2 weeks' worth of dining - brief reviews! BOG and signatures included

[collegejunkie]

we're here! it's the end of night 2, actually. we're getting ready for bed

really fast dining reviews just so they're out there. i hope this helps some people make fast, easy decisions. i do love long dining reviews, but sometimes i'm just looking for a short description so hopefully i can provide some of that for those in need of them.

day 1: arrival and MVMCP
lunch - rainforest cafe. i had the jungle steak and shrimp with only shrimp scampi (no coconut shrimp) and df had the pastalaya. my food was pretty bland, which was surprising because i have gotten this before and it is normally quite good. the pastalaya was spicy (to me), but df enjoyed it.

dinner - be our guest. no reservation, walked up and asked if they had any openings and to our surprise, they took us right in. we each had an onion soup and shared the pork entree. i'm sad to say that the food is not good. the only exception to this were the bread rolls. the onion soup felt like it was missing a few tastes/ingredients. the pork itself was okay (i don't really eat pork, so maybe it was quite good for pork and i just don't know), the macaroni side was salty, and the beans were nothing special.

day 2: epcot
lunch - le cellier candlelight processional package. i had the duck crepe, mushroom filet mignon, and maple creme brulee. df had the mussels, mushroom filet, and the pecan pie. this was our first time here and i wasn't expecting anything great, as we have a ton of fabulous steakhouses in new york, but i was really happy with everything. my risotto was a tad too salty, but it was still great. the duck crepe may be a little sweet to some people, but that's how i like things, so i loved it. the filet was delicious and i could eat bowls and bowls of the risotto. the creme brulee was very good. df liked all of his food. i dipped some pretzel bread into his mussels' broth and it was super salty, but he said his mussels were not salty. the pecan pie dessert is interesting because it's layers of pie components, but it was also incredible. we will be returning here

dinner - chefs de france. we both had onion soups and shared the duck entree. i live for the onion soup here. i wait all year to have it, so i think you know how i feel about this. eating this is a religious experience. the duck was the same as always and is very good, but i don't love the fat on the slices. i just cut them off, so it's fine, but i ate some without doing it and it bothered me. this is our favorite restaurant and i have 2 more reservations here during the trip

tomorrow is california grill for dinner and up in the air for lunch. i'll post when i can. good night from disney!

 

[Ro Z]

Hope you are having fun. Thanks for reviews! Looking forward to more!

 

[Tracerr00]

I haven't been hearing good things about Be Our Guest at all. That's too bad. But I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed LC and Chefs - two of my favorites!! That onion soup is to die for!

 

[collegejunkie]

yay, replies! thanks for reading

day 3: hollywood studios/cali grill
lunch - abc commissary. i got the cheeseburger and fries, df got the seafood platter and fries. standard QS meal, though the one shrimp i took from df was super, super hot when i put it in my mouth, so be careful! i know this place doesn't get good reviews, but i think it's the same as any other QS

dinner - california grill. it was our first time here and we had an ADR for 30 minutes before wishes. we went out to the viewing area to watch even though we could see most of the castle from our table. df got the 3 cheese flatbread and pork entree. i got 3 apps as my meal - the gnocchi, the goat cheese ravioli, and the beets. we shared the spice cake with pumpkin for dessert. the flatbread was nice and garlic-y. the pork had a great sauce and i loved the polenta. it reminded me of the mushroom risotto from le cellier. i really liked the goat cheese ravioli and think they should make a bigger sized portion as an entree because i'd definitely get it. the beets were good, though i didn't care for the pickled beets. the other 2 types on the plate were red beets and golden beets. weirdly enough, i liked the golden beets more than the red beets, which i love to eat at home, because the golden beets tasted more like the beets i'm used to. the red ones here were a little hard and less sweet than the ones i get at home, but they were still good. there was a layer of mushed up olives on top of the goat cheese that came with these and i was surprised at how well the flavors worked together, as i would never think to pair beets with olives. i was looking forward to the gnocchi the most and ended up liking it the least. i fished out all the mushrooms and pork pieces because i didn't like them once i tried them. the mushrooms were too mushroom-y and the pork was a bit salty. there was a soft poached egg on top that was okay but i don't know that i liked it. i broke it open and mixed it into the sauce, so in the end i had potato gnocchi in eggy sauce. i had about half and then decided i didn't like it enough to bother finishing. the spice cake was dense and filling, but good. it was really great with the pumpkin ganache dumped on it. i didn't care for the pumpkin mousse (i think it was supposed to be mousse, i could be wrong) that came on the side. it reminded me of baby food. df ate all of it, so he must have liked it. overall, we were happy with cali grill and we'll probably try it again once the refurbishment is finished. i had fun trying the different foods so i'd probably do that again

 

[Eastern]

Thanks for posting. We have a reservation for chefs next week so glad to hear it was good. Too bad about BOG for dinner

 

[collegejunkie]

day 4: magic kingdom and artist point

lunch - be our guest. SO much better than dinner! we both had the steak sandwich with fries. the meat wasn't too rough or too soft, there was a garlic-y spread that we both really enjoyed, the bread was perfect - a little crusty on the outside, soft on the inside. fries were regular fries, but no complaints. also the sandwich is really big! definitely a good meal if you want to fill up for a few hours

dinner - artist point. we shared the smokey portobello soup and the beet appetizer, i had the chicken entree with butternut squash risotto subbed for spatzle and df had the salmon entree. we opted out of dessert, but got the berry cobbler on the house. i liked the soup, though i wish it didn't have the bacon flavor. i realize that many people probably love it, but it wasn't for me. it was a tiiiiiny bit too salty, but i'm glad i tried it. i live for the beets here. if i had to live on these beets and the onion soup from chefs de france, i'd be the happiest person alive. i fell in love with them last year, and while they were done slightly differently, they were still the best beets i've ever had (and i eat a looooooot of beets). df liked his salmon, but i think it wasn't enough food for him, as he was finished eating in a few minutes and then ate some of my chicken. my chicken was pretty good and i liked the breading. it wasn't heavy or greasy. the chicken itself was pretty moist. i was disappointed with the butternut squash risotto. it tasted a little sour to me, probably because of the cheese they used, but df liked it so maybe that's just me. we both loved different parts of the cobbler. i loved the pastry part of it and df liked the sorbet and the filling.

SURPRISE! i have pictures of the apps and dessert. the internet at the swan is painfully slow so i will have to link you instead of putting them right here, but if you're interested, here they are:

beets - https://pbs.twimg.com/media/A-6t5TvCIAI4KKB.jpg:large
soup - https://pbs.twimg.com/media/A-6toErCcAMAV9S.jpg:large
cobbler (+ coffee) - https://pbs.twimg.com/media/A-61S6hCYAAinN7.jpg:large

merry christmas!

 

[Krissalee]

Thanks for sharing your reviews. I know how you feel about the mushroom soup at Chefs. I haven't been there in quite a while, but need to plan a visit on our next trip specifically for the soup. I'm glad Be Our Guest redeemed itself on your second meal. I want to try lunch there next trip.

 

[collegejunkie]

day 5: il mulino

we woke up, went to see les miserables, and snacked a lot, which means we didn't have a real lunch. df left soon after.

dinner - il mulino. i got the mushroom risotto with chicken added in. the risotto was good, but nothing like the mushroom risotto at le cellier. it was good for what it was, but i prefer the one from LC for sure. the chicken was moist but tasted like it was cooked in another sauce that was meant for something else. once i mixed the chicken in a bit more, that taste went away and i had chicken/mushroom risotto. i was stuffed after, but i love tiramisu and so i got dessert to go and had it a little while ago. it was very, very good and very big. it has very strong espresso in it, so the coffee flavor was definitely there. the cream itself was great. you also get 2 spoons of extra cream, though they tasted a little bit different from the cream used on the actual tiramisu. i don't love chocolate shavings on my tiramisu, so i scraped off what i could and then it was much better for me, but the chocolate seemed good. i don't know if i'd return if i weren't staying in this area, but it was a good christmas meal and the bartenders were friendly (i sat at the bar).

pictures:
risotto - https://pbs.twimg.com/media/A-_vGG3CUAABGvl.jpg:large
tiramisu - https://pbs.twimg.com/media/A_ACa9SCcAAv-Mg.jpg:large
the tiramisu looks a little lopsided, but that's my fault. i dropped my key while getting into my room and tilted the box it was in

 

[Tracerr00]

day 5: il mulino

we woke up, went to see les miserables, and snacked a lot, which means we didn't have a real lunch. df left soon after.

dinner - il mulino. i got the mushroom risotto with chicken added in. the risotto was good, but nothing like the mushroom risotto at le cellier. it was good for what it was, but i prefer the one from LC for sure. the chicken was moist but tasted like it was cooked in another sauce that was meant for something else. once i mixed the chicken in a bit more, that taste went away and i had chicken/mushroom risotto. i was stuffed after, but i love tiramisu and so i got dessert to go and had it a little while ago. it was very, very good and very big. it has very strong espresso in it, so the coffee flavor was definitely there. the cream itself was great. you also get 2 spoons of extra cream, though they tasted a little bit different from the cream used on the actual tiramisu. i don't love chocolate shavings on my tiramisu, so i scraped off what i could and then it was much better for me, but the chocolate seemed good. i don't know if i'd return if i weren't staying in this area, but it was a good christmas meal and the bartenders were friendly (i sat at the bar).

pictures:
risotto - https://pbs.twimg.com/media/A-_vGG3CUAABGvl.jpg:large
tiramisu - https://pbs.twimg.com/media/A_ACa9SCcAAv-Mg.jpg:large
the tiramisu looks a little lopsided, but that's my fault. i dropped my key while getting into my room and tilted the box it was in

My 13 year old and I went to Les Mis yesterday too! Did you like it? We've seen the play several times so we thought we knew what to expect but we liked it even more than we thought we would!

I've never tried Il Mulino and I'm always glad to see a review! Sounds like you had a nice meal there - not outstanding but nice!

My DD loves steak so I was glad to see that you liked the steak at BOG for lunch. We'll definitely need to try that!

 

[collegejunkie]

My 13 year old and I went to Les Mis yesterday too! Did you like it? We've seen the play several times so we thought we knew what to expect but we liked it even more than we thought we would!

I've never tried Il Mulino and I'm always glad to see a review! Sounds like you had a nice meal there - not outstanding but nice!

My DD loves steak so I was glad to see that you liked the steak at BOG for lunch. We'll definitely need to try that!

les mis was good, but i wanted to see it a different day. i think i liked the movie better than the play, though!

il mulino was fine. i'd go back if i happened to be in the area, but i don't think it's worth going out of your way for.

the steak sandwich at lunch is very good and very filling. i bet she'll like it!

 

[collegejunkie]

day 6: back to the magic kingdom

lunch - tony's town square. this was my first and last time here. i got the shrimp scampi, which was swimming in oil/butter/lord knows what sauce. the sauce was not like any scampi sauce i've ever had, and i mean that in a bad way. the crostini looked sad and the cheese melted on top looked like it had been microwaved on. the sun dried tomatoes were inedible, very salty and generally tasted gross. the asparagus tasted like plain asparagus and so they were fine, but i didn't go to a restaurant to eat cooked asparagus plain like that. the shrimp were actually quite good, but on their own are not filling. the pasta was cooked well, but the sauce overpowered absolutely everything in this. to make matters worse, the couple at the table next to mine let their child cry nonstop through the entire meal and made absolutely no effort to calm him/her even though he/she at one point slid underneath the table and started banging his/her head against the pole. other tables around us were irritated as well, as they kept loudly making comments and shooting angry looks at the parents. while that's not the restaurant's fault, it didn't help what was already going wrong, so i won't be back. the only good thing was i took a picture of the lady and the tramp statue with christmas hats on.

shrimp scampi - https://pbs.twimg.com/media/A_JS2l9CEAIGbrK.jpg:large
it looks MUCH better than it tasted

 

[dad4dis]

Thanks for sharing!

 

[collegejunkie]

day 7: hollywood studios

lunch - contempo cafe. had the burger and fries, regular stuff. i also got the biggest cupcake i've ever seen, the pumpkin cupcake. i'm a huge pumpkin fan and so if i see anything with pumpkin in it, i pretty much have to try it. it was really sweet and i had less than a 1/4 and then had to throw the rest away. i wish i could have kept it for later, but i didn't know what to do with it while i was in the park, so i had what i could finish and then said bye. the cake itself was moist, the frosting i think might have been maple or something like that. i didn't know that it had filling, but i generally don't like fillings, so i ate around that once i discovered it. i also hate sprinkles so i wiped those off. hmm.. the more i write these reviews, the more i realize how picky i am lol

dinner - sci-fi dine in. i had a caesar salad and the turkey sandwich, no bacon, with french fries. the caesar salad was better than i expected. the lettuce was fresh and crunchy, the dressing was good. the sandwich was good but the bread got mushy pretty quickly, which is my only complaint. i love anything with avocado, so i really liked that the dressing was an avocado mayo. it tasted more like guacamole and had the consistency of guac as well, so i really enjoyed it. this was a solid meal. i ate hours ago and i'm still full. i also think sci-fi is really good if you're alone because they provide entertainment for you. i'm happy i went with this for tonight

cupcake - https://pbs.twimg.com/media/A_La9w0CAAEyzc-.jpg:large
i don't think you can tell how big it is from the photo unless you remember the size of the plate. so good, but definitely needs to be shared with at least one other person, maybe 2 or 3!
caesar salad - https://pbs.twimg.com/media/A_LbUxwCEAArGBl.jpg:large
turkey sandwich - https://pbs.twimg.com/media/A_LbKM6CEAAksPh.jpg:large

 

[collegejunkie]

day 8: epcot. this is going to look familiar, as i went back to le cellier for lunch after loving it a few days ago and then went to chefs de france for dinner again. i scored the le cellier reservation yesterday. i've had incredible luck with dining.

lunch - le cellier. once again got the duck crepe and filet mignon. got an extra side of risotto this time, though, which was one of the best ideas i've had. i think i liked the risotto even more this time, as it wasn't salty at all. everything was great again.

dinner - chefs de france. i was still pretty full from lunch, so i only had onion soup and creme brulee. the onion soup was perfect, as always. the creme brulee was delicious and exactly as i remembered it. i still have another ressie for here lol i could eat here every day

duck crepe - https://pbs.twimg.com/media/A_O5edHCQAA7qOw.jpg:large
filet mignon - https://pbs.twimg.com/media/A_O5zCmCUAEksYF.jpg:large
onion soup - https://pbs.twimg.com/media/A_P_lzqCcAEB-Tu.jpg:large
creme brulee - https://pbs.twimg.com/media/A_P_z0uCEAIAf8j.jpg:large