cbg1027
Florida Girl
- Joined
- Aug 21, 2009
Thank You! I'm about to add another one!
A Drinker and a Dessert Fiend Dine Around Disney - Completed 11/20!
- Thread starter cbg1027
- Start date
Thank You! I'm about to add another one!
cbg1027
Florida Girl
- Joined
- Aug 21, 2009
We had lunch at Coral Reef on our last park day. Our ADR was for noon and we waited about 5 minutes to be seated.
The restaurant has a 3 tiers of seating, in a stadium style so ALMOST every seat will have a view of the tanks.
Unfortunately, we were led to one of the few not-so-prime tables. It was on the top level, at the very far left end. Sitting on the right side of the table, I could not see the tanks without turning 90 or more degrees, so that was kind of a bummer.
They start you off with a basket of rolls and some butter at Coral Reef:
These were ok, but nothing to write home about. Our butter was as hard as a rock so we couldn't even use it. It turned out not be an issue for me later though...
Mark took a look at the wine list and went with a glass of Chianti. I just had a Coke.
Most of the items we ordered are no longer on the menu, so I don't have great descriptions.
We decided to share an appetizer. It was Seared Shrimp on Saffron Risotto dish:
Sorry, I committed a Disney Food Porn Faux-pas - we took a few bites before taking a photo!
Anyways, this was a really excellent dish! There were 4 perfectly cooked seared shrimp with minimal seasoning, atop a bed of creamy-sweet saffron risotto, with some bits of grilled vegetables. This is no longer on the menu, but if they bring it back I would HIGHLY suggest it. I used the rolls to sop up some of that saffron flavored oil on the plate and it was quite tasty. I'd call it licking the plate without being impolite.
For his entree, Mark ordered the Pan-seared Tilapia on a bed of salad greens with a Warm Bacon Vinaigrette.
I didn't taste this, but Mark ate all of the fish and pronounced it tasty. No sign that he touched any of the greens.
I went for the Caesar Salad and added Shrimp:
This was a major bust. The shrimp were rubbery and over-steamed. There was no seasoning on them at all. The croutons were really undercooked - hard on outside but not crisped all the way through, so they just tasted like stale bread. But the worst part was the dressing. It was the most disgusting excuse for Caesar dressing I have ever come across. It had the consistency or mayonnaise and was quite similar in flavor - but yellow and with some Parmesan cheese and pepper in it. No trace of lemon juice, no anchovy flavor...and the texture was of a thick glop.
How the same restaurant put out that amazing appetizer and then sends me this monstrosity is bewildering.
We decided to skip dessert, unless you count Mark's second glass of Chianti.
So Coral Reef earns a 'just ok' review from me. I might try it again one day since I know they're capable of turning out something worth going for...but am very, very afraid of another dish like that salad.
5 out of 10.
The restaurant has a 3 tiers of seating, in a stadium style so ALMOST every seat will have a view of the tanks.
Unfortunately, we were led to one of the few not-so-prime tables. It was on the top level, at the very far left end. Sitting on the right side of the table, I could not see the tanks without turning 90 or more degrees, so that was kind of a bummer.
They start you off with a basket of rolls and some butter at Coral Reef:
These were ok, but nothing to write home about. Our butter was as hard as a rock so we couldn't even use it. It turned out not be an issue for me later though...
Mark took a look at the wine list and went with a glass of Chianti. I just had a Coke.
Most of the items we ordered are no longer on the menu, so I don't have great descriptions.
We decided to share an appetizer. It was Seared Shrimp on Saffron Risotto dish:
Sorry, I committed a Disney Food Porn Faux-pas - we took a few bites before taking a photo!
Anyways, this was a really excellent dish! There were 4 perfectly cooked seared shrimp with minimal seasoning, atop a bed of creamy-sweet saffron risotto, with some bits of grilled vegetables. This is no longer on the menu, but if they bring it back I would HIGHLY suggest it. I used the rolls to sop up some of that saffron flavored oil on the plate and it was quite tasty. I'd call it licking the plate without being impolite.
For his entree, Mark ordered the Pan-seared Tilapia on a bed of salad greens with a Warm Bacon Vinaigrette.
I didn't taste this, but Mark ate all of the fish and pronounced it tasty. No sign that he touched any of the greens.
I went for the Caesar Salad and added Shrimp:
This was a major bust. The shrimp were rubbery and over-steamed. There was no seasoning on them at all. The croutons were really undercooked - hard on outside but not crisped all the way through, so they just tasted like stale bread. But the worst part was the dressing. It was the most disgusting excuse for Caesar dressing I have ever come across. It had the consistency or mayonnaise and was quite similar in flavor - but yellow and with some Parmesan cheese and pepper in it. No trace of lemon juice, no anchovy flavor...and the texture was of a thick glop.
How the same restaurant put out that amazing appetizer and then sends me this monstrosity is bewildering. We decided to skip dessert, unless you count Mark's second glass of Chianti.
So Coral Reef earns a 'just ok' review from me. I might try it again one day since I know they're capable of turning out something worth going for...but am very, very afraid of another dish like that salad.
5 out of 10.
Pooh&OurHunny
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jul 25, 2007
we had an awful experience at Coral Reef too, Bad service and Bad food (I got the caeser salad
and my son chicken was undercook)...and my husband fish was not fresh and he took one bit...server never came back to our table until 45 mins later and he said would you like dessert and we said can we please have our check...he asked why we did not eat our meal and we told him. So he brought out dessert for us and he said its on the house...We went to Sunshine to feed our son a lunch b/c he was hunger...When we went to Sunshine my husband said we should have gone here first. He asked me what the disboard said about the place I said it was 50% love it and 50% don't like it. I said I thought it would be nice for our son to see the tank while we ate (he loves going to acquriums) but we were seated so far from the tank and he couldn't see where he was sitting.
Sorry you that happened to you.
and my son chicken was undercook)...and my husband fish was not fresh and he took one bit...server never came back to our table until 45 mins later and he said would you like dessert and we said can we please have our check...he asked why we did not eat our meal and we told him. So he brought out dessert for us and he said its on the house...We went to Sunshine to feed our son a lunch b/c he was hunger...When we went to Sunshine my husband said we should have gone here first. He asked me what the disboard said about the place I said it was 50% love it and 50% don't like it. I said I thought it would be nice for our son to see the tank while we ate (he loves going to acquriums) but we were seated so far from the tank and he couldn't see where he was sitting.Sorry you that happened to you.
cbg1027
Florida Girl
- Joined
- Aug 21, 2009
For our goodbye to Disney dinner, I managed to snag us the coveted 7:00pm dinner ADR at Le Cellier.
We showed up a few minutes early and waited about 15 minutes to be seated. We were led to a four top table near the center of the room. The interior is very pretty, and true to its name, looks like a wine cellar. I love the wood beam ceilings and stone walls.
Our server greeted us promptly and introduced herself as "Jess from Yellowknife". She was very cute and bubbly and I loved her accent!
While we were perusing the menu, Jess brought us out a basket of the famous Le Cellier bread - soft pretzel sticks, along with two other kinds we never touched.
That pretzel bread is soooo good. I could just eat a meal of that!
I had a really hard time deciding what to order. I had tried the Cheddar Cheese Soup at F & W festival before and loved it, but I wasn't feeling like eating a heavy appetizer and meat that night. So I went with the Tomato Stack appetizer, with caramelized onions, cucumber, blue cheese, and yuzu vinaigrette:
This was a really excellent way to start the meal. The tomatoes were nice and ripe, the caramelized onions were sweet, the cucumber light, the blue cheese pungent, and the yuzu vinagrette is a great finish. It's very unexpected with a tomato dish and provided a sweet, tart, and citrusy finish. It really hit the spot for me.
Mark didn't order and appetizer, but started with a glass of Estancia Cabernet Sauvignon. Sorry, I didn't get a photo, but I guess you guys know what red wine looks like.
For our entrees, Mark went with the Salt-crusted Prime Rib - with Roasted Yukon Potatoes finished with au jus and horseradish cream sauce.
He ordered the prime rib medium-well, but when the plate came out the juices were still red. He cut in to it and it was almost raw inside. (Looked yummy to me
) but it was definitely not cooked how he ordered it. Jess from Yellowknife was by our table again quickly to check on things and had the dish promptly replaced in about 10 minutes with one that was cooked the correct medium-well.
I tasted this and it had a lot of fat on it. If you found some of the meat, it was good, but nothing spectacular. Mark seemed pretty pleased by it though.
I went with the Mushroom Filet Mignon - with wild mushroom risotto, white truffle and an herb butter sauce.
(Hey I just noticed - there's a hidden Mickey in that photo!
)
The smell of truffle coming off of this dish was intoxicating. It was so earthy and pungent! My steak was cooked a perfect medium-rare, just as I had ordered it. The meat was good, but again, nothing to really write home about. I don't have any complaints about this dish, but nor did it really wow me. It was like a filet you would get at an Outback Steakhouse on a good day. The risotto was nicely done, very creamy and tasty, but this is a very heavy dish and I didn't finish all of it.
For dessert, Mark went with another glass of Cabernet.
I knew months in advance what I was getting though - Maple Creme Brulee!
This was VERY tasty! The top was nicely bruleed, not undercooked or burnt, and had a satisfying crack when hit with the spoon. The inside was a bit more pudding-textured than I would have liked, but the taste was awesome. I love maple, and I love creme brulee...so it would have been pretty hard for me to not like this dish.
So, do I agree with the Le Cellier hype? Not really. It's a good meal, in a nice, setting, with great service, but amazing steaks? Umm, no. I would, however, return again - but not order any steaks. I love the cheese soup, and the appetizer and dessert were quite good. Next time, I will have an appetizer, cheese soup and pretzel bread as an entree, and a dessert. I think if you want a truly great steak at Disney, you really have to go to a signature.
7 out of 10.
We showed up a few minutes early and waited about 15 minutes to be seated. We were led to a four top table near the center of the room. The interior is very pretty, and true to its name, looks like a wine cellar. I love the wood beam ceilings and stone walls.
Our server greeted us promptly and introduced herself as "Jess from Yellowknife". She was very cute and bubbly and I loved her accent!
While we were perusing the menu, Jess brought us out a basket of the famous Le Cellier bread - soft pretzel sticks, along with two other kinds we never touched.
That pretzel bread is soooo good. I could just eat a meal of that!
I had a really hard time deciding what to order. I had tried the Cheddar Cheese Soup at F & W festival before and loved it, but I wasn't feeling like eating a heavy appetizer and meat that night. So I went with the Tomato Stack appetizer, with caramelized onions, cucumber, blue cheese, and yuzu vinaigrette:
This was a really excellent way to start the meal. The tomatoes were nice and ripe, the caramelized onions were sweet, the cucumber light, the blue cheese pungent, and the yuzu vinagrette is a great finish. It's very unexpected with a tomato dish and provided a sweet, tart, and citrusy finish. It really hit the spot for me.
Mark didn't order and appetizer, but started with a glass of Estancia Cabernet Sauvignon. Sorry, I didn't get a photo, but I guess you guys know what red wine looks like.
For our entrees, Mark went with the Salt-crusted Prime Rib - with Roasted Yukon Potatoes finished with au jus and horseradish cream sauce.
He ordered the prime rib medium-well, but when the plate came out the juices were still red. He cut in to it and it was almost raw inside. (Looked yummy to me
) but it was definitely not cooked how he ordered it. Jess from Yellowknife was by our table again quickly to check on things and had the dish promptly replaced in about 10 minutes with one that was cooked the correct medium-well. I tasted this and it had a lot of fat on it. If you found some of the meat, it was good, but nothing spectacular. Mark seemed pretty pleased by it though.
I went with the Mushroom Filet Mignon - with wild mushroom risotto, white truffle and an herb butter sauce.
(Hey I just noticed - there's a hidden Mickey in that photo!
)The smell of truffle coming off of this dish was intoxicating. It was so earthy and pungent! My steak was cooked a perfect medium-rare, just as I had ordered it. The meat was good, but again, nothing to really write home about. I don't have any complaints about this dish, but nor did it really wow me. It was like a filet you would get at an Outback Steakhouse on a good day. The risotto was nicely done, very creamy and tasty, but this is a very heavy dish and I didn't finish all of it.
For dessert, Mark went with another glass of Cabernet.
I knew months in advance what I was getting though - Maple Creme Brulee!
This was VERY tasty! The top was nicely bruleed, not undercooked or burnt, and had a satisfying crack when hit with the spoon. The inside was a bit more pudding-textured than I would have liked, but the taste was awesome. I love maple, and I love creme brulee...so it would have been pretty hard for me to not like this dish.
So, do I agree with the Le Cellier hype? Not really. It's a good meal, in a nice, setting, with great service, but amazing steaks? Umm, no. I would, however, return again - but not order any steaks. I love the cheese soup, and the appetizer and dessert were quite good. Next time, I will have an appetizer, cheese soup and pretzel bread as an entree, and a dessert. I think if you want a truly great steak at Disney, you really have to go to a signature.
7 out of 10.
cbg1027
Florida Girl
- Joined
- Aug 21, 2009
Well we had a last supper at Disney, so the next morning it was time for our last breakfast! What better way to say goodbye than with Mickey and some friends? So off we headed to 'Ohana for a little breakfast, island style.
We had a 10:30am ADR and when we arrived a bit before the place was packed. Several parties were waiting and the place was hopping! To be expected anytime at 'Ohana I suppose. I think since we're only a party of two and don't have to wait for a huge table to open up, we usually don't end up sitting around too long. Our buzzer started going off about 10 minutes after we checked in.
At 'Ohana, they take your photo (just of your party, no characters involved) and then try to sell it to you while you're eating. But since I knew we weren't going to by it, i was able to convince them we didn't need to have the photo taken.
We were led down the entrance of the restaurant by one of the seaters.
We were sat at a nice four top table in a good location...somewhat in the middle of the restaurant, and close to the windows where we had a pretty nice view across the Seven Seas Lagoon:
On the way to our table, the seater picked up a basket of the Welcome Bread. I think one was a pineapple coconut and the other was like somewhat like a cinnamon roll.
Our server, excuse me, our 'cousin', came over and introduced herself and got drink orders. Mark got some coffee and I went with the POG juice - pineapple, orange, and guava!
I love a good juice, and this sure beats the Minute Maid OJ from the food courts!
Before any food arrived, an old friend, decked out in his best Hawaiian shirt, stopped by to say hello.
Just the guy you want to see at a character meal!
At 'Ohana, the food is served family style, so there's no buffet to get up and go to, and no ordering to be done. You just sit, and they bring you out a skillet and a plate of fruit:
In the skillet, they serve scrambled eggs, pork sausage links, bacon, potatoes and biscuits.
The fruit plate (sorry no photo) had watermelon, grapes, honeydew, and pineapple.
They also have people going around with baskets of Mickey Waffles, so you can get a few of those at a time too.
Every now and then at 'Ohana, they have characters lead a parade around the restaurant:
After the parade a dog came around visit.
I have to say Pluto was the best character I've ever seen at a meal. He was really taking his time with each table and acting like a real dog. It was super cute.
Getting a little close to the lens there puppy!
Ok now, stop trying to slobber on the camera Pluto!
He was a lot of fun!
Lilo and Stitch are at 'Ohana breakfast too, but I didn't take any photos of them because I'm not a fan. Lilo made it by our table, but we managed to pay our bill and escape when Stitch was only two tables away from us. Phew!
I loved 'Ohana for atmosphere, setting, and character interaction. But the food was just OK. I probably won't be returning any time in the near future because I prefer somewhere with great food. But I see why this a such a favorite for so many people and do highly suggest it for kids, or people who have done most of the other character breakfasts.
6.5 out of 10
That's it for this review! Thanks for reading and make sure to check out my next one - Solo Eats and Newbie Treats (link in my signature)!
We had a 10:30am ADR and when we arrived a bit before the place was packed. Several parties were waiting and the place was hopping! To be expected anytime at 'Ohana I suppose. I think since we're only a party of two and don't have to wait for a huge table to open up, we usually don't end up sitting around too long. Our buzzer started going off about 10 minutes after we checked in.
At 'Ohana, they take your photo (just of your party, no characters involved) and then try to sell it to you while you're eating. But since I knew we weren't going to by it, i was able to convince them we didn't need to have the photo taken.
We were led down the entrance of the restaurant by one of the seaters.
We were sat at a nice four top table in a good location...somewhat in the middle of the restaurant, and close to the windows where we had a pretty nice view across the Seven Seas Lagoon:
On the way to our table, the seater picked up a basket of the Welcome Bread. I think one was a pineapple coconut and the other was like somewhat like a cinnamon roll.
Our server, excuse me, our 'cousin', came over and introduced herself and got drink orders. Mark got some coffee and I went with the POG juice - pineapple, orange, and guava!
I love a good juice, and this sure beats the Minute Maid OJ from the food courts!
Before any food arrived, an old friend, decked out in his best Hawaiian shirt, stopped by to say hello.
Just the guy you want to see at a character meal!
At 'Ohana, the food is served family style, so there's no buffet to get up and go to, and no ordering to be done. You just sit, and they bring you out a skillet and a plate of fruit:
In the skillet, they serve scrambled eggs, pork sausage links, bacon, potatoes and biscuits.
The fruit plate (sorry no photo) had watermelon, grapes, honeydew, and pineapple.
They also have people going around with baskets of Mickey Waffles, so you can get a few of those at a time too.
Every now and then at 'Ohana, they have characters lead a parade around the restaurant:
After the parade a dog came around visit.
I have to say Pluto was the best character I've ever seen at a meal. He was really taking his time with each table and acting like a real dog. It was super cute.
Getting a little close to the lens there puppy!
Ok now, stop trying to slobber on the camera Pluto!
He was a lot of fun!Lilo and Stitch are at 'Ohana breakfast too, but I didn't take any photos of them because I'm not a fan. Lilo made it by our table, but we managed to pay our bill and escape when Stitch was only two tables away from us. Phew!
I loved 'Ohana for atmosphere, setting, and character interaction. But the food was just OK. I probably won't be returning any time in the near future because I prefer somewhere with great food. But I see why this a such a favorite for so many people and do highly suggest it for kids, or people who have done most of the other character breakfasts.
6.5 out of 10
That's it for this review! Thanks for reading and make sure to check out my next one - Solo Eats and Newbie Treats (link in my signature)!
Schoolbread
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Sep 12, 2010
Well, it was awesome to the sweet end! Thanks for taking me along!
cbg1027
Florida Girl
- Joined
- Aug 21, 2009
Well, it was awesome to the sweet end! Thanks for taking me along!
Thanks for reading. Glad you enjoyed it!
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