A free dining, steak-filled Sept. food extravaganza! Final post, 10/25!

[librarygeek]

I'm sorry you didn't like your meal at BoG as much as I enjoyed it! Maybe they were having an off night - I also ordered the scallops and shrimp in a puff pastry and it was just phenomenal. One of the best things I've eaten at Disney! And I loooove the fries that come with that steak, they are so good! It is just a stunning restaurant, I think my new favorite out of all Disney restaurants...

 

[emmysmommy]

Whoa! I had a lot of catching up to do! At first I thought it was my own review I was reading!

Raglan Road: Ger's Bread Pudding - best dessert in WDW!!! I completely agree about not loving the DTD vibe and that affects wanting to return. That is exactly what we thought this last time. But that bread pudding does make me think twice!!

Carrot Cake cookies ROCK! Love those and yes, I had at least one for breakfast last trip.

Yachtsman: Was your server an older gal with blonde hair? If so, I've heard plenty of stories.... I'll leave it at that. In any event, so sorry that she torpedoed your dining experience. The subbing of sides is completely wrong. We've subbed sides there and it has been no problem. In fact, our server just gave us a side of mashed potatoes earlier this year just because he's nice like that. Such a bummer since your food was tasty. If you ever decide to go back ask for Ricardo, you will NOT be disappointed.

Captain Cook: Oh man! I want those pork nachos. They sound so good.

BoG: Zach did a great job napkin folding! That was funny!

I'm not a fan of any of the food that we have ordered at BoG at all. However, that strawberry cupcake - yummmmm! I keep going back because we love the theming so I just need to keep trying new things until I find the entrée that is the one they do well.

I'll try not to fall too far behind.

 

[klacey1]

My friend had the stirfry at CC too, and liked it. I screwed up and got the Chicken burger which was just okay! Your nachos look amaaaaazing.

Too bad you didn't like your meal at BOG! I know what you mean about the bitter spinach flavour, bummer. At least Zach liked his, the steak did look pretty good. And if all else fails, get a cupcake, that's what I say!

I didn't even notice the chicken burger on the menu. I saw "pork nachos" and was doneee haha.
I'm glad someone understands the spinach thing. It was just WAY undercooked.

I'm glad you enjoyed BoG despite the mediocre food. Our experience was not stellar either.

BOG seems pretty hit or miss. Oh well, we tried it! I'm glad we were able to cross it off the list.

I'm sorry you didn't like your meal at BoG as much as I enjoyed it! Maybe they were having an off night - I also ordered the scallops and shrimp in a puff pastry and it was just phenomenal. One of the best things I've eaten at Disney! And I loooove the fries that come with that steak, they are so good! It is just a stunning restaurant, I think my new favorite out of all Disney restaurants...

You are not the only one I know who LOVED that dish, so I'm willing to chalk it up to an off night. I think it really boiled down to the spinach being undercooked.
I did love those fries!

Whoa! I had a lot of catching up to do! At first I thought it was my own review I was reading!

Raglan Road: Ger's Bread Pudding - best dessert in WDW!!! I completely agree about not loving the DTD vibe and that affects wanting to return. That is exactly what we thought this last time. But that bread pudding does make me think twice!!

Carrot Cake cookies ROCK! Love those and yes, I had at least one for breakfast last trip.

Yachtsman: Was your server an older gal with blonde hair? If so, I've heard plenty of stories.... I'll leave it at that. In any event, so sorry that she torpedoed your dining experience. The subbing of sides is completely wrong. We've subbed sides there and it has been no problem. In fact, our server just gave us a side of mashed potatoes earlier this year just because he's nice like that. Such a bummer since your food was tasty. If you ever decide to go back ask for Ricardo, you will NOT be disappointed.

Captain Cook: Oh man! I want those pork nachos. They sound so good.

BoG: Zach did a great job napkin folding! That was funny!

I'm not a fan of any of the food that we have ordered at BoG at all. However, that strawberry cupcake - yummmmm! I keep going back because we love the theming so I just need to keep trying new things until I find the entrée that is the one they do well.

I'll try not to fall too far behind.

I would totally be all about going back to Raglan Road just for appetizers, drinks, and desserts...so, not on the DDP!
YES-- that is exactly who my server at Yachtsman was! Well, I'm glad it's not just me who's had a bad experience with her. The thing with the sides really made me angry. Being home now, I wish I put up more of a stink about being charged $6 for subbing the hanger steak sides with the filet!
There's nothing else on the menu I'm eager to try at BOG, but like I said, when they change the menu I'll give it a go again. It really is so beautiful in there!!

 

[princess_momma]

I have only been to Captain Cook's for breakfast but I think we may be heading there for dinner this trip. Good to know about the desserts!

YAY for BoG!! Funny about the cherubs...I had heard it was Imagineers children, not them themselves. Who knows? That's SO unfortunate about the bread service. I feel like the scallops dish is so good in theory, but from what I've seen their execution of it has fallen short of people's expectations. C'est la vie. I was never too impressed with the menu...your review makes me okay with holding off for now like I ultimately decided...but I'd still like to get in for lunch!

 

[klacey1]

I have only been to Captain Cook's for breakfast but I think we may be heading there for dinner this trip. Good to know about the desserts!

YAY for BoG!! Funny about the cherubs...I had heard it was Imagineers children, not them themselves. Who knows? That's SO unfortunate about the bread service. I feel like the scallops dish is so good in theory, but from what I've seen their execution of it has fallen short of people's expectations. C'est la vie. I was never too impressed with the menu...your review makes me okay with holding off for now like I ultimately decided...but I'd still like to get in for lunch!

I definitely recommend Captain Cook's! It was so good!
You could definitely be right about the cherubs. The guy, while very nice, definitely fancied himself a Disney expert and was quite wrong about a few things, so it wouldn't surprise me if he was wrong there, too!

 

[klacey1]

I know this is not technically a Disney review, and my pictures are simply AWFUL, but I hope at least some of you enjoy reading about our lunch at the Three Broomsticks in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Islands of Adventure! We spent a day at the Dark Side during this trip and thoroughly enjoyed it (we’ve been before).

We ate around 1:40, so it wasn’t too crowded. One great thing they do here is prevent you from sitting down until you present a full tray of food. Then, a cast member seats you. It really eliminates any stress around worrying about where to eat.

I had a Hog’s Head Brew beer, cornish pasties, and potato wedges:


Wow, I loved this! If you like dark beers, the Hog’s Head is quite excellent. (Side note, even though I worked at a bar in college and LOVE different beers and trying different beers, I am quite poor at describing them. I have no idea what “hoppy” means. I can get about as far as “it’s dark” or “it’s light.” So, sorry for the lack of description!) It was cold and refreshing on such a hot day. By contrast, the wedges and meat pies were salty and hot, exactly what I wanted. The ground beef in the pies was well seasoned and the pastry was crispy. I did eat these with a knife and fork, but the pastry stayed together quite well, so it’d be easy for one to eat with your hands. The wedges were cooked well-- I find sometimes these types of fries can be underdone.

Zach had a pear cider and the ribs, chicken, corn on the cob, and potato wedges combo:

This was a ton of food, but he loved it all! Everything was hot and fresh. The corn needed some butter, but it was crisp and didn’t have that over-steamed taste. The seasoning on the chicken and ribs was great, and Zach agreed that the potatoes were perfectly cooked.
I give this meal a 9 and Zach gives it a 10. The atmosphere is great for any Harry Potter fan and the food really delivered!

 

[Mrs T 2009]

Sorry your meal at BOG wasn't all delicious. We haven't eaten there, mostly because both Mike and ry see pretty picky eaters.
Your desserts looked fab though!!!

Those pork nachos look delicious! I've never tried captain cooks, but it looks like a good place to try!

 

[Mrs T 2009]

Sorry your meal at BOG wasn't all delicious. We haven't eaten there, mostly because both Mike and ry see pretty picky eaters.
Your desserts looked fab though!!!

Those pork nachos look delicious! I've never tried captain cooks, but it looks like a good place to try!

 

[klacey1]

Sorry your meal at BOG wasn't all delicious. We haven't eaten there, mostly because both Mike and ry see pretty picky eaters.
Your desserts looked fab though!!!

Those pork nachos look delicious! I've never tried captain cooks, but it looks like a good place to try!

Zach's pretty picky too-- there must be some sort of steak or just plain meat to get him to eat somewhere. I was honestly surprised he loved Biergarten so much!
I would go out of my way to eat those nachos again. They were that good!

 

[klacey1]

So I’m going to cram three reviews into one update here! Mostly because two different meals from two different restaurants were consumed at the the same time (and one is an itty bitty review).

Zach just loves Asian food, and he’s already tried Lotus Blossom Cafe. He decided to give Katsura Grill a try for lunch. It was very pretty in here, and the cast members were VERY sweet, but there was nothing I felt like. Zach had them pack his teriyaki beef with veggies and white rice to go, and we continued through the World Showcase.

It was incredibly hot, so I knew just where to go: La Cantina de San Angel. Not only do I LOVE the food here, we’d be able to sit inside La Hacienda in the nice AC. I ordered the tacos de carne and churros for dessert.

We both loved our meals:

Zach described his food as incredibly tender and flavorful. There wasn’t an off-putting overly ginger-y flavor that some teriyakis can have. He said the white rice was cooked perfectly and tasted like it was properly made in a rice cooker. This was definitely his favorite Epcot CS ever, he said!


I’ve gotten these tacos before, so there was no surprises here. They were just fantastic! I’m not a fan of corn tortillas, so I just sprinkle the lime juice on and eat the meat with a fork. It took about 10 minutes for me to get my order, but I didn’t mind because everything was super fresh! The meat was spicy, but not overly so. The red salsa had kind of a smoky taste and was a nice contrast. I ate a ton of chips, too! This meal was SO filling.

I give this CS experience a 10. My food was perfect and I love that La Hacienda opens its doors for lunch-goers. Zach gives his meal a 9 and eating inside a 10, so we’ll call that a 9.5. Overall, a home run!

As a bonus, here’s a pic of the best ice cream cone I have ever had:

Hazelnut ice cream in a waffle cone from LArtisan de Glaces! Yum. If you like Nutella, this is essentially a slightly less chocolate-y, lighter, but equally delicious Nutella ice cream. SO GOOD!

 

[Mrs T 2009]

Both meals look delicious!!!

Awesome that Zach liked the CS place so much first try!

That ice cream sounds like it was perfect!!!!

 

[RGirl]

Wow - that was quite a glowing review for the CS at Japan. May have to try it at some point!!!

The tacos look and sound delicious. Mmmmmm

I am SO mad that we missed trying the new ice cream place in France. Our Epcot time was minimal this trip for some reason, and I just totally forgot about it.

 

[disneybarbie]

I really like the Katsura Grill, especially the outdoor seating area! That's great that they were able to put Zach's meal in a 'to go' box - I'll have to remember that for future trips

I cannot wait to try the new icecream café in France.. I'm thinking it could be an essential pre-race fuel before the half marathon in January?



Emma x

 

[DisneyJo]

Both meals look very tasty and it was great you could eat them together

 

[pumba]

thank you so much for all your great reviews and photos..I love them all..nothing like looking at food porn while thinking of a six month wait for our next Disney trip...can hardly wait..
Thanks again

 

[klacey1]

Both meals look delicious!!!

Awesome that Zach liked the CS place so much first try!

That ice cream sounds like it was perfect!!!!

Yes, I'm so glad he liked it! I'm not a big fan of Asian food, so I'm glad he got a chance to have some!!

Wow - that was quite a glowing review for the CS at Japan. May have to try it at some point!!!

The tacos look and sound delicious. Mmmmmm

I am SO mad that we missed trying the new ice cream place in France. Our Epcot time was minimal this trip for some reason, and I just totally forgot about it.

Yeah, he really liked it! Tacos were perfect!
I just happened to try the ice cream in June and knew I had to make a point of coming back for it in September!

I really like the Katsura Grill, especially the outdoor seating area! That's great that they were able to put Zach's meal in a 'to go' box - I'll have to remember that for future trips

I cannot wait to try the new icecream café in France.. I'm thinking it could be an essential pre-race fuel before the half marathon in January?

Emma x

Yeah, I wasn't sure if they were going to be able to make the food "to go" since it's Disney and not a "real world" quick place, but I was pleasantly surprised!
I can't think of a better pre-race meal!

Both meals look very tasty and it was great you could eat them together

Yes! Zach was a trooper carrying the hot bag all the way to Mexico, but I'm so glad he did!

thank you so much for all your great reviews and photos..I love them all..nothing like looking at food porn while thinking of a six month wait for our next Disney trip...can hardly wait..
Thanks again

Thanks for reading!! Nothing gets me more excited for a Disney trip than reading dining reviews, so I totally understand!

 

[klacey1]

I must apologize in advance-- this is one of the meals for which I do not have pictures of everything consumed! We had a 7:30 p.m. ADR at La Hacienda de San Angel! After checking in at 7:15, we were seated exactly at 7:15.

We had already eaten lunch here during the day, so there were no surprises, but this restaurant is very pretty! The view of the lake is amazing. We had to meet up with some friends, but we would have had the most amazing view of Illuminations from our table! We were two tables over from the window in the back room (closest to La Cantina).

This is a pretty terrible pic, but I thought the menus were really nice looking. Very sturdy!


Since it was a Mexican restaurant, I just HAD to have a margarita! I ordered the Rosita (which makes me giggle, because it makes me think of Friends!)


This was good. It was clearly made of high quality tequila, but it was a touch too floral for me personally. I think next time I’ll still with a regular margarita. It was very pretty, though!

We were pretty hungry, so we chowed down on the chips:

I’m pretty sure these are the same chips that are served at the CS, which is fine. They were hot and salty, and the salsas were very fresh tasting. I usually don’t like smoky undertones, but for some reason, I really like this red salsa!

I unfortunately do not have any pictures of our entree, but we ordered the La Hacienda Paradilla, with steak (decent quality, cooked more than I would like), chorizo (SO GOOD-- lovely burnt smokiness on the outside, soft on the inside), chicken al pastor (sweet initially with a spicy aftertaste. Very complex and interesting flavor), corn with cheese sauce (a sprinkling of cayenne made this sweet dish spicy), and grilled veggies (al dente, perfectly cooked.) We didn’t try the beans or tortillas, but overall we were VERY pleased with this dish!

We ordered the same thing for dessert, the apple empanada:

The puff pastry didn’t have much flavor, but the caramel was DELICIOUS, as was the ice cream. The apples were perfectly reduced.
This meal gets a solid 8. Food and atmosphere were both very nice. We’d definitely return, but probably in a few trips. There are too many good restaurants in Epcot!

 

[RGirl]

Well, that review just totally confirmed my desire to try La Hacienda! YUMMY!!!!

 

[AJ Crowley]

Great write ups!

On a side note Zach reminds of Syler from the show Heros.

 

[Mrs.Malone]

Great write ups!

On a side note Zach reminds of Syler from the show Heros.

Me too! And his name is Zach. Funny!

I'm enjoying the dining reviews very much. Thanks a lot for all the details and great photos.