An Anniversary Trip Deluxe Dining Report... Updated 7/11

[PrincessTrisha]

I've really been enjoying your reviews.

I'll be at WDW at the end of the month on the DxDDP and I can't wait.

About the pate plate at Chefs - would you recommend it? I have always enjoyed pate and was considering ordering it or the cheese plate for my appetizer.

 

[ILoveMK2008]

Loving the report... everything looks so yummy! I felt the same way about San Angel when we ate there last year. Ok, but not really great Also, our service was horrible... the waiter basically acted like we were a bother, barely said a word to us, and took forever for drink refills. Thinking about trying Cantina de San Angel next time. Even if it's not good, at least it's just one CS credit!

 

[SheenaXena21]

You and your husband look so sweet!!! Looks like you had a great time.

Enjoying the food report.

 

[smile4stamps]

Having computer issues.... I promise the review is coming when I am able to type slower than it takes for it to show up on the screen...

So I had finally gotten my laptop cooled down enough to do my Mama Melrose review only to find disboards down. The review really is coming...

I've really been enjoying your reviews.

I'll be at WDW at the end of the month on the DxDDP and I can't wait.

About the pate plate at Chefs - would you recommend it? I have always enjoyed pate and was considering ordering it or the cheese plate for my appetizer.

I'm glad you like the reviews. Congrats on your upcoming trip. I wish I had another trip planned...

I would recommend the charcuterie plate but only if you also like sausages type stuff with your pate. I also love cheese though so that was a tough choice as well. I'm sorry I don't have a pic of my appetizer to share to help your decision.

Loving the report... everything looks so yummy! I felt the same way about San Angel when we ate there last year. Ok, but not really great Also, our service was horrible... the waiter basically acted like we were a bother, barely said a word to us, and took forever for drink refills. Thinking about trying Cantina de San Angel next time. Even if it's not good, at least it's just one CS credit!

We did get refills at San Angel. The service was decent.. Just didn't care for the food. Next time we may try Le Cellier (if we plan our trip more than 6 weeks in advance). Or just go out from the park.

You and your husband look so sweet!!! Looks like you had a great time.

Enjoying the food report.

Oh we did have a good time. Happy to hear the food report is enjoyable Most of the food was



Up Next... Mama Melrose! I promise!

 

[smile4stamps]

The most issues we had with Mama Melrose was getting there on time and being seated. Our ADR time was 4:40pm as we had the fantasmic package. I really wanted to be able to see as many shows as possible and the only way to do it was to do Indiana Jones at 4pm and RUN over to Mama Melrose. We ended up checking in a few minutes late I think but we were pretty close. It ended up taking awhile to actually be seated though. Once we were seated the chef came to the table to talk to my hubby about his seafood allergy. We were assured that nothing has "hidden" seafood. (For those wondering what I mean by "Hidden" seafood... Some restaurants will use seafood stock in sauces and such but not state that they are seafood related, we found not a single restaurant in Disney that had any seafood that was not stated on the menu.) The chef took my husbands order though just to make sure no cross contamination happened in the kitchen. The server showed up a minute later to take my order.

So... you'll be happy to know....

I HAVE PICTURES OF ALL THREE COURSES!!! YIPPEE!!!!

But first I had to get a picture of the fish up on the wall...

Hunter ordered the Artisan Breads and Spreads appetizer..

De-lic-ious!!! We both really enjoyed this. Especially the roasted garlic!

I had ordered the Bruschetta (this says for 2 on the menu but our server said when on the Fantasmic deal that it doesn't matter like it normally does and one person can get the app for 2).

This was a HUGE serving!! I think between us we may have put a dent in a third of it....I guess this one really is a serving size for 2! It was good... I liked the breads and spreads better. (I was going to order this but hubby beat me to it...)

For main courses... Which we received before we were done with the apps... (We had planned to order one course at a time but since the chef came to personally take hubby's order this wasn't possible)
Hunter had the Pork Marsala (Pan-seared Pork Tenderloin with Wild Mushroom Risotto and Asparagus topped with Parmigiano-Reggiano, and Marsala Sauce)

It was a HUGE portion of pork! Hard to see in the first photo so we took another....

Hunter really enjoyed his meal. He said it was cooked well and had lots of flavor.

I had the Spaghetti Fra Diavolo (with clams, calamari, mussels and shrimp, tossed in a spicy Marinara sauce)... except I got it non-spicy!

I liked this... I would have liked more sauce on it but the flavor was good and it was plenty hot when it came out. I ate all the seafood off of it and about half the noodles. Was starting to feel pretty full at this point but wanted to try dessert.

For Dessert I had the Tiramisu..

It was pretty blah... not very tasty... had about 2 bites and that was it...

Hunter had the Crema Limone

I ummm.... don't remember what this tasted like... I think the texture was weird... but don't remember much else... sorry...

So we would go back to Mama Melrose... Just not for the dessert! The apps and main course were both very good and we enjoyed our time there!

 

[theduck619]

Remy must have been a surprise!

 

[OurDogCisco]

Great review... Can't wait to read the rest. Your review of Mama's Melrose made me want to eat there. The food looks great.

 

[MickeyNicki]

That pork marsala dish looks incredible...me thinks I need to re-do my plans!

 

[Smiling Cheshire Cat]

I'm really enjoying your reviews. Thanks for sharing.

Congratulations on your anniversary. You and your DH are a darling looking couple.

I'm finding this very informative. You have already reviewed many places I am thinking about for our next trip. Those mozerella sticks at LTT looked so yummy they've got me thinking maybe we should try it. We are definitely doing MM and Chefs so thanks for the positive reviews. I've always wondered which dessert at 50's was best and you have answered that for me too. Definitely the smores. We are usually so full we just have milkshakes. It is a shame that no one seems impressed with SAI. The restaurant is so beautiful but most aren't enthused with the food.

I'll stay tuned for the rest of your line-up. It sounds wonderful.

 

[torsie24]

Wow! That bruschetta looks amazing!!! HUGE, but amazing!!

 

[SSRJen]

Loving the reviews. Your picture of the Smore's has convinced me to try them next week for the first time!

 

[smile4stamps]

Remy must have been a surprise!

For hubby yes. Fow me no.. I knew he would be there and that is why we had such an early dinner ADR so we could be sure not to miss him.

Great review... Can't wait to read the rest. Your review of Mama's Melrose made me want to eat there. The food looks great.

Thank You... I really should have started my review awhile ago... it is very difficult to remember what you thought of the food in detail 6 weeks after you ate it...

That pork marsala dish looks incredible...me thinks I need to re-do my plans!

My hubby enjoyed it! He still can't believe the portion that they gave him. I wish I was making more plans! The only reason I got hubby to go to WDW in the first place was he had promised me we would go for our 5 year anniversary. I don't know when I'll be able to convince him to go again... More about that in my trip report though....

I'm really enjoying your reviews. Thanks for sharing.

Congratulations on your anniversary. You and your DH are a darling looking couple.

I'm finding this very informative. You have already reviewed many places I am thinking about for our next trip. Those mozerella sticks at LTT looked so yummy they've got me thinking maybe we should try it. We are definitely doing MM and Chefs so thanks for the positive reviews. I've always wondered which dessert at 50's was best and you have answered that for me too. Definitely the smores. We are usually so full we just have milkshakes. It is a shame that no one seems impressed with SAI. The restaurant is so beautiful but most aren't enthused with the food.

I'll stay tuned for the rest of your line-up. It sounds wonderful.

I'm so happy you are finding the review informative! I love fried anything and you definitely can't beat fried cheese! The smores were awesome!

Wow! That bruschetta looks amazing!!! HUGE, but amazing!!

Definitly enough for a few people. It says for 2 but as an appetizer it could probably even be for 3-4 the portion is so large.

Loving the reviews. Your picture of the Smore's has convinced me to try them next week for the first time!

I would definitely be having them next week if I was there!


I'm not sure if I will get my next review up today or not. AS soon as the rest of the family wakes up we are heading to Capitola (How I wish it was to Disney!... Too bad the free admission is just for the birthday guest...)for my birthday.

 

[smile4stamps]

The day we went to Kona Cafe was our actual anniversary. If you looked at my ADR plans in my Pre-Trip report you would have seen that our meal at Kona was actually supposed to be for breakfast.... I REALLY wanted the tonga toast. However... we had decided the night before that we would sleep in as we were getting pretty exhausted by now. I of course woke up before hubby. When I figured out there was no way we would get there for our initial ADR I called to cancel it. I did not make the new ADR for lunch until after hubby was awake and we were actually on our way.

Here we are...

When I changed the plans to lunch I thought for sure Hunter would go for the sticky wings. I was WRONG! HE went for the pot stickers...

Which meant I could go for the crab cakes!

Normally we each have some of each others meals except for when I have seafood. Hunter said the pot stickers were very good. On the side they normally put a seaweed salad (which he can't have either) So he got this slaw instead.

He enjoyed his entire app.

I also enjoyed my crab cakes. They were pretty good. Not too much breading and I liked the little salad with it.

For entree's we both had the Polynesian plate specials. I had the Chicken with Peanut Sauce which I absolutely loved! Hunter had the Teriyaki Fried Steak with grilled pineapple salsa which he enjoyed as well. The meats on both were tender and well flavored and delicious.

Oh did you figure out I don't have pics of the entree's? Sorry! I don't know what I have to do to remember to take pics of everything! The food was so tasty I didn't remember about pictures till our plates were empty!

For dessert I had the chocolate fondue.

I was not too impressed. I basically ate the fruit. The chocolate was just like Hersey's Syrup....

Hunter had the Kilauea Torte (I think... it doesn't give a description on the online menu's.)

Now for a lot of people I am sure this would have been wonderful. For my hubby the pastry chef it was a no-go. He makes an awesome lava cake that far exceeds this one. The temp on the cake was luke-warm and it came out really fast so they are not baked to order like most lava cakes.


Overall I would definitely return to Kona Cafe for the entree's. I could live without the appetizers. (Although I think if we ever do return I will try the sticky wings everyone talks about.) And I think we would pass on the desserts as well.

 

[smile4stamps]

AHHH.... NEXT time... we get to the Signature Restaurants!!! From now on all dinners were at Signature Restaurants so stay tuned! There is some excellent, some good, some so-so, and some ugly!

 

[OurDogCisco]

Awww... we have the same tastes. I'm very picky about my chocolate and I don't like Hersey syrup. YUCK... in fact, if I order hot cocoa at a coffee bar I always ask what kind of chocolate they use. Many use the kind that comes out of squeeze bottle. No, thanks! I'm looking forward to your signature meals.

 

[TigerKat]

AHHH.... NEXT time... we get to the Signature Restaurants!!! From now on all dinners were at Signature Restaurants so stay tuned! There is some excellent, some good, some so-so, and some ugly!

Can't wait! We're doing all sig restaurants for dinners in October, hopefully you'll be helping me narrow down my choices!

 

[smile4stamps]

Awww... we have the same tastes. I'm very picky about my chocolate and I don't like Hersey syrup. YUCK... in fact, if I order hot cocoa at a coffee bar I always ask what kind of chocolate they use. Many use the kind that comes out of squeeze bottle. No, thanks! I'm looking forward to your signature meals.

I'm usually not super picky on my chocolate. I just would have liked a cross between the syrup and more like a fudge... Also would have liked it at least semi-hot.

Can't wait! We're doing all sig restaurants for dinners in October, hopefully you'll be helping me narrow down my choices!

I hope it is indeed helpful and not the opposite! It can be hard to make so many choices!

 

[smile4stamps]

This was the first ADR I made for our WDW trip. I wanted something special to celebrate our 5 year anniversary. I had asked the CM on the phone which restaurant she would recommend and this was one of her recommendations. Because the Wilderness Lodge was were I would have liked for us to stay I though this might be a good option. (Love this type of environment.) After I made the ADR I came to the boards to look for reviews. I did not find very many on Artist Point. I contmeplated switching to a different Signature Restaurant but I am actually very glad that I kept it.

To get to Wilderness Lodge we took the bus from CBR to MK and then the boat to the Lodge.

I believe we were a few minutes late checking in but we were seated within a few minutes.

We had special menus

We were able to keep these... They will go in my scrapbook when I get that far.

Some pics of the "Art" on the walls.

Then on to the food... I started with the Venison Pot Stickers

Hunter had the Butter Poached Wild Boar Tenderloin (with goat cheese!)

Both apps were good but Hunters was absolutely divine. It was incredible! Very tasty! Did I say it was good?

<<Slight interruption to the food progress. I saw some kids with Mickey Straws and I just HAD to have one!>>

We also had some wine with our meal.

Hunter picked out the wine... a 2004.. "aged" as long as we had been...

For our entree's Hunter had the Grilled Beef Tenderloin... it was supposed to come with a blue cheese fritter but Hunter had expressed to the chef that he loves pork belly so the pork belly was subbed in for the fritter. Hunter would have preferred both but was ver happy getting the pork belly.

Hunter very much enjoyed this entree.

I had the seared day boat scallops.

These were very tasty and succulent. Very tender... The Risotto was laos very good.

For dessert we had the Berries in Oregon Muscat Wine, Mint Mousse with Raspberry Sauce

and the Double Chocolate Cheesecake with vanilla shortbread, raspberry coulis, Grand Marnier mousse, and candied orange

The first dessert the berries in Muscat Wine were good but the rest of the dessert was not so much. The Mint Mouse was just weird and didn't seem to go with the rest of the dessert at all.

The Chocolate Cheesecake dessert I honestly don't remember the aste but I do know that we did not take more than a bite of it.

Desserts in general had not been to impressive for us during this trip...

They also provided us with a Champagne toast for our anniversary

We would definitely return to Artist Point for the Apps and Entree's but definitely not for the desserts.

So there you have it... Our first Signature Meal...

 

[butiflfeet]

That entire meal looks divine

I'm contemplating trying to fit Artists Point into our next vacation but I'd have to give up Cali Grill or Flying Fish. Hmmmmmm... planning for Disney World is so hard!

 

[lissawynn]

Two of the best servers at PTC, IMO, are Cousin Mark and Cousin Tom. They are so in character and are very good servers, too. We had a great meal at Mama Melrose last summer. I know a lot of people say it's just ok, but our food was delicous.
Can't wait to see the rest of your reviews.