A cheeseburger from the CR Food and Fun Center
We returned in the afternoon to the hotel (the Contemporary which is definitely in my top 3 disney resorts) for a rest and some relaxation. After spending a couple of hours in the arcade (I am addicted to any game which spits out paper tickets for completing some minor skilled task), I was a little hungry as was my mother. My dad had already eaten the leftover steak from the Coral Reef so he was fine. My Dad went down for a swim with the direction that when he returned, he should return with food. Knowing that we cant trust him to choose something suitable, I picked the only thing I *knew* was on the Food and Fun Center menu a double cheeseburger with fries. I also reminded him that since he was using a
DDP credit, he also needed to get a drink and a dessert. We had bought the refillable mugs already (I was so happy that they still had the Contemporary specific ones at that time) so it should be a bottled drink.
After his swim he brought up the double cheeseburger with fries, some fresh toppings from the topping bar, a fruit bowl and a diet lemonade (sorry no pics we were hungry).
The topping bar included fresh sliced tomatoes, pickles, lettuce, onion, ketchup, honey mustard, barbeque sauce, and mayonnaise, so it was fairly complete. The burger and fries were typical for Disney hot, fresh, (salty) and good.
They had limited drinks in bottles basically the lemonade, orange juice and water (and alcoholic beverages which of course are not included on the dining plan).
I dont like the fruit bowls at Disney any more. They treat the fruit with a preservative to make it last and I think it gives it a funny taste. At the time, I didnt much care but once I saw for myself the selection of desserts available at the Food and Fun Center, I was disappointed at his choice (and for a man who loves cakes and pies, I was very surprised that he got fruit for us and not something a little richer).
I am sad for anyone staying at the CR as this place is closing and as you will see in later reviews, it was actually pretty darn good for a counter service restaurant and it contained a lot more selection than most online resources listed.
Dinner at Tony's Town Square
This is actually the 3rd time Ive had an ADR at this restaurant but the first time weve ever used it (and before you ask yes, I did cancel the ones on previous trips that went unused).
We checked in about 20 mins early (we had planned on riding Pirates but there was a 40 min line so we opted to head to the restaurant directly instead) and were seated about 15 minutes after our ADR time. We were able to eventually find seats on a credenza by the television so it made the wait comfortable in the cool air conditioning. The waiting area was pretty full and the restaurant was not taking any walk ups (my dad had gone up to check us in but wasnt sure if he was in the right place so he asked the CM Is this Tonys restaurant? and the CM answered, We do not have any availability tonight sir. My dad freaked a little, and said something to the effect of But we have reservations! and the CM smiled and said Well that changes everything, and took our name, etc. The CM told my dad that he had just had about 20 people come up looking to eat here so he just assumed that we didnt have reservations).
We were seated at a nice round table which was half booth with 2 chairs. This was very convenient since my mother has claustrophobia and does not like being enclosed in a booth. Plus, both she and I are Plus-sized and one concern of mine was fitting into a booth (since I have heard that they can be on the small size).
Our server appeared right away for our drink order which was brought promptly along with bread and a tomato dipping sauce instead of butter.
This was very good. My dad is a butter person but even he enjoyed it. I cant recall everything that was in it but I can recall: tomato basil pine nuts. The bread was soft with a solid crust (which I like but my parents mostly ate the inside of the bread). We were all pretty hungry and this was enough to stave off the pains until the appetizers arrived.
My dad and I ordered the Spinach and Artichoke Dip - three cheese blend, tomatoes, and served with grilled bread $7.69.
This was good but more artichokie and less spinachee. My dad wasnt thrilled with this as I think he was expecting a cheesy spinach dip and the artichoke flavour was quite strong. There was a thick layer of cheese on top of the dip which he really enjoyed though.
My mom ordered the soup of the day which was butternut squash. I tasted this and so wished I had gotten it. This was among the best soups I have ever tasted. It was thick, a little sweet but the squash flavour came bursting through. The flavouring was close to sweet potato pie but thankfully didnt have the roasted marshmallows on top. I strongly urge anyone who likes thick, creamy soup if this is the soup of the day when you are eating at Tonys, try this, it is excellent.
For entrees we all went a different way.
My mom ordered the Beef and Spinach Cannelloni - served with basil cream sauce $19.49. I myself was hesitant to order these but they were very tasty (even cold late one night when I had the munchies). The cannelloni pasta was firm (cooked al dente) so it didnt fall apart and they were simply filled with the beef, spinach and cheese mixture. They had more cheese melted on top and were covered with the basil cream sauce (this was a light green colour and while not very appetizing looking, it was a mild tasting cream sauce that didnt overpower the other flavours, but really added a good texture to the dish.
I ordered the Chicken Florentine which came with mashed potatoes and asparagus. I ate only a couple of bites of the chicken but most of the potatoes and all of the asparagus. I was getting quite full by this time. I did however pack up the chicken breast which my dad ate late one night (while I ate my moms leftovers). He said it wasnt very good because it was pounded very thin and the breading was thin and crispy. I was okay with this meal but when I return (and I am sure at some point I will) I will probably choose something different.
My dad ordered the NY Strip Steak with roasted potatoes, mushrooms, caramelized onions, and spinach tossed in a warm pancetta vinaigrette, topped with red wine gorgonzola butter $25.49. He was a little leery about all of the stuff that came with the steak but he cleaned the plate. This steak looked (and tasted) incredible. Again it was cooked exactly to order and was tender and perfectly flavoured. The only thing which stopped my dad from licking the plate was that he was trying to save room for dessert.
For dessert we again went our different ways.
My dad ordered the Tiramisu - espresso soaked lady fingers, whipped mascarpone and dark chocolate shavings $5.69. This was very creamy and light but it was a huge serving.
My mom ordered the Lemon Walnut Layer Cake - layered vanilla cake filled with lemon curd $5.69. Again this was a huge piece of cake. My mom took at least half of it back to the hotel and enjoyed it later.
I order the Ice Cream Bomb - chocolate and vanilla ice cream covered in rich chocolate sauce $5.69. When this first came it was frozen solid I am talking hard as a rock. My spoon could barely break the chocolate coating and scooping up ice cream was just out of the question. I had a bite of my moms dessert and a bite of my dads and had resigned myself to not having my own. However, as the bill came I looked down and the ice cream had started to melt. I broke open the chocolate coating and inside was the two kinds of ice cream atop a cookie. It was tasty but come on, it was just ice cream.
(I'll eat lunch there in August). Thanks for your wonderfully descriptive reviews!
I can't wait to find out if you really did learn to love it - it looks pretty nice to me 
