TxRabbit
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Feb 19, 2007
Thanks for the info!
I'll have to see if I can find that here in Houston. I'm always looking for new noodles to send to school for lunchtime.
We ate here, there, and back to here...8/19 to 8/25 from Beach Club on DDP complete
- Thread starter TxRabbit
- Start date
Thanks for the info!
I'll have to see if I can find that here in Houston. I'm always looking for new noodles to send to school for lunchtime.
TxRabbit
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Feb 19, 2007
Writing this review is SOOooo helping the post vacation blues...I am so glad to get your positive feedback. Thanks one and all...on to the review...
Again, I had some TS credits to burn and our schedule was pretty full through the rest of the week. This combined with the fact that CS breakfast doesn't really exist around the YC/BC (not for my meat lovin' DS anyway) made the Yacht Club Galley ideal for a nice breakfast meal. I called the night before to assure that there would be availability, but really, I didn't need to.
When we arrived at the YCG, it was almost empty. I would say that easily half of the guests there were business people. So, again, a quiet, calm meal. Do we sense a trend here?
Although the Galley has a full breakfast menu, we all opted for the buffet.
The buffet area is in a separate room at the Galley. The room itself is rather small and would be cramped if there were more people there. As it was, there was no line, and virtually no one else in the room every time we went up to the buffet.
It has many of the same offerings as the Cape May Cafe. The cold offerings include honeydew, watermelon, canteloupe, red grapes, cottage cheese, yogurt on one side and bagels and all the fixings (including smoked salmon) on the other side. The hot offerings included bacon, sausage, scrambled eggs, an "omelet" (scrambled eggs mixed with what would be the filling of an omelet, again, typical, stuff. There were pancakes here that I don't recall seeing at CMC. I also saw oatmeal with several toppings...and I remember seeing this at CMC too.
Here's what DS ate, pretty self explanatory
Here's my first plate
Again, pretty self explanatory. The fruit was fresh, ripe, and not overly ripe. The eggs were the omelet eggs with cheese, mushrooms, and maybe something else. The potatoes were different from CMC, fried up with some onion and peppers, and not salty at all. DH didn't care for them, but I liked them. The bacon was crisp. Yay!
Check out the size of the orange juice! Yeow.
And I really bring this to your attention here, because I learned a lesson at this breakfast. Apparently the orange juice was included in the buffet. We still could have ordered another drink because that oj was technically part of our entree. So, if you want a cappaccino or a smoothie, you could have one with the buffet. Unfortunately, we didn't ask about the coffee until too late. Our server had rung up our order and closed it out and couldn't add the coffee request to it.
My second plate
I am really, REALLY picky about my watermelon. I have to admit that everywhere we went that had watermelon, it didn't look good. It looked like grainy watermelon.
I finally broke down and tried some, and was much better than it looked. Not the best, but I could eat it. After the cheese blintz at CMC, I was thrilled to try it here. Not bad. But not nearly as good as CMC. Here, it was offered with stewed apples and raisins...a kind of cinnamony thing going on. Okay. But by comparison...
DH's second plate
The pancakes were good. The syrup is self dispense from a heated coffee like container. Yum.
All in all. Another fine meal. Nothing special, but it certainly got the job done and filled us up for an active morning at Epcot. A calm start to another people filled day in the World.
The server was almost shocked when I said yes, use meal credits. For breakfast, really? Yes, really. As far as getting your money's worth for TS, I understand the reluctance to use credits for breakfast, because it is about half the cost of lunches and dinner. But, I needed to use my credits or lose them, so it made sense for us.
Coming up next...lunches at Yakitori House and Tangierine Cafe...
Again, I had some TS credits to burn and our schedule was pretty full through the rest of the week. This combined with the fact that CS breakfast doesn't really exist around the YC/BC (not for my meat lovin' DS anyway) made the Yacht Club Galley ideal for a nice breakfast meal. I called the night before to assure that there would be availability, but really, I didn't need to.
When we arrived at the YCG, it was almost empty. I would say that easily half of the guests there were business people. So, again, a quiet, calm meal. Do we sense a trend here?
Although the Galley has a full breakfast menu, we all opted for the buffet.
The buffet area is in a separate room at the Galley. The room itself is rather small and would be cramped if there were more people there. As it was, there was no line, and virtually no one else in the room every time we went up to the buffet.
It has many of the same offerings as the Cape May Cafe. The cold offerings include honeydew, watermelon, canteloupe, red grapes, cottage cheese, yogurt on one side and bagels and all the fixings (including smoked salmon) on the other side. The hot offerings included bacon, sausage, scrambled eggs, an "omelet" (scrambled eggs mixed with what would be the filling of an omelet, again, typical, stuff. There were pancakes here that I don't recall seeing at CMC. I also saw oatmeal with several toppings...and I remember seeing this at CMC too.
Here's what DS ate, pretty self explanatory
Here's my first plate
Again, pretty self explanatory. The fruit was fresh, ripe, and not overly ripe. The eggs were the omelet eggs with cheese, mushrooms, and maybe something else. The potatoes were different from CMC, fried up with some onion and peppers, and not salty at all. DH didn't care for them, but I liked them. The bacon was crisp. Yay!
Check out the size of the orange juice! Yeow.
And I really bring this to your attention here, because I learned a lesson at this breakfast. Apparently the orange juice was included in the buffet. We still could have ordered another drink because that oj was technically part of our entree. So, if you want a cappaccino or a smoothie, you could have one with the buffet. Unfortunately, we didn't ask about the coffee until too late. Our server had rung up our order and closed it out and couldn't add the coffee request to it.
My second plate
I am really, REALLY picky about my watermelon. I have to admit that everywhere we went that had watermelon, it didn't look good. It looked like grainy watermelon.
I finally broke down and tried some, and was much better than it looked. Not the best, but I could eat it. After the cheese blintz at CMC, I was thrilled to try it here. Not bad. But not nearly as good as CMC. Here, it was offered with stewed apples and raisins...a kind of cinnamony thing going on. Okay. But by comparison...DH's second plate
The pancakes were good. The syrup is self dispense from a heated coffee like container. Yum.
All in all. Another fine meal. Nothing special, but it certainly got the job done and filled us up for an active morning at Epcot. A calm start to another people filled day in the World.
The server was almost shocked when I said yes, use meal credits. For breakfast, really? Yes, really. As far as getting your money's worth for TS, I understand the reluctance to use credits for breakfast, because it is about half the cost of lunches and dinner. But, I needed to use my credits or lose them, so it made sense for us.
Coming up next...lunches at Yakitori House and Tangierine Cafe...
TxRabbit
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Feb 19, 2007
I forgot to mention that our breakfast was at 8:00 am. We were ready for some lunch after noon. I knew exactly where to take DS to get one of his favorites...
Yakitori House
This is a beautiful restaurant...keeping in mind that it is a CS restaurant. A greeter at the door opened it for us and bowed and welcomed us to the restaurant. It is full of light, because all the exterior walls are windows. The ceiling is a cathedral ceiling with a wood treatment on it...very natural feeling inside. And something about the Zen atmosphere just keeps everyone's voices down. There are about 15 tables inside, give or take. The ordering counter is small by comparison and set back slightly from the dining room.
The patio dining also looked very pleasant
tucked away from the "street side" of Epcot, surrounded by trees and other vegetation, and with a soothing waterfall bordering one side...I love that sound. See those tall rock formations in the back and to the left...it's hard with the shadows. If I hadn't needed a/c so badly, it would have been quite enjoyable to sit outside. The restrooms are accessed through this patio, adjacent to the building.
I ordered DS an adult meal here, because DH and I were splitting our lunch meal at Tangierine Cafe later. DS had Teriyaki Chicken - Chicken thigh served with teriyaki sauce and steamed rice.
The portions here were large. The teriyaki sauce was very good, not too sweet, as some American ones can be. DS is quite the connoisseur of teriyaki chicken as it is one of his favs...and this was top notch...juicy chicken with lots of sauce to rub the chicken around in before each bite. The rice had to be jasmine rice and it was very good. The little red things on the napkin are ginger shreds. They were on the rice. The adults enjoyed combining the ginger and rice bites.
Dessert was Ginger Cake - Sponge cake with ginger flavored icing
Sorry about the focus...I asked, and it is the same cake served at Teppanyaki, which we ate at last trip. It was a winner then, and still is. DS pretty much just eats icing or frosting. He enjoyed it...and we enjoyed the moist spongy cake. Very good.
I ordered the iced green tea for the drink...which I drank...and got glasses of ice water DS and DH. The iced green tea looks a lot more potent than it is. It looks very green, but it has a mild taste. Alas, no free refills.
And then we sauntered over to Tangierine Cafe...
Yakitori House
This is a beautiful restaurant...keeping in mind that it is a CS restaurant. A greeter at the door opened it for us and bowed and welcomed us to the restaurant. It is full of light, because all the exterior walls are windows. The ceiling is a cathedral ceiling with a wood treatment on it...very natural feeling inside. And something about the Zen atmosphere just keeps everyone's voices down. There are about 15 tables inside, give or take. The ordering counter is small by comparison and set back slightly from the dining room.
The patio dining also looked very pleasant
tucked away from the "street side" of Epcot, surrounded by trees and other vegetation, and with a soothing waterfall bordering one side...I love that sound. See those tall rock formations in the back and to the left...it's hard with the shadows. If I hadn't needed a/c so badly, it would have been quite enjoyable to sit outside. The restrooms are accessed through this patio, adjacent to the building.
I ordered DS an adult meal here, because DH and I were splitting our lunch meal at Tangierine Cafe later. DS had Teriyaki Chicken - Chicken thigh served with teriyaki sauce and steamed rice.
The portions here were large. The teriyaki sauce was very good, not too sweet, as some American ones can be. DS is quite the connoisseur of teriyaki chicken as it is one of his favs...and this was top notch...juicy chicken with lots of sauce to rub the chicken around in before each bite. The rice had to be jasmine rice and it was very good. The little red things on the napkin are ginger shreds. They were on the rice. The adults enjoyed combining the ginger and rice bites.
Dessert was Ginger Cake - Sponge cake with ginger flavored icing
Sorry about the focus...I asked, and it is the same cake served at Teppanyaki, which we ate at last trip. It was a winner then, and still is. DS pretty much just eats icing or frosting. He enjoyed it...and we enjoyed the moist spongy cake. Very good.
I ordered the iced green tea for the drink...which I drank...and got glasses of ice water DS and DH. The iced green tea looks a lot more potent than it is. It looks very green, but it has a mild taste. Alas, no free refills.
And then we sauntered over to Tangierine Cafe...
TxRabbit
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Feb 19, 2007
I know...we're wacky...but I really wanted to eat here...and I wasn't sure DS would like it...and I knew he would like Japan...whatever...
Tangierine Cafe has two rooms...one where you order your food...the counter is HUGE and they have all of the menu items on display on one side. They are premade plates wrapped in plastic under the glass counter. So you see exactly what you are going to get. They make your food right in front of you, it is an open kitchen. Inside this room is the majority of indoor seating. If I recall, they were iron chairs and tables.
The room felt dark.
The second room is very small and is at the entrance to the restaurant from the "street" of Epcot. There are four booths in this room. It is bright and light and there was only one other family there. It was quite secluded feeling, but you could watch the action through the doorways...You guessed it, DH and DS sat there while I ordered
I was the only customer there, walked right up and ordered Shawarma Chicken and Lamb Platter - Served with side of hummus, Tabouleh and a Tangierine Couscous salad with fresh Morrocan bread.
Heeeelllooo shawarma platter!
This was good. So good. I understand why people rave about this on the boards...because it's GOOD! I saw a seasoning packet for shawarma for sale in one of the stores later, which I almost bought, and I noticed that the meat is supposed to marinate for at least one hour. I don't know if it is the marinating process or some sort of tenderizing treatment that they do to the meat, but seriously, the lamb and the chicken are both kind of spongy, for lack of a better word. So the texture is unusual, but not unpleasant...it makes for very tender meat. The flavor is really good...the onions and cilantro? (I can't remember) and sauce are FANTASTIC. DH and I both liked the lamb better than chicken.
The bread was light and fluffy and yummy. I spread the hummus, tasty, on my half of the bread. Oh...from left to right across the top of the plate...hummus, tabouleh, and couscous salad. The tabouleh is more traditional from my understanding of the salad...the parsley is the main ingredient, not the grain...it is fresh and flavorful...I was happy to split it, because I don't think I would want to eat that much of it. The couscous salad was the best side. It had chickpeas (aka garbonzo beans) and peppers? (I can't remember all the ingredients) but the dressing was so good. It was perfect on a hot day. I really liked it and was sorry to have to split it...ditto for DH. We could have asked for two couscous servings and no tabouleh, although it was all good really, and I recommend you try them all to see what you like best.
Baklava was the only dessert option on the DDP, which was fine, I didn't really look at the other offerings, so I don't know what we may have missed. It was sticky and sweet, just like most other baklava I have ever tried. It was fine to split. My sweet tooth isn't that big and the platter was. DH and I both left feeling satisfied and not stuffed.
DH and I can eat fast
so it wasn't long before we were on our way again...
There is an outside patio to the right of the building as you look at it from the street. The patio is covered with ceiling fans, if I remember correctly. It would be a nice place to sit and people watch if it weren't so hot outside.
Coming up next is San Angel Inn dinner...
Tangierine Cafe has two rooms...one where you order your food...the counter is HUGE and they have all of the menu items on display on one side. They are premade plates wrapped in plastic under the glass counter. So you see exactly what you are going to get. They make your food right in front of you, it is an open kitchen. Inside this room is the majority of indoor seating. If I recall, they were iron chairs and tables.
The room felt dark. The second room is very small and is at the entrance to the restaurant from the "street" of Epcot. There are four booths in this room. It is bright and light and there was only one other family there. It was quite secluded feeling, but you could watch the action through the doorways...You guessed it, DH and DS sat there while I ordered
I was the only customer there, walked right up and ordered Shawarma Chicken and Lamb Platter - Served with side of hummus, Tabouleh and a Tangierine Couscous salad with fresh Morrocan bread.
Heeeelllooo shawarma platter!
This was good. So good. I understand why people rave about this on the boards...because it's GOOD! I saw a seasoning packet for shawarma for sale in one of the stores later, which I almost bought, and I noticed that the meat is supposed to marinate for at least one hour. I don't know if it is the marinating process or some sort of tenderizing treatment that they do to the meat, but seriously, the lamb and the chicken are both kind of spongy, for lack of a better word. So the texture is unusual, but not unpleasant...it makes for very tender meat. The flavor is really good...the onions and cilantro? (I can't remember) and sauce are FANTASTIC. DH and I both liked the lamb better than chicken.The bread was light and fluffy and yummy. I spread the hummus, tasty, on my half of the bread. Oh...from left to right across the top of the plate...hummus, tabouleh, and couscous salad. The tabouleh is more traditional from my understanding of the salad...the parsley is the main ingredient, not the grain...it is fresh and flavorful...I was happy to split it, because I don't think I would want to eat that much of it. The couscous salad was the best side. It had chickpeas (aka garbonzo beans) and peppers? (I can't remember all the ingredients) but the dressing was so good. It was perfect on a hot day. I really liked it and was sorry to have to split it...ditto for DH. We could have asked for two couscous servings and no tabouleh, although it was all good really, and I recommend you try them all to see what you like best.
Baklava was the only dessert option on the DDP, which was fine, I didn't really look at the other offerings, so I don't know what we may have missed. It was sticky and sweet, just like most other baklava I have ever tried. It was fine to split. My sweet tooth isn't that big and the platter was. DH and I both left feeling satisfied and not stuffed.
DH and I can eat fast
so it wasn't long before we were on our way again...There is an outside patio to the right of the building as you look at it from the street. The patio is covered with ceiling fans, if I remember correctly. It would be a nice place to sit and people watch if it weren't so hot outside.
Coming up next is San Angel Inn dinner...
fernifamily
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- Jun 6, 2005
Great Reviews. We are planning to go in April and will definetly to some character meals.
irongirlof12
<font color=blue><marquee>Am I the only one who lo
- Joined
- Nov 3, 2006
TxRabbit
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Feb 19, 2007
Our ADRs were for 6:25 pm. We arrived slightly early and were seated quickly. The restaurant was quite busy and walk up diners were being turned away.
This is quite a controversial restaurant. You read so many conflicting opinions about San Angel Inn. I was looking forward to all our ADRs and this one was no exception. I was excited to eat here, so let's just say that I began the evening with a positive attitude...and NOTHING happened to change it...not even somewhat Grumpy, our server.
I would associate these menu offerings more with a Southwestern style grill Mexican food, think Sante Fe Mex, AZ Mex, lime, cilantro, rice, black beans, extensive use of a grill.
The atmosphere here is AMAZING. And yes, it is dark. Very dark. Like night time dark. This is purposeful. It is wonderful. I have had the privelege of eating in similar settings outside, at night, in Cabo San Lucas and San Antonio (I know, I know, Texas, not Mexico, but still...have you been there? Mexican influence is huge.). This atmosphere is well recreated. You could hardly read your menu, let alone see your food, there either. Honestly, I could see my food better AFTER I took a picture and saw the review on my camera.
The tables ARE close together. But I did not find this problematic. The tables were aligned point to point, like diamonds, not like a grid, if that makes sense, so line of sight and chair room helped with table spacing. I could see the wider pathways for the servers. They were strategic and generally, every table bordered a pathway on at least one side, if not two. So, more space there.
The restaurant is like a sunken dining room. You step down into it from the level that the rest of Mexico is. There is a wall that separates the restaurant from the market area. There are lights strung across the market area, lamp posts on the columns of the wall, some random wall sconces. You have one gas burning lamp for light on your table. Once the chips and dip come out, you literally can't see half the table. How about some pictures?
Here's the view of the market place from the restaurant. This is the wall..
Notice the men in matching blue jackets...that's the band that came out and played for a while. Very fun. I liked the music. I used to live in San Antonio, and it totally made me think of the Riverwalk area. College days...good times.
The wall continues around
In the opposite direction of the marketplace is the backdrop...an amazing mural of a volcano scene.
See, it's dark and the tables are close. I think I was blinding people with my flash...here is the Kodak Software adjusted picture
Again, more details...unadjusted
and ADJUSTED
Something about being in the dark translated into a more quiet restaurant, despite the table proximity and busy-ness.
Here are the chips and salsa:
The chips were fresh and the salsa was okay. I can be a salsa snob. I couldn't tell if this was fresh made salsa, or if was from a jar, honestly. It had good flavor, and was a high quality jarred salsa, if jarred, but I really couldn't tell if it had been "cooked" like jarred salsa is, or if it was fresh. Regardless, it has some heat, the build in your mouth kind, which I enjoyed, but it wasn't hot by any means.
These were THE BEST
One Frozen Margarita - Lime, Strawberry, Mango or Fiesta Mix. DH had lime. And one Margarita San Angel Inn - Tequila Sauza Gold, and triple sec.
After good reviews of the Ceviche, I wanted to order it, but was talked out of it by our server. He said it was raw seafood and seemed to really want to steer me clear of it. So I ordered the Sopa Azteca - Traditional tortilla soup with avocado, cheese and pasilla pepper
which was okay. I could taste the fresh avocado in it. I love avocado. I've had too many amazing tortilla soups to be impressed with this, but I was caught off guard by the server's reluctance to just accept my original order.
DH ordered the Nachos - Border creation of tortilla chips topped with red sauce, melted cheese, chorizo (Mexican sausage), jalapenos, tomatoes and sour cream
in part because he thought that DS might enjoy it. And here AGAIN, we find that an appetizer is not included in the DDP for a child.
The chips are buried underneath the toppings and you really have to work to separate the chips from all the cheeeeeese. These were tasty. Not normal, mind, but what is there to complain about super cheesy, spruced up chips?
DH and I both ordered Combinacion Cozumel - Grilled beef tenderloin, marinated shrimp and roasted chayote served with spicy ranchero sauce, poblano pepper mashed potatoes and grilled veggies.
We both ordered the tenderloin medium. It was perfectly pink on the inside and warm throughout...an absolutely perfect medium. The meat almost melted in your mouth. The presentation included a fold over corn tortilla that was fully immersed in the ranchero sauce and formed a bed of sorts for the meat. I ate a bite of the tortilla, didn't care for it, and wondered if it was just there to help control the spread of the plated sauce. The shrimp were very good. Tender, not tough. I've read complaints of metallic tasting shrimp...fortunately, not this night. The potatoes were a little spicy, pretty tasty. The vegetables that were actually grilled, the red pepper and the summer squash of some sort (see the grill marks) were great. I wish that I just had more of those and could skip what had to be the frozen veggie mix also added to the plate.
DS ordered Mahi Mahi - Grilled fillet of mahi mahi served with white rice, mixed veggies, and fresh fruit cocktail
DS LOVES salmon. He also likes tuna and red river trout. He likes fish with flavor. He tried DHs Mahi Mahi for the first time at WPC and liked it. The other child's menu choices looked like losers to me, and I knew that I would at least like the Mahi Mahi if DS didn't, and I could trade meat for fish, or at least we all could have some surf and turf between the 3 of us. The Mahi Mahi was cooked well. It was fully cooked and still moist, but seemed to lack any added seasonings, unless my taste buds were overwhelmed with my own. This fish was quite plain, not bland, just plain, getting most of it's flavor from the being grilled. It would be a sad dish on it's own, but was just fine when the turf was added.
DH and I ordered the Flan de Vainilla: vanilla custard in syrup, topped with roasted almonds
which was weird. I don't know about those almonds on top...it did not add a pleasing crunch for me. I flicked them off and just ate the custard, which was okay. If you have had the coconut flan at CP, then you have eaten better flan than this at SAI. That said, it wasn't horrible, just not the best. In retrospect, and looking at the menus, I would ask for a smoothie instead, which I suppose I could have gotten anyway, according to our server at YCG because we paid OOP for the margaritas.
DS had the vanilla ice cream, which was like vanilla bean ice cream. It was tasty. It would have been a better finish to our meal for DH and I.
What can I say? I thoroughly enjoyed our dining experience here at SAI. And I would not hesitate to come here again. The atmosphere is wonderful. It is an excellent hideaway, step into another dimension kind of place and I'd eat my entree again any day of the week, but only grilled veggies please.
This is quite a controversial restaurant. You read so many conflicting opinions about San Angel Inn. I was looking forward to all our ADRs and this one was no exception. I was excited to eat here, so let's just say that I began the evening with a positive attitude...and NOTHING happened to change it...not even somewhat Grumpy, our server.
I would associate these menu offerings more with a Southwestern style grill Mexican food, think Sante Fe Mex, AZ Mex, lime, cilantro, rice, black beans, extensive use of a grill.
The atmosphere here is AMAZING. And yes, it is dark. Very dark. Like night time dark. This is purposeful. It is wonderful. I have had the privelege of eating in similar settings outside, at night, in Cabo San Lucas and San Antonio (I know, I know, Texas, not Mexico, but still...have you been there? Mexican influence is huge.). This atmosphere is well recreated. You could hardly read your menu, let alone see your food, there either. Honestly, I could see my food better AFTER I took a picture and saw the review on my camera.
The tables ARE close together. But I did not find this problematic. The tables were aligned point to point, like diamonds, not like a grid, if that makes sense, so line of sight and chair room helped with table spacing. I could see the wider pathways for the servers. They were strategic and generally, every table bordered a pathway on at least one side, if not two. So, more space there.
The restaurant is like a sunken dining room. You step down into it from the level that the rest of Mexico is. There is a wall that separates the restaurant from the market area. There are lights strung across the market area, lamp posts on the columns of the wall, some random wall sconces. You have one gas burning lamp for light on your table. Once the chips and dip come out, you literally can't see half the table. How about some pictures?
Here's the view of the market place from the restaurant. This is the wall..
Notice the men in matching blue jackets...that's the band that came out and played for a while. Very fun. I liked the music. I used to live in San Antonio, and it totally made me think of the Riverwalk area. College days...good times.
The wall continues around
In the opposite direction of the marketplace is the backdrop...an amazing mural of a volcano scene.
See, it's dark and the tables are close. I think I was blinding people with my flash...here is the Kodak Software adjusted picture
Again, more details...unadjusted
and ADJUSTED
Something about being in the dark translated into a more quiet restaurant, despite the table proximity and busy-ness.
Here are the chips and salsa:
The chips were fresh and the salsa was okay. I can be a salsa snob. I couldn't tell if this was fresh made salsa, or if was from a jar, honestly. It had good flavor, and was a high quality jarred salsa, if jarred, but I really couldn't tell if it had been "cooked" like jarred salsa is, or if it was fresh. Regardless, it has some heat, the build in your mouth kind, which I enjoyed, but it wasn't hot by any means.
These were THE BEST
One Frozen Margarita - Lime, Strawberry, Mango or Fiesta Mix. DH had lime. And one Margarita San Angel Inn - Tequila Sauza Gold, and triple sec.
After good reviews of the Ceviche, I wanted to order it, but was talked out of it by our server. He said it was raw seafood and seemed to really want to steer me clear of it. So I ordered the Sopa Azteca - Traditional tortilla soup with avocado, cheese and pasilla pepper
which was okay. I could taste the fresh avocado in it. I love avocado. I've had too many amazing tortilla soups to be impressed with this, but I was caught off guard by the server's reluctance to just accept my original order.
DH ordered the Nachos - Border creation of tortilla chips topped with red sauce, melted cheese, chorizo (Mexican sausage), jalapenos, tomatoes and sour cream
in part because he thought that DS might enjoy it. And here AGAIN, we find that an appetizer is not included in the DDP for a child.
The chips are buried underneath the toppings and you really have to work to separate the chips from all the cheeeeeese. These were tasty. Not normal, mind, but what is there to complain about super cheesy, spruced up chips?DH and I both ordered Combinacion Cozumel - Grilled beef tenderloin, marinated shrimp and roasted chayote served with spicy ranchero sauce, poblano pepper mashed potatoes and grilled veggies.
We both ordered the tenderloin medium. It was perfectly pink on the inside and warm throughout...an absolutely perfect medium. The meat almost melted in your mouth. The presentation included a fold over corn tortilla that was fully immersed in the ranchero sauce and formed a bed of sorts for the meat. I ate a bite of the tortilla, didn't care for it, and wondered if it was just there to help control the spread of the plated sauce. The shrimp were very good. Tender, not tough. I've read complaints of metallic tasting shrimp...fortunately, not this night. The potatoes were a little spicy, pretty tasty. The vegetables that were actually grilled, the red pepper and the summer squash of some sort (see the grill marks) were great. I wish that I just had more of those and could skip what had to be the frozen veggie mix also added to the plate.
DS ordered Mahi Mahi - Grilled fillet of mahi mahi served with white rice, mixed veggies, and fresh fruit cocktail
DS LOVES salmon. He also likes tuna and red river trout. He likes fish with flavor. He tried DHs Mahi Mahi for the first time at WPC and liked it. The other child's menu choices looked like losers to me, and I knew that I would at least like the Mahi Mahi if DS didn't, and I could trade meat for fish, or at least we all could have some surf and turf between the 3 of us. The Mahi Mahi was cooked well. It was fully cooked and still moist, but seemed to lack any added seasonings, unless my taste buds were overwhelmed with my own. This fish was quite plain, not bland, just plain, getting most of it's flavor from the being grilled. It would be a sad dish on it's own, but was just fine when the turf was added.
DH and I ordered the Flan de Vainilla: vanilla custard in syrup, topped with roasted almonds
which was weird. I don't know about those almonds on top...it did not add a pleasing crunch for me. I flicked them off and just ate the custard, which was okay. If you have had the coconut flan at CP, then you have eaten better flan than this at SAI. That said, it wasn't horrible, just not the best. In retrospect, and looking at the menus, I would ask for a smoothie instead, which I suppose I could have gotten anyway, according to our server at YCG because we paid OOP for the margaritas.
DS had the vanilla ice cream, which was like vanilla bean ice cream. It was tasty. It would have been a better finish to our meal for DH and I.
What can I say? I thoroughly enjoyed our dining experience here at SAI. And I would not hesitate to come here again. The atmosphere is wonderful. It is an excellent hideaway, step into another dimension kind of place and I'd eat my entree again any day of the week, but only grilled veggies please.
TxRabbit
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Feb 19, 2007
Thank you!
The pictures really help. They are like a diary really. My new 2 GB memory card can hold 2641 pics!
So I feel quite picture happy, compared to my old 256 MB memory card. And I kept a journal of sorts. I had a little mini composition book (party favor size) that I wrote short notes in each evening as DH and I sat on our balcony and enjoyed our stash from the lounge after DS went to bed. I was hoping it would be helpful for that scrapbook that I intend to do someday.
And I really like food. Too much. LOL! And we really had a more relaxing trip...we really took our time this time around. We really wanted that vacation feeling, not that rushed must do this and that scheduled feeling. Eating gave us a break and so I really paid attn to everything, because I had the time to do so.And, as I do this review, I have three tabs going, the first is the Dis reply I am writing, the second is Photobucket to add the pics, and the third is the Complete List of Restaurants here on the Dis, which I use to copy and paste the menu items we ordered, which is fairly easy to remember as I look at the pictures.
TxRabbit
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Feb 19, 2007
You're doing great! What's up next???
Sci-Fi Drive-In!
branv
<font color=blue>The safety feature in my parents
- Joined
- May 20, 2005
Great reviews! We weren't considering Wolfgang, but now I may have to give it a second look.
As a fellow Texan I can attest to the OP's statements - we have tons and tons and TONS of very authentic Mexican restaurants here.
That's weird, I mean what did he mean by warning you it was raw? If he meant you wouldn't like it b/c it's raw texture wise, that's wrong b/c the seafood is "cooked"...just by citric acid vs. traditional heating methods. Aren't the servers all from Mexico, shouldn't he have understood that? Or maybe he was trying to imply that the fish is questionable safety wise, since the citric acid doesn't get rid of bacteria like real cooking does? Now I'm wondering
As a fellow Texan I can attest to the OP's statements - we have tons and tons and TONS of very authentic Mexican restaurants here.
That's weird, I mean what did he mean by warning you it was raw? If he meant you wouldn't like it b/c it's raw texture wise, that's wrong b/c the seafood is "cooked"...just by citric acid vs. traditional heating methods. Aren't the servers all from Mexico, shouldn't he have understood that? Or maybe he was trying to imply that the fish is questionable safety wise, since the citric acid doesn't get rid of bacteria like real cooking does? Now I'm wondering
TxRabbit
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Feb 19, 2007
Great reviews! We weren't considering Wolfgang, but now I may have to give it a second look.
As a fellow Texan I can attest to the OP's statements - we have tons and tons and TONS of very authentic Mexican restaurants here.
That's weird, I mean what did he mean by warning you it was raw? If he meant you wouldn't like it b/c it's raw texture wise, that's wrong b/c the seafood is "cooked"...just by citric acid vs. traditional heating methods. Aren't the servers all from Mexico, shouldn't he have understood that? Or maybe he was trying to imply that the fish is questionable safety wise, since the citric acid doesn't get rid of bacteria like real cooking does? Now I'm wondering
It WAS weird...I even said to him, well, it's cooked by the lime juice, right? I knew what I was talking about...but I think he just saw my fair skinned family and judged me by it. Honestly, I called our server Grumpy, but he seemed quite pleasant to the Latin lady and the family at the table next door...I try not to focus on these things...it wrecks the mood, you know? And it wasn't that he was rude, he just wasn't very friendly or personable, just kind of Grumpy. I don't think there's a question of safety...really...the family next door ordered the dish, no problem. I say, WHATEVER.
TxRabbit
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Feb 19, 2007
Our breakfast this morning was another lounge grab and go, so we were ready for our 1:30 pm ADRs a little early...so we checked in at 1:00 pm. This place was NOT BUSY. They were accepting walk ins. And the wait seemed reasonable to me...I heard 15-20 minutes...anyway, no problem checking in early on this day.
I will note this: this day is Thursday, a recommended day for MGM, and the day following MGM's pm EMH....could be relevent.
This restaurant attempts to recreate a 50s style drive-in theater. The "tables" are actually cars...there is a blue one that sits outside the restaurant that seems to be a popular picture opportunity...with the cars having two or three rows of bench seating with a type of countertop for the bench providing your table surface. The benches seat two comfortably and three young kids fairly comfortably and something of a squeeze for other groups of three. All the cars face a large movie screen which plays B-grade sci fi, horror-ish film trailers, 50s odd ball news clips, cartoons, and commercials advertising drive-in services (refreshment bar, how to use the speakers, etc.). All the benches in the cars also face forward, so everyone has a front facing view of the screen. I did note that there were at least two, but maybe only two, cars that were actually normal tables with chairs that rang the length of the car, so that everyone at the table actually faced each other and had a sideways look at the screen. These two table cars were in the very middle of the theater. There were other umbrella covered patio style tables in the far back of the room.
This is not a restaurant condusive to conversation. So it is a really quiet restaurant, excepting the obvious shouting and screams coming from the speakers because a 50 foot woman is terrorizing some city. We noticed that the movie loop started over again just as we were being served dessert. And I have to mention...DS found some of the clips rather disturbing...he is somewhat sensitive this way...he has seen some violent-ish cartoons on WB Saturday am...but the fact that what was on the screen was live action was somewhat bothersome to him. When you are an adult and somewhat learned in the ways of movies and fake screaming, it's hard to remember that those screams (and there are a lot of them) can be somewhat real to a child. It wasn't a deal breaker...it didn't give him nightmares later...just something to note...I am not actually sure that I would chose to come here with older toddlers/children that are more aware and alert and yet clueless as to the difference between movie/entertainment and reality.
I did not take pictures of the theater itself, as I felt that would be rude, and might detract from other's experience there. The picture here on the Dis is a good one. Note that the ambiance of the restaurant does not begin until you come around from what could be described as the backstage area, which is what the podium area feels like, because you are viewing all the staging props for the restaurant from the wrong side.
Oh...if you are wondering...I did see a plethora of high chairs available under the big screen...
We are a party of three...we were asked if we would like one or two rows...we weren't sure...we were directed to the aforementioned car outside to test our preference...my almost 6'1" DH, my large framed, almost 5'8" self, and DS6 were a tight fit, but workable...so we chose to enjoy the theater together and in one row.
We were shown to the front bench seat in a car that was front and center. At first, I thought this was but then I realized that this is something of a strain on the neck after a while. It would actually be nicer to be in the second row of cars.
Our car was seated in short order and our waiter treated our car as one party. He took all our drink orders at the same time, brought them, took all our entree orders, etc. It was efficient and welcome. He asked if we were using the DDP today...and explained our options, the most pertinent being...the adults can have a milkshake for their beverage...the children can have a milkshake for their beverage if they also do not order a separate dessert.
The menus are rather difficult to read. Your only light is a dim one coming from under the dash.
Needless to say...after reading the Dis...we had to have Milk Shakes - Choice of Chocolate, Strawberry, or Oreo Cookie ice cream. Our car won a Dream, and we all got a bag of Cracker Jacks with our drinks..
Oreo Cookie for DH with ground up oreos on the top and in the middle
Chocolate for DS, yes, it's the same size we got...
Strawberry for me
They were ALL good.
We ordered appetizers. Spinach & Artichoke Dip - A blend of mozzarella, Swiss, and asiago cheeses, spinach, and artichokes served with corn tortilla chips YUM YUM
and a Salad - with ranch dressing and tomatoes.
We also ordered the salad for the child's meal. We had thought that we would share the dip and each get a salad, that is DH and myself...we do like our salads, obviously, but the child's salad came with his meal and not before. The dip was EXCELLENT. The salad was BAD. Looking over the menu again, and seeing it in the light of day, I wish we had just been really bad and ordered the onion rings...Ah well.
DH and I each ordered Angus Chuck Burger - Flame-broiled beef patty topped with your choice of Cheddar or Swiss cheese, sauteed onions, mushroom, or crispy bacon and served with a choice of cucumber-melon salad or French fries. We both picked fries. I opted for Swiss, onion, mushroom, AND bacon...THE WORKS...I think DH just had Cheddar and bacon. I only took a pic of mine
DS had a Kid's Pick with a cheeseburger, garden salad appetizer, and fries
Okay...Folks, there is a REASON why everyone talks about SPLITTING the burger here at Sci Fi. Its HUGE! It is excellent. This is the kind of tasty burger served in a steakhouse that you never want to order because you want to eat steak in a steakhouse. It's the juicy, large patty and the fluffy, soft bun. It's the generous cheese falling over the burger...oh so tasty...you will never find this in any fast food joint kind of burger. It was the only burger we ate on this trip (DH and I) and it was OUTSTANDING. We were really hungry...we didn't really have much breakfast...it was that really empty stomach, rumbling kind of hunger...and neither one of us could finish the burger without feeling just overly stuffed...because do not get me wrong...if need be...we COULD have done it...but we did want some dessert...
DH got Hot Fudge Sundae - A Sci-Fi Sundae Spectacular! because he thought it sounded the least heavy...and he was getting pretty full...he's pointing to where the cherry on top was before he plucked it off before I could snap a pic
and I ordered Cheesecake - With caramel sauce and treats...because DS loves cheesecake and he wasn't getting his own...
The Sundae was tasty. The cheesecake was NOT. I didn't like it. I think the WPC cheesecake was sooo good, there was no way this was going to compare. First, it was like the crust went all around the edges of this mini...which was too much crust for the size of the cheesecake...the cracker jacks on the plate might have been more fun if we hadn't gotten a bag earlier...and these were a little chewy...like they had been sitting out too long...DS picked out all the M&M's on the plate and enjoyed those.
We were the only ones in our car that ordered dessert...we were also the only ones on the DDP. With that, our car became out of sync and so our server took a while getting us the check. The other parties had left already. It was a bit frustrating because we were ready to hit the park and walk off some lunch...I would try to clear out the check at the same time as the other car members in the future, even if it meant paying while we were eating dessert.
We really wished that we had listened to all the advice here on the boards and just split the adult meal...DH and I. We left this one a little too full. The problem was that we would then end up with 1 lone TS credit and we weren't sure what we would do with it, so we just decided to use it here...I think I would just split and then try my luck at Beaches and Cream or ESPN (since we were staying at the BC).
Coming up next...Mickey's Backyard BBQ!
I will note this: this day is Thursday, a recommended day for MGM, and the day following MGM's pm EMH....could be relevent.
This restaurant attempts to recreate a 50s style drive-in theater. The "tables" are actually cars...there is a blue one that sits outside the restaurant that seems to be a popular picture opportunity...with the cars having two or three rows of bench seating with a type of countertop for the bench providing your table surface. The benches seat two comfortably and three young kids fairly comfortably and something of a squeeze for other groups of three. All the cars face a large movie screen which plays B-grade sci fi, horror-ish film trailers, 50s odd ball news clips, cartoons, and commercials advertising drive-in services (refreshment bar, how to use the speakers, etc.). All the benches in the cars also face forward, so everyone has a front facing view of the screen. I did note that there were at least two, but maybe only two, cars that were actually normal tables with chairs that rang the length of the car, so that everyone at the table actually faced each other and had a sideways look at the screen. These two table cars were in the very middle of the theater. There were other umbrella covered patio style tables in the far back of the room.
This is not a restaurant condusive to conversation. So it is a really quiet restaurant, excepting the obvious shouting and screams coming from the speakers because a 50 foot woman is terrorizing some city. We noticed that the movie loop started over again just as we were being served dessert. And I have to mention...DS found some of the clips rather disturbing...he is somewhat sensitive this way...he has seen some violent-ish cartoons on WB Saturday am...but the fact that what was on the screen was live action was somewhat bothersome to him. When you are an adult and somewhat learned in the ways of movies and fake screaming, it's hard to remember that those screams (and there are a lot of them) can be somewhat real to a child. It wasn't a deal breaker...it didn't give him nightmares later...just something to note...I am not actually sure that I would chose to come here with older toddlers/children that are more aware and alert and yet clueless as to the difference between movie/entertainment and reality.
I did not take pictures of the theater itself, as I felt that would be rude, and might detract from other's experience there. The picture here on the Dis is a good one. Note that the ambiance of the restaurant does not begin until you come around from what could be described as the backstage area, which is what the podium area feels like, because you are viewing all the staging props for the restaurant from the wrong side.
Oh...if you are wondering...I did see a plethora of high chairs available under the big screen...
We are a party of three...we were asked if we would like one or two rows...we weren't sure...we were directed to the aforementioned car outside to test our preference...my almost 6'1" DH, my large framed, almost 5'8" self, and DS6 were a tight fit, but workable...so we chose to enjoy the theater together and in one row.
We were shown to the front bench seat in a car that was front and center. At first, I thought this was
but then I realized that this is something of a strain on the neck after a while. It would actually be nicer to be in the second row of cars.Our car was seated in short order and our waiter treated our car as one party. He took all our drink orders at the same time, brought them, took all our entree orders, etc. It was efficient and welcome. He asked if we were using the DDP today...and explained our options, the most pertinent being...the adults can have a milkshake for their beverage...the children can have a milkshake for their beverage if they also do not order a separate dessert.
The menus are rather difficult to read. Your only light is a dim one coming from under the dash.
Needless to say...after reading the Dis...we had to have Milk Shakes - Choice of Chocolate, Strawberry, or Oreo Cookie ice cream. Our car won a Dream, and we all got a bag of Cracker Jacks with our drinks..
Oreo Cookie for DH with ground up oreos on the top and in the middle
Chocolate for DS, yes, it's the same size we got...
Strawberry for me
They were ALL good.
We ordered appetizers. Spinach & Artichoke Dip - A blend of mozzarella, Swiss, and asiago cheeses, spinach, and artichokes served with corn tortilla chips YUM YUM
and a Salad - with ranch dressing and tomatoes.
We also ordered the salad for the child's meal. We had thought that we would share the dip and each get a salad, that is DH and myself...we do like our salads, obviously, but the child's salad came with his meal and not before. The dip was EXCELLENT. The salad was BAD. Looking over the menu again, and seeing it in the light of day, I wish we had just been really bad and ordered the onion rings...Ah well.
DH and I each ordered Angus Chuck Burger - Flame-broiled beef patty topped with your choice of Cheddar or Swiss cheese, sauteed onions, mushroom, or crispy bacon and served with a choice of cucumber-melon salad or French fries. We both picked fries. I opted for Swiss, onion, mushroom, AND bacon...THE WORKS...I think DH just had Cheddar and bacon. I only took a pic of mine
DS had a Kid's Pick with a cheeseburger, garden salad appetizer, and fries
Okay...Folks, there is a REASON why everyone talks about SPLITTING the burger here at Sci Fi. Its HUGE! It is excellent. This is the kind of tasty burger served in a steakhouse that you never want to order because you want to eat steak in a steakhouse. It's the juicy, large patty and the fluffy, soft bun. It's the generous cheese falling over the burger...oh so tasty...you will never find this in any fast food joint kind of burger. It was the only burger we ate on this trip (DH and I) and it was OUTSTANDING. We were really hungry...we didn't really have much breakfast...it was that really empty stomach, rumbling kind of hunger...and neither one of us could finish the burger without feeling just overly stuffed...because do not get me wrong...if need be...we COULD have done it...but we did want some dessert...
DH got Hot Fudge Sundae - A Sci-Fi Sundae Spectacular! because he thought it sounded the least heavy...and he was getting pretty full...he's pointing to where the cherry on top was before he plucked it off before I could snap a pic
and I ordered Cheesecake - With caramel sauce and treats...because DS loves cheesecake and he wasn't getting his own...
The Sundae was tasty. The cheesecake was NOT. I didn't like it. I think the WPC cheesecake was sooo good, there was no way this was going to compare. First, it was like the crust went all around the edges of this mini...which was too much crust for the size of the cheesecake...the cracker jacks on the plate might have been more fun if we hadn't gotten a bag earlier...and these were a little chewy...like they had been sitting out too long...DS picked out all the M&M's on the plate and enjoyed those.
We were the only ones in our car that ordered dessert...we were also the only ones on the DDP. With that, our car became out of sync and so our server took a while getting us the check. The other parties had left already. It was a bit frustrating because we were ready to hit the park and walk off some lunch...I would try to clear out the check at the same time as the other car members in the future, even if it meant paying while we were eating dessert.
We really wished that we had listened to all the advice here on the boards and just split the adult meal...DH and I. We left this one a little too full. The problem was that we would then end up with 1 lone TS credit and we weren't sure what we would do with it, so we just decided to use it here...I think I would just split and then try my luck at Beaches and Cream or ESPN (since we were staying at the BC).
Coming up next...Mickey's Backyard BBQ!
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Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!
