Reviews Ohana, Brown Derby, Mama Melrose -- good; Tony's -- bad; several more

slcmkh

Mouseketeer
Joined
Dec 24, 2005
Here are a few brief reviews on TS meals on our recent 2 week vacation. We are a family of six: mom, dad, sons 18, 15, 11 and daughter, 9. We were on the dining plan and would not have eaten out at so many TS restaurants had we not been. We enjoy dining out, but don't consider ourselves experts on fine dining. However, we know bad food and bad service when we experience it. Frankly there was very little of either, and we really enjoyed the majority of our dining experiences.

Ohana:

The new menu was different from the old, but no complaints at all here. As always, the food was plentiful. We really enjoyed the peel and eat shrimp, and found it much more flavorful and less dry than the previous skewered shrimp. The potatoes, whether authentic Polynesion or not, were excellent and a nice compliment to the meal. The skewered steak, turkey, pork and sausage were all good to excellent. The new desert was delicious, even on full stomachs, and my teenagers talked about "bananas foster sauce" for the rest of the vacation. The service was just a bit slow, but that is a good thing at Ohana, so one can enjoy the meal and pace oneself. The pause before desert was actually advantageous in that regard. Great meal. We'll go every vacation.


Liberty Tree Tavern (lunch):

My wife refered to this as "comfort food" and it was. Good salads and apps, the roast beef was excellent, the turkey meal was very palatable, and the sandwiches were tasty. The desserts were good as well. Good service. We'll go back, although maybe not every vacation -- just when we need a lunch at MK.


Tony's (Dinner)

Far and away the worst meal of the vacation. We had eaten there several times for lunch, and it was decent, and a good way to get out of the heat. However, this dinner was really bad, even though we tried to go in with open minds, given all the bad reviews we see on these threads. My wife had the Chicken Florentine was completely unpalatable, breaded and deep fried and greasy and heavy and just... nasty. I usually don't find any out to eat meals really inedible, but I tried a bite of this and it was close. My son had the steak, which was okay, and my other son had the salmon, which wasn't bad. I had the pork shank which, while it was tender pull off the bone meat and flavorful, came swimming in a marsala sauce that was heavy and just not very tasty. The service was good here, but we won't be returning to Tony's any time soon, if ever.


Spoodles

This was a very good meal, with the service among the most attentive we experiences on our vacation. The server really assisted us with maximizing the use of our dining plan credits. The shrimp appetizer was the most flavorful shrimp I've ever had. The lamb kefka was a bit gamey, and refered to by my kids as "lamburger" because it looked like ground beef patties. All the entrees were very good, including the steak, salmon, and pasta dishes. The seafood stew overwhelmed my son a bit, and I didn't try it. No other complaints. Delicious deserts. We'll return here, especially if we're on the dining plan.


LeCellier (dinner)

This was a good meal, although a later dinner at the Yachtsman Steak House was much better. My son tried the mushroom filet and found the mushroom risotto to be very heavy but not unpalatable. I tried a taste and was glad I didn't order it. I shared the filet with barbecue sauce with my 11 year old, primarily because he likes barbecue sauce on steak and I figured what the heck, give it a go. The filet was very good. My son loved the barbecue sauce, although I thought it a bit sacreligious to put such on a filet. My other son had the chicken and really liked it, and he's not much of a chicken eater at home. I tried a little and it was also very good. Excellent service. We'll go back, although probably not next vacation, and for dinner only if we're on the dining plan. We would try it there OOP at lunch, as that is less expensive.


Mama Melrose (lunch)

This is a family favorite to get out of the heat at lunch time, and it did not disappoint. Very good service. My tuna was excellent, and my wife really enjoyed the wood grilled shrimp. The kids also enjoyed their meals uniformly. We'll go back next vacation if we need a lunch at MGM. This is a very reliable restaurant and we've never had a bad meal there.


Brown Derby (dinner)

Another excellent meal. Excellent service. We enjoyed the apps, including the tortilla soup (son), and the scallops (wife and I). The entrees were delicious, including filet (my 11 year old and I shared), the chicken, and the pork rib chop. Desserts were also excellent. Again, we'll go back next vacation, lunch if OOP, dinner if dining plan. This was a 2 TS meal and worth the credits on the dining plan for dinner (we paid OOP for the child meal), but would OOP for lunch.


San Angel Inn (lunch)

Our experience here wasn't bad, but we were there primarily for the atmosphere for the kids. The food was okay, but we probably won't go back, because we can get better Mexican food close to home and the novelty of the atmosphere has just about worn off after two or three meals there in the last five years or so. The service was attentive, thought water glasses remained half full to empty for longer than we expect.


Flying Fish Cafe

Our best meal of the vacation. It is apparent that the chef there knows fish and the accompaniments with my wife's halibut, my son's swordfish, and my entree were very different but unbelievably delicious. The younger kids enjoyed there meals as well, and desert was spectacular. The service was excellent. This is a must go back on the dining plan and probably go back and just deal with the expense if OOP.


Yacht Club Galley (dinner)

This was a good meal. Needed to use some dining plan credits and chose here due to proximity to BWV. The service was a little slow (server was "earning her ears") but the food was very good and reasonably priced. I had the seafood pasta and it was loaded with seafood. I took half home and ate it the next day. Was still full after only half the entree, and it tasted as good or better warmed up for lunch the next day. My wife had the portobello mushroom salad and loved it. We'll go back to this place, although maybe not every vacation.


Princess breakfast at Akershus

Food wasn't bad. Good service. The princess interactions were uniformly pleasant and my daughter loved it. They took time for autographs and pictures with several poses, and interacted with us in an unrushed fashion. We saw Aurora, Snow White, Mulan and Jasmine at the table, and there was a photo op with Belle in the foyer when we arrived. They tried to push a $30 photo package on us with the Belle photo op, came around with the printed product while we were eating. We thought this a little tacky and declined. I'm thinking the photo ought to be included at the price required to eat there. However, they had no problem with us taking our own photos during the op, and that will do for us.


Coral Reef (dinner)

This was mediocre but not terrible. We had virtually NO VIEW of the tank as we were seated in the back of the restaurant. The food was decent, though no comparison at all to Flying Fish. The service was painfully slow, but the server was pleasant and apologetic, and it wasn't really her fault. It took about 45 minutes just to be seated. It was 2 1/2 hours from our arrival time (on time) until we completed our meal. A disappointing use of park time, to my way of thinking. We won't be going back any time soon and wouldn't go to dinner there unless on the dining plan. We have had lunch there OOP on several occasions and might do it againk although we'll make our ADR for right when it opens, both to get a better seat and reduce that unbelievable wait and slow service time.


Yachtsman Steak House

This rivaled Flying Fish for our best meal (with Ohana and Brown Derby a close third and fourth). Excellent and attentive service. There were delicious appetizers all around, including the shrimp cocktail, the scallops and the lobster bisque. The beef, of course, was uniformly to die for -- my son's filet was very good, my ribeye was among the best I've had, and my wife and son's prime rib was thick and juicy and cut with a fork. My other son had chicken (again) and really enjoyed it. My daughter had a hot dog (go figure) and didn't like the dark grill marks (oh well).


1900 Park Fare (dinner)

Great character interactions, although Cinderella seemed rushed, as though she was trained to be a precious commodity. Prince Charming was very attentive to my daughter and very pleasant. The mice were great. The food was excellent for a buffet. Nothing terrible and numerous excellent choices, salads, entrees, sides and deserts.


Cape May Cafe (breakfast)

Standard breakfast fare, not bad. Goofy was hilarious and worth the time spent. (Although the price was much more tolerable because we were on the dining plan.) Minnie Mouse was very gracious and played tic-tac-toe with my daughter on the paper table cloth, and also helped her to embellish a picture she was drawing on the table cloth when Minnie arrived.


That's it. We had a great time. Sorry for the long post.
 
Thank you for the review! I always love detailed ones, and I think you've convinced me to try the Yachtsman Steakhouse on our next trip in December. It sounds great!
 
Enjoyed reading your reviews ~ Thanx for sharing.
 
Thanks for the great reviews. We will be eating at O'hanas for the first time in December so glad you enjoyed it so much. :)
 


excellent reviews... thanks for sharing!!!

i'm reallllly torn between yachtsman and artist point for our signature meal... but reviews like yours are helping me decide!
 
Don't apologize for the long post -- details, we want details!! :thumbsup2 Thanks for the reviews, you gave great info.
 
Great reviews..Question tho..I thought Coral Reef had stadium seating (per disney web site) so that there isnt a bad view at any table.. Where were you seated?
 


You said that 'Ohana had changed. I've never been, so I'm not worried about being disappointed. I do have a question, though. What kind of "sides" and non-meat dishes are served? (Basically, what besides the skewers do we get?) I've seen pictures of rice, chicken wings, etc. Are they still served? Also, is it all still family-style? Thanks!

(My family makes fun of me for asking too many questions all the time - Sorry!)
 
Thanks for the great reviews. We love the new Ohana menu too but I don't like the dessert. I miss the Pineapple. Oh well...can't wait to eat there again!!! :cool1:

Beth
 
Thank you for sharing your dining experience - mmmmmmmmm did somebody say banana foster sauce :rotfl: yummy!
 
sistertrip said:
You said that 'Ohana had changed. I've never been, so I'm not worried about being disappointed. I do have a question, though. What kind of "sides" and non-meat dishes are served? (Basically, what besides the skewers do we get?) I've seen pictures of rice, chicken wings, etc. Are they still served? Also, is it all still family-style? Thanks!

(My family makes fun of me for asking too many questions all the time - Sorry!)


If you go to http://www.allearsnet.com/menu/menu_oh.htm you can see the current menu. The stir fry vegetables were also very good, as were the chicken wings. We really enjoyed the entire meal, and if there is anything you particularly like, just ask the server and they will be happy to bring you another portion. It is still family style, and I don't think you'll be disappointed.

No such things as "too many questions" when it comes to Disney or Disney dining.
 
bluejasmine said:
Great reviews..Question tho..I thought Coral Reef had stadium seating (per disney web site) so that there isnt a bad view at any table.. Where were you seated?


The seating is sort of stadium style. However, the last row of seats only has a partial view of the tank, obscured by another row in at the same level in front of the last row. We could see okay, although partially obstructed, but our little girl really couldn't see the tank well at all. Our solution was to sit her at the back side of the booth and allow her to sit on the top of the booth bench back rest with her back against the wall. There was no place for her to fall from there and that allowed her to periodically see the tank fairly well if she chose to do so. This helped the situation, and none of the servers said anything about it.
 
tinkerbeth said:
Thanks for the great reviews. We love the new Ohana menu too but I don't like the dessert. I miss the Pineapple. Oh well...can't wait to eat there again!!! :cool1:

Beth


My family is still talking about the new dessert over two weeks after the meal there. It was a big hit with us.
 
Thanks to all for your kind replies. Sure makes it worth the time it took to write out the reviews.

I'm noticing a few typos as I review my original post. Jet lag, I guess. Thanks for your understanding. And again, thanks for your pleasant replies.
 
Thanks for the reviews about what I expected. I've tried everything you reviewed except Coral Reef and Tony's (both of which I still have no intention to try) and Cape May, 1900, and Mama Melrose which I am going to in November. Can't wait!
 
Thanks! I have also had a less than stellar meal at Tony's and won't return for dinner. I ordered the safest possible option, Chicken Parm, and it was still bad. I have had better frozen meals.

I am looking forward to Ohana this trip. I went 7 years ago and they had the "old" menu.
 

GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!






Top