7 Days of Good Eats - We're Back! Updated 4/21/11!

[TanzUnited99]

Thanks for the review of Captain's Grille - we are thinking of booking an ADR for this place and being pescetarians was glad to hear that DH enjoyed the market fish!

 

[Jonesloonybin]

Were you able to order adult meals for your youngest at any other CS? I am very interested about this since our youngest does not like typical kids food.

Love your reviews so far!!

Terri

 

[tinkerbellmagic]

Love your report and especially the detailed dessert reports! Yey!

 

[Busymom85]

Nice review. Thanks for posting.

 

[brewhome]

Hi all! Time for a review of Donald's Safari Breakfast at Tusker House in AK. We ate here in February 2010 and loved it so much, we decided we would return again for the yummy food. I know most people like to get an early reservation so they can get in the park early and take pics without a lot of people around, but honestly, I just cannot face a huge buffet too early in the morning. Instead, we get a late reservation at 10:15 and treat it like a brunch, which allows us to snack in the afternoon and then still enjoy a nice dinner later in the evening. We got to the park at rope drop and we were able to hop in the very short stand by line for Kilimanjaro Safaris and make it to our reservation in plenty of time. By then, we had worked up our appetites for the awesome food! This is definitely my favorite breakfast place.

We skipped the pics with Donald because the kids didn't really care to stand in line, which was just fine with me. Our server was a sweetheart, and brought out that delicious juice that is a mix of mango, papaya, and orange juice. I swear, the kids each had 4 or 5 glasses and would have drank even more if I wasn't warning them that they'd be frequenting every bathroom in the park all day long! DH got coffee, which was not the typical Nes-crap-eh, so he really enjoyed it.

Onto the food! This is a really nice buffet. There is a good selection of fresh fruit, which was all great. There is a cold ceral bar and a yogurt station with granola and a couple of kinds of yogurt. The oatmeal was good, and there were several toppings available. I totally loved the mealie pap, which is a cornmeal mush (much sweeter than grits) - try it, you may like it!!

The kids loved the Mickey waffles, of course, and the bacon and sausage was tasty. The bacon is thin, but it was a good flavor and nice and crisp. DH and I really liked the ham and cheese quiche, and there was also one with potatoes and veggies - but we didn't try that. The beef bobotie was tasty, but quite salty. There were tater tots and roasted red potato wedges that have a tasty spice mix on them.

There were fried plaintains that were nice and sweet, and the carved ham is absolutely delicious - moist, tender, salty, YUM. We all ate quite a bit of that.

There were glazed and chocolate covered donuts, which the kids loved... and I loved the chocolate croissants. There were also plain croissants and some cheese and fruit danishes. These are all little, but looked really good. There was also bread pudding and an apple crumble, but I was too full to try those.

Overall, we think this breakfast is great - good food, great service, and the character interaction with Daisy, Mickey, and Goofy is really good, too. We definitely enjoy this one! Both times that we've eaten there, even with a later reservation, we found the food to be fresh and plentiful... so take my advice and try it as a brunch; I bet you'll enjoy it!

 

[brewhome]

Were you able to order adult meals for your youngest at any other CS? I am very interested about this since our youngest does not like typical kids food.

Love your reviews so far!!

Terri

Thanks Terri, I am glad you are enjoying them! We were able to order an adult meal at Casey's Corner in MK - that review will be coming later, but that restaurant does not have a kids menu. We did find that DS2 preferred the kids menu choices in most places, but from what I have read and heard from others, it really depends on the CM that serves you as to whether or not you can use a "child" CS credit for an adult meal.

 

[brewhome]

Love your report and especially the detailed dessert reports! Yey!

Thanks for the nice comments! I do love desserts - and I tend to gush a bit about them, especially if they are chocolate.

 

[brewhome]

After a really nice day at AK, we headed back to the hotel for a rest. Well, actually, the kids and I took a swim, and DH took a rest... but that's ok!! After we all freshened up, we headed to DTD for dinner at Wolfgang Puck Express in the Marketplace section of DTD.

The set up is great - order at the counter, grab your fountain drinks, and head to a table, where a waiter brings out your food and takes care of drink refills, etc. This restaurant is a great use of CS credits, IMO.

DH had the barbecue chicken pizza, and said it was the BEST pizza he has ever had. Now - we live in Western NY, where pizza and wings reign, so for him to say this, it had to be extremely delicious pizza. I wouldn't know because he did not share ONE BITE with me, even though the pizza was larger than a dinner plate! It had to be about 12" around. He loved the thin crust and the fresh mozzarella, and said the barbecue sauce was perfect. He had cheesecake for dessert, which he also enjoyed very much - he said it was nice and light and just the right ending to the meal.

I had the pennette chicken pasta, which comes with alfredo sauce, peas, bacon, and strips of tender grilled chicken. This was a huge portion; I could only eat about half of it - and it was delicious. The alfredo was just the right consistency, the chicken was cooked perfectly, the pasta was al dente, and the peas and bacon were so good. I had the creme brulee for dessert and it was excellent - a good sized portion and the sugar on top was just the perfect shade of brown.

DS1 had a margherita pizza, which I did get a bite or two of, and it was delicious. He ate a little over half of it and then DH gobbled some of that one up, too! The crust was super thin and crispy, and I love that little bit of smoky char from the wood ovens. The mozzarella was really, really creamy - very yummy indeed. He had a chocolate chip cookie that was really good.

DS2 had the kids chicken fingers and fries, which were delicious - "real" chicken fingers with a nice crispy breading and thin, hot, crispy fries. He loved it. He had a sugar cookie that was nice and soft.

Overall, we really, really enjoyed this CS - it was definitely our favorite of the trip. I highly recommend it - but get there early, because the place filled up fast, even on a Tuesday night in February! When my sis and I go to the World in September, we're definitely going there. We figure we can split a pizza and get a couple of desserts, and that will make a nice lunch for us. I can't wait to try it again!

 

[Quasi123]

Hi all! Time for a review of Donald's Safari Breakfast at Tusker House in AK. We ate here in February 2010 and loved it so much, we decided we would return again for the yummy food. I know most people like to get an early reservation so they can get in the park early and take pics without a lot of people around, but honestly, I just cannot face a huge buffet too early in the morning. Instead, we get a late reservation at 10:15 and treat it like a brunch, which allows us to snack in the afternoon and then still enjoy a nice dinner later in the evening. We got to the park at rope drop and we were able to hop in the very short stand by line for Kilimanjaro Safaris and make it to our reservation in plenty of time. By then, we had worked up our appetites for the awesome food! This is definitely my favorite breakfast place.

We skipped the pics with Donald because the kids didn't really care to stand in line, which was just fine with me. Our server was a sweetheart, and brought out that delicious juice that is a mix of mango, papaya, and orange juice. I swear, the kids each had 4 or 5 glasses and would have drank even more if I wasn't warning them that they'd be frequenting every bathroom in the park all day long! DH got coffee, which was not the typical Nes-crap-eh, so he really enjoyed it.

Onto the food! This is a really nice buffet. There is a good selection of fresh fruit, which was all great. There is a cold ceral bar and a yogurt station with granola and a couple of kinds of yogurt. The oatmeal was good, and there were several toppings available. I totally loved the mealie pap, which is a cornmeal mush (much sweeter than grits) - try it, you may like it!!

The kids loved the Mickey waffles, of course, and the bacon and sausage was tasty. The bacon is thin, but it was a good flavor and nice and crisp. DH and I really liked the ham and cheese quiche, and there was also one with potatoes and veggies - but we didn't try that. The beef bobotie was tasty, but quite salty. There were tater tots and roasted red potato wedges that have a tasty spice mix on them.

There were fried plaintains that were nice and sweet, and the carved ham is absolutely delicious - moist, tender, salty, YUM. We all ate quite a bit of that.

There were glazed and chocolate covered donuts, which the kids loved... and I loved the chocolate croissants. There were also plain croissants and some cheese and fruit danishes. These are all little, but looked really good. There was also bread pudding and an apple crumble, but I was too full to try those.

Overall, we think this breakfast is great - good food, great service, and the character interaction with Daisy, Mickey, and Goofy is really good, too. We definitely enjoy this one! Both times that we've eaten there, even with a later reservation, we found the food to be fresh and plentiful... so take my advice and try it as a brunch; I bet you'll enjoy it!

Great report! We are going to try this. I was wondering if you felt rushed at all with such a late seating? I'm not sure we would be able to finish before they started serving lunch.

 

[brewhome]

Great report! We are going to try this. I was wondering if you felt rushed at all with such a late seating? I'm not sure we would be able to finish before they started serving lunch.

Thank you! We did not feel rushed at all. The restaurant was still pretty crowded when we were seated, but it started to clear out and actually, and the characters had more time to spend at each table because not all of them were full anymore. I didn't feel that the servers were trying to rush anyone out at all.

To all reading along - so sorry for the delay in updating this review. I've been absolutely crazy at work lately. I will be posting my reviews of Le Cellier and Electric Umbrella in the next day or two... stay tuned!

 

[Quasi123]

Thanks for the reply. I am really looking forward to eating there. Can't wait to read your next reviews!

 

[brewhome]

Hi all! If you've been reading my reviews, thank you, and I'm so sorry I've been gone so long... work gets in the way of my Disney obsession too often, I'm afraid. But, I'm back to continue my reviews, and I hope someone out there is enjoying them!

So... on day 4 of our trip, we had a long-awaited 12:45 reservation at Le Cellier. After reading so many reviews on the DIS, I was hoping it would live up to the hype, and let me tell you, it TOTALLY did. I have been to many, many famous steakhouses all over the country as I have traveled for work, and this one was very special - both for the delicious food and the very cool ambience.

This restaurant is really nice inside. I found the decor to be lovely and warm, and I didn't feel at all "smushed" in with our neighbors, as I've read here before. We were in the center section of the restaurant, and Kevin was our server. He was AWESOME. He told us everything we needed to know about the menu and dining plan options, and lots of interesting facts about Canada. It was definitely a neat experience for DS1 and DS2. He treated them like adults and they really liked that.

On to the glorious, wonderful meal.

DH and I both ordered Moosehead drafts, and Kevin told us Le Cellier is the only place outside of Canada you can get it on tap. It was delicious, nice and crisp and a good beer to drink with a meal because it's not too heavy, IMO. DH is going on a bear hunt in Canada this June, and I told him he is not allowed back into the house unless he brings me cases of this goodness.

The table shared the delicious bread. The pretzel bread was of course, the favorite of mine and the kids - a bit sweet, salty, warm, and not as heavy as a hot pretzel. It was truly delicious and we did ask for more. The sourdough was excellent as well, as was the multi grain, which is almost nutty with a bit of crunch. That one was actually DH's favorite.

DH ordered the NY strip steak, which comes with a potato gratin. I think if he could have, he would have eaten the plate. The steak was cooked to a perfect medium rare and was so juicy, he was mopping up the juice with one of the breadsticks. The potatoes were really delicious as well - they had a breadcrumb & cheese topping, and the creamy sauce had a bit of spice flavor from nutmeg. What a delicious meal. DH also had the Bumbleberry Cobbler for dessert, which he enjoyed. The berries were super tart but the crumbly topping was sweet with brown sugar, and the vanilla ice cream on top added to the sweetness.

I had the Le Cellier Mushroom Filet. O---M---G. To---die---for. The risotto was so creamy and smooth, and had a savory, delicious flavor. I believe in Japanese cooking, the "other" taste is umami... this was umami utopia. The mushrooms were cooked perfectly, as was the filet - a perfect medium rare with a delicious grilled outer texture. This is easily one of the best dishes I have ever eaten in my life. I'm drooling just thinking about it. When my sis and I go back in September, I am getting it again!!! I had the Maple Creme Brulee for dessert, and it was creamy and rich. The maple flavor was subtle, but you could definitely taste it - a perfect ending to a perfect meal.

DS1 had a chocolate shake - no free refills here, but they were included on the dining plan - which he adored because it was super thick. He ordered off the three course menu and got the cheddar cheese soup, but he didn't like it (he is WAY too picky for age 10). DH and I devoured it and played "dueling spoons" to get the last bite - I won, of course. I make a really good cheese soup, but this one was extra good because it is made with Moosehead beer. DS1 had a burger with Canadian white cheddar, which was huge - I don't think he finished the whole thing, and fries, which were crispy and delicious. He had the Chocolate Moose for dessert, which he really loved. I had a bite and it was really rich. Very cute presentation!!

DS2 had a chocolate shake as well, and he had a hot dog, fries, celery and carrots. That was a typical Disney hot dog, but he loved it and ate every bite. He had the kids ice cream for dessert and also ate some of his brother's Moose.

All in all, this was our favorite meal of the trip. The atmosphere was wonderful, Kevin was an excellent server, and the food was out of this world. We rolled out of there and had to walk it off before the food coma set in. I am so glad it lived up to the hype!!!! I would definitely eat here again. I think I'll stick to a one dining plan credit lunch since the menu still offers so much.

YUM!!!!!

 

[PirateRachel]

enjoyed, thanks so much for posting!!!

 

[chocolateMinnie]

we love Le Cellier too but I was really interested in your Wolfgang Puck Express review - can't believe that is cs.

 

[brewhome]

On to the rest of day 4... after the huge lunch that we had at Le Cellier, none of us were hungry for quite a long time, so we ended up eating dinner quite late (around 8 pm) at Electric Umbrella. We picked it because it happened to be closest to where we were at the time.

DH ordered a meatball sub and fries. After eating at Le Cellier, this of course left much to be desired. The sub roll was pretty soggy from the sauce and it had way too much melted mozzarella on top that he ended up peeling off. The meatballs themselves weren't bad, though.

DS2 and I split an adult order of chicken nuggets and fries, which tasted fine. The adult nuggets are definitely way better than the kid ones, so DS2 enojyed them quite a bit. I was still so stuffed from lunch that I only ate a couple of them and a few fries.

DS1 had a kids cheeseburger and fries, which he enjoyed. It was nothing special, but this kid loves any burger you put in front of him. He did say, though, that the Le Cellier burger was WAYYYYYYYYY better. It was then that I realized that he had exactly the same food for lunch and dinner that day! Ah well, that's what vacation is for, I suppose... burger heaven for the burger boy.

We all shared chocolate chip cookies that were standard park fare.

Overall, this meal was ok, certainly not the best food in Epcot at all, but filling. If the kids had not been really tired, we may have been more adventurous and headed back to the World Showcase for some better CS, but they were just about ready to go... so it ended up being a good choice for the end of the night.

 

[weswife]

Great review!!!!

I am enjoying each post!

 

[brewhome]

Hi everyone!

Day 5 of our trip was another Hollywood Studios day. DH and I had eaten at the Sci-Fi on our honeymoon in '95, and he really wanted to go back. He knew the boys would totally love the atmosphere and the movie clips. He was right - they really loved it! They thought the movie clips were hilarious and they loved being able to sit together in the front of the car with DH and I behind them. They pretty much ignored us the whole meal, and it was so cute to watch them giggle and chat away as if there was no one else around them. They like to have a little "independence" once in a while. On to the food...

DH had a reuben and fries, which he enjoyed. The rueben had a ton of corned beef on it and the proportion of sauerkraut, cheese, and dressing was good. He said it wasn't too wet or dry. He liked the marble rye it was served on.

DS1 and I both had bacon cheeseburgers and fries, which were humongous! They were tasty - better than CS, but not outstanding like Le Cellier. I would definitely order one again, though.

DS2 had a hot dog, fries, and apple slices, and he ate every bite - no complaints from him!

DH and DS1 both had hot fudge sundaes, which were really big and delicious, or so I am told - I was too busy gobbling up my chocolate peanut butter cake to ask for a bite. The cake was served warm, and I expected an oozy peanut butter center, but it was more like a peanut butter flavored chocolate sauce was in there. Nonetheless, it was good. They drizzled peanut butter sauce on the plate, and I swooshed the cake around in that, so it added more PB flavor. I am a PB fan and would have liked more of it on there, but it was good anyway, and the Reese's Pieces added a nice crunch. It also had vanilla ice cream on top which was nice with the warm cake. DS2 had the kids ice cream sundae - nothing fancy, but he liked it.

Overall, we enjoyed this meal. Was it the best? No. Was it the worst? No. I think the ambience and the fun of eating in a car is worth going there, even just once. We would go back again, though. The boys really had a good time.

 

[pennyplanner]

Thanks for sharing!

--pennyplanner