it high style that is common with entree salads. Both were excellent. DH really enjoyed his. The dressing on mine was perfect. Everything was well dressed but there wasn't a puddle of dressing on my plate. There was a generous amount of the caramelized pecans and they were soooo tasty. The gorgonzola cheese and tart apples were a classic match with the spinach. I raved about it so much, DH ordered it again later, as you'll see. Both salads are definitely split worthy for an even lighter lunch, especially before a large planned dinner meal.

DS had Linguini with tomato sauce, which I don't see on the child's menu here on the Dis.

The pasta was a perfect al dente. The tomato sauce was fresh. It was a generous portion. I don't think DS could finish it, despite his love for pasta.

We all were given the option of prepackaged chocolate chip cookie, prepackaged brownie, or creme brulee for dessert. DS claimed to not want dessert, so we ordered him the cookie to save for later. We took the cookie with us to the table. DH and I had the creme brulee which was delivered with our ordered meal.

The creme brulee was very tasty. We are not experts on this dish so we thought it was excellent. There was a kind of torched sugar crust on the top with the strawberry and the custard underneath was firm and yet sooo, sooo creamy. Where the torched sugar was a little too dark, it did taste slightly burnt, however, these bites were few and the hard sugar was easy to peel off the top for them. By far, the creme brulee is THE dessert to pick here. Because we had so many snacks, we didn't even eat the cookie until we got home from our vacation. I took one bite and decided it wasn't worth the calories. Definitely get the creme brulee.

 

[KatGarcia]

GREAT reviews! Looking fwd to the rest!

 

[DisneyJenn18]

yummm, those salads look awesome! I'm hooked....

waiting for more pleaseeee...

 

[natalielongstaff]

photos are great