Dining Reviews 12/3-12/12

[PoohFan97]

We were on DDP for 7 days, and it really was entirely too much food. Budgeting TS credits was easy, but toward the end of the week we had a lot of CS and snack credits to use.

CS meals were largely unremarkable. DH and DS9 enjoyed the fish at the UK pavilion in Epcot, and we all enjoyed pasta and pizza from Wolfgang Puck Express at DTD Marketplace. The WPE creme brulee, served in an aluminum tin instead of on a beautiful plate, was still delicious! Other than those meals, though, CS was neither wonderful nor terrible.

These are the TS restaurants we visited (all for dinner):
Maya Grill (CSR)
Le Cellier (Epcot)
Chef Mickey's (CR)
Wolfgang Puck Cafe (DTD West Side)
Concourse Steakhouse (CR)
Teppanyaki Dining Room (Epcot)
Hollywood & Vine (MGM)

First up, Maya Grill. I'd read some mixed reviews about the food and the service here, but we decided to try it. We arrived at CSR earlier than expected, and the hostess was able to seat us about two hours before our ADR time.

DH started with the seafood skillet appetizer, which has clams, mussels, and shrimp in a light tomato sauce. This was one of his favorite appetizers for the entire trip.

My appetizer was the pulled pork empanadas. It was good, and plated beautifully, but it wasn't my favorite. I guess I was hoping for a bolder flavor in either the filling or the chipotle cream. The slaw was shredded cabbage with apparently no dressing; it was too dry to eat.

DS9, besides sharing clams and mussels from the seafood skillet, ordered the mozzarella sticks from the kids' menu. These were amazing. HUGE sticks of cheese, breaded and fried just right. We helped him finish the plate:

[/IMG]

DH chose the mixed grill for his entree. This was a combination of ribs, filet mignon, and fish, served with a baked potato and sauteed vegetables (mostly squash). He was surprised at the quantity, and said it was all good.

I ordered the filet mignon, which was served with the baked potato and vegetables. Everything was wonderful. We especially liked the grilled flavor of the meat.

[/IMG]

DS had the fried shrimp from the kids' menu. This was the least favorite part of this dinner, although he really liked the raspberry dipping sauce.

[/IMG]

The server rattled off a list of dessert choices, and we chose the ones that sounded as though they included the most chocolate. One was the chocolate raspberry cake

[/IMG] , and one was layers of chocolate meringue with chocolate mousse

[/IMG] . The meringue dessert was one of those things that I'm glad we tried, but I didn't love it; I'm not a big fan of meringue, so no surprise there. I thought the cake was very good but DH thought it was just okay.

The kids' dessert was ice cream with colorful sprinkles and a few M&M's. Nothing spectacular, but not bad, either.

We found the service at Maya Grill to be very good. Our server was prompt in bringing refills, and he patiently and accurately answered all of our questions about the menu. We'd definitely go back.

 

[PoohFan97]

The next day we had dinner at Le Cellier.

DH and I both ordered the beef tenderloin kebab appetizer:

The meat was more rare than we ever would have ordered, but it was very good. I don't remember the description of the accompanying sauce, but that was good, too.

DS9 ordered the cheddar cheese soup from the kids' menu. It didn't have the garnish that comes on the soup from the regular menu, but the soup was good. For some reason I'd expected the cheddar to be mild, so the sharp cheese surprised me.

DH chose the New York Strip steak for his entree:

He liked it, but I think he preferred the steak he'd had at Maya.

I ordered the filet mignon, which comes with the fattening but yummy cream cheese mashed potatoes:

[/IMG]

DS9 had the grilled steak from the kids' menu. It wasn't nearly as good as the other steaks; I'm sure he would have rather had a smaller piece of better steak. We forgot to photograph this one.

For dessert DS had the chocolate moose, while DH and I both ordered the chocolate cake:

[/IMG]
We liked the cake, but I didn't think it was as good as the chocolate raspberry cake at Maya. We also had chocolate-raspberry shakes here, and those were great.

Our server at Le Cellier was terrific. She explained the DDP and how it applied to the menu, and she was attentive and friendly. We liked this dinner but wouldn't rush back.

 

[Disneyof3]

Nice pictures and thanks for the review. The food at LeCellier looks great. The pictures from Maya Grill look dark. Was it dark in there or was it the setting on the camera? I hate eating at a place and you can't see what your eating. I hear Mexico is like that!!

 

[PoohFan97]

The pictures from Maya Grill look dark. Was it dark in there or was it the setting on the camera? I hate eating at a place and you can't see what your eating. I hear Mexico is like that!!

It wasn't really dark at Maya Grill. A lot of times we took photos with and without flash, and most of the flash photos looked washed out. Some of them were okay, like the one of the Maya mozzarella sticks.

 

[PoohFan97]

I just realized that I posted this thread under Disney Dining and not Dining Reviews. Sorry.

The next evening we had dinner at Chef Mickey's. It was fun and the characters were great, but the food was not. The Oreo cookies with a dome of chocolate mousse and Mickey ears were good, but I can't think of another dish that we liked as much.

The following day we went to Wolfgang Puck Cafe at the DTD West Side. The place is colorful and fun, and the server was good. There are a few restrictions on the DDP, but nothing major enough to pose a problem. I would have liked one of the desserts that wasn't allowed, but my second choice turned out to be wonderful, anyway.

I had to try the crab cakes. They weren't loaded with lumps of crab meat, but they were tasty, and I really liked the sauce (remoulade?).

DH chose the BBQ chicken quesadilla. The portion is large enough to share, which is a good thing because there are no kids' apps here. DS liked the quesadilla, too.

[/IMG]

DS had the Wolf's Steak for his entree. He liked the steak but would have preferred a baked potato instead of fries; we didn't realize in time to ask for a substitution.

I had the weinerschnitzel, which was quite possibly my favorite entree of the entire trip. It comes with baby greens (in a simple oil dressing) and warm potato salad (with a vinegar-based dressing). The oil and vinegar worked together perfectly. I couldn't have finished it without help.

[/IMG]

DS9 had the kids' tic-tac-toe pizza. It was good, but I didn't get a good photo of it.

For dessert DS had the artist's palette, make your own sundae, which comes with a cookie, ice cream, sauces and toppings. He had fun with that!

DH ordered the key lime pie and enjoyed it. It's an individual portion (as opposed to a slice from a larger pie) with a buttery graham-cracker crust and meringue swirl on top. We didn't get a good photo of that.

My dessert was the flourless chocolate cake, which was amazing. It's like a solid piece of fudge, with raspberries and whipped cream. Another server described it as "light," but I wouldn't! It was incredibly rich, really too much to finish.

We liked this dinner so much that we decided to come back another day.

 

[Viki]

Wonderful photos - thank you!

 

[Minniespal]

Excellent reviews and fab piccies.

 

[erikthewise]

Thanks for the reviews. Flourless chocolate cake "too much to finish"?! I think not! Looking forward to the remaining reviews.

I just have to remark that we ate a similar number of meals, with absolutely no overlap -- our restaurant lists were completely different! Just goes to show how much variety there is at WDW.

 

[cannp123165]

Brilliant Reviews and Pictures .

Caroline

 

[Mrs.Reese]

We're eating at Maya and was a little nervous about it. Thanks for the wonderful pictures.

 

[PoohFan97]

Thanks for the reviews. Flourless chocolate cake "too much to finish"?! I think not! Looking forward to the remaining reviews.

I just have to remark that we ate a similar number of meals, with absolutely no overlap -- our restaurant lists were completely different! Just goes to show how much variety there is at WDW.

Under normal circumstances I could've polished off that flourless chocolate cake in no time. After the crab cakes and the weinerschnitzel, though, it was a bit of a challenge. We managed to finish it, though!

There's a lot of variety at WDW, for sure. When we were making ADRs, I'm not sure we realized how meat-intensive our list was. After a few days I'd had enough steak!

 

[Disney owl]

Great review & photos

 

[PoohFan97]

Our next dinner was at Concourse Steakhouse. DH and I both had the scallops. I enjoyed them, but DH kept finding grit in his. The sauce is a honey vinaigrette, with maybe some soy sauce in it.

DS9 had the chicken noodle soup, which he liked but didn't share!

DH ordered the special, which was a buffalo tenderloin. It was very tender, and DH and DS both liked it, but I didn't care for the taste. Nothing wrong with the preparation: it just wasn't for me.

I had the filet, which is topped with a gorgonzola butter. The gorgonzola taste is very strong; I like it, but even I scraped half of it off. DH and DS didn't care for the flavor at all. The filet was great, and the accompanying mashed potatoes were fine, nothing special.

DS had the steak--a filet mignon--from the kids' menu. It's served with mashed potatoes and vegetables, which, this evening, were green beans. (The server thought it would be green beans and carrots, but the plate came out with green beans only.) DS liked this meal tremendously!

DH and I both ordered the chocolate cake for dessert. It was good, neither the best nor the worst dessert of the week.

DS got to make his own sundae again. He had fun building the sundae, but was too full to eat much.

Once we were seated, the service here was good--friendly and attentive. The server, Chris, was helpful and made good recommendations from the menu. All of the servers seemed to be very busy, but we never had to wait for drink refills or anything else. The meal was fast-paced but not rushed.

 

[Daisie]

How was the Concourse Steakhouse?? We are going to try this one on our upcoming trip. Thanks!!

 

[Lexxiefern]

Loved all the pictures! Thanks for the reviews!

 

[PoohFan97]

We went to the Candlelight Processional on Saturday, then rushed to Teppanyaki for our ADR. They were running behind schedule, so we waited for a while to be seated. The waiting area was crowded but attractive:

I should say that we have a really good Japanese steakhouse/hibachi restaurant near home. We wanted to see if the WDW chefs and food were different or better.

Our first observation was that the server really pushed the expensive alcoholic drinks. And if we weren't on the DDP, this dinner would have been a very bad value. The entree price is comparable to what we pay at the local hibachi restaurant, but at home that price includes salad, soup, and ice cream; at Teppanyaki all of those things are extra. We expect to pay more at WDW, but this would not be worth the cost for us.

For an appetizer, DH had the garden salad with ginger dressing. DS9 ordered the salad, too, but with the dressing on the side. The dressing was less sharp and nuttier tasting (toasted sesame, maybe?) than what we've had locally. DH and I both liked it, but DS was glad he'd asked for the dressing on the side! I think I was the only person at our table of 8 who had something other than the salad: I ordered the edamame, which I'd never tried. The server explained how to eat it, which was helpful. I liked it but not enough to finish the whole portion. DH and DS both tasted some. DH liked it; DS thought it was fun to shell the beans but the taste was just "okay."

DH and I both ordered the steak and scallops entree. It comes with steamed white rice, and also a mixture of vegetables (squash and onion) and noodles. Our chef seemed to be new at the job, and will probably get better in time. The food was fine, but somewhat bland; it definitely could have used more garlic! DS9 ordered the shrimp from the kids' menu and says it was good.

For dessert DH had the ginger cake and I ordered the green tea ice cream. The ginger cake was okay: the texture reminded me of a sponge cake, and the ginger flavor was fairly mild. The green tea ice cream was much more mild-tasting than what we've had elsewhere; it reminded me of vanilla ice cream with a tiny bit of added flavoring and coloring. It's the only Teppanyaki food we photographed:

The kids' dessert was a prepackaged chocolate chip cookie; there was no choice. The cookie was of cafeteria quality ... really disappointing. It would have been much better to offer kids a scoop of ice cream.

Overall, we were disappointed in Teppanyaki. It's the only WDW restaurant in this report that we wouldn't visit again.

 

[MamaKate]

The following day we went to Wolfgang Puck Cafe at the DTD West Side. The place is colorful and fun, and the server was good. There are a few restrictions on the DDP, but nothing major enough to pose a problem. I would have liked one of the desserts that wasn't allowed, but my second choice turned out to be wonderful, anyway.

Do you remember what the restrictions were. We are eating at WPC in Feb. and I'd like to know ahead of time.

I'm really enjoying your reviews and look forward to the rest .

 

[PoohFan97]

Do you remember what the restrictions were. We are eating at WPC in Feb. and I'd like to know ahead of time.

I'm really enjoying your reviews and look forward to the rest .

Thanks for reading!

I think there were restrictions on sushi; we're not sushi eaters, so didn't pay much attention to that. For dessert, there were at least two items that were not allowed. One was a "cone-a-copia" (or something like that!): a collection of tiny ice cream cones with scoops of different flavors of gelato. The other was something like "cappuccino two ways," which sounded great to me! The menu clearly notes which desserts are excluded from the DDP.

 

[PoohFan97]

For our last day on the DDP we had to choose between Le Cellier and Wolfgang Puck Cafe. We decided to cancel the ADR for Le Cellier.

We ordered most of the same foods we'd enjoyed earlier in the week, so there are no new photos. For apps we had the BBQ chicken quesadilla and the crab cakes. For entrees, DS9 had the pizza again, and DH and I both ordered the weinerschnitzel. Our desserts were flourless chocolate cake for both DH and me, and the sundae for DS.

Evidently there was someone different in the kitchen, and the foods were prepared slightly differently. The potato salad was much more vinegary, and everything was just not *quite* as good. Still good, but if this had been our first dinner there, we might not have been so enthusiastic about going back within a few days. The service was excellent again, BTW.

A few days after that, when we were back to paying OOP, we had an early dinner at Hollywood & Vine as part of the Fantasmic package. The food here is *way* better than at Chef Mickey's. We didn't take photos of the buffet foods. I'd hit my limit for meat dishes, I guess, because I found myself going back to the cold salads and starchy foods. I really liked the creamed corn spoonbread and the sundried tomato polenta. DH liked the salmon and prime rib, and we all though the pork loin was somewhat dry. The desserts were good here, too: tiny chocolate mousse tarts, mini cheesecakes, bite-sized pumpkin tarts, ice cream, and good cobblers. DH and DS both liked the apple cobbler, but I preferred the triple berry (with vanilla ice cream).

That's it! Let me know if you have any questions!

 

[MamaKate]

Thanks for reading!

I think there were restrictions on sushi; we're not sushi eaters, so didn't pay much attention to that. For dessert, there were at least two items that were not allowed. One was a "cone-a-copia" (or something like that!): a collection of tiny ice cream cones with scoops of different flavors of gelato. The other was something like "cappuccino two ways," which sounded great to me! The menu clearly notes which desserts are excluded from the DDP.

Thanks for the quick reply!! DS wanted to get sushi so this may be a problem, but there are alot of other things he will enjoy.

I'm glad you enjoyed your meal.