A DREAM is a WISH your HEART makes ..... 18 days of Free Disney Dining! (with pix)

[HonnyDipp]

This thread is very impressive! I love the pics and reviews oh, and the froggy too!

 

[txmomto1]

Thanks for posting these. It's a lot of work, but so fun to read!

 

[TigerKat]

Great review! The frog stories are cracking me up! I don't know if it because of the rain or what..we never saw one in our week at POR! We were in the AB section though...

Thank God, I'm starting to freak out.....

 

[creativeamanda]

That frog is just hilarious! My youngest daughter would want to take him home with us!

 

[miprender]

Aug 22 - dinner at Restaurant Marrakesh

Plus, they had seated a family of four at the table next to us. Mommy, Daddy and two little kids. The smaller one of the two, which was about 18 months was handed a crayon and after "colouring" the printout he started colouring the table cloth/paper. Nothing wrong here. The wrong to me came when they were served pasta for the kids, which was then presented to the 18 month old on the table cloth which he had previously coloured with the crayon!!! The mother would take a spoonful of the pasta and tomato sauce and spoon it ON the table cloth. The little boy ate a few bits, then started hitting the pasta with his bottle, splashing the sauce everywhere and most of the pasta went to the floor. Not the prettiest sight in a restaurant. The parents just looked on and laughed about it!

to be continued ...........
Next up - Wolfgang Puck's Express (AGAIN), Tutto Italia (WOW!! so good), Margarita Stand in Mexico and a snack from the Riverside Mill

That story reminded me of when we took our 18mth old to a restaurant near us, it was a busy night and for the first time ever, my DD decided to act up and threw a handful of spagetti onto the next table. Thankfully, it was empty but all set up with a clean white table cloth, dishes, etc. When we told the waiter what happened I thought he was going to cry because he was already stressed out from it being so busy. Obviously we left a nice tip!!!

Great trip report. I love all the pictures.

 

[dizneeat]

Aug 23 - Tutto Italia, Margarita Stand and another snack from the Riverside Mill

This day's dinner was at Tutto Italia. We thought we'd give it a try after being very disappoined with the food and service at Alfredo's the year before. When we arrived it was raining cats and dogs (remember we ran into Hurricane Fay) and we were right on time. I was still wearing my Disneyland Paris Poncho when I checked in and we were seated immediatly. Wow, even though there were people waiting - LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it that way.
Our server came about a minute after we were seated. He was young, very nice and looked after us more than well. We told him we were on the DDP and that we were using the DDE for any extras.
We were handed the menus and asked what we wanted to drink, so we ordered our diet cokes.
When he came back with the cokes he asked for our main courses and returned with the Verdure (pickled veggies) which were like I remember them from previous trips to Italy. Not too soft and slightly tart - yummy!

followed by the Olive "Giardiniera" (olive oil for dipping), again very strong olive oil, but that's the way I like it at home too

and the Ricotto con Basilico (ricotta cheese mixed with basil), which had a wonderful fresh taste from the basil

and went so well with the Pane De Casa, the breadbasket we received

All of the above tasted so nice, we finished the whole helping off in no time.

Next came the main courses. Tom had chosen the Tagliolini con Granchio, Pomodorini Alle Erbe - tagliolini pasta topped with crabmeat, sweet tomato and garlic and they were to die for. Not too garlicy, but well spiced and perfectly cooked pasta.

I had the Penne Caprese with crushed tomatoes, mozzarella cheese and basil. Again I was surprised. It tasted like a sea of ripe fragrent tomatoes and was just pure bliss with the mozzarella slightly melting into the dish. I love my pasta al dente and that's what it was - al dente, just perfect. It was so good, I had to search for a recipe on the internet and we recreated it at home.

Both portions were generous and with the breadbasket and goodies we had had before we both were quite stuffed after the main course. But since it was raining hard we decided to have coffee and dessert.

Tom had an espresso and it came with a biscotti. Nice! The coffee had perfect crema and he said it was very good.

I had a cappuccino and it was very good as well - lots of milk foam on top and a very nice taste, not too bitter. Plus I got TWO biscotti with my coffee, LOL!

For my dessert I had chosen the Mocha Tiramisu - mascarpone cheese, espresso coffee, savoiardi biscuits and chocolate. I was SO surprised as this was such a well made dessert, much better than the one I had had the year before.

Now Tom's dessert was the biggest surprise - in the true sense of the words. He had chosen their signature dessert the Bugie/Chiacchere - Signature anise and Sambuca-flavored crisp pastry with chocolate or apricot sauces. He is not a big dessert eater and I could not believe the size of the portion when the server brought it to our table.

It must have been very good, since he nearly finished it ALL!!

We did mention to the waiter that this experience was much better than last year's and he seemed to be happy to hear that.

By then it had stopped raining, so we decided to walk towards Mexico and check out the countries. In Mexico we bought a Fiesta Margarita. We had had one last year and liked it. Well this one was nothing like it! It was lacking flavour and there were only 3 different flavours left. Maybe it was an end of the day thing, but we did not like it at all. We ended up throwing more than half of it away.

When we returned home to the resort we stopped at the Riverside Mill for another Magic Cookie Bar. Yip, there is a corner missing - I nibbled it off before taking the photo! I had a little bit of it in the evening and saved the rest for breakfast the next morning.

To be continued .....
Next up - Sunshine seasons and Ohana

 

[dizneeat]

Okay...the frog is not from this world.

Is it really made with filo?! That's how my Mom made it but I always assumed that that was an Americanized version or something! There is NOTHING better than that crisp, buttery, sugary filo that gets caramelized while it's baking... YUM.

Yes, your Mom was right! The traditional Austrian way to make apple strudel is with filo pastry. Your Mom picked up the recipe to one of the best desserts we have in Austria. It's best luke warm!

That is very true. There's nothing better than vaction food.

I love reading a food review from an Austrian - as I sit munching on the Männer Zitronenschnitten I just brought back from there. One reason I travel to Germany/Austria every year is the fabulous food (esp. the cheeses, breads and pastries - hello Demels!) so it's interesting to hear how enthused you are about the food at WDW. Generally I find the quality of dishes at WDW uneven - ranging from sublime to mediocre but it sounds like you had mainly great experiences.
You have wonderful pictures - I love the frogs and think they had a wonderful dose of reality to a fantasy world - and I look forward to hearing more.

Mmmh, Manner Schnitten! . It's nice to hear that you enjoy your travels to Austria/Germany. And if you have been to Demel, you have been to one of the best in Austria. Did you try Zauner in Bad Ischl as well?
As for the food in WDW - maybe we have such good experiences because we always keep in mind that most of these restaurants are in theme parks. We never expect it to be something else. So we mostly are pleasantly surprised, LOL! I expect something different from signature dining though! We LOVE the California Grill and even have become friends with one of the servers there and always ask to be seated at one of his tables. So our service is always spot on and the food has always been amazing.
We did have our fair share of disappointing experiences as well. Restaurant Marrakesh comes to mind. I didn't really care for the atmoshpere and food too much, but the worst experience we had this year was at Narcoossee's. Just wait for that review. We won't return there in a long time.

And Froggie was just the best. There were actually 3 frogs there and one of them always seemed to wait for us coming back to the room

loving this food TR....and I think your english is outstanding if I may say so...and not only that but your spelling is well done...*high 5*...subbing!!!

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

Great review! The frog stories are cracking me up! I don't know if it because of the rain or what..we never saw one in our week at POR! We were in the AB section though...

Thank you! And Froggie was a perfect Cast Member!

I've been reading a lot about these lately---they look sooooo good and everyone has said they are incredible....might be my choice in November!

I don't want to sound biased because Wolfgang Puck is Austrian, but ALL his food was to die for. Try the Creme Bruleé, it was the best I had this vacation

still loving your reviews, but that last frog piccie has made me freakkkkkkyyyyyyyyyyy out !!!!!!!!!!!

I am glad to hear that you like the reviews. Sorry about Froggie

This thread is very impressive! I love the pics and reviews oh, and the froggy too!

Thank you for your kind words. You would have loved Froggie, he was hilarious!

Thanks for posting these. It's a lot of work, but so fun to read!

I am glad you enjoy reading them!

Thank God, I'm starting to freak out.....

That frog is just hilarious! My youngest daughter would want to take him home with us!

What a fun idea!!!

That story reminded me of when we took our 18mth old to a restaurant near us, it was a busy night and for the first time ever, my DD decided to act up and threw a handful of spagetti onto the next table. Thankfully, it was empty but all set up with a clean white table cloth, dishes, etc. When we told the waiter what happened I thought he was going to cry because he was already stressed out from it being so busy. Obviously we left a nice tip!!!

Great trip report. I love all the pictures.

I don't mind kiddies! They are supposed to throw things at that age, aren't they? The thing was that the parents didn't seem to mind that the sauce was mixed with the crayon scribbling on the table cloth and they found it very amusing that the little one splashed everything and didn't even apologize to the server.
But thanks for the positive response to my food review. My trip report is on my home-page and I have actually started it and uploaded the first three days, so feel free to stop by there to. The link is in my signature!!

 

[milmore104]

You are making me so hungery right now. Specially after the pasta dishes. Oh and we must not forget the MARGARITA. Evenif you didn't care for the fiesta one I love the regular ones. It's how I always start off our night in EPCOT. And being 7 months pregnant I could kill for one right now.

Thank you for your wonderful pix and reviews. I have decided on adding a couple of place because of them. If only time would move faster...

 

[Redwitch]

I just read this review while watching the NASCAR race - I like to multitask. Your reviews and pictures are wonderful. I can't wait to read more and I can't wait to head to the world in October - to eat of course!

And for the DIS Sponsored Support Group that is forming... eek: ) Knowledge is power, so diagnose yourselves.

Batrachophobia - Fear of amphibians, such as frogs, newts, salamanders, etc.

Ranidaphobia - Fear of frogs.

Bufonophobia - Fear of toads.

This little guy reminds me of a frog....

 

[dizneeat]

You are making me so hungery right now. Specially after the pasta dishes. Oh and we must not forget the MARGARITA. Evenif you didn't care for the fiesta one I love the regular ones. It's how I always start off our night in EPCOT. And being 7 months pregnant I could kill for one right now.

Thank you for your wonderful pix and reviews. I have decided on adding a couple of place because of them. If only time would move faster...

Those pasta dishes were SO good - I want one right now, LOL! And we loved the Margarita the year before, so that's why we got this one. Maybe it was just because it was close to park closing and they were already ready to pack up, LOL!

Good luck with your new little one!

 

[dizneeat]

I just read this review while watching the NASCAR race - I like to multitask. Your reviews and pictures are wonderful. I can't wait to read more and I can't wait to head to the world in October - to eat of course!

And for the DIS Sponsored Support Group that is forming... eek: ) Knowledge is power, so diagnose yourselves.

Batrachophobia - Fear of amphibians, such as frogs, newts, salamanders, etc.

Ranidaphobia - Fear of frogs.

Bufonophobia - Fear of toads.

This little guy reminds me of a frog....

Thank you! More coming up tomorrow!
What is my support group? I LIKE that Froggie

 

[Ginamarie]

Thank you! More coming up tomorrow!
What is my support group? I LIKE that Froggie

I know I'm in the minority, but I think the froggie is cute!

 

[txmomto1]

I know I'm in the minority, but I think the froggie is cute!

I like Froggie too! I've been calling 5 year old DS over all day to look at him. My DH thought it was fake, like the jungle cruise animals.

 

[Tarheel Tink]

Loving the reviews and love the froggie! Right now I'm about 2 feet away from a little tree frog that jumps on the window behind my monitor at night so I can see his little frog belly. I guess the light attracts him because he doesn't come around during the day.

 

[jeminni]

I hope Tutto Italia still has the pasta with crabmeat in December. I want to try that so bad.

 

[adsrtw]

I heart tiramisu & latte's. Yum, stick a fork in me, I am done.

 

[DisneyMom5]

So...I think I'm going to have to eat at Tutto. Everyone has been giving it good reviews. I LOVE Italian food. So do the kids. Dh, not so much.
But he usually can find something he likes.
If they can come up with Gluten Free pasta for my two who don't eat wheat....

Thanks again for the great reviews.

 

[perkyperla]

August 17 continued - Tokyo Dining

... The green stuff in the little yellow bowl was okay, but the dark stuff (whatever it was) was very odd tasting.

First let me say - thank you so much for taking the time to document your meals - it has helped me tremendously in making some dining decisions for our trip with ddp in January. and my dd is stoked the ice cream sandwich is a snack credit!! I spent the morning reading your thread. i do have one question - you said that you had the disney dining plan (ddp) but what is the dde that you used for your drinks?? sorry - new to this discussion board thing!

the green stuff looked like seaweed salad. i've had it several times at japanese restaurants - actually quite tasty (to me )

have u ever eaten at coral reef - i scheduled a dinner for 20 there!

and so love the frog - could be because my mom was a biology teacher

 

[saratogagirl]

my name is Jules and I am a ranidaphobiac LOL, thank you I didnt know there was a name for it x

 

[dizneeat]

Aug 24 - Sunshine Seasons and Ohana

We got up really early to be at DHS for rope drop and a join the run to Toy Story Mania. I snacked on my Magic Cookie Bar while Tom had some oreo cookies and some Lady Grey Tea.
We did make it to DHS for rope drop - a first for us since we rarely get up that early. Tom joined the "runners" for the FP machines at TSM while I just walked over. He had already gotten the FP when I arrived and we decided to get in line since the wait was only 10 minutes. Halfway through the line the ride broke down and that was the end to that.
We went on a few other rides waiting for our FP time. While waiting for the time to come around I had one of these beauties!

A Mickey Ice Cream sandwich - yum!

After riding TSM we drove over to Epcot.
Lunch was at Sunshine Seasons. Tom had the Rotisserie Pork Chop with carrots and mashed potatoes. He was surprised it was moist and well seasoned since this was a counter service, but he really liked it.

I had the Grilled Salmon with Olive Pesto sauce, rice and salad. The salmon was a bit dry, but it was a very good meal, considering that it was CS. Only downside - with the AC being on rather high and the plastic plates the food turned cold very fast. And I am a sloooooooow eater!

For dessert Tom had chosen the Bavarian Charlotte - which was nice, but rather sweet.

I had seen a photo of the strawberry cake and HAD TO have it! It was pure heaven, whipped cream, cake and strawberries. What could be better. I enjoyed this very much.

After we had had lunch we went over to "Living with the land" to explore how some of my salad had been produced.
It actually is planted in a Mickey shape - maybe that makes it taste better!

We then went on some more rides and walked over to world showcase. When we got back to the Land Pavillion before our Soarin FP was starting we picked up some drinks and a snack at Sunshine Seasons again.

Our drinks were the Dasani Lemon water which was gross. It tasted somewhat artificial. Not a good choice. Tom had a Michelob Ultra which he enjoyed.

Plus we shared a California Roll. Considering it came out of a plastic bowl it was quite nice. Not to be compared with the one we had at California Grill, but still nice.

After that snack it was time for us to leave and head over to POR to do some packing and to get ready for our dinner at Ohana.

To be continued .........
Next up - Ohana for dinner