999 Meals, But There's Room for 1,000 - An April 2016 Dining Report - Complete/New DR Link - 10/16

Xclusive2WDW · Jul 20, 2016

kastoney said:
...We soon had a date with a Yeti and apparently a really nice guide with an awesome name

(side note while no one who knows me would ever get anywhere near a mountain with your truly as their guide, I was happy to have my name takes its place in Disney ride history.)

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

.....And a rum dole whip for those of drinking age

We also let Casey pick out a pre-made hair wrap as the line was too long for a real one. While checking out she proceeded to tell the cast member that when she is a Mommy she is going to let her children go shopping everyday. She also told her of her dream to be a model/fogger (she wants to drive the mosquito fogging truck, can't make this stuff up) and that she will have 2 children, one named Caroline and the other Flower Clarance. Yep Disney, she'll be here all week....

How cool is that, your name (correct spelling and all) on a Disney ride!!! Have you told everyone you know just how awesome you are and that your awesomeness is indeed Disney approved :thumbsup2

I now live for the Disney Dole Whip with Rum :cool1:

. . . I can NOT wait until I get my hands on one of these bad boyz! :drinking1

Casey is too adorable for her own good, I love it! Those names :rotfl:

LOL! Everyone seems like they were having a blast, love your reviews I am getting really excited for my own trip.

TeeterTots · Jul 20, 2016

Ooh, that seafood ramen looks grand!
I must try a dole whip with rum next trip....not sure if I should before or after Kali River Rapid, which I've never been on....shameful, I know!!

KnK · Jul 20, 2016

We love California Grill. We'll be visiting twice our next trip. :ssst:

Mom2m&k · Jul 20, 2016

Is there such a thing as too many Bloody Mary's?

disneyAndi14 · Jul 20, 2016

The onion rings at flame tree are so good, we love to get those. We have to be quiet about the price because in Disney that is a steal! Casey has great taste in names, my name is Caroline. The CG food all looks so delicious, maybe someday I can try the food there.

ariane37 · Jul 21, 2016

Your CG meal looks great! It wasn't our favorite meal in January but I had the filet and it was soooooo tender and perfectly cooked :thumbsup2

What's really interesting me in your post is the magic bar from Roaring Forks, talk about classy, upscale food :rotfl2:

I'm going to be on the lookout for that next month because that's my kind of snack, all sorts of goodies baked into one!

Don't tell Casey but I may have to suggest the name Flower Clarence to my stepson and his fiancé when they (hopefully right after the wedding) have a baby. But........will that be Casey's son or daughter?? Caroline's brother, or sister? Either maybe? :scratchin

momof3princes · Jul 22, 2016

I love how little ones will just start talking to anyone who will listen. It is a trip to hear what they have to say! My youngest is famous for that. Casey's fogger aspirations crack me up every time :rotfl2:

You guy have been having lots of luck in the food AND drink department :thumbsup2

Saphire5742 · Jul 23, 2016

kastoney said:
We eventually cleaned (and sobered) ourselves up enough to take a respectable family photo on our way into Ep-A-Cot.

(Sorry for the odd photo sizes, Photobucket won't let me edit some photopass pictures)

A lovely family photo (although poor Casey looks like she's squeezed there in the middle :crowded:

)

kastoney said:
Before Casey found some flower and garden backdrops she couldn't resist having a photo shoot in front of.

Love this!

kastoney said:
And to get us in the mood for our Italian dinner, Jason and I thought it was a great idea for everyone to try some Beverley at Club Cool.

Those reactions are priceless. Didn't have the guts to try it myself though

kastoney said:
For Casey and I it was our perennial favorite, the Carciofi.

Drooling here.....

kastoney said:
To say this is pizza perfection is an understatement. Delicious earthy artichokes, topped with creamy cheese, and decadent truffle oil then covered in crunchy and peppery arugula all atop a perfectly charred crust.

Couldn't agree with you more! (minus the arugula for me though)

kastoney said:

Words can't even describe how much I LOVE (and relate to :goodvibes

) this photo

kastoney said:
After dinner we walked out just as illuminations was starting, so we caught that show and then were able to see the star wars fireworks from MGM as we were leaving. And to top it off when we got back to the lodge, this sight was right outside our room.

So awesome that you caught 3 fireworks shows is one night!

kastoney said:
we were soon posing for the ubiquitous Tree of Life family pic, though no one else seemed to care or be aware.

Another family photo winner

kastoney said:
....And getting in some dancing with a bear and a monkey...

This photo just oozes adorableness

kastoney said:
#After. Three certain someones hit the mother load of water while two pretty ladies remained virtually dry

I also remained dry on Kali. And I was so hoping to get soaked....

kastoney said:
We also let Casey pick out a pre-made hair wrap as the line was too long for a real one. While checking out she proceeded to tell the cast member that when she is a Mommy she is going to let her children go shopping everyday. She also told her of her dream to be a model/fogger (she wants to drive the mosquito fogging truck, can't make this stuff up) and that she will have 2 children, one named Caroline and the other Flower Clarance. Yep Disney, she'll be here all week....

That's quite the dream she has. So cute

kastoney said:

kastoney said:
Mike ordered the Oak-Fired Filet of Beef with Mashed Potato, California Delta Asparagus, and Wine Sauce.

Those two CG dishes looks especially delectable

kastoney said:
(Casey took this one)

You have quite the budding photographer there. Wonderful shot!

kastoney said:
I believe this is either some form of pole dancing or they are hoping to catch some flies in their mouths. I'm never sure with these 2.

Dis_Yoda · Jul 23, 2016

One of these days, I will try Flame Tree BBQ - although with the veggie husband - that might not be a good choice - plus I just love Yak & Yeti so much! Your food there looks great! Glad everyone was happy!

Dinner at California Grill also looks like a lovely time. You can't go wrong with a bottle of wine and awesome tasting food! I think each of those mains right now look amazing to me.

kastoney · Jul 23, 2016

gmccreary said:
Exactly three weeks from right now, we will be eating at Via Napoli for our arrival night dinner!!

Awesome!!!!!!!!! Hope you enjoy as much as we did

mara512 said:
Taking my Mom to CG in Oct. as a surprise. The wine is a definite but all 4 of those dishes look and sound amazing it will be so hard to pick one. Hoping for a window seat but I will be happy just to be at Disney! Your pictures are beautiful and it sounds like you had a wonderful trip.

Sounds like a wonderful surprise. Picking what to eat is always my CG dilemma as well. But as you can see, you really can't go wrong

ArielSRL said:
Fun day at AK! Those onion rings look delish! And the KRR ride...how funny that three got soaked and 2 (the correct 2 I'm assuming) stayed dry! Love the meal at Cali Grill. I've eaten there once. Such good food and an awesome view! That brownie looks yummy!

It was most definitely a great AK day. Made all the better at onion rings ; ) And yep the correct 2 (aka the women and our hair) stayed dry

Terra Nova guy said:
So sad to admit that I have never been to Flame Tree. I really need to fix that. All of the reviews I have read were positive and your pictures look amazing.

You must definitely need to fix that. Of course with all the other yummy food at AK its hard to fit it all in

Terra Nova guy said:
Yet another thing to put on my list! Any idea what kind of rum they use? Amber? Spiced? (doesn't look white or dark)

i believe you can choose from coconut or dark rum. Pretty sure we went with the coconut this time, but we've had both and of course you really can't go wrong

DisneyJo said:
Your meals sound great, I'm so pleased to read a good CG review as my kids won't go back as they hated their meals

Oh, sorry you all had a bad CG experience. Our food has always been excellent. I've never been thrilled with the service (I find they take themselves way to seriously) but the food has been perfection

Klinger13 said:
Those Flame Tree meals look great! We're trying to keep our Animal Kingdom day "loosely planned" so I think that'll be our stop for lunch instead of getting an ADR somewhere. And ahhh, the Dole Whip with rum. I tried it with the coconut rum last time and was immediately in love.

Yeah for loose plans. My favorite

Definitely get to flame tree if you can. Though I've been reading wonderful things about the lunch at Tiffins and apparently there is next to no one there.

ALEXandFAB said:
These two dishes are exactly what I plan to order when we eat there. I've heard so many good things about those onion rings in particular. YUM.

Sounds like you picked two winners. Especially the rings. Perfection!!!!

kastoney · Jul 23, 2016

Xclusive2WDW said:
How cool is that, your name (correct spelling and all) on a Disney ride!!! Have you told everyone you know just how awesome you are and that your awesomeness is indeed Disney approved

I now live for the Disney Dole Whip with Rum . . . I can NOT wait until I get my hands on one of these bad boyz!

Casey is too adorable for her own good, I love it! Those names LOL! Everyone seems like they were having a blast, love your reviews I am getting really excited for my own trip.

I know, my name is never spelled "right" anywhere. Of course that is what I get for my parents spelling it wrong. And no I haven't told everyone how awesome I am, because if you know me you already know :rotfl:

Casey is definitely pretty darn adorable. I have no idea where she got those names from, but girl definitely has an imagination. When are you going to the world?

TeeterTots said:
Ooh, that seafood ramen looks grand!
I must try a dole whip with rum next trip....not sure if I should before or after Kali River Rapid, which I've never been on....shameful, I know!!

The dole whips and Kali are no where near each other, so make sure you time it right and don't miss it. Or you'll end up like me with a massive craving and a long walk across the park!

KnK said:
We love California Grill. We'll be visiting twice our next trip.

Yeah for 2 trips. Something tells me we may end up there twice too

Mom2m&k said:
Is there such a thing as too many Bloody Mary's?

No, there most certainly is not :drinking1

disneyAndi14 said:
The onion rings at flame tree are so good, we love to get those. We have to be quiet about the price because in Disney that is a steal! Casey has great taste in names, my name is Caroline. The CG food all looks so delicious, maybe someday I can try the food there.

You are so right, I better keep my mouth shut before Disney ups the price on those beauties. Of course I'd probably pay whatever they ask :rolleyes1

I had no idea your name was Caroline. Here I thought it was Andi

ariane37 said:
What's really interesting me in your post is the magic bar from Roaring Forks, talk about classy, upscale food I'm going to be on the lookout for that next month because that's my kind of snack, all sorts of goodies baked into one!

You definitely need to get a magic bar. We first discovered them on the club level (cough, cough Steve) and thankfully Roaring Forks lets me keep up the habit. Essentially I think they throw everything in the bakery into a pan and it is oh so good.

ariane37 said:
Don't tell Casey but I may have to suggest the name Flower Clarence to my stepson and his fiancé when they (hopefully right after the wedding) have a baby. But........will that be Casey's son or daughter?? Caroline's brother, or sister? Either maybe?

I think Flower Clarence really has the ability to be used for all genders. And of course your step son is welcome to the name. I think it will be a few years before Casey needs it :rotfl2:

momof3princes said:
I love how little ones will just start talking to anyone who will listen. It is a trip to hear what they have to say! My youngest is famous for that. Casey's fogger aspirations crack me up every time
You guy have been having lots of luck in the food AND drink department

Yep this trip was definitely a food and drink winner. My next updates will be the only semi-off portion of the trip.

Saphire5742 said:
A lovely family photo (although poor Casey looks like she's squeezed there in the middle )

She was indeed. But I had lots of padding so at least it was comfy.

Saphire5742 said:
Those reactions are priceless. Didn't have the guts to try it myself though

Oh man ya gotta at least try the Beverly. Ya never know you might like it

Saphire5742 said:
Words can't even describe how much I LOVE (and relate to ) this photo

I think we all can. That food can never quite get in there fast enough.

Dis_Yoda said:
One of these days, I will try Flame Tree BBQ - although with the veggie husband - that might not be a good choice - plus I just love Yak & Yeti so much! Your food there looks great! Glad everyone was happy!

Dinner at California Grill also looks like a lovely time. You can't go wrong with a bottle of wine and awesome tasting food! I think each of those mains right now look amazing to me.

Yeah, flame tree and your hubby may not be a good mix. Of course he could just eat onion rings

I think I like Yak and Yeti better too, but no way I could have gotten the inlaws in there.

kastoney · Jul 23, 2016

Eating in Circles

The next morning we were headed to Ep-A-Cot before Mike and Connie hit the road. They were going to St. Augustine to visit some friends so they were only spending a little time with us. So for our last full family meal of the trip, we headed to Garden Grill. I'd read lots of good reviews, so I was really looking forward to trying it. Oh who am I kidding I really just wanted my childhood dream to come true and rotate over The Land!!!!

We were seated quickly and found a not so hidden Mickey waiting at our table.

After ordering our beverages (Bloody Mary for me, though I didn't get a pic, and POG juice and coffee for the rest of the crew) the food started coming right away.

First up was some fresh fruit and Chip's Sticky Bun Bake. I was so looking forward to the sticky bun (which is described as a skillet sized cinnamon bun with warm vanilla icing) but sadly I was disappointed. I'm not sure if it was because of our later breakfast time or what, but the bun was very dry and overcooked.

The next part of the meal they bring out is scrambled eggs, bacon, ham, mickey waffles, and potato barrels (aka tater tots).

Fortunately we faired much better here than with the sticky bun. The eggs were standard order, but they offered a tomatillo and tomato salsa to go with it which was a nice touch.

The bacon was pretty standard but good and crispy and the others said the ham was good (I loathe ham so none for me). The potato barrels were good but fairly ordinary. The star of the dish was the Mickey waffles, which were standard for Disney, but they served them with warm nutella which really made them great! Here is a snapshot of my plate so you can see the nutella goodness.

While we ate we were visited by Chip

Dale

And of course Farmer Mickey

The character interactions were all pretty quick, but Casey seemed to enjoy herself.

And the best part (besides bloody marys) was rotating over The Land the whole time. The park was open so we could even hear some of the narration coming from down below.

Overall, Garden Grill was fine but really not for us. The food (except for that darn sticky bun) was good and definitely better than most of the buffet style character meals, but given the minimal character interactions I just can't justify the price ($30/adult, $18/kid). Plus with 5 people in the booth and all the plates and food, things were definitely tight. There is certainly better breakfast food at cheaper prices in the world. All things considered The Wave buffet we did earlier in the week was really the superior choice, though we did save $29.05 with our Tables in Wonderland Card.

After breakfast we of course rode The Land, before catching a wave with Nemo and crush, meeting our personal health care companion,

And ending the grandparents portion of the trip with a ride on a very masculine test track vehicle.

We bid a sad adieu to Mike and Connie, but we knew we'd see them again soon (they only live 2.5 hours from us). We loved having them with us so they could experience Disney with Casey and they really enjoyed themselves. But while we were sad to see them leave, we knew that signatures awaited us around the corner....

Dis_Yoda · Jul 23, 2016

Sorry the Sticky Bun was so dry and blah! Nothing is worse than a dry pastry!

I get that about feeling dubbed on spending too much money on that breakfast buffet. It wouldn't be for us either! We just aren't big enough breakfast eaters to really justify that - everytime we give it a character buffet or all you can eat thing a try we leave feeling like we wasted money.

Glad you enjoyed your time with your inlaws but yay for the signature food that is coming!

kastoney · Jul 23, 2016

A Mostly Triumphant Signature Return
After Mike and Connie left we spent the afternoon lounging by the pool when we soon found our tummies rumbling. After trolling through ADR availability we decided to stick close to home and head to Citricos. We caught the boat from the lodge to the Contemporary, where we decided a photo shoot was in order.

After a quick monorail ride we were soon seated at Citricos. Jason decided to start dinner with a classy Jai Alai IPA in a can.

And I went for the Nolet Silver Sicilian

This is made from Nolet's Gin, Limoncello, Bitters, and Mint and 100% alcohol!!!! I don't drink a ton of liquor and this thing was strong. Strong like I was tipsy after one drink strong. But it was good and got me to my happy place.

We didn't do an appetizer, but enjoyed some of their bread.

We really enjoyed the one with kalamata olives and per my notes liked the good salty bread (presuming that was supposed to say butter, dang gin).

For entree's Jason got the Kurobuta Pork Poterhouse with Potato Hash, Rainbow Chard, Spiced Apple, Meaux Mustard Emulsion. Note my tipsiness, thanks to some wine (a yummy Stags Leap cab) on top of the gin, was in full force now so I neglected to take pics of our entrees. Whoops. I couldn't find anything of Jason's dish online, so you'll need to put those imaginations to work. He liked it for the most part, but would have preferred some char on the pork, which was also a bit overcooked But the Apple Gastrique it was served with was delicious and per my drunken notes "less tense." Guess it had visited the masseuse lately.

Casey and I split the Red Wine Braised Shortribs with Sunchoke Purée, Spinach, Caramelized Mushrooms, and Natural Jus. Again, no picture but I did find one online.

(Photo cred to Random Internet Dude)
My notes are a bit better here (though I was apparently eating short rob vice rib) and turns out this was delicious. The short ribs were super tender and the wine sauce had a great concentration to it. Jason makes something similar and while I'd probably have to give the nod to him, these were quite good. I also really enjoyed the sunchoke puree and spinach. Those who know me know I hate mushrooms, so I had gotten those on the side for Casey (yes my child is less picky than me). Apparently I actually took a picture of that though.

I had also ordered a side of Brussels Sprouts, which are one of my favorite veggies.

Unfortunately there weren't charred like i like and were more reminiscent of the overcooked brussels sprouts we all loved to hate as kids. From a signature I would have expected way more.

Wanting to keep the food and drink party going, we opted for drinks with dessert (shocking I know). Jason got a glass of some kind of rye whiskey (his latest drink of choice) and I went for a glass of Justin Obtuse Port.

I thought this was good and had just the right amount of sweet, but Jason thought it smelled and tasted like a fruit roll up. Maybe Casey would have liked it???

For dessert we got the Warm Chocolate-Banana Torte

This was as good as it was beautiful. The flavor combination was perfection. Casey liked all the chocolate, so that left more torte for Jason and I!

After dinner we were all sugared (and at least 2 of us) liquored up. So apparently this happened.

#ProudMama

I've always been a bit down on Citricos as nothing we've had there has ever been spectacular. While my short ribs and the dessert were probably the best they've ever shown us, I still just don't think its on the same culinary level as most of the other resort signatures. Don't get me wrong, it was a good meal, just nothing I feel like I need to return for. But they serve some mean drinks :drinking1

With our tables in wonderland card we saved $36.35.

Up next, some ooey gooey deliciousness

ArielSRL · Jul 23, 2016

Thanks for the GG photos. I am excited to try it next June but I'm not a cinnamon bun fan nor a ham fan, so I'll be stuck to bacon, eggs, fruit and waffles...but I think I'll survive. Lol. I may do a PPO but not sure. I'm sure the boys will like the characters but we'll see how the interactions go.

Glad you had such a good time with the grands. My parents came with the boys and I this past June. It wasn't the best time (Dad doesn't follow anyone's schedule but his own) but I'm glad they got to spend time with the boys at Disney.

I haven't heard too much about Citricos. I think I'd prefer to try Narcoossee's. But it still looked great!

thepicklebee · Jul 24, 2016

I love your dining reports! You've definitely got me thinking about some new places to try on my upcoming trips.

ariane37 · Jul 24, 2016

I'm sorry you didn't particularly enjoy GG breakfast. We had a very good experience food-wise last Nov. even if I can't say the same for the characters. Our sticky bun was soft and fresh and for some reason, the "potato barrels" tasted better than your average tater tot. That may have been because they were Disney tater tots lol. Even though we all enjoyed the food, the only reason we're going back again this Nov. is because it was Chris's first request.

I'm a bit surprised you returned to Citricos! I know it's not one of your favorite signatures. I'm wanting some of that Kalamata olive bread right about now......and yes, the warm chocolate-banana torte is just about perfection :cloud9:

ThreeBoyMama · Jul 24, 2016

I like that you prioritize your cocktails. You and I could definitely hang out

disneyAndi14 · Jul 25, 2016

We had dinner at GG in April and we really enjoyed it. The characters were great that evening, spent much time with us even though we were an adult and teenager. Your signature meal did look good, sorry it wasn't as good as you all expected. I am getting excited to stay at GF in August. Did you get info on the dessert party at Epcot in August? I continue to enjoy your reports and information on the meals/drinks you experience. Andi is my 16 y.o daughter, she was 14 when her and I discovered the awesome Dis boards, hence my user name.

Saphire5742 · Jul 25, 2016

I recently read similar things about that GG sticky bun in another DR. Shame the character interactions were too short. At least Casey enjoyed.

kastoney said:
We caught the boat from the lodge to the Contemporary, where we decided a photo shoot was in order.

Such fun photos!

kastoney said:
Casey and I split the Red Wine Braised Shortribs with Sunchoke Purée, Spinach, Caramelized Mushrooms, and Natural Jus. Again, no picture but I did find one online.

Looks delish!

kastoney said:
Those who know me know I hate mushrooms, so I had gotten those on the side for Casey (yes my child is less picky than me). Apparently I actually took a picture of that though.

Wow, you must have been pretty tipsy to photograph an item you hate, but forget the entrees :teeth:

kastoney said:
For dessert we got the Warm Chocolate-Banana Torte

This was as good as it was beautiful. The flavor combination was perfection. Casey liked all the chocolate, so that left more torte for Jason and I!

, Mmmmmmm, my kind of dessert!

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