Dining Reviews 9/8 to 9/15 (no pics)

[ajsmommy1129]

Sorry, I have no pics, I was too busy eating to take pictures!

Here are the TS we ate at, I will do them as I have time:
Mama Melrose (for Fantasmic package)
Tony's Town Square
Grand Floridian Cafe
Coral Reef
Ohana Best Friends Breakfast
Crystal Palace
Whispering Canyon Cafe

Ok, first night at Mama Melrose:
ADR was at 5:20. It poured from 4:30 until about 10 minutes after we walked in the door at 5:10. After a five minute wait we were seated. Server was Christie. She was friendly, but rushed us a bit.
DH had tomato and mozzarella appetizer, Brick oven chicken ala parmesan and the honey hazelnut riccotta cheesecake. The appetizer, per DH was good, but not what he expected. It was HUGE chunks of cheese and tomatoes, he expected a diced, bite sized sort of thing. The cheese was also very strong, too strong for him (not a drop of Italian in him!) but I enjoyed it. The chicken was over cooked, but he said the sauce was excellent.
I had the bruschetta, the charred butcher tender steak an dalso had the cheesecake for dessert. The bruschetta was very good, everything was fresh and the bread was nice and crisp. The steak, which I ordered medium well, was cooked completely, no pink at all. It was quite tasty, even well done, but I prefer my steak medium well. The asparagus was overcooked, but DH ate it all. Christie never checked on us, and I didn't complain to management about the steak, so I really shouldn't complain...it just didn't seem worth it to cpmplain at the time, just wanted to note that it wasn't cooked to my order.
DS had the vegetable minestrone, the cheese pizza and the ice cream sundae. He LOVED the soup, and he is a picky soup eater. It was a small cup, and he would have eaten more if it had been offered. The pizza and ice cream were typical kid stuff, but he loved it. Just a warning, this is a very thin crust pizza. My DS was fine with it, but I wouldn't have eaten it, I like a nice thick crust.
Now, I saved the honey hazelnut riccotta cheesecake for last because it was amazing!!! Now, I LOVE cheesecake, and this was possibly the best cheesecake I have ever had. DH even commented "this is almost as good as yours"....that is a high compliment from DH, because he rarely eats cheesecake other than mine. I would go back to MM just to have this. The meal was ok, but I think next time we will have dinner elsewhere and just get an ADR here for the cheesecake. Yum, yum...it just melted in your mouth! Neither the honey or the hazelnut was overbearing, and the combination is just something that you have to taste for yourself.

Sorry there are no pics, and that I have to do this a little at a time, but that is the life of a working Mom...working to pay for the next trip to WDW!!!!

 

[Booknut]

Great review, looking forward to more!

We haven't eaten at Mama Melrose's yet but after your cheesecake accolade we might have to try it next time!!!

 

[wilma-bride]

Great start to your reviews - looking forward to more

 

[Minniespal]

Great start

 

[ajsmommy1129]

Second night was at Tony's, our ADR was for 5:15. I wasn't sure what time they opened, so I ran in at about 4:30 to see if we could get in early, since we had spent the day at Typhoon Lagoon and were STARVING. I witnessed a lady who was trying to get a walk up, and she was told that they were booked, and she just FLIPPED on the CM. I mean she really, really lost her Mickey...I stood by until profanity started, and then I tapped her politely on the shoulder and asked her to use her nice words. She got flustered and left. I decided to just come back at 5. We checked in a little after 5 pm and were seated in under 10 minutes.We were in the back, in one of the corner booth/table set ups. This is a very cute place, loved the decorations and the Lady and the Tramp fountain was just adorable. Our server was beyond rude....I didn't write his name down, and that isn't like me, but I was just trying to enjoy this trip. His opening line was "Hi, I am rude waiter. Are you on the dining plan? Oh, I see. You get an appetizer, an entree, and the dessert is pre-plated for the next few weeks (read "until you riff raff on the free dining plan are gone"). There are no substitutions and no special orders.". OK, here comes trouble...ds wanted spaghetti, but wanted the sauce and meatballs on the side (hey, he's my kid, and I am the original 'on the side' freak.) I asked, and got a flat "No." Not I'll check, I'll ask the chef, just "No". Ok, moving on...
DH had the garlic bread sticks and marinara appetizer, the baked ziti, and the aforementioned pre-plated dessert. I felt bad for him...the breadsticks were good, but the baked ziti was the driest I have ever seen. Barely a hint of sauce. It was basically cheese and ziti. It was horrible.
For my appetizer, I had the spinach and artichoke dip...yummy. DS and I split it, since he could only get carrots and celery, which DH ended up eating since his ziti was so dry. I had the NY Strip and mushrooms and potatoes. The steak was amazing, done to perfection, and was like butter...didn't even need a knife it was so tender. Only complaint was they were stingy with the mushrooms, I literally had one. I also had the aforementioned preplated dessert, which was cannollis, cheesecake and tiramisu, tiny little portions of each. All three were good, but really nothing special...guess I was spoiled by the cheesecake at MM the night before.
DS ended up having Mac and cheese and the fruit cup for dessert. Again, typical kid fare, and I still think the spaghetti with the meatball and sauce on the side was doable, I mean hello, the spaghetti isn't cooked with the sauce on it....left a bad taste in my mouth. Service was slow, I had to ask three times for a refill on my iced tea, which finally came as we were finishing dessert. Also had no lemon. We wouldnot do Tony's again...I had really hoped to be able to give a positive review of it, but all in all, what was good was ruined by the lousy service.

 

[ajsmommy1129]

This was just about the best dinner we had. It was a charachter dinner the 1900 Park Fare Dinner was moved the GF Cafe while refurbs were bing done.Our ADR was 5:30, we got there at about 5, looked around, bought DS an autograph book, since he had been asking for one, and checkin at 5:15, and we were seated about 5 seconds later...literally. This is just great food!! And, great service. Out waitress was Maria, and she was fast, friendly and ALL kinds of efficient. DH decided that since I had had good stuff, he was ordering whatever I did..so we both had the mushroom triangoli as an appetizer, and the prime rib with mashed potatoes for our entree. The mushroom triangoli are very good, but very different. The are mushroom ravioli in a beef broth...very tasty, and a very good size. The bread here is fabulous...a big basket of all different kinds of breads and rolls, and they were all still warm. Being an Italian Jersey Girl, I love bread, and this was good stuff.
The prime rib was very, very good, and a huge piece of meat. It was seasoned nicely, and both pieces were cooked to order, medum well for me and well for DH. I am pretty sure that was the first time I have ever not been able to finish a prime rib, it is one of my favorite cuts.
DS had chicken noodle soup as an appetizer, and baked chicken withbroccoli and brown rice as his entree. I was happy to see something other than mac and cheese for him, and so was he. The chicken was a little over done, but he ate most of it, and he loved the rice and broccoli ( I have the only 5 year old who ASKS for broccoli..go figure.).
The dessert here was preplated as well, but it was very good,and a much larger serving. It was bread pudding with a yummy vanilla sauce and a tray of little pastries...carrot cake, Mickey Mouse Mousse, and a very yummy rasberry tart thingee...there were three of everything.
The charachters here seemed a bit rushed, but they were not at all rude. That joint was packed, and I do mean packed, so those little mice were hopping, and so were Cinderella, Prince Charming and the Fairy Godmother. I do have charachter pics, I will post them later. We woule definitely do this again, and the GF Cafe gets a big, big thumbs up from the Hunters!

 

[ajsmommy1129]

While this may not have been the best food, it was one of the better experiences...it started out bad, took a turn for the worse, and then ended really well.

Our ADR was 5:20. We arrived at 5:05 to a PACKED waiting area. We waited, and waited and waited....and waited, until 6:00 pm to be seated. By that point, DS was near full meltdown mode. Our waitress was Katherine, and she really made the difference here. She got us bread before menus, since she knew we had been waiting so long. She then brought out a birthday card and custom menu for me, our Illuminations VIP tickets, and balloons. (Cool!). The specialty menu listed the Alaskan King Crab legs, which I was all ready to order, but sadly, they weren't supposed to be on there, since they weren't in yet. Color me ticked off...that is really the only seafood I like, Anyway....
DH had the lobster soup to start, and the blackened catfish over pepper jack grits, and the Bavarian Cheesecake (that's what I wrote, I know it was cheesecake). The soup was excellent, and the catfish and grits were good, very spicy...DH thought that it needed something to take it down a bit. He did not care for the cheesecake at all, he said it was crumbly.
Since I had been denied the crab legs, I settled for the Land and Sea and the New York Strip. I personally thought the Land and Sea was excellent, even though I have seen others say it was so-so. The NY Strip was good, but not as good as the one at Tony's. Katherine knew I was bummed, I think, and started whispering to DH. She brought me out a "grown up" drink that had Bailey's Irish creme in it, it was sort of a grown up milk shake. Yummy, and certainly swung my mood in a positive direction. I ordered the chocloate wave for dessert, and oh, is that to die for!!!! As we were finishing, Katherine brought out a birthday cake with candles..I said "We didn't order that!" and she said it was from the management, for the mix up with the menu. It was chocolate, with a cream filling, and had pretty fish on it. She really did her best to turn the meal around...can't say enough about how great she was. She was very attentive, drinks were never empty for more then a few seconds, and she was just so friendly and apologetic about the mistake.
Oh..ds had the mac and cheese and fruit cup. Typical kid stuff. I personally think the complaints about Coral Reefs service are more about the long waits, since every one wants to linger and check out the tanks. If our waitress was any indication, those poor folks are just being run ragged, that place was packed to the gills. Just to emphasize how good she was, DH left her an additional $20.00 tip, and my DH put himself through private school as a waiter, and he really has to be impressed to tip like that (our meal total was like $140.00, figure 18% of that plus $20.00...that was a good tip.) so she was just something else. We would do Coral Reef again...hopefully when the crab legs are available!

 

[TigerKat]

Great reviews!!

 

[Luv2Roam]

Wonderful reviews! Thanks!

 

[ajsmommy1129]

This was DS choice for this trip. We went last November, and he just was tickled pink. This day had Little Ones EMH at the MK, so I made our ADR for 9:40, so we would have plenty of time to get there. (Little Ones EMH is very cool...we walked onto Peter Pan, Pooh...three times, Snow White, Philharmagic and only waited a few minutes for Dumbo). We checked in at 9:30 and walked around the gift shop a bit after having our pictures done. I was worried about the wait due to the number of people hanging around, but we were buzzed at 9:45. Our waitress was a pretty Irish lady with red hair, but I didn't write down her name, darn it! She was very sweet, efficient and friendly. The breakfast here, as it was last year, is a family style, with scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, potatoes and Mickey waffles, oh and a fruit plate and bread basket to start. The breads are a cinnamon bread, which DS devoured before anyone else had a chance to get a good look at it, and coconut pineapple bread, which DH and I split. It was very good, sweet but not too sweet. The breakfast skillet was good, and our waitress kept us filled up, but I was upset about the change with the Mickey waffles...they were brought out one at a time per person, and by a different server. He was pretty stingy with them, by the way. My DH ate about 10 of them last year, so I wonder if he caused WDW Dining to make this change... Anyway, other then that, it was a great meal with great service. I don't know what they put in the scrambled eggs here, but they are, imho, the best eggs at WDW. The charachters here were super friendly, we were right by the door they go in and out of, and they stopped by our table even if they weren't supposed to...Stitch, that rogue, even planted a big wet one on top of my head! Pluto was hungry, I guess, because he came over to DS and put DS head in his mouth...great photo op, I will post that pic when I get it uploaded to photobucket...takes a while, I took about 450 pictures this year...new digital camera, and I love it!

 

[ajsmommy1129]

This is my favorite place to eat at Disney! They were packed the night we ate there, and the line to check in was even a long wait. Our ADR was at 5:10, we arrived at 5 and got in line, and ended in checking in at 5:15. There were a lot of folks who were trying to get walk up ADRS, and they were very argumentative about it...I don't get that, personally. Now it was very hot that day, and I can understand wanting a meal w/AC, but seriously, arguing with the CMS when it is OBVIOUS that a TS is packed makes no sense to me. Anyway, we weren't seated until 5:45, but I really didn't mind since it is a buffet and you dig in right away. The food here is always yummy. They had prime rib, turkey, a hot pasta and shrimp dish, garlic mashed potatoes, chicken, salmon, pretty much anything you could wish for. The dessert bar is what makes this my favorite place...the Bailey's Irish Cream pudding, the cheesecake, choclate trifle, yummy...
The only problem we had here was with another family. We didn't get any charachters right away, since we walked in right before parade time. Then, just as all the charachters were nearing our table, a very large grouping came in and were seated two tables down from us. They swooped in on the charachters at our table, and knocked over my iced tea. Not even an "I'm sorry". Anyway, I digress. The only thing about the food, which was all hot if it should be, cold if it should be, and very, very tasty, was that you are only allowed one slice of prime rib per trip now. I said, OK, I will be back...and back, and back. Hey, I guess it helped me walk off all the calories in the prime rib!
I don't know why CP gets panned so much, we eat here at least once a trip and love it!

 

[ajsmommy1129]

We originally had an ADR for Garden Grill for this night, but when we got back from Blizzard Beach, the thought of getting showers, going to EPCOT, and then coming back to change into our costumes for the MNSSHP was just too much. So, while DH was getting dressed, I ran down to WCC and asked if they had availability for walks up. They did! Hooray! I had them cancel our ADR for GG, and called DH to get down there. We only waited about 10 minutes to be seated. DH and I had the Skillet, and DH ordered a cheeseburger, and also shared from the skillet ( I know, I know...send me to Dining Plan Jail.)

Our server was prompt and efficient, but we have been to WCC and have never had one of "the" servers. If you have been there, you know what I mean. DH had a strawberry shake, very tasty, and our server, Marshall, kept it filled. DH had a vanilla shake, I was the only dissenter having iced tea. ( I can't drink anything dairy when I eat, ruins the flavor). The skillet was very good, but it seemed a little skimpy compared to last year, and I don't remember having to ask for stuff last year. The corn bread was hot, fresh and not at all dry. The pulled pork is my favorite here, DH loves the ribs and ate a ton of them. DS ate two pieces of the chicken, as well as his cheeseburger and fries. When we asked Marshall for ketchup, which DS always has to have, he asked if he could just grab some...
Now, the table next to us, they had Senor Dustbowl as their waiter, and he was just a riot. Their large drinks were in mason jars as big as trash cans. One of the ladies asked for a diet coke, and she got a thimble sized glass. This was their first time at WDW, their first day, and obviously their first time at WCC, and boy, I think they will remember the meal. About half way through the meal, Senor Dustbowl shouted out "This table wants attention all night...first they want food, the they want the drinks...attention they want, attention they gonna get!" And then he made them ride the ponies around the room, saying I will not bother Senor Dustbowl!". It was hysterical. We skipped dessert, since we were headed to the MNSSHP and thought we would get lots of goodies there. But that is a different story...

 

[Busymom85]

Thanks for the reviews. I look forward to trying WCC.

 

[Disney owl]

thanks for the review