FigNewton
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Mar 14, 2006
- Messages
- 1,270
Nov 25 - This was our first trip to Chefs de France. Prior to our arrival I'd read several threads about the food being lack luster, and the staff being rude. Thankfully that was not our experience. My lobster bisque was excellent, as was my roast duck. My wife was incredibly pleased with her tomato / goat cheese tarte... while she didn't enjoy the grilled salmon as much, it was still quite acceptable. Our server was polite and friendly, and the maitre'de offered warm and friendly welcome to each and every incoming guest. It was a positive experience and we'll likely be back, even if not on the next trip.
Nov 26 - This was our anniversary night and we revisited Le Cellier, our favorite dinner from the previous year. While the steaks were still excellently cooked we were disturbed by the new shrimp cocktail. Instead of the previous 6 or so large tender shrimp with a modest helping of wasabi slaw in the center served in a martini glass, we received a mound of small tough shrimp atop a watery spoonfull of wasabi slaw that we had to dig to find. To top it off the creme brulee was cold. A very disappointing dinner.
Nov 27 - Our first visit to California Grill. This was truly a fantastic experience and we will definitely return. We received a window table for two just before the castle was lit for the evening and the fireworks started just as we were served our appetizers. For appetizer I ordered the Hurricane Roll which was a tasty combination of flavors but I especially appreciated the fried calamari with which it was topped. My wife ordered the goat cheese ravioli, which may well have been the best piece of pasta to enter my mouth. I would be happy to eat several of these for an entree. Likewise our grilled pork tenderloin and red snapper were perfectly cooked. The polenta with the pork was wonderfully seasoned, and the coconut curry was an awesome match for the perfectly cooked red snapper fillet. We ended with the Banana and Butterscotch Buzz and the Valrhona chocolate and Coffee. The custard of the Buzz turned out to be a little rich for me but it was quite delicious. The white coffee ice cream of my wife's selection was the clear winner for me in our dessert selections. This was easily the best meal I've had on WDW property and we can't wait to go back. California Grill is definitely now a mandatory for our next trip.
Nov 28 - after the rich dining experiences of the previous three days, we went with something light, a couple bowls of soup and a shared order of onion rings at Sci-Fi dine in before heading home.
Nov 29 - Our first dinner at Boma - previously when we stayed at AKL we'd only had Boma for breakfast, which we had enjoyed. This year though we were staying at Coronado Springs, and decided to have dinner at Boma mostly so we could visit Animal Kingdom Lodge. My favorite selection was the Peanut Rice... I'm a noted fiend for peanut sauce dishes served with rice, and this got me right down to the business without mucking about in an intermediary vehicle for the flavor. I didn't much care for the watermelon rind salad, another dish I'd been anxious to sample. This is entirely on my taste preferences though - I'd expected the flavor to resemble that of the fruit more, and less of the pickeled variety. Unfortunately I've just never been a fan of sweet pickles. The best moment however was the zebra dome, a first for me. I can see why it has such outspoken fans. Overall we enjoyed the meal, but we probably won't be back unless we are staying at AKL.
Nov 30 - I know it's changed in recent years, but it's our standby farewell dinner for our last night of vacation. Ohana is still quite enjoyable for us, even though we feel quite guilty over the ridiculous portions wasted on a two person table. The only thing I can report this time is I skipped the pork and the sausage, sticking with the steak and turkey. Ohana is pretty consistent night in and night out I suppose, serving the exact same meal to every diner every evening.
A pretty good week over all. Had a little bump at Le Cellier, enough to likely put us off on the next trip, but that's alright, there are other places we'd like to try and retry around the World Showcase anyway.
Nov 26 - This was our anniversary night and we revisited Le Cellier, our favorite dinner from the previous year. While the steaks were still excellently cooked we were disturbed by the new shrimp cocktail. Instead of the previous 6 or so large tender shrimp with a modest helping of wasabi slaw in the center served in a martini glass, we received a mound of small tough shrimp atop a watery spoonfull of wasabi slaw that we had to dig to find. To top it off the creme brulee was cold. A very disappointing dinner.
Nov 27 - Our first visit to California Grill. This was truly a fantastic experience and we will definitely return. We received a window table for two just before the castle was lit for the evening and the fireworks started just as we were served our appetizers. For appetizer I ordered the Hurricane Roll which was a tasty combination of flavors but I especially appreciated the fried calamari with which it was topped. My wife ordered the goat cheese ravioli, which may well have been the best piece of pasta to enter my mouth. I would be happy to eat several of these for an entree. Likewise our grilled pork tenderloin and red snapper were perfectly cooked. The polenta with the pork was wonderfully seasoned, and the coconut curry was an awesome match for the perfectly cooked red snapper fillet. We ended with the Banana and Butterscotch Buzz and the Valrhona chocolate and Coffee. The custard of the Buzz turned out to be a little rich for me but it was quite delicious. The white coffee ice cream of my wife's selection was the clear winner for me in our dessert selections. This was easily the best meal I've had on WDW property and we can't wait to go back. California Grill is definitely now a mandatory for our next trip.
Nov 28 - after the rich dining experiences of the previous three days, we went with something light, a couple bowls of soup and a shared order of onion rings at Sci-Fi dine in before heading home.
Nov 29 - Our first dinner at Boma - previously when we stayed at AKL we'd only had Boma for breakfast, which we had enjoyed. This year though we were staying at Coronado Springs, and decided to have dinner at Boma mostly so we could visit Animal Kingdom Lodge. My favorite selection was the Peanut Rice... I'm a noted fiend for peanut sauce dishes served with rice, and this got me right down to the business without mucking about in an intermediary vehicle for the flavor. I didn't much care for the watermelon rind salad, another dish I'd been anxious to sample. This is entirely on my taste preferences though - I'd expected the flavor to resemble that of the fruit more, and less of the pickeled variety. Unfortunately I've just never been a fan of sweet pickles. The best moment however was the zebra dome, a first for me. I can see why it has such outspoken fans. Overall we enjoyed the meal, but we probably won't be back unless we are staying at AKL.
Nov 30 - I know it's changed in recent years, but it's our standby farewell dinner for our last night of vacation. Ohana is still quite enjoyable for us, even though we feel quite guilty over the ridiculous portions wasted on a two person table. The only thing I can report this time is I skipped the pork and the sausage, sticking with the steak and turkey. Ohana is pretty consistent night in and night out I suppose, serving the exact same meal to every diner every evening.
A pretty good week over all. Had a little bump at Le Cellier, enough to likely put us off on the next trip, but that's alright, there are other places we'd like to try and retry around the World Showcase anyway.
