6 Days of Disney Dining... food overload!

[jensen]

Day 1 & 2:
Pop Food Court
Sunshine Seasons
BOMA

We arrived at about 6 PM on Tuesday and headed straight to MGM for EMH. We were so excited about being at the parks that we didn't even think about food until it was getting pretty late and there wasn't really anything open at MGM. We ended up grabbing a popcorn to tide the kids over until we got back to the resort. We really like the POP food court and usually eat here at least once each trip. I LOVE the Chicken Penne Alfredo. This is a parmesan crusted chicken breast with penne pasta all covered with alfredo sauce and served with a warm breadstick. The chicken breast fillet is huge and so moist - I swear it is the best chicken on property!!! I ordered two of these and the kids and I split them. DH tried the Cheesesteak Wrap and fries. He loved this. For dessert, we had the Carrot Cake, Tie-dyed cheesecake and the chocolate marshmallow cheesecake. We were so full that most of the dessert went back to the room with us.

The next morning we ate a quick breakfast of PB&J sandwiches in the room and headed off to Epcot since the forecast was for rain. Lunch was at Sunshine Seasons in the land. IMHO, this is one of the best counter service locations in the world. There is so much to choose from and everything is fresh and tasty. DH and DS shared the Black Forest Ham and Salami Grinder and a mixed greens salad. DD and I shared the Asian entrees. I think we had Mongolian Beef - it had a nice spice to it - and Teriyaki Chicken with rice and broccoli. For dessert, I wanted to take advantage of all their wonderful looking baked goods. But, I knew we'd be eating plenty of desserts this week, so I got each of the kids a "worm in dirt". They were both so full they could barely eat them.

For dinner, we finally got to try BOMA. We've had an ADR here every trip and have always ended up canceling it. This year I was determined to try it and I'm so happy we finally did!!! This place is great and we'll be back. I really liked the atmosphere here. We had a late seating (9:00 PM). The lights were dim and the tables were spaced apart nicely. We had a window seat which was tucked back into an alcove away from the buffet, so it was quiet and relaxing. It was pitch black outside, so we couldn't see anything, but I'd imagine it would be a prime seat during daylight hours.

I swear I tried a little of everything on the buffet. I kept going back and getting a spoonful of this and a spoonful of that. I found a few things I disliked, but mostly enjoyed all the unusual (to me) dishes. I barely had room for dessert, but I did manage to stuff down TWO debra domes. Yum, yum!!!! DH and the kids also found plenty to fill them up.

I want to mention that I didn't find things overly spicy here. I've read of people who are afraid to try this restaurant for fear they will have an upset stomach because of the spices... you'd have to have a very fragile stomach to find this place too spicy. Go for it! You won't regret it!

Next up: Cosmic Rays & Garden Grill

 

[jensen]

Day 3:

We started the day thinking we were headed to Disney Quest because the forecast was for cool temps and rain, but at the last minute grabbed the bus to MK and were glad we did. It was cold, but we had Tomorrowland almost to ourselves... but, I guess that's for my trip report. We had lunch at Cosmic Rays and were satisfied with our meals. DH and DS shared the Bacon Double Cheeseburger meal. I used the "extra bun" trick and it worked well. DH typically eats his burgers pretty basic, but he enjoyed loading his up this day at the toppings bar. DD and I shared the Turkey Bacon wrap with the pasta salad. They also allowed me to substitute grapes for my dessert, which made for a nice healthy meal. The wrap was quite delicious and huge - DH even shared some of it. We left full and ready to tackle Fantasyland.

Dinner this evening was a the Garden Grill. We arrived a few minutes early for our 7:40 PM reservation and had to wait about 20 minutes for our table. I was a bit nervous about getting out of there in time to catch Illuminations, but we were fine.

We were fortunate to be seated in a booth in the outer ring, so we overlooked the land ride which was fun for the kids. We were 15 minutes into the meal when I mentioned something about the rotation of the restaurant... and DH was shocked to realize that we had, in fact, moved. He and the kids didn't sense the movement, but I could feel it. Maybe only because I knew it was happening... but, it certainly wasn't anything to make a person sick as it's so slow.

Our server arrived to take our drink orders and was soon back with our first course, which was a mixed greens salad with a sweet (maybe raspberry) vinigrette. The salad was wonderful - thinking about the cherry tomatoes makes my mouth water right now. We also got a big basket of rolls and biscuits with honey butter. Most of the food served in this restaurant is grown in here at Epcot, so everything is amazingly fresh.

Next came our platters... flank steak with a wine sauce, turkey with cranberry sauce, catfish, stuffing, mashed potatoes (with skins) and some fresh vegetables (carrots, green beans, snap peas - I believe). I was glad I liked the salad because I didn't find a lot I loved on this platter. I didn't care for the wine sauce on the flank steak and the turkey had an odd taste. I don't really care for the muddy taste of catfish, but DH loved it and ordered a second round. The potatoes were wonderful, but the stuffing was bland. The vegetables looked great, but I don't typically eat any of them, so I skipped them and opted to help the kids finish their platter.

The kids got the old kids standbys - chicken strips, mac & cheese and french fries. DS gobbled it down, but DD didn't show much interest. She was more interested in standing up in the booth to see if she could spy any characters.

The character interaction here was just OK. The characters were fine, but all you could really do was pose for a photo. Because of the layout of the restaurant - narrow walkways and booths - you couldn't really get out of your seat to hug or stand with them. We found the interaction at other restaurants to be a little better - even though each character came around twice.

Dessert was a hit here. The kids loved decorating their cupcakes - making sure to get every single sprinkle on the icing. The banana bread pudding for the adults was also divine.

Service at this restaurant was just OK. Our server had to be asked twice for a couple of things, but we were out of there in about 45 minutes, so he was quick.

All in all, I'd say this is a place to try once. But, I won't rush back.

Up next: Flame Tree and Cape May

 

[jensen]

Day 4:

The weather was finally starting to warm when we headed to MGM this morning. We planned to stay here until the parade and then head to AK for the remainder of the day and EMH. What I didn't plan for was lunch... DS really wanted to try Pizza Planet, but I didn't want pizza on vacation, so I figured we could wait until we got to AK and eat a late lunch at Tusker House... wrong. They were closed when we arrived at 4:00 PM. I guess they don't stay open for EMH. So, it was on to plan B... or is that C? Anyway, we jumped on the safari since we were in the area and it was getting close to closing time (Note: don't bother with a safari this late in the day as most of the animals are already headed to their cages for the night). After our safari, it was already 5 PM and we had dinner reservations at 8:30 so we debated whether to even have lunch at this point. We ended up deciding to share some ribs at the Flame Tree. I don't care for barbeque, so I wasn't too excited about this, but I already mentioned that I didn't want pizza, so here we were... I got the half-rack and was able to substitute cole slaw for the corn and grapes for the dessert. Then I ordered a side of onion rings. This ended up being quite a large tray of food. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the ribs. I don't believe I've had rubbed ribs before and they were really good. We were all very satisfied with this "lunch" and were full enough to make it a few hours until dinner. I would recommend this restaurant and say it's a great buy, as well.

Dinner that evening was at the Cape May Cafe. I like to eat my buffets the same as I would a served meal. Salad first, then entree and then dessert. So, the meal started off great with a wonderful salad bar. Plenty of fresh salads and veggies to choose from. And the soups were really good - the clam chowder was great! I could have made a meal of just this... which turned out to be a good thing as there was little else to eat on this buffet. The "seafood" was a couple of pots of clams and mussels. I took a large bowl of clams and found it to be mostly empty shells. In the shells that did contain clams, I found tiny pieces of gritty meat. The mussels were a similar story. DH isn't a seafood eater, so he found himself eating from the "American" side of the buffet - whatever that means. He didn't complain. DS loved the chicken strips and mac & cheese. DD loved the peel and eat shrimp. Everyone liked the desserts - the little round cheesecakes were yummy!

Overall, I'd say you can get a good meal here, but don't come looking for great seafood.

Up next: Tangierine Cafe, Yorkshire County Fish Shop and Alfredo's

 

[MickeyNicki]

Sorry you did not enjoy Cape May Clam Bake. DH and I tried it for the first time on 2/10 Sat night and it was to die for. We got in at 5:30 right when they opened and we loved the clams....no grit for us. There were a lot of empty shells but we just went back for more. This is a must do for us from now on.

 

[angbuz]

Thanks for the reviews. Can't wait to hear (or read) more!!!!

 

[Laurafoster]

Thanks for Sharing!!

 

[jensen]

Sorry it's taken me so long to get back to this....
Day 5:

Tangierine Cafe
Yorkshire County Fish Shop
Alfredo's

Today was Saturday and it was forecast to be the warmest day of our trip. We thought about heading over to MK, but decided it might be busy so we headed to Epcot to tour World Showcase. I was excited about trying out some of the great snacks I've been hearing about here on the boards. We started out with School Bread at Norway. I figured DH would like this as he loves donuts and coconut... and I was right. They are huge, BTW, and we all shared it. When we reached Japan, we tried a rainbow Kaki Gori. The kids loved it! I don't typically care for "snow cones", but this was different - so much flavor. Really tasty and I bet it would be really awesome on a hot day. At Morocco I stopped to get a Schawarma Platter for DD and I to share. I've always wanted to try this, but never found myself near Morocco at lunch time... I'm glad I held out this year as this was some really good food. Some people who are picky about their meat, might not like this, but when you add the sauce and onions it's really tasty. The hummus was so yummy and the bread was good. The couscous was a sweet dish with tangerines (I think) and raisins. The tabbouleh was mostly parsley... not that great. Dessert was a nice sized piece of baklava. It was sweet and sticky and the kids loved it.

Since DS and DH weren't into Morroccan food, we continued to search for something that would interest them. I tried to talk them into pastries at France, but the line was long, so we continued on. Finally, they decided to go with the fish and chips in the UK. There were a few people in front of me in line so I ended up having to wait for a fresh batch of fish to be cooked. It took a little longer than I expected, but it was worth the wait. The fish and chips here is really good. An order consists of two large pieces of hand battered white fish and a good sized portion of "steak fries" (as we call them in the US). The fish was quite greasy on the outside, but inside you found a beautiful piece of moist, flaky white meat - not the minced meat you might expect.

That night we had late reservations for Alfredo's. I had been hoping to get a reservation that would allow us to get out in time for Illuminations, but nothing was available. So, we opted to skip the fireworks show and take what was available - 8:45 PM. When I arrived, there were dozens of people sitting around and I thought we'd be lucky enough to have a long wait and catch the fireworks. But, that didn't happen. We got a pager and waited just a few minutes before we were called to our seat. We were taken to a back room and seated in a table/booth - where the booth runs the full length of the wall and tables are arranged so you have two feet between you and the next table. As we were escorted to our table, I was shocked by how noisy it was. The atmosphere definately leaves something to be desired.

DH ordered the calamari for his appetizer and I ordered the lobster bisque. Both were outstanding!!!!! The bisque was so thick and rich that I could just feel the pounds packing on. The calamari was not the typical rings of squid you get around here, it was whole tiny squid battered and fried and served with a tasty marinara. DH really enjoyed it. Here kids are not allowed an appetizer on the DP - I considered arguing the point, because the plan says an app is included. But, I didn't feel like arguing with a our sweet little waitress. They do bring out a basket of bread and olive oil for dipping and DD dug into that - she's a bread lover.

For my entree, I ordered the Trittico di Pasta (Lasagna, Ziti with a fresh plum tomato sauce and pasta dumplings stuffed with imported black truffles, mushrooms and cheese). DH ordered the Tagliolini Alla Vodka con Gamberoni (homemade tagliolini pasta in a tomato, cream and pepper-infused vodka sauce served with shrimp). For both of the kids, we ordered Penne alla Panna e Formaggio (penne pasta with cream and parmigiano cheese). DS quickly devoured his pasta. DD, on the other hand, dug into my Ziti with red sauce and gobbled that down - so we gave her brother half of her penne. DH loved his pasta dish. I, however, was not impressed with mine. I counldn't eat the lasagna. It was made with meat and sauces that seemed to be overly processed. Prior to booking this restaurant, I was a bit nervous because someone had compared it to chef boyardee... well, that is how this lasagna tasted. Ugh! The truffle dumplings were OK. And the ziti was really delicious, so all was not lost.

I don't recall the exact names of our desserts... mine was some kind of chocolate spongy cake that wasn't very good. DH ordered a chocolate truffle-type dessert that he enjoyed. DS was limited to a chocolate mousse, but he's not picky , and he liked it.

Overall, the food was OK and the atmosphere was bad, so we won't be back to Alfredo's.

Up next: Tusker House and Coral Reef

 

[dawgfan]

Thanks for the review.

 

[Minniespal]

Enjoyed reading your reviews ~ Thanx for sharing.

 

[jenr812]

Thanks for the reviews You've helped reinforce my decision to change from Cape May Cafe to Coral Reef...so I can't wait to read that review soon!

 

[Jules123]

Great reviews. Thanks for taking the time to share them!

 

[KAC2005]

Great reviews!

 

[Sora777]

great reading your review

 

[dwaddict]

Your DD seems to eat like mine, very adult taste for such a little thing!!
thanks for sharing!!!

 

[disneyfan551]

Great reviews! Another not-so-good review for Alfredo's...I think I can stop 'considering' this restaurant for our upcoming trip now....

 

[canwegosoon]

Great reviews!!!

 

[seetheworld]

Your reviews are fabulous! Thank you VERY much!

 

[Tinkerbell_Girl]

Great reviews!!!

 

[jensen]

Day 6: Tusker House and Coral Reef

I'll start by saying sorry it's taken me so long to get back to this. I'm actually experiencing déjà vu because I'm certain I wrote this once... I guess I didn't save it.

We started the day at Animal Kingdom and decided we'd make lunch at Tusker House a priority this time. We've really enjoyed this restaurant in the past and were looking forward to it again. It didn't disappoint. When we arrived around noon the place was packed, so we slipped outside to see if any tables were available on the patio. We love to sit out there as it’s so peaceful. After we looked around for a while, we saw a large group leaving (two tables pushed together). Someone else quickly nabbed them, but I asked if she needed both tables and she said we could have one, so we had a place to sit. DH stayed with the kids while I went to order. I found a line that was short and quickly had my order placed and was waiting for my food. Soon my food was there and all I was waiting for was a beer. The CM told me that the beer was out and they needed to tap a new keg. She went to get this done… I continued to patiently wait while a half-dozen other people got their food. Another CM finally asked me if something was wrong with my food and I explained that I had ordered a Bud Light and was told that they had to tap the keg, but said I was willing to take whatever beer they had… A moment later she was back with two beers. She explained that she was giving me a free beer for waiting so long…  When I finally got to the table, I was surprised to see that the folks at the next table were gone. I asked DH if they had changed their minds and he said they had already gotten their food, eaten and left. I guess I was waiting longer than I realized… but the beer was good!  DH and DS shared the fried chicken sandwich with steak fries. This is a huge sandwich with a big side of crispy fries. Plenty to share. DD and I shared the 1/2 Rotisserie Chicken with garlic mashed potatoes and green beans. This is a huge meal and could be shared among three people. The chicken is moist and the potatoes are real (not boxed) with skins and a great garlic taste. I was hoping they would have broccoli as their veggie because DD LOVES broccoli, but she and DS also like green beans, so they enjoyed this, as well. For dessert we had a slice of the carrot cake and the chocolate layer cake. The desserts here are not those pre-packaged kind found at some of the other counter service restaurants. They are large slices of bakery-style cakes. Very yummy! Overall, this was a great meal and a must do for every trip for us.

That evening, we had 7:40 reservations at Coral Reef. When we checked in, there were many people waiting but we waited for less than five minutes for our table. I seriously considered asking for a table near the aquarium, but didn’t want to have to wait too long as we wanted to get out in time to watch Illuminations. I could have kicked myself for not asking because when they seated us, there was an open 4-person table right next to the aquarium. The kids would have LOVED it. But, we still enjoyed looking from our table on the upper-most level. While we were eating divers were in the aquarium and the kids enjoyed watching them, as well. I really liked the atmosphere in this restaurant. The tables were close together, but the dim lighting and low ceiling made it seem intimate and cozy. I did, however, feel a bit underdressed in my jeans and t-shirt. Our server seemed a bit snobbish, as well.

She started by taking our drink orders and bringing a basket of bread and real butter to the table. We both ordered beer – after I ordered I wished I had ordered something special, but I enjoy beer and it was good and cold.

The bread and with real butter was a nice treat, but the butter tasted a bit odd – like it had been refrigerated for too long.

For my appetizer, I ordered the crab claws and DH ordered the seafood and crab soufflé. I enjoyed the claws and the spicy slaw served with them. DH was a little scared at the appearance of his soufflé, but he was pleasantly surprised at the flavor.

For DS we ordered the kids’ mac and cheese. For DD, we ordered the kids mac and cheese and a side of broccoli. These were very small servings… DS ended up eating his sister’s mac and cheese, in addition to his own. DD enjoyed her broccoli and the bread. We ended up asking for more bread for her.

For my entrée, I ordered the Grilled Mahi Mahi served over Israeli Couscous and Tatsoi with Honey-Soy Glaze and DH ordered the grilled NY Strip Steak with au gratin potatoes. Both were outstanding. My fish was so moist and flaky and I loved the glaze. I practically licked my plate clean. DH was also impressed with his steak – he likes his steaks medium-rare and he said it was cooked perfectly.

For dessert, DS got the kid’s “build your own sundae” which he loved! DH ordered the butterscotch brulee with fresh berries which he also loved. I ordered the chocolate wave – because everyone on these boards raves about it – but I was disappointed to find it’s basically a brownie with melted chocolate inside. Maybe I already had too much chocolate this week… but, I wish I had ordered something else. DD, however, was more than happy to share mine and gobbled it down.

Overall, this was a great pick and we’ll be back on our next trip.

Up next: Our final day… Pop Food Court and Casey’s Corner

 

[jensen]

Our Final Day… Pop Food Court and Casey’s Corner

We started this day with plans to eat lunch at the Wolfgang Puck Café and dinner at Pecos Bills… but the plans changed and changed and changed. Since it was our last day, we wanted to get so many things done and there just wasn’t enough time. We started the day at Animal Kingdom again. I wanted one last ride on EE. After AK, we headed over to MK to watch the afternoon parade. After the parade, we realized we didn’t have time to head to DD for Wolfgang Puck’s if we wanted to change and be back at MK for the 6:30 fireworks. So, we decided to try to have lunch at one of the buffets in the area. We tried Crystal Palace, 1900 Park Fare, and Chef Mickey’s but everything was closing. So, we headed back to our resort and grabbed lunch at the Pop Food Court. The kids shared the Chicken Penne Alfredo again and loved it, again. DH went for the cheese steak wrap again and loved it, again. I decided to try the Chicken Mediterranean flatbread. This was wonderful!!! They all looked so good, it was hard to decide, but I would definitely recommend this with its large chunks of chicken and artichokes. For dessert, I got a bowl of grapes, tie-dye cheesecake and carrot cake. We were all stuffed.

Since we ate counter service for lunch, we decided to try to do a table service for dinner. We were headed to MK for the PP, so I called to see what was available at MK. We were able to get 8:30 reservations at LTT, but as the party went on that evening, we decided we didn’t want to waste a whole hour at a table service place, so we canceled the reservations and looked for a place to grab a bite. Choices were limited and we ended up grabbing hot dogs at Casey’s at midnight as we were leaving the park. At this point, we didn’t care what we ate, we were starving. We shared two large hot dogs, some corn dog bites and a couple orders of fries. These were all very tasty – I especially enjoyed the fries dipped in the hot cheese sauce from the toppings bar. For a last resort, this was a good choice as everyone loves hot dogs and Casey’s are the best.

Thanks for taking the time to read my reviews. I hope you got something out of them to help you plan your next trip to the world. If you have any questions, I’ll be happy to answer them.