12 days of Deluxe Dining Review

[ADAMANDLISA]

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[Donald is #1]

At the end the chef came around and asked us why we didn't have plates. We explained that we were waiting for our bill; we did enjoy the food very much and had been there several times. He told us to wait, and brought us fried chocolate chip cookie dough Even if it was the last thing either of us wanted at that particular moment it was still yummy

Out of curiosity, were you seated near the buffet tables or further back in the seating area? In october, my sisters & I were seated at one of the tables near the buffet and one of the chefs came out and was talking to my sisters (I was up getting dessert). Anyways, one of my sisters asked him why there wasn't any plantains on the buffet and he said that they had recently changed the menu. Well he goes back to the kitchen, I get back with my dessert and my sisters tell me about the chef coming by. Well a few minutes later, the chef comes back with a bug bowl of fried plantains!

 

[eam]

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[diswedwish]

FQ is French Quarter (Port Orleans French Quarter to be precise)

And at Boma we were seated halfway back in the restaurant on the other side of the railing. So not right next to the buffet. I think the Chef was answering someone's allergy question before he passed our table, but am not positive. Both my mom and I had ears on so maybe that's why he noticed our table?

HTH, more reviews to come

 

[diswedwish]

Day 4
Breakfast at FQ
Same thing as yesterday - we weren't too adventurous here Although this morning I was out of it since I was getting a cold and did a stupid thing... I liked to take the orange juice with me. Well I managed to throw it into the garbage, completely unopened I don't know what was wrong with me, but I felt awful about that...

Lunch at Liberty Tree Tavern
I was very sad that they no longer had the salmon with pumpkin bread on the menu, but that's life I guess... I think that we had our fastest server here - it was like he was in a race with the other servers to see who could get stuff out the fastest We'd barely ordered and *poof* there was our stuff. We'd barely finished our appetizer and *poof* there was our food; it was humorous in a way. I should mention that we ate lunch very early... Anyway, we both had clam chowder as our appetizer - it was good. I had the pot roast which wasn't the salmon, but was tasty. My mom had the colony salad. Neither of us ate too much of it (I felt very wasteful today - and guilty!). We both had the strawberry shortcake for dessert. Overall it was a good meal, but I don't know if either of us would go back. I miss the salmon - can I say that again? And the shortcake didn't seem the same either...

Dinner at Narcoossee's
This was our first signature restaurant. The only other one my mom had eaten at was Artist Point, so I was happy to share this one with her. We were one of the first ones in the restaurant (again, we had an early ADR). I had the mussels as an appetizer, my mom had the seafood chowder. We both had the lobster and it was good. The stuff that went with it not so good - but hey, who eats that stuff anyway My mom had her usual zinfandel, I had the suggested wine. We both had the berry sorbet. After the check was brought out, we had a surprise. My boyfriend had arranged to have flowers sent to our table It was very pretty - there was a little Tink in it as well as a little fake crystal Mickey head. It was funny because the waitress started to put it in front of my mom and she said "oh, those aren't for me - they're for her." Not that my dad doesn't get my mom flowers, but he's, how to put this, a more "practical" sort of prince... It made getting back to FQ a tad challenging - I am a "practical" sort of "princess", I wasn't paying for a cab, so we took the buses back. After we got back, and arranged the flowers on our shrine (the table inside the door is always our Disney shrine), we took care of some Dining Plan business - we were missing a few credits. Always check those credits! We were missing 3 or 4; it took about 15 minutes or so but it was well worth the time.

 

[i_heart_disney85]

great reviews so far! sounds like you have a great prince! Narcosses sounded great, we were between there, Flying Fish, & Citiricos and picked Citricos because we wanted to see the Grand Floridian. Next time we will most likely try it! Sounded good! Who doesn't like lobster?!

 

[TigerKat]

How were the mussels at Narcoosee's compared to LeCellier?

 

[angelmav]

Still enjoying all your reviews!

 

[Linus Van Pelt]

After we got back, and arranged the flowers on our shrine (the table inside the door is always our Disney shrine), we took care of some Dining Plan business - we were missing a few credits. Always check those credits! We were missing 3 or 4; it took about 15 minutes or so but it was well worth the time.

Just a quick question: Did you contact guest services to correct the problem?

And, by the way, I'm quite enjoying your reviews! Keep 'em coming!

 

[diswedwish]

To answer questions, my mom liked Le Cellier's mussels the best. I always like Artist Point's the best, but this time I couldn't taste too much when we went there because of my cold We both took tastes of each other's meals, and both liked Le Cellier's the best. Although I'm still voting for Artist Point (it was just my cold I swear). I was so bummed because I raved about those stupid mussels and when we got there my mom wasn't impressed and I couldn't taste them... Anyway that's for a later review... I don't really remember Narcoossee's if that says anything - they were okay...

And for the credits for the dining plan you have to contact the concierge/guest services (or whatever they're called now) at your hotel. They can tell you exactly what was spent where and all of that. In our case there was some confusion at Le Cellier - we had asked for a separate bill for the wine and tipped cash and I don't think our server billed it into the system correctly. And the food court at FQ didn't bill us correctly on a few occasions. We just waited and were patient, and it was resolved. I would imagine that as they get used to the different plans that the problems will decrease...

 

[diswedwish]

Day 5
Breakfast at FQ
We decided to be daring and try the French toast combo this morning I had the milk and oj, and very carefully did not throw anything out...

Once we got to MGM, er, Hollywood Studios, I needed caffeine; my mom took my mug (remember we only carried 1 mug with us) for tea. So I got a cappuccino with a snack credit.

For lunch we split a CS credit at ABC Commissary. We enjoyed looking around at the stuff from Lost. We made sure to sit through tons of trailers to see the one for Lost. Not that that has anything to do with what we ate... We split the cheeseburger and fries (I think it had some kind of creative name like the "Ugly Betty" - too bad we didn't want the "McDreamy" we like Grey's Anatomy too). And we had the chocolate mousse for dessert. Again we were surprised that the dessert was quite good.

I shoveled in another waffle cone before the parade. Hey, it was hot, what can I say... I never did manage to shovel in a Mickey bar, but waffle cones, I seemed to have them covered .

Dinner tonight was at Spoodles. We had an early time so that we could make it back to see Fantasmic. I was excited to eat here because it is one of the few TS places I haven't been too. That's kind of sad isn't it? I eat too much . We both had mussels - pretty good, but not up to Le Cellier's standard - at least that's what my mom pronounced them. We both had the Cornish hen. I wanted to try it, it sounded different. Guess what? It tasted just like.... Chicken Oh well... "Cornish hen" sounds much fancier doesn't it? And I'm sure there's a distinction that a more knowledgeable palate can relate, but I can't... I had the cheesecake for dessert, my mom had the flan. So now I've been to Spoodles. Yep. It was decent, but with so many other choices, unless we were staying at the BW, I don't think we would venture there. Oh, I think this server was one who told us we didn't have any points left. So I asked if she had checked and rung it in under whatever they had to for the deluxe dining plan - she disappeared and *poof* it was fine. But I could just imagine how rough it must have been that first week - we were calm, but I bet a lot of people weren't...

Oh and later that night I managed to shovel in a milkshake... Yep, I put on about 8 lbs between Christmas and this trip. If you do one of the plans, most likely you will gain weight. But the first week back to normal I lost 4 lbs. And I know that at the gym my trainer told me that to lose 1 lb you need to decrease your calorie intake by 500 a day. And I didn't eat any differently than normal when I returned. So that meant that I was eating how many thousands of calories more a day? It certainly tasted yummy though And I'm just about back to normal... But it is like a cruise in that aspect. You just sort of puff up, there's no other way to describe it...

 

[diswedwish]

Day 6
Breakfast - Boatwrights
Today was our non-park day, so we decided to have breakfast here. We've both eaten here and both like it; we had an interesting server, but other than that it was par for the course. Our server had to be the slowest one we've ever had, it was a good thing we weren't in a hurry... But the food was good. I had the banana stuffed french toast, a smoothie, and coffee. My mom had the sweet potato pancakes, tea, and a bottle of water to go.

Lunch - Roaring Forks
I did the Segway Tour at FW, so after that we headed over to the WL and split a CS credit here. We had the turkey and brie sandwich, the chocolate cake for dessert, and a soda.

Dinner - Artist Point
We enjoyed our dinner here very much. We struck out with our server again (there was something about today ). But again, the food was yummy. My prince surprised me here again - after we placed our order, out came an appletini with one of those light-up Tinks on the side. Our waitress told me that it was from the manager. Again A quick text message, and it was confirmed - definitely from Andre

Other than the appletini, I also ordered the wine flight. Hey, I didn't know I was getting another drink Both of us had the mussels as an appetizer. We both had the buffalo with sweet potato as an entree. And we both had the berry cobbler for dessert. I'm boring, I *always* get the same thing here (except for the appletini). But I love it, so why mess with it?

 

[luckytobeme88]

How was your Segway Tour in FW?

 

[diswedwish]

The Segway Tour was a lot of fun! We had a little lesson in how to use them, then headed all over FW, over to WL and back. Not very specific, I know, but it really was very fun, and I had a great time

 

[diswedwish]

Day 7
Breakfast - FQ
Standard breakfast again; this morning we split the King Creole breakfast platter. I can't remember what was on it anymore, but it was decent. I had my usual milk and oj that I took with me.

Lunch - Rose and Crown
Um, yes, so this pretty much stunk... I had only eaten dinner here once and wasn't too crazy about it, but I wanted to give it a second shot and my mom had never been here. We had to wait first off, which was no biggie except that we had an early ADR and hadn't had to wait yet. So I'm whining already, sorry Then our server wasn't that great - she didn't seem too busy, yet seemed to take a long time to get our drinks; again, we weren't in a rush so no biggie. Again, I'm whining... But the food I should have read more reviews... I got the smoked salmon as an appetizer. It looked like tunafish and was huge. It wasn't awful, just not what I had expected from the description I guess. My mom had the fruit and cheese plate. There was a priceless moment there when I tried the blue cheese without smelling it first But some of her grapes were moldy - at the base of them, you know? Yuck... I had the roasted pork which was good, she had the shepherd's pie which she didn't like if I remember correctly. I had the trifle for dessert, she had the frozen custard. She said it tasted like turpentine. I thought she was being a tad dramatic . Anyway, we didn't like it... But whenever I read a bad restaurant review, I always figure I'll try it for myself, it almost always comes down to personal preference anyway.

Dinner - Coral Reef
I almost always enjoy dinner here We both had the lobster bisque to start, both had the king crab legs, and I had the chocolate wave (of course), and my mom had the creme brulee. It was quiet (surprisingly), we had a wonderful server, and we saw a lot of fish and even Crush (or whatever his real name is)! However, both of us forgot that last time we were here my mom just about died afterward from the soup. Milk products tend to aggravate her IBS sometimes. So tonight was a bad stomach night for her. But not as bad as after Cap'n Jacks.

 

[diswedwish]

Day 8
Breakfast - FQ food court
Today was a bad morning for my mom, so I had my standard breakfast of a bfast sandwich, milk, and oj to go.

Lunch - Flame Tree BBQ
We split the half chicken meal and the chocolate cake. We enjoyed this again. No surprises here - lol!

Dinner - Jiko
We really enjoyed our dinner here. We had an early ADR and again didn't have to wait long at all. We split an appetizer that wasn't on the menu - it had a good sampling of everything (sorry I can't be more specific!) on the appetizer menu. We both had the filet for dinner. My mom wasn't too sure about the mac 'n cheese part of it, but after our server explained the preparation she was sold. And we both enjoyed it. I can't remember the dessert I had - it says "Celebration" on the receipt. My mom had the creme brulee.

 

[diswedwish]

Day 9 - see, I'm getting there, slowly - And it's really 13 days, not 12...
Breakfast - FQ
My mom wasn't feeling too well this morning, so I had my chocolate chip pancakes all to myself Not that I could taste them... At this point of the trip I had the cold that wouldn't die and was up most nights coughing, but that didn't stop us...

Lunch - Brown Derby
I'd only eaten here once, so I was interested to see if it was really worth 2 points instead of the 1 that it used to be. We did enjoy lunch; the service and food were pretty good. We both had the mussels as an appetizer and liked them almost as much as Le Cellier. We both had the grouper. We weren't too crazy about it, but now we can say that we've tried grouper... I had the cheesecake and my mom had the creme brulee. Both were fine.

Dinner - Yachtsman
I can't find our recipt Okay, I know we had steak I remember being disappointed that they didn't have the oyster appetizer anymore. And I can't remember what either of us had as an appetizer... Oh, that's right, for dinner, we split the chateaubriand. That was very good, and now we can say we had it. You know, the important things We both had a glass of wine. And we probably had creme brulee for dessert.... And then we rolled back to the room Dinner was quite good. That was 2 lbs right there...

 

[diswedwish]

Day 10
Breakfast - Kona Cafe
I had to introduce my mom to Tonga toast We had a very nice server who also worked at SW - she told us all about how she and her family went to Discovery Cove and the discounted rate they get if they work at Sea World (if I ever move to FL when I retire I'm working there so I can go to DC every week!). We both had tonga toast. My mom had tea, I had coffee and a raspberry smoothie.

Lunch - Columbia Harbour House
We split a CS credit here. And here was my embarrassing moment of the day... We only ordered one thing to split, so it didn't take long to come up. And I had to bypass a few very disgruntled people who had placed large orders and had apparently been waiting for a while. I felt pretty uncomfortable about it, but hey, we needed our lunch and it was just crowding where their food would be in a minute. As I grabbed the tray, one woman bumped into me and there went my drink all over the floor Luckily it went on the floor and not on anyone, a CM immediately cleaned it up, and another CM handed me a new one. And the people still waiting to order were very nice to me as I passed... My mom and I retreated to the quiet of the upstairs dining area and ate our combo of fish and chicken in peace.

Dinner - CA Grill
We checked in on the second floor and were told to take the elevator up. We were early, so we went out on the observation level (incidentally this is a designated smoking area so my mom was happy). I'd never been out here and it was very neat! We were seated shortly after opening, and had a wonderful table overlooking the castle. We had a great server and overall had a very nice dinner. We both had the foie gras, we both had the filet, and we both had the strawberry dessert. Not very exciting - guess you can tell we're mother and daughter - but we both loved what we got.

 

[diswedwish]

Day 11
Breakfast - FQ
After last night, my mom's stomach was iffy, so I had my standard bfast of chocolate chip pancakes, milk, and oj. My mom thinks the choc. chip pancakes are disgusting. I mean, really, coming from someone who puts sugar on their cereal, what's the difference?

Lunch - Cosmic Ray's
We were getting to the end and had too many credits so we *gasp* had to use 2 credits at a CS place. We both had cheeseburgers and fries and both had carrot cake. And what was sad is that we even ordered separately. We just ended up getting the same thing... I did put more onions on my burger than she did though.

I had a pineapple float at Aloha Isle in the afternoon. That was yummy. We still had 30 snack credits left...

Dinner - Citricos
We got different things!!!! We both enjoyed the atmosphere and our server and the food. I had the gateau of crab and the veal shank. It was nice to have veal for a change. My mom had the shrimp appetizer and swordfish for dinner. We both had the berry thingy for dessert - at least I think that's what it was... I used my n/a beverage to have cappuccino. I enjoyed the wine flight here - they brought me 3 full size glasses of wine. Definitely not what I was expecting! I really enjoyed the chance to try a lot of different types of wine. For someone who chooses her wine by how pretty the bottle is, it is nice to have someone choose it for you

 

[diswedwish]

Day 12
Breakfast - FQ
We split the King Creole platter, milk, and oj. No surprises there!

Lunch - Yak and Yeti
This was a last minute decision. We had a few extra TS credits, so we added this one in. We enjoyed it; but the service was absolutely awful! We had an upstairs window table which was very nice. My mom wanted to try plum wine which she didn't like that much (I did though!). For appetizers, I tried the dim sum basket, I think my mom had the mussels. I had the duck, and she had the mahi mahi for lunch. For dessert I had the fried wontons which were scrumptious, and my mom had the sorbets. Now the reason our server stunk was that he took forever to bring us stuff, didn't refill our drinks, and took forever to bring the check. Then when he did bring the check, it definitely wasn't right. I mean, he subtracted the right amount of credits, but the amount wasn't right - it was $63. or something like that - we "spent" way more than that. But we tipped on that because the service stunk. Then on the way out we asked the hostess very politely if we could have 2 fortune cookies (server forgot those too and we didn't ask him for them - that and we didn't want to wait forever for them). My boyfriend likes fortune cookies and I wanted to bring them to him. The hostess was very sweet and brought them to us.

Dinner - Flying Fish
We really enjoyed our last night dinner here. Our server was nice, the food was good, and since we ate early, it was quiet too. I had the lobster soup, sandwich to start. Our server was concerned that I would be upset that the sandwich was too small. I actually thought it was too much food, but I think if you wanted that as your meal it would be too small. My mom had foie gras, she never had that before CA Grill and really liked it. I had the salmon as a meal, my mom had the NY strip (I was thinking "seriously, we come to FF and you get a steak?!) But she liked it, so okay. My mom had the panna cotta for dessert, and I had this pecan tart thing. OMG, it was soooo good. Right up there with AP's berry cobbler. And I had 2 wine flights here - but they were little ones. A regular one with the meal, and a dessert wine flight. My mom "helped" me with the dessert wine flight. Meaning she slugged half of each teeny tiny glass. The dessert wine flight was $11 and I think it was 4 different ones (maybe 3), so it was very good to try.