We're back & better than ever - Complete!

[jabead]

Oh my...first emmysmommy and now you, wrapping up your reviews. What a sad night for the Disney Dining boards. But with her going again in August and you next month, at least we won't have to wait long for more. And at the slow rate I'm going on my reviews (still have more than 20 to go), I'll still be here plugging away when you come back to start your next set of reviews.

Anyway, your reviews were again outstanding!!! You have set the bar quite high here. I know that the exceptional quality of your reviews has definitely had a positive influence on my own. For instance, on my last trip I actually tried to take notes regarding our meals, whereas previously I pretty much depended on my not-so-great memory and I'm sure it showed in my reviews.

Hope you have a great trip next month, filled with lots of delicious Disney food! I am anxiously looking forward to hearing (and seeing too ) all about it!

 

[jerseytinkerbell]

I really enjoyed your DR! Thanks for taking the time to share all your reviews with us! I look forward to hearing all about your next trip. Hope you have another magical trip this summer!

 

[megan511]

I thoroughly enjoyed your reviews! Looking forward to reading about your trip in July.

I have to say I was when I saw your mom's veggie plate. Too funny!

 

[Quin]

Will be VERY interested in your next review if you fit in both Narcoossee's and San Angel. Both are on my short list for our hopeful trip next year and neither gets reviewed that often (OK, except for the lobster at Narcoossee's and really, folks, I know what lobster tastes like - I want to hear about some of the other dishes!). Thanks, Donald.

 

[Linda67]

Well another wonderful dining review sadly comes to an end
Whoopee that you are going back again in July and we get to tag along for another yummy report

 

[Krissalee]

I loved your dining report! Thanks so much for the time and effort you put into it. I'm sure that you could use this as material if you ever put together a portfolio of your food writing for a professional food writing gig - it was that good!

Looking forward to reading your July reviews.

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

What a great review! Insightful, informative and thoroughly enjoyable! Thanks so much for taking the time to post this and I hope you and your mom have a wonderful trip in July. I can't wait to read all about your next round of Disney dining!

Thank you so much for the kind words! I'm sure we'll have a great time as usual, and I can't wait to write more reviews.

Oh my...first emmysmommy and now you, wrapping up your reviews. What a sad night for the Disney Dining boards. But with her going again in August and you next month, at least we won't have to wait long for more. And at the slow rate I'm going on my reviews (still have more than 20 to go), I'll still be here plugging away when you come back to start your next set of reviews.

Anyway, your reviews were again outstanding!!! You have set the bar quite high here. I know that the exceptional quality of your reviews has definitely had a positive influence on my own. For instance, on my last trip I actually tried to take notes regarding our meals, whereas previously I pretty much depended on my not-so-great memory and I'm sure it showed in my reviews.

Hope you have a great trip next month, filled with lots of delicious Disney food! I am anxiously looking forward to hearing (and seeing too ) all about it!

It's always sad when dining reports come to an end - at least your review is still going strong, and plenty of others are going to begin over the next few weeks. Summer is a very fun time in the dining review section.

And thank you so much for the complements - it seems like every reviewer here brings something different to the table. Taking notes is a great idea (I definitely do that when I want to remember a noticeable ingredient or flavor combination ), but I've learned from reviewers such as you that it shouldn't be all about the food. In my first report in 2010, I had a lot to say about the food, but it didn't initially occur to me that I should reply to everyone who took the time to comment on my reviews. Now, writing these reviews has become much more fun, since I treat them like a dialogue instead of a place to rant and be serious all the time.

I really enjoyed your DR! Thanks for taking the time to share all your reviews with us! I look forward to hearing all about your next trip. Hope you have another magical trip this summer!

Thanks so much for reading! I'm sad that your review is also over - hopefully another trip will be in the works very soon (I hope DVC ends up working out!)

I thoroughly enjoyed your reviews! Looking forward to reading about your trip in July.

I have to say I was when I saw your mom's veggie plate. Too funny!

Surprisingly, I think my mom made the right choice (but don't tell her that ). A healthy snack is a great way to transition from Disney food back to real life (as opposed to the abrupt transition from lobster salad to airplane peanuts ). Can't wait to get started on the next set of reviews!

Will be VERY interested in your next review if you fit in both Narcoossee's and San Angel. Both are on my short list for our hopeful trip next year and neither gets reviewed that often (OK, except for the lobster at Narcoossee's and really, folks, I know what lobster tastes like - I want to hear about some of the other dishes!). Thanks, Donald.

What a coincidence - my mom and I were just discussing Narcoossee's the other day, mainly the fact that we don't want to order the lobster or surf & turf. They're great values on the DDP (so I understand why they're popular choices), but some of the other entrees sound more exciting to us!

Well another wonderful dining review sadly comes to an end
Whoopee that you are going back again in July and we get to tag along for another yummy report

I can't wait to go back and have more dining experiences to write about (and I'm looking forward to reading the rest of your reviews).

I loved your dining report! Thanks so much for the time and effort you put into it. I'm sure that you could use this as material if you ever put together a portfolio of your food writing for a professional food writing gig - it was that good!

Looking forward to reading your July reviews.

Thanks so much for saying that - it means a lot! Even if these reviews don't end up helping me in my professional life, they're certainly a lot of fun to write, especially in a friendly setting where I can become familiar with other members and hear about their own experiences and plans.

 

[debrapagliasotti]

Another great dining review! I will be on the look out when you start the next one

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

Another great dining review! I will be on the look out when you start the next one

Thanks for reading! I can't wait to get started on the next one.

 

[Schmoodle]

Hi DDW, I just read through all your reviews on my lunch hour - you ate at many of the places I'm planning for a fall trip. You also seem to choose just the exact things on the menu that appeal to me, so we must have similar tastes! Anyway, well done - I enjoyed your writing very much. I look forward to reading your July report (and am jealous at 3 visits in just 5 months!)

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

Hi DDW, I just read through all your reviews on my lunch hour - you ate at many of the places I'm planning for a fall trip. You also seem to choose just the exact things on the menu that appeal to me, so we must have similar tastes! Anyway, well done - I enjoyed your writing very much. I look forward to reading your July report (and am jealous at 3 visits in just 5 months!)

Thanks for reading - I'm glad that many of my menu choices were reflective of what you might have chosen.

I'm so excited to be going back so soon - we really enjoy taking short-but-frequent trips (usually 3-4 nights) instead of one long trip each year.

 

[BlovesC]

You are an amazingly adventurous eater, and I really admire that. In fact, I always read your reviews thinking "when I grow up, I hope my palette is this sophisticated!"....and then I have to remind myself you're younger than me! It still applies though! Your comments on your food are so thoughtful and descriptive! Sometimes it's hard for me to clearly express why I like or dislike a food, so I admire that. As others have said, you seem like a natural food critic!

Love the variety in your ADRs! I'm really happy to read the Captain's Grille review, after a few recent negative reports I was getting worried about our September ADR, but your pictures make it look delicious! We're also staying BC CL that trip so I appreciate the lounge pictures!

Can't wait for your July trip report! You'll be surrounded by so much delicious, easily accessible food at CR!

 

[Lisa29]

Your report has been a great read. I should really stop reading these as they make me hungry!!!

Can't wait for your next report.

Happy planning for your July trip!

 

[Smiling Cheshire Cat]

Yeah! Only have to wait a few more weeks for another Dining Report! Hope you have a wonderful trip and eat lots of good food.

 

[Reendawg24]

Your review about Yachtsman really helped my family in making sure we made a great ADR for the first night of our vacation!

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

You are an amazingly adventurous eater, and I really admire that. In fact, I always read your reviews thinking "when I grow up, I hope my palette is this sophisticated!"....and then I have to remind myself you're younger than me! It still applies though! Your comments on your food are so thoughtful and descriptive! Sometimes it's hard for me to clearly express why I like or dislike a food, so I admire that. As others have said, you seem like a natural food critic!

Love the variety in your ADRs! I'm really happy to read the Captain's Grille review, after a few recent negative reports I was getting worried about our September ADR, but your pictures make it look delicious! We're also staying BC CL that trip so I appreciate the lounge pictures!

Can't wait for your July trip report! You'll be surrounded by so much delicious, easily accessible food at CR!

Thanks so much for the compliments! I really enjoy writing about food, so I'm very happy to hear that you appreciate my descriptions. I've enjoyed your recent reviews as well (such as the thorough review of AoA's food court).

We're very excited about being at CR this time - the Epcot resort area is great, but there are quite a few restaurants in the MK area that we miss.

Your report has been a great read. I should really stop reading these as they make me hungry!!!

Can't wait for your next report.

Happy planning for your July trip!

Thanks so much for reading! Can't wait to get started on the next set of reviews.

Yeah! Only have to wait a few more weeks for another Dining Report! Hope you have a wonderful trip and eat lots of good food.

Thanks so much! I'm sure the food is going to be great, I have a good feeling about this trip.

Your review about Yachtsman really helped my family in making sure we made a great ADR for the first night of our vacation!

I really hope you enjoy Yachtsman! It's currently our second favorite Disney restaurant behind Artist Point (even though we don't love steak), and the menu definitely has some great choices. My advice: if you don't feel like steak, don't worry about trying something else. We've been wowed by many of their non-steak entrees (lamb, halibut, even chicken).

 

[psac]

I really hope you enjoy Yachtsman! It's currently our second favorite Disney restaurant behind Artist Point (even though we don't love steak), and the menu definitely has some great choices. My advice: if you don't feel like steak, don't worry about trying something else. We've been wowed by many of their non-steak entrees (lamb, halibut, even chicken).

This part wasn't addressed at me, but I wanted to post about our visit to Yachtsman's last week, which was primarily decided on by your great reviews! We were still a bit hesitant to try it, since it did seem like "just a steakhouse", and always seems to get mixed reviews in general.

It did not disappoint. Oddly, it seemed like out of everything, we thought the steaks were the least interesting part of the meal (which could be why it gets mixed reviews.) However, overall it really impressed.

The appetizers were a Fruito du Mar with stuffed squash blossom, which was really good, and a braised beef tortellini (or tortoni?), which was INSANE. Our favorite restaurant outside of disney is Restaurant Marc Forgione's in NY (he won the Next Iron Chef in 2011), and this was to the quality of his creations. Maybe one of the best things we've EVER had in any disney restaurant, period.

The sides we had with the steaks were the mashed potatoes, truffle mac and cheese, and an extra side of creamed spinach (with Gruyere cheese), which were all quite excellent. I could have had a vat of that spinach.

For dessert, we had the chocolate, pretzel, caramel gelato thing, which was also really good, plus an extra cupcake with candle for my birthday. The drinks we had (some berry margarita and white sangria) were also excellent.

For the steaks, the filet was tender but underwhelming on taste. The boneless rib eye tasted good, but was a little too chewy in texture. (The filet was the better of the two.) Both of us had half our steaks left on the plates, though we completely finished every bite of the three sides. Everything else in the meal made up for steaks to us, and we probably will try the other non-steak options next time.

Overall this quickly jumped towards the top of our Signature list. Flying Fish is in the #1 position for us, this would be around second or third, especially after a terrible California Grill meal this trip, which dropped that down a few notches.

We immediately made a reservation to come back to YS for our November trip. Thanks again for your detailed reviews which pointed us towards trying it!

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

This part wasn't addressed at me, but I wanted to post about our visit to Yachtsman's last week, which was primarily decided on by your great reviews! We were still a bit hesitant to try it, since it did seem like "just a steakhouse", and always seems to get mixed reviews in general.

It did not disappoint. Oddly, it seemed like out of everything, we thought the steaks were the least interesting part of the meal (which could be why it gets mixed reviews.) However, overall it really impressed.

...

Overall this quickly jumped towards the top of our Signature list. Flying Fish is in the #1 position for us, this would be around second or third, especially after a terrible California Grill meal this trip, which dropped that down a few notches.

We immediately made a reservation to come back to YS for our November trip. Thanks again for your detailed reviews which pointed us towards trying it!

I'm so happy to hear that you had a positive experience at Yachtsman! I've also noticed the mixed reviews around here - in fact, until June 2011, Yachtsman was openly my least favorite signature (because we found the food to be pretty boring during our first visit there in 2004). For it to currently be my second favorite is a huge testament to the quality and creativity currently displayed on the menu. I'm happy that it's in a similar position for you now.

On a side note, I've never been to Restaurant Marc Forgione (I've been lucky enough to try restaurants by Iron Chef Morimoto and Jose Garces in Philly), but I just googled the Forgione menu. Wow! I can see why it's your favorite restaurant. For even one dish at Yachtsman to reach that level is a great compliment, and even the other non-steak dishes you tried (such as the frutos do mar and the pretzel dessert) sound amazing.

Thanks for sharing your review, as it reaffirmed my feelings about Yachtsman - when you look beyond the basic meat entrees, the menu is full of exciting, memorable dishes. That's one of the reasons why I like Yachtsman much more than Ruth's Chris, Morton's, or Smith & Wollensky - it's definitely more than just a steakhouse. I'm very happy that you decided to try it, and hopefully they'll deliver another solid meal for you in November!

 

[psac]

How was Jose Garces' place? We've tried Morimoto's in NY, and were a bit underwhelmed, although the very poor service could have clouded our judgement a bit. Also my wife doesn't like sushi, so we kept to cooked items, and that might have made us miss the best stuff. Garces just opened a bunch of places in the new Revel hotel in Atlantic City (along with a steakhouse by Marc F), so it might be good to try one of his places if his Philly restaurant is good.

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

How was Jose Garces' place? We've tried Morimoto's in NY, and were a bit underwhelmed, although the very poor service could have clouded our judgement a bit. Also my wife doesn't like sushi, so we kept to cooked items, and that might have made us miss the best stuff. Garces just opened a bunch of places in the new Revel hotel in Atlantic City (along with a steakhouse by Marc F), so it might be good to try one of his places if his Philly restaurant is good.

The two Jose Garces places I've tried (Amada and Tinto) were good, but we didn't love them. However, they receive rave reviews (especially Amada), and some of the dishes we tried were wonderful. A lot of the food was plainer than we expected, but the food quality is high and the dishes are apparently quite authentic.

I noticed that one of the new restaurants at the Revel hotel is Amada, and the menu looks extremely similar. I highly recommend the aged manchego cheese with truffled lavender honey. The garlic shrimp dish, as well as the beef short rib flatbread, were also very good. Frankly, I think it's worth a try (and thanks to the small plates format, you can order a few plates, see if you enjoy them, and then decide if you want to order more).