9 days on free DDP - lots of vegetarian yummies!

[lillielil]

We went to WDW last month and got the free DDP. Having tried it, I would happily pay for the dining plan! I'm so sad that they're changing it... but will probably buy it anyway. Luckily, we got the flyer about free dining if we booked a September trip for 2008 while we were there, so we went ahead and did that.

Lunch at Columbia Harbor House (MK). I had vegetarian chili and half a Lighthouse sandwish (hummus, broccoli slaw, other good stuff). Kristen got the chicken strips/fish&chips combo. We both had apple cobblers for dessert, but were too full to eat them. The Lighthouse sandwich was fantastic, but very messy. The chili was more like a really hearty soup. There weren't a whole lot of beans in it - instead it had olives and celery, and all kinds of good things.

Dinner at the Plaza (MK). Lillian had the vegetarian sandwich with sweet potato chips, and Kristen had the reuben with the german potato salad. The sandwich was very yummy, as were the chips (even though they weren't terribly crunchy). No dessert because we paid for this one out of pocket.

Monster sandwich at Earl of Sandwich (DTD). I ordered the All-American (turkey, cheddar, cranberry sauce, ranch, lettuce and tomato) with brie instead of turkey. What I got was the All-American as-is. I tried again, and the second time I got this delicious thing, which has brie but not cheddar. It was seriously the most delicious sandwich I have ever had. I'm going to make it all the time at home now. Kristen had Le Frenchy (ham and brie).

Desserts at Earl of Sandwich - chocolate cupcake thing and bread pudding. They weren't very good. I would have prefferd another sandwich!

Kristen with Pineapple Floats from Aloha Isle (MK). I thought Dole Whips would be hugely overrated... at first I thought they were. The icecream was very sweet and not refreshing at all. After mixing, though, they are perfect and delicious, and I'll keep dreaming about them for years to come.

Fried cheese and fruit at 50's Prime Time (MGM). I love the 50's Prime Time. Oh man. I want to move in and never leave. I want to steal all the decor and the bar. The fried cheese was boursin, not mozerella, which was a very nice surprise. We both got it.

Stuffed pepper with smoked ratatouille (still at 50's Prime Time). I asked for the recipe and am sad that I haven't gotten it yet. SO GOOD!

The Best Fried Chicken Ever (still at 50's Prime Time). I tried the potatos and can report that they were amazing. I wanted to try the greens too, but they were gone by the time I got around to it.

S'mores at Prime Time.

Angel food cake with fresh berries (Prime Time). I'm allergic to strawberries, but this was so worth it.

 

[lillielil]

Fruit plate at Flame Tree Barbecue (AK). I was worried because this was the only vegetarian option on their menu (except for a chicken salad minus the chicken). I should not have feared! It was huge and delicious. The sauce was a honey yogurt sauce. I would have preferred either honey or yogurt independent of the other. Also, key lime pie!

My onion rings, Kristen's ribs at Flame Tree.

Aww, look at our lovely table in the open-air dining room at Flame Tree! Isn't it pretty? Too bad shortly after this picture was taken a flock of birds flew by and pooped all over all the food!! I took it back and got more (no one was shocked - I'm guessing it's happened before), and we relocated to a pavillion. By the time we finished eating, and elderly couple had sat down at our first table. We thought we should warn them about the birds, so I went up to them and said "Just to let you know, you may want to sit under one of the pavillions. When I was sitting there earlier a bird flew by and left me a little present." The woman's response was a very sarcastic "Well congratulations!" and an uppity look away. I don't understand people.

Plate #1 at Boma (AK Lodge). The soup was delicious. Actually, everything except the falafel was delicious.

Plate #2 at Boma. Thsi plate wasn't as good. The pasta salad (center) was amazing, as was the rice, but the rest was not so good. The desserts at Boma weren't good at all. I tried a Zebra Dome and thought it was totally bland. I tried some other stuff too, but I don't even remember it now.

No Way Jose sundae at Beaches and Cream (at Beach Club Resort). Damn this thing was tasty! We also split a grilled cheese sandwich there (we planned on just getting ice cream but decided we were very hungry), which they very nicely put on two plates with two full helpings of fries! Kristen got a butterpecan sundae, which I didn't get a picture of.

Cheese platter at Les Chefs de France. Mmm... cheese.

The Alsatian flatbread at Les Chefs, with creme fraiche, onion, and bacon. Mmm.. flatbread.

Mac and cheese at Les Chefs. This was delicious and very nutmeggy.

Kristen's dinner in France: Beef short ribs braised in cabernet with polenta and decorative carrots (I don't think they were meant that way).

Chocolate tart with banana and coconut. Yummy.

Fruit salad with Earl Grey syrup and mango sorbet. It was yummy, but I didn't taste any Earl Grey.

Les Chefs was ok, but I liked it better last time. The service had a lot to do with it - last time we got authentic French service (our waiter spent most of his time slouching at the bar), but this time I felt very rushed - it was packed in there, but I didn't like feeling like I was going to be kicked out.

 

[lillielil]

Dinner at the Rose and Crown Pub in England. Again, a cheese platter. this was, strangely enough, better than the French cheese platter. It had Irish cheddar, mushroom brie, and stilton in puff pastry with various acoutrements.

Rolls at Rose and Crown.

Roasted mushrooms in a cream and garlic sauce with puff pastry.

My authentic English dinner - curry vegetables with grains and Indian flatbread. Very tasty!

Kristen's bangers and mash. I've never seen plump bangers before - I always thought they were supposed to be kind of shriveled-looking. Anyway, she said this was delicious.

Sticky toffee pudding and Bailey's Irish Cream trifle. I kept eating this long after I should have stopped.

Also, I loved our waitress at Rose and Crown. She was a nice antidote to the previous night's experience at Les Chefs.

Lunch at Le Cellier in Canada - heirloom squash ravioli with a brown butter sauce. I was expecting some sort of squash puree, but it was chopped instead, and everything was fresh and rustic and wonderful. We both got Moosehead pale ales, which were good, but not worth making a fuss over.

Kristen's lunch - filet mignon with mashed sweet potatoes and a cherry demi glace.

Chocolate whiskey cake in Canada. It was good in the sense that it was chocolate cake, but dissapointing in the sense that it didn't getcha drunk.

More dessert in Canada: Apple cobbler with pumpkin, topped with granola ice cream. It rivaled the Bailey's trifle for the best dessert of the trip.


Not pictured:
-Biergarten, where I ate a delicious meal of side dishes. I love German food, but it doesn't tend to photograph all that well.
-Lots of drinks, including chocolate malts at 50s Prime Time and quite a bit of booze.
-Nut mixes at various resort bars (Grand Floridian's was good, Boardwalk's was bad, can't remember the rest).
-Beer cheese soup at Le Cellier.
-Chocolate cake at Flame Tree (we went back a second time).
-Cosmic Ray's, which was tasty but nondescript (good veggie burger).
-Fish and chips in England - good, but the seating situation was terrible.
-Brown Derby, which felt a little too fancy to take pictures. It was good, but not even close to being the best meal of the trip. I don't think I'd spend 2 credits there again.
-Crystal Palace, which used to be good, but is now very boring, with horrible desserts.
-Some other things I've forgotten, which means they weren't all that noteworthy.




Overall...

Best Table Service Meal: 50s Prime Time
Runner-up: Le Cellier

Best Appetizer: Cheese plate at Rose and Crown
Runners-up: Mushroom pastry at Rose and Crown, fried cheese at 50s Prime Time

Best Vegetarian Entree: Undecided - maybe ravioli at Le Cellier
Best Meaty Entree: Fried chicken at 50s Prime Time

Best Dessert: Apple Cobbler at Le Cellier
Runner-up: Bailey's Trifle at Rose and Crown

Best quick service meal: Earl of Sandwich
Runners-up: Flame Tree Barbecue, Columbia Harbor House

Best Boozy Drink: Green Tea Martini (universal drink menu), Northern Exposure (Wilderness Lodge - not on the menu - used to be their signature drink), some other stuff I can't remember (it was that good!)
Runner-up: Beer sampler at Rose and Crown (double Harp, no Guinness)

Best Non-Boozy Drink: Chocolate Malt at 50s Prime Time

 

[MadamMim]

Wait, you're missing Best Alcoholic Drink! THAT'S the one I wanna know about. (The Ice Wine in Canada gets my vote.)

 

[granmaz]

Wow, thank you so much for the reviews and wonderful photos. Yummy!

 

[lillielil]

Wait, you're missing Best Alcoholic Drink! THAT'S the one I wanna know about. (The Ice Wine in Canada gets my vote.)

Updated!

I didn't try the ice wine, but will make a point of it next time.

 

[MadamMim]

The Green Tea Martini sounds fab!

 

[lillielil]

The Green Tea Martini sounds fab!

It was! I was expecting something fake-tasting, but it tasted like very sweet toasted green tea. Yummy!!

I miss the individual drink menus at the resorts. A couple of places I asked what their specialties used to be. The one at Wilderness Lodge (the Northern Exposure) was extraordinary... great, now I have to edit my post again!

 

[lovemydisney]

~~Thanks so much for all of your pics and reviews, especially the stuffed pepper from 50's Prime Time. We will be there on the 17th of Dec. and that's what my DH is ordering~~

 

[SnwflkCts]

Wow -- great reviews and pics. I am getting sooo hungry with all the great food! Although I do eat meat, I don't eat an awful lot and I got the same exact meal as you did at Columbia Harbor House. The hummus sandwich was unusual & tasty -- and I felt the same way about the chili -- but it was warm at least! At the time we went they had the best apple pie!!

Did you think the Rose and Crown cheese platter was enough for two people to share? I won't be using the DDP next visit and was hoping one appie would satisfy both DH and I. (We'll be getting the fish and chips too, so it's not like we won't get enough to eat!! )

 

[KimWDW]

Thanks!

 

[Busymom85]

Thanks for the reviews. Loved the pictures.

 

[Minniespal]

A great report with lovely photos.

 

[swankybeth]

Great report and pictures. SO GROSS about the birds at Flame Tree! I have a big enough fear of birds as it is, I definitely will not be eating at an open table if we go there.

 

[lillielil]

Wow -- great reviews and pics. I am getting sooo hungry with all the great food! Although I do eat meat, I don't eat an awful lot and I got the same exact meal as you did at Columbia Harbor House. The hummus sandwich was unusual & tasty -- and I felt the same way about the chili -- but it was warm at least! At the time we went they had the best apple pie!!

Did you think the Rose and Crown cheese platter was enough for two people to share? I won't be using the DDP next visit and was hoping one appie would satisfy both DH and I. (We'll be getting the fish and chips too, so it's not like we won't get enough to eat!! )

Absolutely. Although I may not be the best judge because if I were not on the DDP I wouldn't have gotten appetizers for the most part. The cheese platter is nice to share, though. I tried to convince Kristen that the stilton was disgusting and should not be eaten so that I could have it all to myself, but it didn't work...

 

[v_gan]

Awesome review and pictures! I also got the Stuffed Pepper at the 50s Prime Time Cafe. It was the best meal of my trip! Although, yours doesn't look like it came with rice, like mine. Weird!

 

[SnwflkCts]

Thanks for the info on the cheese plate. You know, we don't usually get appetizers either ... but that cheese plate sounds so good.

I agree with another poster ... the bird story -- ick & we ate there last time. The birds only bothered me for snacks but didn't poop on my food at least. They didn't like whatever I was throwing at them so they left us alone ... what ... they don't eat chocolate cake????

 

[EPCOTWalker]

Thanks so much for your reviews and pictures! I, too, love 50's Prime Time.

 

[lillielil]

Awesome review and pictures! I also got the Stuffed Pepper at the 50s Prime Time Cafe. It was the best meal of my trip! Although, yours doesn't look like it came with rice, like mine. Weird!

So funny - I just commented on the pepper in your review! Mine had rice inside. I asked for the recipe and am very sad that I haven't gotten it yet. I would totally make stuffed peppers at home all the time if they came out that yummy.

50's Prime Time is at the top of the "must eat" list from now on. I even had a dream that the hotel we were staying at (it seemed like Boardwalk, but wasn't... but had the same 1900's theme) had this cool secret passage way that was a series of dressing rooms (with lots of shoe trees and robes and whatnot) for every 5 years or so that went all the way from 1900 to 1955, and lead to the 50's Prime Time Cafe.....


Ok, that was TMI, wasn't it?