Burning the Candle at Both Ends - A Holiday Dining Report

[Vernie822]

The food is basic but yummy and plentiful and we all had our favorites. We ended up getting seconds on the ribs and fried chicken and they brought us our 2 potatoes and 2 strawberry shortcake to begin with.

I was seriously sitting here drooling at those cornbread pictures.. Oh my gosh it looks sooooo good.

IMO, the Hoop Dee Doo is a Disney bucket list item and I highly recommend everyone try it once. What a great way to end a special Christmas!

I was thinking, that must have been an awesome Christmas dinner! You snagged a good one there.

 

[michael's mom]

Looking forward to going when my kiddos are a bit older so they can really enjoy it! DH went on our honeymoon and had a great time!

 

[SmallWorld71]

I was seriously sitting here drooling at those cornbread pictures.. Oh my gosh it looks sooooo good.



I was thinking, that must have been an awesome Christmas dinner! You snagged a good one there.

I'm not sure what it is about that cornbread, but I love it! Such a fun way to spend Christmas!

Looking forward to going when my kiddos are a bit older so they can really enjoy it! DH went on our honeymoon and had a great time!

When the time comes, they'll love it!

Next update coming up tomorrow. Hooray for Hollywood!

 

[KathyM2]

Thanks for sharing!! You have got me really excited about Hoop De Doo...we are going in March! Also that shrimp and fries looked delish

 

[SmallWorld71]

Thanks for sharing!! You have got me really excited about Hoop De Doo...we are going in March! Also that shrimp and fries looked delish

You'll love it!
And, those shrimp were surprisingly good. Coral Reef was definitely a surprise hit.

 

[Adgie128]

I'm following along and really enjoying it!

I think it's more for nostalgic reasons, but I like Disney pizza and try to have it at least once a trip, too.

What a nice way to spend Christmas! HDDR looks like so much fun.

 

[SmallWorld71]

I'm following along and really enjoying it!

I think it's more for nostalgic reasons, but I like Disney pizza and try to have it at least once a trip, too.

What a nice way to spend Christmas! HDDR looks like so much fun.

Thanks for joining in!
Once a trip is perfect for Disney pizza, IMO.
We love the Hoop Dee Doo.

 

[SmallWorld71]

December 26 - Hooray for Hollywood
Mama Melrose, Part 1

Today we were up bright and early once again. We filled our mugs, grabbed our crackers and pop tarts, hopped on a bus and made it to DHS for the 8 am opening!

After a very productive morning where we rode rides...

Love Hermione's face in this one!

Met lots of friends...

I look more like I dream of Jeannie than a cool superhero!

And learned how to be animators...

(I won the animator's drawing!)

We were quite hungry and ready for our 1:25 ADR at Mama Melrose.
I had booked this ADR for one reason, and one reason only, the Fantasmic package.
It had been 6 years since Harry, Hermione and I had seen the show and Arthur had never seen it. I knew he would love it, but I wasn't sure how stressful it would be waiting for the show at this extremely busy time of year. So, I booked Mama Melrose and we all went in with pretty low expectations. (We live in an area with GREAT Italian restaurants and Arthur cooks some pretty amazing Italian at home as well.

 

[SmallWorld71]

December 26th
Mama Melrose - Part 2

** I apologize in advance for the terrible quality of these photos.

We checked in at Mama's and I was happy to see that they had water our for people as it was a pretty warm day today. We didn't have to wait very long and were brought to a booth.
Our waiter was Alex and he was great!

A few pictures of the interior, bread and drinks. (I had iced tea, DH had a beer and I'm pretty sure the kids had lemonade.






Appetizers are included in the Fantasmic package, whether on the DDP or not.

I ordered the Fresh Mozzarella and Vine-ripened tomatoes. The was so much better than it looks in the picture! I love fresh mozzarella and this was nicely prepared and the ingredients were fresh. The marinated sweet onions and balsamic drizzle were a nice touch. I ate it all.


Nothing on the appetizer menu was appealing to Hermione, but she decided to give the Vegetarian Minestrone a try. To the shock of everyone at the table, especially her, she loved this! She left the beans behind, but ate most of the rest of it. I tried it and it was pretty good. I'd order it if I was in the mood for soup.


Harry decided he was in the mood for Mama's Caesar salad.


Ron had the Crispy Calamari and Arthur had the Oak-fired Mussels. They were both very happy with their choices.




We were off to a surprisingly great start! Part 3 coming up soon!

 

[Vernie822]

I have never eaten at Mama Melrose's, but I've always been curious. Looks delicious so far - I love tomato mozzarella anything.. yum!

 

[kastoney]

Just finding your reviews and subbing in. Everything sounds fantastic so far. Good to hear good things about coral reef. You Xmas dinner at hoop dee do looks like a great idea. Do they include alcohol like the spirit of aloha show? Looks like mama melrose is shaping up nicely. Can't wait to see the rest of thr meal!

 

[SmallWorld71]

I have never eaten at Mama Melrose's, but I've always been curious. Looks delicious so far - I love tomato mozzarella anything.. yum!

How can you go wrong with tomato and mozzarella? Right?

Just finding your reviews and subbing in. Everything sounds fantastic so far. Good to hear good things about coral reef. You Xmas dinner at hoop dee do looks like a great idea. Do they include alcohol like the spirit of aloha show? Looks like mama melrose is shaping up nicely. Can't wait to see the rest of thr meal!

Coral Reef was a pleasant surprise. I knew the menu would appeal to the family because of all the seafood. But, it gets a lot of mixed reviews.

The following alcohol is included at the Hoop: 'Concha y Toro Frontera Chardonnay, Rose, or Merlot; Bud Light Draft Beer, Yeungling Draft Beer; Beso Del Sol Red Sangria'

 

[SmallWorld71]

December 26th
Mama Melrose - Part 3

Entrees:
Harry and Ron both had the Seafood Arrabbiata. 'Shrimp, Mussels, Calamari, Fish of the Day, and Whole-Wheat Spaghetti tossed with spicy Seafood Sauce'
They hit a home run with this one. This type of dish is offered at many of the restaurants we go to at home and Harry almost always orders it, so he has a lot of experience in this department. He declared this one 'the best he's ever had' which is high praise indeed. I will not go near anything with calamari after a traumatic experience in 6th grade science class, LOL, so I didn't try it.


Arthur had the Fish of the Day, again. It came with 'Roasted Fingerling Potatoes, Smoked Bacon, Mushrooms, Wilted Greens, and a Celery Root Beurre Blanc.' While not as exciting as Coral Reef's fish of the day, he enjoyed this one and would get it again.
* ETA - Found the receipt and is says the fish was corvina.


I had the Penne alla Vodka with Shrimp 'with Pancetta and Sweet Onions finished with Tomato-Basil Sauce, Cream, Vodka, and Pecorino Romano.'
I have seen this dish in a bunch of reviews and have wanted to try it for a while now. I enjoyed this. It was well prepared and the shrimp wasn't overcooked, which I hate. It was a pretty simple dish and part of me was wishing I had tried something a little more adventurous. Still, it was well prepared and I have no qualms recommending it to those of you who wish for something more than the basic pasta dishes, but don't want to step too far outside the box.


Hermione just ordered penne pasta. The description is 'Spaghetti or Penne Pasta with choice of Meatballs or Chicken and choice of Marinara or Four–Cheese Sauce garnished with Pecorino Romano Cheese and Parsley.' She asked for hers with no meat or cheese, just penne and marinara, and they were happy to oblige. She enjoyed it.


**Dessert and ratings to follow as soon as Harry is free.

 

[SmallWorld71]

December 26th
Mama Melrose - Part 4

As you may or may not know, when you book the Fantasmic Package at Mama Melrose the dessert is a set dessert that they bring to you. You don't order from the menu for dessert. This is true whether using the DDP or paying OOP.
Here is a picture of the dessert; they brought us two of these platters.



We don't know the specific names of the desserts, but starting on the left the flavor profiles are as follows:
chocolate/ raspberry mousse type dessert; mango and raspberry flavored panna cotta; back right - a dessert with almond/ chocolate/ hazelnut; and some type of tiramisu cream puffs. This dessert tray met with very mixed reactions at our table. I thought that the overall flavor profile was not really one to appeal to the masses. Harry, who loves all things mango, raspberry and chocolate really enjoyed it. Arthur enjoyed it as well. The rest of us were just OK with it.

Ratings:
Me : Appetizer 8/10, Entree 8/10, Dessert 6/10, Atmosphere 8/10
Harry: Appetizer 7/10, Entree 10/10, Dessert 9/10, Atmosphere 8/10
Hermione: Appetizer 6/10, Entree 10/10, Dessert 2/10, Atmosphere 8/10 (Hermione was watching us do this update and wants to chime in going forward.)

***Overall, Mama Melrose was a surprise hit. The food was well prepared and the service was friendly and efficient. It was great not having to worry about Fantasmic seating. We were able to just walk right into the center section and had our choice of seats. I wouldn't call Mama's a must do, but it's the best food I've personally had at Hollywood Studios.

 

[Adgie128]

Wow, based on your pictures, I would have ordered the same as Harry and Ron. That looks good!

Really great review and glad to see it exceeded expectations for you.

 

[SmallWorld71]

Wow, based on your pictures, I would have ordered the same as Harry and Ron. That looks good! I've been seeing lots of good reviews for HBD, too, so maybe I should explore beyond the pot roast at 50s Prime Time when at the Studios!

Great review and glad to see it exceeded expectations for you.

I would love to try HBD one of these days! We were looking for a one credit meal though, since we'd burned 2 credits each at Hoop Dee Doo and for the Candlelight Processional package.

 

[vettegirl]

Well after your review I may need to get myself over to MM!!

 

[michael's mom]

It had been 6 years since Harry, Hermione and I had seen the show and Arthur had never seen it. I knew he would love it, but I wasn't sure how stressful it would be waiting for the show at this extremely busy time of year. So, I booked Mama Melrose and we all went in with pretty low expectations. (We live in an area with GREAT Italian restaurants and Arthur cooks some pretty amazing Italian at home as well.

Mama Melrose's was always our table service restaurant of choice when we went to DHS and we were in DDP because we knew the whole family would be able to find something they would like. But since we haven't done the DDP in a while we have eaten here since 2009!

Just last week I booked the Fantasmic package because I know sitting in the theater for hours in the summer heat to get a good seat would lead to a VERY miserable experience for all.

Love that they have apps as part of it! Wondering about DS's allergy and the dessert tray. Might skip that part!

 

[SmallWorld71]

Well after your review I may need to get myself over to MM!!

I may end up back there in the future, even without the Fantasmic package. Most of the entrees are pretty inexpensive (by Disney standards).

Mama Melrose's was always our table service restaurant of choice when we went to DHS and we were in DDP because we knew the whole family would be able to find something they would like. But since we haven't done the DDP in a while we have eaten here since 2009!

Just last week I booked the Fantasmic package because I know sitting in the theater for hours in the summer heat to get a good seat would lead to a VERY miserable experience for all.

Love that they have apps as part of it! Wondering about DS's allergy and the dessert tray. Might skip that part!

I wonder if they have any dessert alternatives for parties with allergies? It couldn't hurt to ask. Though we were pretty stuffed by the time they brought the dessert, anyway.

 

[SmallWorld71]

December 26th - cont'd. A quick snack update

Even though it seemed like we would never be hungry again after stuffing ourselves at Mama Melrose, that eventually wore off. When the munchies returned, we found ourselves on the corner of Hollywood and Sunset so we headed into Sweet Spells.

Ron chose a Mickey apple with milk chocolate and m & m's which they kindly cut up for him.


Harry chose a milk chocolate covered pineapple with white chocolate drizzle.


Arthur and I chose cake pops. Mine was chocolate cake with milk chocolate and his was red velvet cake with white chocolate.




* Hermione opted for another Mickey ice cream sandwich from a cart. (She LOVES those things!)

The snacks were all yummy and did the trick. But, I think Ron and Harry chose best. Disney seems to do really well with chocolate covered fruit!

We ended our very busy and productive DHS day with a visit to what turned out the be my favorite attraction of the trip - the Osborne Lights! A-MA-ZING! And, I found the black cat! We'd been searching for a while with no luck and I let out quite a shriek, I was so excited! The people around me must have thought I was nuts, LOL. After that we decided to call it a night and get some dinner back at our resort.