Dining Review for 2 Birthday Ladies, Aug 3-9

[Maine_Belle]

On August 9th, Mom and I returned from our one week birthday extravaganza vacation at the House of Mouse. We had a ton of fun, sweat our butts off, and ate like queens!

Food is a passion for me and I was nervous about a vacation at a large money making, people herding machine like WDW, but I am happy to say we had nothing but wonderful experiences. Meals, presentation, atmosphere, and service were all top notch almost without exception.

Below is where and what we ate- from what I can remember 3 weeks later! Reviews will be added, along with some pictures here and there, as I can get through this. We were not on any dining plan nor were we taking advantage of any discounts- just straight out of pocket dining! All ADRs (where necessary) were made a couple of months ahead of time except for The Wave and Kona, which were made on property. I got all meals that I wanted, at the times that I wanted, under the 60 day mark without problem.

Sun 8-3:
Lunch at Captain Cook's (Poly)
Dinner at Citricos (GF)

Mon 8-4:
Lunch at Akershus Princess Banquet (Epcot: Norway)
Dinner at Tambu Lounge (Poly)

Tue 8-5:
Lunch at Columbia Harbor House (MK)
Dinner at San Angel Inn (Epcot: Mexico)
Snacking at Boulangerie Patisserie (Epcot: France)

Wed 8-6:
Lunch at The Wave (Contemp)
Dinner at 50’s Prime Time Café

Thu 8-7:
Lunch at Yorkshire County Fish Shop (Epcot: UK)
Dinner at Restaurant Marrakesh (Epcot: Morocco)
Drinking in France, Germany

Fri 8-8:
Dinner at Todd English’s Bluezoo (Dolphin)

Sat 8-9:
Breakfast at Kona Café (Poly)

 

[Maine_Belle]

Mom and I arrived at the Polynesian hot and tired from New England right around lunchtime our first day. We got checked in and opted to get some quick chow before hopefully getting into our room and then hitting the park. (This turned out to not work so well… checked in around 1:45, ate, wandered around the hot grounds stupidly lugging our carry-on bags until the room was finally ready after 4, then decided to just hang out and go to dinner then the park. Lesson learned- give bags to bell services.)

Anyway, we thought a quick stop in at Captain Cooks would be just what the doctor ordered. I got the Hawaiian flatbread pizza and Mom got a turkey club sandwich with some side that I can't remember! They were both good. Nothing great, but it’s counter service and I’m not expecting the sommelier to come and recommend a wine with my slice! It was a little slow getting the food, but what we had was fresh, at a good temperature, and reasonably priced.

Food: A
Service: A-
Atmosphere: B (tables were hard to come by inside where the A/C was)
Value: A
Overall: A This filled us up and got us on our way, full and satisfied.

 

[Maine_Belle]

Since Mom and I are both big on food, we wanted to start the trip off with a bang for the first dinner. Based on our desire to hit MK our first night and the reviews I found, Citricos seemed to be a perfect fit. After getting into the room and cleaning up into our cute outfits, we popped over one monorail spot to the lovely Grand Floridian. As a surprise, I had arranged for a mini castle cake to be delivered to Mom. When I checked in and slipped the hostess a note double checking everything was set, she nodded, smiled and said everything is great.

She wasn't kidding! We were seated just beyond the kitchen in a quiet room. (Our ADR was for 7:30 and I think we were around 15-25 minutes early.) The waiter came over with the menus, and to our mutual surprise, they had taken it upon themselves to print up special menus that said "Happy Birthday Mom" at the top. Mom was thrilled!

The magic continued when our server told us the chef had prepared a complimentary appetizer for us for Mom's birthday- a tiny plate of gnocci like pasta pieces with sun-dried tomatoes and light goat cheese! It was just enough for 3 small bites, but it was fantastic- just enough to whet the appetite. Chef Jose (I think that was his name!) came over to say hello and ask if we had any questions. We spoke for a few minutes and were left again. After ordering our appetizer off the menu, we had the pleasure of being welcomed by the manager. All this attention- we felt like celebrities!

Over the course of the meal, our server was the epitome of class and attentiveness. The chef visited twice more- each time receiving such praise from us both about the amazing food. The lights were dimmed as we leisurely enjoyed the entire gastronomic evening. It was the perfect start to the week.

Appetizer:
Gateau of Crab, served with Orange Fennel Cream and Tomato Fennel Slaw
Oh my head, this was superb. The server had told us this was a favorite of the chef, and when Jose came to visit we told him it was now one of ours too. All the flavors were distinct, but the blending was subtle and like they were made to go together. We cleaned every morsel off our plates! We started the evening off with a white wine for Mom and a peach Bellini for me- yum!

Entrees:
Rotisserie Pork Tenderloin with Mushroom Risotto and Salad (Mom) and Golden Tile Fish with Pasta, Black Olives and Basil Coulis (Me)
After our first two courses, it was no surprise that these were fantastic. I don’t remember many specifics of the dishes, but I can tell you there was a lot of Mmmms and Yummms coming from our table as we discussed the plates in front of us and chatted about other delicious foods we’d both eaten lately. Mom raved about the risotto- and the bite I tried was delish. My fish was light and flaky, and I loved the tang of olives and freshness of basil. Everything was cooked to perfection, presented in a lovely but not flashy way, and the flavors melted in our mouths. We both got the recommended wines for our plates- both were fantastic.

Dessert:
Mini castle cake in chocolate, special ordered ahead of time
Mom was beyond surprised when our server brought over dessert on not one, but two decorated plates with script wishing her a happy birthday. The little cake was perfect for the two of us- we couldn't even finish it! And the poor white chocolate castle on top was left behind as a hot Florida evening in the Magic Kingdom and chocolate simply don't fit together well. But the dense dark chocolate mousse covered by a light buttercream (I think?) frosting was heavenly.

Food: A++
Service: A++
Atmosphere: A+
Value: A
Overall: A+ - Highly recommended for a sophisticated meal in a lovely atmosphere.

PICTURES TO COME

 

[iluvpluto27]

Enjoying your reviews. I adored that gateau of crab starter last year, it was such an awesome combination of flavours and it literally melted in your mouth.

 

[butiflfeet]

Great reviews so far! I am so excited about dinner at Citricos during our next trip!

 

[mcrabeck]

Great Start- looking forward to more!

 

[TigerKat]

Great start, Citricos sounded wonderful! I can't wait to read your thoughts on Blue Zoo.

 

[John's Mom]

Great start! Waiting for more...

 

[Angelrose]

Everything sounds so YUMMY. Can't wait to read more.

 

[luvpooh]

sounds great so far! I'm looking forward to reading your reviews, we are going to be eating at some of the same places on our next trip! Keep it up!

 

[Maine_Belle]

I admit it- I’m the 30 year old that wanted to dine with Disney royalty. I wanted to meet Belle, and schmooze with the princesses, and have a place to wear my wedding tiara and not look like a total loony. I got all of those things as well as a unique and tasty meal!

There is plenty of info out there about how the princess interaction goes- so I’m not going to get into it too much. I can tell you that Belle was the greeter/ photo op, and we were joined by Ariel, Jasmine, Aurora (pink dress), and the Grand Dame Cindy. I found out that Ariel doesn't eat seafood- only seaweed- but didn’t mind that I was, princesses of Agrabah most certainly are allowed to and enjoy bellydancing, Cindy’s least favorite chore is scrubbing floors (agreed), and Aurora doesn’t care if you call her Aurora, Briar Rose, or Sleeping Beauty- just don't call her late for dinner!. Ariel and Aurora were a hoot- we got some great interaction with them!

As for the food, I personally loved everything except my beverage. Mom avoided a lot of the buffet (she’s not a big fan of some fish- especially ones she doesn’t know) but enjoyed her meal. This was the only package meal or buffet we did- it isn’t really our style but we made the most of it.

Appetizers:
From the buffet, I sampled the cheeses, beet & apple salad, smoked salmon with dill cream cheese, pickled herring (or was it mackerel?), shrimp salad, and potato salad. I honestly liked everything. The only totally new item for me was the pickled fish, and I thought it was tasty. The beet and apple salad was probably my favorite- I love both foods and they were great together. I avoided the common options- salad, deli meat- and think that if someone were looking to fill up on the buffet but weren’t adventurous, they'd be sorely disappointed.

Entrees:
I got the Traditional Kjottkaker and the Oslo cocktail and Mom had I think a salmon sandwich with a Carlsberg beer. My meal was kind of like a form of meatloaf, shaped into a patty. It was beef and lamb and spices all mixed together. It came with garlic mashed potatoes, some spears of asparagus, and a dollop of lignonberry sauce. My cocktail was a frozen, sugary mess. I wanted to try something fairly traditional- I mean when am I going to get to Norway in the near future. The server was a delight, but not much help with the recommendations- she offered the glowtini as a good choice- so I ended up with this concoction that included creme de banana. Not so traditional. Don't get me wrong though- I still drank it all! Mom's was good, but I don't remember her comments- I was too excited about princesses! Both entrees were well received and we ate as much as we could.

Dessert:
The standard dessert for this meal is a sampling of 3 Norwegian desserts. On top of this more than ample spread, we were gifted a birthday cupcake each! (We had on our bday buttons.) Holy schmoly, 5 desserts for 2 full women… needless to say, we could hardly fit in the bites we wanted! The three desserts were incredible. First was a cappuccino flavored cheesecake- yum. Next was a light rice pudding with lignonberry sauce and a spun sugar decoration- double yum for not being too sweet. This was Mom's favorite. The last was a thinly layered sponge cake with custard filling- very yum. I couldn't pick my favorite and we tried valiantly to cram as much down as we could, but we couldn't even get through half together! I took my cupcake to go.

Food: A
Service: A
Atmosphere: A
Value: A- (It's pretty pricey, especially since we don’t eat a ton but do like to have an adult beverage with a meal. But the princesses are where you are spending your money here- for that the value is A+.)
Overall: A+ We had a blast, tried new & delicious foods, and got to hang out with the ladies in a stone hall with flickering “candlelight.”

 

[Maine_Belle]

We had decided before we left that we were going to wing dinner this night. Between what we had anticipated (correctly) to be both a rich dinner at Citricos and a filling lunch at Akershus, we figured we’d be fine doing counter service somewhere. Mom had the good idea to check out the lounge at our home base, the Polynesian, to see if we could enjoy tropical beverages and heavy appetizers at the bar. She was right on.

We sat at the bar and ordered our drinks- pina colada for her, Lapu Lapu for me. The bartender when through 5 pineapples before finding one that wasn’t leaking! When he settled on the last, the drink he had already mixed didn’t fit in the smaller “glass” so I ended up with a pineapple plus small glass of what seemed to be mostly rum with some juice thrown in for good measure! Woo-whee, that is one strong drink! I couldn’t finish all of it, but it was tasty and who doesn’t love drinking out of hollowed out fruit? Mom’s pina was only ok she reported, though she drank most of it without complaint!

We ordered both the Lettuce Wraps and the Crab Cakes for our light dinner. The 3 small crab cakes were good- nothing fancy, but fresh and flavorful. I think it had some sort of pinapple relish, but I could make the same thing at home. The lettuce wraps though were excellent. Mom hasn’t had that type of meal before and we both gobbled them down. Large crisp lettuce leaves were filled with grilled chicken, cabbage, and um, carrots and then dipped in a delicious peanut sauce. Perfectly Pacific finger food. We could have ordered 3 plates and been happy.

Food: A
Service: A (The bartenders and patrons were good company and we were well attended to at the bar.)
Atmosphere: A- (It is a lounge outside a popular restaurant, not a signature sit down experience. Given that, it was quite nice as we didn’t feel jostled or hurried.)
Value: A
Overall: A Fast, different, and highly alcoholic- just what we were looking for in a tropical bar meal!

 

[Maine_Belle]

I had read on the boards that CHH was a hidden gem- good food with a relatively peaceful seating area hidden upstairs. After an early start at the Magic Kingdom, we were hot and ready to refuel somewhere cool where we didn’t feel obliged to eat heavy fried foods. I recommended we eat here and it was ideal.

Though ordering was a big chaotic and slow, as most large counter service places seem to be, the food we got was quite tasty. We both got the tuna salad sandwiches that came with kettle style potato chips- thick and crunchy. I sent Mom up to locate a table upstairs while I waited, as the place seemed to be filling up quickly. Imagine my pleasant surprise when I arrived at the top of the stairs, tray in hand, to find table after table wide open! Mom and I snagged a table by the window overlooking the main drag past the Haunted Mansion line. The surface needed a wipe down, but we were happy to take care of it ourselves to have this seat with a view in a quiet nook.

Our sandwiches were fresh and cold (in a good way) with thick and flavorful bread. I've heard folks complaining about the whole wheat, but Mom and I agreed it was fantastic and truly made the sandwich. I'm not big on potato chips, but Mom loved the bags we got. We took our time eating, seeing few people come and go upstairs and watching the HM line grow and grow in the heat. Silly people- why aren’t you enjoying the A/C and good food inside like we were!

Food: A+
Service: B+
Atmosphere: B+
Value: A
Overall: A The DIS had it right- with ample inside seating and a menu with non-standard fast food items, this place is a find.

 

[Maine_Belle]

Poor Mexico- why does it get such a bad rep on the DIS? The atmosphere cannot be beat- I argue it's one of the best full dining experiences on property with its al fresco Mexican village evening venue. And the food was great too! What gives?

Before leaving we had both read the mixed reviews of SAI, but decided that we both love Mexican and adore eating here. We booked it without fear. When we arrived to check in, the line was long and full of folks with no ADRs being turned away. We got our seating beeper and spent the next 15-20 minutes listening to the mariachi band (Mom got some special attention by the singer!) and admiring the wares for sale. We were seated along the wall by the Gran Fiesta Tour line, in the middle of the room. Our view of the volcano was lovely and in spite of the cavernous space, it was pretty quiet and we were able to have a private conversation in the crowd.

Appetizer:
We started the meal off with an order of guacamole to go with the chips & salsa and a Dos Equis for Mom and a margarita- rocks and salt as it should be- for me. The drinks were cold and refreshing, though my margarita didn't taste quite as fresh as the ones I make at home with limes, tequila, and triple sec. It wasn’t glaringly mix tasting though- I suspect they use packaged lime juice rather than squeezing them fresh. That would be a lot of limes! The guac was really good- and we’re picky. It was fresh and flavorful- not bland and mushy like you often get. We ate it all.

Entrees:
Mom got the Mole chicken for her entree. The mole sauce was excellent and the whole meal packed a surprising amount of heat! My entree was some sort of fish with a sauce and a couple of lovely thick slices of chorizo for garnish. I loved these flavors, though I don't recall all the details- they seemed true to the country and not tex-mex, slathered in cheese and salsa as I might have feared. Our server was very gracious and fairly attentive, though the whole place was packed and the entire staff seemed very busy. We polished off our meals, leaving no room for dessert!

Food: A
Service: A
Atmosphere: A+
Value: A+
Overall: A For good, not entirely cheese based Mexican in a lovely space for a decent price, I do not hesitate to recommend San Angel Inn.

 

[Maine_Belle]

Oh the lovely treats in France- how they tempt us at 10 PM with chocolate and sugar and other things to keep us up at night!

We didn't care when we moseyed past France near the end of our evening. Mom had a hankering for a nice chocolate eclair and a Raspberry Schuss caught my eye from the glass case. Paired with a decaf coffee and a low fat milk respectively, we munched our pastries in the large hall in the back of the country.

We didn't lose any weight eating these treats, but we sure enjoyed them as we licked our fingers clean and drank our last drops.

Food: A+
Service: A-
Atmosphere: B- (It's small and hectic in there with two lines ogling the baked goods.)
Value: A
Overall: A Yum. Yup, yum.

 

[oybolshoi]

Lovely reviews so far and I especially enjoyed Citricos ... we're headed there in October and you ordered a few things that I've got my eye on. Yum!

And ... you used the word mosey! That's one of my mother's favorite words to use and she always claims that no one else ever uses it ... wait until I tell her that there are two of you who say "mosey."

 

[World Bouncer]

Enjoying the great reviews!

 

[jilliemom]

LOVE your reviews...can't wait to read more!!!

 

[iluvpluto27]

Loving your reviews so far. I'm especcially pleased to see a positive review of San Angel, as we're dining there on our next trip.

 

[kelleigh1]

Great reviews!! Citricos looks fantastic. I may have to keep that one in mind.