The not so live version of dining w/ Disers, in Castles & on Safari! The Wrap! 2/26

[emmysmommy]

Brenda,

I've had such a good time catching up on your reviews.

LTT is one of my favorite MK lunch spots and I always order the same thing too. But you and Em might have sold me on the pot roast if I can persuade someone to go halves with me. It looks delicious! Have you tried dinner here? It's a lot to eat, but we thought it was yummy.

Hi Rachel! I'm so glad that you are here and catching up.

I love the pot roast at LTT. I almost whined when Em wouldn't share with me this last trip a few weeks ago. I can't eat the entire entrée AND make room for dessert. Splitting is a wise choice.

I've not tried dinner since I love the lunch menu so much. It wouldn't be a problem if I booked a lunch and a dinner there sometime to compare.

Every time I think I have my dining plans finalized, these dining reviews convince me that I'm wrong! That toffee cake looks uuuuh-mazing.

These darn dining reviews mess with your plans. I completely get that! Most of my dining ADRs are based on yet another review that I've read.

The toffee cake is one of the best desserts at WDW. It's in my top 3.

It would be nice if they would save our CC info so I didn't have to retype it ALL in at the e time. If I could just click "use card xyz" it wouldn't be such an inconvenience!

Love your breakfast!! I'm really hoping for a can book this for our last morning at Disney on this next trip, but we will see. Driving/flying/ect will make that decision!

Exactly! I know I've saved cc information on my account but I don't see the option to select it. (Maybe the resort reservations page asks me if I'd like to use xyz cc??) Speaking of which... I really need to make my dining ADRs for April/May. Time's a ticking.

If you have a free spot for breakfast I'd love to see what you thought. I seriously need to get caught up with your PTR.

Oh my good gravy, you are making me DROOL. I haven't had much of an appetite lately, but thanks to that steak picture followed by the pot roast I am officially hungry again!! I LOVE pot roast. Steak on the other hand, eh... not so much. I REALLY have to be in the mood for it... and that pic of the steak with the pineapple teriyaki totally put me in a steak mood!

I have never had aspic... and I have no plans to change that

I made and subsequently canceled an ADR for Le Cellier... I didn't want to be tied down to it and worried that I would forget to cancel it and get charged the cancelation fee. Perhaps it's because Buffalo is so very close to Canada, but we have a lot of local restaurants that have amazing cheddar beer soup. And while it's not those lovely looking bread sticks, one of our grocery stores has been selling pretzel rolls for years and they are sooo good. So ultimately, I think canceling the ressie was the right move in my case.

I have no words. LOL!!!! That poor girl...

Hi khaleesi! How are you doing? Like you, at home I have to be in the mood for steak which is very rare. Coincidently, on vacation I must allow the carnivore in me lose since I seem to have steak frequently.

Be afraid of aspic. Be very afraid and stay away from it. It's scary stuff.

Sounds like you have solid reasons for cancelling Le Cellier. Not to mention pretzel rolls in your local grocery store... yum!

 

[emmysmommy]

So as you know Brenda, we had our first taste of Ooey Gooey Toffee Cake in December and it totally lived up to the hype!

Hi Linda! And yes, I'm glad that I observed that first hand.

No I don't know Tim, well I don't think I do I have been off the panel for 4 years though!

Wow the half portion of pot roast is still enormous and what a great idea to split so you have room for that dessert

Hi Jo! Tim may be a level or two above the mom panel interview team. I wish I got his official title. We were at Team Disney when we met him so we were with other Disney CMs and I didn't want to be annoying and hog the conversation.

I'm always looking out for making room for dessert. The important things you know.

LTT is one place I haven't tried but your review had convinced me to give it a try next time. I love pot roast!!

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Oh Lori you must try it sometime. The pot roast has consistently been very good here. It's one of the places that has the chunky veggies too. (Unlike 50's PT Café.

MMMM, Kona is very good for breakfast. Wish we went there.
That Oooey-Gooey Cake is so good. Good choice.
Vinny had the pot roast when we ate there and he said it was good. Maybe next time I will split it with him

Hi Scott! Oh man! There's always next time.

That ooey gooey cake I will always order even if I think I can't take one more bite of anything. (The food addict in me talking for sure!)

Great idea to split with Vinny. It was still a good size portion even split.

After a couple months of not being able to read updates because life just gets in the way, I was able to get caught up

Kona Cafe update: We have been there for dinner, but not breakfast. Totally going for breakfast now. I am sold

Le Cellier lunch update: I know I shouldn't laugh, but I have 2 teenaged daughters and if they fell off of their chair, I would so laugh too

CRT update: Last trip (Sept 2012) we went to CRT to breakfast and felt it was okay. Not spectacular, just ok, so I feel ya.

Hope you guys had a fabulous trip this month. Can't wait to see updates

Hi there! Awww thanks for getting caught up and reading. I'm glad you are still following along.

Yes, add Kona breakfast to your list. It is very good. (At least I love pancakes so it's a no brainer for me.)

Ok, I tried not to laugh. But the entire scenario was hilarious since I was the one asking her to move over more.. and more.. some more... bam! oops!

I feel the same about CRT breakfast. It wasn't horrible but after only breakfasts we were glad to try dinner.

We did have a great time this month. We dined with several Disers which made every meal extra special. In case you were not aware, I will be participating in the Live Dining finale here. We'd be glad to have you follow along if you don't already.

Yum! I love tender pot roasts-- my favorite kind of comfort food! And I can't believe what a huge portion that is when split in half!

Hi Kylie! I agree! It was more than enough for two people. I wonder if it is more than a single serving if you put the two halves together?? You know my motto.. gotta make room for dessert so the smaller portion works.

I'm late discovering your Dining Review but I am loving it!!! Cannot wait for the next episode.

Hi Amy! I'm so glad that you found this and are reading along! Thanks for letting me know you are enjoying it. I'll try to get to my Be Our Guest dinner tomorrow.

Two yummy food updates.

You know how much we LOVE Kona and I can't wait to be back there eating next year. I may have to try the pancackes this time after your review.

LTT -- I will have to tell Mark to try the pot roast next time. I don't remember what he had in August (I know I had the burger), but he LOVES pot roast.

I love that mug at LTT; and we got one to take home for our anniversary.

Hi birthday girl! I'll definitely be booking this again... looks like our early September dates may move later in the month... Michael's bday is the 29th and we finally realized that if we don't travel with Em we can go later in September and celebrate his birthday!

If Mark likes pot roast he really should try it at LTT. I had the burger last time and it was really good. (Surprise! A departure from the pot roast.)

Maybe my memory is off but didn't they used to have glass mugs? Are yours glass or plastic?

You are such a Disney celeb. On the boards, in the parks, oh my goodness! I love how you just connect with everyone you meet! You are a special person! :good vibes I wish I could have those social skills…I am just awkward I feel like! haha. But seriously, I just admire how you can connect with people

Shula's! I'm a big football fan so I'm dying to go there! I can't believe people would actually throw those menus. I can see like posing with it, a la Heisman or something, but re-enacting plays? Silly. Moving on. A meat cart?! That sounds way better than a dessert cart to me. I am pretty carnivorous! Yum, steak! OMG about the mini flashlight. That is just hilarious. I'm falling more in love with Shula's by the sentence…that you write. The food sounds amazing too! I'll have what you're having!

Love Sci-Fi. I'm dying to go back but as a family of 3, it's hard to book it knowing someone would be sitting by themselves! (Because you need the car to get the full effect!)

I need to eat in the castle. I've done the Akershaus breakfast thing to conserve dining credits, but MAN! The castle! You practically lived there this trip! I can't believe the Wishes pictures either! Incredible!

I see lots of trips to the GF Cafe in my future! (oooooh foreshadowing!)

YAY Kona. One of my all-time favorites!! LOVE LOVE LOVE! That bread especially is what gets me. I usually have a group of at least 4 and so that often means that we need to ask for extra loaves. 1/2 a loaf per person sounds about right to me. The teriyaki steak is my staple there too! Yum! Glad you guys enjoyed it!

AND THEN BACK TO KONA FOR BREAKFAST?!?!!?!?! That was exactly my plan last trip but it never panned out. Thank you for going twice so I could eat vicariously.

I agree with you on the ooey gooey toffee cake! It's truly the best!

Hi Kimmy! You are my Diser that I referred to earlier with your ability to score a slice of 'Ohana bread pudding at Kona. I NEED to try that sometime.

Oh my gosh, you are young and cute so I want to be like you! I just talk too much so people probably give me stuff to shut me up. Thanks for the compliment though.

I could totally picture you and Garrett dining at Shula's. There's football memorabilia all over.

I don't like dining at Sci-Fi when my DH and Em travel together since one of us are in a seat alone.

Hmmmm I think I know why you may be dining at GFC in the future... due to a certain purchase?? How very lucky!!

I'm a Kona fan for sure.

 

[emmysmommy]

Day 11: Monday August 26, 2013 – Be Our Guest Dinner
​

Dinner tonight was at Be Our Guest. This was our second dinner here and both times we were seated in the West Wing. It is a dark room but the theming is completely awesome so we didn't mind. The Prince’s portrait over the fireplaces changes to the face of the Beast every 20 minutes or so when there is a “thunderstorm.” The enchanted rose is also located in this room as well as at least one hidden Mickey.

When I sent my update for the live dining thread for this restaurant I was pretty blunt in my honest opinion. In fact, here's my quote: "For dinner tonite we made the mistake of wasting our money on Be Our Guest. I'm sorry but I will be honest since this wasn't our first dinner here that disappointed as far as the food. The restaurant is lovely and the service has been excellent to very good but the reason why we read these reviews is because of the food." However, there were some good things to share so if my negative tone has sent you running, please stick around because I will try to play nice.

Restaurant photos:

We were welcomed by Kimberly, our friendly and capable server.

I didn’t take menu photos since it was so dark and I just didn’t feel like using the flash. There’s 1,001 BoG dining review here on the boards so no one should be at a loss as to what is on their menu.

We were started with rolls and butter – nothing special or worthy of any praise here. I think there is better at most restaurants anywhere but perhaps Disney spent their budget on all the theming and décor and had no money left over for the dinner rolls. Be that as it may, I did eat one so there, what do I know?

Dinner Rolls and butter:

Em ordered the Chicken Breast Provencal which was a departure from the seafood puff pastry she ordered last time.

I skipped the entrees and opted for the French onion soup since I wasn’t particularly hungry. Kimberly noted that it was a vegetarian broth and not a traditional beef broth. That made me pause and reconsider but I ordered it nonetheless. I would like to think that this caution didn’t influence my opinion but let’s see….

More restaurant photos while we awaited our food.

His angry face

Our host, The Beast, stopped by for a quick hello.

Chicken Breast Provencal: Pan seared and simmered in a rustic blend of Heirloom tomatoes, olives, white wine and fresh herbs with seasonal veggies and roasted fingerling potatoes ($22.99)​

Em’s chicken looked wonderful which was how she said that it tasted. I had a small bite and it wasn’t at all what I expected it would be. Then again I hadn’t read the menu description so I was surprised that it tasted rather Italian rather than “French”. I’m certain that the dish reflects the Provence region of France so what do I know? I just wouldn’t order it – so there! No commentary regarding the potatoes but they didn’t look bad.

French Onion Soup with Gruyere Cheese ($7.49)​

Both Entrees:

Let’s talk about this lovely crock of soup shall we? It was well covered with golden crusty gruyere cheese and it was served piping hot. That’s honestly where the compliments end. Sadly, this was more like a bowl of salty onion water. I’m sure if it had a rich beef broth it would have scored higher on the flavor scale. I only ate about 1/3 of the bowl before pushing it aside. But I did eat my entire dinner roll.

Now for a high point to the meal… the dessert cart was on its way to our table. Kimberly announced the various flavors/varieties of the cupcakes and cream puffs. I wasn’t going to pass up dessert since I loved the strawberry cream cheese cupcake last time… which is exactly what I ordered again. It was delicious!! Redemption!!

Dessert Cart:

Em chose the gluten free lemon curd puff pastry. She loved it!!
Kimberly also presented us with the grey stuff. Very nice of her to do so. We split it but I wouldn’t have felt bad if it wasn’t brought out. It reminds me of whip cream frosting. Our prior server said that the describe it as tasting like the middle of an Oreo.

One minor glitch from a service perspective is that we had to ration our drinks since we were not offered drink refills. I could have flagged our server down and demanded a refill but that’s too much effort.

We used our TiW card to save $7.19. However I noticed that the bill was only $29 which reflected half our items were missing. Kimberly had not charged me for the soup which she mentioned was because I hadn’t eaten it for which I thanked her. I pointed out that we weren’t charged for dessert either which we HAD eaten (and enjoyed.) That was an oversight on her part so she thanked me, re-ran the receipt and the final version included dessert charges.

We didn’t skip out on the Beast. We went to the library to pose with that bad boy.

More restaurant photos:

Getting back to my quote I noted above about this being a less than stellar dining experience. I stand by that statement only because the food was just not good – for me! I still think Disney hit a home run with the theming and the special touches. Will I return? Yes. I will just find something else to try and keep those strawberry cream cheese cupcakes in the inventory.

Next Up: Columbia Harbour House lunch
​

 

[Wood Nymph]

We ate lunch twice at BOG on our last trip. I had gotten a fp for lunch on our arrival day, and found the braised pork to be delicious. I was able to get another lunch fp for our departure day because I wanted that meal again. We ate in the library the first time and the west wing the second time. I have another lunch fp scheduled for our impromptu trip in three weeks (gotta love those annual passes). I really don't have any desire to eat dinner there. But it makes a great place for lunch if you have the fp.

Let’s talk about this lovely crock of soup shall we? It was well covered with golden crusty gruyere cheese and it was served piping hot. That’s honestly where the compliments end. Sadly, this was more like a bowl of salty onion water. I’m sure if it had a rich beef broth it would have scored higher on the flavor scale. I only ate about 1/3 of the bowl before pushing it aside. But I did eat my entire dinner roll.

DH had the soup and he would agree with your review of it. I think he only ate a third of his, too.

Em chose the gluten free lemon curd puff pastry. She loved it!!

I didn't realize it was gluten-free. I'll have to try it. I will cheat a little bit for things like Ooey Gooey Toffee cake, concentrating on the Ooey Gooey parts, but mostly I need to avoid gluten.

 

[Ron from Michigan]

I agree with you about BoG. We have eaten lunch there many times and dinner once and all I can say about the food is just blah. I agree with your statement about the themeing, they hit a grand slam here. I'm afraid especially dinner that it is just not that great. I'm think that they except the guests to be so overwhelmed by the inside that they will just eat anything no matter how it tastes. I have never been to France other than Epcot , so maybe that's how everything is supposed to taste. Thanks for another great review.

 

[KatMark]

Hi birthday girl! I'll definitely be booking this again... looks like our early September dates may move later in the month... Michael's bday is the 29th and we finally realized that if we don't travel with Em we can go later in September and celebrate his birthday!

Thanks again for the flowers.

Does this mean your dates MIGHT overlap ours towards the end? We arrive on the 19th and we depart on the 26th.

 

[vettegirl]

You know my thoughts on BOG and their soup. I would have been better off with a soup on hand from the grocery store than that watery mess as that was all I had their as well. The west wing looks so amazing for dining, I wish we had sat in there,

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[KatMark]

I'm sorry you didn't enjoy your meal more at BOG. I have had the onion soup three times now and have enjoyed it each and every time. Perhaps it has changed since May? I had the same dish as Em in May; I liked it, but they could have gone a little less heavy on the sauce on top of it.

You can't beat the ambiance at the restaurant though...Disney went all out. I love the picture of the two of you with the Beast.

 

[Linda67]

Couldn't agree with you more about BOG - the food just does not live up to the awesome interior of the restaurant
DH had the soup in December and totally agrees with your review
Just like you and Em, we had a wonderful server but our entrees were so salty we could barely eat more than a few mouthfuls
Lunch for us next time!

 

[DisneyJo]

Such a shame that the BOG food always gets bad reviews, I'm still booking it for our July trip though

 

[klacey1]

The strawberry cheesecake was tops for me at BOG, too. SO good! Other than that, though...eh. I'm happy we went though, and am certainly willing to visit again if they do a major menu rehaul.

 

[Samandmom]

Honestly, I don’t know the etiquette regarding returning these most gracious acts of respect; however, it is appreciated.

We dined at Teppan Edo for the first time last week. I love that they bow to for just about everything. I also don't know what the etiquette is in returning the bows. I used to work with a lady from Japan and she was sweetest person, she was constantly bowing.

I have read some of your reports before but first time replying. I still can't forgot about you seeing a rat in a restaurant. Thanks for all your reports

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

Hi Mr. DDW! It's always so good to see you pop in to say hi! (And can you believe that this thing is still dragging on?) I hope you had a chance to enjoy the Winter Break. You did get a break didn't you?? I'm surprised I didn't hear about a Disney trip during the break... or did you??

Ahhhh Le Cellier such a love hate relationship I have with that place. Love most of the food, but the prices are out of line in my opinion. Will I stop going altogether... no. I suppose I shouldn't complain too much.

I'll stick to the entrees and sides at Kona and now that I know a little secret from a Diser here I may just beg for a slice of 'Ohana's bread pudding.

Wait until you see my dining review of Kona Café this next time... it will be different.

Oh no, don't become nocturnal!

Thanks again for stopping by. I hope all is well! Please say hi to your mom from me and Em!

Yep, I'm currently on break for another week (thank goodness). Funny you should ask - we're actually in WDW right now! We're meeting up with some friends off-property in a few days, so we flew down early and booked the Swan with Starwood points. I'm really tempted to start a dining 'report', but to keep myself from spending too much time on it, I might keep it really short. Oh well.

'Ohana bread pudding at Kona sounds like a perfect solution! And now I'm very intrigued to hear how your recent Kona meal went. I actually ate my last breakfast of 2013 at Kona - probably should've ordered the pancakes.

On a more important note, Happy New Year! And my mom says hi as well.

 

[jabead]

Yep, I'm currently on break for another week (thank goodness). Funny you should ask - we're actually in WDW right now! We're meeting up with some friends off-property in a few days, so we flew down early and booked the Swan with Starwood points. I'm really tempted to start a dining 'report', but to keep myself from spending too much time on it, I might keep it really short. Oh well.

You're at Disney World now?!?! How fun! I kind of wish I was still taking live updates...at least for today anyway. I'm in Cabo for the week for our niece's wedding and today most of us (including all of my family except me) went scuba diving. I'm just hanging out at our villa by the pool for most of the day. I don't have a data plan for my cell phone here but you can iMessage me today (since we have wireless at the villa) with a few teaser photos for your dining report if you feel like it. Or you are welcome to post any of your pics directly to the thread if you want. The live thread could probably use a little "live from Disney World" pick-me-up.

 

[IheartDDuck]

I'm not running from your BOG review, no worries.

I enjoyed the food. And when I say that I mean....I'm no foodie and generally I'm easy to please. My Dad and I joke about the fact that our criteria are:

Is it edible?
Does it taste okay?
Is it edible?

I exaggerate. But I agree that it's mediocre from a dinner perspective. There was nothing I ate that I went WOW about. It's really more about the atmosphere. That said, we have a lunch FP+ in January, so I'm more hopeful for that.

I am a harsh critic of french onion soup though. Because I am fortunate and had the opportunity to eat it in France. It's hard to find a comparison. It has to be made correctly, otherwise, bleh.

 

[1andrea]

I've really enjoyed reading our reviews so far, you've ate in some great restaurants.

Looking forward to reading the rest.

Thanks :0)

 

[Smiling Cheshire Cat]

So sad your BOG meal wasn't so great. It was nice of your server to comp your soup. Chase had a potato leek soup when we ate there and he said it was wonderful. I totally agree with you about the strawberry cupcake. It was by far the best of the desserts we tried.

 

[OurDogCisco]

I agree with you on BoG. The theme of the restaurant is awesome. I wish it was a little brighter so I could take pictures. I also thought the tables felt like a quick service venue not a sit down. Our food was horrible that I didn't even order dessert. The only good thing was the cheese platter we ordered as a appetizer. This place was a huge disappointment.

 

[MrsB1228]

I'm back on the boards and trying to get caught up on all the awesome reports I was following. I was away for an extended time due to family matters followed by the holiday season, but I'm finally getting back online. I thoroughly enjoyed catching up with your awesome dining reviews Brenda, and am now on my way over to your trip report. Just wanted to let you know I'm back (finally!)

I hope you had a wonderful Christmas and I wish you and your family all the best in 2014.

 

[livsmom04]

Looks like BOG was good. Maybe next time we go we can get a reservation there!

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