Ate everywhere! Impressions...

[Sally Bradley]

Wanted this to be a full blow-out trip....week before Christmas 12-16 thru 12-23 stayed 4 nites GF, 3 nites AKL.

We ate...LTT (dinner)....CRT (b)...Crystal Palace (d)...1900 Park Faire (b)...Garden Grill (d)...Rose & Crown (d)...Chef Mickey (b)...Rainforest Cafe, AK (b)...Boma (d&b)...Whispering Canyon (d)...Hollywood & Vine (d)

Our favorites were the buffets...the food was excellent, especially at Crystal Palace and Whispering Canyon. Boma was interesting, but I don't think I could eat the food every day. Least favorite, probably the Garden Grill....it just seemed ordinary.
Whispering Canyon was especially fun...we had a blast and the decorations at the WL were fabulous.

Sally

 

[jacksmom]

We are planning a trip in Feb. and are thinking about trying Rose & Crown and Garden Grill! Did you enjoy them? Was the food really good or would you try something else?? Thanks for your help!

 

[Sally Bradley]

Rose & Crown was very good...I had the traditional fish & chips...very authentic and excellent. DH had the "pie" combo plate...very different but also very good. I thought the Garden Grill was average...nothing to complain about but nothing spectacular.

 

[Kaycee]

We're thinking about Hollywood & Vine for the Fantasmic package. What did you think of it?

 

[Sally Bradley]

That's where we ate for Fantasmic. The food was very good and varied...buffet style. It was one of the better restaurants we ate at.

 

[swankybeth]

How was your dinner at Liberty Tree Tavern?

 

[Sally Bradley]

The food at LTT was also extremely good...we ate there prior to MVMCP, so it was very special. The atmosphere was fabulous. The only complaint I had was...flank steak is supposed to be part of the meal. I didnt realize that till we were almost done and saw it on another platter being delivered to other diners. When we told our waiter, the CM in charge of dining that nite wanted to just bring us beef, when we were finished with our meal. We insisted they instead compensate with a discount, which they did...but it took several conversations. The food can't be beat though.

As a side note...My DH does restaurant reviews as part of his job. I asked him which meal/restaurant was his favorite. He said he'd have a hard time picking...the food was mostly very good at all the rest. we ate at. The only one I would consider lackluster was the Garden grill.

 

[rocketriter]

A couple of restaurants at WDW don't get much respect but actually have culinary history in their favor.
ALFREDO's in Epcot really does serve the original fettucine Alfredo made with heavy cream, heavy butter, and the same Parmesan that Alfredo himself used many years ago. It's awfully rich but, if you like that sort of thing, absolutely delicious. Nowadays there are so many Olive Gardeny imitations around, it's nice to get a chance to see what made the original recipe famous. By the way, in the 1950's I ate at Alfredos in Rome. The old man was in that day, and he prepared the fettucine at our table. He really did do it as you see in the photos in the lobby at Epcot: arms up to the elbows in the noodles, a ton of butter and cheese, then out came the gold fork and spoon that were given to him by Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford in the heyday of silent movies. He also told us that he invented the recipe at a time when his wife was pregnant and wasn't eating enough; he created the richest dish imaginable to help her stop losing weight while she was carrying the baby. So if you want to try a bit of culinary history, have a lunch here and pack on the calories.
THE BROWN DERBY at MGM really does serve the original Cobb Salad, and it's different from what people expect. Yes, it has the avocado and bacon and bleu cheese and so forth. But the original Cobb Salad was very finely chopped (a chef would call it "riced") and nobody makes it that way any more--except here. It's strange and delicious; you can eat it with a spoon. Taste it and you'll understand why it made the Brown Derby famous. Eat here for a bit of culinary and Hollywood history combined--and the rest of the menu, while expensive, is also quite good.

 

[BCV23]

Oh, excellent bits of history rocketriter.

My husband really loved that Fettucine Alfredo at Alfredos and for quite a few years that restaurant was a must do each trip for us. However 8-10 years ago, we had the worst service there that we have encountered anywhere. It was so bad, that I don't know we'll ever return. Truly horrible and since we have a diabetic son who needed to eat, scary as well.

I used to always order the Cobb salad at BD. Loved and still love the flavor. Nice to know that it is authentic.