Colleen27
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Mar 31, 2007
We're just back from a quick, three night trip to the world to celebrate DD6's birthday. We were on the dining plan, which is tons of food in the August heat, and had a great time with lots of good food! I tried to remember to take pics at our TS meals with mixed results, but I didn't bother with the camera for the counter service.
Restaurants we tried:
ESPN Club (post #1)
Refreshment Port (post #2)
Kona Cafe (post #2)
Main Street Bakery (post #5)
Pinocchio Village Haus (post #5)
Grand Floridian Cafe (post #5)
Hurricane Hannah's (post #6)
Beach Club Marketplace (post #6)
ESPN Club
I couldn't decide on a Boardwalk area restaurant for our arrival night, and decided I didn't want to be tied to an ADR given the uncertainties of plane schedules and the kids' appetites. Since the ESPN Club doesn't do ADRs and the menu looked good, it seemed the perfect choice.
We walked over from the Beach Club around 5:45 and had about a 5 minute wait for a table. We were seated on the main floor of the dining room so that we could be at a normal height table, since DD still has a hard time with tall tables. When we first arrived, there was a live talk show broadcasting from the restaurant, and one of the DJs commented on DS's Tigers cap. It was really neat to see them talking to people in the audience about various sports topics, but it was kind of loud. The show ended at 7, and Monday Night football started. The restaurant got more crowded as it got later, especially once the football game and the Red Sox game started.
I didn't catch our waitress's name, but she was excellent. Very quick with the refills of iced tea. For appetizers, my mother ordered the nachos and I ordered the boneless wings in mild. The appetizers could have been a meal in themselves! The nachos were good, typical bar nachos. My mom & DS pretty well finished them off, and both took their entrees to go. The dingers were amazing - even the mild had an excellent kick (a bit too hot for DD6, who was the reason I ordered mild, but great for DS9 & I), and they were meaty and juicy. The bleu cheese they came with was perfectly creamy with chunks of bleu cheese and just the right tang.
Nachos (Macho Nachos - crispy corn tortilla chips piled high and topped with spicy ground beef, shredded cheddar cheese, fresh pico de Gallo, sour cream, and sliced jalapenos $9.99):
Dingers (ESPN Dingers - breaded chicken strips tossed in mild, hot, flame or barbecue sauce, served with celery and blue cheese dressing $8.99):
Unfortunately, after the appetizers I forgot about taking pictures, so I don't have any of the entrees, kids meals or desserts.
For entrees, I had a chicken sandwich (Championship Chicken Sandwich - grilled chicken breast topped with sun-dried tomato pesto, greens and goat cheese on rosemary focaccia served with fries. $12.99) that was good but huge. I took half of it to go, and it was just as good at midnight as at dinner! The tomato pesto and goat cheese added an interesting combination of sweetness and flavor to the grilled chicken breast, and the bread it was served on was delicious. I didn't care for the seasoned fries, but I'm picky about french fries and like mine thick-cut and plain. These were thin sliced and seasoned. DS enjoyed them, but we left most of them behind.
My mother had the turkey and brie sandwich (Triple Play Turkey and Brie Sandwich - turkey, brie, greens and cranberry mayonnaise on multigrain bread served with ESPN chips $9.99), something that became a recurring item throughout the trip. She had it packed to go and we split it the next night after the Pirate & Princess Party. It was very good. I was a little surprised, because I'm not usually a fan of cranberry, but with the turkey & the brie, the cranberry blended well.
The kids' menu here was uninspired, but DD loved it anyway. She had veggies & ranch dip, mac & cheese, and vanilla ice cream. DS had veggies & ranch, a hot dog, and chocolate ice cream. They both really liked being able to get veggies and dip or salads as their appetizers, but the kids' entrees and desserts were sometimes disappointing, particularly here.
For dessert, I had the cheesecake (New York-style Cheesecake - $5.49) and my mother had the apple pie (Individual Apple Pie - $5.49). The cheesecake with berries was too sweet for me. I expect a creamier, subtler taste from cheesecake. However, the berries - a mix of strawberry, blueberry, and blackberry - were very fresh and DD put what I left on her ice cream. The apple pie was excellent, not too sweet and just warm enough to be perfectly matched by the vanilla ice cream it was served with.
Our total bill came to $87.29, and we used 2 adult and 2 child TS credits for the meal. Our only OOP cost was an extra $5 I left for the waitress, who I cannot say enough good things about - being quick with the refills means a lot in August in Florida!
We would definately go back here, and plan to on our January trip when DH the sports nut will be with us. My only complaint, and it is a minor one, is that the tables are small, so having 4 meals plus the nachos we were still snacking on made for a very tight fit. Overall, it was a good meal with great service, and an excellent choice for our first night at DisneyWorld.
Restaurants we tried:
ESPN Club (post #1)
Refreshment Port (post #2)
Kona Cafe (post #2)
Main Street Bakery (post #5)
Pinocchio Village Haus (post #5)
Grand Floridian Cafe (post #5)
Hurricane Hannah's (post #6)
Beach Club Marketplace (post #6)
ESPN Club
I couldn't decide on a Boardwalk area restaurant for our arrival night, and decided I didn't want to be tied to an ADR given the uncertainties of plane schedules and the kids' appetites. Since the ESPN Club doesn't do ADRs and the menu looked good, it seemed the perfect choice.
We walked over from the Beach Club around 5:45 and had about a 5 minute wait for a table. We were seated on the main floor of the dining room so that we could be at a normal height table, since DD still has a hard time with tall tables. When we first arrived, there was a live talk show broadcasting from the restaurant, and one of the DJs commented on DS's Tigers cap. It was really neat to see them talking to people in the audience about various sports topics, but it was kind of loud. The show ended at 7, and Monday Night football started. The restaurant got more crowded as it got later, especially once the football game and the Red Sox game started.
I didn't catch our waitress's name, but she was excellent. Very quick with the refills of iced tea. For appetizers, my mother ordered the nachos and I ordered the boneless wings in mild. The appetizers could have been a meal in themselves! The nachos were good, typical bar nachos. My mom & DS pretty well finished them off, and both took their entrees to go. The dingers were amazing - even the mild had an excellent kick (a bit too hot for DD6, who was the reason I ordered mild, but great for DS9 & I), and they were meaty and juicy. The bleu cheese they came with was perfectly creamy with chunks of bleu cheese and just the right tang.
Nachos (Macho Nachos - crispy corn tortilla chips piled high and topped with spicy ground beef, shredded cheddar cheese, fresh pico de Gallo, sour cream, and sliced jalapenos $9.99):
Dingers (ESPN Dingers - breaded chicken strips tossed in mild, hot, flame or barbecue sauce, served with celery and blue cheese dressing $8.99):
Unfortunately, after the appetizers I forgot about taking pictures, so I don't have any of the entrees, kids meals or desserts.
For entrees, I had a chicken sandwich (Championship Chicken Sandwich - grilled chicken breast topped with sun-dried tomato pesto, greens and goat cheese on rosemary focaccia served with fries. $12.99) that was good but huge. I took half of it to go, and it was just as good at midnight as at dinner! The tomato pesto and goat cheese added an interesting combination of sweetness and flavor to the grilled chicken breast, and the bread it was served on was delicious. I didn't care for the seasoned fries, but I'm picky about french fries and like mine thick-cut and plain. These were thin sliced and seasoned. DS enjoyed them, but we left most of them behind.
My mother had the turkey and brie sandwich (Triple Play Turkey and Brie Sandwich - turkey, brie, greens and cranberry mayonnaise on multigrain bread served with ESPN chips $9.99), something that became a recurring item throughout the trip. She had it packed to go and we split it the next night after the Pirate & Princess Party. It was very good. I was a little surprised, because I'm not usually a fan of cranberry, but with the turkey & the brie, the cranberry blended well.
The kids' menu here was uninspired, but DD loved it anyway. She had veggies & ranch dip, mac & cheese, and vanilla ice cream. DS had veggies & ranch, a hot dog, and chocolate ice cream. They both really liked being able to get veggies and dip or salads as their appetizers, but the kids' entrees and desserts were sometimes disappointing, particularly here.
For dessert, I had the cheesecake (New York-style Cheesecake - $5.49) and my mother had the apple pie (Individual Apple Pie - $5.49). The cheesecake with berries was too sweet for me. I expect a creamier, subtler taste from cheesecake. However, the berries - a mix of strawberry, blueberry, and blackberry - were very fresh and DD put what I left on her ice cream. The apple pie was excellent, not too sweet and just warm enough to be perfectly matched by the vanilla ice cream it was served with.
Our total bill came to $87.29, and we used 2 adult and 2 child TS credits for the meal. Our only OOP cost was an extra $5 I left for the waitress, who I cannot say enough good things about - being quick with the refills means a lot in August in Florida!
We would definately go back here, and plan to on our January trip when DH the sports nut will be with us. My only complaint, and it is a minor one, is that the tables are small, so having 4 meals plus the nachos we were still snacking on made for a very tight fit. Overall, it was a good meal with great service, and an excellent choice for our first night at DisneyWorld.