Cogito Ergo Nom: A DxDP Review - Dec. 7-14, 2008 - Continuing after all this time...

[MickeyMomOfThree]

Would you be willing to share the pretzel bread recipe from LeCellier. I loved taht so much!!! Thanks...

 

[oybolshoi]

Overall rating for this meal:

= 3 Noms

Those are the best little smiley dudes ever!!! Where did you find them?



Enjoyed your review ... we have never actually eaten at AK because it's usually too hot and we've always felt the choices were fairly limited. Pizzafari's food doesn't look too appealing to me but the decor looks to be really cute.

 

[OurDogCisco]

Yay... Shauna... I've waiting for you to post your 1st Review... I can't wait to read the rest of it. I love how you describe the atomsphere as well. What an awesome idea.

Just in case you don't know it is Tina from Sacramento the one you sold your scrapbook too.

Tina

 

[TPCShauna]

Just wanted to say I love your reporting style! Well done Can't wait for the next installment

and thanks for the compliment! Next up will be Narcoosee's.

Great start!

Thanks!

Would you be willing to share the pretzel bread recipe from LeCellier. I loved taht so much!!! Thanks...

I have a recipe for the cheddar cheese soup. I only wish I had the pretzel bread recipe as those were SO GOOD! You might try checking out the Disney Recipe exchange thread on the Cooking board. It's possible it's listed there. Good luck and be sure to report if you find it!

Those are the best little smiley dudes ever!!! Where did you find them?



Enjoyed your review ... we have never actually eaten at AK because it's usually too hot and we've always felt the choices were fairly limited. Pizzafari's food doesn't look too appealing to me but the decor looks to be really cute.

Thanks! One of the ladies on the scrapbook board makes smilies and this one is one of hers. Isn't it perfect for a dining review!

A little heat would have been welcome on our AK days. The park is so darn shady that I was frozen all the days we were there. DH and I don't like ribs and we're pretty picky about barbecue so Flame Tree just didn't work for us. Pizzafari wasn't a bad choice in a park with very few options. We especially loved the murals in the Australia and South America rooms.

Yay... Shauna... I've waiting for you to post your 1st Review... I can't wait to read the rest of it. I love how you describe the atomsphere as well. What an awesome idea.

Just in case you don't know it is Tina from Sacramento the one you sold your scrapbook too.

Tina

I knew it was you! Thanks for dropping by. I'm planning to get over to your review by mid-week. I'm still trying to get caught up with email and all of the threads I've been reading so I've not had time to start reading any new ones. Plus, I'm trying to finish a scrapbook of Gracie for DH for Christmas so don't have lots of DIS time at home. I hope your trip was fab!!

 

[DisneyMom5]

Nice first review!

 

[YodasMom]

Hey Shauna~
Gracie is darling!! I love your rating system and the "nom" terms!!! I can so relate with my furry brood!! I also love your reporting style and great photos!! Looking forward to enjoying the rest!!!

Sorry I missed you during our trip.....I think we have a lot in common!!

 

[SmallWorld71]

Thanks for the review! If you ever get back to Pizzafari on a hot day, instead of cold, the Minute Maid Frozen Lemonades are a nice, safe option. I had the Italian sandwich there a while back and thought it was just O.K., but DH's chicken caesar salad was good for a CS. And the kids' pizza was surprisingly good, too.
(I should clarify that the kids shared some adult pizzas; they were not the new kids' meal pizzas.)

 

[iluvpluto27]

Great first review, looking forward to the rest.

 

[pigletforever]

Wonderful review. I love the Lapu Lapu. I won't admit to how many I drank on our last trip. But DH told me it would be cheaper to buy me a pineapple grove and let me make my own in the future. Can't wait to get back and have some more.

 

[TPCShauna]

Nice first review!

Thanks!

Hey Shauna~
Gracie is darling!! I love your rating system and the "nom" terms!!! I can so relate with my furry brood!! I also love your reporting style and great photos!! Looking forward to enjoying the rest!!!

Sorry I missed you during our trip.....I think we have a lot in common!!

Thank you! That's a really old pic, too. She's bigger but still cute. I can't wait to get a good pic of her in her new mouse ears.

Thanks for the compliments. I'm sorry we missed you also. It would have been fun.

Thanks for the review! If you ever get back to Pizzafari on a hot day, instead of cold, the Minute Maid Frozen Lemonades are a nice, safe option. I had the Italian sandwich there a while back and thought it was just O.K., but DH's chicken caesar salad was good for a CS. And the kids' pizza was surprisingly good, too.
(I should clarify that the kids shared some adult pizzas; they were not the new kids' meal pizzas.)

Just OK is a good description of the sandwiches. I thought about the salad but was freezing so wanted something hot. It wasn't bad for a dining plan meal but I probably wouldn't pay OOP for it.

Great first review, looking forward to the rest.

Thanks!

Wonderful review. I love the Lapu Lapu. I won't admit to how many I drank on our last trip. But DH told me it would be cheaper to buy me a pineapple grove and let me make my own in the future. Can't wait to get back and have some more.

I do love my fun rum drinks and the Lapu Lapu fits that description to a T. I think I'd like it better without the pineapple, though. That puppy is heavy!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Narcoosee's will be posted shortly. Thanks for reading along!

 

[TPCShauna]

Dinner our first night was an anniversary celebration so I wanted to do something special. I had been reading some lovely reviews for Narcoosee’s and convinced DH that it’s primarily seafood bent would not preclude his ability to find something to eat. I purposely booked us an ADR at 8:45pm so that we would be able to see Holiday Wishes and the Electric Water Pageant.

Narcoosee’s

DH didn't want to set up the camera tripod for this quick shot so here is a somewhat blurry view of the outside of the restaurant.

And a photo of the sign.

We arrived around 8:15pm since we were hungry and tired and were hoping they might have a table available earlier. There was no wait at the podium so we were checked in immediately by the hostess and given our pager. We decided to head out to the deck area just outside the hostess waiting area to get a view of MK while waiting.

We had just a few minutes to chat with another couple before our pager buzzed at which point we were seated at a four-top table on the opposite side of the restaurant from the hostess stand. We were only one table away from the kitchen entrance and right next to the side steps for the bar area with a view of the boat dock for the GF. Despite our table placement, we never noticed any kitchen or bar noise as the restaurant itself was SO LOUD.

As this was an anniversary meal for us, we were given personalized menus wishing us a happy anniversary. I would post a picture of it but it has our last names on it and DH wasn’t too keen on that. This meal was our first foray into using the DxDP for TS. We knew the basics going in but were really counting on our server to help us out. This was a mistake.

Our server this evening was Tom. He had 4 tables, 3 of which were celebrating a special occasion.

Drinks
Roger doesn’t really drink much so I will be the resident lush this trip. He mostly drank Coke this trip so I didn’t bother taking photos.
DH – Coke ($2.29) and Iced Tap Water
Me – I knew I wanted wine but wanted to decide on my entrée before ordering it. I asked if the regular water was filtered and Tom said no. I asked if I could order a bottle of still water as my non-alcoholic beverage and was told yes, so I did. I was served an extremely large bottle of Evian. This will be significant later.
- There were several California wines on the menu that I was familiar with so that was nice. I chose seafood for my entrée so I ended up choosing King’s Estate Pinot Noir ($13.00) on Tom’s recommendation. It was light with distinct fruit notes and was quite dry. It went very well with my whole meal.

Appetizers
We were served warm bread and butter with sea salt. I did not take a photo since it was bread and butter. The bread had a lightly crisp crust and a lovely soft interior. The sea salt added a surprising amount of flavor to the butter. We only ate one slice each but it was quite good.

I apologize in advance for the inconsistent quality of these photos. Our camera was new so it took us a while to figure out how to take photos in dark areas without blinding everyone with the flash.

DH
Crispy Duck Roll with Spiced Apple Chutney, Roasted Hearts of Palm, and Soy-Chili Glaze - $12.00

Roger: It was good. I expected it to be greasier. I found a bone in one piece. There was nothing notable about the chutney or hearts of palm.

Shauna: It had a nicely crisp exterior. The filling was meaty with a nice flavor and just a hint of spice. The glaze had a nice flavor but didn’t add much.

Me
Crab Cakes with Cole Slaw and Cajun Remoulade Sauce - $13.00

Shauna: Not surprisingly, the crab cakes tasted crabby. They had a light sear and not a lot of binder which was nice. The sauce was very delicately spiced and added a lot of flavor. Unfortunately, there was quite a bit of shell in one of the cakes.

Roger: Not bad but I don’t like crab. It had a really crabby aftertaste. The sauce was good.

Entrees

DH
Grilled Pork Chop with Mushroom Pasta, Sauteed Greens, and Whole-Grain Mustard Butter - $32.00

Roger: It was really good. It was very well seasoned and is quite possibly the best pork chop I’ve ever had. The mushroom pasta was pretty good. I didn’t eat the greens.

Shauna: It was very, very good. The pork had great flavor and the char was fabulous. I didn’t think the pasta had any flavor at all.

Me
I wanted the swordfish but they served the last one to the table seated before us. So, I had the snapper instead.
Crab-crusted Yellowtail Snapper with Crushed Fingerling Potatoes, Haricots Verts and Meyer Lemon Sauce - $31.00

Shauna: The crust was flaky and light and the snapper itself was firm with a nice flavor. The crab on top complimented the fish well and made for a great overall flavor. The lemon sauce was thick and overpowering. The potatoes were hard and seemed very undercooked. There was no discernible seasoning. Normally I really love fingerling potatoes and think they have great flavor and these were disappointing. The haricots verts were al dente and I quite liked them.

Roger: Umm, I don’t eat fish so I didn’t try it.

Part 2: Desserts, Tally and Overall Impressions coming up.

 

[TPCShauna]

Desserts

DH
Warm Chocolate-Almond Gateau with Vanilla Bean Whipped Cream - $7.00

Roger: It’s OK. It didn't seem to have a lot of flavor.

Shauna: It was very weak and spongy. The sauce had good chocolate flavor.

Me
Inspired by the Year of a Million Dreams Almond-Crusted Cheesecake with Lambert Cherry Sauce - $8.00

Shauna: The cheesecake was smooth and creamy with a fabulous amaretto flavor. The crust was sweet and crunchy and was just amazing. The mousse was light and sweet. The crisp was butterscotchy, crisp and crunchy with a lovely, light texture. I didn’t like the cherries at all.

Roger: The cheesecake was good but I’m not a big cheesecake person.

I also had coffee with dessert and it was served in a small French press. The coffee had a fabulous flavor and I really enjoyed it. Cost was $5.95.

I ordered a small Castle cake for our anniversary ($30.00) to be delivered at this meal. I wanted it to be a surprise so the person I placed the order with told me they would charge my credit card the morning of our meal rather than presenting it on the bill. Of course, this didn’t happen so I had to hide the bill from DH so he wouldn’t know how much it cost. Talk about ruining the magic.

The cake itself was just as I ordered it.

We took it to go and ate it later in our room. The whole thing was very sweet and was the perfect size for two people. The entire center of the cake was a lovely white chocolate mousse and the cake had a light, moist texture. The castle was tasty white chocolate and the icing was great. DH really enjoyed the surprise and thought it was very sweet that I ordered it. Mission accomplished.

The bill was where Tom’s lack of info was really annoying. He presented the check and I noticed that we were charged for the Coke and coffee. I expected the coffee charge since I had the water as my non-alcoholic beverage. I asked Tom if there was a mistake and he told me that the bottle of water counted as the non-alcoholic beverage for both of us. It wasn’t that big of a deal but it was annoying that he didn’t explain that when I originally ordered it. This combined with the cake charge issue really put a damper on the end of our evening. Still, he provided excellent service through the course of the meal so it wasn’t that bad.

Tally:
Coke - $2.29
Water - $8.50
Wine - $13.00
Coffee - $5.95
Duck Roll - $12.00
Crab Cakes - $13.00
Pork - $32.00
Snapper - $31.00
Gateau - $7.00
Cheesecake - $8.00
Tax - $8.08

Total - $160.78 if cash
4 credits on DxDP
$24.58 paid OOP

Décor and restaurant impressions: The restaurant was extremely dim and the tables were quite close together. In fact, it was easy to hear the conversations at the tables next to us. Seating is arranged in a half moon shape along the outside edge of the restaurant next to the windows so there are lovely views all around. I think it would be quite bright in there during daylight hours due to all the windows and the skylights. It is obvious that many people celebrate special occasions here as our server mentioned that there were three 40th anniversary celebrations, two honeymooning couples and we were there for our 10th anniversary all on the same night.

The other bonus of this restaurant is the lovely deck surrounding the outside with amazing views of MK. Here are a couple of shots of the view from the deck.

Holiday Wishes

Electric Water Pageant

The staff is obviously accustomed to handling the mass exodus to view the fireworks/parade as they had warm plates ready for us to cover our entrees so that they wouldn’t get ice cold. My only real complaint about the restaurant was the noise level. I couldn’t believe how loud it was for a fine dining restaurant and there were really no kids there so it was all adult conversation noise.

Final Thoughts: The food was really good and the ambiance (other than the noise) was quite lovely. The fabulous view was a definite bonus as well. Overall, service was quite good and attentive and we felt that Tom did a great job taking care of our needs. I just wish the restaurant (and our server) did a better job with the billing portion of the evening. We would definitely return to this locale for a future meal. It was a lovely dining experience.

Overall rating for this meal:

= 5 Noms

 

[oybolshoi]

Great review of Narcoossee's, Shauna. I think you were spot on about the noise level - we noticed that when we ate there in October 2007. You ordered the same appetizer and entree that I did - they were both very good but for some reason we just weren't WOWED ... I still think Flying Fish and Blue Zoo do seafood better and more creatively. But Narcoossee is a lovely setting and I agree about the wrap-around deck ... a definite highlight!

Have a great holiday and thanks again for the review!

 

[TigerKat]

Great review of Narcoossee's, Shauna. I think you were spot on about the noise level - we noticed that when we ate there in October 2007. You ordered the same appetizer and entree that I did - they were both very good but for some reason we just weren't WOWED ... I still think Flying Fish and Blue Zoo do seafood better and more creatively. But Narcoossee is a lovely setting and I agree about the wrap-around deck ... a definite highlight!

Have a great holiday and thanks again for the review!

Exactly!!!! We went for the first time this past November and what Brenda said is exactly how we felt.

 

[danalee]

Looking forward to more

 

[MiaBella05]

loving your reviews, narcossee is one of my favorite places to eat!

 

[BriarRosie]

Boy, I'm running late to the party.

Pizzafari: I always thought the décor was a heckuva lot better than the food, so I tend to avoid this place. I am determined that my next trip will include either Tusker House or Yak and Yeti.

Narcoosee's: I've only been there once, years ago, and it didn't wow me then. It looked like you had some decent food going on, though. And I have to chime in that the best pork chop I've tasted was at Kona Cafe.

 

[Tracyplus5]

DH is 34 in both human and Disney years. We’ve been together for 10 of those in which time I’ve managed to expand his culinary palate. This means he will now actually consume four types of vegetables (green beans, peas, broccoli and asparagus), raw baby spinach (but no other greens including lettuce), and will try most things at least once before pushing them away. He grew up in Chicago and really enjoys his meat and potatoes but won’t eat any seafood other than shrimp and fried calamari. His mom was a pretty rotten cook that hid things in casseroles so he is wary of mixed dishes and he isn’t too fond of sauce being poured over his food. He also enjoys spicy food but rarely drinks anything other than soda, milk and water.

There is a slim chance that we will be running into DH’s brother and new wife while at the World but we currently have no meals planned with them.

I think we're married to the same man!
A few questions if you don't mind:

1. What is DxDP?

I have the Dining plan option booked for our trip, but while looking over the restaurants I'm finding I'd often rather eat at the places considered TS rather then CS. The only upgrade I could find on the Disney site was the "wine & dine" and since we don't drink and will have our four kiddies with us I'm not interested in that option. Is there another option that allows for another TS meal/day? If so, would you mind telling me what the extra cost is our providing me with a link since I can't seem to find anything about it on the site? I hate calling the booking number to ask questions because they always put me on hold for 3 months at a time.

OK, so I already forgot my other question so I may/moy not edit this with another. sorry. *blush*

I'd appreciate any info regarding the above that you can offer.
TIA!

 

[jedijill]

I think we're married to the same man!
A few questions if you don't mind:

1. What is DxDP?

I have the Dining plan option booked for our trip, but while looking over the restaurants I'm finding I'd often rather eat at the places considered TS rather then CS. The only upgrade I could find on the Disney site was the "wine & dine" and since we don't drink and will have our four kiddies with us I'm not interested in that option. Is there another option that allows for another TS meal/day? If so, would you mind telling me what the extra cost is our providing me with a link since I can't seem to find anything about it on the site? I hate calling the booking number to ask questions because they always put me on hold for 3 months at a time.

OK, so I already forgot my other question so I may/moy not edit this with another. sorry. *blush*

I'd appreciate any info regarding the above that you can offer.
TIA!

I'm not the OP but the DxDP is the Deluxe Dining plan. It is 3 TS credits and 2 snack credits/night plus one refillable mug. It is 69.99/night. I'm trying it out for the first time next month as I perfer TS to CS and I really love the Signature restaurants. It is going to save me a ton over what 3 Signature meals would cost.

Jill in CO

 

[Tracyplus5]

I'm not the OP but the DxDP is the Deluxe Dining plan. It is 3 TS credits and 2 snack credits/night plus one refillable mug. It is 69.99/night. I'm trying it out for the first time next month as I perfer TS to CS and I really love the Signature restaurants. It is going to save me a ton over what 3 Signature meals would cost.

Jill in CO

Thanks Jill!