A Disney Dining Diva's Summer Surprise Dining Report -COSMIC RAY'S *COMPLETE* PAGE 8!

More reviews, yay! After your CHH review I had to look the menu up online because I didn't know they had added stuff to it. It makes me want to eat there so bad when we go in January for the fish and shrimp combo.

One of the reasons I like CHH so much is the theme and the seating. If you walk upstairs, there is a room almost by itself. It is actually the room that is located in the arch that separates Liberty Square and Fantasyland. There are maybe 6 tables in there; and because you have to kinda search for it, it is generally a quiet space as well. Makes for a nice peaceful meal, especially with the sea chanties playing in the background.
 
Great reviews. You have convinced me that we need to go to the Hoop Dee Doo on our next trip.

Look forward to reading the rest of your reviews.

Thank you! And yes, you MUST try HDDR. I strongly believe that every WDW fan absolutely must doo it at least once! You haven't even experienced one of the gems of WDW without it.

One of the reasons I like CHH so much is the theme and the seating. If you walk upstairs, there is a room almost by itself. It is actually the room that is located in the arch that separates Liberty Square and Fantasyland. There are maybe 6 tables in there; and because you have to kinda search for it, it is generally a quiet space as well. Makes for a nice peaceful meal, especially with the sea chanties playing in the background.

Shhhh! Don't tell everyone about "our" room...don't pique the interest of others in the brilliant imagineers' design of the "transitional arch" that reflects the theme of Fantasyland on one side and Liberty Square on the other (outside and inside)! We won't be gettin a seat thar next time, Matey!
 
You've convinced me to call and reserve HDDR! We also have a short planning time frame, going Dec. 15th. I have been back and forth about going to this show. The fact that it is a Disney tradition for you convinced me to call. Thanks!
 
You've convinced me to call and reserve HDDR! We also have a short planning time frame, going Dec. 15th. I have been back and forth about going to this show. The fact that it is a Disney tradition for you convinced me to call. Thanks!

Wonderful choice! Enjoy! And thanks for reading my DR!
 

We haven't been to Biergarten for many years, and it was one of Aladdin's favorites last time we tried it, so we decided it was time to return. I wasn't too sure how much the kids would like the food, but we said, hey, let's take a chance.

Are we so glad we did! We had such a wonderful time here, the service and the entertainment were outstanding, the food was darn delicious for a buffet, and the overall value was one of the best of the trip. I didn't take pics of the food, but tried to capture a few of the musicians.

Our server was Mareike. She was absolutely adorable and sadly, scheduled to go back to Germany soon. She explained everything about the restaurant and the entertainment to us and actually spent quite a bit of time at our table, talking about the food, how things were the same or different from region to region, what Octoberfest was really like, etc. She was delightful. Aladdin and I each ordered a beer. One of us had the Altenmunster and one had the Radenberger (now I can't recall which was which. Mine was the Pilsner, whichever that was). Both were delicious and refreshing on a hot day. I was kind of surprised Aladdin didn't order the beer sampler (I can't remember if it was 3 or 4 kinds of beer), listed big and bold on the menu. Then he saw one delivered to another table and said "Hey, I didn't know they had that!" Oh, well...gives us a reason to go back.

The food was really, really good and plentiful. There was soup and salad, pretzel rolls and other rolls. I think the soup was cream of cauliflower and it was so good! There were several kinds of potato salad, pasta salad, wurst salad (yum), tomato salad, pickled beets (yum), sliced cured meats and I'm sure there was more on the salad bar. In the entrees section were roasted chicken, several kinds of wurst with sauerkraut (yummy), schnitzel with hunter's sauce (so delicious!), salmon with dill sauce, roast pork, a few varieties of spaetzel, roasted potatoes, green beans...and I'm sure more. The desserts were unbelievable! The best was the bavarian cheesecake with vanilla sauce and berry compote. We all found many things that we wanted more of. I want to go back for more right now!!!! And the band was so fun! Oh, my goodness, writing this report, I long to be back there right now!

090104.jpg


090108.jpg


The tuba player came over to our table and played in our faces:
090105.jpg


090113.jpg


Aladdin and I have decided that we are going to learn how to polka so we can go back to WDW and dance at Biergarten, and make it a new lunchtime tradition. Belle and Herc are eager to return as well. If you can't decide whether or not you want to try Biergarten, or if you haven't been back for several years, go. I doubt you will regret it.

Up next, dinner at Marrakesh!
 
Aladdin and I have decided that we are going to learn how to polka so we can go back to WDW and dance at Biergarten, and make it a new lunchtime tradition.

That is just awesome. I sometimes listen to a particular recording artist who actually incorporates polka into some of her music and I always smile about all the polka jokes I used to hear. :rotfl: BTW, her name is Eliza Carthy and I mostly love her although if I'm recommending her I should also warn that she has at least one song that is pretty gross when you listen to the lyrics.
 
That is just awesome. I sometimes listen to a particular recording artist who actually incorporates polka into some of her music and I always smile about all the polka jokes I used to hear. :rotfl: BTW, her name is Eliza Carthy and I mostly love her although if I'm recommending her I should also warn that she has at least one song that is pretty gross when you listen to the lyrics.

From Aladdin:

I must admit to watching Molly B's Polka Party on RFD TV on my TV since returning, just to pick up some pointers from seasoned pros.

And, I actually lived in Wintersville for a few years in the 70's. Although, I usually have to tell people Steubenville, because they don't know Wintersville. But people always would think I said "Westerville". Anyway, idk what it's like now, but back then it was heaven for me. Wow...small world...
 
That is just awesome. I sometimes listen to a particular recording artist who actually incorporates polka into some of her music and I always smile about all the polka jokes I used to hear. :rotfl: BTW, her name is Eliza Carthy and I mostly love her although if I'm recommending her I should also warn that she has at least one song that is pretty gross when you listen to the lyrics.

Gross polka lyrics? I'm intrigued! Thanks for the tip; Aladdin and I will definitely check that out.
 
Belle really wanted to give Marrakesh a try, so we went for it. We are glad we tried it. Let me say that we were still a little full from our outstanding lunch at Biergarten, so perhaps we weren't the most receptive audience on this night. We didn't even order appetizers, which is unusual for us, and we couldn't even think about ordering a few of the feasts as we had intended; we really just weren't in the mood for that much food.

For our beverages, we ordered the mint tea, some iced, some hot, and it was delicious!

Hercules and I both ordered the Tangine of Fish:
0901supper3.jpg

This was a corvina fillet with the most delicious sauce! There were many green herbs and lots of olives and very, very tasty vegetables! It was quite scrumptious. Herc loved the sauce, but he wasn't too crazy about the fish itself. I have had corvina three times now, twice last summer at WDW and on this night, and I think it's nice. It is a thick, fleshy white fish, with a slightly oily/fishy taste...like a cross between bluefish and cod. I guess it is common in Florida, I can't recall having ever seen it in the northeast. I would definitely order this dish again! Herc probably wouldn't.

Aladdin ordered the Lamb Shank Cous Cous:
0901supper1.jpg

Another winner! The lamb was fall-off-the-bone tender and perfectly seasoned, and the cous cous, which could be bland, wasn't, because it was loaded with tasty veggies and lamb juice. So good!

Belle went for the Chicken Kebob:
0901supper2.jpg

This was delicious and tender, with a savory sauce. Belle loved it, and so did I.

Dessert was where things really started to go downhill....again, maybe we just weren't in the mood.

Aladdin and I ordered the Bastilla:
0901supper7.jpg

This is the portion for two, and it was huge...and gross! I can't even really explain it, but this is one of the most disappointing dishes I've ever had in my life. It sounded so delicious from the description on the menu, which I can't find now, but will try to update later. I believe it was supposed to be layers of lightly fried phyllo dough with vanilla sauce. It just wasn't good :(.

Herc ordered the Moroccan Symphony:
0901supper9.jpg

This was acceptable. It was various kinds of baklava-type pastries, with different types of nuts, I suppose. While they weren't outstanding, they blew away the gross bastilla.

Belle ordered the winning dessert, the Marrakesh Delight:
0901supper8.jpg

This was fresh fruit with mint ice cream. It was very refreshing...even though it didn't sound so great, fruit with mint ice cream? I love fruit and I love mint ice cream, but I wouldn't think of combining the two. It was surprisingly fine.

Now I don't have my menu at the moment, I'm worried I have mixed up the names of the desserts. I wonder if the baklavas were the Delight and the fruit and ice cream was the Symphony. Anyway, you get the idea. Both were fine, and both were preferable to the Bastilla. None of these desserts were better than anything else I could have found at Epcot, just walking from pavilion to pavilion and grabbing stuff from carts, so that was disapponting.

The atmosphere was nice. The restaurant is beautiful and we enjoyed the musicians and the dancer:
0901supper6.jpg

0901supper5.jpg

I have done a little belly dancing in my time; I took lessons for several years from one of the best, so I watch belly dancers with a more critical eye than most. This dancer had some real technical skills.

We had some trouble settling our bill, which solidified our somewhat negative ending to the meal. We won't be rushing back to Marrakesh any time soon, but we really enjoyed the entrees!

Up next, our day in DHS!
 
Great to see a review of Restaurant Marrakesh, I don't see many reviews of this place
I thought the fish tagine looked really good :thumbsup2
 
Great to see a review of Restaurant Marrakesh, I don't see many reviews of this place
I thought the fish tagine looked really good :thumbsup2

Thanks, Linda! Yes, I really enjoyed the fish tangine. I'm sure it wasn't as great as your grouper at HBD ;) (just got caught up on your excellent reviews). Thanks for reading. I'll be looking forward to your May reviews!
 
Great reviews! I loved the pics from Marrakesh because I can't decide if I want to try it or not. :confused3 I might have to stick with my fav Tngerine Cafe.

I am looking forward to reading more:woohoo:

Terri
 
Great reviews! I loved the pics from Marrakesh because I can't decide if I want to try it or not. :confused3 I might have to stick with my fav Tngerine Cafe.

I am looking forward to reading more:woohoo:

Terri

Thank you, Terri! We also really love Tangierine Cafe, but we can find similar food close to home. One of our favorite local restaurants is a Greek place that serves the greatest gyro and pita on the planet, so we decided to go with Marrakesh for something different. I would say it is worth trying at least once. My advice would be to steer clear of the Bastilla and make sure your bill is correct! Enjoy the atmosphere and the entertainment, too!

And please stay tuned...lots more to come!
 
Well after looking at all the reviews of gorgeous cupcakes, I knew we were going to get snacks at Starring Rolls on our HS day. So we figured we might as well make it breakfast!

Hercules ordered the Large Apple Turnover:
090202bfast2.jpg

He loved it!

Belle chose the Strawberry Shortcake Parfait:
090202bfast3.jpg

She licked the plastic cup.

Aladdin and I ordered 2 cupcakes and split them between us.
This one is the Red Velvet Cupcake:
090202bfast4.jpg

I could have done without those cruchy things on top, but otherwise, absolutely delicious.

Then there was the Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcake:
090202bfast5.jpg

This was my favorite of the treats, but it was so rich and sweet, I could only have a few bites...especially for breakfast.

We enjoy starring rolls and might stop by for a snack another time. I really want to try the carrot cake cookie from writer's stop next time, though.
 
We never really know exactly where to eat at HS. Herc and Belle remembered the chicken sandwich that they enjoyed from last trip, so they campaigned for Studio Catering Company. Since neither Aladdin not I had any strong counter argument, we decided to go along.

The famous sandwich (which is actually really good in my now more than one experience), the Buffalo Chicken Sandwich (with fries, of course):
090206lunch4.jpg

This is a nice, fresh roll with crispy/juicy chicken and just the right amount of kick. Even the fries were hot and fresh.

I opted for something light, being that this meal was between my decadent breakfast and my 50's Prime Time oversized dinner. I chose the Greek Salad with the dressing on the side (it might have come that way anyway):
090206lunch3.jpg

I thought it was pretty darn good...well, considering it was a fast-food, theme park, counter service salad. It was loaded with olives and had just the right amount of tomatoes, feta and onions...in other words, not all lettuce.

Aladdin chose the Turkey Club with fries:
090206lunch1.jpg

The best way to describe this IMO is that it was done pretty well with sub-par ingredients. I personally thought the turkey itself was pretty yucky and the ham-like stuff was kind of tough...I am a bit of a cold cut snob. It was nicely prepared, though, nice and toasty and melted cheesy...I just didn't care for the meat.

We ordered soft drinks, Herc enjoyed some apple juice, and we took two of each of the standard chocolate cake and cheesecake that come in the standard pre-packaged CS form. We didn't really touch them, as we were full and trying to save at least some room for our home-cooked 50's style dinner, coming up next!
 
loving your reviews so far although it making me hungry especially that turkey club yummy!!! xx
 
I really was not that into trying this place, but I was overruled, so we ended up going for it. Turns out, I'm happy we ate here. I think that expectations play a very big role in one's enjoyment of things. What I'm trying to say is that since I expected not to enjoy PTC at all, I ended up more than a little pleasantly surprised! :)

Our server was Ted, and we had a fun time. There was no yelling or scolding, but we had a cute table with a TV and funny clips playing, though I can't say I paid too much attention to them. Nothing particularly memorable happened in our experience.

It might have had something to do with the Mowie Wowie I started with ;):
090211supper1.jpg

Sorry, I may have taken a big swig before I remember to snap the photo. This was soooo good and it went down really easy! I think it would be worth taking a trip over to the Tune-In Lounge for a cocktail break, even if I'm not dining at the restaurant.

Belle had a Vanilla Coke, Aladdin had a Rootbeer Float, and Herc had a PB&J Shake. All were great, except we couldn't taste any of the J in the PB&J. We wonder if someone forgot to put it in? Sorry I don't have pics of those drinks. I guess I was too busy with my Mowie Wowie to care about their drinks!

We ordered the onion rings appetizer for 2, and sorry again, we had eaten about half before I remembered to take a pic:
090211supper4.jpg

These were just delicious! Big and crunchy, not greasy, and we all loved the horseradish dipping sauce. This may be a big appetizer for 2, but for 4, it left us wanting more. I guess that's what "appetizers" are for!

I selected the Pot Roast:
090211supper5.jpg

It was great as far as pot roast goes. Very savory and filling. There were some yummy mashed potatoes and veggies with it. It's still hard for me to get excited about restaurant pot roast. I make a yummy one at home, and it's definitely more of a stay-in comfort food than a pay at a restaurant type of dish for me. I liked it, though, really.

Hercules ordered the Fried Chicken:
090211supper6.jpg

This was the best dish on the table, without question. The chicken was deliciously seasoned, perfectly fried, and nice and crunchy and juicy. I didn't order it because I had had it at the HDDR, but this one was as great, if not even a little bit better, than the Pioneer Hall version. I know because Herc generously offered me a piece, which is unuasal for him. The portion was so generous he didn't even mind!

Both Aladdin and Belle opted for the Mom's Favorite Sampler Platter:
090211supper7.jpg

This was a great option, because it allowed them to taste all of the best dishes of the house. I tasted their meatloaf, since I had my own pot roast and that piece of Herc's chicken. It was very good, seasoned very nicely.

For dessert, we all shared a Hot Fudge Sundae (sorry, no pic), which was delicious (real hot fudge, no fake chocolate sauce). It was huge, and plenty for us to all have a more-than-adequate portion.

I'd go again if someone in my party insisted upon it, but after 2 visits (one in 2001) with really no antics to draw me in, I really don't feel a need to go back. But like I said, I'm really glad we did it this time.

Coming up soon, lunch at AK and dinner at Raglan Road!
 
Delicious food posts between today's small lunch and dinner still 3 hours away... You got me wishing for that delish PB&J shake! Mmmmmmm!

BTW, I noticed ya got a nice new ticker there. :thumbsup2 Nothing better than a "Disney Super Mom" with a ticker! :banana:
 















Receive up to $1,000 in Onboard Credit and a Gift Basket!
That’s right — when you book your Disney Cruise with Dreams Unlimited Travel, you’ll receive incredible shipboard credits to spend during your vacation!
CLICK HERE







New Posts







DIS Facebook DIS youtube DIS Instagram DIS Pinterest DIS Tiktok DIS Twitter

Back
Top