Best choices for finicky "adult" kids

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

We are hoping for a return trip to Disney later this summer. Our DS (who's 13) is hopefully bringing along his best friend (also 13). This would be the friend's first trip.

Both boys are rather selective eaters, though they love the standard kid fare (mac & cheese, pizza, chicken nuggets, fries, etc.).

We are trying to come up with some ideas for TS restaurants that will appeal to their kid tastes and adult appetites (let's just say these two 13 year old boys can out-eat most adults I know ). We don't want to have two hungry, crotchety teenagers while on vacation.

Of the following restaurants, which do you think would be the most accomodating should they not find something they like on the adult menu? (i.e. could order something kid-appealing from the children's menu, maybe in an adult size.....or have good offerings on the buffet that would appeal to all).

Biergarten
Ohanas (for dinner)
Garden Grill
Whispering Canyon Cafe

Both kids would be very embarrassed if getting an alternative was a "big deal". One, in particular (the friend), is quite shy about that kind of stuff.

We are also considering Crystal Palace, Chef Mickeys, and 1900 Park Fare (been to each once before, and they were all winners), as well as Planet Hollywood and Trails End. We are planning a 7-night stay at POP.

And yes, we LIKE buffets. And character meals.

If you can think of some place worth considering that's not listed above, I'm open to all suggestions! Just something to keep in mind....we are not seafood lovers at all. Let all the fishies live!

Oh yeah, I should also mention, we're just looking for dinner suggestions at this point. We'll do 2 buffets OOP for breakfast at Ohanas (been there once) and probably Cape May (new for us). We did Donald's at AK in January.

 

[Claire&TheBoys]

How about 50's Prime Time Cafe? or Sci-Fi Dine-in Theater? I hear the burgers at Sci-Fi are great. We enjoyed 50's PTC last year - huge portions of food - pot roast, meatloaf, etc. And milkshakes count as your drink at PTC (they might like th PB&J milkshake!) and the desserts are huge!

 

[ROEDISNEY]

50's Prime Time is great in my opinion.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

How about 50's Prime Time Cafe? or Sci-Fi Dine-in Theater? I hear the burgers at Sci-Fi are great. We enjoyed 50's PTC last year - huge portions of food - pot roast, meatloaf, etc. And milkshakes count as your drink at PTC (they might like th PB&J milkshake!) and the desserts are huge!

We actually did Sci-Fi earlier this month on our January trip. It was fun and we enjoyed it (no complaints about the food, service or atmosphere), but neither DH nor DS want to add it to our "do again" list for the 2nd trip.

50's PTC wasn't one we originally considered, mostly because I heard something about the whole "gotta eat your veggies" thing. Um, I'm not really a veggie person . I don't know about the boys, that that one would worry ME.

 

[PatsMom]

If they are big eaters, buffets and all you care to eat meals would probably work well. Crystal Palace and Chef Mickey's all have plain type food. Whispering Canyon - the skillet looks awesome (I've never had it because I am not a big eater). Ohana is pretty basic as well. Another good alternative if you like plain food is Trails End Buffet at Fort Wilderness. Great fried chicken, pizza, etc. Biergarten is OK for a picky eater.

Also, it is not a "big deal" for restaurants to alter dishes. Just quietly order your meat "naked". Or request french fries instead of potato (if they have fries on the kids menu, they are available). It must happen all the time because I've never had a server even look at me funny when I request something prepared slightly differently than on the menu.

 

[Lynne M]

Most restaurants are very accommodating about making dishes plainer, and they do it with no fuss at all. The boys can just say, "I'd like that without the sauce (or whatever), please" and the server won't even bat an eye.

They'd probably love Trails End, good home cookin' and lots of it, nothing fussy at all.

Just a thought - if your son's friend is very shy, I'd steer clean of Whispering Canyon. It's another 'interactive' place like 50's PT, not a great choice for those who are shy or easily embarrassed.

 

[JanB]

I agree totally with PatsMom and Lynne M. All you have to do is to ask. The Disney restaurants all have chefs. It really is no big deal to do something different as long as they have the ingredients in the kitchen.

My son is now 22 and is still a rather un-adventurous eater. We have taught him to look over the menu to see what sort of dishes are offered. If they have a chicken breast with a fancy sauce, then they've got a chicken breast. And he knows that he can look at the children's menu and say, "May I have an adult portion of chicken fingers, please?" Or you can simply ask, "Is it possible to get a hamburger, please?" We have always had success with this approach.

You might also look at each restaurant's lunch menu. Sometimes there are items there that aren't on the dinner menu. But the items are the kitchen.

One reason that he loves Teppan Edo is because he now knows that Japanese hibachi cooking is very simple cooking, with all ingredients easily separated.

I also agree with Lynne about Whispering Canyon. We have never eaten there because my son does not like any attention drawn to him like the WC servers do. Everyone is different. Some people get a big kick out of it, but it's not for us. He doesn't care too terribly much for the 50's Prime Time for that same reason. But he does like their fried chicken.

You could also consider the Boma buffet. Although they do have the more unique African-style dishes, they also have a very nice selection of plain, picky-eater food --- mac & cheese, sliced ham, prime rib carving station etc. The desserts are wonderful. I would think everyone would find something suitable.