New Dining at the PPH

[WebmasterMaryJo]

I'm probably the party pooper of the bunch but I welcome a buffet at DLR that's not a character meet and greet.
Just not into that sort of thing myself and they scare my developmentally disabled son.

I'm also fine with it not being a character meal, because then they'd almost certainly raise the price of it.

I agree with you guys. I enjoyed the buffet without the characters. People can always go to Goofy's Kitchen for dinner with characters.

 

[durantigger]

I seem to be late to this party. I just made a reservation to got to PCH Grill for my birthday for the Kitchen Sink. I assume that with the new buffet this massive ice cream sundae is no longer available??

 

[figment_jii]

As far as I know, they only had the buffet items (no more a la carte menu).

 

[durantigger]

Thanks. And boo! I only just learned of the Kitchen Sink and now it's gone!!

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

Thanks. And boo! I only just learned of the Kitchen Sink and now it's gone!!

I missed out, too. I never had it. But, we really liked the desserts that they had for the buffet, so there's that.

 

[Sherry E]

I can't believe the gigantic Kitchen Sink is gone!!!!! It was epic! And PCH Grill was the only place in DLR that served it (at that specific size, and with that many ingredients).

I don't mind a buffet that's not a character meal at all! Don't get me wrong -- I do enjoy character meals. But one problem I have with the more fast-paced character meals, where the characters keep coming to the table every minute, is that I can never truly enjoy my food. I can barely get a bite of it, and up walks another character. Then I have to quickly chew, swallow and wipe my hands so I don't get bacon grease on my camera. I had this issue at Surf's Up with Mickey (also at PCH Grill). There was great character interaction there, and the characters were very attentive, but I barely got to eat. I could never fully relax.

 

[DisneyJamieCA]

I can't believe the gigantic Kitchen Sink is gone!!!!! It was epic! And PCH Grill was the only place in DLR that served it (at that specific size, and with that many ingredients).

I don't mind a buffet that's not a character meal at all! Don't get me wrong -- I do enjoy character meals. But one problem I have with the more fast-paced characters meals, where the characters keep coming to the table every minute, is that I can never truly enjoy my food. I can barely get a bite of it, and up walks another character. Then I have to quickly chew, swallow and wipe my hands so I don't get bacon grease on my camera. I had this issue at Surf's Up with Mickey (also at PCH Grill). There was great character interaction there, and the characters were very attentive, but I barely got to eat. I could never fully relax.

When I said it would be awesome, I meant my kids would think so And I'd like another dinner alternative to Goofy's since we're not big breakfast eaters. That said, I'm with you. The character meals actually stress me out. I end up spending my entire time getting food for all the kids and feel like I barely eat and I miss a lot of what's going on. This also means I have to trust DH to help the kids get the autographs AND take a picture, which for whatever reason stumps him. My kids are old enough to go get food themselves, but then I stress that they won't be back in time to see a character! It always feels like a no win and I leave feeling stressed, rushed and sometimes even hungry!

It will be nice to enjoy a meal where I get to graze (my favorite way to eat) a variety of foods & desserts!

 

[Sherry E]

When I said it would be awesome, I meant my kids would think so And I'd like another dinner alternative to Goofy's since we're not big breakfast eaters. That said, I'm with you. The character meals actually stress me out. I end up spending my entire time getting food for all the kids and feel like I barely eat and I miss a lot of what's going on. This also means I have to trust DH to help the kids get the autographs AND take a picture, which for whatever reason stumps him. My kids are old enough to go get food themselves, but then I stress that they won't be back in time to see a character! It always feels like a no win and I leave feeling stressed, rushed and sometimes even hungry!

It will be nice to enjoy a meal where I get to graze (my favorite way to eat) a variety of foods & desserts!

Character meals -- as fun as they are -- can be stressful, for sure, for all the reasons you mentioned. It's hard to just sit back and relax, especially knowing that there is a time limit. There is always the potential of characters coming to the table when you're up getting food, and it's so frustrating when it happens! That was the good thing about the Storytellers menu option for breakfast (when it existed, which I guess it no longer does?? ). The menu items were not cheap, but at least you could stay planted in one spot and not risk missing a character visit!

 

[figment_jii]

That was the good thing about the Storytellers menu option for breakfast (when it existed, which I guess it no longer does?? ). The menu items were not cheap, but at least you could stay planted in one spot and not risk missing a character visit!

Storytellers did away with the a la carte breakfast menu, so it's buffet only at this point. I think the only time that you could order from a menu and still see the characters is those rare days when they extend the breakfast hours into lunch time. That happened to my family in May (Memorial Day Monday); we had lunch at Storytellers, but they had extended the breakfast buffet (and characters) until 1:30 pm. So guests dining there from 11:30 am until 1:30 pm had the choice of ordering from the lunch menu or the buffet. Other than those rare times, Storytellers is buffet only at breakfast and a la carte (without characters) at lunch time.

In terms of the timing, it might also depend on when you're dining there, how busy they are, and where they are in the character rotation. When I dined at Surf's Up, we actually waited quite a bit before the first character arrived. So everyone (adults and kids) were able to eat the first round of food from the buffet without interruption. It became a little more hectic once the characters arrived, but we found they were spaced enough apart that we could still eat between visits. It probably helped that the characters came to our table after they visited the table next to us, which had a fairly large group. So it meant we knew who was coming next and had time to prepare.

 

[DLR29]

I had the opportunity to try the new menu the other day, and I really enjoyed the food. The tri tip was delicious as was the shrimp scampi. And the dessert bar with the make-your-own s'mores was also tasty. They have 3 different kinds of marshmallows!

 

[elaine amj]

Their dessert bar is really fun - and all the selections are really good! There were tiny ice cream cones filled with some kind of mousse (really fun to eat tiny cones), pretty fruit kebabs, and the most scrumptious strawberry shortcakes. I did find the make your own smores a little messy and the kids never quite figured out how best to assemble and eat them. They reverted to munching on the ultra-yummy housemade marshmallows, occasionally dipping them in the chocolate sauce from the chocolate fountain.

 

[elaine amj]

I added more detailed thoughts on each dish in the main dining thread - My Disneyland dining reviews, with pictures

 

[cgh]

off topic- but I'm frustrated that storytellers' is no longer off the menu or buffet! I'm heading there alone with 2 kids and that was one of the highlights. (20 month old with food allergies, and 6 year old) I might have to rethink that...

 

[JadeDarkstar]

This place looks so good I hope its still there in dec.

My hubby and I looked at Figments review and as he said.
"If figment says its good it must be good."

 

[Sherry E]

I wonder if the theme of the buffet will change to reflect the seasons. The "Beach Side" theme fits the theme of the PCH Grill and the PPH in general, so they really could stick with it all year. But I wonder if some of the buffet items will be switched out for more fall-ish or winter-ish dishes?

 

[Zbugz]

My ds and I had the pleasure of eating at PCH Grill last Saturday night at 5:30. Overall we were very pleased with the experience. Here are some of the food items with comments:

Tri Tip - juicy, medium-rare but fairly plain
Pork Ribs - very good, a lot like the ones at BTRBBQ, and you could sauce them yourself with a couple of choices
Corn bread - cute little mini ones with balls of honey butter on the side, a lot like the ones at BTRBBQ, but not as moist due to size
Fried chicken - great flavor and moisture, but not crispy on the outside due to sitting under the heat lamp
Pork roast - my ds said it was good, but a little plain, the roasted carrots and onions alongside were very good and flavorful
Salmon - excellent, very moist, not overly seasoned
Fish tacos - a little rubbery due to the heat lamps, but had several interesting garnishes for topping them
Pickled deviled eggs - I loved these. They had a little jalapeno pepper slice for a garnish.
Regular deviled eggs
Mac n Cheese - Tasted a lot like homemade with cheddar, not the Velveeta type
Mac n Cheese with Shrimp
Clam Hash - This was another favorite with red potatoes, some kind of meat and juicy baby clams
Veggie Skewers - Nicely done zucchini, onion, tomato and mushroom
Green Beans with Caramelized Onions - very good, tender crisp with excellent onions
Caprese Salad - tomatoes, Kalamata? olives, tiny fresh mozzarella balls with a balsamic vinaigrette and basil - good
Potato Salad - my ds really liked this, I did not try it
Green Salad Bar
Bread - garlic, IIRC
Strawberry Shortcake - make your own, did not try
Haupia Pudding - Layered sweet mango puree and coconut "pudding" with a raspberry for a garnish - loved it
Chocolate Caramel Tart - wonderful, not too sweet, some kind of bacon garnish, I would've eaten more of this, but I was getting super full
Vanilla Mini Cone - Like sweetened whipped cream with orange? at the bottom of the cone, second favorite
Passion Fruit Mini Cone - Passion fruit flavored cream with mango? at the bottom
Strawberry Mini Cone - Strawberry flavored cream with strawberry? at the bottom and a chocolate garnish, my favorite of the three
Brioche Fruit Pizza - a lot like a Danish - not super exciting
Berry Cobbler - more like a crisp, there are better options
Fresh fruit skewers
Homemade marshmallows - strawberry, coconut (the best one) or vanilla - excellent!
Chocolate dipping sauce - Thick, rich and very good on the marshmallows or with the graham crackers
Choice of non-alcoholic drink - with a curly straw

I may have forgotten a couple of items. I think there was some kind of appetizer flatbread you could order, and one other thing that the chef could make on the spot. This buffet reminds me of a mini version of the one at Cape May Café at WDW. We loved it, and at $27 thought it was a bargain (for DL). We got a 10% discount with my Disney Visa. I hope this is successful and sticks around.

 

[DisneyloverinWA]

This look interesting. Thanks for sharing!

 

[courtneybeth]

I seem to be late to this party. I just made a reservation to got to PCH Grill for my birthday for the Kitchen Sink. I assume that with the new buffet this massive ice cream sundae is no longer available??

Oh no - I am so sorry to hear that. The Kitchen Sink was an amazing dessert. We stayed at PPH for my 30th birthday and hubs and I split a Kitchen Sink as our dinner. We only made it through half before we felt sick. It was such a fun experience... I am so sad that you won't get to enjoy it.

 

[GatorChris]

I'll be honest. I can't see a reason to go all the way over to PPH for a buffet dinner unless I'm staying there or at a hotel on that side of the parks. Shoot, going to Downtown is usually out of the question on a park day. Why add in all those extra steps for a meal? The only reason I'll got to DLH is for a character brunch. While the food options look good, and I love buffets, with PPH so far off the beaten path, will this really become a go-to place long term?

 

[Zbugz]

I'll be honest. I can't see a reason to go all the way over to PPH for a buffet dinner unless I'm staying there or at a hotel on that side of the parks. Shoot, going to Downtown is usually out of the question on a park day. Why add in all those extra steps for a meal? The only reason I'll got to DLH is for a character brunch. While the food options look good, and I love buffets, with PPH so far off the beaten path, will this really become a go-to place long term?

We took the monorail both there and back, so it really wasn't that much out of the way for us.