12-16 Whispering Canyon Who's still hungry? 21 days of Dining 'round the World w/pics

[let'sgo]

Wow, what a great food report. I'm looking forward to reading more with the pictures!

 

[Nancy for Disney]

How was the steak sandwich at the plaza? It looks decent in the photo. I am thinking of switching my lunch ADR from LTT to the plaza because DH likes steak sandwiches. I am torn.

Loving the pictures. Keep them coming.

 

[flytimefl]

This is the best food review I have eveer seen. Did you have the Disney Dining Plan and if so, which one?

Susan

 

[Pirate Me]

That Chicken Mediterranean Flatbread looks heavenly

It was very good!

Subbing!! I am sitting here with DS5 and we are just drooling!! We are off to Pop next week and you have just sealed the deal for our first meal. We are going to the Food Court for a sundae!!

Keep up the awesome work! We love the pics!!

I could really go for one of those sundaes right now.

Wow, what a great food report. I'm looking forward to reading more with the pictures!

Thank you!

How was the steak sandwich at the plaza? It looks decent in the photo. I am thinking of switching my lunch ADR from LTT to the plaza because DH likes steak sandwiches. I am torn.

Loving the pictures. Keep them coming.

I've always wanted to try LTT. D will eat any cheese steak so he really liked it. I think it's most worth going to the Plaza when you plan on having ice cream as well.

This is the best food review I have eveer seen. Did you have the Disney Dining Plan and if so, which one?

Susan

Thank you! Yes, we were on the basic plan.

 

[Pirate Me]

GOOFY'S CANDY SHOP


We stopped by Goofy's to pick up a few treats.


Marshmallows covered in crushed Oreos:

Marshmallows covered in milk chocolate:

T-REX CAFE

We originally planned to go to Wolfgang Puck Express for lunch, but C wanted to see T-Rex Cafe. I thought there was no way they would let us in because we called the day before and they said they were booked completely for the day and couldn't find us any reservations for any time slot for our three weeks at Disney. We walked up to check-in to see if they could take us. She said that she would seat us immediately. There were hardly any people in the restaurant. This was around 12:15 noon. The back jungle room was completely empty and the ice room and geo-rock room had just a few tables filled. I couldn't believe that they were telling me that they didn't have anything! So, if you couldn't get to T-Rex, always try to walk up and see if they will seat you.


C had Dinosaur-shaped chicken nuggets with waffle fries:

D and I had the [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Bronto Burger - A 100% beef burger piled high with a fried onion ring, pickles, lettuce, tomato and your choice of cheese. $11.99 Add bacon and mushrooms .99[/FONT], subbed potato chips for waffle fries for $1.99. D added a side salad to his burger.


His salad came first and it was a great portion. He split it with M and they thought it was perfect. They have many dressing options. D chose Blue Cheese.

Very nice portion for a side salad.



This is my burger with pepper jack cheese:

The Bronto Burger was great. I liked how it was topped with an onion ring. I got mine with Pepper Jack cheese and D's was with American. The waffle fries were crispy and well seasoned. Portions here were pretty big. I couldn't get through half of my burger, and neither could M. D ate his, though.

M ordered the Guaca-saurus burger. This one was the same as the Bronto Burger but there is also guacamole and bacon. The guacamole was inside the onion ring. She got onion rings instead of fries or chips.This burger also had pepper jack cheese.

We didn't eat dessert here, thinking we'll grab something with a snack credit by POP.

After T-Rex, we walked around a bit and did some shopping. After heading back to POP, M and I decided to stop for ice cream. D was too full from his burger but since M and I just ate half, we were feeling a bit hungry around 3-4PM.

I had a chocolate milkshake and M got a rocky road sundae covered in whipped cream, hot fudge, and chopped nuts.

My chocolate milk shake was very rich. Not thick enough, however. I've had better milkshakes.

TUTTO ITALIA

Our dinner was at Tutto Italia. We came here last year and enjoyed it. The menu has changed a lot since then, because I have noticed several differences.

First, you are given [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Verdure, Olive "Giardiniera" e Ricotto con Basilico (pickled vegetables)[/FONT] and Pane De Casa - with Tuscan olive oil - herb and parmesan grissini breadsticks. The antipasto was bland.We didn't eat much of it. Bread was good, but it would've been nicer warm.

As an appetizer, we all shared the [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Calamari Fritti - with spicy marinara sauce $13[/FONT] which was delicious. Crispy and very well-seasoned. The marinara sauce had a nice spicy kick.

My entree was the tagliatelle primavera. I did not like this at all as I found it to be very bland. I took two or three bites and left it.

M had the [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Lasagna al Forno - with meat ragu, bechamel and parmesan $24[/FONT] which I had last time. It is delicious. The noodles are pretty soft, so depending on your personal preference- M would've preferred al dente, but I love it soft. The lasagna is very cheesy and creamy. Also very rich.

D had the Arrosto Di Vitello - veal roast, mushrooms, potatoes $29 which he ate all of and loved. It looked very nice, too. He kept talking about it afterward so it must have tasted very good.

C had the [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Grilled Chicken - with vegetables $9.50[/FONT]. The server said that all they had were the sides given, so carrots and green beans it was, although C did not touch those. Another place where they have grilled chicken strips instead of crunchy. He also had some [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Mozzarella Sticks $6[/FONT]. The mozzarella cheese was too bland. These needed some seasoning.

For dessert, I had the [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Gianduja - Chocolate Torta - chocolate and hazelnut torte with whipped cream and raspberry sauce $10.00[/FONT]. I had a chocolate torte last year and it was my favorite dessert. Now, they've changed it. I ate mostly the middle, which was a smooth and creamy chooclate mousse. The bottom was a dense chocolate cake. I loved the torte with the tart raspberry sauce.

D had the [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Mocha Tiramisu - mascarpone cheese, espresso coffee, savoiardi biscuits and chocolate $9.00[/FONT]. He had this last time as well and liked it a lot.

M had lemon sorbet, which she thought was a bit too tart, but still refreshing.



C had the [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Spuma di Cioccolato - Chocolate Mousse $5[/FONT]. He was excited to discover that, after eating the chocolate mousse, he could eat the chocolate cup it came in.

I definitely ordered the wrong thing. The lasagna was delicious and I will most likely stick with something like that next time. Other than my pasta, the food was great and we will continue to come to Tutto Italia.

 

[MyTalula]

Thanks for the great T-Rex & Tutto food porn!! Both places we're looking forward to trying for the 1st time in February!! I'm loving your entire review and can not wait for MORE!!!

 

[creativeamanda]

I have to stop and say thank you first, for reminding me why I like POP Century. I am going to take my two girls back to DIsney this summer and was thinking back and forth about a moderate, but I think I'll go back to POP for old times' sake.

 

[creativeamanda]

Oh, and Tutto Italia is one of my favorites--the lasagne is wonderful there. I do love the variety of Everything Pop! Food Court. Like I said, you helped me make my decision.

 

[disney_princess_85]

Great reviews so far, looking forward to the rest! T-Rex looks fab, might give it a whirl next time. I had the same dish as you at Tutto Italia and I actually really enjoyed it.

 

[gardengirl628]

Great reviews so far! Thanks for sharing!

 

[Pirate Me]

Thanks for the great T-Rex & Tutto food porn!! Both places we're looking forward to trying for the 1st time in February!! I'm loving your entire review and can not wait for MORE!!!

Thank you!

I have to stop and say thank you first, for reminding me why I like POP Century. I am going to take my two girls back to DIsney this summer and was thinking back and forth about a moderate, but I think I'll go back to POP for old times' sake.

Oh, and Tutto Italia is one of my favorites--the lasagne is wonderful there. I do love the variety of Everything Pop! Food Court. Like I said, you helped me make my decision.

I would definitely stay at POP just for the convenience of having their food court and gift shop. There are so many options!

Great reviews so far, looking forward to the rest! T-Rex looks fab, might give it a whirl next time. I had the same dish as you at Tutto Italia and I actually really enjoyed it.

I've heard of a lot of people that really enjoyed that dish so I was expecting something different. I'm definitely sticking with the lasagna. It was so good!

Great reviews so far! Thanks for sharing!

Thank you!

 

[Pirate Me]

EVERYTHING POP!

We figured that since we have a 5:00PM dinner at Boma, we should have a good breakfast so we don't eat too much at lunch. Breakfast was at Everything POP!

D, M, and I each had [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Chocolate Chip Pancakes $6.19[/FONT]. The platter comes with a sausage and some bacon strips. D doesn't like bacon and I don't like sausage, so I gave him my sausage patty and he gave me his bacon.

The pancakes were soft and fluffy. They weren't cheap on the chocolate chips because there were really a lot of them throughout the pancakes. I loved how they were melted and you could taste the chocolate throughout the whole pancake. Very good!

I had a biscuit as my side again but was too full so I cut it in half and shared it with M. Again, this was great. Flaky and soft.

We also had a crumb cake and a chocolate croissant as our sides but they were put in the fridge and forgotten.

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Coffee Crumb Cake $3.29[/FONT]:

Chocolate croissant:

C had a [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Hot Cinnamon Roll $2.59[/FONT] which he loved. It's served hot with lots of icing on top. Not as good as Main Street Bakery but still good!

THE MARA

We had a Boma reservation for 6PM, but headed over to AKL around 1PM and figured we'd hang around there the rest of the day. We ended up loving it so much, that I went to concierge and asked if we could switch over earlier. They said that we could be at AKL tomorrow night! We paid the difference and packed up when we got back to POP. Tomorrow, we're switching over to AKL.

We decided to have a very light lunch at the Mara. M and I shared a [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Vegetable Flatbread - olives, cheese, pesto $7.99[/FONT], D had a [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Chicken Caesar Salad $7.19[/FONT], and C had a pepperoni flatbread. The flatbread was very thin and crisp. Not that many toppings on it and it was definitely not filling. It was okay. Not as good as my POP flatbread.

Vegetable Flatbread:

Pepperoni Flatbread:

For dessert, we picked up two packages of zebra domes and a bag of Lay's Original. I can see how you guys love these zebra domes. They were so good! Very soft and creamy. I know why everybody talks about them so much, now!

Inside the zebra dome:

BOMA 8-26-09

Dinner was at Boma today. We were seated about 20 minutes after checking in and the place was pretty crowded.

After getting our drink orders, we went up to the buffet.

C just had chicken nuggets and french fries.

Soups. I tried the chicken coconut curry stew, carrot and ginger soup, and the pepper pot soup.

The chicken coconut curry stew was very thick and flavorful. It was my favorite from the three above. It was a bit spicy. There were a lot of tender chicken pieces in there.

The pepper pot soup was great. It had a terryaki flavor. This was D's favorite.

I didn't like the carrot and ginger soup. Too sweet for me.

The bobotie was okay. I just had a small taste of it. I didn't like the fufu; also too sweet. The falafel meatballs were great and I loved the yogurt sauce they were next to on the buffet. The ribs were flavorful and I liked the Boma Mustard on top of them. The pasta salad had a weird taste. I don't know what dressing that was but did not like it.

For dessert, I loved the banana bread budding. This was so good. It was very soft and warm. Great with the vanilla sauce that was next to it.

Some zebra domes for all of us to share. So good. Coffee tarts. I was too full for one but M tried it and said it was bland. I had a small chocolate mousse tart. C loved those and had a few. They were tiny but still good.

The fruit cobbler wasn't very warm.

Boma was a really nice experience. It's a unique buffet that doesn't have the typical spread. We will definitely be coming back again.

 

[GusT]

Great reviews!!
We have Boma scheduled for our first night and I am soo excited to try it!

 

[airhead]

Enjoying your report!

 

[Pirate Me]

Great reviews!!
We have Boma scheduled for our first night and I am soo excited to try it!

Thank you! Boma was so good that we had to go back to try their breakfast.

Enjoying your report!

Thank you!

 

[JasonDVC]

...I didn't take a picture of my dessert plate. I even had a hard time taking a picture of my first plate because I was too embarassed to be taking pictures with the other people around us....

I know I found this review a little late but I just laughed out loud when I read this and had to share. Thanks for the honesty.

 

[Pirate Me]

THE MARA

Today, we checked out of POP and started our stay at AKL. What a beautiful resort! It's definitely a favorite now.

For lunch, we went to the Mara.

C had a chicken nugget meal. He likes Disney's chicken nuggets so that's not a problem with him.

I had the [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Chicken House Salad[/FONT][FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] $7.19[/FONT]. It was great, but next time I would ask for it without the cilantro dressing. I'm not a big fan of cilantro. I took an Italian dressing from the fridge and it covered the cilantro taste. There are chickpeas and capers in here. Chicken was a bit on the dry side, but the rest was good. I loved the feta.

M had a [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Chicken Pita $8.79[/FONT]. She liked it a lot. There was an option of french fries or cous cous and she chose fries. The chicken was plentiful but it doesn't show..I should have taken a picture of the pita open.

D had a pepperoni flatbread. He thought it was too thin and not filling enough. Our sides were potato bacon soup, a carrot cake, and a brownie.

D, M, and I had a potato bacon soup that we were able to get instead of dessert. This was so good. Creamy and smokey. Like Le Cellier but without the cheddar.

C had a pawprint brownie. He took one bite and said he didn't like it. I took a bite and knew why he didn't. It was too dense. Like a soft slab of fudge. It also could have tasted better if it wasn't cold. They keep them in the fridge.

The [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Carrot Cake $3.59[/FONT] was pretty big. It was very moist and the cream cheese frosting was awesome. We really liked it.

Mama Melroses

We booked the Fantasmic package at Mama Melrose's so we could get a seat at Fantasmic without a long wait.

When you book the Fantasmic package, you get an appetizer, entree, and dessert for 1TS so it's a good deal.

The bread:

We wanted the [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Crispy Calamari for Two - topped with peppers and onions, served with a side of spicy marinara sauce $12.99[/FONT] but it was for two so two people had to order it. D and I ordered it and M had some with us. The calamari cut clean, not stringy at all. Wasn't crispy like the name suggested. They were pretty soggy. I didn't like the tomato basil sauce, though. Not as flavorful as I'd like it to be.

M had a [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Caesar Salad - with crisp romaine lettuce, Caesar dressing and crostini $5.49[/FONT] and said it was the best one of the trip.

For our entrees, I ordered the [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Penne Alla Vodka - with pancetta and sweet onion, finished with tomato basil sauce, cream, vodka and pecorino romano $16.99[/FONT][/FONT][/FONT].

It was so creamy and rich. This was delicious. The pancetta was smokey and tasted so good with this dish. If I wasn't so full, I'd have eaten the whole thing!

D had the [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Oven Baked Chicken alla Parmesan- over spaghetti $16.99[/FONT][/FONT][/FONT]. He liked it but thought the portion of spaghetti was a bit too small; the chicken was a nice big portion, however. He scooped some of my penne before I started because I knew that I wasn't going to eat it all.

M had the [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Spaghetti Fra Diavolo - with clams, calamari, mussels and shrimp, tossed in a spicy Marinara sauce $19.99[/FONT][/FONT][/FONT], no clams and mussels but extra shrimp. It was very spicy but we like spicy.

For dessert, M and I had the Spumoni [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Gelato $4.49[/FONT][/FONT][/FONT]. Very creamy but it became soup in a minute. The green pistaschio part was my favorite.

D had the [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Warm Chocolate Truffle Cake $5.99[/FONT][/FONT][/FONT], which he liked more than Kona's Kiluaua Torte.

C had vanilla ice cream.

Mama Melrose's was a nice meal. We were able to get a seat at Fantasmic 30 minutes before the show, which was great. The view was pretty good. We were on top but were able to see everything that was going on.

 

[eventamy]

Woo hoo! LOVE what you have so far!
I'm really interested in what you thought of these three:
Le Cellier
Teppan Edo
50s Prime Time Cafe

As we're trying them for the first time in February!
Glad you had such a great trip! I would love to try AKV someday!!!

 

[DisneyCrafter]

So excited to read the rest of this review!

 

[Disney Bound Mommy]

I am really enjoying this review! Thanks for posting it, looking forward to your next installment!