This is my first dining review so please go easy on me. 
DH & I decided to celebrate our 15th anniversary at the happiest place on earth. So on Sept. 17th we packed our bags and our appetites and flew down to Florida for a little Disney magic and free dining. Disney did not let us down! I came home five pounds heavier and I'm still not hungry!!! Even with the elimination of the appetizer on the TS meals, there was still plenty of food.
Wednesday:
Once we checked into POP, we headed over to Pleasure Island for a much anticipated dinner at Raglan Road. Good food and great music was on the menu. Our ADR was for 8:30 and we were seated within five minutes of checking in. Our server brought our drinks and soda bread with a beer and honey dipping sauce. DH had the fish & chips and I had the serious sirloin steak and potatoes. My steak was cooked a little more than I liked but it was my own fault for ordering medium instead of medium rare. The band came out and began to play just as we were finishing our entrees. As we were about to order dessert, all of the lights went out (apparently in all of Pleasure Island). The computers were down as well, so we sat for about twenty minutes with the emergency exit signs as the only lighting, no dessert and unable to leave since the server couldn't ring our checks. Okay - kind of romantic in an unexpected sort of way. Once the lights came back on, we kind of got the feeling from our server that the staff just wanted to get people fed and out so we decided to skip dessert. Overall our meal was very good and we'll go back. Raglan Road wins the most unique dining experience of our trip.
I was looking forward to the Bread & Butter Pudding and a little disappointed so we decided to head over to Goofy's Candy Company and create our own dessert.
DH chose the pretzels drenched in milk chocolate and peanuts with a white chocolate drizzle.......
And I decided on the marshmallows with milk chocolate, pecans and a caramel drizzle. Mmmmmm is all that I can say about that.
Thursday:
We were off to the Magic Kingdom. We decided to try Cosmic Ray's for lunch. DH had the double cheeseburger, fries and chocolate brownie. I had the roasted half-chicken with green beans, mashed potatoes and carrot cake for dessert. The chicken was moist and the green beans were really yummy. Cosmic Rays had a nice selection to choose from, lots of seating and clean tables and you can't beat listening to Sonny Eclipse while you eat. We give it two thumbs up.
We took the monorail to the Poly for the torch lighting ceremony, followed by a quick stop at the pool bar for a beer and a pina colada and then walked along the beach to GF for dinner at the GF Cafe. We had a 7:30 ADR and waited about twenty minutes to be seated. I was so hungry that I forgot to take pictures. Our server was excellent. Our drinks came with sourdough rolls and a mini-loaf of bread with currants in it and lemon/vanilla butter sprinkled with sea salt. DH had the salmon and I had the New York strip steak with mashed potatoes and green beans. My steak was cooked to perfection and the mashed potatoes were the BEST I have ever had in my life. The Chef makes them with heavy cream, sour cream and parmesean cheese (I guess this would be where I started to gain the five pounds). DH had lemon cheesecake and I had the chocolate fondue for dessert. It was soooo good. Warm chocolate with marshmallows, pineapple, strawberries and banana. We couldn't eat another bite. GF Cafe wins the best meal of the trip award and we'll definately be back!
Friday:
Spent the day in Epcot, my favorite park, and wandering around World Showcase. We had a 12:15 ADR for lunch at San Angel and were seated immediately. This was the TS I was the most nervous about because I'm not a huge fan of Mexican but DH is and I've always loved the theming so we went for it. We decided not to use a TS credit and pay out of pocket. The server was so nice and didn't rush us. He brought our drinks and chips and salsa. I was still a little skeptical of the menu so I just had the Ensalada appetizer. It was light and tasty with hints of cilantro and mint. Very fresh tasting.
DH had the Pollo a las Rajas which was grilled chicken with peppers, onions and cheese. He shared some with me and we both thought it was very good. Creamy and just the right amount of spice. San Angel wins the award for restaurant with the best atmosphere this trip. We can't wait to bring our boys back here on our next trip.
Spent the day snacking and drinking our way around World Showcase. Fiesta Margaritas, Chocolate Mousse from Boulangerie Patisserie, Grand Marinier Slushies and then it was time for our anniversary dinner at Tutto. We were seated in less than five minutes of our 7:15 ADR. Our server brought drinks, bread with olive oil for dipping and pickled veggies.
DH had the fish which he said was out of this world.
And I had the Bucatini Gratinati which was fettucini with prosciutto ham, peas and parmesean cheese. It was just the right size portion with chunks of ham, so creamy and cheesy. They baked it which made this nice layer of chewy cheese on top. It was delicious.
For dessert, I can't remember the name of what DH had but it was a custard topped with fresh strawberries and a marsala wine sauce. I had the cannoli and both were amazing!
After all of that, our server appeared with anniversary cake for two. Such a nice surprise. It wasn't easy but we toughed it out and made room for a few bites of chocolate heaven.
Tutto wins the award for most romantic dinner of the trip. Had we been paying for it, it was a little pricey but honestly, it was worth every penny and we'd go there again for sure.
After that we took a nighttime stroll around World Showcase (we needed to walk at this point) and then we stopped to see the American Adventure where a CM bestowed a magical moment on us. All in all just a great day of food and fun at Epcot.
Saturday:
Spent the morning at Animal Kingdom and had lunch at Yak & Yeti. We were seated within ten minutes of our 1:15 ADR. This was the one TS that I was really looking forward to and it lived up to our expectations. We both had the Shaoxing Steak & Shrimp which was skirt steak, tempura shrimp, rice and stir-fried veggies. It was presented beautifully. The steak was so tender and the plum sauce for the shrimp was so tasty. DH really enjoyed the mango iced tea.
For dessert we both had the fried wontons. Oh my goodness they were yummy. Cream cheese filled wontons with stawberries and pineapple with a honey vanilla sauce and vanilla ice cream. I could have eaten these all day long.
Yak & Yeti gets the award for best presentation this trip and it's one of our new favorites.
After that we went to Disney Studios and then back to Magic Kingdom for a pizza dinner at Pinnochio Village Hause and to end our visit to the parks with Wishes.
Sunday we hung out at the pool and food court at POP. We used the rest of our counter service credits for cheeseburgers and Mom's fried chicken and of course Mickey rice krispie treats for the plane ride home.
This was our third time using the dining plan (2nd time free) and even when we paid for it last year, we found it to be such a good value.
Usually, on every trip there is always that one restaurant that ends up being a disappointment but I can honestly say that we were extremely happy with all of our choices on this trip. Each and every meal was really delicious and there wasn't one restaurant that we wouldn't go back to. Raglan Road was the only restaurant that wasn't new to us and we were so happy to have such positive experiences at all of them.
Now it's back to reality and the treadmill but I've already started planning the next trip and dreaming of those fried wontons.
DH & I decided to celebrate our 15th anniversary at the happiest place on earth. So on Sept. 17th we packed our bags and our appetites and flew down to Florida for a little Disney magic and free dining. Disney did not let us down! I came home five pounds heavier and I'm still not hungry!!! Even with the elimination of the appetizer on the TS meals, there was still plenty of food.
Wednesday:
Once we checked into POP, we headed over to Pleasure Island for a much anticipated dinner at Raglan Road. Good food and great music was on the menu. Our ADR was for 8:30 and we were seated within five minutes of checking in. Our server brought our drinks and soda bread with a beer and honey dipping sauce. DH had the fish & chips and I had the serious sirloin steak and potatoes. My steak was cooked a little more than I liked but it was my own fault for ordering medium instead of medium rare. The band came out and began to play just as we were finishing our entrees. As we were about to order dessert, all of the lights went out (apparently in all of Pleasure Island). The computers were down as well, so we sat for about twenty minutes with the emergency exit signs as the only lighting, no dessert and unable to leave since the server couldn't ring our checks. Okay - kind of romantic in an unexpected sort of way. Once the lights came back on, we kind of got the feeling from our server that the staff just wanted to get people fed and out so we decided to skip dessert. Overall our meal was very good and we'll go back. Raglan Road wins the most unique dining experience of our trip.
I was looking forward to the Bread & Butter Pudding and a little disappointed so we decided to head over to Goofy's Candy Company and create our own dessert.
DH chose the pretzels drenched in milk chocolate and peanuts with a white chocolate drizzle.......
And I decided on the marshmallows with milk chocolate, pecans and a caramel drizzle. Mmmmmm is all that I can say about that.
Thursday:
We were off to the Magic Kingdom. We decided to try Cosmic Ray's for lunch. DH had the double cheeseburger, fries and chocolate brownie. I had the roasted half-chicken with green beans, mashed potatoes and carrot cake for dessert. The chicken was moist and the green beans were really yummy. Cosmic Rays had a nice selection to choose from, lots of seating and clean tables and you can't beat listening to Sonny Eclipse while you eat. We give it two thumbs up.
We took the monorail to the Poly for the torch lighting ceremony, followed by a quick stop at the pool bar for a beer and a pina colada and then walked along the beach to GF for dinner at the GF Cafe. We had a 7:30 ADR and waited about twenty minutes to be seated. I was so hungry that I forgot to take pictures. Our server was excellent. Our drinks came with sourdough rolls and a mini-loaf of bread with currants in it and lemon/vanilla butter sprinkled with sea salt. DH had the salmon and I had the New York strip steak with mashed potatoes and green beans. My steak was cooked to perfection and the mashed potatoes were the BEST I have ever had in my life. The Chef makes them with heavy cream, sour cream and parmesean cheese (I guess this would be where I started to gain the five pounds). DH had lemon cheesecake and I had the chocolate fondue for dessert. It was soooo good. Warm chocolate with marshmallows, pineapple, strawberries and banana. We couldn't eat another bite. GF Cafe wins the best meal of the trip award and we'll definately be back!
Friday:
Spent the day in Epcot, my favorite park, and wandering around World Showcase. We had a 12:15 ADR for lunch at San Angel and were seated immediately. This was the TS I was the most nervous about because I'm not a huge fan of Mexican but DH is and I've always loved the theming so we went for it. We decided not to use a TS credit and pay out of pocket. The server was so nice and didn't rush us. He brought our drinks and chips and salsa. I was still a little skeptical of the menu so I just had the Ensalada appetizer. It was light and tasty with hints of cilantro and mint. Very fresh tasting.
DH had the Pollo a las Rajas which was grilled chicken with peppers, onions and cheese. He shared some with me and we both thought it was very good. Creamy and just the right amount of spice. San Angel wins the award for restaurant with the best atmosphere this trip. We can't wait to bring our boys back here on our next trip.
Spent the day snacking and drinking our way around World Showcase. Fiesta Margaritas, Chocolate Mousse from Boulangerie Patisserie, Grand Marinier Slushies and then it was time for our anniversary dinner at Tutto. We were seated in less than five minutes of our 7:15 ADR. Our server brought drinks, bread with olive oil for dipping and pickled veggies.
DH had the fish which he said was out of this world.
And I had the Bucatini Gratinati which was fettucini with prosciutto ham, peas and parmesean cheese. It was just the right size portion with chunks of ham, so creamy and cheesy. They baked it which made this nice layer of chewy cheese on top. It was delicious.
For dessert, I can't remember the name of what DH had but it was a custard topped with fresh strawberries and a marsala wine sauce. I had the cannoli and both were amazing!
After all of that, our server appeared with anniversary cake for two. Such a nice surprise. It wasn't easy but we toughed it out and made room for a few bites of chocolate heaven.
Tutto wins the award for most romantic dinner of the trip. Had we been paying for it, it was a little pricey but honestly, it was worth every penny and we'd go there again for sure.
After that we took a nighttime stroll around World Showcase (we needed to walk at this point) and then we stopped to see the American Adventure where a CM bestowed a magical moment on us. All in all just a great day of food and fun at Epcot.
Saturday:
Spent the morning at Animal Kingdom and had lunch at Yak & Yeti. We were seated within ten minutes of our 1:15 ADR. This was the one TS that I was really looking forward to and it lived up to our expectations. We both had the Shaoxing Steak & Shrimp which was skirt steak, tempura shrimp, rice and stir-fried veggies. It was presented beautifully. The steak was so tender and the plum sauce for the shrimp was so tasty. DH really enjoyed the mango iced tea.
For dessert we both had the fried wontons. Oh my goodness they were yummy. Cream cheese filled wontons with stawberries and pineapple with a honey vanilla sauce and vanilla ice cream. I could have eaten these all day long.
Yak & Yeti gets the award for best presentation this trip and it's one of our new favorites.
After that we went to Disney Studios and then back to Magic Kingdom for a pizza dinner at Pinnochio Village Hause and to end our visit to the parks with Wishes.
Sunday we hung out at the pool and food court at POP. We used the rest of our counter service credits for cheeseburgers and Mom's fried chicken and of course Mickey rice krispie treats for the plane ride home.
This was our third time using the dining plan (2nd time free) and even when we paid for it last year, we found it to be such a good value.
Usually, on every trip there is always that one restaurant that ends up being a disappointment but I can honestly say that we were extremely happy with all of our choices on this trip. Each and every meal was really delicious and there wasn't one restaurant that we wouldn't go back to. Raglan Road was the only restaurant that wasn't new to us and we were so happy to have such positive experiences at all of them.
Now it's back to reality and the treadmill but I've already started planning the next trip and dreaming of those fried wontons.
I went into imaging last night and all the pictures came up and this morning they were gone. I was so excited - I thought I finally figured out how to post pics. Aghhh.
