Better Late Than Never - Aug. 17-24 Reviews w/ Photos

[dina7]

OK, so we've been back for almost 2 months & I still haven't done my Dining Review. This is not going to be one of those lengthy reviews filled with lots of details. I'm just going to hit the high points, show some photos & get out. Then maybe I will have a chance of actually finishing the reviews.

Just some quick notes about my family:
Me - I love ALL types of food. There are very few things that I do not like.
DH - VERY picky eater...the pickiest in my family. It is very frustrating for me & makes it a little tricky when we have to make our ADRs.
DS (15) - somewhat picky...is getting so much better though & is trying new foods more frequently now.
DS (9) - not as picky as DH & DS...will try new foods, but all 3 of my boys are not super adventurous eaters. You will see this from the photos of their plates at the buffets we ate at.

Also, forgot to mention this is our 2nd trip that we were on the Dining Plan. This time it was Free from a bounceback offer. I love the DP because it allows us to eat at Table Service Restaurants EVERY day that we wouldn't be able to because they are so expensive. I also love it because I don't have to worry about looking at prices when I order. I truly just order whatever I want. It's a real treat!

On to the Reviews...

 

[dina7]

8/17/10 Our Arrival Day
When we checked in to CSR in the afternoon we decided to just grab a snack at Rix Cafe (CSR's grab & go place). Unfortunately I totally forgot to take photos. The only things we bought were 2 Choc. Chip Muffins which my DS(9) said was good, but my DH & DS(15) said was just ok. They were $3.25 each. We also bought oop, a cheeseburger w/ fries which was a mistake. I knew it was a mistake before I picked it up because it was already made & sitting under a heat lamp. I just needed something to stuff in my face. Lost the receipt so I don't know what it cost.

Onto the 1st real meal of the trip...Cape May Cafe Clambake at The Beach Club.
We had a 5:00 ADR so after getting settled in our room we took the bus to HS & jumped on the Friendship Boat to The BC. We had never tried the Clambake before though had done the breakfast several times. We arrived early, so checked out the gift shop for awhile & then checked in at the desk to Cape May Cafe. The girl at the desk gave us a pager which would light up when our table was ready. We didn't have to wait too long & the lobby of the BC is beautiful w/ plenty of comfortable seating. We also liked finding hidden mickeys in the rugs.

I also looked over the menu of the buffet offerings which they had at the checkin desk.

Here it is:

Soups: New England Clam Chowder & Soup of the Day

Carving Station: Hand Carved Flank Steak w/ Red Wine Demi-glace & Horseradish Cream and Hand Carved Roast Pork Loin

Cold Offerings: Fruit Salad, Cape May House Salad, Caesar Salad, Broccoli Slaw, Cape May Potato Salad, Marinated Olives, Peel-n-Eat Shrimp, Citrus Couscous Salad, Chicken Arugula Pasta Salad w/ Mushroom Vinaigrette, Tomato Cucumber Mozzarella Salad, Quinoa Shrimp Salad w/ Hearts of Palm, Panzanella Salad, Green Mussels w/ Spicy Seaweed Salad

Hot Offerings: BBQ Pork Ribs, Basil Mashed Potatoes, Sauteed Cabbage w/ Rainbow Chard & Bacon, Steamed Red Potatoes, Marinated Roast Chicken, Steamed Corn on the Cob, Vegetable Pasta, Specialty Pizza, Marinated Beef Tips w/ a Spicy Tomato Sauce

Seafood Selections: Snow Crab Legs, Steamed Clams, Prince Edward Island Sound Mussels, Baked Seasonal Fish, Tortellini w/ Lobster Sauce, Seafood Pot Pie
Sunday & Friday: Fried Cod
Tues. & Thurs.: Batter-Fried Calamari
Mon. Wed. & Sat.: Batter-Fried Shrimp

Children's Buffet:
Macaroni & Cheese, Chicken Nuggets, Sauteed Green Beans & Carrots

 

[dina7]

Photos of Cape May Cafe Clambake:

My plate clockwise from top: Mussels which I love & were delicious, Seafood Pot Pie which was a lovely mixture of seafood in a savory sauce & light crust, got 2nds on that, Tortellini in Lobster Sauce which actually had little chunks of lobster in it, very tasty, Steamed Clams-delish, Basil Mashed Potatoes which were not good because they didn't have a good basil taste but were rather gross. I know they used to have garlic mashed here & just recently switched to the basil...I think they should switch it back! Next on the plate was BBQ Pork Rib which was good, not great, then touching the rib is the Sauteed Cabbage w/ Rainbow Chard & Bacon-this was sooo bitter due to the rainbow chard & the bacon helped a little to try to balance it, but it wasn't enough, & lastly of course are the Snow Crab Legs. This was the 1st time I have eaten Crab Legs & they were very good, but too much work IMO.

I also tried the Hand carved Flank Steak w/ Red Wine Demi-glace on another plate, but forgot to take a photo...it was really good. The nt. we were there, was a Tues. so there was Batter Fried Calamari. Calamari is on my short list of things I don't like, but it looked like normal Fried Calamari.

We paid for this & all the other food on our trip using the DP so this was 1 Child TS Credit & 3 Adult TS Credits. I will try to put what the cost of the meals would have been if paying oop when I can.
Cost of Meal OOP: 1 Kid's Buffet=$14.99
3 Adult Buffets=$92.97 + Tax = Total $114.98

 

[dina7]

My Dessert/Salad Plate: Top Left: Strawberry Cheesecake-this was great & it had a yummy graham cracker crust, next to it - Oreo Bonbon - very good, but I couldn't eat more than 1, below Ceasar Salad which was also tasty. The Cape May desserts are all miniature sized which I think works out great because you can try a lot of them.

 

[dina7]

DS(9) Plate: Chicken Nuggets, Corn on the Cob, Mac & Cheese, & a Roll...I know, exciting. He also loved the Tortellini w/ Lobster Sauce but I didn't take a photo of that plate. He loved everything he chose.

DS(15) Plate: Tortellini w/ Lobster Sauce which he loved & ate lots of. This is a big deal because I am finally getting him to try new foods. chicken nuggets on the plate also, as if you couldn't tell.

DS(15) Dessert Plate: Oreo Bon Bons & Vanilla Mini Cupcakes. Wanted you to see the inside of the Oreo Bon Bon: On top of the Oreo is an Oreo mousse-like filling which adds to the deliciousness of it.

 

[dina7]

The famous made to order Chocolate Lava Cake...scrumptious!!!
The only thing I was surprised at were how tiny they were & I had seen photos from other people's reviews beforehand, but couldn't tell that from the photos. That is an average size raspberry on top of it...it almost dwarfs the lava cake. The size was perfect for me though as it's a very rich dessert.

Another quick note on the Cape May Clambake...we had a very nice lady as our server who explained the buffet to us & reminded us to save room for dessert. She did not rush us at all & was attentive w/ drink refills & clearing plates. I would recommend making an earlier adr because as time went on while we were there the line became quite long at the buffet.

Up next...Pinocchio Village Haus in MK

 

[dina7]

8/18/10 - Pinocchio Village Haus in MKHadn't been here in a few yrs so thought we would give it a try...wasn't expecting much especially w/ all the negative reviews it gets. DH also wanted to try the Meatball Parm. Hero.

Below is my DS(9) Kid's Meal: Pizza w/ Fries, Small Nesquik & Choc. Chip Cookie...He enjoyed it.

DS(15) Adult Pizza Meal w/ Fries, Bottle of Water & Chocolate Cake, which he loves.

 

[dina7]

Pinocchio Village Haus

DH's Meatball Parmigiana Sub w/ Fries & Choc. Cake...He also got a bottle of water. Surprisingly, my DH said the Meatball Sub was very good...he enjoyed it.

This is my meal, the Mediteranean Salad which has lettuce, grilled chicken, roasted red peppers, grape tomatoes, black olives, small balls of fresh mozzarella, & red onions. It came w/ more red onions than what is shown in the photo, but I took some off. This was a great salad...it comes w/out dressing...you choose your own from the condiments bar...I chose the Caesar flavor & it went well w/ the salad. I think it came w/ fries too, a large 32 oz. coke which I took w/ us while roaming the park since it was so big, & Strawberry Cheesecake for dessert.

The Strawberry Cheesecake was really good. I wasn't expecting much because it didn't look too good. It also had a nice graham cracker bottom. Very tasty!

Used 4 Ctr. Svc. Credits.
Pinocchio Village Haus was really good in our opinion. I think part of all the negative reviews you see on some of these Ctr. Svc. restaurants are because people's expectations are way too high. It's a counter svc. place in a theme park...I have a different set of expectations & different criteria for evaluating as compared w/ a table svc. restaurant. I really don't know what some people are expecting at these counter svc. places

 

[dina7]

8/18/10 Crystal Palace

We have eaten here for b'fast a few times, lunch & dinner now 2 times. I like it, but my DH isn't thrilled w/ it.

Me, DS(9), Piglet, DS(15)

My Plate: Starting at the top & going clockwise, Mussels which I always love, Corn Spoonbread-always delicious, garlic mashed potatoes-good, Adobe Pulled Pork also very good, String Beans & Carrots in a nice butter sauce, Pasta in a cream sauce w/ vegetables was yummy, & some type of meat was very good.

 

[dina7]

Crystal Palace

DS(9) Plate: Starting at top, Meatball, a Roll, Chicken Nugget, Broccoli, Mashed Potatoes. He liked everything. As I go through these buffet photos it looks like he's pickier than I think.

This is either DH or DS(15) plate which is obviously chicken nuggets & pizza. When we eat at buffets I tend to get a little frustrated that they won't try more new/different foods so I kind of stop taking photos of their plates.

 

[dina7]

Crystal Palace

DS(9), Pooh & DS(15)

My Dessert Plate: I know this looks very unappetizing, but it was good. Warm Banana Bread Pudding-not a huge fan of banana desserts, but it was good, Coconut Flan-really good, warm Apple Cobbler - Just ok, Chocolate Trifle- Delicious

The young woman who was our server was very good keeping the drinks filled & clearing plates. The only negative was that I had noted on our ADR that it was my DS(15) b-day. (It was a couple of days before our trip so this was the only restaurant I noted it on.) Our server came over w/ a b-day cupcake with a lit candle in it. This would have been fine, but the only ones at the table were my DS(15) & myself. She puts it on the table in front of him & says, "I would sing Happy Birthday to you, but I know you don't want to be embarrassed". She then just walks away. Good thing I wasn't counting on this to be his "Magical" birthday moment We just laughed & when my DH & other son returned they asked about the cupcake. We visit DW every yr. & we have celebrated his real b-day there before so this really wasn't a big deal, but what if it was our once in a lifetime trip?

Used 3 adult table svc. credits & 1 child table svc. credit
If paid & not on DP cost would be: 3 Adult Dinners for $98.97 + 1 Child's Dinner for $15.99 + tax=$122.44
Overall the whole meal would NOT come anywhere near justifying that price.

 

[shellbelle]

Can't wait to read more. Thanks for sharing your reviews!

 

[mcrabeck]

Enjoying your reviews and photos. Look forward to reading more!

 

[Pooh&OurHunny]

Joining in and enjoying reading your reviews. I can't believe the CM at CP said I don't want to sing b/c I don't want to embrass you....glad you and your son was not upset about it.
Thanks for sharing and can't wait for more yummy reviews and pictures.

 

[butiflfeet]

Thanks for sharing your reviews! I'm looking forward to more

 

[dina7]

8/19/10 - Animal Kingdom - Restaurantosaurus
I know the menu has changed now & is completely different so I won't go into detail about our meal. The desserts on the new menu are still the same so I'll post 2 photos that show the desserts in them.

Chocolate Mousse - DS(9) liked it & DS(15) hated it so who knows

Cheesecake in a Glass - The top was a soupy gelatin like layer & had a citrus type flavor to it which was nasty. So I scooped it out & ate the cheesecake which was pretty good, along w/ the graham cracker crumbs on the bottom.

 

[dina7]

8/19/10 - Le Cellier - Epcot

In all of our many trips to Disney we had never eaten at the highly acclaimed Le Cellier mainly because DH is not a fan of steak & neither is my older son. Well, this trip my DH offered to eat here so I was really looking forward to this meal.
Our server was excellent...we were not rushed at all, she explained a few things about the menu & was very accommodating throughout the meal.

I had the Mushroom Filet Mignon with Mushroom Risotto - I ordered it medium rare & it came out perfectly cooked. It was delicious along w/ the Mushroom Risotto.

DS(9) & DH switched meals. Since DH doesn't like steak & DS loves it, DH ordered off the Kid's menu & DS ordered off the adult menu. So it didn't mess up our TS credits & our server didn't care who ate what.
This is DS(9) NY Strip Steak & substituted Cream Cheese Mashed Potatoesinstead of the Potato Gratin that's on the menu.

My son ate 3/4 of the steak...he loved it. I had to try the mashed potatoes since everyone raves about them. I have to say they were good, but don't deserve all the hype they receive on here, sorry.


DH's Kid's Meal: For the appetizer he ordered the Cheddar Cheese Soup for me to eat. Since it was a Kid's meal the size of the bowl was the same size as the bread plate shown right above it. It was actually the perfect size for me. The soup is very rich & filling & quite tasty, but again I didn't think it lived up to all the raves it gets here on the Disboards. I wouldn't come to Le Cellier just for this soup.

DH Kid's Meal Entree: Grilled Chicken Breast w/ Fries - he said it was very plain & could have used some seasoning. Had too much of a charred taste.

All 3 of my boys got Chocolate Shakes as their drinks,which were included as beverages on the DP. DH said his had too much of an icy taste to it, not creamy enough.

Should've posted this photo 1st, 3 Breads: Sour Dough, Pretzel, & Multi-Grain. Our lovely server explained how each type of bread represented each of 3 provinces in Canada. She also refilled the bread for us later on. Again, don't get it about people going crazy over the pretzel bread. It tasted like a pretzel...o k ...if I wanted a pretzel I would buy one in the parks. The rest of my family loved it though. My personal favorite was the Sour Dough, very yummy!

DS(15) On the menu it is Sauteed Potato Gnocchi w/ grilled eggplant, cherry tomatoes, pesto broth & parmesan cheese. This is my pickier of my 2 sons, obviously. We talked about him getting this ahead of time & that we would ask for it to be in butter instead of pesto broth & no tomatoes & he would TRY the eggplant in it. Our server was so helpful she said they could leave out the eggplant too so he was thrilled. He enjoyed the plain gnocchi in butter, oh well.

Up Next...Le Cellier Desserts!

 

[Pooh&OurHunny]

My husband too doesn't like steak but this upcoming trip he said we can go so I can get LeCellier out of my system or try the hype.

 

[dina7]

My husband too doesn't like steak but this upcoming trip he said we can go so I can get LeCellier out of my system or try the hype.

aww, so he's a good guy like my husband too Even though it seems like I'm not impressed w/ certain things at Le Cellier I definitely want to go back next trip. This time for lunch since it's going to be 2 credits on the DP for dinner now.
Hope you enjoy it!!

 

[dina7]

8/19/10 - Le Cellier - Desserts

This is DH's Kid's Meal Ice Cream Sundae

DS(9) got the Chocolate Moose since he & DH switched meals. He enjoyed it, but was too full to finish it. I always thought the tongue on the Choc. Moose was part of a fruit roll-up from looking at photos of it, but it's really some type of cookie, which my son liked too.

DS(15) chose the S'Mores. He enjoyed it, but found it challenging to eat & get the pieces of it off the stick. He gave up after awhile & DH took over

Last but not least, my dessert, the famous Maple Creme Brulee which was delicious, & the maple flavor was not too overwhelming at all...yummy!!

Total cost for meal if not on DP=$143.45
We used 1 kid's TS credit & 3 adult TS credits

Can't wait to return this Aug. for lunch at Le Cellier!