Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue
Fultons Crab
Jiko
Cinderellas Royal Table
Time to wrap things up-it has been way too long since I have posted and schoolwork has taken precedence over Disney-so sad, but true.
So here is the fast-fast version:
Hoop-Dee-Doo
Go to the late show if you are not a large family. Book really early and get what we got-the front row center table up against the stage-even on the Dining Plan. The food was hot, good, and fresh and drinks were never empty. The show is corny and campy and fun. We probably wont repeat this until we have kids, just because it is something we feel we have seen. The food was a nice diversion from Signature Restaurant Experience-like eating a picnic at home. The dessert was the low-light. Frozen strawberry shortcake is not a good idea, in my opinions. We ate it, though, because we paid for it. The beans were yummy, and had pieces of the rib meat from the night before in them to make smokey. The salad was much nicer than expected-it actually had grape tomatoes in it.
Jiko
Jiko still was understaffed in the dining room when I was there in November. My fiancées green beans were so lightly cooked that they were crunchy raw. My duck was undercooked, and I like mine medium-rare. I was hungry so I ate it, and sawed at it until it came apart. For me, the wild boar (cooked pink) appetizer was the best part of the meal. I gently told the server my comments when she asked and she started to get defensive when I suggested the duck and green beans could have been cooked more. She insisted it was cooked correctly and I pulled out the proverbial chef card-which she argued with, saying my perception of food was out of date because I was no longer practicing professionally. She asked me how long ago I was a chef, and I told her 18 months. So, she did take my comments to the chef, who finally conceded to the mistakes. I think the restaurant is great, but, just like other restaurants, there are always bad nights, and employees that need training.
Fultons Crab House
We had a table of 8 people-lots of relatives joined us here because my Florida relatives have been to and paid for the parks too many times. Fultons was yummy, charming and pricey. I had a soup and sandwich combo-Shrimp Po Boy and Creamy Clam Cowder, DF had the same. If you want a fried fish fix, my grandfather and great uncle got the Captains Platter. It looked fantastic, and there was not much left. This is a great respite from the parks.
Cinderellas Royal Table
Go to the castle to get your picture taken with the princesses. Take your little girls and they will be astonished. We got moldy grapes (we were given a fast pass & apology for the inconvenience and the food was not replaced) on the antipasto platter. Standard kids menu items is available. I liked my food (had the braised beef pie). Fiancée was not thrilled. Not worth two deluxe credits, maybe two regular dining credits). They cheap out on the food so they can afford princesses, photo packs and the give-aways, which are very cool. There are some surprises that I am not going to give away. Our magic wands, swords, and wishing stars will be at our Disney-themed wedding reception in Indiana.
Wrap up
It may be a while until we get to go back to WDW again-but that does not mean we didnt love it. We had great food and not so great food. Rising food prices and the dining plan are damaging the potential fabulousness of many of the restaurants. Still, we ate like kings, and my standards are extremely high. I dont know if we will get a dining plan again unless we are there for free dining. Too many things to try and my fiancée has a vastly smaller appetite and stomach capacity than I. There are days when I would have liked 2 appetizers and a sushi plate at California Grill rather than 3 courses. There are days when I would have liked a turkey leg for lunch. There are also days when I did not want to eat as much. This is not possible with the dining plans, and they now hold less and less value for a higher cost-just like the rest of our economy.
We plan to return for another trip when I am done with school. By then, the fantasyland expansion and the Be Our Guest restaurant will be finished. Woo-hoo.
Thank you for reading to the end.