Hello, Room Service? - A DXDP Review *Completed

[butiflfeet]

I also am loving your attention to detail! That chocolate cake looks so yummy

 

[Beauty & the Best]

great review!

I love how you describe the flavors of everything, it's very helpful.

Liz

 

[wilma-bride]

Grat title and great start to your reviews. I am looking forward to seeing what the new Cat Cora restaurant will be like, although I'm a little sad I never got to experience Spoodles.

 

[PrincessTrisha]

Great review of Spoodles. I'm sorry you didn't try the bread there though, some of the breads served at some of the restaurants are really good, and Spoodles is one of them. I hope you tried the onion rolls at Yachtsman Steakhouse, they're my favorite.

Growing up my parents owned a bakery and I owned one for about a years and a half so good bread isn't that thrilling to me - I can make my own. I did try the onion rolls at Yachtsmen though - they were very good.

Fantastic start, really enjoyed your detailed review. I've always enjoyed spoodles, and I'm disappointed it will be shut before our next trip, especcially as that chocolate cake sounds gorgeous!

That cake was amazing. The server had really great things to say about the menu at the new Cat Cora place though - and they are recovering the tables and chairs as well so the restaurant itself is getting a bit of a make over.

I also am loving your attention to detail! That chocolate cake looks so yummy

Thanks for the comments.

great review!

I love how you describe the flavors of everything, it's very helpful.

Liz

I try - it's easy to just call things "good" or "very good" but for me that's not particularly helpful - it's the why its good or very good that helps me decide if I'd like it or not.

Grat title and great start to your reviews. I am looking forward to seeing what the new Cat Cora restaurant will be like, although I'm a little sad I never got to experience Spoodles.

Spoodles was a great restaurant but I too am looking forward to the new Cat Cora place.

 

[PrincessTrisha]

So June 27th dawned bright and sunny. This was my actual date of birth (and the only restaurants I'd noted my birthday on my ADR's).

I wanted to start off my 35th birthday with a character buffet. I chose Cape May out of pure laziness. Staying at the Beach Club it was by far the easiest and quickest to get to, allowed us to sleep in a bit and didn't require me to figure out transportation to a park or other resort in the early morning.

We arrived about 5 minutes before our 9:35am ADR. The CM at the hostess desk was very nice. Her name tag read that she was from Torrano Ontario Canada. As a fellow Canadian, I asked where that was since I had never heard of it (with my job I know most of the cities and town names in Ontario). She said that she was actually from "Toronto" but that when they gave her the name tag, they had misspelled the name because they spelt it how she said it (the second "T" is often left silent in a slang sort of speech). That was a good laugh first thing in the morning (I don't know if this story translates well but it was funny at the time).

Anyhoo - we were seated at a table for two and had another great server Dorothy. I had my birthday button on and she constantly called me by name - "Is everything alright Patricia?" "Is there anything else I can get you Patricia" "You may want to wait before going up to the buffet because Donald is on his way Patricia". She was also quick to clear plates, bring refills and when I was up at the buffet, conspired with Cindy to bring me a birthday cupcake / card, timed when Donald arrived.

Character interaction was acceptable. With two single ladies, I was surprised that all of the characters made it around (though Minnie just popped by and we didn't get a picture). Donald posed for birthday pics and was there for the cupcake presentation and goofy was pretty interactive with us. Last time I was there, the chipmunks were present and I have to say - I missed them. They are just one of those sets of characters that seem to fit in anywhere.

The food was good - pretty average for a Disney breakfast buffet. There are a couple of outstanding items that were very good. One was the breakfast pizza. The crust was nice and crisp on the bottom and everything on top was cooked well, not dried out and then covered with cheese. Mmmmmm.....

The asparagus was a nice touch too. Both Cindy and I had a good helping of that.

Cindy also really appreciated the yogurt bar with toppings and the large amount of fresh fruit. I had a good deal of pineapple from there and it was sweet and ripe.

So it was a good start to the day, but not a "must do" for adults. If you're staying at the Beach Club and want a character breakfast on your off day, it's a good meal, relaxed setting, and good character interaction.

Pictures will be posted in my next post (darn photobucket, I'm having difficulty with their new loader).

 

[PrincessTrisha]

Here are some pictures:

Mickey waffle, asparagus, breakfast pizza, potatoes, bacon, frittata.

Same plate - different angle

Birthday cupcake (dry and not too good but cute and a nice thought)

2 more pieces of breakfast pizza, frittata and pineapple

Yogurt with toppings and a scoop of cottage cheese

 

[natalielongstaff]

Yum yum yum !!

great reviews so far

 

[disneyfav4ever]

Growing up my parents owned a bakery and I owned one for about a years and a half so good bread isn't that thrilling to me - I can make my own. I did try the onion rolls at Yachtsmen though - they were very good.

That makes sense. When I'm at home I watch my carbs, so when I get to Disney I let myself eat as much bread as I want.

 

[onelilspark]

I really need to remember to not read these reviews right before dinner...mmmmmmmm....

 

[eventamy]

I'm in!

We LOVED Spoodles in February and officially named it our favorite restaurant in WDW. Very sad it is changing, especially my DH.
I also had the Lemon, Shrimp Linquine and it was delicious!
Looking forward to more!

 

[Pooh&OurHunny]

Thanks for the update...I like Cape May breakfast b/c the characters are dressed in swimwear. When we went it was Chip, Dale, Goofy and Minnie (Chip is my son favorite Character)...anyway you mentioned Donald, Minnie and Goofy...who is the 4th character?

 

[PrincessTrisha]

Yum yum yum !!

great reviews so far

Thanks for the encouragement!

That makes sense. When I'm at home I watch my carbs, so when I get to Disney I let myself eat as much bread as I want.

That's the great thing about Disney dining - everyone can enjoy what they like - there are just so many choices!

I really need to remember to not read these reviews right before dinner...mmmmmmmm....

Yeah - I often have that problem because I'll read reviews on my 1/2 hour lunch - a tuna sandwich just doesn't do it when you're looking at some of this amazing disney dining!

I'm in!

We LOVED Spoodles in February and officially named it our favorite restaurant in WDW. Very sad it is changing, especially my DH.
I also had the Lemon, Shrimp Linquine and it was delicious!
Looking forward to more!

I agree - I wish I had tried Spoodles before but, our server only had great things to say about the Cat Cora place so I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

 

[PrincessTrisha]

Thanks for the update...I like Cape May breakfast b/c the characters are dressed in swimwear. When we went it was Chip, Dale, Goofy and Minnie (Chip is my son favorite Character)...anyway you mentioned Donald, Minnie and Goofy...who is the 4th character?

There was only the 3 characters - they removed chip and dale and added Donald. Their costumes are cute and I found the environment the most relaxing of any character meal I've been to.

 

[PrincessTrisha]

I wanted this trip to be relaxing so I decided to attempt a drink around the world showcase. It went well - I only had a moment or two of tippsi-ness - I think stopping for lunch in the middle was a very smart move.

So, in order, here is what Cindy and I had:

A Welsh Dragon - since I was only carrying my small camera bag, I didn't want the souvenir glass so they put it in a tall plastic glass and I asked for a second empty one so Cindy and I could split the drink (my early attempt at staying somewhat sober - it also seemed prudent since it was only 11:30am).

Here is my half of the drink:

I really enjoyed this drink - my notes describe it as "A melonball on steriods". It was sweet and lemony with a back end kick. It was $6.93 with tax (but no souvenir glass). Cindy wasn't fond of the drink but didn't say why. I think she's just not as much of a drinker as I am so an early morning drink wasn't what she had in mind. While I drank pretty much the whole thing, she went in and out of stores with no one bugging her or asking to leave.

Next up was France - I ordered one Grey Goose Slushie and one Grand Marnier Slushie - the grey goose one was the definate winner. It tasted like frozen lemonade - sweet and tangy. The Grand Marnier one was good but you could taste the alcohol.

In Morroco I had a Sultan's Colada and I got Cindy a Habibi Daquiri (Strawberry flavoured). These were the worst drinks I've had. The Sultan's Colada was super strong and the almond liquer they add right at the end was bitter and harsh. The daquiri was super duper sweet - like concentrated juice before you add the water - and overly thick.

 

[PrincessTrisha]

I finished the second half of Cindy's drink while she walked around Japan (No matter how bad, I couldn't just throw it out - that would be alcohol abuse).

We stopped and had lunch (review to come).

After lunch I continued my drinking (but ended up skipping several countries).

Next up was a Peach Snap from the Joy of Tea stand in China.

O - M - G !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is possibly the best drink I have ever had! It was like peach iced tea - not too sweet, cold and wonderful. When I ordered it, I was warned that it wasn't frozen (I'm not sure if they had just put in a new batch or if the machine was acting up) and this made it even better than if it was frozen. It was like a mixed drink served over ice - so it was cold but easy to drink and it went down so smooth. I almost went and got another one and I wish now that I did - it was that good. I'm glad that they are only available in one place otherwise I would be partially inebreiated all the time.

Next on the list was the Fiesta Margarita. At first taste this was too strong and all I could taste was tequila. After it melted just a bit though, it got a lot better and before I knew it, it was gone. I think it's one of those drinks that does better if you let the flavours come together for a minute instead of drinking it right away. After this, I was feeling pretty good.

It was getting a little late - it was around 6:30pm and we had dinner reservations at 8:30 and I wanted to have a shower and get dressed up for my birthday dinner so we decided to leave Epcot and head back to the Beach Club. On the way out, we stopped and each got another of these:

While enjoying these, we met a group of people who were doing a beer drink around the World - two of them were feeling pretty good which made me realize that I was in complete control of myself despite my drinking.

I think that at the first sign that I was "feeling it", I'd stop, have some water (or lunch) or rest on a bench. While I enjoyed my drink around the World Showcase, I think I was too concerned about acting like an idiot to really let myself completely relax.

 

[wilma-bride]

I can't wait to go drinking round the World in October - I will definitely be having a Peach Snap - it looks lovely

 

[jakenjess]

A Welsh Dragon - since I was only carrying my small camera bag, I didn't want the souvenir glass so they put it in a tall plastic glass and I asked for a second empty one so Cindy and I could split the drink (my early attempt at staying somewhat sober - it also seemed prudent since it was only 11:30am).

I had one of these when we ate at Rose and Crown -- yummy!!

Next up was France - I ordered one Grey Goose Slushie and one Grand Marnier Slushie - the grey goose one was the definate winner. It tasted like frozen lemonade - sweet and tangy. The Grand Marnier one was good but you could taste the alcohol.

Ummm, I've had the Grand Marnier one and loved it, so I guess next time I'll have to try the Grey Goose, or maybe one of each!

Great reviews so far!! Looking forward to more!

 

[PrincessTrisha]

I can't wait to go drinking round the World in October - I will definitely be having a Peach Snap - it looks lovely

Oh it is, it so is...

I had one of these when we ate at Rose and Crown -- yummy!!

Ummm, I've had the Grand Marnier one and loved it, so I guess next time I'll have to try the Grey Goose, or maybe one of each!

Great reviews so far!! Looking forward to more!

One of each is what I recommend. They were both good - but I have to tip my hat (or mouth) to the Grey Goose (as long as you like lemonade).

 

[PrincessTrisha]

So, in the middle of drinking around the World Showcase, I decided lunch would be a good idea. I had no ADR but was confident that with all of the restaurants in the World Showcase, we’d be able to get into one of them – if not, counter service it would be.

I gave Cindy her choice of Italy, Germany, China or Mexico (since we were standing in front of the USA and that was the direction we were travelling in). She chose China.

I went in to inquire if we could be seated (it was around 1:45pm) and it was not a problem at all. They sat many walk ups while we were there (the table next to us, was a walk up of two girls who were later joined by 4 friends so they moved to a larger table). We were seated right away.

Our server was Mei-Ching and she seemed a little abrupt at first. I think she was a little rushed since there was a table of 10 next to us (5 adults and 5 kids) who were a little, ahem, obnoxious to their server. And the server was bending over backwards (when one of the little ones started crying because there was no cherry in their drink, the server brought a whole plate of them for the table; chopsticks for everyone even though the kids – and one of the dads – wanted to put them up their noses or hang from their mouths; new silverware for several kids as the originals somehow ended up on the floor; replacing of 2 or 3 meals because they didn’t “like” them – they were just very loud in general and it was like they wanted the whole restaurant to know the trials and tribulations of travelling with a large group). Amazingly enough, after the first 15 minutes, I somehow tuned these people out and don’t remember them after that – with the exception that they were still there after we finished our 3 course meal. As a server though, she was good to great (good to start, great to end). She offered us chopsticks and explained the menu items but didn’t make any recommendations about ordering.

To start with Cindy ordered a green iced tea and the Spicy Beef (sliced thin and tossed with Cilantro-Chili dressing) for her appetizer. I was surprised since she’s not a big beef eater but she loved it. I had a piece and had to admit it was very good. She asked for hot sauce to go with it since she likes things spicy but I thought it was spicy enough on its own. The green iced tea was unsweetened and she inquired if she could purchase some to brew her own. Unfortunately for Cindy, the tea is a blend that they don’t sell but she still found a box of tea in one of the stores that she intends to try to make iced tea with.

I had a diet coke (no ice) and the Shrimp and Taro Lollipops. I have to admit that I ordered these because I saw a picture of them on the DIS boards once and thought they looked cool (not really a good reason to order something, but it worked out okay). Mei-Ching warned me that they take 15 minutes (and told me 3 times) I told her it was fine we weren’t in any rush – we just wanted to enjoy our lunch. These were a nice treat – they are deep fried and hollow inside with the little shrimps sticking in the dough on the inside. I took them off the sticks, cut them in fours and then used my chopsticks to dip them in the sauce. That sauce was so good – it really made the dish – it had a hint of salt, a hint of sweet, and a burst of flavour.

Mei-Ching seemed to constantly refill our glasses (she brought a pitcher of both drinks to refill) and checked to make sure we were okay.

For Cindy’s entrée she ordered the Peppery Shrimp with Spinach Noodles. This was so good that she was bugging me later in the week to return to this restaurant so she could have them again. While I didn’t taste any of the noodles, I did get one of the shrimps. They were very lightly coated with flour and spices – just enough to ensure that the liquid in the shrimp didn’t all cook away – they kind of burst in your mouth on the first bite. So good!

I ordered the Fragrant Five-Spiced Fish (light but flavourful sauteed whitefish fillets with a classic Chinese Five-Spice sauce). It arrived as a whole filet and then the server pours the sauce over it. This was amazing! The filet was seared on the outside so the edges were slightly browned and crisp and the sauce was similar to the one served with the lollipops except it also had bits of red and green peppers in it. I ate almost the whole thing (and what I didn’t eat, Cindy finished). I wish ordering it I had known it came with the white rice because I would have asked them to hold that. Though thinking back now, I wish I had poured the leftover sauce on it and chowed down (not that I think I had tummy room but the sauce was just that good).

Mei-Ching suggested for dessert the cream cheese filled egg rolls (for two) which came with your choice of ice cream – strawberry or ginger caramel. Cindy doesn’t like ginger but she still let me order the ginger caramel ice cream – it was so good. Cindy started to eat her half of the egg roll while I started on the ice cream. I told her she could have my half if she wanted it too. She said she’d wait until I tasted it because she guaranteed I would not give it up after that – she was right! This is by far one of the best desserts I have ever had. Flakey, creamy, sweet, and perfect! I highly recommend it.

View from one side:

View from the other side:

Going in I was a little unsure of this restaurant but it really turned out to be a winner for Cindy and I. All 3 courses were very good and the service ended up being friendly (once she warmed up to us).

 

[butiflfeet]

I've always been kind of wary of Nine Dragons but after your review and a few other good ones lately I may need to re-think it! Thank You