minnie mum
Unapologetic Disney Fan(atic)
- Joined
- Mar 8, 2011
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- 18,642
We were at WDW 9/24 to 10/1 and were on the free DDP. Our challenge this time was to only eat at TS restaurants that we had never tried before. Our CS picks were old favourites. Here's a brief summery of what we found:
AK: Kusafiri Coffee shop had really good coffee and to die for Cinnamon Rolls (or maybe we were just really hungry, since we'd skipped breakfast)
-Flame Tree BBQ: the combo chicken and ribs were tasty, smoky and tender. Not dry or fatty at all. I'm normally not a fan of baked beans, but these had a great flavor.
DHS: Had a Fantasmic lunch booked for Mama Melrose. They were so backed up they told us to come back in half an hour when we tried to just check in. Our ADR was for 2:10. We were seated at 3:00. Service was very slow, but the place was absolutely jammed. But it was worth the wait. My mozzarella, tomato and basil salad was fresh and tasty and the rolls were crusty and warm. The steak and 5 cheese mac was perfect and DHs Osso Buco was very good. The chocolate cake was rich, dark and moist; just the way I like it.
EPCOT: - Sunshine Seasons continues to be a favourite of ours for lunch. We really like the great variety to choose from and the quality of the food didn't disappoint.
-Coral Reef: Our biggest disappointment of the trip. Now understand some of the negative reviews. Seated 1/2 hr late at a table on the second tier. We couldn't get over how noisy the place was. The appetizer for 2 had such tiny portions that it was more of an 'amuse bouche'. My mahi mahi was overcooked and dry and the rice was actually crunchy! The ragu of shrimp was more of a hint than a reality. But the wine we selected (a Mosel Riesling) was delicious and the famous Chocolate Wave lived up to it's reputation. Chocolate and raspberry has always been my favourite combination.
-Kringla Bakery: A really nice place for lunch. My open faced smoked salmon sandwich with a side fruit cup was a perfect meal on a really hot day. And the cloudberry horn for dessert? MMMMM good.
-La Hacienda: The wait just to check in was 15 minutes, but we were seated only 10 min past our ADR time. Our drinks and the chips and salsa arrived promptly, but we had to wait over 40 minutes to receive our entrees. Again the wait was worth it: my pork tenderloin with mole negro was out of this world. I swear you could pour that sauce on an old shoe and it would still be delicious. The Tamal de Dulce may be a candidate for my favourite dessert of all time. The combination of guava and strawberry was wonderful.
MK: -CHH: DH had the tuna sandwich, I had the shrimp basket, and we shared. Really tasty. The bread was fresh and the batter on the shrimp was crisp. Had the 'apple crisp' for dessert. Not what I would call a crisp (where was the crunchy topping?), more of a cobbler really. But still tasty and served warm.
-Pecos Bill's: the Chicken Caesar salad was fresh and crisp and perfect on a hot day. The carrot cake was OK.
-Cosmic Ray's: Tried the Angus bacon cheeseburger (our only CS burger of the trip) and was disappointed. The meat was overcooked and they are still serving the burgers on those awful whole wheat/sawdust buns. But the mango gelato was really flavourful.
-Crystal Palace: another 15 minute wait just to get checked in for dinner, but we were actually seated 5 minutes before our ADR time. Our waiter was great replenishing our drinks and removing our used plates. We had a chance to visit with each of the characters, and never felt rushed with our encounters. The food was very good for a buffet: the hot foods were hot but not overcooked or dried out. The cold foods were crisp, cold and fresh. I actually went back for seconds of the garlic mashed potatoes and the salmon. We ended up being too full for dessert.
Outside the Parks: -Cape May: We enjoyed the meal very much. The clam chowder, peel and eat shrimp, clams and mussels, and salmon were all really good. I tried the crab legs but was not a big fan. They seemed overcooked and dry, and honestly, just too much work. For dessert we liked the key lime tartlets, and the Oreo Bonbons were a tremendous hit.
-Kona Cafe: We arrived very early after an exhausting day at MK. Even though they were very busy, they managed to squeeze us in 1/2 hr early. We had mixed results with our dinner. DH loved his Tuna Oscar, but I found my ribeye undercooked and grisly, with a really skimpy serving of the vegetables. We were too tired for dessert, so they boxed them up to go.
-Raglan Road: The Calimari and Tempura Vegetable appy was very crisp and tender with a lovely dipping sauce. My braised lamb shank was richly flavourful and literally fell off the bone. The bread pudding was every bit as delicious as it's reviews, and I particularly liked the butterscotch sauce. But OMG the serving size!!!! I wonder if anyone has ever managed to eat the whole thing. You could feed a family of 4 on just one of them!
OK so this turned out to be a whole lot longer than I had planned. Thanks for sticking through it all, and I hope some of it proves useful to you.
AK: Kusafiri Coffee shop had really good coffee and to die for Cinnamon Rolls (or maybe we were just really hungry, since we'd skipped breakfast)
-Flame Tree BBQ: the combo chicken and ribs were tasty, smoky and tender. Not dry or fatty at all. I'm normally not a fan of baked beans, but these had a great flavor.
DHS: Had a Fantasmic lunch booked for Mama Melrose. They were so backed up they told us to come back in half an hour when we tried to just check in. Our ADR was for 2:10. We were seated at 3:00. Service was very slow, but the place was absolutely jammed. But it was worth the wait. My mozzarella, tomato and basil salad was fresh and tasty and the rolls were crusty and warm. The steak and 5 cheese mac was perfect and DHs Osso Buco was very good. The chocolate cake was rich, dark and moist; just the way I like it.
EPCOT: - Sunshine Seasons continues to be a favourite of ours for lunch. We really like the great variety to choose from and the quality of the food didn't disappoint.
-Coral Reef: Our biggest disappointment of the trip. Now understand some of the negative reviews. Seated 1/2 hr late at a table on the second tier. We couldn't get over how noisy the place was. The appetizer for 2 had such tiny portions that it was more of an 'amuse bouche'. My mahi mahi was overcooked and dry and the rice was actually crunchy! The ragu of shrimp was more of a hint than a reality. But the wine we selected (a Mosel Riesling) was delicious and the famous Chocolate Wave lived up to it's reputation. Chocolate and raspberry has always been my favourite combination.
-Kringla Bakery: A really nice place for lunch. My open faced smoked salmon sandwich with a side fruit cup was a perfect meal on a really hot day. And the cloudberry horn for dessert? MMMMM good.
-La Hacienda: The wait just to check in was 15 minutes, but we were seated only 10 min past our ADR time. Our drinks and the chips and salsa arrived promptly, but we had to wait over 40 minutes to receive our entrees. Again the wait was worth it: my pork tenderloin with mole negro was out of this world. I swear you could pour that sauce on an old shoe and it would still be delicious. The Tamal de Dulce may be a candidate for my favourite dessert of all time. The combination of guava and strawberry was wonderful.
MK: -CHH: DH had the tuna sandwich, I had the shrimp basket, and we shared. Really tasty. The bread was fresh and the batter on the shrimp was crisp. Had the 'apple crisp' for dessert. Not what I would call a crisp (where was the crunchy topping?), more of a cobbler really. But still tasty and served warm.
-Pecos Bill's: the Chicken Caesar salad was fresh and crisp and perfect on a hot day. The carrot cake was OK.
-Cosmic Ray's: Tried the Angus bacon cheeseburger (our only CS burger of the trip) and was disappointed. The meat was overcooked and they are still serving the burgers on those awful whole wheat/sawdust buns. But the mango gelato was really flavourful.
-Crystal Palace: another 15 minute wait just to get checked in for dinner, but we were actually seated 5 minutes before our ADR time. Our waiter was great replenishing our drinks and removing our used plates. We had a chance to visit with each of the characters, and never felt rushed with our encounters. The food was very good for a buffet: the hot foods were hot but not overcooked or dried out. The cold foods were crisp, cold and fresh. I actually went back for seconds of the garlic mashed potatoes and the salmon. We ended up being too full for dessert.
Outside the Parks: -Cape May: We enjoyed the meal very much. The clam chowder, peel and eat shrimp, clams and mussels, and salmon were all really good. I tried the crab legs but was not a big fan. They seemed overcooked and dry, and honestly, just too much work. For dessert we liked the key lime tartlets, and the Oreo Bonbons were a tremendous hit.
-Kona Cafe: We arrived very early after an exhausting day at MK. Even though they were very busy, they managed to squeeze us in 1/2 hr early. We had mixed results with our dinner. DH loved his Tuna Oscar, but I found my ribeye undercooked and grisly, with a really skimpy serving of the vegetables. We were too tired for dessert, so they boxed them up to go.
-Raglan Road: The Calimari and Tempura Vegetable appy was very crisp and tender with a lovely dipping sauce. My braised lamb shank was richly flavourful and literally fell off the bone. The bread pudding was every bit as delicious as it's reviews, and I particularly liked the butterscotch sauce. But OMG the serving size!!!! I wonder if anyone has ever managed to eat the whole thing. You could feed a family of 4 on just one of them!
OK so this turned out to be a whole lot longer than I had planned. Thanks for sticking through it all, and I hope some of it proves useful to you.
