No more filet mignons! - 8 days of DxDDP; 4/29 Best/Worst

[Mocharilla]

I agree with you about the chorizo and polenta appetizer--I love it! I went back to Le Cellier this year just to eat it again!

It was soooo good!

Great Le Cellier review.

We will be going to it for lunch in November.
That filet meal looked very good. I would get it like you...no mushrooms. From the picture, the mashed potatoes looked good. I'm weird about mashed potatoes. I don't like them chunky, but prefer nice and smooth...how where they at LC?

mmm....creme brulee....definitely planning on trying the Maple CB!

They were very smooth. I'm like you, no chunks. They were very well made, very smooth, very delicious.

Enjoying your update.

. I LOVE PRETZEL BREAD I WISH THE BREAD BASKET WAS JUST PRETZEL BREAD. I WONDER IF YOU CAN ASK FOR THAT? CAN YOU REQUEST MORE?

I never thought about that. I'm going to try next time!!

MMmmm I love poutine! But its weird to see it was Cheddar and not mozerella or mozerella cheese curds! But those drinks sure look yummy! Too bad on the poutine.. i always miss it when in the states and was hoping Le Cellier had good poutine oh well!

Yeah. We were so confused at the cheese. I was like, "This is not poutine." But, everything else was good.

That's funny...several trips ago we started doing just that...and they never have a problem with it. Their pretzle bread is one of my single most favorite foods at WDW. That and my daily Mickey Premium

That's good to know! I'm definitely doing it from now on.

Love your reviews!

I adore poutine too, but that doesn't look very good at all! My favorite poutine comes from KFC.

Yeah, it was weird. I've never tried it from KFC. Hmm...

Loving your report and reviews! Haven't done Le Cellier on the last few trips but after seeing your pics, we might have to on the next trip.

You should! It's very good. And well worth it if you're on the dining plan.

Alright. I'm going to type up Garden Grill now!

 

[Mocharilla]

After a very rainy afternoon in the showcase, it was time for Garden Grill. We were pretty excited because I'd heard it rotates over The Land stuff.

Yeah, it sucked. First of all, not at all what I was expecting for what we were rotating over. Second of all, we were on the second row, so we couldn't see anything anyways.

There was bread, though I didn't get a picture because Mickey was there, and then I blanked on it. The bread was pretty boring, and the butter tasted good, but had zero spreadability.

We started off with a salad:

It was okay, but really nothing special.

Then came the food:

The flank steak was good. They served it medium rare, although I'm sure you can ask for it otherwise. It could've really used more sauce, though. The potatoes were very good. The mahi-mahi was untouched, since neither of us really like it. The turkey was good, but the cranberry sauce was a little too thick. The stuffing had good flavor, but just not enough of it.

Then, the blueberry buckle:

It was good, but not like amazing good.

And, of course, the characters:

Yes, that's whipped cream on Pluto's mouth. I have no idea why it was there, but we informed him and helped him get it off.


Food - 6/10
It was okay, but nothing super good. And, although we were on the dining plan, it was in no way worth the out of pocket cost if you aren't on it.

Service - 7/10
Server's Name - Agnes
She got us stuff when we needed it, but she was really not into it. She did her job, but I felt she thought we were like a burden to her more than anything.

Atmosphere - 3/10
Couldn't see the stuff that was supposed to be special. We had a great view of a blank wall. Yay.

Overall Experience - 6/10
It was okay, but we probably won't be back. Wasn't the worst on the trip, just... nothing special. I felt really blah about this meal.


Total Cost of Food: $61.46

 

[DLo]

Great - we gave an adr for Garden Grill in Oct. We are meeting friends there so can't get out if it. Luckily, we have free dining so I won't be as upset when it is just ok. We will be in good company so maybe that will keep my mind off the food.!

 

[Pooh&OurHunny]

Thanks for the update on Garden Grill. This is the only dinner character meal we have attended. I want to go b/c my son loves Chip/Dale but I'm torn b/c there are so many good restaurant at Epcot. I guess we will try to include it in our December trip so I can cross it off (my husband laughs at me that I need to go to all character meal so I can get characters in different outfits, he said our son would not care since we never took him here). I'm not really crazy about the food selection but I guess we will try like LTT (thank goodness we did that one 2x b/c they don't offer characters there anymore... I really didn't enjoy my meal there but my son loved it (first time we went during halloween party so the character wore costumes and then my son wanted to return which I'm glad we did b/c they were dressed different again) so I was able to cross that character meal off my list. Loving your review.

 

[Me&3]

What cute pics you both look so very happy.

 

[PiperGirlInWondrland]

Great reviews! Why did they have to change the fried catfish at GG to Mahi Mahi?

 

[LilGMom]

Wow, hate to read the bad review on GG. The GG used to be one of our favorite character meals. We ate there for Thanksgiving one year (probably back in '05) and my in-laws still rave about it.

 

[PrincessSarah19]

Great dining report so far. Congrats on the marriage!

 

[kirs10paige]

Love reading your reviews.

Congrats on getting married!

 

[Mocharilla]

Great - we gave an adr for Garden Grill in Oct. We are meeting friends there so can't get out if it. Luckily, we have free dining so I won't be as upset when it is just ok. We will be in good company so maybe that will keep my mind off the food.!

lol, Sorry. Yeah, friends should keep it better. And it wasn't the worst. Just, okay.

Thanks for the update on Garden Grill. This is the only dinner character meal we have attended. I want to go b/c my son loves Chip/Dale but I'm torn b/c there are so many good restaurant at Epcot. I guess we will try to include it in our December trip so I can cross it off (my husband laughs at me that I need to go to all character meal so I can get characters in different outfits, he said our son would not care since we never took him here). I'm not really crazy about the food selection but I guess we will try like LTT (thank goodness we did that one 2x b/c they don't offer characters there anymore... I really didn't enjoy my meal there but my son loved it (first time we went during halloween party so the character wore costumes and then my son wanted to return which I'm glad we did b/c they were dressed different again) so I was able to cross that character meal off my list. Loving your review.

I totally get it about wanting to try all the ones for the pictures. I was kinda sad they got rid of the characters at LTT.

What cute pics you both look so very happy.

Thank you

Great reviews! Why did they have to change the fried catfish at GG to Mahi Mahi?

It was the "Sustainable catch of the day". So, it's like, they change what fish it is to whatever's in season. If it was catfish, my DH would've been all over that!

Wow, hate to read the bad review on GG. The GG used to be one of our favorite character meals. We ate there for Thanksgiving one year (probably back in '05) and my in-laws still rave about it.

That seems to be what I've been reading. It was really good a few years back. But, I don't know. Might've just been the day we went or something.

Great dining report so far. Congrats on the marriage!

Thank you!

Love reading your reviews.

Congrats on getting married!

Thank you!

 

[NuttyDisneyMom]

Next up was the scone and tart round.

Now, Nic is not a fan of scones at all, but even he loved this. Totally delicious. It was moist and the cream gave it a perfect very light sweetness. Wonderful. The raspberry tart was good, but nothing super special. Nothing like that scone. Mmmm....


And here's the fruit mousse, chocolate covered strawberry, and banana cake.

The fruit mousse was strawberry and mango. We thought it was very light and perfect. The chocolate covered strawberry was just that. But, we noticed it was well made. The chocolate actually stayed attached after a bite and didn't all fall off. The banana cake was by far our favorite. So delicious!!

OMGwarsh! We did afternoon tea for this first time this past April, me and my 2 DDs. It is now a MUST DO for us and we are doing it when we go this November. The Gardenview Blend Tea is our favorite...yummo! They introduced me to my newfound love of the Devonshire cream...WOW....and that Banana cake...the BEST ever! I ordered a glass slipper special dessert for my DD's 15th birthday while we have our tea in Nov and cannot wait to see the look on her face!

. I LOVE PRETZEL BREAD I WISH THE BREAD BASKET WAS JUST PRETZEL BREAD. I WONDER IF YOU CAN ASK FOR THAT? CAN YOU REQUEST MORE?

We asked for just the pretzel bread and it was not a problem...plus we got as much as we could hold!!!

 

[Mocharilla]

OMGwarsh! We did afternoon tea for this first time this past April, me and my 2 DDs. It is now a MUST DO for us and we are doing it when we go this November. The Gardenview Blend Tea is our favorite...yummo! They introduced me to my newfound love of the Devonshire cream...WOW....and that Banana cake...the BEST ever! I ordered a glass slipper special dessert for my DD's 15th birthday while we have our tea in Nov and cannot wait to see the look on her face!



We asked for just the pretzel bread and it was not a problem...plus we got as much as we could hold!!!

I'm super upset that you were able to order the special dessert.

I called EVERYWHERE, and no one helped. I called the restaurant, the hotel, the bakery, the florist, the dining line, and everyone told me to call a different place. They kept acting like it didn't even exist.

I was really sad.

How did you do it?!

 

[Mocharilla]

We started off our Magic Kingdom day with Kona Cafe.

We got Lilikoi juice to start. Nic loves passion orange guava juice we have here at MSU, and so he loved the Lilikoi. It was thicker than I was expecting, but good.

I got the Big Kahuna:

Holy crap, those pancakes. Moist, sweet, wonderful, delicious. My pancakes just do not compare. The french toast, though, was nothing too special. The ham was good but super fatty. The bacon was good. Not typical Disney buffet bacon. The sausage was really good but greasy. The eggs were a little watery for my taste, but otherwise, good. And the potatoes were pretty good.

Nic got the fruit cup:

We love the presentation! The fruit was so good, fresh, and juicy. The banana bread was delicious, too.

They brought us out this special dessert:

I'm not exactly sure what it was... They were like puff pasty with this weird thick smooth cream on top. We only took a bite each because we were in a hurry to get to the MK. The cream was good, but the pastry was super dry.

Food - 9/10
Most everything was perfect, but a few things were just okay, so, only a 9.

Service - 7/10
Server's Name - Beverly
She was fine until the later part of dinner. She disappeared and we wanted our check, and then it took her quite a while after she took our card.

Atmosphere - 7/10
I love the Polynesian atmosphere, but at the same time, there's not much of an atmosphere to the restaurant itself. And, it's a little cramped.

Overall Experience - 8/10
We love Kona. It's our favorite breakfast. It was a must-do before this trip, and will stay as such.


Total Cost of Food: $27.09

 

[LilGMom]

So happy to read your good review of the Kona breakfast!! Despite saying, during every trip, that we should give the Kona breakfast a try we never do. We have it planned for our next trip and I'm almost giddy. Gotta have Kona for dinner so now we'll be having it for a dinner and a breakfast.

 

[Mocharilla]

So happy to read your good review of the Kona breakfast!! Despite saying, during every trip, that we should give the Kona breakfast a try we never do. We have it planned for our next trip and I'm almost giddy. Gotta have Kona for dinner so now we'll be having it for a dinner and a breakfast.

We love Kona for breakfast!! We had it for dinner, too. It'll be not in this one I'm about to post, but the next update.

 

[Mocharilla]

After a full and fun morning, it was time for Liberty Tree Tavern.

I, of course, started with the Tavern Fried Cheese:

It was good. The longer sticks were just plain mozzarella sticks, but they were still good. Those little pieces are DELICIOUS though. Holy crap. So good.

Nic ordered the Beef and Vegetable Soup:

He said it was very yummy. It was nice and hearty and not too brothy like a lot of soups. Mostly good stuff with enough broth it add to it without overpowering.

We both got the Pot Roast:

It was SUPER delicious. So tender, not much fat at all, and able to be cut with a fork. SO good. I wish mine turned out like this. The potatos, on the other hand, were a bit boring. But, then again, we were kinda subconciously comparing to LeCe's cream cheese potatos.

I ordered one of, if not THE best desserts of the trip. The Toffee Cake:

HO. LY. CRAP. SO GOOD. Oh, it was like toffee cookie dough that was warm with some vanilla ice cream. Oh my goodness. It was so heavenly. I can't say enough good things about it. I will go back to the restaurant if only for this.

Nic ordered the "Triple" chocolate brownie:

Now, this was good, don't get me wrong. BUT, we were told it was milk, dark, and white chocolates. All we tasted was the milk chocolate. Just tasted like a regular brownie. But, still good. Just, not what we were expecting.

Food - 9/10
It was all pretty good. We'll probably be back.

Service - 7/10
Server's Name - Sandy
Was perfectly fine, but a little slow and was rarely the one who actually interacted with us.

Atmosphere - 6/10
I don't know. We were cramped, and our view was of the area with the silverware and stuff. Heh. Wasn't a counter service, but not really a good atmosphere.

Overall Experience - 7/10
The food was so good, and we enjoyed ourselves. But, the atmosphere wasn't the best, plus kinda weird service.


Total Cost of Food: $66.71

 

[LilGMom]

You seem to be eating at a good number of the same restaurants that we are going to eat at in December. Love your review of LTT!! We've eaten there for dinner but never lunch and I was eye-balling that Toffee Cake. Now I know that I need that!!!

 

[creativeamanda]

We were debating the whole LTT lunch/dinner thing. Since dh can get turkey for lunch, and I want that toffee cake, I think lunch won! Thanks for those pictures!

 

[LLLBelle]

Love your reviews so far.

 

[livinlife25]

Loved reading your reviews, just checking to see if you were coming bacK?