Big appetites take on the Dining Plan! Added Pecos Bills

[MyTwoPrincesses]

Great reviews!

Thanks! Wow, a DIS dining celebrity is reading my reviews!

Thanks for the Sanaa review. I'll be going there for the first time in a few weeks and am really looking forward to it!

You'll love Sanaa

While we don't run out of credits, we certainly don't leave any behind either! Looking forward to more reviews!

Thank you!

great reviews - Sanaa is on our possible shortlist for October

You'll love Sanaa. Thanks for your comments!

 

[Chaitali]

Thanks for the review of La Hacienda! We're planning to go there for dinner on our Epcot day and I had begun to get a little worried about the negative reviews. That margarita flight sounds amazing

 

[tsme]

I totally love Karamelle-Kuche. In Dec. '10 I went in there & bought a few goodies. Yummy! The flight of Margarita sounds awesome too.

 

[MyTwoPrincesses]

Lunching Pad

We spent the morning of March 6 in Tomorrowland. DH saw some good looking hot dogs at the Lunching Pad, so he overruled my suggestion of Cosmic Ray's for lunch.

We ended up ordering 3 meals. I had a taco hot dog. This was a large hot dog on a big wheat bun with taco meat, lettuce, salsa and sour cream. It came with a side of chips. DH got a Coney Island hot dog, which had chili, onion, mustard, and cheese. It also came with chips. The girls shared a regular hot dog (they were big hot dogs) and a bag of chips. For dessert we got chocolate chip cookies (2 in a pack). We actually wanted to get water for our desserts, but for some reason, they said that it wasn't allowed (not true).

This lunch was SO bad for us but tasty. We enjoyed the hot dogs and found the meal filling. I know that many DISers report the wheat buns breaking, but we didn't have any issues with the buns. They stood up well to all of the toppings and tasted fine. (Disclosure: We usually eat wheat bread). The chips were good too. They are Disney branded kettle chips, so they're better than Lay's or Ruffles.

Unfortunately the Lunching Pad has outdoor seating only and there were a ton of birds. Word of advice: Don't park your stroller with food on there. We saw many birds sitting on strollers and eating goldfish and cracker crumbs off the seats and in one case, directly out of the bag. Also, the tables weren't the cleanest.

Overall, this meal was a B. It was good comfort food, hit the spot, but wasn't anything special. The atmosphere isn't that great.

 

[MyTwoPrincesses]

'Ohana

We had a 6:45 reservation at 'Ohana. We checked in about 10 minutes early. I had heard reports of long waits and was worried, but we only waited for about 5 minutes after our ADR time. In that time, DH had a chance to get a glass of wine while DDs and I looked in the shops.

We were shown the fire pit and brought to a great table in a quiet section of the restaurant. We were seated right next to the windows overlooking MK. We could see Space Mountain and the Castle quite well. We were not brought bread because we had to wait to talk to the Chef about allergies. We waited for about 10 minutes for the Chef. DH was getting antsy, but we each ordered a lapu lapu while we waited! These were delicious and had a good amount of alcohol in it. We thought at $13 this was a decent value - it was a good quantity and had alcohol in it, unlike the $12 mixed drink at T-Rex.

After the Chef came, the runner brought out the salad. The salad is lettuce with honey lime dressing. Some leaves were well-dressed but others had no dressing at all. The dressing was good when you could taste it, but this salad would have been nicer with fruits (maybe pear!), walnuts or pecans, and maybe a blue cheese. As it was, it was just lettuce. I wasn't too excited about it. Neither were DH and DD1. DD2 doesn't touch salad (the only green thing she willingly eats are green m&ms).

After that, we were brought dumplings. Because we don't eat pork, they brought a nice plate of the duck dumplings from Kona. I had emailed special diets about this beforehand (DD1 adores chicken and beef Asian dumplings - we eat dim sum a lot). I also reminded the Chef and it wasn't an issue. The dumplings were very good, but I wouldn't call them excellent. We were brought about a dozen and DD1 ate 6 of them by herself.

After that, we were brought wings followed quickly by the shrimp. DD1 and DD2 both liked the wings - particularly when I helped DD2 remove the meat. DH and I were each given 4 shrimps. I enjoyed them and asked for more, but never received them.

They then brought out noodles and vegetables. I had been hoping that the noodles would be lo mein-like in flavor. DD1 and DD2 love lo mein. These were just ok - they were kind of sweet, which I wasn't expecting. DH and I ate a good amount of these, but they just sat on the girls' plates. I was the only one who ate the vegetables (broccoli and snow peas mixed with a bit of garlic and maybe butter or olive oil). I actually ate most of them myself. They were fresh, tasty, and not too mushy.

We were then brought chicken. I was initially served 1 piece but I asked for a second before they left with the skewer. DDs and DH all got 1 piece. DH also got pork - he is the only one in the family who eats pork. We all thought the chicken was very good. The flavor was nice and the meat was juicy, not overcooked. Both DDs ate their chicken and I ate both of my pieces. DH really liked the pork. It was his favorite meat of the night.

At this point, the entertainment started and the big girls got up to hula. The waitress came by and I asked for more chicken and shrimp. I also mentioned that we hadn't gotten any bread. We ended up getting bread, but no chicken or shrimp. The bread was ok, nothing special.

After a bit of a wait, we were brought steak. It was cooked medium to medium rare. We were each served 1 piece. DD2 ate half a piece and DD1 ate her entire piece and asked for seconds. DH and I ate ours too. We enjoyed the steak.

I also requested more shrimp and chicken. Remember, I had asked a few times already, and STILL hadn't gotten it. DH asked for shrimp too. We never got any more shrimp after that first serving.

The steak guy came around again and DD1 and I each got a second piece of steak. I FINALLY got more chicken and ate another piece of that. DH got a second piece of pork. After that, the server came to collect our plates. DH and I gave up on the shrimp.

The girls were brought little Ice cream sundaes and DH and I were brought a giant bown of bread pudding with two serving plates. I heard a lot about this famous banana bread pudding. It was very good. I don't know if it is quite as amazing as people say on the DIS (I've had better desserts), but it was tasty, sweet, had that lovely combination of warm and cold (due to the ice cream) and hit the spot. I ate about 2/3 of it myself, I'm embarassed to say. The server offered to bring us a refill, but I asked for the check.

I think the food at 'Ohana was pretty good. We didn't have an issues with dried out meat as reported on the DIS. I can't speak for the pork, but it was DH's favorite. The chicken was nice and juicy and the steak was medium rare. It wasn't the best meal of the week, but it overall lived up to the hype. The entertainment was fun and we really liked checking out the Polynesian. The service wasn't that good though. We had issues getting extras of the meat and would have preferred the servers with the skewers to come around more regularly. I wasn't quite expecting the lull in service.

Overall grade: B+ The food was mostly good to very good. The service was only so so. The entertainment was fun for kids (we had a male entertainer). My kids enjoyed the hula lessons and the coconut race.

 

[MyTwoPrincesses]

Starring Rolls Cafe

We chose Starring Rolls for lunch, primarily because I wanted to try their cupcakes. Kids credits and adult credits are interchangeable here. The lunch menu is limited though. They have basically 2 choices - a ham sandwich and a turkey sandwich. Both sandwiches are premade and in a cooler. They come with a choice of chips or fruits. For dessert on the DDP, you have tons of choices.

We ended up using 3 QS credits here. We got 3 turkey sandwiches (the girls shared 1). DH got an orange, while the girls and I got chips. For dessert, DH and I each selected a butterfinger cupcake and the girls got a large brownie with m&ms to share.

Overall, this lunch was just OK. The sandwich was a little soggy from being premade and the lettuce was mushy. I ate it, but it wasn't my favorite. The brownie was good - the girls ate all of it. DH and I couldn't really finish our cupcakes. The cupcakes themselves were chocolate cake. They were cold though from being refrigerated. We would have preferred them at room temperature. They were topped with a tower of very sweet white buttercream (Ick) coated in a chocolate shell crusted with butterfinger crumbs. We ended up eating the chocolate shell and part of the cake portion of the cupcake, leaving behind the vanilla frosting.

Overall, we thought this was just OK. The sandwiches were mediocre and the cupcakes were just ok. This meal was a C.

 

[MyTwoPrincesses]

After our mediocre lunch at Starring Rolls, we ended up using a few snack credits. I think we got a bottle of water, plus a mickey bar and a fruit ice pop from the cart by the Disney Junior show. All were yummy!

Kouzzina

After our day at DHS we took the boat to the Boardwalk for our 6:35 ADR at Kouzzina. I was hoping to pop back in to DHS for a half hour or so after dinner to check out the Disney Junior dance party (it was an EMH night). That night, DH's cousin, who lives in Orlando, met us at the restaurant. We added him to the ADR when we checked in. We ended up waiting about 20 minutes past our ADR time for our table.

It turns out that DH's cousin had been to Kouzzina the week before (we had no idea!) and loved it. He raved about the Fisherman's Stew.

Anyway, we were brought menus and some nice crusty bread with two types of olive oil and some olives. The server told us what the olive oils were and they each had a noticeably distinguishable taste when we dipped the bread. The bread was excellent, as were the olives and olive oils.

We ended up choosing a starter - the calamari. In previous dining reviews, I recall that these were served in a tall stand, in a cone. They seem to have changed the presentation. Now the calamari are served on a plate. The portion size was generous and they were served with two dips. Here is the description, from the menu:

Crisp Calamari and Lemon - Coated in Aborio Rice Flour with Spicy Yogurt and Garlic Yogurt $12.99

These were crisp, well seasoned and delicious. Both dips were good, but we all preferred the spicy yogurt, except DD1 who preferred the Garlic Yogurt. DD2 did not try the calamari.

While we ate the appetizers, the kids were brought their chicken soup appetizer. Both kids devoured the soup. DD2 actually wanted a refill!

Not long after we finished our appetizers, we got our main courses. I got the whole fish. It was a red snapper. This is the menu description:

Traditional Whole Fish - Pan-roasted with Braised Greens, Greek Olives, Fennel, and Smoked Chili Market Price

This was served whole, but the server removed the head and tail table side and filleted it. As warned, it did have some bones even after it was filleted. Oh my gosh, this was so fantastic. It was the best meal of the week. I didn't think any restaurant would top the tilapia at La Hacienda de San Angel, but this was so wonderful. I can't explain what made it even better, but there were so many flavors in this dish and the fish was so flaky and well prepared. The presentation was also fantastic. For those wondering, the price was $31.

DH ordered the lamb shank:

Slow-cooked Lamb Shank - served with Oven-baked Gigantes Beans and Pepper Sauce $26.99

DH's cousin actually recommended it - he sampled it the previous week. It was sooooooo good. DH and I took several bites of each other's dishes. The lamb was fall off the bone tender. The beans had a wonderful flavor too and the pepper sauce was scrumptious.

DH's cousin ordered the new pasta dish:

Saffron Pasta - tossed with Lamb Ragu and Shaved Kefalograviera Cheese (Macaronada) $21.99

I did not taste it. Nor did DH. But DH's cousin devoured it. He said that he thought this was just as good as the fisherman's stew.

Not to be outdone, the kids meals were great too. The kids ordered the grilled chicken. This was not just any grilled chicken though! These were marinated chunks of chicken grilled on skewers, served with yogurt sauce and pita. They came with heaping piles of sweet potato fries.

The chicken was delicious and the kids ate every bite of it, along with the pita. My kids don't like sweet potatoes, so they didn't like the fries. However, the adults all sampled the fries and they were great! We probably should have asked for rice though, given my kids dislike of sweet potatoes!

After that, we selected dessert. DH's cousin didn't choose dessert. Being on the DDP, DH and I did choose dessert. We weren't overstuffed like we were at La Hacienda, though we did have a bottle of wine at the table (well, we also ate a lot more on our first Epcot day, compared to DHS - that might have had something to do with it)!

I chose the budino cake. This is a basic molton chocolate cake with whipped cream. It was very good, not too sweet.

DH chose the loukamedes, which are warm greek donuts drizzled with honey. It comes with a raspberry coulis dipping sauce. These were outstanding.

Kouzzina was a wonderful meal. The food was delicious and we had great service too. Overall grade: A+. We will definitely return.

For those interested, we got back to DH on the boat a few minutes before 10. This was a very long meal from start to finish. We did not end up going to the dance party.

 

[MyTwoPrincesses]

Yakitori House

Around lunch time on our last full day at the World (so sad!) we found ourselves in The Land, getting off the Living with the Land Boat Ride. Since we were right in front of Sunshine Seasons, we did the logical thing and headed to the World Showcase.

Actually I tried to talk DH into Sunshine Seasons (I swore that the DISers say it is good, yadda yadda) but he really wanted to go to WS. I decided to check out the Boulangerie in France while DH went ahead to Japan. After waiting in line, I realized that most savory items have Pork. So I called DH to let him know that I was heading to China. But then, I got sidetracked by the candy lady and ended up joining DH at Yakitori House.

We each ended up getting combinations I do not see on the allears menu.

DH got: Spicy Tuna rolls (8), which came with a large bowl of Beef Udon soup.
I got: California rolls (8), which also came with the Udon soup.

We ended up sharing the sushi. The rolls were small but good. The Udon soup was also very good. The noodles were thick and tasty and there were some fried onions in there.

The girls got a portion of chicken teriyaki and rice to share (kids entree - it was a good size). DH and I ate some of the chicken teriyaki and we liked it. DD1 liked the chicken teriyaki too, but was mostly focused on DH's Udon Soup. DD2 did not like the chicken teriyaki, but ate a good portion of my Udon soup.

For dessert, the girls got a cookie. DH and I had ginger cake. It was light and fluffy. It was tasty, though it's not really my type of dessert. I didn't really feel like eating anymore (and knew we'd be at Biergarten in a few hours) so I only had a few bites. DH did the same.

This lunch was very filling and tasty. We were happy splitting three meals among the 4 of us. We also thought this was a good value on the DDP. Each adult combo was around $12.

We also enjoyed the atmosphere here. There is a lovely patio behind the restaurant, tucked away in the pavilion. It was a very relaxing place for lunch.

Overall grade: B+/A- (We thought this was the best CS of the week - the food was tasty, filling, relatively healthy and the atmosphere was great.)

 

[MyTwoPrincesses]

After lunch, we explored the WS a bit more as we headed back to Futureworld. We ended up using our last 2 snack credits at the Turkey Leg cart in Futureworld. DD2 was hungry and I got her a big pretzel. We also got a bottle of water. We paid OOP for cheese dip for the pretzel (otherwise it would have been a snack credit. We didn't have any to spare and it was only around $1 anyway). The pretzel was warm and tasty.

At around 5:30, after meeting all 4 fairies at Pixie Hollow, we made our way to UK and got some Bass. We hung around in the back of the UK pavilion and caught the British Invasion.

Then, I got a Grey Goose Slushie in France (YUMMY!!!!) as we made our way towards Germany to check in to our Biergarten ADR.

Biergarten

We had been to Biergarten in 2009 and decided to return because it was a lot of fun. Although the food was not amazing, we really liked the oompah band and DH liked the liter of beer.

I checked in at 6:30, about 5 minutes before our ADR, and was given a pager. I asked for a table by the dance floor and was told that would take about 15 minutes. The girls and I went into the shops to pass time. About 10 minutes later the buzzer went off. DH was nowhere to be found. After a minute or two of looking for DH, I took the buzzer back to the desk.

DH wandered back - turned out he decided to get another beer without telling me. 20 minutes later, we STILL hadn't been seated. I went to the desk and was told that our table had been given away because they thought we had left. I was pretty annoyed - we didn't wait a ridiculous amount of time to turn back the buzzer. Plenty of people browse the pavilion while holding the buzzer. We didn't take any longer than we would have had I been paying for a purchase in a shop. Anyway, I gave the buzzer back to them, so clearly I was still there.

We ended up being seated at 7:15. I was really irritated at this point - the band had already finished their set.

I made my way to the buffet to get food for the kids. I got them each some chicken schnitzel, pretzel bread, sauerbraten and roasted chicken legs. I also snagged mac and cheese for DD2. Both girls really liked the chicken schnitzel and chicken legs. DD2 also ate mac and cheese. Neither girl cared for the sauerbraten.

I then went and got a plate for myself. I had read on DIS that the potato leek soup that I loved last time was gone. This time, however, there was a cream of califlauer soup. I got a bowl of that with pretzel bread. I also added chicken schnitzel with gravy and spaetzel with gravy to my plate, beef roulade, sauerbraten, potato salad, potato dumpling, and roasted potatoes. The chicken schnitzel with gravy was very tasty. The spaetzel, beef roulade, and roasted potatoes were good too. The potato dumpling was bland and gummy. The sauerbraten was not good at all. The meat was kind of tough, so I didn't eat it. The best thing on my plate was the soup with pretzel bread. DD1 tasted it and loved it. I went back and got a bowl for her and she ate the whole thing. I ended up eating seconds of the Chicken schnitzel and spaetzel.

DH ate assorted sausages, chicken schnitzel, carved ham, sauerbraten, and beef roulade. He liked it, but we all agreed that in terms of food, Biergarten ranked at the bottom of our TS choices. That's not to say that it was BAD - it certainly was not bad. But it was not amazing. To be honest, the food was at the bottom of our TS choices last trip to, so we knew this going in.

As far as drinks, I got the Oktoberfest, half liter. It was good. I didn't finish it though. DH got a liter of the Oktoberfest. He enjoyed it too, but I think he'd already had too many drinks before we got to Biergarten, so didn't enjoy it as much as he would have had he not had 2 Basses at UK and 1 beer (don't know which one) while we were waiting to be seated.

The band started to play as we finished our entrees. The set was basically the same as last year. We only noticed 1 new song. The kids had a blast again and danced and danced. It was cute to watch. We also enjoyed seeing the cowbells and long horns, just as we had last time. We think Biergarten is a great experience. I think, though, that we were a bit bored with it (not the kids - DH and I). We'll likely return if the band changes its set, but not until then. There are plenty of other WS restaurants left to try.

Overall grade: B. The food was good, the buffet was plentiful, but the experience felt like deja vu to us. Not to mention, we felt that they were impatient for check in. Given the amount of shops in the pavilion, they should not give tables away without waiting for people to come back with the buzzer.

 

[MyTwoPrincesses]

So sad. It was March 9 - our last WDW day. We had to be on Magical Express at 2:30, so after doing Resort check-in for our flight, we headed to MK. DD2 wanted to ride Pirates of the Caribbean, the Carousel and Teacups. We got to the park kind of late (for us) and headed to Adventureland. After riding Pirates, we decided to get some lunch. I wanted to try the new Tortuga Tavern, but everyone wanted burgers (our first of the trip, believe it or not).

Pecos Bill's

We headed to Pecos Bills. I really liked Pecos Bills in 2009. I recall that I ate a delicious double cheeseburger and covered my fries in cheese sauce.

DD1 got a kids hamburger meal with grapes and apple sauce, DD2 got a kids cheeseburger meal with a cheeseburger, fries and cookie, I planned on a double cheeseburger, but it is no longer on the menu. I got a regular cheeseburger and fries. DH got a Deluxe 1/3-Pound Angus Cheeseburger - topped with bacon, onion rings, and barbeque sauce - with fries. We also got some cheese sauce to dip our fries. Since we were paying OOP, we skipped dessert.

On the positive side, once again, we had no issues with the rolls breaking apart as report on the DIS. The rolls are fine. We generally get wheat anyway, so maybe that's why the buns at WDW don't bother us. DH liked his burger more than I liked mine. If at Pecos Bills, that burger is the way to go. My burger was overcooked and not that great. I think the double cheeseburger was WAY tastier. I realize that they probably did away with the double because some people were taking the double apart and buying an extra bun to avoid paying for 2 burgers. However, in my opinion, the single burger wasn't the right ratio between meat and bun, if that makes sense.

The girls ate their burgers (it was the same as mine) but we will eat someplace else next time.

Overall grade: C

That's all folks for our Disney Dining! In the next post, I will summarize my final thoughts with our experience.

 

[sand&sun2]

youre making me hungry I want to go to disney now

 

[podsnel]

Great reviews- so detailed!! I also love Sanaa- I could live on that bread service!! If you ever have the opportunity to eat there again, if you order 2 bread services, they give you ALL the dips! We just found that out on our last dinner there. My favorites are the two that you liked so much combined with the raita- really nice to have the cool yogurt & cucumbers with the other two spicy ones!

I will be eating at both Yakitori House & Kouzzina next week, and wanted to thank-you for reviewing them especially, as I have never been to either. I was looking at the saffron pasta at Kouzzina, and am happy to hear your DH's cousin enjoyed it so much. It sounds like you enjoy flavorful, exciting food, and I am ALL for that!!

 

[WaltsMummy]

loved all your reviews, so detailed!! thank you for sharing. and what fabulous eaters your daughters are!!

 

[butiflfeet]

Thanks for sharing your reviews! They are nicely detailed

We too loved our meal at Kouzzina but we also experienced a very lengthy meal! It took a little over 2 hours but the food was wonderful!

 

[MyTwoPrincesses]

youre making me hungry I want to go to disney now

I want to go back!!!

Great reviews- so detailed!! I also love Sanaa- I could live on that bread service!! If you ever have the opportunity to eat there again, if you order 2 bread services, they give you ALL the dips! We just found that out on our last dinner there. My favorites are the two that you liked so much combined with the raita- really nice to have the cool yogurt & cucumbers with the other two spicy ones!

I will be eating at both Yakitori House & Kouzzina next week, and wanted to thank-you for reviewing them especially, as I have never been to either. I was looking at the saffron pasta at Kouzzina, and am happy to hear your DH's cousin enjoyed it so much. It sounds like you enjoy flavorful, exciting food, and I am ALL for that!!

Glad to help! I didn't taste the saffron pasta, but it looked very good. DH and I were both too busy with the whole fish and the lamb shank.

loved all your reviews, so detailed!! thank you for sharing. and what fabulous eaters your daughters are!!

Thank you! My girls are used to eating flavorful food. Our nanny is Peruvian and she cooks for us. The girls eat Peruvian food most nights.

Thanks for sharing your reviews! They are nicely detailed

We too loved our meal at Kouzzina but we also experienced a very lengthy meal! It took a little over 2 hours but the food was wonderful!

Thanks! A lengthy meal is nice and relaxing, but I definitely wouldn't go to Kouzzina if you're planning to hit a show later that night.

 

[vleeth]

How big are the kids burgers at Peco's? Let time we went I got the adult burger, cut it in half and shared in with my daughter. I was full on my half and she didn't eat all of her half, so I'm trying to decide if getting the kids meal plus an extra fry would be enough for the two of us. (we love our cheese fries)

 

[TigerKat]

Thanks for sharing your reviews with us! Kouzzina is now our favorite WDW restaurant. DH & I went in May and were blown away! The whole fish and lamb shank entrees are two of the best dishes we've ever had!!!

 

[vettegirl]

That African Star Mojito sounds good right about now Great reviews.