Dining review 2/19 - 2/26

[mouseclick1]

We recently returned from our President's week trip to WDW. Our party consisted of me, DH, and DSs 14 & 16. We spent the first five nights at BWV, and the final two nights at WL.

Sunday -2/19
Dinner at ESPN club
We arrived around 5:30, and there was a line formed for the dining room area. The seat yourself bar side had no line, so that is where we headed and and got a table for four right away. We have eaten here multiple times before, and I got my usual - nachos. DH and DS16 both got burgers, while DS14 got hot chicken strips. Everything was pretty standard bar food, but DS14 did not like the hot sauce on his chicken. Can't remember the cost - probably somewhere between $50 - $60. Overall pretty good : B.

Monday 2/20
Lunch at Matsunoma Lounge
We have eaten at Teppanyaki before and wanted to try something different in the Japan pavillion. I peeked into Tempura Kiku, but did not care for the way the seating was arranged around the counter. Matsunoma had comfortable tables right up next to the window, and carried the same menu. We arrived before they started seating for lunch, so we walked around and came back at 11:50 and put our name in. We were 3rd on the list. They started seating right at 12:00, and we had a nice window seat. DH, DS16, and I all got a variation of a tempura meal (chicken, shrimp, beef, scallops, fish), while DS14 got raw tuna. I couldn't believe he ordered it, but he did eat the whole thing and said he liked it! No on else would even try it! DH and I ordered drinks (I got the Tokyo sunset), and the boys ordered smoothies. For dessert, DS16 ordered the green tea ice cream. DH thought it was disgusting, but DS and I thought it was interesting. I can't say I loved it, but it was worth trying! We thought everything was very good, and more filling than we thought it would be. The total bill came to $87 with tax. A-

Dinner at Prime Time 50's Cafe
This is the 5th time we've eaten here. We had a 6:35 ADR, but arrived about 25 minutes early due to bad timing. We had a short wait, and they were able to seat us before our original time, which was nice! We had a table with a TV, which is always kind of cool! Our waiter was adequate, but I would say only partially into his character. He seemed pretty busy and wasn't as into the antics as some of the others were. I had the pot roast, and the rest of our party had the fried chicken. I had a pop to drink, DH had a beer, and both boys got the PBJ shakes, which are very yummy! The food was pretty good, but the atmosphere wasn't as much fun as it has been on previous trips (Although Christmas 2003 was the absolute worst!). I think the bill was around $80. Grade: B

I have to cut this short for now but will add more later!

 

[sweetpeakaris]

Great Reviews, Thanks!

 

[jetstrip19]

You mentioned you "peaked in" did you go without ADR's? The reason I ask is becasue we have 2 nights out of my week that I didnt book an ADR.

 

[mouseclick1]

Tuesday
Lunch poolside at BWV
We all had hot dogs and chips by the pool. I really wish BWV would put in a poolside grill and offer better food choices, because what they have is really not that impressive. But, when you want to spend your day lounging around at the pool, you really don't have a choice. DH and I enjoyed some tasty frozen drinks, which were much better than the hot dogs! I can't remember the name of mine, but it had a mandarin orange flavor and was very good! Hot dogs and chips $6.99 each, grade: C Drinks, around $9.00 each, grade A!

Dinner
Fish and chips counter service in Epcot World Showcase
We have been to Rose and Crown before, but decided we prefer to grab the fish and chips and find a fun spot to eat instead. Sometimes we just sit on a bench and people watch. This time we got our food, then found a good spot to watch Illuminations. I love the fish and chips here! I think (sorry, not sure) the bill came to $38, but I could be off a bit. Grade: A (by counter service standards)

Wednesday
Lunch at ESPN
We had a late lunch at ESPN, and once again ate at the seat-yourself-bar-side of the restaurant. Even though we again found a seat right away, it was pretty busy and service was pretty slow. DS14 and I split the nachos, and DS16 ordered a burger, DH ordered the cheesesteak. The food wasn't as good this time. DS ordered his burger without cheese, and the waitress even repeated "no cheese". Sure enough his burger came with cheese and he sent it back. The shredded cheese was not melted on our nachos, and DH said his cheesesteak was only so-so. I think the kitchen must have gotten slammed and we simply hit the restaurant at a bad time. Grade this time around: C+

Dinner
Boardwalk pizza window
We had spent this evening at Downtown Disney and The Adventurer's Club, and didn't return to the Boardwalk area until almost 11:30 (without having eaten dinner yet, though remember, we did have a late lunch!) Most of the Boardwalk is shut down by then, and we were worried that our dinner was going to consist of cereal back in the room! Luckily, the pizza window stays open to 12:00, and they made us two pizzas to take back to the room. They were very friendly, and didn't seem to mind that we were the last pizzas of the night. I know others have said negative things about the Boardwalk pizza, but we have always liked it and tonight was no different. We were so grateful, I would probably give this an A no matter what it tasted like! Total bill - $38 I think. Grade: A (no, really!)

Thursday
Lunch-leftover pizza by the pool. Much better than the hot dogs!

Dinner
Rosie's All American Cafe
I wasn't sure about eating here, and regretted not having an ADR in place for tonight. Everything was better than I thought it would be. DS16 got the chicken strips, while the rest of us had burgers. Not bad for a quick dinner, and we had more time to see the attractions. Price was under $40. Grade: B+

Friday
Lunch at Casey"s in the Magic Kingdom
I love the hot dogs here, maybe it's the atmosphere - I don't know. It was pretty chilly on Friday, so we ate inside. I actually didn't even know there was indoor seating here, but was very glad to find it! There are only a handful of tables and two bleacher-like seating areas. Don't know how much we spent. Grade: A-

Dinner
Liberty Tree Tavern in Magic Kingdom
We have done quite a few character dinners and wanted to try something knew. We loved it here, and decided it was one of our best meals on teh trip. The characters are Goofy, Pluto, Chip and Dale, and Minnie. They are dressed in colonial outfits and were very playful throughout the meal. Pluto was quite the ham, and was very entertaining to watch even when he was visiting other tables. Sometimes he would mess around with the other characters in teh center of the restaurant. Dinner was served family-style, and consisted of bread, salad, turkey, ham, beef, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and mac and cheese. Everyone liked the beef the best, though I think DS14's favorite is still the mac and cheese. There are some things you never outgrow! Dessert was apple cobbler, which was quite yummy! I would highly recommend this to anyone who is looking for a fun character meal. Bill was $120. Grade: A

Saturday
Noodle Terrace at MK
This was my least favorite meal of the trip. Everyone else thought it was OK, but I didn't really like it at all. I got the chicken noodle bowl, and thought it was kind of gross. The chicken was fatty, and I had to use a knife to trim it before eating it. DS16 got the beef and broccoli, and he thought it was good. DH got the chicken teriyaki and thought it was OK, though his was kind of fatty too. DS14 got the standard chicken strips and fries, and this is the kid who ate the raw tuna at Matsunoma! Price was somewhere around $40, give or take a few dollars. This won't be a place I will be returning to, and give it a C.

Dinner
Concourse Steak House Contemporary
My original plan was to eat at Artist Point in the WL, and had an ADR in place for 6:35. I have heard such wonderful things about the restaurant and thought the menu looked good. However, when I had my boys (that includes DH) look at the menu at the hotel, they all voted it down. I ended up cancelling AP, and got a last minute ADR for Concourse Steak House for 8:10 pm. We all ordered the filet mignon, which was quite good. DS ordered the lobster bisque as an appetizer, and DH ordered a skewer of five shrimp along with his steak. Both DSs had smoothies, I had a raspberry martini, and DH had a drink (don't remember what it was called). Everything was going fine, when all of the sudden the poor little girl at the table next to us threw up all over the place. The family left right away, but there was quite a mess to clean up on the carpeted floor next to our table. The manager came over to our table and was quite apologetic, though we knew it was no one's fault, especially not the restaurant's. Our waiter came by shortly after that and said, "I take it no one wants dessert?" The manager actually gave us a discount off our meal, which wasn't necessary, but who are we to argue? Total bill before discount: $164. Grade: A

Sunday
Breakfast Whispering Canyon Cafe WL
As you may have noticed, this was our only breakfast out on our trip. Our other breakfasts consisted of ceareal, oatmeal, and muffins in the room. We had been to WCC for dinner twice before, but this was our first breakfast here. It was great, and I think I like it better for breakfast than dinner. They were really crowded when we got there. We checked in about 10 minutes early, and still weren't seated until about 20 minutes past our ADR time of 9:30. Our waiter was a lot of fun, and it seemed like almost all of the waitstaff was really into character. Lots of ketchup calls, goofy announcements, and a few people being slightly picked on here and there. It was all in good fun, and the kids seemed to enjoy the horse race around the restaurant (not MY kids, the little ones!) DH and the boys split the all you can eat breakfast, served family style in a skillet, and I had the french toast. The french toast was really good, and I would definitely recommend it if you are not into the all you can eat meal. Total cost - $50. Grade A-


Final thoughts - the parks were very busy, and many restaurants were not accepting people without ADRs. I'm glad we mixed up our trip with some ADRs and some counter service meals. It allowed us to be more flexible, yet still get in some decent sit-down meals.

Well, that's about it! Thanks for reading!

 

[mouseclick1]

You mentioned you "peaked in" did you go without ADR's? The reason I ask is becasue we have 2 nights out of my week that I didnt book an ADR.

They don't accept ADRs at Tempura Kiku or Matsunoma Lounge. We knew we were going to eat at one of them, but didn't decide until we got there. I just liked the seating at the lounge better. We did make some ADRs, but also left some meals open so we could be flexible.

 

[1princessesmom]

Great reviews! WE were there the exact days you were!!! I'm glad you had a great time!!

 

[swankybeth]

Thanks for sharing your reviews, I enjoyed reading them.

 

[DisneycrazedX6]

Great reviews!!! Thank you! I do have to ask you what you thought of the Pizza at the take out window. We had it one rainy night when no one wanted to go out and we thought it was AWFUL. No one would eat it and we ended up eating cereal, we stayed at the BWV also.

 

[BBGirl]

Dinner
Concourse Steak House Contemporary
My original plan was to eat at Artist Point in the WL, and had an ADR in place for 6:35. I have heard such wonderful things about the restaurant and thought the menu looked good. However, when I had my boys (that includes DH) look at the menu at the hotel, they all voted it down. I ended up cancelling AP, and got a last minute ADR for Concourse Steak House for 8:10 pm. We all ordered the filet mignon, which was quite good. Both DSs had smoothies, I had a raspberry martini, and DH had a drink (don't remember what it was called). Everything was going fine, when all of the sudden the poor little girl at the table next to us threw up all over the place. The family left right away, but there was quite a mess to clean up on the carpeted floor next to our table. The manager came over to our table and was quite apologetic, though we knew it was no one's fault, especially not the restaurant's. Our waiter came by shortly after that and said, "I take it no one wants dessert?" The manager actually gave us a discount off our meal, which wasn't necessary, but who are we to argue? Total bill before discount: $164. Grade: A

That's too weird we had the same thing happen there only she threw up all over me. They must have this happen often.

 

[mom2fivecs]

Thanks for sharing...great reviews.

 

[goofy4wdw2]

Great reviews!! Thanks for the warning about Noodle Terrace. I am very particular about my meat, so fatty chicken would not go over well with me. I think we'll have to try WCC for breakfast sometime!

 

[Amy&Dan]

Great reviews!! Thanks for the warning about Noodle Terrace. I am very particular about my meat, so fatty chicken would not go over well with me. I think we'll have to try WCC for breakfast sometime!

You are smart to stay away then as I has the same fatty, nasty chicken the OP did! The only truly bad meal I have had at WDW. And the only time DH didn't finish off my food in the history of our 14 year marriage!

To the OP, thank you for the great reviews. We also love Liberty Tree Tavern, its our favorite character meal. Sounds like you had a great trip, we are also staying at BWV in April, I will make a note to find something to eat for lunch on pool days besides their hotdogs!

 

[Minniespal]

Enjoyed reading your reviews ~ Thanx for posting.

 

[Ron from Michigan]

Thanks for the reviews. I enjoyed reading them.

 

[TwingleMum]

We recently returned from our President's week trip to WDW. Our party consisted of me, DH, and DSs 14 & 16. We spent the first five nights at BWV, and the final two nights at WL.



Dinner at Prime Time 50's Cafe
This is the 5th time we've eaten here. We had a 6:35 ADR, but arrived about 25 minutes early due to bad timing. We had a short wait, and they were able to seat us before our original time, which was nice! We had a table with a TV, which is always kind of cool! Our waiter was adequate, but I would say only partially into his character. He seemed pretty busy and wasn't as into the antics as some of the others were. I had the pot roast, and the rest of our party had the fried chicken. I had a pop to drink, DH had a ber, and both boys got the PBJ shakes, which are very yummy! The food was pretty good, but the atmosphere wasn't as much fun as it has been on previous trips (Although Christmas 2003 was the absolute worst!). I think the bill was around $80. Grade: B

!

Could you tell me alittle more about the pot roast?? What kind of veggies and gravy?? Thanks

 

[SeaSpray]

Great reviews, thanks!!

 

[wdwthanksgiving]

thanks for your reviews - really enjoyed reading them!

 

[lillygator]

thanks for the reviews...we are hoping to get into ESPN this weekend......gotta get me some beer with the celebs ya know!!

We also like 50's PTC, we have a lunch ADR there Saturday!

 

[jjohnson]

Thank you for the reviews. Do you remember what other lunch offerings there were at the BW pool?

 

[mouseclick1]

Great reviews!!! Thank you! I do have to ask you what you thought of the Pizza at the take out window. We had it one rainy night when no one wanted to go out and we thought it was AWFUL. No one would eat it and we ended up eating cereal, we stayed at the BWV also.

Actually we liked it! I don't know, maybe it depends on who's making it, but we have eaten there on several different trips and have never had a bad pizza. Or maybe we are weird!

=TwingleMum]Could you tell me alittle more about the pot roast?? What kind of veggies and gravy?? Thanks

It is served with carrot slices over mashed potatoes. A brown gravy is then served over the meal. I have always liked it, but my sister-in-law was with us once and didn't care for it. She said it was too "meaty".

=jjohnson]Thank you for the reviews. Do you remember what other lunch offerings there were at the BW pool?

In addition to hot dogs, they had sandwiches (sorry, I don't know what kind), and nachos with cheese sauce. The nachos were the kind you would get at a ballgame - chips and cheese sauce on the side.