More Disney Eating - A Quick Review with Pics New 5/14 - Backlot Express, Brown Derby

[Quacktatty]

Hi All!

Welcome to my latest dining review. This is my third attempt at satisfying the masses with food porn. I spent 6 short days at WDW the first week of May where I ate too much.

Day 1 -

Keeping with my most of the time tradition I had my first lunch at Flame Tree Barbecue. I was holding out hope that the AllEars menu was right and that the Beef Sandwich was back, but no such luck. Instead I had the Pork Sandwich and substituted coleslaw for the beans.

The sandwich was good, even better when I poured bbq sauce all over it and added about half the coleslaw to the sandwich. I am often a victim of soggy bun, but this was not the case this time around. My bun was soft and fresh and the meat was hot. I sat by the water at the furthest and lowest seating section. You get a perfect view of Expedition Everest and it's usually pretty quiet because people don't walk that far to find a spot.


For dinner I was at Magic Kingdom so I decided to give Casey's a try. I wasn't thrilled that were no longer serving all beef dogs and didn't really like the buns the last time so I decided on the corn dog nuggets and some fries. I definitely found myself a winner! These are a great alternative to the fall apart buns and part chicken dogs. Add in some cheese sauce for the fries and it was a well balanced meal.

MK was pretty crowded as it was an EMH evening but I hung around Tomorrowland for a while anyway mostly doing Buzz and the TTA. Before my second trip on the TTA I grabbed a cream cheese pretzel from the Lunching Pad.

The new rule on the TTA is no food allowed so I had to sneak this one on in my backpack and pull it out once I got past the CMs. It was not as good as I remember it being, not cream cheesy enough.

 

[iloveeeyore]

Really enjoyed your last dining report, and looking forward to more on this one!

 

[Quacktatty]

Breakfast this morning was a cheese danish from Main St. Bakery. I had picked it up the night before and had them put it in a box for me. It was still fresh and very good. I love cheese danish and Main St. Bakery is the best one I have had on WDW property.

I had a 1:00 lunch reservation at Kona. I took the monorail over from MK and walked around for a little bit before checking in. I was seated immediately in a pretty empty restaurant. Despite the fact that there were tens of empty tables around me, I was seated right next to a couple who had just ordered their meals. I really don't like how close you end up sitting in some of these places. I know it's probably more convenient for the waitresses, but yeesh.

I started with my traditional Crab Cakes. They were as good as I remember them being and really quenched the craving I was having.

For my entree I ordered the Polynesian Lunch Plate - Teriyaki Steak with Pineapple Salsa served with Sticky Rice and Macaroni salad.

The steak was well cooked (Medium) and I really liked the combination of the pineapple with the steak. The sticky rice was pretty good, but not as sticky as I would have liked. The macaroni salad was nothing to write home about and I could have done without it in the long run. There was also a lime on the plate, wedged up near the sticky rice, but it did nothing but make some of my rice taste like lime which I didn't much appreciate.

Reluctantly I ordered dessert. I really didn't need it, but I was missing the Kona Kone.

It wasn't served the same as the last time I had it, but I think I liked this way better. Previously, the Kone was in a paper like box with cups of sprinkles, nuts, M&Ms and one other thing that I cannot recall. The cotton candy was on a stick standing on the side. This time, it was in a fancy spiral metal cone type thing with the M&Ms and cotton candy surrounding the base. I took the M&Ms and put them on the ice cream itself before I started eating. I managed to finish all of it except the chocolate mickey head...that would have been the straw that broke the camels back.


I was planning on having a CS dinner somewhere in MK, but a friend who was also at MK that day called me up and asked if I wanted to join her and her family at Whispering Canyon Cafe for dinner. I gladly accepted and met up with them for a 6:45 ADR time. We took a nice boat ride over to Wilderness Lodge and checked in for dinner. There was no problem adding me to their ADR (making a party of 4 a party of 5).

We went to the Territory Lounge for drinks first and I got a Very Berry Punch. It was a vodka drink with lots of fruit juices and some grenadine. I really liked it, I don't drink much so it managed to give me a buzz but didn't taste like alcohol at all.

We were seated very quickly and our waitress was Fancy Margarita. She was OK, nothing exceptional. The whole restaurant was very loud and there was a ton going on. I thought for sure that some kids were going to kill each other during the pony races and I think a couple almost did.

The three adults ordered the Canyon Skillet. The salad, coleslaw and cornbread were brought out first. I liked the salad and cornbread best. The coleslaw was edible, but I only had a little bit. It seemed to have some mustard in it in addition to the mayo base.

The main skillet was brought out not much later and included ribs, brisket, pulled pork, chicken, mashed potatoes, corn on the cob and beans. I liked the brisket best and the ribs the least. The ribs were fatty, but they had more sauce on them than the ribs that I had at WCC in October, so that was an improvement. The pulled pork wasn't bad, but I've had better, even in WDW. I didn't try the chicken, potatoes or beans. We all liked the corn on the cob and ended up getting more of that and the cornbread. I ended up taking home the leftover cornbread for breakfast the next morning actually.

 

[vettegirl]

The crab cakes at Kona look sooo good. I am sitting here reading dining reviews eating my boring veggie soup. Next week at this time I will be heading to the Yachtmas, ahhh cannot wait.

 

[java]

What the heck made Kona think I know Macaroni salad? That seems so weird on that plate.
Loving the photos though!

 

[Quacktatty]

For breakfast I had some delicious leftover cornbread from WCC that I slathered in "borrowed" Smart Promise butterish spread from the food court and an OJ.

I had a late lunch so mid morning I got a snack at Rafiki's Planet Watch - a Chocolate Covered Banana. Not too much to say about it I guess. It was good and not too frozen but not melting on my hands.

Lunch was at Sanaa over at Animal Kingdom Lodge - Kidani Village. Despite the fact that during my last trip I stayed at Jambo House, I had only rode through Kidani on the bus. I was going to valet park since you get free valet with the Tables in Wonderland card, but there was a short term parking lot not too far from the lobby, so I parked there instead. I don't know if it is intended for diners, but there was ultimately no issues with my parking there.

The Kidani lobby is very nice, but not nearly as breathtaking as Jambo House. I made my way down to the first floor to the restaurant where I was greeted by a breathtaking sight, the Savannah. I'm not usually the kind of person to make a table request, but I definitely did at Sanaa.

Shortly after checking in I was taken to my table, a perfect window seat.

My server, Giovanni, was great. He went over the menu with me and made some recommendations before taking my drink order. I started with a water and an African Starr Mojito.

The Mojito was ultimately a mistake. I didn't really like it, but I can't put my finger on it. Maybe it was the Tangerine flavor?

For an appetizer I decided on the Potato and Pea Samosas.

These were delicious, but spicy! I'm not usually a spicy eater, so these were pretty strong for me. I opted for a Mango Chutney sauce on the side and when the samosas were dipped in the chutney it cooled them down quite a bit.

While I waited for my entree I took some more pictures

The service was very nicely paced and I had a few minutes of relaxation and breathing time between my appetizer and my entree. I went with the Slow Cooked in Gravy options - Beef Short Ribs and Green Shrimp Curry with Basmati Rice. I also ordered a side of Naan. I was glad that Giovanni mentioned this to me as I realized that I wouldn't have been able eat an entire bread service as described on the menu.

I liked the bread the best of all the options The short ribs were the best of the actual entree, but there were a couple fatty pieces. The rice tasted a little weird, I would have preferred a Jasmine or other white rice rather than the basmati, but I didn't have too many options. The shrimp were good but I have texture issues. They were probably perfectly cooked but had too much snap for me to be happy about eating.

The Naan...I SHOULD have ordered bread service after all. It was kind of like a savory fried dough but not greasy. It had a buttery flavor and was chewy but not under cooked. Probably the best Naan I've had.

I left feeling beyond stuffed with no room for dessert, but it was a great meal.


I spent most of the evening in Downtown Disney so I stopped at Earl of Sandwich. This is so sad to say, but they seem to have gotten rid of the Hot Roast Beef Smoothie sign!!! They have a new banner/sign thing around the building that only talks about hot sandwiches or something. I was so disappointed!!

The line was crazy long, but it moved fast. I ordered my usual - a Best BLT and Macaroni salad. I ended up taking it back to my resort to eat and the sandwich stayed hot for the whole boat ride from DTD to POFQ including a stop at the food court on the way back to my room. I guess that little foil wrap really helps.

This sandwich really is the Best BLT - I don't even normally eat tomatoes and I love it! The macaroni salad tasted exactly like the Kona macaroni salad and was actually kind of warm from being next to my sandwich for half an hour, not as good as I had hoped.

 

[rhondag508]

Nice reviews! Great giraffe pics! What fun!

 

[PixieDustandEeyore]

Great reviews so far I'm in Las Vegas on vacation right now and there is an earl of sandwich in the hotel I'm at...we've been living on it...and your sandwich photo just made me want to run down and get one...too bad they are only serving the breakfast ones right now

 

[Quacktatty]

I had a late breakfast due to the immense amounts of food I ate the day before. I got a quick meal at Sunshine Seasons while waiting for my Soarin' FP to ripen. After considering everything in the bakery case I decided on a Cinnamon Raisin bagel with cream cheese. Unfortunately, there is not a toaster to be found at Sunshine Seasons so I had to eat it untoasted. Not my favorite way, but not the end of the world.

Lunch was eating "around the world". I really ended up only eating it two countries though - China and Norway.

I started in China with Pot Stickers from Lotus Blossom Cafe.

When you step onto the tile floor of the Lotus Blossom Cafe the cashiers yell to you - "Ni Hao!!! Welcome to China. Please step over here to order, we have picture menus available." Then a picture menu is shoved in your face even if you already know what you want to order. I told the girl that I wanted Pot Stickers and she said, "They have pork, is that okay?" Ummm....yeah, it's fine. If it wasn't I probably wouldn't have ordered the PORK POT STICKERS!

I went over to the seating area to eat them. The sauce they come with is better than soy sauce, but I'm not sure what it is. I guess Pot Sticker Sauce! They were a little spicy, but spicy had been growing on me this trip, so I didn't mind too much.

For dessert I went over to Kringla Bakeri og Cafe. I had to get the Rice Cream. It's simply rice pudding topped with fake strawberry stuff, but I love it!

After leaving Epcot I made a stop at Downtown Disney. I had Goofy's on my mind for some snacks.

First up is pretzels - all three covered in milk chocolate, 1 topped with pecans, 1 with coconut and 1 with oreos and then drizzled with milk chocolate. There are only 2 pictured as I ate the pecan one in the car on the way back to my resort...

The other two along with the rest of my snacks were put in the fridge and saved for a later date.

This is a milk chocolate covered vanilla oreo cookie with mini M&Ms and sprinkles.

I also picked up some Cotton Candy and Coconut Patties. I never ended up eating the coconut patties and finished the cotton candy when I got home.

Dinner was at 'Ohana with my friends. We had an 8:05 ADR but checked in around 7:20 expecting it to take a while for us to be seated. In the meantime, I went to the bar to get a drink. I ordered the obvious 'Ohana drink, of course, a Lapu Lapu.

I can't tell you how many people stopped me to ask what it was that I was drinking! I have to be honest...it was SO MUCH RUM. Really too much for me as I'm not a big drinker. I did finish it, but it took a while.

We were seated at the PERFECT window seat. We looked right out at the Magic Kingdom. This was awesome since the fireworks were at 9:00 that evening, I told everyone to take their time eating!

We started with the bread, but we ended up having to ask for butter. I can't remember if they automatically brought out butter last time. Then came the salad and the sauces. The salad dressing wasn't as sweet as I remember it being, but I still managed to eat a little bit!

The best part of the meal was the Lo Mein noodles. They were so delicious, it was the one thing we asked for more of. The pot stickers were great, of course I had already had some for lunch - oops, forgot that my dinner was at 'Ohana! I didn't eat a sticky wing, but the rest of the table agreed that they weren't as good as past trips.

The meats came quickly via our great waiter Cousin Mike. I mostly stuck with the shrimp and also tried one piece of steak. The last time I was at 'Ohana the steak was terribly over cooked and tough, but this time it was cooked to a nice medium. I think I ended up eating about 10 or 12 shrimp...clearly my favorite. The texture was very different from the shrimp I had at Sanaa, not nearly as crunchy so I liked it better. I didn't try the pork or turkey. Last time I wasn't impressed and couldn't tell the difference between the two so I didn't even bother.

The kids were brought chicken nuggets, fries and mac and cheese with no problem - they declared them a hit.

Dessert was the bread pudding and ice cream which I managed to eat a little bit of. I mostly like the Fosters sauce that goes over the top. I could just drink some of that in a cup of coffee.

Our dinner was time perfectly and the fireworks started going off just as we received the check. It was a great view and the fireworks actually looked like they were going off in front of the castle which isn't always the case when you view them from 'Ohana. We even got to watch the Electric Water Pageant!

I was beyond full when we left the restaurant but it was a great meal and I can't wait to go back again. 'Ohana has made it on to the list of must-dos for each trip. I already have a reservation for October!

 

[shannon1119]

I had a 1:00 lunch reservation at Kona. I started with my traditional Crab Cakes. They were as good as I remember them being and really quenched the craving I was having.

I have always wanted to try these! So glad you posted this. I LOVE crab cakes and these look delicious!

 

[bookworm0312]

This looks like something that belongs on the "weird-odd-strange-disturbing photo" thread!

 

[vettegirl]

The shrimp at Ohana are my favorite as well. I could go there and just eat that and be content.

 

[dina7]

This looks like something that belongs on the "weird-odd-strange-disturbing photo" thread!

It IS very weird-odd-strange-disturbing looking, but tastes so good. I get one every trip now.

 

[Quacktatty]

No breakfast on this day, I was still digesting 'Ohana from the night before.

Lunch was at Backlot Express. The line wasn't all that long and the guy doing the orders seemed efficient. I ordered a Bacon Double Cheeseburger with fries. I paid, got my ticket and waited at the counter for my food. And waited, and waited, and waited. I finally said something because I was getting hungry and cranky and they brought out my burger. It had no tomato and no bacon. Not very bacon double cheeseburgery if you ask me! I told the girl that my order wasn't right and asked for it to be fixed. She brought it back to the kitchen where I am sure they just took the same burger and added bacon and a tomato and maybe some spit and gave it back to me.

The burger itself was fine, nothing special. The fries were good too. Overall though this place was a disappointment and I won't be eating here again. Really...what is up with the awful food choices in DHS??

I had an early ADR at Hollywood Brown Derby. This was a new restaurant for me. I'd recently heard a lot of good reviews about it so I thought I'd give it a try.

I was seated very quickly in a mostly empty restaurant. The woman who brought me to my table walked epically slow...I almost asked her to just point me in the right direction and I'd seat myself. I was seated in the very back corner of the restaurant on the upper level, I guess I stunk or something!

My waitress came right over and walked me through the menu as well as recommended some drinks. I decided to have "The Hollywood" which was basically vodka and some fruit juices.

I ordered the crab cake for my appetizer.

This was good, but I only liked one of the sauces that came on the side...maybe the one on the right? I don't know what type of sauces they were though, so that's probably not so helpful for you.

I ordered my entree and someone brought over a basket of rolls. They were pretty good - kind of reminded me of the Brown n' Serve rolls from the grocery store.

For my entree I ordered the Filet which came with fingerling potatoes, cremini mushrooms and cippolini onions in a wine sauce. I ordered it medium rare and it was cooked perfectly.

I really liked this, especially with the mushrooms and onions although I wish there had been more of them. The red wine sauce added a nice touch too. I cleaned my plate.

With no room for dessert, I elected to just have a cup of coffee.

All during the meal there were "characters" walking around the restaurant making conversation with the tables. I wasn't really fond of this. Two of the guys came over and both commented on how they felt bad that I was eating alone. I told them that really, it was okay, I like being left alone. One of them gave me a business card and told me to call him the next time I had dinner plans. My waitress came over and said something about me meeting the guys and I said, "Yeah, I didn't know I was getting a character meal!"

I had a good meal, I won't say that I didn't, but this is not an experience that I will repeat. The food was good, but not worth the price in my opinion. It's billed as a signature restaurant, but didn't give me the signature restaurant feeling. I would have expected a quieter, slower paced meal. I don't think signature restaurants belong in theme parks for this reason. But if you have any inclination to try it, do so, you are the best judge of what is enjoyable. I just know that personally I won't be back.


A few hours later I was back at POFQ and looking for something sweet. I walked over to the food court and ordered 6 beignets. This turned out to be about 4 beignets too many, but they hit the spot. You can't go to POFQ without getting beignets - so I really had no choice but to order them.

 

[Belle5]

I also ordered a side of Naan. I was glad that Giovanni mentioned this to me as I realized that I wouldn't have been able eat an entire bread service as described on the menu.

The Naan...I SHOULD have ordered bread service after all. It was kind of like a savory fried dough but not greasy. It had a buttery flavor and was chewy but not under cooked. Probably the best Naan I've had.

Do you know how much you were charged for the side of Naan? I am wondering if it's more economical for each interested person in our party to just order their own side rather than sharing a few orders of "bread service". TIA! BTW, I have really enjoyed your reviews!

 

[Quacktatty]

I believe the charge was $1.99. My server mentioned it before I placed my order so it's something they must be doing for people on a regular basis.

 

[Quacktatty]

This was my last day so eating was one of the last things on my mind, but I managed to fit in a few things.

I started with Zebra Domes for breakfast. I picked these up at AKL when I was having my lunch at Sanaa. Well worth the extra 10 or so minutes it took to park and run to Mara!

It was super hot out and crazy humid so I was in need of a Dole Whip Float. I ate this while walking through Swiss Family Treehouse. A dole whip float is about the only thing that makes that attraction bearable. They don't even have CMs working it!!

I had a late afternoon flight so before leaving MK I decided to eat lunch at Casey's again. I had exactly the same meal, so you get exactly the same picture!

Well - that about does it. I'll be back wit more reviews in October. My table service plans include (for now)
'Ohana
Jiko
Teppan Edo
Yak and Yeti
Tony's Town Square
Kona (breakfast)

 

[PiperGirlInWondrland]

GREAT reviews! Now I'm starving just thinking about all that yummy food!