Down by the Boardwalk - 5 days of family dining fun

Eating around the world
DW and I love to make a meal out of the different snack offerings of the countries in world showcase. We had hit the Canada and Great Britain pavilions on the way out to a nap in the early afternoon, and so we had the rest of WS to do that evening. TIP: try the fruit and nut Cadbury bar that you can get in Britain. It's delicious, a very creamy milk chocolate with nuts and dried fruit embedded in it...I'm not a huge fan of chocolate and fruit, but this is GOOD!
Overall: A

Our first stop was France where we picked up a Ham and Cheese croissant for DW. She had seen pictures on the DIS and had to try it. It was very good. They heat it up for you in what looks like one of those ovens they have now at Subway (a super-quick convection oven, I assume?). The ham had a really good flavor and paired well with the buttery croissant and cheese. I believe it was some sort of swiss cheese, but the sign didn't say. This was a good'n. I also picked up some madelines for the kids (they had fallen asleep again). Didn't try them myself, but they seemed to like them.
Overall: A-

While she was eating that, I got a Gray Goose Lemon Squishee. Thanks for the tip on that one, Brenda. VERY VERY good...picture an adult version of a really good frozen lemonade. They also had a bunch of wines in that stand, including one of my favorites, Beaujolais, but I decided one drink was good for now. :)
Overall: A

On our way out of France, we saw the creperie. I like to make crepes at home, and one of our favorite things to do is just put a little butter and turbinado sugar on them. We decided to try this one, and it was pretty good. They used regular granulated sugar (which I assume is actually more "French"), and it had been pre-made, then reheated, but it was still pretty good.
Overall: B-

In Japan, we like to spend some time in the "hello kitty' department store. Being an engineer, I like the cool little robotic toys they have there, the kids like the other odd toys, and DW likes just about all of it. Also, I really like to check out the strange snack foods there (we actually saw a bag of what looked like dried mini CRABS - NOT cuddlefish...CRABS - still in the shell!). I picked up a bag of crunchy coated nuts that turned out to be pretty darn good.
Overall: B

By now the kids were getting hungry, and we had made it to Germany. We gave them the choice of.....what else? Sausage or pretzel! They chose pretzel. It was good...kinda dry, though. I think they have 3 different places they sell pretzels. WE got it from the stand that sells beer. I wonder how long they're sitting there before people by them, and I wonder if they're better if you go inside to the CS place. DD and DS seemed to like it, and it wasn't bad, but nothing special.
Overall: C+

As we made it to China, I was starting to get kinda hungry for "real" food. I had been snacking, but I needed something of substance. I decided against the Chinese CS place, thinking it wouldn't be worth making everyone stand in line for what I could get at any Chinese food court restaurant. DW was thirsty, so she got a lemon lychee iced green tea. She and the kids loved it. I thought it was ok...a little too sweet for me, and it tasted a little too much like green tea, which I'm not a fan of, but it WAS refreshing
Overall: B

Next was the stop we had all been waiting for. I'm a huge fan of coconut, and who doesn't love a good cream filled doughnut. Enter Schoolbread! :) I actually have a picture of this one!
schoolbread.jpg

I had been wanting to try this one since reading about it on the boards. I would say it lived up to the hype. And, at about $2.50, it's a steal! It's a giant yeast doughnut with interesting spices (cardamom? cinnamon? nutmeg?) filled with a creamy custard, topped with icing and coconut. It's just delicious. Highly recommended. We also picked up a berry cream horn, which was good, but unremarkable.
Overall: A

I still hadn't had any what I call "real food" so on our way back to the International gateway, I picked up another ham and cheese croissant for now and some chocolate croissants and a peach tart for breakfast. The pastries were very good. My wife is a chocolate croissant connesieur ever since our pre-kids trip to France. She seemed to like it. DS and DD didn't seem too interested in it the next day, though. The peach tart was delicious...a flakey puff pastry on the bottom with pastry cream and sliced peaches. Highly recommended if you see it in the case when you're there.
Overall: A-

That's it for Day 2. Stay tuned for Day 3 with Libery Tree Tavern lunch, Aloha Isle, and Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe!
 


Great reviews. We are taking our DD 3 1/2 in Oct. and your details really help us in our plannings.
Keep it coming!!!
 
GREAT! can't wait for the next installment!!!!!
Your wish is my command! Comin atcha soon!
Your little ones are cuties!
Thank you so much! I think so, too, but I'm biased. :)
Excellent reviews. Added bonus - adorable kids!!:thumbsup2
Thanks on both counts!
Yeah!! Loving your very detailed reviews!! Looking forward to more!
Great...I hope I'm not TOO detailed. I DO love to eat, and talk about eating. :)
Great reviews. We are taking our DD 3 1/2 in Oct. and your details really help us in our plannings.
Keep it coming!!!

Great! Glad to help out. Let me know if you have any specific questions and I'll try to answer.
 


Before I begin...let me do a little clarification here. You may notice that I've been giving an overall rating to all the places we ate. Please keep in mind that this encompasses the whole deal...value, food, service, ambiance, etc. I say that because I'm about to give LTT a rating about the same as Le Cellier, and I think people might think I'm crazy. To be honest, I'd probably choose Le Cellier over LTT any day of the week. However, the prices were lower, we had better service, and I liked the brigher, colonial theming a little better. But....I digress.....

(Also, DW, DS, and DD had Mikey ice cream bars in the morning before lunch. They seemed to enjoy them, and I had a small taste, and got what I expected...a premium ice cream bar in the shape of the big cheese himself. If you haven't had one, run to your nearest vendor next time you're in the park!)

Liberty Tree Tavern
I didn't even know this was here until recently. In the 5 - 7 times I've been to the world, I never noticed it! It wasn't until we started researching TS restaurants in the MK that we looked into it. We had heard so-so things about Tony's and The Plaza and had just eaten at CRT last year, so this was the defacto choice. It also had "stuff" that appealed to all of us, so it was a pretty easy choice! I have to say we were all happy with it! I wasn't totally thrilled, but it is a good quality, solid choice for TS in the MK. Ever since I had seen the menu, I KNEW I would get either the salmon over griddled pumpkin bread, or the pot roast with mashed potatoes (probably the latter). It was not to be.....

We were pretty hungry so DW and I decided to share an app. She was in the mood for the fried tavern cheese, and who was I to argue? Fried.......cheese.........marinara sauce....nothing wrong with that! It was very good. One of the better "cheese sticks" I've had. I think they're supposed to be 3 different TYPES of cheese and I know there were 3 distinct shapes, but they all tasted pretty much the same - squishy/squeeky/runny good ol' mozerella cheese. I'd recommend this appetizer to anyone lookin for a "straight up the middle" staple snack. Good stuff!

Since we were getting a greasy/heavy app I decided to do an about face on my lunch order. Besides...I could use some good ol' vegetable roughage. Instead of the pot roast or salmon, I went for the Colony Salad, described thusly on allearsnet: "Washington apples, sweet pecans and applewood smoked cheddar and grilled chicken tossed with field greens in honey shallot vinaigrette." I was very pleased with my choice! The salad was fresh and crisp, just the thing on a hot Florida afternoon. The dressing was unremarkable but very good, in just the right amount to cover the salad ingredients. I could tell the chicken breast was sort of "mass produced" and not freshly grilled but it was still very good and pretty moist. Sometimes you get a piece of chicken like that and you can just taste the salt they use to preserve it between manufacturer and kitchen, but this didn't have that weird salty flavor. I'd recommend this salad to someone looking for a lighter lunch for sure! DW had the Sandwich Heard Round the World (cool name, eh?), described thusly: "Grilled turkey panini with provolone cheese, Applewood smoked bacon, and cranberry spread on multi grain bread with lightly dressed field greens or tavern fries". She opted for the field greens and asked them to hold the cranberries. She was very happy with it, even though she wasn't feeling 100% that day. I had a taste and it was good...about what I'd expect. If you're looking for a panini, go for it...I think you'll like it! DS and DD shared the cheese pizza with grapes, carrots and celery. We were suprised how good it looked. It didn't look like the BEST pizza I've ever seen, but it was a step up from our expectations. And, the kids didn't complain. :)

I had warned DW that I was getting dessert here for sure. There was one thing that just really stood out to me and I definitely wanted to try it. Plus, it was Father's day, so I was going for it! I got the Butter Griddled Pound Cake "served with warm pecan caramel sauce and vanilla bean ice cream." It was very good. The carmel sauce was great, if maybe slightly sweet, and had more of a brown sugar taste than a caramel sauce taste, but it was very good. The cake was more spongy than I'm used to with pound cake, but it was a huge slab and had a good flavor. The ice cream was the perfect foil to the cake and sauce. Usually, I'm all over any chocolate dessert, but this definitely satisfied me! DW had the Caramel Apple Tart "shortbread crust, sugared apples, and cinnamon ice cream". I'm usually not one to choose a fruit dessert, but it was very good...almost like a very good apple pie with ice cream. DW and DD seemed to really like it, too. Can't say too much about it, because I just had a small taste, but I think you wouldn't go wrong ordering this one.

In all, I'd recommend this place. Our server was very good...efficient, engaged, and seemed happy to be there. It has a "hall of presidents", edu-tainment vibe to it, and the food is above average to very good. Give it a try; I think you won't be disappointed!!!

Overall: B

Next up....Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe
 
Suscribing so I can hear more! I am so getting one of those doughnuts when I'm there in Sept! :thumbsup2
 
Hmmmm.... nicely done my mysterious cartoon watching friend, nicely done. :thumbsup2


Some random thoughts...


Your kids are adorable! I'm talking Gerber Baby Food Awwwwww, (and as a cranky crohn who's liable to turn into crazy old cat lady someday, that's high praise indeed).

Le Cellier sounds good...it always has, but the problem I end up having whenever I make ADRs is that it's a steakhouse. Yawn. Steakhouses are a dime a dozen around here and we've got some pretty darn good ones so I have a hard time justifying a meal at Le Cellier when we can do Ruth Chris or Dierdorf and Hart's at home.

I must congratulate you on your snacking around the world showcase - you did a fine job of creating a miniature food and not-wine festival for yourselves. And I am very pleased you had a lemon squishee in France - they are tasty, are they not? The schoolbread looks like something my DH would really enjoy - me not so much. I don't like coconut; not that you care, but I'm just sayin... :rolleyes1

As an aside, why do they call it schoolbread? I don't know about you but no one ever gave me bread like that in school...even when I was paying for it. :lmao:

I was encouraged to read your review of LTT - I would never eat there for dinner because all-you-can-eat country style meals make me gag...excessively. But it sounds like a great place to stop for lunch at the MK if you're looking for something other than the standard hotdog or hamburger. Columbia Harbor House is also good - love that tuna sandwich!

Keep up the great work and I apologize in advance if my fingers ran away with me while I was posting... sometimes I just can't stop typing. ;)
 
Thanks for the great reviews. DH and I are going fin Dec. and you've reviewed 2 of the restaurants (LC and LTT) that I've made ADR's for. Did you by chance go to Prime Time Cafe or Raglan Road? Ah, snacking around the World is great, isn't it? My brother introduced me to that marathon event but every time I go with him, I never have much time for rides for all the snacking.
 
Just caught up on Le Cellier, Around the World and LTT.

We have a much coveted ADR for Le Cellier and almost every time I read another positive review, I wonder if I haven't built it up so much in my head that I am going to be disappointed. Time will tell and no doubt you will read about it here some time in September - but, meanwhile, thanks for 'keeping it real' :thumbsup2

LTT also sounds like a great option for a slightly more relaxed lunch - I'm with Brenda on this one as I would never consider it for dinner but lunch sounds great :)

And one more thing to add - your kids are just so cute - my DS would love that Cars t-shirt your DS is wearing.
 
I like you have never really thought about LTT before reading about it here on the boards. It sounds like a great lunch spot, the salad and panini sound really good. Wonder if we might be able to get in without an ADR?:idea: Is that wishful thinking or what!:rotfl:
 
I've got ADRs for LTT Character Dinner in December. It will just be DH and me. Any opinions as to whether or not I should change it to regular dinner instead of character? I've never been to a character dinner before but the food selection at the regular dinner is beginning to sound better. Thanks.
 
So pleased you liked Cadbury fruit and nut, it's yummy chocolate isn't it :goodvibes

I too am a bit worried about Le Cellier I hope I don't expect more than it is!
 
Eating around the world
DW and I love to make a meal out of the different snack offerings of the countries in world showcase. We had hit the Canada and Great Britain pavilions on the way out to a nap in the early afternoon, and so we had the rest of WS to do that evening. TIP: try the fruit and nut Cadbury bar that you can get in Britain. It's delicious, a very creamy milk chocolate with nuts and dried fruit embedded in it...I'm not a huge fan of chocolate and fruit, but this is GOOD!
Overall: A


Or come to Canada and buy them anywhere from Walmart to the conrer store!:rotfl:
 
Suscribing so I can hear more! I am so getting one of those doughnuts when I'm there in Sept! :thumbsup2
I definitely don't think you'll be disappointed. mmmmmm....doughnut.........:)

Hmmmm.... nicely done my mysterious cartoon watching friend, nicely done. :thumbsup2


Some random thoughts...


Your kids are adorable! I'm talking Gerber Baby Food Awwwwww, (and as a cranky crohn who's liable to turn into crazy old cat lady someday, that's high praise indeed).

Thanks on both accounts. As you'll probably see from future pictures, they get their good looks from their mom...definitely not me! :)

Le Cellier sounds good...it always has, but the problem I end up having whenever I make ADRs is that it's a steakhouse. Yawn. Steakhouses are a dime a dozen around here and we've got some pretty darn good ones so I have a hard time justifying a meal at Le Cellier when we can do Ruth Chris or Dierdorf and Hart's at home.

I must congratulate you on your snacking around the world showcase - you did a fine job of creating a miniature food and not-wine festival for yourselves. And I am very pleased you had a lemon squishee in France - they are tasty, are they not? The schoolbread looks like something my DH would really enjoy - me not so much. I don't like coconut; not that you care, but I'm just sayin... :rolleyes1

As an aside, why do they call it schoolbread? I don't know about you but no one ever gave me bread like that in school...even when I was paying for it. :lmao:

I was encouraged to read your review of LTT - I would never eat there for dinner because all-you-can-eat country style meals make me gag...excessively. But it sounds like a great place to stop for lunch at the MK if you're looking for something other than the standard hotdog or hamburger. Columbia Harbor House is also good - love that tuna sandwich!

Keep up the great work and I apologize in advance if my fingers ran away with me while I was posting... sometimes I just can't stop typing. ;)

I'm with you on the steakhouse. Sure...it's gonna be good....it's steak after all! And you CAN get it just about anywhere. We still wanted to try it to see what all the fuss was about, and for the cheddar cheese soup, breads, and dessert that accompany the steak. But, I doubt we'd go back for a while. There's SO much out there, and we didn't love it enough to absolutely NEED to go back soon.

Hahaha on the schoolbread. At my school the closest thing you had to that was a hostess honey bun. :rotfl2: It COULD be worth a try even if you're not a coconut person. The coconut is ONLY on the top and the rest of it is coconut free!

I think you're right about the LTT lunch...a good relaxing non-CS place for lunch. I THINK people were doing walk-up seating when we left (about 12:30), so you might be able to get in on a whim (and it was even crowded that day!)
 
Thanks for the reviews. I am really enjoying them especially since I have my own 5 year old and 2 (almost 3 year old) with us in November. :)
 

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