Aug '12 Mini Dining Report CRT Crystal Palace Brown Derby Gasparilla FINISHED!

[tinkerbellmagic]

Hi there, I didn't intend on doing a dining report, lol, but something came over me at Cinderella's royal table and I started snapping pictures of our breakfast. We usually only do a couple of table service meals per trip because we like to spend lots of time on the attractions, thus the mini dining report.

Our trip was mid August 2012
Our group: 3 adults and one 13 yr old

Our group consists of Me, my carnivore dd, my vegetarian dd, and my 13 yo grandson (he's been my awesome Disney buddy since I first took him to Disney at age 4). This is my 13th trip to WDW since 1983.

Overall, we were quite pleased with our choices in dining.

Here we go!
tink

Our restaurants:
Crystal Palace dinner
Cinderella Royal Table breakfast
Hollywood Brown Derby dinner

Also visited:
Gasparilla Grill and Games
http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=45978450&postcount=6

Casey's Hot Dogs, Plaza Ice Cream, Main St Confectionary, Main St Bakery, Aloha Isle, Sleepy Hollow
http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=45987258&postcount=7

Pinocchio Village Haus, Columbia Harbor House http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=46026269&postcount=11

Boulangerie Patisserie Bakery in France, Karamelle-Kuche (Caramel Kitchen) in Germany, Sunshine Seasons, and various popsicle stands.
http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=46046513&postcount=12

 

[tinkerbellmagic]

Crystal Palace Dinner

Alrighty, I'll start with the Crystal Palace, our first TS dinner buffet. For some reason, I have always wanted to eat at the Crystal Palace. I have admired the beautiful glass building so many times during our previous trips to Disney. I've seen the lines of hungry guests milling about outside and, well, there is all that gorgeous glass. It is so pretty! I wanted to see what all the fuss was about.

Our wonderful server, Tammy, took our drink orders. I was in the mood for iced tea. I was happy to see that it was very easy to find everything you need and I was thrilled that all the heaping piles of food were labeled. Yey! Now I don't know if it was because I was so hungry by this point, or what, but I absolutely loved the food here at the Crystal Palace. I tried a little bit of so many different things that I had lost track of what all those labels said and had no idea what I was actually eating after a while, but It all tasted very good!

The dessert selections were worth saving room for too! I loved the yummy key lime pie... can't go to Florida without enjoying at least one slice of key lime pie, right? Oh, and I added a little dollop of soft serve ice cream to my dessert plate. I knew when I returned to our table, at least one person in my family would look at my little curly-cue of soft serve ice cream and ask, "Where did you find THAT!?" Sure enough, my grandson zeroed right in on it and within seconds was making his way back to the dessert section for his own soft serve treat. I think half the fun is serving yourself!

I would rate my dinner at CP 4.75 out of 5.00 (it can't just be a simple 4, right?) My college age daughter rates her meal there 3.5 out of 5. She is a vegetarian and wished there were more choices available for vegetarians. My other daughter would also rate it 3.5. Grandson rates it a 4., but we were all pretty happy with Crystal Palace. We really liked the character interaction with Pooh, Tigger, Piglet, and Eeyore.

Our server, Tammy, was as sweet as can be. When we were finished eating, we were getting ready to leave but hadn't seen Eeyore yet, our favorite Pooh character. Tammy spoke to Eeyore's person and arranged for us to go up and meet Eeyore after he was finished with a few more families. Yey, Eeyore!

As wonderful as our dinner was, my oldest daughter almost fell off her chair when she overheard the price of the meal when my other DD and I were figuring out the tip. She said, "Wait, how much did you say it was?" And I said, "I'm not telling," lol. You know she's not the Disney addict the rest of us are. She just wouldn't understand.

Now I really like the Crystal Palace, so from now on, I will stick to breakfast or lunch here to save a little $$$ so I can enjoy it again. I hope I like those meals as much as I liked the dinner buffet.

 

[tinkerbellmagic]

Cinderella Royal Table breakfast!

There is nothing in this world quite as special as dining in the castle, is there? Our breakfast at Cinderella Royal Table was just wonderful! It is such a memorable experience to be able to eat in Cinderella castle. We are always thrilled to dine there.

I notice we are able to order off of a menu rather than having the family style breakfast plate we had the last time we were here a few years back. Our breakfast starts out with some coffee and juice and to die for sweet rolls and fresh fruit. Hmmm... I would give anything to be able to get my paws on one of those blueberry sweet rolls right about now. So flakey and delicious! Definitely fit for royalty.

Our server was just wonderful!

Here are the meals we ordered: French Toast, Healthy Choice platter for the vegetarian daughter, and bacon and eggs platters of some type for my grandson and 'carnivore' daughter. Sorry, I wish I could remember exactly what it was called, but hey, there's a photo of it anyway.

My family would rate the experience of eating in the castle 5+++ out of 5. The sweet rolls and fresh fruit 5 out of 5. My French Toast 3.5 out of 5. DD's Healthy Choice Platter 3.5 out of 5. My other daughter and grandson rate their eggs 4 out of 5. Thanks!

My French Toast below:

DD's Healthy Choice Platter below - As best as I can guess: yogurt, banana bread (or other type of quick bread), oatmeal, granola, berries topped with caramelized banana (?)

Grandson's Eggs/Meat dish below:

We will definitely return to the castle to enjoy another meal there. Loved every minute of it!

tink

 

[tinkerbellmagic]

Hollywood Brown Derby dinner

This was our first time dining at the Hollywood Brown Derby. A friend recommended it and we're so glad he did. We absolutely loved our meal there!

Now there were two reasons I was excited about eating at the Brown Derby -- the infamous cobb salad and equally infamous grapefruit cake! Yum! After reading the "about us" info on the Brown Derby menu, I was very sure I would be ordering the cobb salad and the grapefruit cake. I was just hoping to have someone to share it with because I'm usually too full to have dessert anywhere, even though I am an absolute dessert FREAK!

I was also a little worried that my 13 yo grandson would not find anything he liked on the dinner menu, but no worries there. Silly me, he loves steak! Now I was so hungry and hot from pounding the pavement at The Studios that I really loved everything about the escape to the Brown Derby. The cast members were absolutely wonderful. Brown Derby was such a cool and peaceful haven after a day in the parks.

Our meal started out with hot rolls and whipped butter. So delicious! All the adults enjoyed a glass of wine. I'm not much of a drinker, but I must say this hit the spot, lol. My carnivore daughter and I split a cobb salad. I'm so glad we did because it would be far too much food for one person. I never had cobb salad before and was so pleasantly surprised at how great tasting this was. It was so refreshing! I would rate the cobb salad 4.90 out of 5. Cost $15.00 for one serving which was shared.

Here's what we ordered:
I had the Sterling Silver Pan-seared Mojo Marinated Pork Chop - caramelized Manchego cheese and a Mango tomatillo salso on a bed of crispy boniato, applewood smoked bacon, sweet pepper and apple cider jus. I thought this was delicious! I rate it 4.5 out of 5. Cost $33.00

Vegetarian Dd had the Noodle Bowl - with Wok fried Coconut Tofu, Soy Beans, Sugar Snap Peas, Bok Choy, and Shiitake Mushrooms in a Red Curry Broth. DD liked this very much and rates it 4.5 out of 5. Cost $28.00

Grandson and carnivore DD split the Chared Filet of Beef. over Brentwood corn and Pancetta Risotto, arugula peston and pickeled rainbow chard. They said the meal was delicious! Cost $41.00

Our most delicious cobb salad below. This is a half order. I split it with Dd. Oops, looks like somebody took a bite and then remembered to take a picture.

My great tasting Mojo Marinated Pork Chop below.

Vegetarian DD's Noodle Bowl below.

Grandson's Chared Filet of Beef - please note - this is a half order - he split it with his mom.

Brown Derby desserts will appear on the next post.

 

[tinkerbellmagic]

Hollywood Brown Derby desserts

Between the four of us, we shared two desserts:
Grapefruit Cake - Light Layers of Yellow Cake with fresh Grapefruit-Cream Cheese Icing $7.00
Citrus Honey Nest - filled with a candied ginger blueberries over a lemon cheesecake $9.00

We rate the grapefruit cake 4.90 out of 5 and the citrus honey nest 4.25. I don't think I would order the honey nest again for myself. It was very good, but I liked the grapefruit cake better.

Grapefruit Cake shown in the two photos below.

Honey Nest shown in the two photos below.

We would eat at the Brown Derby again. Service was great, as was the atmosphere!

tink

 

[tinkerbellmagic]

Gasparilla Grill and Games - Food Court at the Grand Floridian Resort

Well, I'm not sure how helpful this review will be since I hear Gasparilla will be closed down and renovated some time soon. Considering we visited Gasparilla quite a few times during our stay at GF, I would have missed it if I did not have access to it.

Gasparilla... I don't know... am I the only one that develops strange attachments to resort food courts while staying at that particular resort? I noticed it first in 1997 while staying at our first onsite resort, Dixie Landings. At subsequent visits to Disney World, I found myself comparing all the other food courts to the Riverside Mill, the Dixie Landings/POR food court.

So it came as no surprise that Gasparilla was our tried and true. Our old faithful. Ye who was always open, 24/7. And while there were one or two times we visited, that there were no indoor tables available for us, I always looked forward to trekking on over to Gasparilla and even found myself making excuses for popping in over there.

The only downside to Gasparilla was that the arcade section seemed to take up half of the seating area. It looked out of place and made for a less than enjoyable meal. Hopefully they will change that once it is renovated.

If it wasn't so hot outside during the daytime, I would have loved to sit outdoors and take in the beautiful view. We did so a couple times, but for the most part, the August heat got the best of us.

We were very happy with our service each time we visited Gasparilla and the food was ok to pretty good (more on that later). The cast members were all friendly and courteous. There was a decent selection of food, drinks, and goodies for all.


Some of the items we had at Gasparilla's were:

Hot Dog Grandson said the hot dog was just OK. No where as good as the one he ate at Casey's. He had no desire to eat another hot dog at Gasparilla, but he did say it could have been he just wasn't too hungry when he ate it.
Pepperoni Flatbread - this was ok/good - the bacon cheddar burger was better imo. Rating 3 out of 5. Cost $8.79
Tabbouleh Sandwich - Tabbouleh, cucumber, Garbanzo beans, and Cilantro Mint Raitha. Vegetarian DD rates this 3.75 out of 5. Cost $8.29
Veggie Lasagna - Lasagna topped with parmesan cheese and served with garlic Ciabatta bread. Vegetarian DD rates this 3 out of 5. Cost $6.99
Salad Your Way
Eggs and Bacon
Mickey Rice Krispie Treat - grandson was addicted to these things - they're very sweet
Chocolate Cake
Cheese Cake
Crumb Cake - ok/good rating 3 out of 5
(I'll see if I can get opinions on some of the items above that my family ate)

And the only item I took a picture of at Gasparilla was the Angus bacon cheddar burger - this was very yummy - had more than one during our stay - I don't eat these at home, so this was a treat. You have your choice of cheese. It is served with mozzarella salad, chips, or cucumber salad $8.79. I think it might also be served with fries. I'm rating the bacon cheddar burger a 4.25 out of 5. Oh it might not look like much, but it was tasty (looks like some of the fries may have already been eaten).

While the burger was good tasting (and believe me, I have had some really awful burgers at Disney) sometimes I wondered if the burger may have needed the help of the bacon and cheddar to be this good, but what can I say, I enjoyed it and so did my grandson.

Now I thought the fries were consistently not very good, I'd give them a 2 out of 5 and that's being generous, lol. You could also get chips with the burger. I think they were handmade chips, not sure, but those were probably only a 3 out of 5, surprisingly. I thought they would taste better than they did. I did like the mozerella salad, which was also a "side" you could get with the burger. It's a very small portion, but was good tasting, a 3 out of 5.

I'm really happy that Gasparilla is being redone. I hope there will be a larger seating area and I hope the arcade will no longer be part of the decor. I'm looking forward to visiting the new and improved Gasparilla!

 

[tinkerbellmagic]

Casey's Hot Dogs

One of the traditions my grandson and I have on our arrival day on our first trip inside the Magic Kingdom is to walk to the corner edge of the Main Street Confectionary and then suddenly step out far enough for our first real view of the castle. It just takes our breath away.

Next on our list is the traditional stop at Casey's Hot Dogs. This year we decided instead to eat lunch at our resort food court on day #1 and stop at Casey's on another day since my daughters were with us and neither one of them eat hot dogs. Oh, the sacrifices!

When we did get a chance to visit Casey's, my grandson and I each had a hot dog. My other daughter just had fries. As usual, it was difficult to find a place to sit, but there's just something about sitting at Casey's watching those vintage cartoon classics. We just got plain hot dogs, pretty good. Grandson says Casey's hot dog was far better than the one at Gasparilla. The fries aren't the greatest, imo, but we love Casey's just the same and will always return.

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Strangely, we only stopped at the Plaza Ice Cream Parlor once. Grandson got a Mickey cone. Line was pretty long, but it isn't Disney without stopping there. This would be my first trip with no ice cream cone. We were just really busy running around, I guess.

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We stopped at the Main Street Confectionary for one of those All-Day Suckers my grandson had been eyeing all day. It was nighttime and the cast member who rang us up told my grandson that since it was an all day sucker, he had a lot of catching up to do. ;-)

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One night my daughter and my grandson stopped at the Main Street Bakery. Where the heck was I? I love that place! Anyhow, viewing my receipts, he had a cheese Danish and she had the Tomato Mozzerella Sandwich, which she rates a 4 out of 5.

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Once we were back at the airport, our trip almost over, I mentioned to my family that we didn't get a chance to get Dole Whips at Aloha Isle. I notice smirks appearing on their faces. Turns out they had not one, but TWO Dole Whips once again, when I wasn't around. My grandson piped up and said he saw a shirt in one of the stores that said Dole Whip on it (as if some how that would lessen the blow, lol). Those little stinkers!

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One of my absolute must haves at Disney is a funnel cake. I prefer to eat them at night since I end up being one powdered sugar mess, but this time we threw all caution to the wind and.... we ate them in the daytime!!!

Also at Sleepy Hollow, we decided to try one of those Nutella Waffles. Both the funnel cake (which we always share because a whole one can give you one heck of a funnel-ache) and the Nutella Waffle were yummy. I think I prefer the funnel cake though. Love 'em!

 

[MWillis]

Eating breakfast at CRT in 2 weeks. Your review makes me even more excited!

 

[TheTrickyTwister]

Thank you for your review of the Brown Derby, I had heard a review a while back that was not too good, however, your review has boosted my confidence in the restaurant and I have booked a dinning reservation for our trip in October.

Thank you again

 

[tinkerbellmagic]

Eating breakfast at CRT in 2 weeks. Your review makes me even more excited!

Thank you! I'm glad my review helped. Have a wonderful time!

Thank you for your review of the Brown Derby, I had heard a review a while back that was not too good, however, your review has boosted my confidence in the restaurant and I have booked a dinning reservation for our trip in October.

Thank you again

You are very welcome! Brown Derby was definitely one of the dining highlights of the trip. I hope you have a wonderful meal there.

 

[tinkerbellmagic]

Pinocchio Village Haus:

We used to go to Pinocchio Village Haus on previous trips for a quick pizza and maybe the rare chance to view IASW from the window, but this time, DD discovered they replaced the pizza with flatbread! Kind of disappointed, but what the heck. It's still a quaint little spot in Fantasy Land.

I, personally, did not visit Pinocchios on this trip, but DD and my grandson did. DD got the cheese flatbread, whicih she rates a 3 out of 5. Cost $7.69.
Grandson got the mac 'n cheese which he said was "good." $5.49

So I guess our rating of Pinocchios is 3 out of 5, but we will be back. It's a cute little place and so very Disney, what can I say.
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Columbia Harbor House

This was our first time to the Columbia Harbor House. First of all, I LOVE the nautical decor. In fact, I think we passed this one up on previous trips because I thought it was a TS restaurant and that you needed ADRs, lol.
Now I know!

I had, of all things, chicken nuggets and fries. I haven't eaten chicken nuggets in several years, but I'm not a huge fan of fish, so there ya go. The nuggets were pretty good, about what I'd expect from a CS. The fries were OK. I don't think I have ever found really tasty fries at Disney, but it's no big deal, I just smother them in catsup anyway. Cost $8.19

Vegetarian DD had the Lighthouse Sandwich and Chips. She said she had hoped the bread would have tasted better, but that he filling was very good and that she would order it again. Cost $8.99

Grandson had the mac ' n cheese. He said it was "good"... the same as Pinocchios. Cost $5.49

We will be visiting Columbia Harbor House from now on, more for the atmosphere, than the food. Just love the decor and less hectic atmosphere than some place like Pecos Bills.

coming up.... snack places

 

[tinkerbellmagic]

Karamelle-Kuche (Caramel Kitchen) in Germany, Boulangerie Patisserie Bakery in France, and Sunshine Seasons

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Karamelle-Kuche Carmel Kitchen in Germany

Well, while we were not too thrilled that the little shop where we used to buy a certain brand of hard to find chocolate no longer exists in Germany, we were most pleasantly surprised to find a wonderful NEW little carmel shop in it's place. My family loves carmel, so in we went. Decisions... decisions. We bought a plain carmel square $3.99, a carmel brownie $4.49, a carmel apple $5.99, and something called a salted carmel milk chocolate $3.99. My carmel brownie was kind of good, not great, kind of dry. I actually bake brownies from scratch at home, so I think this was part of my indifference. Also, it was just so hot that the brownie made me thristy. But more importantly, my heart belonged to Napoleon, which was just up ahead, so I was a bit preoccupied, I think. Everyone else enjoyed their caramel treats immensely. Our bill was $19.66. Friendly castmembers.

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Boulangerie Patisserie Bakery in France

No trip to Disney is complete without a stop at the Boulangerie Patisserie for our favorite pastries. I always get the Napoleon (my MUST-have), DD always gets the apple tart, and DGS always gets an apple turnover. Oh, we toy with the idea of trying something new each year, but we just can't resist our tried and true heavenly desserts. Oldest DD skipped the bakery (gasp) and enjoyed a glass of French wine instead.

With our tray in hand, we were pretty surprised to discover the indoor dining area for bakery guests in France had vanished. We managed to find an outdoor table, but it was so hot outside and we were so tired from all the walking we did that week, that we were a bit disappointed that we could not sit down in the AC. We quickly got over it though, after the first bite of our amazing bakery goodies. I was so happy to read on the DIS that they are renovating France to include an indoor bakery area and an ice cream parlor. Yey!!!

I decided to split my Napoleon with DGS. I have learned it's far better to share a Napoleon, than eat the entire thing and end up with a Napolean-ache. We were once again this year transported into a confection induced coma due to the incredible pastries at the bakery in France. Delicious doesn't begin to describe them. I misplaced the receipt, but we rate the yummy bakery an easy 5 out of 5. Will definitely be back!
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Sunshine Seasons

This was our first time at Sunshine Seasons and an OK place to stop for a quick breakfast. We had bacon, eggs, cinnamon roll, bagel, coffee and drinks. Cost $28.23. Aside from the food worker there who could use an attitude adjustment, and another who could use a dose of friendliness, we might return there again.

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Each time we go to Disney, we stop in Italy and buy some of their uncooked colored Pasta Trombette ($11.95) to bring home for my son. He loves it and says it's the best pasta he has ever cooked. They also have some delicious chocolate and very friendly castmembers the day we visited.

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My grandson bought a candied apple somewhere in Disney, I think it was the Main St Confectionary. It was delicious!!! It also held up well because we stored it in our bag all day long and then into the fridge all night before he got around to eating it. Will find out where he bought it.

He also loved the Itzakadoozie, the multi striped popsicle you find in all the parks. He had more than one of those.

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Final thoughts:

Places we enjoyed and plan to eat there again:
Crystal Palace - a new favorite - but next time for breakfast or lunch
Brown Derby - a wonderful escape from the theme parks
Cinderella Royal Table (a must do tradition - maybe lunch next time)
Caseys (a tradition - love those vintage films)
Columbia Harbor House for the nautical atmosphere
Pinocchios ....just because

Places we didn't get to try on this trip, but have been there before, and hope to do them again:
Kona Cafe - STILL haven't tried the Tongo Toast - must return soon!
Earl of Sandwich - love their sandwiches! - just didn't have time to stop
Sci-fi - for dessert only - not a fan of their lunch - DGS loves the atmosphere
LTT - an old favorite... I know, mixed reviews, but have fond memories
Gasparilla - plan to visit there to check out the new set up and burgers!
Toy Story Pizza - what can I say, it's kind of a tradition we missed this time

New Places we still need to try for the first time:
Be Our Guest - of course!
Plaza Restaurant: had an ADR for this place, but got stuck on Splash Mountain for 20 mins, so we missed our reservation. Was bummed.
50s Prime Time (I love the 50s, don't know why I haven't tried this before)
Artists Point WL - heard it was great
Starring Rolls for cupcakes and whatnots
Wolfgang Puck Express - 'cause everyone else likes it
Flame Tree Barbecue
Tusker House
Rainforest Cafe
Any restaurant in Italy
T-Rex
And I'm sure DD will have her own list of WS restaurants she wants to try


And some simple MUSTS for our next trip:
Visit France's Bakery and new Ice Cream parlor
candy apple on Main St
ice cream cone on Main St (can't believe I forgot to do this!)
*funnel cake* (or two)
water park donuts if going to the water parks next trip
Must try a pitiferole
eclair at the BC Market Place if staying in that area
Must eat at the ice cream cone tables at B&C. DGS loves them, but for take out dessert only - will never do lunch there again
candy to bring home from Main Street or anywhere
Must buy DGS a cinnamon roll at the Main Street Bakery
sundae at Ghirardelli
another light up drink because my light up Tinkerbell didn't make it home for some reason... couldn't find it in the suitcases boo hoo

Well, I might update the list for my own use as I read more dining reports.