2010 Dining Reviews

[disneyfav4ever]

So even though I'm not going for a few more months, I decided to start my dining reviews! I have two trips planned this year, one in the spring, and one in the fall. Both trips will include visits to Universal, and reviews of those restaurants as well.

Trip #1 - Spring Trip

We will not be on a dining plan this trip, and will stick to mainly counter service. The only restaurant we have a reservation at so far is Crystal Palace, which I choose, since I really like the food there, and I think it'll be fun to do a character meal.

Trip #2 - Fall Trip

Will be my longest trip yet, and for most of it I will be on the Disney dining plan. Reservations aren't made yet, but I'm planning on a lot of new (to me) restaurants, as well as some old favorites.

I am totally psyched for both my trips, and hope you'll enjoy hearing about both my planning before hand, as well as the reviews once return from them!

 

[disneyfav4ever]

Pre Trip Planning

Spring Intinerary
Fall Plans

Spring Reviews

Fall Reviews

 

[disneyfav4ever]

Spring Trip Planned Restaurants

Day One - I'm thinking we'll be having lunch at the food court of our resort, and then dinner snacking around World Showcase. I think Tangerine Cafe for our main meal, and then Kringla Bakeri for dessert.

Day Two - Breakfast at our resort, and lunch at Flame Tree BBQ. I think at dinner we'll be going our seperate ways, as my dad likes to go to bed early, so he'll probably eat at the resort food court, while I go to Downtown Disney for dinner at T-Rex and then maybe dessert at Ghiradelli.

Day Three - Breakfast at our resort again, then lunch at Crystal Palace, and dinner at Pecos Bill's, because I really want to try their new burgers.

Day Four - Breakfast at our resort, lunch at Backlot Express, and dinner at Farifax Fare. Maybe I'll be able to find a favorite counter service at Hollywood Studios.

Day Five - Breakfast at our resort then going to Universal. Though I'm not as sure with our plans here as I am at Disney, since this is all new to me, I'm thinking, based on menus and reviews, lunch and dinner at Thunder Falls Terrace and Croissant Moon Bakery, then an early bedtime for my dad, while I check out Citywalk, and maybe a restaurant there as well, which at this rate will probably be Bubba Gump's Shrimp Company.

Day Six - Universal again today, not sure what we'll do for breakfast, but I do have two counter service restaurants in mind; Louie's Italian, which I read has good pizza, and Richter's Burgers, which I've read has good burgers.

Day Seven - Back in Disney, and we're planning on Hollywood Studios again for our last day. Lunch, (unless I really love something from our first day,) will be at ABC Comissary.

 

[dizneeat]

And I am SO in here! Can't wait for your lineup of restaurants!

 

[disneyfav4ever]

Fall Trip Intinerary

Although I have not made any reservations yet, (I am not 180-days out yet,) I pretty much know what I want, and my list of places I want to eat really hasn't changed that much since I booked my trip.

I decided I'd try and do something a little bit different this trip though. I've already dined at most of the popular restaurants, so while looking at the menus of the restaurants I haven't tried yet, and reading reviews, I realized that there isn't a lot of information out there for most of them. So I decided this trip, I'll make reservations at lots of out of the way places that don't get a lot of attention.

So I plan to try; Captain's Grille at the Yacht Club, Olivia's Cafe at Old Key West, Boatwright's at Port Orleans Riverside, Maya Grill at Coronado Springs, Shutters at Carribbean Beach Resort, and the Turf Club Bar and Grille at Saratoga Springs.

I also plan on trying; (though I don't count these places as underrated,) Bistro de Paris, Cape May Cafe, (for dinner, I've had breakfast there before,) Fulton's Crab House, Fresh, and though I've been to both of the next two places before; San Angel Inn and Sci-Fi Dine-In for the first time in over ten years.

I also have several table-service breakfasts I want to try; Olivia's Cafe, Boma, Kouzzina, and Rainforest Cafe. Of those, only Kouzzina have I been to before for breakfast.

Then there are old favorites I'd like to try and return to as well; Le Cellier, Mama Melrose's, Yak and Yeti, Wolfgang Puck Cafe, Beaches and Cream, the Wave, California Grill, Blue Zoo, and Sanaa.

The restaurants I want to try this fall at Universal are; (and a lot of this depends on where I eat this spring,) the Three Broomsticks, Tchoup Chop, Confisco Grill, and Mythos.

All those, plus I have a list of counter service restaurants I want to eat at, (I'll have all those credits to use,) and snacking at the Food and Wine Festival.

 

[disneyfav4ever]

And I am SO in here! Can't wait for your lineup of restaurants!

My first reader! Welcome.

 

[MickeyNicki]

Count me in for both trips...what are the dates you are going? I know we are going in Oct, probably late in the month around my B-day and I would love to go in May for Todd's b-day....

 

[disneyfav4ever]

Let's talk counter service! Aside from trying some more of the unheard about table service restaurants, I also want to try some of the resort counter service locations this fall, though I'm not sure how well that'll work out. Assuming it's a day I have a resort breakfast and dinner, I don't know if I'd want to leave the parks a thrid time each day for lunch.

I know the monorail restaurants are easy to get to, and if I want to drink on a Magic Kingdom day, I'd be leaving the park eventually anyway. I really want to try Captain Cook's, and I loved the flatbread I had at Contempo Cafe last year, so both of those are on my list, for breakfast as well as lunches.

They're the only two counter service locations that I can really justify leaving the park for, and also the Mara. I really want to try that place as well, and I'd be able to get my zebra dome fix there, since as of now, I am only planning to have breakfast at Boma.

One other counter service restaurant I really want to try and include in my trip for breakfast and for lunch is Wolfgang Puck Express. I tried it for the first time last year, and it is wonderful.

Other then that, I think I'll probably end up staying in the park for my counter service meals. I've always liked Pecos Bill's and Cosmic Ray's, though they're not that interesting to me as the options at Epcot. And I also really want to give Columbia Harbor House another try.

There are lots of places I want to try and eat at Epcot. Tangerine Cafe is currently my favorite, and I may give Sunshine Seasons another try. Two things that I'm really looking foward to though, are the two new restaurants that should be open by the time I go in the fall, the new Italian and Mexican restaurants.

I am not looking foward to eating at any of the counter service restaurants at Hollywood Studios. I know in the fall I can easily avoid them, being solo, and having the ability of being able to do whatever I want, which may mean heading over to Epcot every single day I go to the Studios in the morning just for lunch, but this spring, my dad does not have a park hopper, and with only one day in each park, I know we won't be leaving the parks to find something to eat. So hopefully we'll be able to find something half decent to eat.

Animal Kingdom is really easy for me to plan for, since I know I want to eat at Yak and Yeti there, and then Sanaa, Boma, and the Mara at Animal Kingdom Lodge, which I'll try to be at Animal Kingdom the day I eat at those places. Other then that, I don't see myself spending tons of time at Animal Kingdom like I do the other parks. Even if I'm there just part of four days out of my trip, that would probably be enough. But since my trip is so long, I'll probably end up there and need counter service at some point; Flame Tree BBQ is hands down my top choice.

So I guess that's my plan for counter service, even though I told myself I wasn't going to plan out all details of my trips this time, but I enjoy planning it's fun, and I really like to have some idea of where I'm going to eat in advance.

 

[disneyfav4ever]

Count me in for both trips...what are the dates you are going? I know we are going in Oct, probably late in the month around my B-day and I would love to go in May for Todd's b-day....

I sent you a PM.

 

[Dis_Yoda]

Can't wait til I get to read your reviews!

We're heading back in October too - maybe our paths will cross since I know we had some overlap last year.

 

[disneyfav4ever]

Can't wait til I get to read your reviews!

We're heading back in October too - maybe our paths will cross since I know we had some overlap last year.

Glad you're reading!

It seems my trips always overlap with a lot of DISers, but that I never realize it until after I get home.

 

[disneyfav4ever]

I added a T-Rex reservation for my spring trip. I've read many good reviews for it, and it looks like a good "junk food" restaurant to me.

 

[MickeyNicki]

I added a T-Rex reservation for my spring trip. I've read many good reviews for it, and it looks like a good "junk food" restaurant to me.

I would like to try it the next time we go to WDW, many excellent reviews out there and I really want to try the CottonCandy-tini drink!

 

[disneyfav4ever]

I would like to try it the next time we go to WDW, many excellent reviews out there and I really want to try the CottonCandy-tini drink!

There's a lot I want to try there, the fries sound good, and then several sandwiches and appetizers have caught my eye. It's going to be hard choosing just one thing.

 

[Dis_Yoda]

I would like to try it the next time we go to WDW, many excellent reviews out there and I really want to try the CottonCandy-tini drink!

Do you have an OCharley's around you?

They have one there that is awesome & looks similiar to what you get from T-Rex.

 

[disneyfav4ever]

Do you have an OCharley's around you?

They have one there that is awesome & looks similiar to what you get from T-Rex.

Nope, never heard of the place. I just looked it up and the closest one is hours away.

 

[CathrynRose]

Don't forget to save me a date for dinner with you!!

We can do a FANTASMIC package again - or I'd totally do San Angel. I've wanted to eat there for YEARS and no one ever wants to go there. And Gretchen will be with. We'd have a blast!

And - I'd totally do Kouzzina with you. I loooved that place. It was by far, the best dinner I had, my last trip. Delicious! (but I *love* Greek food! Opa!)

Good thing we booked bounce back. The rumor is the values will be released with free dining - but with counter only. We got the old one. *phew!*

 

[disneyfav4ever]

Don't forget to save me a date for dinner with you!!

We can do a FANTASMIC package again - or I'd totally do San Angel. I've wanted to eat there for YEARS and no one ever wants to go there. And Gretchen will be with. We'd have a blast!

And - I'd totally do Kouzzina with you. I loooved that place. It was by far, the best dinner I had, my last trip. Delicious! (but I *love* Greek food! Opa!)

Good thing we booked bounce back. The rumor is the values will be released with free dining - but with counter only. We got the old one. *phew!*

Yeah, we'll have to discuss all that. I would hate to have only the quick service plan. I mean, I love some of the CS options, but I eat so much TS that it would never be a good deal for me to just have the CS plan for "free."

 

[disneyfav4ever]

I've found out that the Three Broomsticks is going to be CS, and I was really thinking it was going to be TS. That's okay though, because it really makes Universal easier to plan.

So I think in the spring I'll definatly try to eat at Bubba Gump's, I do love seafood, and keep on hearing good things about that place. And Forrest Gump is one of my favorite movies. Not a lot of TS that trip though, so I may limit myself to just Bubba Gump's, though maybe I can squeeze in Mythos that trip as well.

Then the fall trip, which is the one I'm really planning right now, Mythos definatly, maybe even twice, and also Confisco Grille. The night I spend at Universal I'm going to have dinner at Tchoup Chop. I've heard nothing but good things about the restaurant, and I can't wait to try it.

Three Broomsticks, well, I probably won't "eat" there, but I will be drinking there. I really want to try both butterbeer and pumpkin juice. I think this trip is just going to be fantastic!

 

[disneyfav4ever]

All right I *think* I have my ADR's figured out for the fall, though I still have a few weeks until I can make all my ADRs, and the only thing that could really change anything is the October park hours, but I don't think they'll change that much from September to October, and the only thing I really care about in October, is the Food and Wine Festival.

It looks like I'll be eating at; Le Cellier, San Angel Inn, Bistro de Paris, Mama Melrose's, Yak and Yeti, Boma, Sanaa, Cape May Cafe, Flying Fish, Kouzzina, California Grill, the Wave, Olivia's Cafe, Kona, Ohana, Boatwright's, Turf Club Bar and Grill, Captain's Grill, Fulton's Crab House, and Wolfgang Puck Dining Room in Disney, then Mythos, Tchoup Chop, and Confisco Grille at Universal.