A Christmas Dining Extravaganza

[tyandskyesmom]

Hey there...while doing my trip report I figured I'd so a separate Dining Report since we have two weeks of Deluxe Dining to explore with pictures of almost everything.

We were in The World from December 19, 2015 thru January 1, 2016. We got all of our ADRs that we wanted at mostly the times we wanted at 180 days out and I changed very little.

ADRs we made...

50s Prime Time (L)
California Grill (D)
Hollywood & Vine (B)
Sci Fi Dine In (L)
Flying Fish (D)
Crystal Palace (B)
Coral Reef (L)
Narcossees (D)
Tuskerhouse (B)
Cape May (D)
Cape May (B)
Via Napoli (L)
Artist Point (D)
Tony's Town Square (L)
Kona Café (D)
Ohana (B)
Mama Melrose Fantasmic Package (L)
Ohana (D)
Akershus (B)
Tutto Italia (L)
Le Cellier (D)
Chef Mickey's (B)
Chefs de France (L)
Cinderella's Royal Table (D)
Yak & Yeti (L)
Be Our Guest (D)
The Plaza (L)
Garden Grill (B)
Restaurant Marrakesh (L)
Yachtsman Steakhouse (D)
1900 Park Fare (B)
Whispering Canyon Café (L)
Jiko (D)
Teppan Edo (L)
La Hacienda de San Angel (D)
T-Rex (L)
Boma (D)

 

[tyandskyesmom]

50s Prime Time Diner

We headed in to an almost empty lobby and checked in for our 11am ADR. We stepped into the living room and Cary went to dry off a little in the bathroom and we were called.

We were seated at one of the cool booths that the show in the ads.

We were very wet. And it was a bit cold in there.

However it did not stop us from ordering Milk Shakes!

The kids got plain old boring vanilla...

I got the PB&J...

And Cary got the Specialty Shake which I believe was cotton candy...

They were all very good but Cary's was the best. I thought the PB&J was mostly a PB but it was good so I was ok with that. And the kids always love a thick vanilla milk shake!

For appetizers I got Grandpa's Crab Cake...lump crab cake served on succotash salad with bacon and chili sauce and crispy onions...

I love me a crab cake. This one was good...the relish on the side was a nice flavoring to go with it too.

Cary got Fried Herb & Garlic Cheese...served with raspberry sauce, grapes and apples...

He liked it but I actually liked this cheesy item better than my crab cake! The kids ate the fruit but not the cheese even though they are cheese freaks.

Tyler got the Beer Battered Onion Rings...served with horseradish sauce...

These were good onion rings! And a great amount.

Skyler got Chicken Noodle Soup...Hearty mixture of chicken, vegetables, and egg noodles...

That she proceeded to eat with a fork! It was good Disney chicken soup and she liked it.

Cary and I both got the Sampling of Mom's Favorite Recipes...golden-fried chicken, fork tender pot roast, and traditional meatloaf with all the fixings...

Cary liked the meatloaf the best and I liked the pot roast the best. The chicken was good but neither of our favorites.

Tyler got Aunt Liz's Golden Fried Chicken...served with roasted garlic mashed potatoes, chicken gravy and seasonal vegetables...

Which he only ate the chicken on...Skye snagged his corn on the cob and I think no one ate his mashed potatoes. He was worried about that but out waitress (Zoe) was not all that adventurous so he needn't have worried!

Skyler got Caesar Salad with Chicken...Romaine lettuce tossed with Caesar dressing, grated Parmesan, and garlic croutons...

Which she ate most of so it must have been good. She had just started eating salads with dressing on them...yes, she used to eat them dry...her 17 year old brother still does!

For dessert I had Mom's Favorite Chocolate Peanut Butter Layers Cake to go...

Cary had 50's Pineapple Upside Down Cake to go...

I don't remember if these ever got eaten or not. Unfortunately, a lot of our "to go" things never got eaten. Something new this time around that will come up in future planning.

Tyler got Dad's Brownie Sundae...chocolate brownie with Vanilla Ice Cream, Hot Fudge, Caramel sauce, whipped cream and toppings...

Which we all shared and it was very good and fun!

Skyler got no sugar added cheesecake...topped with fresh whipped cream and strawberry sauce...

Which we all shared and it was very good...if everything with no sugar was that good I'd be in good shape!

All in all, we had a good meal. It was fast. We were done by 11:44am. We would definitely return here.

TOTAL = $171.83
USED 4 MEAL CREDITS

 

[atisikitabasket]

Great start!!! Can't wait for more!

 

[TeresaNJ]

Great pics! Can't wait to read more! Can go for one of those shakes right now, even though it's only 6:30am!

 

[auntfrannie]

Impressive list! Looking forward to reading your reviews.

 

[tyandskyesmom]

California Grill

When we got up, we got ready for what we determined would be our big, dress up, Christmas dinner.

About 6pm we got a bus from our stop to Magic Kingdom and then a monorail to The Contemporary.

We checked in at California Grill at 7pm for our 7:15pm ADR. We were taken right upstairs and as soon as we were out of the elevator our buzzer went off.

We were seated towards the middle of the restaurant along the window. Perfect seats!

Our waiter was Topher. He was good...funny...helpful. We were given a basket of bread.

I'm sure there was butter but I somehow don't have a picture of it. This was the meal I failed the most on. I completely spaced on the entrée portion and TOO NO PICTURES of it! I couldn't believe myself!

But I do have pics of everything else!

So I had a diet, Tyler a coke, Skye a sprite, and Cary had a Heineken.

Skyler had decided on a kid's Mac & Cheese here...she loves their mac & cheese. SO she shared a cheese flatbread for appetizer with Tyler. The flatbread is not on the menu this way but Topher had not problem with it being ordered. The kids loved it but pizza is a food staple for them so it would have to be pretty bad to not have them like it. The plate was cleaned before it was removed form the table!

And Cary and I shared the Dragon Roll...Spicy and Tataki tuna, shrimp tempura, avocado, Dragon sauce, Hijiki-Shirataki salad... and the Spicy Kazan Roll...crab, shrimp, scallops, tuna and fireball sauce.

They were both really good and fresh. We like sushi but only get it at home sparingly and not usually such fresh sushi...usually it's that pre-packaged stuff. So this was a treat! I think we both like the Dragon Roll the best...but both were really good and a lot of sushi for one appetizer. We were glad to see it counted as an appetizer on the dining plan.

Now I wish I could show you our entrees because they were superb!

I got the Oak Fired Filet of Beef...Florida Heirloom Tomato Risotto, Aged Balsamic, Tiny Basil, Tomato Butter.
Cary got the Bison Strip Loin...extra virgin olive oil potatoes, baby brussels sprouts, cherrywood bacon, dried cherry demi-glace.
Tyler got the Wagyu Beef dish...which is no longer on the menu.

Cary's bison was great but the least loved of the three. It was a but tougher that the others. He got it medium as suggested even though he normally likes medium well. Don't get me wrong it was very good and he/we cleaned his plate but it took third place to the others.

My Filet was second best. It was ordered medium rare and it was almost able to be cut with a fork! I was very happy with my choice! Skye had a little of mine with her mac & cheese..

Tyler had the true winner this time though. He was wary because he had never heard of Wagyu Beef and even though we assured him it was just a good steak he always thinks we are trying to trick him into eating something he does not want to. But he ordered it and loved it. In fact he wanted to go back late in the trip for more! His was medium rare also and it could be cut with a fork. He shared very little of it!

For dessert I had the Warm Homemade Fritters...Banana-stuffed, Cinnamon-dusted Fritters complemented with a Trio of Dipping Sauces.

They were warm and everyone liked them!

Cary had the Chocolate Pudding Cake...Luscious Chocolate Cake with Nutella Filling, Meringue Kisses, and Chantilly cream.

Sklyer dug into this! It was very rich and very chocolate-y.

And Tyler had the Sundae Sampler...Unique and playful Sundaes with a nostalgic twist: Frangelico toffee, reverse root beer float, and banana split.

I think Tyler's was different than the description though. I believe the thing with the eye dropper in it was a chocolate and caramel thing...the caramel was in the eye dropper and the other was a sundae in an ice cream cone. The kids both loved this...at least what Tyler would give up to Skyler!

Somewhere during dinner the Electrical Water Pageant came by...

We had great seats. It's too bad we are quick diners and we were tired because fireworks would have been perfect from our table. We ended up deciding to call it a night after dinner since we had an early morning planned so no Wishes for us.

Over all, we love California Grill and will be back!

TOTAL = $300.94 ... FOOD TOTAL = $482.77
OOP = $19.19
USED 6 MEAL CREDITS ... TOTAL USED = 10

 

[tyandskyesmom]

Hollywood and Vine

We arrived at our destination at 9:45am and checked in. We were told we probably would not be seated until our ADR time of 10am.

We hung around outside for maybe five minutes and our buzzer was buzzing.

We were taken over to the first table, middle isle, on the right side. We were very near the buffet. And right in the front where the singing and dancing happens! Now we know of the characters here but we cut out or cable at about the time they were coming into their popularity so while happy to see them, they were not tops on our list. The meal is fun and it has never been overly crowded. We did not have to wait at the buffet for anything and everything was hot and full. Sip was our waiter and he was ok...but it's a buffet so we don't expect too much. We ordered our drinks...apple juice for the girl, coke for the boy, coffee and orange juice for Cary and I had an unsweetened iced tea...and headed for food.

This was Skyler's first plate...she had been wanting these babies for years!

Tyler's first run...bacon, scrambled eggs, French toast sticks and Mickey Waffles.

Me...ham, corssaint, cheesy hashbrowns, scrambled eggs, and breakfast tacos...everything is better wrapped in a tortilla!

Yogurt with blueberries and honey.

Sausage patty, bacon, scrambled eggs, French toast sticks and corned beef hash with corn bread topping.

My oatmeal and Cary's bacon plate! I love Disney oatmean...don't know why it's different but it is!

Cary's Bacon, croissant, and biscuits.

Tyler's bacon and eggs.

Skyler's ham, melon, Mickey Waffles, and bacon.

And then characters started coming around. Tyler said he wasn't taking pictures with these guys because he did not know them (although now that we have cable again, every morning his TV is on and some type of Disney Jr show is running!).

Sophia the First was first.

Then Handy Manny (who Tyler does know and used to love when he was little!).

And we're waiting...

Until Jake came around...

and gave Tyler no choice...

And finally Doc McStuffins came around. She actually skipped us after the little song and dance they do. SHe ended at the table before us and then started at the table after us. So Sip had to go wrangle her up for us.

Ok so we don't watch her show but one of the songs they sing is hers about it being time for your check up...we all found this a little bit odd or creepy...maybe we're just weird. But the kids found it just creepy enough to giggle and sing it throughout the day..."time for your check up, time for you check up...it's ok if you giggle"...???So anyway, are were done around 11am. We had a good time and we were all very full.

We snapped one last picture on our way out...

And why does it look like Sophia is grabbing Tyler's butt? Those crazy Disney Jr characters!

TOTAL = $127.76 ... TOTAL FOOD = 610.53
USED 4 MEAL CREDITS ... TOTAL USED = 14

 

[tyandskyesmom]

At about 3:54pm we checked in for our 4:10pm ADR at Sci-Fi Dine In. We were not seated until about 4:30pm!

Or receipt does not say what our waiter's name was but it didn't really matter because he was basically not there and when he was he was just ok. He offered to take our picture for us. So we went for it. I should have checked them out before leaving because even though he should be used to taking pictures in a dark place, he so obviously had no clue...and didn't say anything about it either!

Looks like we were in a lightening storm in our convertible! This is someplace they should have a roaming photopass guy with a tripod who knows how to take pictures on the dark.

For drinks the guys got Cokes and the girls got Peppermint Milkshakes...mmmm, they were good!

Skyler did not see anything she wanted much so she wanted except for an appetizer so she got one of our appetizers as her meal. She had the Spicy Buffalo Popcorn Chicken...celery sticks and blue cheese dressing.

And the rest of us shared the Sci-Fi Appetizer Sampler...Honey-Barbecue Chicken Wings, Crispy Onion Rings, Fried Dill Pickles with Spicy Ranch and Horseradish dipping sauces...which counted as two.

Everything was really good on it and it was enough for the three of us as a appetizer.

For entrees Cary got Build-Your-Own Angus Chuck Burger...on a brioche bun, flame-broiled beef patty topped with swiss cheese, bacon, lettuce, and raw onions.

He said it was a really good burger.

I had the Shrimp Pasta...Whole-Grain Penne Pasta with garlic, Sauteed Shrimp with Olive Oil, Basil, Cream, and fresh Tomatoes topped with Parmesan.

Skye snagged some of the pasta. I really loved this dish. It was sort of scampi-ish but not.

Tyler, true to form, got the Flame-broiled New York Strip Steak ... topped with Blue Cheese Butter and served with Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Seasonal Vegetables, and crispy Onion Rings.

He forgot to ask for fries instead of all form of vegetable but that worked out because Skye snagged his potatoes and asparagus. He picked the Blue Cheese butter off right away and inhaled the rest!

Dessert brought us the Sci-Fi Candy Bar which I do not see on the menu anymore...

It was Tyler's and it was really good! Like a Twix bar but better!

Cary ordered a Out-of-This-World Turtle Cheesecake ... with Heath Bar, Pecans, Chocolate Chips, Caramel Sauce, and topped with Whipped Cream to go and I think this one got eaten eventually and it was still good!

And I got what is listed on the receipt at the Doughnut Dessert but I no longer see on the menu...

It was a glazed Doughnut on top of apple pie filling with vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce! What's not to like?

Even though Sci-Fi gets a bad rep, we liked it a lot. We will be back someday...might not be on the top of our list but it will make the long list for sure!


TOTAL $160.91 .... TOTAL FOOD = $771.44
USED 3 MEAL CREDITS ... TOTAL USED = 17

 

[Candycane83]

Following! Wow u guys had a really great line up of restaurants!

 

[gardengirl628]

Great reviews so far!

 

[ldauksch]

I'm going to join in I think my love for looking at Disney food photos might be a little extreme!

 

[superme80]

Great review so far!!!!!

 

[MeganAndOwen]

Following along! Love your reviews so far. I'm excited to see what you made of the other restaurants. There's a few on your list we're looking forward to trying to thanks for sharing!

 

[dizzy daisy]

Nice reviews so far! I'm going to have to go find your trip report and follow along there too.

We are planning a Christmas trip. I like that you had your dress-up fancy Christmas dinner a few nights before and I may have to consider doing that. With that said, I can't wait to see what you did on the 25th! If I counted correctly it was Ohana for breakfast and dinner - brilliant idea!

 

[tyandskyesmom]

FLYING FISH CAFE

We checked in for our 9:45pm Flying Fish ADR at about 9:30pm and waited only a few minutes. Tim was our waiter and we were seated near the back in the center of the room.

Tim brought our bread and butter and took our drink orders.

Skyler decided she just wanted a Bowl of Mickey Pasta ... Creamy Alfredo so we paid for her OOP. She can't pass up food shaped like a Mickey head! I actually can't believe I did not take pictures of kids meals...normally I do.

For appetizers Tyler got the Crispy Togarashi-scented Calamari and Florida Rock Shrimp ... Asian-inspired Dipping Sauce.

I got the Fresh Mozzarella di Bufala alla Caprice ... Yellow, Ugli-ripe and tiny Tomatoes, aged Balsamico, Petite Basil, and Sicilian Olio Verde.

And Cary got the Flying Fish Cafe Signature Crab Cake ... Vegetable Slaw, Red Pepper Coulis, and Ancho Chile Remoulade

It was all very good. The calamari was really fresh and it still surprises me that Tyler eats it! The tomatoes were one of the best I've have, and the crab cakes are full of meat not filler. My one complaint here, and it has never changed, is that the crab cakes always taste well done...like they are fried too long. So it is my thought that that is the way they cook them and they are just not my favorite...but they are still very good!

Cary and Tyler both got Char-crusted Angus New York Strip Steak - roasted young carrots, fingerling potatoes, haricot verts, sauce Foyot... but Cary got it as written and medium well and Tyler subbed fries for anything that wasn't beef and had it cooked medium rare!

Tyler's actually looks more done because the char is darker so he was worried but all was good and they were each cooked perfectly.

And I got the Flying Fish Cafe's Idaho Potato Wrapped Red Snapper ... creamy leek fondue, veal glace de viande-red wine-cassis butter

The guys loved their meals and this is one of my favorites! I cannot wrap my head around how they get the potatoes to fry so well and the fish to cook so perfectly flaky without being even the least bit greasy. My biggest disappointment was that they used to serve it on these cute fish shaped blue plates that were so pretty...as you can see, it wasn't served that way today.

For dessert Tyler got the Sinful Nutty Chocolate Delice Creation ... Dark chocolate-hazelnut chiffon, peanut butter-white chocolate mousse, raspberry coulis, and chocolate sorbetto on sea salt-laced raspberry rocks

This was really good. I think they should serve a big, ice cold glass of milk with anything this chocolatly though...that would make it perfect.

I got the Almond Crusted White Mascarpone Cheesecake ... Kuentz Riesling poached mini pear, honey-lemon grass coulis, pineapple puree, crisp tuile ... to go.

Again, I don't know if this got eaten. I know it looked and smelled good.

And Skyler used the other dessert portion and got Mickey's Chocolate Puzzle ... white chocolate puzzle, sugar "paints", and creamy-topped chocolate cupcake.

This is a very fun dessert. I think she has more fun "painting" her teeth though.

We love Flying Fish. I hope they don't change it much. It's loud and themed to the boardwalk. Fish flying on the ceiling. Food is really good. We will be back!

TOTAL = $244.50 ... TOTAL FOOD = $1015.94
USED 6 CREDITS ... USED 23 MEAL CREDITS

 

[DaisyNY]

Great reviews...two weeks in Disney! Lucky you!

 

[alohamom]

Following along-great review so far! I just loved how you coordinated your Christmas meal outfits without being too matchy, looked great!

 

[starousse]

Great reviews. Your meal at Flying Fish is getting me hungry.

 

[followthatmouse]

Love your reviews and photos. What a lovely family! Flying Fish has long been a favorite of ours. We last visited December 2014. The night was very cold, but that potato wrapped snapper was warming and delicious. I'm with you. How do they create such a dish with disparate textures and still cook it to perfection?! I hope they don't change the restaurant and menu too much.

 

[mkla2015]

Awesome reviews and pics! I can't wait to read more!