The_Aviator
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jun 6, 2010
Well our day of departure had arrived, but unfortunately DS had been ill through the night and there was no way that we could make the flight. As a result of all the re-bookings of people affected by all the winter storms the first flight out of MCO we could get was on January 1st, so we were stuck in WDW for a few more days. Ordinarily not such a bad thing, but since DS wasn't feeling too well and a few of our plans for Las Vegas (the next part of the trip) were messed up this time was just spent hoping nothing else would go wrong.
So DM and DD went off with DS to the medical centre and I was left all alone . I needed to have something to eat and I couldn't really leave the hotel so I decided to go to the Pepper Market. The staff were really accomodating of me as a single diner and offered bar seating but I just took a table. The waitress was really nice too, I got the drink filled at the bar but she brought out a straw and when she saw my meal she got me a steak knife. For my entree I decided to get the Grilled New York Strip ($14.95) from the Grill Station, served medium-rare as I always do. It was really good as they had a chef at the station and I watched him slap a juicy strip steak onto the grill and cook it. It only took ten minutes or so and during this time you could always get drinks organised etc, which is what I did. For the sides you can have grilled vegetables and either french fries or mashed potatoes. I went with the vegetables and french fries.
Sorry, I didn't get any pics for this meal (didn't take the camera) but I've got a picture of DD's New York Strip steak in the third review below, which is pretty much the same except he had mashed potatoes instead of fries.
I was very happy with the steak. It was cooked as ordered, fast, and fresh. The grilling gave it a very nice flavour of its own, and I don't think there were any marinades or anything like that. The fries were very good too. But surprisingly, I thought that the grilled vegetables were the best part of the meal! I don't think they did anything special to them other than grilling them, but they just tasted amazing. I seriously cannot explain why they tasted so good, but they really did. Vegetarians, seriously I would recommend you come here and just ask for a plate of the vegetables! . Really, really nice.
For dessert I just went to the bakery and got one of the regular desserts. I believe it was the Oreo cake ($3.99), quite similar to the chocolate mousse cake in shape but instead of chocolate mousse it was like a layer of cake and then some cream and then some oreo biscuit on top. It was pretty good.
Since I was using the resort mug for drinks I just picked up a bottle of Dasani water to go ($2.50).
All in all a good meal, which I would recommend to those visiting the Pepper Market. Definitely one of the better deals for those on the dining plan, and even for those paying OOP this is definitely not your average counter service and I reckon it is still worth the money
Cost:
1 CS credit used - 3 remaining
Bill Total - $22.83
Running Total - $2637.72
We just had some snack credits left over so we went and bought a bottle of Smart Water ($3.25), a Nesquik Chocolate Milk ($2.19) and a pack of Ritz Crackers (around $3.50 I believe).
Nothing much to say here, although it was good that we could get something really plain for DS to have and it was quite a large pack of biscuits. I know some people who are diabetic etc like to have a biscuit or two on hand during the day so this might be a reasonable snack option.
Cost:
3 snack credits used - 0 remaining
Bill Total - $9.52 (avg. $3.17ea)
Running Total - $2647.24
Now that DM, DS and DD had returned and DS was feeling a bit better we went down to the Pepper Market to grab something to eat.
For the first time we got a table that wasn't in the central area, it was along the edge of the restaurant. Not a bad table by any means, just a bit different to usual. Our server was pretty good, kept the mugs filled and made sure we had everything we needed. More on this later...
Anyways DM organised with the pasta chefs to get DS a Chicken Pappardelle pasta ($12.99) but instead of being served altogether she got the pasta, sauce and chicken tenders all separately. DS really wasn't too hungry so she just nibbled on the dish. It wasn't bad, it's just that she wasn't feeling well.
Both DM and DD got the New York Strip with grilled veggies and mashed potatoes ($14.99). They both liked it.
I decided to have a 14" Supreme Pizza ($14.99). The chef told me it would be about ten minutes so I went away for like five minutes then came back. When I returned she called out a Supreme Pizza and I assumed it wasn't mine since it wasn't anywhere near ten minutes yet and anyway another guest stepped up to claim it. After waiting a few minutes she realised I was still waiting and apologised and said that the one she had given to the other guy was meant to be for me. She fast-tracked my pizza and very kindly just crossed it off my ticket so I wouldn't have to pay for it. This was very nice of her.
And now I've made y'all read enough already, time for some pics! Sorry, only the steaks and the pizza were photographed since the pasta wasn't a complete dish.
Pizza
Steak
The pizza was just as good as the supreme pizza was, and there was plenty of it! Easily shared between two people or even three as a light meal.
For dessert we just picked out three chocolate mousse cakes I think, or perhaps there was one oreo cake in the mix ($3.99ea). Tasted the same as always
We also got three bottled waters just to use the entitlement ($2.50ea)
Now onto the interesting part of the meal. Our waitress came up to us and pointed out that the tip was not included. I know there has been some confusion over this point for quite some time so I thought I would try and clear it up a bit. On our first trip we knew from the card that it said it wasn't included, and we were more than happy for them to charge us 10% at the checkout as everyone else would be. However we weren't and from what i have read here and other places, this could mean that the service is included. However from our experience on this visit it clearly isn't.
I'm not sure how others feel about this but for us I don't think this is the proper way to do this. If other guests just pay 10% at the check-out then that is what DDP guests should pay also. It's not like at a TS place when you get a bill and can see how much your total is, here you only get the total bill when you're leaving so you would have to physically go around to each kitchen station and calculate how much you're meant to tip. The method just doesn't work at an establishment like this.
The waitresses/waiters should not even have to resort to having to point this out to get their tip, it isn't entirely fair on them. If the Pepper Market just wrote on their ticket something like "Gratuity is not included on Dining Plan, please pay server" at least that would make it somewhat easier because at the moment it just says "gratuity not included on dining plan" and I'm sure that many others and not just us would assume, and rightly so in my opinion that it would just be paid at check-out. This is my only problem with the Pepper Market. More than happy to pay the tip, but at least make it easy for me!
However, I still think this place serves good food, the service is good and it represents great value for money on the DDP.
So that concluded our DDP experience at Disney .
Cost (exc. my pizza of course):
3 CS credits used - 0 remaining
Bill Total - $66.41 (avg. $22.14ea)
NEXT UP:
So that brings to a conclusion the end of the DDP component of our trip. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I have enjoyed writing it and I hope it proves useful for the planning of your own trips.
But there are still a couple of reviews to go! These reviews may seem a little different, especially the value judgements since we're no longer on the DDP and paying OOP! And sadly I don't think there are any desserts from this point on, although after eleven days of the DDP we really didn't mind, there's just so much food on the DDP!
Before continuing on with my non-DDP reviews I'll be writing up a short conclusion on our DDP experience, which I hope will be useful for everyone thinking of doing the DDP at some stage in the future.
Thanks,
Stephen and Family
Part One of Three - Dining Solo at the Pepper Market
So DM and DD went off with DS to the medical centre and I was left all alone . I needed to have something to eat and I couldn't really leave the hotel so I decided to go to the Pepper Market. The staff were really accomodating of me as a single diner and offered bar seating but I just took a table. The waitress was really nice too, I got the drink filled at the bar but she brought out a straw and when she saw my meal she got me a steak knife. For my entree I decided to get the Grilled New York Strip ($14.95) from the Grill Station, served medium-rare as I always do. It was really good as they had a chef at the station and I watched him slap a juicy strip steak onto the grill and cook it. It only took ten minutes or so and during this time you could always get drinks organised etc, which is what I did. For the sides you can have grilled vegetables and either french fries or mashed potatoes. I went with the vegetables and french fries.
Sorry, I didn't get any pics for this meal (didn't take the camera) but I've got a picture of DD's New York Strip steak in the third review below, which is pretty much the same except he had mashed potatoes instead of fries.
I was very happy with the steak. It was cooked as ordered, fast, and fresh. The grilling gave it a very nice flavour of its own, and I don't think there were any marinades or anything like that. The fries were very good too. But surprisingly, I thought that the grilled vegetables were the best part of the meal! I don't think they did anything special to them other than grilling them, but they just tasted amazing. I seriously cannot explain why they tasted so good, but they really did. Vegetarians, seriously I would recommend you come here and just ask for a plate of the vegetables! . Really, really nice.
For dessert I just went to the bakery and got one of the regular desserts. I believe it was the Oreo cake ($3.99), quite similar to the chocolate mousse cake in shape but instead of chocolate mousse it was like a layer of cake and then some cream and then some oreo biscuit on top. It was pretty good.
Since I was using the resort mug for drinks I just picked up a bottle of Dasani water to go ($2.50).
All in all a good meal, which I would recommend to those visiting the Pepper Market. Definitely one of the better deals for those on the dining plan, and even for those paying OOP this is definitely not your average counter service and I reckon it is still worth the money
Cost:
1 CS credit used - 3 remaining
Bill Total - $22.83
Running Total - $2637.72
Part Two of Three - Some Snacks from Panchitos
We just had some snack credits left over so we went and bought a bottle of Smart Water ($3.25), a Nesquik Chocolate Milk ($2.19) and a pack of Ritz Crackers (around $3.50 I believe).
Nothing much to say here, although it was good that we could get something really plain for DS to have and it was quite a large pack of biscuits. I know some people who are diabetic etc like to have a biscuit or two on hand during the day so this might be a reasonable snack option.
Cost:
3 snack credits used - 0 remaining
Bill Total - $9.52 (avg. $3.17ea)
Running Total - $2647.24
Part Three of Three - Using our final CS credits for dinner at the Pepper Market
Now that DM, DS and DD had returned and DS was feeling a bit better we went down to the Pepper Market to grab something to eat.
For the first time we got a table that wasn't in the central area, it was along the edge of the restaurant. Not a bad table by any means, just a bit different to usual. Our server was pretty good, kept the mugs filled and made sure we had everything we needed. More on this later...
Anyways DM organised with the pasta chefs to get DS a Chicken Pappardelle pasta ($12.99) but instead of being served altogether she got the pasta, sauce and chicken tenders all separately. DS really wasn't too hungry so she just nibbled on the dish. It wasn't bad, it's just that she wasn't feeling well.
Both DM and DD got the New York Strip with grilled veggies and mashed potatoes ($14.99). They both liked it.
I decided to have a 14" Supreme Pizza ($14.99). The chef told me it would be about ten minutes so I went away for like five minutes then came back. When I returned she called out a Supreme Pizza and I assumed it wasn't mine since it wasn't anywhere near ten minutes yet and anyway another guest stepped up to claim it. After waiting a few minutes she realised I was still waiting and apologised and said that the one she had given to the other guy was meant to be for me. She fast-tracked my pizza and very kindly just crossed it off my ticket so I wouldn't have to pay for it. This was very nice of her.
And now I've made y'all read enough already, time for some pics! Sorry, only the steaks and the pizza were photographed since the pasta wasn't a complete dish.
Pizza
Steak
The pizza was just as good as the supreme pizza was, and there was plenty of it! Easily shared between two people or even three as a light meal.
For dessert we just picked out three chocolate mousse cakes I think, or perhaps there was one oreo cake in the mix ($3.99ea). Tasted the same as always
We also got three bottled waters just to use the entitlement ($2.50ea)
Now onto the interesting part of the meal. Our waitress came up to us and pointed out that the tip was not included. I know there has been some confusion over this point for quite some time so I thought I would try and clear it up a bit. On our first trip we knew from the card that it said it wasn't included, and we were more than happy for them to charge us 10% at the checkout as everyone else would be. However we weren't and from what i have read here and other places, this could mean that the service is included. However from our experience on this visit it clearly isn't.
I'm not sure how others feel about this but for us I don't think this is the proper way to do this. If other guests just pay 10% at the check-out then that is what DDP guests should pay also. It's not like at a TS place when you get a bill and can see how much your total is, here you only get the total bill when you're leaving so you would have to physically go around to each kitchen station and calculate how much you're meant to tip. The method just doesn't work at an establishment like this.
The waitresses/waiters should not even have to resort to having to point this out to get their tip, it isn't entirely fair on them. If the Pepper Market just wrote on their ticket something like "Gratuity is not included on Dining Plan, please pay server" at least that would make it somewhat easier because at the moment it just says "gratuity not included on dining plan" and I'm sure that many others and not just us would assume, and rightly so in my opinion that it would just be paid at check-out. This is my only problem with the Pepper Market. More than happy to pay the tip, but at least make it easy for me!
However, I still think this place serves good food, the service is good and it represents great value for money on the DDP.
So that concluded our DDP experience at Disney .
Cost (exc. my pizza of course):
3 CS credits used - 0 remaining
Bill Total - $66.41 (avg. $22.14ea)
Running Total - $2713.65!
NEXT UP:
So that brings to a conclusion the end of the DDP component of our trip. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I have enjoyed writing it and I hope it proves useful for the planning of your own trips.
But there are still a couple of reviews to go! These reviews may seem a little different, especially the value judgements since we're no longer on the DDP and paying OOP! And sadly I don't think there are any desserts from this point on, although after eleven days of the DDP we really didn't mind, there's just so much food on the DDP!
Before continuing on with my non-DDP reviews I'll be writing up a short conclusion on our DDP experience, which I hope will be useful for everyone thinking of doing the DDP at some stage in the future.
Thanks,
Stephen and Family