Let them eat steak (and maybe some cake too) Nov. 9 -14, 2011 COMPLETE

[jabead]

BACKGROUND: During our 25th anniversary trip in November 2010, DH and I ate at the newly opened Via Napoli restaurant. Being on the Deluxe Dining Plan then, we had a three course meal with the Fritto Misto for our appetizer, 2 pizzas (one pepperoni, one prosciutto and melon) and the Zeppole di Ricotta (Ricotta cheese fritters) and gelato for dessert. Out of all of this food, the only thing that left a lasting impression on us was the fritters. The pepperoni pizza was pretty good but the rest of the food was okay at best. Consequently, I didn’t include Via Napoli in my dining plans on my Birthday trip in May 2011. However, I continued to see great reviews for Via Napoli here on the DIS, so I decided it was time to give it another chance. Would Via Napoli leave us with a better impression the second time around? Read my review to find out.



After spending some time in Future World, DH wanted to head back to our room at the Boardwalk to take a nap. He had been up all night working at our office and the lack of sleep was now catching up to him. So we all went back to our room, even though I knew this meant there would be very little chance that I would get them to return to Epcot for dinner at Via Napoli. But somehow I was able to get my guys awake and out the door in time for our 8:30 reservation for….


DINNER AT VIA NAPOLI

SHORT VERSION

Highlights – Zeppole di Ricotta

Disappointments – Rest of our food

Would we Return? – Probably not



LONG VERSION

After spending the afternoon gorging ourselves at the Food & Wine Festival and not being on the Dining Plan this time, we did not get any appetizers. DH and I decided to share an Individual-size Pepperoni pizza.

Pepperoni Pizza



Of the two pizzas we tried last time, the pepperoni was definitely the better one. However, this time it wasn’t very good. Although the bottom of the pizza crust was nice and crispy, the top of the crust was not fully-cooked. So it wasn’t the worst pizza I’ve ever tasted, but definitely not among my favorites.



DS is pretty picky about his pizza, so he decided to go a different route and ordered the Chicken Parmesan. Now the last time he had Chicken Parmesan was on our trip to New England last summer. We found this wonderful little Italian restaurant in the North End of Boston called Giacomo’s and ended up eating there twice during the four nights we were in Boston. Both times DS ordered the Chicken Parmesan and both times he absolutely loved it. Giacomo’s had set the bar high for DS’s expectations of his Chicken Parmesan, so I wasn’t too surprised when Via Napoli’s version fell quite short.

Chicken Parmagiana



The good news is that we all still had a little room left for dessert, so we of course again ordered the Zeppole di Ricotta - Ricotta cheese fritters, served with whipped cream and chocolate sauce. Happily, this was as good as we’d remembered, so our meal ended on a high note.

Zeppole di Ricotta



So overall, our meal here was again nothing special…with the possible exception of the fritters. I’m not in any hurry to return, unless it’s just for the Zeppole and a glass of Rosa Regale. Wouldn’t it be great if these were on the menu at the new wine bar they are opening soon? Yeah, I know it’s unlikely…but a girl can dream can’t she?



NEXT UP: Lunch at ‘50s Prime Time Cafe

 

[iloveeeyore]

Thanks for your review of Via Napoli. It doesn't help me much for my WDW plans, BUT...I have to visit Boston twice in the next 2 months, so Giacomo's is definitely on my list!! That was my great-grandmother's last name. I wonder if there's any relation?

 

[jabead]

Thanks for your review of Via Napoli. It doesn't help me much for my WDW plans, BUT...I have to visit Boston twice in the next 2 months, so Giacomo's is definitely on my list!! That was my great-grandmother's last name. I wonder if there's any relation?

Definitely check out Giacomo's during your visits to Boston! We came across it while we were on our way to another Italian restaurant that a friend had recommended. Giacomo's had a line of people on their front sidewalk waiting to get in. My DH, being both outgoing and curious, struck up a conversation with some of them and they raved about how good Giacomo's was. So we decided to join the line and give it a try. And as I said before, we liked it so much that we went back on our last night in Boston. Everything that we had was so delicious...fried mozarella cheese, lobster ravioli, pumpkin tortellini, chicken parmesan, etc.

This is a small place and seems to be very popular so be prepared to stand in line, but it is well-worth the wait. It's only open for dinner...I think it opens at 5:00, but people start lining up to get in well before that. It's very close (across the street) to Mike's Pastry shop, however we were always too full to try the cannoli that Mike's is famous for. BTW, Mike's always had a line out the door, too. Oh, and one more thing, Giacomo's doesn't accept credit cards so bring some cash. The prices were fairly reasonable though, all our entrees were around $15 I think. Enjoy!

 

[jabead]

DAY 3

After skipping breakfast, except for a cup of coffee for DH and me from the Belle Vue Lounge, we were all very hungry and quite ready for our….

LUNCH AT 50’s PRIME TIME CAFE


SHORT VERSION

Highlights – The Atmosphere

Disappointments – Where, oh where is Auntie Claire???

Would we Return? – Probably sometime



LONG VERSION


Just like every other time we’ve eaten at 50’s Prime Time (and there have been many times), again we did not score a T.V. table. Instead we were seated at a regular table, but I took a picture of a nearby T.V. table. Aren’t they cool looking?

Our server was just average, as far as getting into character. We’ve had worse and we’ve had much better….Auntie Claire comes to mind as our favorite ever. We had the privilege of having Auntie Claire more than once during our many visits to Prime Time. Just thinking about Auntie Claire and her antics brings a smile to my face. Sadly though, we haven’t seen her here for many years, so I’m afraid she’s probably no longer there. But I digress…back to the business at hand.



Our meal at Prime Time began with a chocolate milkshake for DS and Vanilla Cokes for DH and me. As you can see from the picture, not only do you get a full glassful when you order a milkshake here, but you also get the large container that it was mixed in with the remainder of the shake that didn’t fit into the glass. He really enjoyed this and drank every last drop.

Chocolate Milkshake




For our entrees, DS and I both ordered the same thing…

Mom’s Old-fashioned Pot Roast


The menu description for the pot roast is: Slow-cooked ‘til fork tender served with Mashed Potatoes (in my picture, these are hidden underneath the roast), Carrots, Celery, and Onions. I thought this was pretty good, but DS wasn’t too crazy about. I think this had something to do with the fact that he doesn’t like carrots, celery, and onion and didn’t like having to dig through them to get to the roast beef. Instead he wished that he had gotten what his dad ordered…

Grilled Boneless Pork Chops


The pork chops were served with mushroom gravy, mashed potatoes, and a mixture of green beans and carrots. He had no complaints and ate it all, with the exception of the few bites of pork chop that he let DS have.


I nixed the idea of having any dessert here ‘cause I had high hopes of going to Beaches & Cream for ice cream later this afternoon. Sadly this didn’t happen , but my sweet tooth was appeased with a delicious treat from the Food & Wine Festival. Anyone care to guess what sweet treat I chose???


NEXT UP: A Quick Visit to the F & W Festival

 

[jabead]

After our lunch at Prime Time, we did a few more things at DHS and then I was ready to leave for Beaches & Cream. Unfortunately, I was outvoted. DS really wanted to do the Backlot Tour and DH offered to go with him. I really, really didn’t want to go again…been there, done that, too many times. So I said I would meet up with them later at the Big Bad Voodoo Daddy concert at Epcot and then I took the slow boat to China (the one at Epcot that is). I say slow boat because after leaving the Studios it makes stops at the Swan/Dolphin, Yacht & Beach Club, and the Boardwalk before it finally arrives at the International Gateway Entrance to Epcot, so it takes about ½ hour at least. Anyway, I didn’t get all the way to China before I stopped for my sweet treat. In fact, I didn’t even get past…


FRANCE


Where I actually got two treats…one dessert and the other of the alcoholic variety.

Creme Brulee au Chocolate au Lait (Chocolate Milk Créme Brulee topped with Caramelized Sugar)
Sparkling Pomegranate Kir





I then got in line...yes, there was already a line forming at least an hour before the first performance of the evening by…




BIG BAD VOODOO DADDY

DH and I saw BBVD last year during our Anniversary Trip to the World and we loved them (the above pics were actually taken last year). We were very happy when we found out that we would get to see them again on this trip.


Oh, and by the way, DH and DS did join me for the concert, but not until after they made a stop for a couple of treats of their own. DS got a Funnel Cake from the kiosk close to the American Gardens Theater. He must have liked it because he devoured it quickly. DH’s treat was from the Hops & Barley F & W booth. He chose a Samuel Adams Blackberry Witbier, which he really enjoyed and gave it a rating of . He liked it so much that he went back there on our last day at the festival and got another one. Unfortunately they didn’t take any pics, but I guess you know what a funnel cake and a beer looks like.



NEXT UP: Dinner at Shula's Steakhouse

 

[jabead]

BACKGROUND: As you may remember from my first post, we decided to do our own Steak Challenge on this trip. Going into this trip, DS believed Coral Reef to serve the best steak on Disney property. However, though he had had the steak at many non-Signature restaurants (Le Cellier, Kona Café, Chefs de France, Kona Café, Coral Reef etc.), he had only tried two of the Signature restaurant steaks…Narcoossee’s and California Grill. He still refers to the one from California Grill as the worst steak he has ever had in his life, but to be fair I should add that this was about 6 years ago so this was the steak from the Children’s Menu. On that same visit, I had the regular steak at California Grill and thought it was very good. As for me, I’d tried the steak at many of Disney’s Signature restaurants…Yachtsman Steakhouse, Flying Fish, Citricos, California Grill, Artist Point, Narcoossee’s, and Jiko, as well as all the non-Signature restaurants listed above. Going into this trip, Yachtsman was #1 for me as serving the best steak at Disney. However, I’d never eaten at Shula’s, which seems to be a DIS favorite for steak. So would our findings concur with the opinion of many of you here on the DIS, that Shula’s serves the best steak on Disney property (with the exception of Victoria & Albert’s, which, although I’ve never dined there, is probably in a whole different league)??? Read on to find out.


OUR DISNEY STEAK CHALLENGE – Part II



DINNER AT SHULA’S STEAKHOUSE



SHORT VERSION

Highlights – French Onion Soup, Sauteed Mushrooms

Disappointments – Steak not cooked as ordered

Would we Return? – Yes






LONG VERSION


Our dinner started off well when we were seated in a small room with only about a half a dozen or so tables, and most of them were empty. Only one of the tables next to ours was occupied, and they seemed to be drinking heavily and having a very good time…pretty much oblivious to what was going on around them. Consequently, I felt pretty comfortable taking pictures of our food here…or I should say, having DS take them. So that was an unexpected bonus. Anyway, here is a picture of one of the nearby unoccupied tables.

Our server (or one of them, anyway…we had a team of two or three and all were very good) first brought both the football menu and regular menus to our table.

After wheeling out a cart covered with raw meat , our server then did the presentation of all the various steaks served at Shula’s before taking our order. We started with the Barbecued Shrimp Stuffed with Basil. These were delicious and DH and I quickly ate all four of them…lucky for us, DS doesn’t eat shrimp.

Barbecued Shrimp Stuffed with Basil




I think DS ate our whole basket of bread while DH and I ate our shrimp, plus the bowl of soup that we each got. DH chose the Lobster Bisque, which he said was pretty good but he prefers the Lobster Bisque at Yachtsman.

Lobster Bisque





For my soup, I chose the French Onion and it was wonderful. The broth was very flavorful, unlike the broth of the French Onion soup I had at Chefs de France during our March 2010 trip.

French Onion Soup




So far I was quite impressed with Shula’s but then came the steaks. DH and I shared the 12 oz. Filet Mignon. As always, we ordered it medium well (which we confirmed with our server to be with a slightly pink center). It came out more on the well done side, with no pink whatsoever. Something that can’t be corrected without starting over with a new steak, so we told the waiter it was fine. The filet here came with no sauce directly on it (only the sauce served on the side, I think it was Béarnaise, which neither of us cared for) and seemed to have very little seasoning. This, combined with it being cooked a little more than we prefer, made it seem rather dry and flavorless. I could tell that it was a high quality cut of beef and I think if prepared differently it could have been delicious.

Filet Mignon



As for DS, he ordered his own steak, the 16 oz. New York Strip. He rated his steak to be pretty good, and just slightly better than the New York Strip he had at Yachtsman on our first night. However, he still believed that the steak at Coral Reef would be better. I guess we will see.

New York Strip



In addition to our steaks, we ordered a couple of sides. The first was the Sautéed Mushrooms, which were fantastic! DH and I loved these and got them all to ourselves…DS won’t touch mushrooms. So that DS would have something to eat other than steak and bread, we also ordered the Hash Brown Potato Pancake. I only had a little taste of these. They were okay, nothing special…nowhere near as good as the mushrooms.

Sautéed Mushrooms and Hash Brown Potato Pancake




Last but not least was our dessert, which we had to order at the beginning of our meal because it takes a while to bake. If we hadn’t already ordered it, we probably would not have gotten it because we were pretty full at this point and had barely made a dent in the hash browns. But I am glad that we did have the Chocolate Soufflé because it was quite good. For chocolate desserts, it rates right up there with the Valrhona Chocolate Cake at California Grill and the Warm Chocolate Banana Tart at Citricos. I would have to give the slight edge to Citricos though, as I am partial to the chocolate and banana combination. :

Chocolate Soufflé




So in conclusion, I would definitely return to Shula’s for the shrimp appetizer, the French Onion soup, the sautéed mushrooms, and the dessert…all of which were delicious. I might though skip the steak next time. Yeah, I know, who goes to Shula’s and doesn’t get a steak??? Me, I guess.

And the results so far of our steak challenge…for DH and me, Yachtsman was still #1. As for DS, he believed that Shula’s had the better New York Strip…but of course, we still have Le Cellier, California Grill and Coral Reef yet to come so stayed tuned.



OUR TRIP TOTALS - STEAKS 4, CAKES 2



Next Up: Breakfast at Sunshine Seasons

 

[AMVmom]

That french onion looks sooooo good! I wish I could have one right now, yum!

 

[jabead]

That french onion looks sooooo good! I wish I could have one right now, yum!

Me too! The french onion soup at Shula's tastes as good as it looks. The broth was so flavorful and the thick layer of cheese on top was scrumptious. This was the best french onion soup I've had in recent memory!

 

[jabead]

DAY 4


Today was another Epcot day for us and we actually made it there in time for park opening. My plan was to hang out in Future World and then at 11:00 have a late breakfast at the Food & Wine Festival booths. Well, our first ride of the day was Soarin’ and immediately after the boys started whining about being hungry, too hungry to wait until 11:00 for breakfast. So being as it was right there, I suggested that we try...



Breakfast at Sunshine Seasons


Now there were two things that I’d seen and heard about here on the DIS that I had wanted to try. The first was…

Strawberry Shortcake





And the other was this…

Blueberry Croissant Bread Pudding



These were both delicious!!! If we were forced to choose between the two, DH and I would pick the Bread Pudding but DS preferred the Strawberry Shortcake. However, both have been added to our MUST-HAVE LIST for our next trip, whenever that may be. And the good news is…it was just the right amount of food for the three of us to stop the whining but still left plenty of room for the Food & Wine Festival foods and beverages. So....



NEXT UP: Breakfast #2 at Food & Wine Festival

 

[hogwartsdropout]

Love your reviews, that Chocolate Soufflé looks amazing. I was there in Oct 2011 and I love seeing all the food and wine things again!

 

[st4rrab0vemybed]

I love Big Bad Voodoo Daddy! I saw them a few years ago at Mohegan Sun, and thought they were great. Schula's reminds me of a Morton's or Ruth's Chris' Steakhouse. The strawberry shortcake and bread pudding look amazing btw!

 

[gardengirl628]

mmmmm...just put blueberry croissant bread pudding on my list of things that I MUST TRY!

 

[jabead]

You might recall from our first day at the Food & Wine Festival (Day 2 of our trip) that we only made it to 6 of about 28 booths at the festival. The next day I made it to the France booth, so now I was up to 7 (only 1/4 of the way). That leaves more than 20 booths to visit during the last two days of the festival. This would be quite a gastronomical challenge for the three of us. We were up to the challenge???? Read on to find out.


Again, here is our rating system:


Where is the closest trash can?

Well, that was a disappointment

Pretty good, worth a try

Very good, just missed getting top marks

OMG so very good, one of our TOP FIVE FAVORITES of the festival!






Our first stop was at…


BELGIUM


Where we sampled these two delicious items…

Belgium Waffle topped with Berry Compote and a dollop of Whipped Cream
-and-
Godiva Chocolate Liqueur Iced Coffee



The Iced Coffee was one of my favorite drinks from the festival…it tasted kind of like chocolate milk on the rocks, only better. And we all loved the waffle and could have easily eaten another, but there were many more booths for us to cover today. So I left the guys at a table (one with chairs, which are hard to come by during the festival) while I went on to the next two booths.



PORTUGAL & MOROCCO


Here are the three things I brought back…

Pastel de Nata (from Portugal)
-and-
Baklava
-and-
Royale Mimosa (from Morocco)


The Pastel de Nata (Portuguese custard tart) was pretty good but not quite as good as the Baklava. Luckily DS doesn’t eat anything with nuts in it, so I only had to share the baklava with DH. Anyway, it was about this time that DS said he wasn’t feeling well and wanted to return to our room at the Boardwalk. So after only 3 booths, we were down to just the two of us, DH and me.


The next booth we visited was:


NEW ZEALAND


Where we chose just one item…

Lamb Slider with Tomato Chutney


For the next two booths we also limited ourselves to one item from each.



JAPAN AND SINGAPORE

Tokyo Sunset (Japan)
-and-
Shrimp Cake (Singapore)


The Tokyo Sunset cocktail from Japan was a mix of pineapple juice, banana liqueur, peach schnapps, and coconut rum. It was very light, fruity, and delicious. The Shrimp Cake was on a sugarcane skewer and served with Singapore noodles. I didn’t expect to like this, but it was actually pretty good.



Our 7th and final booth of the day was…

HOPS & BARLEY


Where I got the Pumpkin Mousse and DH got a beer. I think it was the Sam Adams Blackberry Witbier again, since he liked it so much when he had it the day before.

Pumpkin Mousse
-and-
Sam Adams Beer

The Pumpkin Mousse with Ocean Spray Craisins brand dried cranberries and orange sauce was a bit of a disappointment. I kept hearing about how good it was so my expectations were probably high. For me, this wasn’t nearly as good as the White Chocolate Macadamia Mousse from the Desserts & Champagne booth.



We decided that we must call it quits at this point, since we had a late lunch scheduled for Le Cellier. We were up to a total of 14 booths visited, which was only about half of the booths there. Oh man, the Food & Wine Festival is kicking our butts!!!


NEXT UP: Lunch at Le Cellier

 

[jabead]

What Disney steak challenge would be complete without including Le Cellier? The problem was, DS was still not feeling well and decided not to have lunch with us. Although I have previously enjoyed many things (most recently the salmon and burger) during my many visits to Le Cellier, I have found the steaks to be nothing special. But with DS being absent from this meal, would I take one for the team and order a steak? Read on to find out.

OUR DISNEY STEAK CHALLENGE – PART III


LUNCH AT LE CELLIER



SHORT VERSION


Highlights - Cheddar Cheese Soup, Salmon

Disappointments - None

Would we return? - Yes




LONG VERSION


Our reservation at Le Cellier was at 2:40 (one of their last lunch seatings). I was somewhat hesitant about this since we had a late lunch reservation on our last trip and were rushed through our meal, but that was the only available time, so it was 2:40 or nothing. However, I am happy to say that this time around we did not feel rushed at all; in fact we had great service.

Our meal began with the usual basket of bread being brought to our table. However, it actually wasn’t the usual basket that we had always had here before, but a little different. The pretzel breadsticks were still included, thank goodness, but then the rest of basket consisted of rolls. Sorry I can’t really tell you anything about the rolls because I only ate one of the breadsticks, which I love. Especially when it is dipped in this…

Canadian Cheddar Cheese Soup



For his entrée, DH chose the Maple Glazed Salmon with roasted root vegetables (which were potatoes and carrots I think), braised greens and grain mustard sauce. He really enjoyed this. I thought it was almost as good as Walnut-Crusted Salmon I had here at Le Cellier on my last trip in May 2011. I must apologize for the blurriness of the next two pictures. DS (and therefore his iPhone 4S, which was used for all our other pics) was not with us so DH took pictures with his cell phone.

Maple Glazed Salmon



As for me, I resisted the urge to also have the salmon and instead, for the sake of our Steak Challenge, I ordered a steak and must say that I was surprised at how good it was. Although the quality of the meat was not as good as Yachtman’s or Shula’s, the mushroom and herb butter sauce really made this a tasty piece of beef. I also really liked the cream cheese mashed potatoes which I substituted for the wild mushroom risotto that normally comes with the filet. I had the risotto last time I had the filet here and to me it tasted like rice mixed with canned cream of mushroom soup. Don't get me wrong though, I did like the risotto but I like the cream cheese mashed potatoes much more.

Again, sorry about the blurry picture. Maybe DH had had one too many alcoholic beverages at this point?

Le Cellier Mushroom Filet Mignon



I really wanted to have the Chocolate Whiskey Cake for dessert (I loved it the last time), but sadly we didn’t have the room for another bite. As you’re being seated you walk by a display of desserts and the Chocolate Whiskey Cake looked different from what we had here a year ago. I’m really curious if it still tastes the same, but the answer to that question will just have to wait until another time.

Chocolate Whiskey Cake from Nov. 2010



So after dining at our 3rd steakhouse of the trip, the filet at Yachtsman Steakhouse was still #1 for me. The Le Cellier filet was good (better than the last time I had it), but not quite in the same league as the YSH filet.


OUR TRIP TOTALS - STEAKS 5, CAKES 2


As an added bonus, we heard our favorite Disney World band playing as we exited the restaurant. Love the guys in kilts!

Canada's Off Kilter


NEXT UP: Dinner at Rose & Crown

 

[jabead]

After a little down time in our room, we were ready to return to Epcot for dinner. DS was feeling better by then so he joined us for this meal. This was Saturday night of the last weekend of the Food & Wine Festival and Epcot was swamped with people. Luckily, since we were staying at the Boardwalk we entered through the back entrance (International Gateway) and then only had a very short walk through the crowd to check in for our…

DINNER AT ROSE & CROWN



SHORT VERSION

Highlights - Scotch Egg, Strongbow Cider

Disappointments - No patio tables available

Would we return? - Yes



LONG VERSION

Illuminations was scheduled for 10:00 on this night, as Epcot’s closing time had been extended to 10:00 on the Friday and Saturday nights of the last weekend of the festival. I therefore had made a reservation at 8:30 to try and snag a table outside on the patio. Unfortunately no patio tables were available; the closest we got was a table by the window. Oh well…you win some, you lose some. We have eaten at Rose & Crown several times (although hadn’t been for 3 or 4 years) and have almost always been lucky enough to get a table on the patio with a great view of Illuminations. So we were content with our table by the window.


Although DH and I were not very hungry, DS was starving so we ordered an appetizer.

Scotch Egg - Golden-fried Hard-boiled Egg wrapped in Sausage Meat with Mustard Sauce


This was something new for us and it was very good. In fact so good that even though DH and I had only intended to have a taste, we ended up sharing (aka fighting over ) one while DS ate the other half. Also, you can see our drinks in the background of the picture. DH had a Harp lager and I had a Strongbow Cider, something I discovered I liked on my last trip when DD and I stopped in the Rose & Crown Pub and had this…

Imperial Sampler



I’m not a big fan of beer, so DD drank more than her share (she is a college student and can probably drink her weight in beer ) but I really liked the Strongbow Cider and now even drink it at home occasionally.



Back to our meal now, but I must apologize first because we made a Dining Reviewer faux pas here and ordered the same entrée.

Fish and Chips - Battered fresh Cod served with English Chips


DH and I shared one order of Fish & Chips and DS had his own. I knew that DS would order this because he really likes the Fish & Chips here so I had planned for DH and me to get something else. But after looking at the menu, nothing else sounded appealing to us at the time. I think we were just too full and too tired to think about food, so just took the easy route and ordered the Fish & Chips. Now I have read reviews where the fish here is sometimes undercooked or overcooked, but ours was cooked perfectly and was very tasty, as were the chips (thick-cut fries) which accompanied it. So we were all quite happy with our choice.


We had finished our entrees by 9:30 or so and debated about ordering a dessert to share and sticking around to see the fireworks, but DH and I were really beat so we decided we’d rather just head back to the Boardwalk and avoid the mass exodus that takes place after Illuminations. So in other words, once again it was a dessert-less meal. I know, I know…for this meal we ordered only one appetizer, ordered the same entrée, and didn’t have any dessert. We were definitely slacking on our jobs as dining reviewers, but I promise we will do better tomorrow.


NEXT UP: Breakfast at Kona Cafe

 

[TexasErin]

Still enjoying your reviews!

 

[EKW]

Disappointments – Steak not cooked as ordered

Would we Return? – Yes






Next Up: Breakfast at Sunshine Seasons

Disney is very lucky that there are forgiving people like you! If I'm paying over $40 for a small steak, it had better come cooked as ordered. I would send it back and insist one that had been prepared correctly...and I would not go back again. They're marking their meat up more by more than 300% more than you'd pay at the butcher...it needs to be beyond perfect to justify that price!

 

[jabead]

Still enjoying your reviews!

Thanks for continuing to follow along!

Disney is very lucky that there are forgiving people like you! If I'm paying over $40 for a small steak, it had better come cooked as ordered. I would send it back and insist one that had been prepared correctly...and I would not go back again. They're marking their meat up more by more than 300% more than you'd pay at the butcher...it needs to be beyond perfect to justify that price!

DH would probably agree with you. I doubt if I ever get him back to Shula's. As for me, I really, really enjoyed the french onion soup, mushrooms, etc. so would definitely consider going back to have these again. Not sure I would order steak again though.

 

[jabead]

DAY 5



BACKGROUND: Three out of my family of 5 have a very hard time getting up in the morning, and unfortunately I was with 2 of them on this trip. Getting them up extra early to have a table service breakfast and still make it to a park around opening time is a nearly impossible task. So, although there were actually 4 restaurants at which I wanted to have breakfast (The Wave, Kona Café, Grand Floridian Café, and Kouzzina) I knew that at the most, I might be able to talk my guys into getting up extra early on one morning of our trip. By the time we had left for this trip, I had narrowed down my choices to just two, Kouzzina and Kona Café. Despite having stayed at the Boardwalk (or the Boardwalk area) several times, we had never tried Kouzzina (went for breakfast once years ago when it was Spoodles). On the other hand, we have always loved the Polynesian resort and usually do a split stay but this was a shorter trip so I opted to stay in one place and chose the Boardwalk Inn. So I really wanted to spend some time at the Poly, even if it was just for breakfast. On my last trip, DD and I split the Big Kahuna at Kona Café and since she doesn’t like pancakes I got them all to myself and loved them.

From our May 2011 Trip - THE BIG KAHUNA
(French toast, Pancakes topped with Pineapple sauce and Macadamia Nut Butter, eggs, home fried potatoes, ham, bacon, and sausage)


However, shortly after that trip I found out here on the DIS that the pancakes included with The Big Kahuna were not the same as the Pineapple Macadamia Nut Pancakes listed on the menu. So now I was dying to try the real thing, as they sounded even better than the ones I had enjoyed so much. And so it was this desire to try the real Pineapple Macadamia Nut Pancakes that tipped the scales in favor of Kona Café. Would I regret my choice? Read my review to find out.


After getting up at the crack of dawn (or it seemed that way to my guys), we were at the Boardwalk bus stop somewhere around 7:15 a.m. With just a short wait for a bus to Magic Kingdom and a few other resort stops, we were on our way to the park. Once we got there, we hopped on the Resort Monorail and got off at the 3rd stop, the Polynesian Resort. So our travels to the Polynesian went pretty smoothly and we made it to the podium right on time for our 8:00…


BREAKFAST AT KONA CAFÉ

SHORT VERSION

Highlights - Pineapple Macadamia Nut Pancakes

Disappointments - Undercooked Eggs, MIA Server

Would we return? Yes (I would, anyway )



LONG VERSION

We were seated almost immediately and began our meal by ordering a glass of orange juice for DS and for DH and me…

100% Kona Coffee French Press Pot



Now of course, I didn’t need to look at a menu because I already knew what I was going to order. I did however hesitate for just a few seconds when I saw the card on our table that had their Seasonal Special listed, which was Pumpkin Pancakes. But darn it, I was there to try the Pineapple Macadamia Nut Pancakes and that is what I was going to have, no matter what! And so for your viewing pleasure, I present to you the...

Macadamia Pineapple Pancakes served with macadamia nut butter, pineapple sauce and your choice of ham, bacon or sausage (I chose sausage)


Oh my, these were SOOOO DELICIOUS! Mixing the nuts into the pancake batter instead of just having them in the butter topping made these pancakes even better. I also liked the sausages that I ordered as my side. I think I have found my new favorite Disney World breakfast!



And without any guidance from me, I was pleasantly surprised when DS ordered this…

Tonga Toast - banana stuffed sourdough bread, rolled in cinnamon sugar and served with Strawberry Compote and your choice of ham, bacon, or sausage (he chose bacon)


When he ordered this I had thoughts of stealing a few bites, but I was so happy with my pancakes and they were so filling that I completely forgot about DS’s Tonga Toast. Oh well, I have had this a few times before and although I like it, I like the pancakes even more. But the important thing is that DS liked it, as after all it was his breakfast, not mine. And I feel confident in saying that he did like it a lot because I distinctly remember that he ate every single bite. DS eats very little for breakfast if anything at all, so the fact that he cleaned his plate, pretty much says it all.



So we were two for two so far with this meal, but then we hit a bit of a stumbling block when DH ordered this…

The Somoan - poached eggs with Hollandaise served over smoked pulled pork hash (TAKE II)



As soon as our plates were delivered to our table, our server disappeared. When DH began eating I could tell from the look on his face that there was something wrong. The eggs were very undercooked; even the whites of the eggs were very slimy and runny. Although he rarely complains about his food, this time I convinced him pretty easily that the eggs should be sent back. However, this turned out to be somewhat of a problem, as our server was nowhere to be found. Finally we were able to get the attention of another server and DH explained the problem with his eggs. He brought them back to the kitchen and they were later returned by our server, who did apologize for his absence, etc.

I think DH did end up liking his breakfast the second time around, but with the minor hassles he had to endure I’m pretty sure that his overall level of enjoyment of this meal was not anywhere close to mine. In other words, I (and probably DS too) would give this breakfast top marks (well, for the food anyway ), but DH would probably say it was just okay…not really worth getting up so early.



NEXT UP: Our Last Visit to the Food & Wine Festival Booths

 

[GoBirds]

Thanks for the reviews! We're planning a trip for the 2012 F&W Festival (never been), and I'm searching for every F&W review I can find on these boards. Can't wait to read more!