A Texas-sized dining experience. 4 Adults “Stretchy Pants Diet”

[chocolateMinnie]

Great to see a review of Kouzzina - we have our first breakfast adr there in three weeks time - love their dinner. Was just worried about the time to eat as they are very slow at dinner but sounds like they were quite quick at breakfast.

Looking forward to our next Le Cellier trip too

 

[Roma]

I was very interested to read your thoughts on the risotto vs. the potatoes at LC. I really couldn't care less about risotto usually but LOVE mashed potatoes. We are going for lunch next month and this may be the last time to have the filet with the potatoes (since lunch is also becoming a signature) so I'm seriously torn right now over what to do. I want to try the dish as it was intended but I prefer potatoes and I may never get them at LC again. Wow I'm making this sound incredibly dramatic!

So in a nutshell you would go for the potatoes?

 

[pugcrazy]

Roma- I'm a potatoes girl. If I had the choice of the potatoes, I'd choose the potatoes. The risotto is good, but i would still prefer the mashed potatoes.

 

[basketlacey]

Great reviews! I have only been back for two days but I miss it already!

 

[pugcrazy]

Another new dining experience for our group…Tusker House Breakfast with Donald and Friends.

We arrived at the park a few minutes before 8am. We were asked our name at the gate and then let right into the park. We walked through an almost empty Animal Kingdom park. There was a heavy fog that made for some eerie photos.

We arrived at Tusker house and checked in at the podium. We waited behind one couple to finish their photos with Donald and then it was our turn.

We were seated as soon as our photos were taken.

The waiter Jose took our drink orders and poured us glasses of the signature juice. We went to check out the huge variety on the buffet stations.

This buffet has many separate stations. It was hard to choose because it all looked good. We arrived back at our table with plates filled with tastings of many delights and a few duds.

The frittata was okay, but could use a little more seasoning. The hash was good. The sweet potatoes were again not to my liking (I love sweet potatoes and cook them often at home, I just didn't find any at WDW that I really enjoyed). The spicy breakfast potatoes were liked by everyone except Billy. We think the potato that he tasted had been contaminated by some other food on the plate. The signature juice was good. The fresh fruit was good and the pastries were excellent. I enjoyed sampling the cheeses, breads and spreads. Jeff said that he likes this breakfast buffet better than Crystal Palace (which has always been our favorite). I enjoyed the variety. We enjoyed all the fresh offerings and the Krispy Kreme donuts (we don’t have a Krispy Kreme anywhere near our hometown).

The characters came around and had good interaction with all the guests.

We finished eating and visiting the characters with a few minutes to spare before park opening at 9am. We walked out of the restaurant and right up to the rope drop area for the safari. At park opening we walked to the Safari and were on the second Safari truck of the day. The ability to be at the Safari area prior to all the guests just being allowed into the park moves this restaurant way up on our list of meals that we will be repeating.

Next one of our favorite places...Flame Tree BBQ

 

[pugcrazy]

The crowd levels were low at Animal Kingdom on this day. We were able to walk onto rides and get into shows with wait times of 10 - 20 minutes max.

As lunch time neared we knew what we wanted to eat. Flame Tree BBQ!!!

On the Deluxe Dining Plan we certainly could have had a sit down meal, but we all love Flame Tree BBQ. (I would have enjoyed trying Yak and Yeti, but Billy does not like oriental food. Maybe on our next trip.)

We ordered 3 orders of ribs and one Smoked Pork Sandwich.

1/2 Slab of St. Louis Ribs - Served with baked beans and cole slaw. - $10.69
The ribs here are so good. They almost fall off the bones. When I think about Disney food these ribs always come to mind. Neither Jeff nor I care for the beans. The cole slaw was good, slightly vinegary, a little sweet and not too much mayo.

Smoked Pork Sandwich - Served with baked beans. - $8.69
I didn’t taste it, but Dana said that this was good.

For dessert we got 2 chocolate mousse cups and 2 key lime pie cups. We at a few bites of these, but we were too full to finish them. The chocolate mousse cup was good. If you like chocolate pudding you will like this. The key lime pie cup is okay, but not as good as the key lime pie that they use to serve.

We were all happy with the choice of Flame Tree BBQ for lunch. After eating we were off to watch my favorite show Finding Nemo The Musical.

Next up...dinner at Narcoosse's.

 

[nanienamou]

Awesome reviews, thank you for sharing! I love your pics!

 

[starousse]

Great pictures!

 

[aml3679]

I loved your trip report and the name of your thread "Stetchy Pants Diet" made me lmao - I am a bit on the fluffy side myself.

 

[pugcrazy]

We had a wonderful afternoon at Animal Kingdom. We had great seats for the afternoon parade. I dashed off and acquired a Zebra cupcake with a snack credit. Finally I am hungry enough to try a cupcake. This cupcake was moist and delicious! I thought we had a photo of the cupcake, but I can't seem to find it. The zebra striped chocolate was beautiful. The icing was very sweet.

We left the park around 4 and went back to Pop Century to get cleaned up. We then took a bus to DTD. We shopped for and hour and then headed to The Grand Floridian. We walked through the hotel and out the back of the hotel.

Narcoossee's is located on the water over the Seven Seas Lagoon to the left of the hotel.

***I apologize for the lack of food pictures in this report, but my photographer declared that snapping food pictures was not appropriate in this setting. I only got him to agree to one food picture.***

We checked in a few minutes early. We seated after a short wait. Our table was a four top next to the windows with a view of the dock. We could see the top of the Castle. From my side of the table I could see the Contemporary hotel.

Our waitress Rita of Morocco arrived to take our drink orders. Our waitress was not very friendly and was not efficient. She was by far the worst waitstaff of the entire trip. We saw many tables that had excellent service, but alas we received lackluster to poor service.

Dana & I had decided that this was the meal that we would celebrate our birthdays (a little early). We were given menus that said Happy Birthday and were told that these were ours to keep. Jeff ordered Coke, Billy tea, Dana coffee, and me a diet coke.

Our drinks arrived and were accompanied by sour dough rolls and unsalted butter sprinkled with Hawaiian sea salt. Yum!! Dana & I loved the Sea Salt.

For appetizers Jeff and Dana both ordered the crab cakes.
Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes- Gingered "Sweet Potato Salad" with Herbed Creole Mustard and Candied Pecans.- $18.00
The crab cakes were full of crab and tasty. Jeff doesn't care for mustard, but I thought it added some needed spice to the crab cake.

Billy ordered the chowder.

Creamy Florida Blue Crab Chowder- Peekytoe Crab, Roasted Sweet Corn, Yukon Potatoes, and smoked Chili Oil- $12.00
He liked this chowder, but did not finish it all.

Since I love cheese, I ordered the cheese platter.

Artisanal Cheeses- Five tasting portions from around the world with accompaniments- $16.00
A beautiful plate of cheeses arrived. And then I saw it...my nemesis..another BUG! (I mean raisin!) Would I again find in necessary to swallow this vile thing in search of culinary artistry???
I first tried the Pleasant Ridge Reserve. This cheese good. It was complex and enjoyable.
Then came the Mt TAM Triple Creme Brie. Smooth creamy mellow and earthy. Paired with the honey comb it was heaven. I would love to have some of this right now.
Third was the Humboldt Fog. The cheese was creamy and light. The rind was quite sharp.
Forth was the Petit Agour. This sheep's milk cheese was nutty but a little dry.
And finally we came to the Roaring Forties Blue Cheese. The semi-soft blue cheese was strong and aromatic. I tasted it without the accompanying BUG (I mean raisin) first. This was the best cheese on the plate. Once again I had to decide if I should try the cheese the way the chef intended. I braced myself and tried this delightful cheese with it's accompaniment of on the vine raisin. Once again I found the added sweet flavor to be interesting, but the squishy texture just does not appeal. I finished this wonderful cheese but left the rest of the BUGS (I mean raisins) clinging to their vine.
The appetizer was a delight if only it didn't come with the raisins!

We all knew what we wanted to eat. Dana ordered the Whole Maine Lobster Steamed.

Two-pound Steamed Maine Lobster- Yukon Gold Potato and Applewood-smoked Bacon Gratin with Romano Beans and Petite Squash $66.00

Dana's lobster was slightly over cooked. Parts of it were chewy. He lobster was not nearly as good as our lobster tails.

The rest of us ordered the Filet Mignon and Lobster Tails.

Butter-poached lobster tail and grilled Filet Mignon - Boniato mashed potatoes, French beans and Herbed Cabernet Emulsion - $67.00
I think my filet at Le Cellier was a tiny bit better, but the lobster tails were fantastic. Jeff liked his filet better than the New York Strip that he ate at Le Cellier. If I return to Narcoossee's (not planning to do signatures on my next trip) I would order this again.

We waited a long time after we were done for our plates to be cleared. When our plates were finally cleared it was time for Wishes. Our waitress informed us that she would be back to get our dessert orders after wishes. (We would have rather put in our order so it would have been ready soon after Wishes.) Dana and Billy both had leg pain and chose to watch Wishes from the table. Jeff and I stepped out onto the porch to Watch Wishes and take photos.

After Wishes we returned inside and finally placed our order for dessert. We waited a long time before our desserts were brought.

Jeff skipped dessert all together.

Billy ordered the cheesecake.
Almond-crusted Cheesecake - Inspired by the Year of a Million Dreams and served with Lambert cherry sauce. - $8.00

Dana ordered the sorbet. This was good, but not as good as the sorbet at Le Cellier.

I had planned to order the creme brulee, but it is no longer on the menu. My receipt says I ordered the No Sugar Added Dessert - Mango sorbet with melon, pineapple and berries $8. It must not have been anything special, because I don't remember anything about it.

Our waitress brought a special dessert for Dana & I as a birthday surprise.

This was the Almond-crusted Cheesecake. This was by far the best dessert! Billy was smart to order this. (I was able to convince Jeff to take a photo.)


It was almost 10pm when we caught a bus from The Grand Floridian to DTD. We then changed buses and returned to Pop Century. Good thing that we planned to sleep in and not do a breakfast the next morning.

Next up...breakfast of snack credits at Sunshine Seasons

 

[pugcrazy]

Our last full day at WDW. We arrived at Epcot in time for opening at 9am. We walked onto Spaceship Earth with no wait. We rode Soarin' with a 15 minute wait & got a fast pass to ride again in an hour, as the wait time had increased. Jaff had a headache and chose to sit at a table in Sunshine Seasons while we rode Living with the Land. (Did I mention that I LOVE this ride?)

After we rode Living with the Land, Dana & I decided to use a few snack credits for breakfast at Sunshine Seasons. We purchased drinks (Diet Cokes) and purchased a carrot cake cupcake & a creme brulee to share for breakfast. One of the benefits of traveling without children is not having to be responsible grownups. We wouldn't let our children eat dessert for breakfast, but it was okay for us.

The cupcake was moist and delicious, but had to many Bugs (I mean raisins). I think I accidentally swallowed one, but at least I didn't bite into it and feel it's little body squish between my teeth. The frosting was a combination of cream cheese and pure joy! I think this cupcake would be the best of the trip if it just didn't have raisins!

The creme brulee was very good. The crust was nice and thick and crunchy. The center was cold and creamy and scrumptious!!! It wasn't the best of the trip (or even the day), but I will certainly go back to Sunshine Seasons for Creme Brulee on my next trip!

We rode Sourin' again and wandered off to explore Epcot until time for lunch.

We will be lunching at one of my favorites...Chefs de France.

 

[emmysmommy]

Great reviews! Can't wait for your Chefs de France review as well since it is one of my favorites.

Here's the Le Cellier risotto recipe if you are intersted:

 

[dzneelvr]

You are one of my top five dining posters! Simple yet full of facts and your photos are amazingI'm particularly grateful for your review of Flametree BBQ in AK. in all the years (decades actually) we've been going to WDW, we've never eaten there. DS and DD always had other faves in the park so this year when it's just DH and I, this will be our lunch meal. Ribs are DHs favorite food and I don't usually order them, but now I will. Thank you so much for taking the time to write them.

 

[pugcrazy]

We arrived at Chefs de France at 11:30am. The restaurant was not yet opened. Jeff's headache persisted so he sat waiting for the restaurant to open. Billy and Dana had both experienced leg pain the previous day and choose to sit an wait with Jeff. I went and explored the French shops while they waited.

We had been given a heads-up that the Food and Wine vendors would be opening a day early. We could see vendors busy making their stations ready to serve. (If we had known that they would open early, we would have skipped a meal to be able to sample more of the offerings.)

I arrived back right before the restaurant opened. We checked in and were seated in a few minutes. We had requested a table by the window and were seated in the section to the left right by the window. This table gave us a great view of the people and characters passing by.

We had a very sweet lovely waitress named Camille from Paris. (With my camera man under the weather, I guess we didn't get a photo of Camille.) Between her accent and my strong Texas accent we had a small communication issue. I ordered diet coke with lime, but I was brought lemon slices. I like diet coke plain, so I just decided to skip trying to make my request for lime a second time. Billie ordered tea, and Jeff & Dana had Cokes. We are SO predictable!

For appetizers Dana & I each ordered a tart.
I ordered goat cheese and tomato.

Tomate et Fromage de Chevre - Tomato and goat cheese $13.99
I started to order the French Onion soup which I enjoyed on our last trip, but decided to try something new. I considered the cheese plate, but I wanted a different experience. This tart is like a flatbread. The tomato was sauce on this was fresh and pure. There were not a lot of spices to hide the fresh flavor of the tomato. The goat cheese was mild and creamy. I enjoyed this tart.

Dana ordered the onion creme fraiche and bacon tart.

A la flamme Alsacienne - Alsace specialty. Cream fraiche, onion and bacon $12.99
This was very good. I would have preferred the onion be cooked a little more, but I enjoyed the piece of this that I ate. The cream fraiche and bacon were a perfect pairing.

Billy ordered the french onion soup.

Soupe a l'oignon gratinee - The classic onion soup topped with gruyere cheese $7.99
He enjoyed this, but thought it was a little rich. He ate about half of it.
I ate this on our last trip and enjoyed it, but I do agree that it is rich. I would love this on a cold day!

Jeff was not feeling well, and he really does not like to eat when he has a headache. He ordered a salad with no dressing (he does not use salad dressings ever).

Salade Maison - Selected greens, house dressing $6.99
He picked at this, not because it was bad. He just didn't feel up to eating. The salad loved lovely and fresh.

Both Billie and Jeff ordered the burgers and fries.

Steak haché Angus, champignons et Bearnaise, salade ou frites - 1/2 lb. Angus hamburger with confit onions, mushroom duxelle, tomatoes, and Bearnaise on on a brioche, salad or french fries $15.99
Jeff had them hold the Bearnaise and mushrooms. Jeff ate only a little of his meal due to the headache. He did say that the brioche bun was fresh soft and good. I love the metal cone that they use to serve the fries. Billie seemed to enjoy this burger.

Dana ordered the Salmon.

Filet de Saumon, pommes de terre ecrasees au beurre et ciboulete sur coulis de tomate et poivron rouge - Broiled salmon, smashed potatoes with butter and chives, served on a tomato and red pepper sauce $23.99
The salmon was prepared wonderfully. It was not fishy or strong in the least. The tomato and red pepper sauce was good. I will consider this being my meal the next time we eat at Chefs de France.

I wanted a light meal so I could hopefully have room to sample some of the Food and Wine Festival offerings. I chose the Quiche.

Quiche Lorraine - ham and cheese quiche with a mixed green salad $14.99
This was the second time I have ordered this dish. The crust is buttery and flaky. The ham and cheese quiche was filling and satisfying. The salad was good and the dressing light. This was the right choice for lunch.

While we were eating, we had a visit from the chef.

Remy was accompanied by his delightful handler. His handler was witty and engaging.

Already full we still had to make a decision on dessert. I guess I did a good job introducing Dana to Creme Brulee, because we both chose this for our dessert.

The creme brulee was a perfect classic dessert. The top had a crunch as you broke through the caramelized sugar. The filling cold and creamy. I ate every bite. I might have licked the bowl if I wasn't being watched by out young waitress. Dana enjoyed hers as well.

Jeff felt too bad to order any dessert.

Billy ordered the Profiteroles au chocolat.

Profiteroles au chocolat - Puff choux with vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce $7.25
This dessert was good. The puff pastries were light and airy. The chocolate sauce was very rich.

We enjoyed the meal (everyone except Jeff). By the time the meal was over, Jeff decided that he needed to go back to the room for a while to try to get over the headache.

Next up...A sampling of snacks and some items from the Food and Wine Festival.

 

[pugcrazy]

Emmysmommy- Thank you for the recipe! I will be trying it out soon! After making it by the recipe, I may have to try making it Vegetarian for my cousins at Thanksgiving. Or I could be really mean and make it as written and not tell them about the 7 cups of beef broth?? No I guess not.

 

[pugcrazy]

With Jeff heading off to sleep for a while to get over his headache, the rest of our group went shopping and exploring the countries. We first went to watch the film in France. It was cool and dark and I almost fell asleep. The film was beautiful, but on a full stomach it was almost too relaxing.

Billy found a music group to listen to in Morocco, while Dana and I went to do some serious shopping. After shopping through several countries we were parched. We started looking for something cold. We wandered into Japan and found Kabuki Cafe frozen treats to quench our dry mouths.

Kakigori - Strawberry, melon, cherry, tangerine or rainbow. Add special toppings: Sweet Milk, Sweet Strawberry or Sweet Cherry. $1 each - $3.50

These were very tasty. Dana got the rainbow. I got strawberry & tangerine only. It has been a long time since I had a snow cone (at home I only order sugar-free snow cones), and I really enjoyed this one. The flavors were strong.

We as continued to shop, we decided that we needed to use up some snack credits. We decided to get several snacks at the Food and Wine vendors and then share them so we could taste a variety.

Dana stopped at the Italy pavilion and picked up two items using snack credits.
Cannoli al Cioccolato (Chocolate-Covered Cannoli filled with Ricotta, Chocolate, and Candied Fruit). This was good, but not great.
Ravioli Di Formaggia all Emiliana (Baked Cheese Ravioli with Creamy Beef Bolognese Sauce, Parmesean Cheese, and Melted Mozzarella). This tasted good, but was served barely warm. This would have been much better if it had been hotter.

I stopped at China and picked up Chicken Satay with Spicy Peanut Sauce and Pickled Vegetables.

This was good. The vegetables were crunchy and tart. The chicken was moist. I wish I had been hungrier, I would have eaten more of this.

I also picked up a vanilla cupcake from Karamelle-Kuche. I was very disappointed in this cupcake. The cupcake was dry and the icing too sweet. The caramel was chewy not the creamy caramel that I had hoped for. This was the worst cupcake of the trip.

 

[pugcrazy]

With the park cooling from rain, we headed to Mexico to check in for our dinner. We checked in at the podium outside and were given a buzzer and told that it would be about 15 minutes. We had a seat inside and waited and waited. After more than 20 minutes, I went up to the counter and inquired how much longer our wait would be. We had seen several people seated that had arrived after our party. It seems that our number for our buzzer had been lost!!! The hostess promptly had our party seated.

Our waitress Neli was busy with many tables, but she kept our glasses filled and paced our meal well. We placed our drink orders for 2 cokes, 1 tea & 1 diet coke with like. Our drinks arrived along with chips and salsa. The salsa was different than what we are accustomed to in Texas, but we liked it. The salsa was not as spicy as what we normally get.

This was a meal that I was nervous about. Coming from Texas we all eat Mexican and Tex-Mex on a regular basis. I was concerned that we would be disappointed with this meal. (I had nothing to worry about! )

We all ordered the same appetizer. The Taquiza. Jeff says that this was the best appetizer of the trip.

aquiza - Taco trio featuring rib eye taco with chipotle salsa, roasted chicken taco with salsa verde and Chilorio(marinated pork) taco. - $10.75
We all liked this. I did not care for the chicken taco, as my chicken was dry. Everyone else said their chicken was fine. I really enjoyed the pork taco. This appetizer was filling and could have been my meal.

For entrees, Jeff and I ordered the Parrillada.

Parrillada (serves 2 people) - "La Hacienda" Mixed grill offering flank steak, chicken al pastor, chorizo and vegetables, served with beans and fresh salsa. - $49.95

Again we did not really like the chicken very much. The flank steak and chorizo were good. The grilled corn was SOOO good. I was thankful that Jeff doesn't care much for veggies, because I got the corn to myself. We liked this dish, but we will likely try something new on our next visit.

Billy ordered the a Pork Ribeye.

Puerco en salsa de Ciruete- Grilled Pork Ribeye served with carrot puree, caramelized onions and plum sauce $26.50
This dish was declared very good.

Dana ordered the Braised Shortribs. The menu had been changed on this day.

Costillas en salsa de chile- Braised short ribs served with potato puree and chile de arbol sauce $26.50
Dana like this. It was spicy and tender.

I wish I had better notes on this meal.

As we were finishing our entrees the lights dimmed and it was time for Illuminations. This has never been my favorite evening entertainment, but watching the show from this setting was a fantastic experience. The globe is so close it felt like they were putting on the show just for us!

For dessert Dana ordered the sorbets- Corn, strawberry and Mango

These were all good. The corn was surprising and tasty.

Billy ordered the Empanadas

Empanada de Manzana - Puff pastry filled with sauteed caramel apples and vanilla bean ice cream with kahlua sauce - $7.95

I had planned to order the churros, but they were not on the menu. I meantioned to our waitress that I had wanted the churros and was having a hard time making up my mind. She told me no problem she would get me churros and ice cream.

This was exactly what I wanted. The churros were good, but the ice cream was WONDERFUL!

We all had a wonderful meal and enjoyed this venue for watching Illuminations. We will be returning to this restaurant for an evening meal.

 

[dgagnon519]

Love the reviews

 

[pugcrazy]

This was our last meal at Disney. We scheduled separate reservations so we could have a private meal with our spouse. Our reservations were for 10am & 10:15am. We arrived at 9:45 and it took a few minutes to get checked in. Then we were ushered into the waiting area.

Soon we had our turn taking photos with Cinderella. She was sweet and funny. After taking photos we waited to be called to go upstairs.

We were each seated next to a window.

It was nice to be able to look down on fantasy land. Our waiter brought us a plate of pastries.

The pastries would have been better if they were hot. The biscuit was okay, but a little dry. The cinnamon roll was good. The danish was very good.

We were offered wands and swords, but due to having already checked our luggage we declined. We enjoyed watching the children next to us waving their wands excitedly.

We placed our orders for our breakfast and were soon joined by Snow White.

Here is Billy with Snow White.


Jeff ordered the Traditional Breakfast minus the eggs.

Traditional Breakfast - scrambled eggs, sausage, bacon, and rosemary-lemon roasted potatoes
He stated that the potatoes were crispy on the outside and nice and soft on the inside. They had a good flavor.


I ordered the stuffed french toast.

Cream Cheese-stuffed French Toast - drizzled with Cognac chocolate ganache served with bacon and fresh fruit
The description fails to mention that there are RAISINS in this! if you've read my other reviews you are aware that I HATE RAISINS! I was able to pick around these. This was very good, but very sweet. It did not really resemble french toast, but I enjoyed it. I enjoyed this, but I would likely choose something more savory next time.

Dana ordered the Traditional Breakfast.

She stated that it was good.


Billy ordered the steak.

Steak and Eggs - grilled filet mignon on a mild Chipotle-caramelized onion frittata served with our signature rosemary-lemon roasted potatoes .
He liked it, but did not give me any specifics on it.

As we ate we were visited by more Princesses.

We enjoyed the atmosphere and the Princesses. Eating in the Castle was something that I had looked forward to for a long time. I'm glad that we did it. I would like to try lunch or dinner here on another trip. It is not a must do meal, but the experience is well worth returning again.

 

[pugcrazy]

So we had only a few hours left before we were to be forced onto the Magical Express to return to the real world, and we still had MANY snack credits left. So we stopped on Main Street to purchase some treats to take home.

Red Velvet Cake Pop- This was very good.

Mickey Rice Crispy Treats- I gave these to DD19 & her boyfriend. I'm not sure if they were good or not.

Chocolate Cake Pop- DD19 liked this.

Chocolate covered pretzels. These disappeared quickly so I guess they were good. (They were very good, just the right combination of chocolate and crunch and salt. The DD19, her boyfriend, and I liked them very much. -jeff)

Chip & Dale cheese crackers. Not sure who ate these. (Me. They were better than Goldfish. I liked the smaller size of cracker and had a very nice cheddar flavor. -jeff)

Jeff likes these. He got several bags.

If you like flavored sugar these were good!

These are still in the pantry. (No they are not, I ate them the first week we were back. Nice tangy bbq flavor, but not a building heat like a jalepeno. -jeff)

Next up I will name our favorites.