Alaskans at Disney! 7 Days of Dining Reviews with Pics! (update #14, 7-9-08)
- Thread starter Splat25
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Great review lookig forward for more 
Can't wait for more...Leslieann1024
Mouseketeer
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Leslieann1024
Mouseketeer
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- Aug 22, 2006
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Off to a great start; looking forward to more ! I like your review style - this is going to be a good one !
Minniespal
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Excellent
Villains_Rock
It's only forever, not long at all.
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Subbing!
Splat25
DVC Owner AKV & BLT
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Whispering Canyon Café – Dinner - Wilderness Lodge
Located in the lobby of the Wilderness lodge (where were stayed) this bustling restaurant has an old Wild West theme to it. Come for the good time and the hearty food.
Food Review:
On the Disney Deluxe Dining plan, my wife, Daughter and I all get meals and share with my 21mo old son – who eats as much as my daughter (I sense trouble coming later..). My daughter and I had the Canyon Skillet, which is all you can eat and served family style on a platter. This platter sits on a very cool lazy Susan that looks like the end of a barrel.
This Dinner Skillet came with a bowl of mixed salad greens topped with an apple vinaigrette dressing served before the main platter arrives. After this course is done the main course itself arrives complete with fresh baked cornbread, mashed potatoes, coleslaw, cowboy beans, corn on the cob, smoked pork ribs, pulled pork, oven-roasted chicken, and Peel-n-Eat shrimp
Let’s get right down to it, the food was essentially a very good barbeque served family style. The Smoked Ribs had a good flavor and were not tough or overcooked as I thought they would be. The flavor seemed like sweet barbeque sauce with a light hickory smoke to it. My 21mo old son loved these. My favorite was the pulled pork though, it was juicy and tender. It also had a nice bold spicy flavor, but was in no way too hot for anyone in our party. The oven-roasted chicken was cooked so it had a slightly crispy exterior texture that helped keep the rest of the piece juicy. The spices were about what you expect for chicken, so nothing too surprising there – just good. Also, my wife stole a piece of chicken from the platter to “sample” herself. The mashed potatoes were the right consistency for good BBQ fare and lent themselves well to mixing with other things like the cowboy beans. The beans are essentially barbeque beans and were also about what you expect from simple BBQ beans from the can at home. Again, you need these things to make the whole BBQ platter experience complete and it worked well. Also, the peel and eat shrimp were a hit with both kids and myself. They took a bit to peel at times, but they had excellent flavor to them and were not too bland like others I’ve tried. The shrimp were my daughter’s favorites.
The wife ordered the 10 ounce Smoked Prime Rib with mashed potatoes and season vegetables. It was very good overall and was cooked correctly (she orders medium well most times). The smoked prime had a very strong smoky taste to it, so if you like that, then go for it.
We ordered chocolate milk for the kids and they served those in sealed cups so spills were less disastrous. The DW and I ordered iced tea and found it to be very good. What was really outstanding was the huckleberry martini we had! It had very good berry notes and sweetness to it without being too much of a good thing. This was one of our favorite drinks while at the parks.
Atmosphere:
One of the primary draws of this restaurant is the fun atmosphere of the old west mixed with wild and zany server antics. While we didn’t really elicit any of the super funny stuff like super sized drinks, we did observe other kids asking for crayons and ketchup. One of the things our 5yr old daughter LOVED was the restaurant wide kids’ horse race around and around the restaurant. They give out wooden horse poles and the kids get to ride them in a race while the parents and audience cheer them on and wave their napkins in the air. We even observed a server interrupt a cell phone conversation and have the entire restaurant talk to the person on the other end!
Pics Note:
Because we were still frazzled from flying and a very busy day, I forgot my camera in the room and was not able to take dinner pictures (sorry), so I was able to find and edit some pictures on the web that look just like what we did so you at least see what I’m talking about in the review. So credit to those who took them whoever you are. We did visit here again later in our trip for breakfast and I DO have pics for that!
Located in the lobby of the Wilderness lodge (where were stayed) this bustling restaurant has an old Wild West theme to it. Come for the good time and the hearty food.
Food Review:
On the Disney Deluxe Dining plan, my wife, Daughter and I all get meals and share with my 21mo old son – who eats as much as my daughter (I sense trouble coming later..). My daughter and I had the Canyon Skillet, which is all you can eat and served family style on a platter. This platter sits on a very cool lazy Susan that looks like the end of a barrel.
This Dinner Skillet came with a bowl of mixed salad greens topped with an apple vinaigrette dressing served before the main platter arrives. After this course is done the main course itself arrives complete with fresh baked cornbread, mashed potatoes, coleslaw, cowboy beans, corn on the cob, smoked pork ribs, pulled pork, oven-roasted chicken, and Peel-n-Eat shrimp
Let’s get right down to it, the food was essentially a very good barbeque served family style. The Smoked Ribs had a good flavor and were not tough or overcooked as I thought they would be. The flavor seemed like sweet barbeque sauce with a light hickory smoke to it. My 21mo old son loved these. My favorite was the pulled pork though, it was juicy and tender. It also had a nice bold spicy flavor, but was in no way too hot for anyone in our party. The oven-roasted chicken was cooked so it had a slightly crispy exterior texture that helped keep the rest of the piece juicy. The spices were about what you expect for chicken, so nothing too surprising there – just good. Also, my wife stole a piece of chicken from the platter to “sample” herself. The mashed potatoes were the right consistency for good BBQ fare and lent themselves well to mixing with other things like the cowboy beans. The beans are essentially barbeque beans and were also about what you expect from simple BBQ beans from the can at home. Again, you need these things to make the whole BBQ platter experience complete and it worked well. Also, the peel and eat shrimp were a hit with both kids and myself. They took a bit to peel at times, but they had excellent flavor to them and were not too bland like others I’ve tried. The shrimp were my daughter’s favorites.
The wife ordered the 10 ounce Smoked Prime Rib with mashed potatoes and season vegetables. It was very good overall and was cooked correctly (she orders medium well most times). The smoked prime had a very strong smoky taste to it, so if you like that, then go for it.
We ordered chocolate milk for the kids and they served those in sealed cups so spills were less disastrous. The DW and I ordered iced tea and found it to be very good. What was really outstanding was the huckleberry martini we had! It had very good berry notes and sweetness to it without being too much of a good thing. This was one of our favorite drinks while at the parks.
Atmosphere:
One of the primary draws of this restaurant is the fun atmosphere of the old west mixed with wild and zany server antics. While we didn’t really elicit any of the super funny stuff like super sized drinks, we did observe other kids asking for crayons and ketchup. One of the things our 5yr old daughter LOVED was the restaurant wide kids’ horse race around and around the restaurant. They give out wooden horse poles and the kids get to ride them in a race while the parents and audience cheer them on and wave their napkins in the air. We even observed a server interrupt a cell phone conversation and have the entire restaurant talk to the person on the other end!
Pics Note:
Because we were still frazzled from flying and a very busy day, I forgot my camera in the room and was not able to take dinner pictures (sorry), so I was able to find and edit some pictures on the web that look just like what we did so you at least see what I’m talking about in the review. So credit to those who took them whoever you are. We did visit here again later in our trip for breakfast and I DO have pics for that!
Splat25
DVC Owner AKV & BLT
- Joined
- Feb 18, 2008
- Messages
- 257
Tusker House - Breakfast Animal Kingdom Character Dining (Donalds Safari)
This was one of our favorite meals on our trip for both the great food and the atmosphere. We made early reservations before the park opened for this one. They look at the reservation ADR list at the gate and let you in if you are on it before the park opens. It is a nice leisurely stroll back to the Africa where the Tusker house is located. The Tusker house breakfast is character dining with safari clad Mickey, Goofy, Donald, and Daisy.
Donalds Safari is a self serve buffet and has a wide assortment of tasty things setup in different stations. I categorized them as lighter and hardier fare:
Lighter Fare:
Bagels, Assorted Cream Cheeses, Whole-grain breads, Jams, Jellies, Fruit Chutney; Yogurt Station, Blueberry, Banana Nut and Apple Muffins, Fresh Fruit, Cereals, Milk, Warm Cinnamon Rolls, Warm Banana-Cinnamon Bread Pudding with Vanilla Sauce, Turnovers, Cheese-filled Danish, Apple Danish, Chocolate and Plain Croissants
Heartier Fare:
Biscuits and Sausage Gravy, Scrambled Eggs, Oven-roasted Yukon Gold Potato Wedges, Bacon and Sausage Patties, Vegetable Frittata, Ham and Cheese Frittata, Spiced Corned, Beef Hash, Cheese Blintzes, Beef Bobtie Quiche, Yam Casserole, Carved Rotisserie, Honey-glazed Ham, Oatmeal, Mealie Pap (Porridge)
Food Review:
Jambo Juice was served tableside as were all beverages. The juice is a blend of several other juices and was really quite special. I personally must have had 3-4 glasses of it. From searching the archives here, I found it made from: 1 part pineapple juice, 1 part mango juice, 2 parts orange juice, 2 parts lemonade.
It was a cooler April morning with temps in the mid 60s as I recall, so my daughter wanted hot chocolate. When it came, it had a very cute warning on the top!
I enjoyed the buffet experience here at Tusker quite a bit. The foods were rich and had a very earthy type of spice to them for the regional dishes. The standard ones, like biscuits and gravy, eggs, and such were about average for what you expect when eating out. I felt the standouts on my plate were the sausage (love that), Yam Casserole, and Carved Honey-glazed Ham. There was a tasty special mustard sauce (slightly sweet) that I put on the ham that gave it a little more pizzazz. The potatoes, both the Yukon and the tater tots were good as well.
My very full plate. You know how it is, you just wanna try a little of everything...this is a vacation after all! As you can see, I really wasnt in the mood for much sweet breakfast items, but I did try some of the Warm Banana-Cinnamon Bread Pudding with Vanilla Sauce and found it to be moist and especially tasty with the rich vanilla sauce they provide on the side that you can ladle on. They had quite a bit of African flavor at this buffet, alongside your more standard American fare. There was something for everyone, from the pickiest eater to the more adventurous.
My daughters fruit and waffle plate simple, yet satisfying. The kids enjoyed Mickey waffles and fresh fruit (nice selection of honeydew, cantaloupe, pineapple, and watermelon).
My daughter enjoying some of the Mickey waffles.
Atmosphere:
The atmosphere is really themed well to what I would expect in an African village. Even the walls had multiple patch jobs and interesting posters about safari deals and other things. You could often see wood timbers that mimic structural roof supports.
Here is more of the outside area. Note the wall texture and posters.
Close-up of inside wall textures with a partial poster.
The buffet serving room was very colorful with many fabrics hanging on the ceiling and the themed looking balcony areas. It was setup like an open market with carts and vendors.
Even the serving areas have an authentic look to them as well as colorful stacks of warm plates. One of those green bowls is where I found that mustard glaze sauce for the carved ham I mentioned earlier
They packed the eating areas with interesting artifacts, but I didnt think about going up and really looking at any of them between eating, taking pictures, and helping with the kids.
About half way through the breakfast, all the kids were given African hand instruments and had a parade around the restaurant several times. Although my son wasnt really old enough to join the parade, he really did enjoy the instrument and was a bit upset about returning it timely when they were done. My daughter of course really enjoyed making all sorts or music (aka noise) while in the parade. The characters were pretty nice looking in their safari gear and were friendly in posing for pictures and signing autographs.
Notes:
Before you are seated for the Safari breakfast, a photopass photographer snaps some pictures of your group so they can sell you them later while you are eating inside. Ours came out fairly good and we decided to have it charged to the room
This was one of our favorite meals on our trip for both the great food and the atmosphere. We made early reservations before the park opened for this one. They look at the reservation ADR list at the gate and let you in if you are on it before the park opens. It is a nice leisurely stroll back to the Africa where the Tusker house is located. The Tusker house breakfast is character dining with safari clad Mickey, Goofy, Donald, and Daisy.
Donalds Safari is a self serve buffet and has a wide assortment of tasty things setup in different stations. I categorized them as lighter and hardier fare:
Lighter Fare:
Bagels, Assorted Cream Cheeses, Whole-grain breads, Jams, Jellies, Fruit Chutney; Yogurt Station, Blueberry, Banana Nut and Apple Muffins, Fresh Fruit, Cereals, Milk, Warm Cinnamon Rolls, Warm Banana-Cinnamon Bread Pudding with Vanilla Sauce, Turnovers, Cheese-filled Danish, Apple Danish, Chocolate and Plain Croissants
Heartier Fare:
Biscuits and Sausage Gravy, Scrambled Eggs, Oven-roasted Yukon Gold Potato Wedges, Bacon and Sausage Patties, Vegetable Frittata, Ham and Cheese Frittata, Spiced Corned, Beef Hash, Cheese Blintzes, Beef Bobtie Quiche, Yam Casserole, Carved Rotisserie, Honey-glazed Ham, Oatmeal, Mealie Pap (Porridge)
Food Review:
Jambo Juice was served tableside as were all beverages. The juice is a blend of several other juices and was really quite special. I personally must have had 3-4 glasses of it. From searching the archives here, I found it made from: 1 part pineapple juice, 1 part mango juice, 2 parts orange juice, 2 parts lemonade.
It was a cooler April morning with temps in the mid 60s as I recall, so my daughter wanted hot chocolate. When it came, it had a very cute warning on the top!
I enjoyed the buffet experience here at Tusker quite a bit. The foods were rich and had a very earthy type of spice to them for the regional dishes. The standard ones, like biscuits and gravy, eggs, and such were about average for what you expect when eating out. I felt the standouts on my plate were the sausage (love that), Yam Casserole, and Carved Honey-glazed Ham. There was a tasty special mustard sauce (slightly sweet) that I put on the ham that gave it a little more pizzazz. The potatoes, both the Yukon and the tater tots were good as well.
My very full plate. You know how it is, you just wanna try a little of everything...this is a vacation after all! As you can see, I really wasnt in the mood for much sweet breakfast items, but I did try some of the Warm Banana-Cinnamon Bread Pudding with Vanilla Sauce and found it to be moist and especially tasty with the rich vanilla sauce they provide on the side that you can ladle on. They had quite a bit of African flavor at this buffet, alongside your more standard American fare. There was something for everyone, from the pickiest eater to the more adventurous.
My daughters fruit and waffle plate simple, yet satisfying. The kids enjoyed Mickey waffles and fresh fruit (nice selection of honeydew, cantaloupe, pineapple, and watermelon).
My daughter enjoying some of the Mickey waffles.
Atmosphere:
The atmosphere is really themed well to what I would expect in an African village. Even the walls had multiple patch jobs and interesting posters about safari deals and other things. You could often see wood timbers that mimic structural roof supports.
Here is more of the outside area. Note the wall texture and posters.
Close-up of inside wall textures with a partial poster.
The buffet serving room was very colorful with many fabrics hanging on the ceiling and the themed looking balcony areas. It was setup like an open market with carts and vendors.
Even the serving areas have an authentic look to them as well as colorful stacks of warm plates. One of those green bowls is where I found that mustard glaze sauce for the carved ham I mentioned earlier
They packed the eating areas with interesting artifacts, but I didnt think about going up and really looking at any of them between eating, taking pictures, and helping with the kids.
About half way through the breakfast, all the kids were given African hand instruments and had a parade around the restaurant several times. Although my son wasnt really old enough to join the parade, he really did enjoy the instrument and was a bit upset about returning it timely when they were done. My daughter of course really enjoyed making all sorts or music (aka noise) while in the parade. The characters were pretty nice looking in their safari gear and were friendly in posing for pictures and signing autographs.
Notes:
Before you are seated for the Safari breakfast, a photopass photographer snaps some pictures of your group so they can sell you them later while you are eating inside. Ours came out fairly good and we decided to have it charged to the room
John's Mom
Jambo Wildbunch Gang
- Joined
- Jun 20, 2004
- Messages
- 4,024
Great reviews! Thanks for sharing! 
Tera_&_Gibson
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Feb 18, 2008
- Messages
- 83
Great Reports! I can't wait to read more!!
shellybaxter
Dis Veteran <br>Disney Restaurants for one hundre
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- Sep 20, 2003
- Messages
- 5,506
I love your reviews. Tusker House for breakfast and lunch (two different days) is on our list for our Nov/Dec trip. I can't wait to taste the ham; I feel like I almost already can from your description
devonsmommy
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Apr 24, 2007
- Messages
- 917
Great reviews so far! Can't wait to hear more!
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