A Signature a Day Keeps Reality Away: A Sep '15 Dining Report - Updated 4/11 x2

[momof3princes]

Teppen Edo was my boys favorite restaurant last trip. I loved the shrimp as well. It was my youngest son's birthday trip and they gave him a signed Chef hat that he used for a long time even though it was paper!
Love that the beer sampler came with edamame!!

 

[vettegirl]

How funny we had that same Texan back on Mothers Day this year and he was so great. Also I agree he gave some nice size portions, gotta love a Texas Boy for sure!!

 

[Xclusive2WDW]

None of the appetizers jumped out at us, so we went straight to the entrees. Casey and I got the Key West Shrimp with Garganelli Pasta to share.

This was a penne style pasta with Key West Shrimp, Savoy Spinach, Oven-roasted Tomatoes, Basil Pistou, Comté Cheese, and Chardonnay-Garlic Cream (hence my wine selection). This was in a word delicious. The sauce was buttery and creamy and it was piled with sweet key west shrimp. The tomatoes added both some sweetness and acidity and though there was cheese in the mix it was not at all overpowering. Jason had a dish very similar to this at Flying Fish before that was equally as good. So I highly recommend getting it at either place.
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We also couldn't resist the temptation of lobster mac and cheese and ordered a side of that to go with our dinners, because when you already have rice and pasta what's a few more carbs ; )

This is Torchio Pasta, Butter-poached Lobster, Fennel, Sweet Onion, and Manchego Cheese. The first think I had to say was holy lobster batman ; ) At first I wasn't actually sure there was any pasta in there as there was so much lobster. There was of course pasta, but the buttery perfectly cooked lobster was the real star of this show. Also this wasn't overly cheesy, but with all the lobster that was a good thing and the bread crumbs on top added good texture. This blew the Yachtsman Mac N Cheese out of the water and it was so good Casey declared she loved it more than Elsa, but we couldn't tell Elsa that ; )
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Despite rice, pasta, and mac and cheese we somehow left room for dessert. Jason ordered the Narcoossee's Candy Bar which is Dark Chocolate-Mocha Bar with House-made Guanaja Chocolate Gelato.

Jason absolutely loved the decadence and richness of this dessert. I'm not a dark chocolate fan, so it wasn't my cup of tee. Casey however liked it more than my choice, which meant I didn't have to share ; )

Speaking of not sharing, I ordered the Almond Crusted Cheesecake with Cherry Sauce.

This came at the recommendation of both Barb (@jabead ) and Jeri (@jerseytinkerbell) and did not disappoint. The almonds brought both amazing texture and flavor and really upped the traditional cheesecake factor. The cherry sauce was amazing and really helped cut through the richness of the cheesecake. If you eat at Narcoossee's do not miss this. It' right up there with Ooey Gooey Toffee Cake and Cream Cheese wontons as the best dessert on property.
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I tried to get an equally gorgeous photo of my daughter but this was the result.

She is most definitely her father's daughter.

We spent the evening wallowing in our beloved Hokies loss to Ohio State, but at least we had happy bellies ; )

Up next, a return to a childhood favorite ​

​

I'm afraid that I have to stop reading your reviews- because I don't think my hunny will authorize a month long Disney trip (ya know we still have pesky little things like bills). Narcoossee's looks phenomenal and will now be somehow added to our 2016 trip. I'm a dark chocolate girl, but I have heard nothing but glorious things about that Almond Crusted Cheesecake, I have no idea which I will get (the first world problems continue). Casey's picture is just TOO cute! Hope you all had a Very Merry Christmas and thanks again for all the great reviews!

 

[Elevationist]

I'm so glad you enjoyed your Teppan Edo experience! I always read good things about it. The only reason it's never been on my bucket list is that we have a wonderful hibachi place here in locally that I really enjoy (I'm actually headed there in about 2 hours, but just for their sushi bar tonight), and I just can't see it being different enough to make it worth it. I do looooove Japanese and hibachi-style food, though! Om nom noms!

 

[happy2012]

TE is a fun place to dine! We had that on our list for 2016. We've gone once, years ago. But since we are trying to work our way to all the restaurants of WS. Next new one for us will be Chefs de France

 

[DisneyJo]

We don't have anything like Teppan Edo over here so have to dine there every trip, often twice Glad you liked it

 

[cinderkelly]

Teppan Edo looks like it was a lot of fun! Funny how your chef was from TX. I do enjoy a good hibachi experience

are you planning a June trip?? When perhaps might that be??

 

[chunkymonkey]

Wow your meals at Y&Y, Narcoosee, and Teppan Edo look delicious. I'm especially jealous of your pasta at Narcoosee. It looks amazing! Argh, just another place to add to my forever growing list of restaurants to try. LOL. Your meal at Teppan Edo looks really fun! I went there a few years ago and I forgot how fun these hibachi places can be, even though you share a table with other people. It's funny, most people I know who drink Japanese beer prefer Asahi over Kirin.

 

[ariane37]

We've never been to Teppan Edo since we have so many Hibachi places by us, but since we want to eventually try every restaurant in WDW we'll get there one of these trips! Glad you enjoyed your meal there

 

[tstidm1]

I was thinking about doing the Tasting Kitchens at Flower and garden for Lunch on the Epcot day, but Teppan Edo looks like an fun place to eat. Have a bunch Teppanyaki places in Baltimore, but my Mom doesn't in the area she lives in. Thanks for the thoughts on it.

 

[Vernie822]

Yum, love hibachi! That's so nice that they let you guys split - I never thought about doing that. We went once last year and while we liked it, we have a good place here so I wasn't dying to come back. But everyone's food always looks so good!

I'll have to try a Kirin sometime, I always see people with them and they look pretty good.

 

[dsnydiva2]

Hi. I'm pretty new to the Dis and stumbled upon your reviews from your June trip while researching for our upcoming June trip. I enjoyed your sense of humor so much, that I've gone back and read some of your other ones. Hilarious, but very informative. I hope you and your family have a very happy and healthy 2016. Keep those Dining Reviews coming!

 

[Pesky]

Just joining in but you had me at the picture of your DH with damaged family jewels. I'd have done the same thing. Good to hear your review of Yak & Yeti. I'm eyeballing options at AK and have been waffling on that one. I may give it a whirl now as DD loves Chinese food so would be thrilled to pieces with your DD's meal.

 

[ursalita]

Hi Kari! I just binge read this latest report. I'm so excited to see you stayed at the Poly with that deal. Spoiler alert: because I just today booked the Poly for this August with (I assume) the same deal. Your report is going to be excellent research for my pre-trip planning. Yay!

The potato salad was vinegar, not mayo based, and quite tasty. He was quite pleased with his choice.

Mmm. It's a little unusual to find potato salad not bogged down with mayo. I totally agree with you on Sunshine Seasons - a great quick service. Both of your meals look fantastic.

Unfortunately as we were boarding the boat Casey was a bit too enthusiastic in her approach and somehow managed to kick her Daddy in the family jewels. I of course being the caring wife that I am took a picture ; )

Poor Jason.

Lovely!

While I tried to get her to stop at first, a quick look at the woman behind us wearing almost non existent jean shorts and a barely there crop top, made me less conscious of any sort of behavior we may have exhibited ; )

Your entire meal at California Grill looks fabulous. I've wanted to eat there the last 3 times we've gone and for some reason never manage it. I won't have any excuses this time staying at the Poly.

Neither Jason nor I wanted any part of Belle's enchanted tale, but unfortunately for him Jason's apathetic look landed him the roll of the wardrobe, which came complete with him being asked to sing for everyone. Of course being the ham that he is, he milked his fabled roll for all it was worth ; )

Note to self: act enthusiastic if I somehow find myself at Belle's Tale.

After lots of princess time we were off to lunch at one of our favorite MK places: The Plaza. On the way we stopped for some castle pics. Unfortunately Casey wasn't feeling it, but fortunately that meant that Jason and I got some rare alone pics.

The kid pics are great but it's nice to have the shots of just the grownups. Great photo!

Overall we had another great meal at The Plaza. The service was fast and friendly, food good, milkshakes superb, and most importantly the price is barely more than a quick service.

Another one that I've been meaning to try but never have. Glad to hear you enjoyed. And they have Reubens? That settles it. Yum!

So sweet.

Bit of background, I'm that mean mother that doesn't let her daughter dress up at Disney. I know, I know insert ridicule here.

Oh, sure. Such a mean mom to take her daughter to Disney regularly.

I found a happy medium in getting her my version of a non-princess princess dress and as you can see below she was beyond happy and thrilled with the results.

What a perfect compromise. She looks so happy!

As for dinner we had gotten a reservation the night before for Hollywood Brown Derby. I'd never eaten there before and it was one of those mythical places from my childhood that I wasn't sure I'd ever encounter. The timing seemed perfect so we thought we'd finally try it out. I would come to regret that decision.

This is another one I've wanted to try. I'm sorry you had a bad experience but now I can cross this one off my list.

saw her talk to a manager before she grabbed the ice, but never once did he approach or say anything to us. We were given some ice, but received no form of an apology.

Yuck. Unusually bad service for Disney. Sorry you experienced that.

This is Sushi grade ahi, Asian slaw, served atop crispy fried wontons with wasabi aioli and sweet soy glaze. If you're thinking these can't be as good as they look, you would most certainly be wrong. They are quite simply unbelievably delicious.

How have I not seen this before?? That looks amazing.

Plus thanks to a tip from Billie (aka @Elevationist) we got the Landry's loyalty card for only $25. It came loaded with that $25 back, plus another $25 for my birthday month, so our lunch was a relative steal.

Will be looking into this. I love a good bargain.

First the tuna was "cooked" absolutely perfectas it was barely seared so it was still mostly raw .

I am drooling looking at that tuna.

At first I wasn't actually sure there was any pasta in there as there was so much lobster.

That's not a bad problem to have.

I'd read many accolades for Narcoossee's and I can officially say they are well deserved.

I didn't have any GF restaurants on my list to try, will be changing that. Your meal looked delicious.

Teppan Edo is one I've skipped just because there are so many hibachi places around. Glad to hear it's a step above the neighborhood places. May have to put it on the list.

Great reviews so far, can't wait to read more.

 

[kastoney]

It looks like the shrimp dinner was the best choice. We've eaten at the strip mall version but never at Tappan Edo. It looks like fun.

Shrimp was most definitely the way to go. This was definitely a step above the strip mall versions and tons of fun ; )

Looks like you had a wonderful lunch at Teppan Edo! We tend to skip that place on our normal meals around Disney as we have a great Hibachi Food place right down the street that has all the wonderful tastes (sans the show) for super cheap.

Thats great they have a Japanese Beer Sampler now and you found something new to love!

Lucky you all have a great place nearby. We have several in the area, but have yet to find one that is really good. Of course we may have to visit them nonetheless just so I can have some more Asahi ; )

Teppen Edo was my boys favorite restaurant last trip. I loved the shrimp as well. It was my youngest son's birthday trip and they gave him a signed Chef hat that he used for a long time even though it was paper!
Love that the beer sampler came with edamame!!

How fun they gave him a hat. Casey would have loved that and likely worn hers out too ; )

The edamame was a definite bonus to the beer!

How funny we had that same Texan back on Mothers Day this year and he was so great. Also I agree he gave some nice size portions, gotta love a Texas Boy for sure!!

I thought I recalled someone having him before, but couldn't recollect who. Bring on the Texas size portions ; )

I'm afraid that I have to stop reading your reviews- because I don't think my hunny will authorize a month long Disney trip (ya know we still have pesky little things like bills). Narcoossee's looks phenomenal and will now be somehow added to our 2016 trip. I'm a dark chocolate girl, but I have heard nothing but glorious things about that Almond Crusted Cheesecake, I have no idea which I will get (the first world problems continue). Casey's picture is just TOO cute! Hope you all had a Very Merry Christmas and thanks again for all the great reviews!

Well it was nice knowing you ; )

Definitely add in Narcoossee's if you can. It took us way to long to get there for the first time and we won't be making that mistake again. There is definitely not enough disney time for all the food I want to eat, but Narcoossee's is worth making time for.

Our Christmas was great and now onto a lazy New Years day....

I'm so glad you enjoyed your Teppan Edo experience! I always read good things about it. The only reason it's never been on my bucket list is that we have a wonderful hibachi place here in locally that I really enjoy (I'm actually headed there in about 2 hours, but just for their sushi bar tonight), and I just can't see it being different enough to make it worth it. I do looooove Japanese and hibachi-style food, though! Om nom noms!

Hope you enjoyed your sushi ; ) We have lots of great Asian food around here, but none of the hibachi places are anything special. If we were lucky enough to have one I'm sure we would have skipped Teppan Edo, but would have missed out on the fun ; )

TE is a fun place to dine! We had that on our list for 2016. We've gone once, years ago. But since we are trying to work our way to all the restaurants of WS. Next new one for us will be Chefs de France

Hope you enjoy Teppan Edo as much as we did. I haven't been to Chefs since the late 90's, so gonna have to get back there one of these days myself.

We don't have anything like Teppan Edo over here so have to dine there every trip, often twice Glad you liked it

Can I get three times ; )

 

[kastoney]

Teppan Edo looks like it was a lot of fun! Funny how your chef was from TX. I do enjoy a good hibachi experience

are you planning a June trip?? When perhaps might that be??

We're going in mid-April this year so Jason can do the Star Wars half marathon and his wife can attempt to be supportive and pretend she knows something about Star Wars ; ) May also do late August too, but not sure yet.

Wow your meals at Y&Y, Narcoosee, and Teppan Edo look delicious. I'm especially jealous of your pasta at Narcoosee. It looks amazing! Argh, just another place to add to my forever growing list of restaurants to try. LOL. Your meal at Teppan Edo looks really fun! I went there a few years ago and I forgot how fun these hibachi places can be, even though you share a table with other people. It's funny, most people I know who drink Japanese beer prefer Asahi over Kirin.

You and me both have Disney food lists that only ever seem to grow ; )Not sure why I'd never tried Asahi before but loved to so much more than Kirin.

We've never been to Teppan Edo since we have so many Hibachi places by us, but since we want to eventually try every restaurant in WDW we'll get there one of these trips! Glad you enjoyed your meal there

If you've got a good hibachi place than its probably not a must do, but definitely an enjoyable experience.

I was thinking about doing the Tasting Kitchens at Flower and garden for Lunch on the Epcot day, but Teppan Edo looks like an fun place to eat. Have a bunch Teppanyaki places in Baltimore, but my Mom doesn't in the area she lives in. Thanks for the thoughts on it.

Hello from DC, Baltimore ; ) We're going in April too and I'm totally planning on eating the heck out of the flower and garden goodies. Think I'd definitely stick with that plan over Teppan Edo

Yum, love hibachi! That's so nice that they let you guys split - I never thought about doing that. We went once last year and while we liked it, we have a good place here so I wasn't dying to come back. But everyone's food always looks so good!

I'll have to try a Kirin sometime, I always see people with them and they look pretty good.

Teppan Edo was definitely a good place to share. I didn't even think about them not letting us, but clearly it wasn't an issue. Definitely give Kirin and Asahi a whirl and see what you like better.

Hi. I'm pretty new to the Dis and stumbled upon your reviews from your June trip while researching for our upcoming June trip. I enjoyed your sense of humor so much, that I've gone back and read some of your other ones. Hilarious, but very informative. I hope you and your family have a very happy and healthy 2016. Keep those Dining Reviews coming!

Welcome to the DIS and my favorite spot, the world of food ; ) Glad you are enjoying the reviews, we certainly enjoyed eating everything ; )

Happy New Years to you and yours as well!

Just joining in but you had me at the picture of your DH with damaged family jewels. I'd have done the same thing. Good to hear your review of Yak & Yeti. I'm eyeballing options at AK and have been waffling on that one. I may give it a whirl now as DD loves Chinese food so would be thrilled to pieces with your DD's meal.

Thanks for coming along on the journey. If you enjoyed the family jewels pic then you've definitely come to the right place ; )

Definitely give Yak and Yeti a try. I was a bit hesitant at first and it was the cream cheese wontons that finally got me in there. Now that I've tasted the rest of the food I don't think we'll ever be leaving ; )

Hi Kari! I just binge read this latest report. I'm so excited to see you stayed at the Poly with that deal. Spoiler alert: because I just today booked the Poly for this August with (I assume) the same deal. Your report is going to be excellent research for my pre-trip planning. Yay!

Congrats on booking your August trip. If you got the same deal we did, it is definitely a great one! We may be going again in August too so you may have some company ; )

Your entire meal at California Grill looks fabulous. I've wanted to eat there the last 3 times we've gone and for some reason never manage it. I won't have any excuses this time staying at the Poly.

The monorail was truly wonderful for getting places. To hop on and be at the contemporary in under 10 minutes was a dream. It also opened up eating at the Grand Floridian restaurants as well, which we don't typically do.

Note to self: act enthusiastic if I somehow find myself at Belle's Tale.

Love this plan. Gonna have to try that out next time in hopes they pass us (or at least me) by ; )

Another one that I've been meaning to try but never have. Glad to hear you enjoyed. And they have Reubens? That settles it. Yum!

Definitely work a Plaza lunch into your plans if you can. It's not much more than a QS and lightyears better. And yes, reubens ; )

Oh, sure. Such a mean mom to take her daughter to Disney regularly.

I know right? Charter member of the mean Mom club. In fact just yesterday Casey told me I was the meanest Mom ever, then I'm not kidding ten seconds later I was the best one ever. Just trying to cement my status.

What a perfect compromise. She looks so happy!

She was beyond happy. And not shocking to anyone insisted on wearing the dress yesterday for New Years Eve.

How have I not seen this before?? That looks amazing.

I'd only seen it once and wondered myself why it doesn't get so much fanfare. Truly delicious and unique

didn't have any GF restaurants on my list to try, will be changing that. Your meal looked delicious.

Stand by, Citricos coming up in a few days too....

 

[hokieinpa]

Followed you over from my TR! I've read everything so far and I'm all caught up.

I agree 100% that Sunshine Seasons is the best QS in the parks. Park QS gives me a headache so this is the only one that I really consider. I much prefer a TS location but the choices at Sunshine Seasons are wonderful.

It's nice to hear a good review of The Plaza. I have an ADR booked there for May. It seems like a quiet break from the hustle of MK and the price is really not much different from a QS. Milkshakes are always a plus, of course!

I'm sorry Hollywood Brown Derby was a bust for you. I'm taking a solo trip in October and think I will try the Lounge instead. I think it's more tapas style?

Excited to read more!

 

[kastoney]

Followed you over from my TR! I've read everything so far and I'm all caught up.

I agree 100% that Sunshine Seasons is the best QS in the parks. Park QS gives me a headache so this is the only one that I really consider. I much prefer a TS location but the choices at Sunshine Seasons are wonderful.

It's nice to hear a good review of The Plaza. I have an ADR booked there for May. It seems like a quiet break from the hustle of MK and the price is really not much different from a QS. Milkshakes are always a plus, of course!

I'm sorry Hollywood Brown Derby was a bust for you. I'm taking a solo trip in October and think I will try the Lounge instead. I think it's more tapas style?

Excited to read more!

Thanks for following along fellow Hokie!!!!

I'm with ya on the TS vice QS. We rarely do a QS these days, but when we do Sunshine tops the list.

Hope you all enjoy the plaza as much as we do. The food is definitely a step up from QS, but thankfully the prices aren't ; ) And I'm sure those boys of yours will love the milkshakes.

It sounds like from the others that HBD lunch or the lounge are the way to go. You've got it right that the lounge is tapas style with most appetizers. Not sure why we didn't just go that route as we'd prefer to eat a bunch of apps vice a whole meal most days.

 

[kastoney]

Eatin' and Snackin' in The World

Before I get started, Happy New Year to All!

After lunch we wanted to explore more of The World Showcase and used the prospect of shopping and the kidcot stations to appease Casey. First stop, was right in Japan where Casey embarked on her first KidCot station.


And we all loaded up on some Japanese goodies from the best Disney store ever: Mitsukoshi!!! I don't recall exactly what we got, but here is some sort of jelly/gummy like substance Casey had selected which were clearly made from fruit and very healthy for young children ; )


After more kidcot stops in 'Merica and Eataly, Jason and I suddenly found ourselves very thirsty around Germany. Strangely enough this was also the locale of my favorite Disney beer: Schöfferhofer. Funny how that happened ; )

If you've never had it Schöfferhofer is a hefeweizen style beer that is combined with grapefruit juice. It is light and refreezing and perfect for a hot summer day (or who am I kidding I'd totally make the case its good for a cold winter day too).

From there we tried to do a few characters but the lines for Snow and Mulan were too long so we did some more kidcoting and checked out the China store, before hearing a little rumbling from our bellies. Yes, in stereotypical form it was an hour after our Japanese meal and we were hungry ; ) And what do you know just like in Germany, we happened to be closing in on the Norway pavilion and near one of our favorite Disney treats: Schoolbread.

For those who haven't had it schoolbread is a donut like substance that is filled with a sweet custard and topped with icing and coconut. This was amazing and sweet, creamy, and coconutty perfection.

Soon we ventured over to Mexico for a quick visit with the 3 caballeros, before a much more pressing visit to La Cava de Tequila for you guessed it another one of my Disney favorites: The Avocado Margarita.

This is hands down my favorite alcoholic drink in all of the world and perhaps the best margarita I've ever had. From the menu, they say it is El Mayor premium silver Tequila, melon liqueur, fresh avocado, agave nectar and fresh lime juice, served frozen with a hibiscus Himalayan salt rim. But from me I say its a margarita that doesn't mask the beauty of the tequila but adds in a hint of banana flavor (which I believe comes from the melon) and sweetness from the agave. The actual avocado adds a slight flavor, but what is really does it make the entire thing deliciously creamy. In case you can't tell I was in love.

Speaking of love here is my betrothed and I going all lady and the tramp on the margarita.

While our daughter amused herself rolling rolling acorns down the handrail. #WhateveFloatsHerBoatSoMamaCanDrink


Likely fueled by the beer at lunch, beer after lunch, and now a margarita we were of course hungry again so Jason hit up the refreshment port while Casey and I stopped to show Duffy her Duffy.

After we were done i found my husband had already started to dig into the beloved croissant doughnut (aka the cronut).

For those who haven't partaken, this is exactly what it sounds like: A croissant, fried like a donut, then tossed in cinnamon sugar. If you haven't tried it, run don't walk straight to the refreshment port on your next visit. This is buttery and salty from the croissant and then sweet from the sugar and somehow simultaneously flaky yet dense. This one wasn't fresh from the fryer as some of our other ones have been, but delicious nonetheless.

We made a quick stop for a photo on the way out

Before riding Casey's favorite figment ride and oddly running into Princess Aurura and Prince Philip on the way out.

From some quick googling I gather they were likely in training for the upcoming Halloween parties. And while Jason and I joked that Prince Phillip appeared to not have hit puberty yet, Casey enjoyed herself.

I'll leave it there for today. Up next will our favorite signature restaurant deliver?????​

 

[suse66]

Love your Epcot snacks! After falling in love with the Grey Goose slushie last March, I now need to add the grapefruit beer and avocado margarita to my list! We get a really lovely Austrian grapefruit beer here; Steigl Radler. Is it available in your area? We're not scheduled for Epcot until Monday of our trip but I may have to sneak over Sunday morning to try some of those yummy snacks. The advantage of staying at the Yacht Club!