rcyannacci
<font color="purple">A Feminist Princess...tiaras
- Joined
- Jul 1, 2000
- Messages
- 2,605
Back from a fantastic trip (12/11-12/17) and had some wonderful dining experiences! My hubby (Bender) and I traveled with another couple (Shannon and Stephan)
Saturday, arrived at POFQ by 2:00
Lunch: Sassagoula Floatworks and Food Factory
After checking in at the POFQ, we were starved for lunch and went directly to the food court. Basic fare, but pretty good. I had the chicken taco salad- could have used some more lettuce, but the chicken had a nice flavor. Shannon (the good one) had the chicken Caesar salad, Stephan had a hamburger, and Ron had the Muffaletta sandwich. We ate kind of fast because we were eager to go out resort hopping and looking at X-mas decorations.
Dinner: 'Ohana (PS at 7:30)
We checked into the podium around 7:00, after touring the resorts. Wed already had a glass of wine at Wilderness Lodge, and were hungry. We only got hungrier as we waited, and waited, and waited. Around 7:45 we went back to the podium and they said it would be twenty more minutes. At 8:15, we were told 10 more minutes. We were finally seated at 8:30 and, in our grumpy state, werent amused by the Hello cousins! lines. And we never received an explanation as to why we were seated an hour late. I didnt want to make a big fuss since it was our first night and our friend had never been to WDW before, but it was not an ideal start to the vacation.
Now, this is one of my favorite restaurants at WDW, but it was really hard to get excited about the meal when youre angry and starving. We ripped into the pineapple bread and had devoured it by the time the appetizer tray arrived- green beans with bacon and caramelized red onions, fried wontons with shrimp, honeyed chicken wings, fried rice, salad with ginger dressing, and three sauces- pineapple (my favorite, especially dipped with the bread), peanut (really good with the pork), and cilantro ginger (really good with the beef). We all liked the wontons and wings and got a second tray. Im a big fan of green beans and these were excellent. Still crispy and very flavorful. The meat skewers were- beef, pork, shrimp, and turkey. The shrimp were excellent, if a little hard to peel after grilled. The beef was good, but a little too done for my taste.
Ive always recommended Ohanas to people, but I may hesitate now. I was really put off by waiting an hour, and while the food was good, it wasnt fantastic. Ill go again, to be sure, but I wont be recommending it with as high praise as I have in the past.
Sunday, Epcot and MGM
Lunch: Le Cellier (No PS)
We didnt make many PSs for lunch since we wanted to take it easy this trip and have some flexibility. But since we were at Epcot and Id heard so many rave reviews on this restaurant on this board, I called to see if a PS was possible for lunch. This is the only time Ive called WDWDINE and known more than the person on the other line. After 10 minutes of meandering, she finally told me that no PSs were available that day. No problem, we just went straight to the restaurant and put our name on the list. After 10 minutes of taking picture in the beautiful Canada gardens (really stunning landscaping!), we had a table!
I guess wed never been to this place because we are big fans of Rose and Crown, but Im now converted! Awesome meal! We all started with the cheddar cheese soup and pretzel bread, splitting 2 cups between the 2 couples. Id made this at home before and knew how good it would be, but it was really great with the pretzel bread. We were seated in the Alberta section and the themeing was lovely. The restaurant was packed, but not too loud. Bender and I then split the Prime Rib sandwich- soooo good! Crispy roll, tender shaved beef, an au jus for dipping. The French fries on the side were perfect- crispy on the outside and fluffy inside (no comparison to the fries in the counter service places). Shannon and Stephan split the Sirloin sandwich with a tomato cucumber salad on the side and loved it as well.
Since we split everything, the total bill was comparably low (around $27 per couple). For a little over counter-service prices, we had a great meal and left full!
Dinner: Bomas (PS at 6:30)
We were excited about trying some new places this trip, and this was one of the dinners we were most excited about. My only reservation going in was that I dislike curry, but I was assured by many here that Id have no problem finding plenty to eat.
After the Ohanas seating debacle the night before, I was so pleased to be almost immediately seated. Our server was great (sorry- forgot his name), and recommended some good African beers to try. I had originally told him that I wanted to try the cider, but he asked me what I usually drank (Strongbows) and he said that what they had would be too bitter and steered me towards a lager. Bender and Stephan had a darker ale.
Great buffet with so many choices! Our server pointed us towards some of the house specialties, like the watermelon rind salad and the magalatani soup (the first was interesting but not my favorite, the second was great- sweet, creamy, and flavorful). I thought the prime rib was excellent and Bender really enjoyed the salmon and the seafood stew. We loved the flat bread with choice of hummus dips. One had kalamata olives and stood out among the rest. Great falafel with a sweet yogurt dip!
The highlight of the meal was the dessert buffet. After reading about it here, I saved room and Im glad it did! The zebra domes were as good as everyone says- I had expected something really cakey, but I loved the smooth consistency of the filling and the lightness of the wafer underneath. They also had chocolate mousse on a chocolate cookie wafer, little cheesecake circles, and some wonderful banana bread pudding with warm vanilla sauce.
We all rolled away from the table and walked around the resort, ending the evening sitting around the fire pit in the back. Perfect dining experience!
(Reviews to come: Cinderella's Royal Breakfast, Hoop De Doo, Rose and Crown, Spoodles, Liberty Tree Tavern, and much, much more!)
links to:
Days 3 & 4: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=700232
Days 5, 6, & 7: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=700659
Saturday, arrived at POFQ by 2:00
Lunch: Sassagoula Floatworks and Food Factory
After checking in at the POFQ, we were starved for lunch and went directly to the food court. Basic fare, but pretty good. I had the chicken taco salad- could have used some more lettuce, but the chicken had a nice flavor. Shannon (the good one) had the chicken Caesar salad, Stephan had a hamburger, and Ron had the Muffaletta sandwich. We ate kind of fast because we were eager to go out resort hopping and looking at X-mas decorations.
Dinner: 'Ohana (PS at 7:30)
We checked into the podium around 7:00, after touring the resorts. Wed already had a glass of wine at Wilderness Lodge, and were hungry. We only got hungrier as we waited, and waited, and waited. Around 7:45 we went back to the podium and they said it would be twenty more minutes. At 8:15, we were told 10 more minutes. We were finally seated at 8:30 and, in our grumpy state, werent amused by the Hello cousins! lines. And we never received an explanation as to why we were seated an hour late. I didnt want to make a big fuss since it was our first night and our friend had never been to WDW before, but it was not an ideal start to the vacation.
Now, this is one of my favorite restaurants at WDW, but it was really hard to get excited about the meal when youre angry and starving. We ripped into the pineapple bread and had devoured it by the time the appetizer tray arrived- green beans with bacon and caramelized red onions, fried wontons with shrimp, honeyed chicken wings, fried rice, salad with ginger dressing, and three sauces- pineapple (my favorite, especially dipped with the bread), peanut (really good with the pork), and cilantro ginger (really good with the beef). We all liked the wontons and wings and got a second tray. Im a big fan of green beans and these were excellent. Still crispy and very flavorful. The meat skewers were- beef, pork, shrimp, and turkey. The shrimp were excellent, if a little hard to peel after grilled. The beef was good, but a little too done for my taste.
Ive always recommended Ohanas to people, but I may hesitate now. I was really put off by waiting an hour, and while the food was good, it wasnt fantastic. Ill go again, to be sure, but I wont be recommending it with as high praise as I have in the past.
Sunday, Epcot and MGM
Lunch: Le Cellier (No PS)
We didnt make many PSs for lunch since we wanted to take it easy this trip and have some flexibility. But since we were at Epcot and Id heard so many rave reviews on this restaurant on this board, I called to see if a PS was possible for lunch. This is the only time Ive called WDWDINE and known more than the person on the other line. After 10 minutes of meandering, she finally told me that no PSs were available that day. No problem, we just went straight to the restaurant and put our name on the list. After 10 minutes of taking picture in the beautiful Canada gardens (really stunning landscaping!), we had a table!
I guess wed never been to this place because we are big fans of Rose and Crown, but Im now converted! Awesome meal! We all started with the cheddar cheese soup and pretzel bread, splitting 2 cups between the 2 couples. Id made this at home before and knew how good it would be, but it was really great with the pretzel bread. We were seated in the Alberta section and the themeing was lovely. The restaurant was packed, but not too loud. Bender and I then split the Prime Rib sandwich- soooo good! Crispy roll, tender shaved beef, an au jus for dipping. The French fries on the side were perfect- crispy on the outside and fluffy inside (no comparison to the fries in the counter service places). Shannon and Stephan split the Sirloin sandwich with a tomato cucumber salad on the side and loved it as well.
Since we split everything, the total bill was comparably low (around $27 per couple). For a little over counter-service prices, we had a great meal and left full!
Dinner: Bomas (PS at 6:30)
We were excited about trying some new places this trip, and this was one of the dinners we were most excited about. My only reservation going in was that I dislike curry, but I was assured by many here that Id have no problem finding plenty to eat.
After the Ohanas seating debacle the night before, I was so pleased to be almost immediately seated. Our server was great (sorry- forgot his name), and recommended some good African beers to try. I had originally told him that I wanted to try the cider, but he asked me what I usually drank (Strongbows) and he said that what they had would be too bitter and steered me towards a lager. Bender and Stephan had a darker ale.
Great buffet with so many choices! Our server pointed us towards some of the house specialties, like the watermelon rind salad and the magalatani soup (the first was interesting but not my favorite, the second was great- sweet, creamy, and flavorful). I thought the prime rib was excellent and Bender really enjoyed the salmon and the seafood stew. We loved the flat bread with choice of hummus dips. One had kalamata olives and stood out among the rest. Great falafel with a sweet yogurt dip!
The highlight of the meal was the dessert buffet. After reading about it here, I saved room and Im glad it did! The zebra domes were as good as everyone says- I had expected something really cakey, but I loved the smooth consistency of the filling and the lightness of the wafer underneath. They also had chocolate mousse on a chocolate cookie wafer, little cheesecake circles, and some wonderful banana bread pudding with warm vanilla sauce.
We all rolled away from the table and walked around the resort, ending the evening sitting around the fire pit in the back. Perfect dining experience!
(Reviews to come: Cinderella's Royal Breakfast, Hoop De Doo, Rose and Crown, Spoodles, Liberty Tree Tavern, and much, much more!)
links to:
Days 3 & 4: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=700232
Days 5, 6, & 7: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=700659
