FigmentKid
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jan 2, 2006
- Messages
- 155
We (myself and DBF) were on the dining plan and we took full advantage of that. Here are the TS meals we had during the week. Ive listed the prices we would have spent if not on the dining plan, then the total at the end to show how much we saved (and thats not even including all the CS meals and snacks we also had).
Side-note: I sound like a MAJOR glutton in this report! I swear I would never eat like this at home! The dining plan does save you money but it makes you pig out at every meal to feel like youre getting your moneys worth!
Brown Derby (Lunch)
Appetizers: Honey-Chipotle Barbecue, Portobello Mushroom, Chèvre Cheese Tortelloni
Entrees: Sesame-Seared Yellowfin Tuna Cobb, Thai Noodle Bowl
Desserts: New Age Chocolate Decadence Soft Cake, Grapefruit Cake
Service was amazing, appetizers came out moments after we ordered them! We ate around 3pm though so the place was empty. The food was really great overall, DBF talked about his tortelloni and Tuna Cobb throughout the vacation! The Thai noodle bowl was pretty much to be expected, nothing amazing though. I was really impressed with my chocolate cake desert though because it was very tasty but apparently no sugar added, vegan and dairy-free!
Price w/ Tax and Tip: $75.71 (Paid OOP b/c we didnt think using 4 TS credits would be justified for $75)
California Grill (Dinner)
Appetizers: Roasted Pumpkin Soup, Sonoma Goat Cheese Ravioli
Entrees: Duck Three Ways, Grilled Pork Tenderloin
Desserts: Braeburn Apple and Brown Butter Tart, Chocolate, Chocolate, Caramel
Service was slow at first because we sat down right before the fireworks when everyone was trying to get into the restaurant but once our server took our order the food came out very quickly. The view of the fireworks was amazing even though we werent next to the window. The food was incredibly good, not as good as Brown Derby though but maybe that was just our selections. The polenta that came with the pork tenderloin was the best polenta I have ever had. The apple tart didnt have much flavor but DBF inhaled his chocolate cake thing so it must have been good.
Price w/ Tax: $101.18 (We used 4 TS credits)
Ohanas (Dinner)
You dont order at Ohanas they bring all the food to you. We had wonton chip with three dipping sauces (sauce were all really tasty), salad with an amazing honey-lime dressing, very good chicken wings, shrimp (didnt have much flavor), AWESOME potato cheese side dish, so-so Asian stir fried veggies (overcooked and no flavor), and more grilled meats than we could handle. To be honest we were full way before the main meats every got to us! The best part was the wings, salad and wonton chips! Desert was bread pudding with banana and caramel, which was really good (but not if you hate bananas like DBF!). We waited 40 minutes to be seated even with an ADR but service was REALLY quick once we sat, the food just kept arriving.
Price w/ Tax: $55.36 (We used 2 TS credits)
Biergarten (Dinner)
This meal was good, but pretty standard, not out of this world and not particularly authentic. The oompa band show was actually very good. A little silly as to be expected but the band is very talented on multiple instruments. The food was a wide range of salads, bread, potato dishes, lots of different meats and sauces and the only vegetable I saw was carrots and the cabbage dishes. I say it wasnt completely authentic because they cut corners, the chicken schnitzel for example was just the normal Disney chicken tenders. Our waitress seemed to be in a bit of a daze, maybe she had too many customers when we got there but she seemed to be annoyed with us when we couldnt decide on a wine and pushed us to choose quickly, she did stay on top of clearing away our old plates quickly however. Every time I got up to refill at the buffet my old plate was cleared when I got back.
Price w/ Tax: $44.71 (doesnt include any beverages, we used 2 TS credits)
Le Cellier (Dinner)
Appetizers: 2 Canadian Cheddar Cheese Soup
Entrees: Le Cellier Mushroom Filet Mignon, Butternut Squash "Risotto"
Desserts: Chef's Signature Dessert Plate, Canadian Cheese Selection
The butternut squash thing was a total dud in our opinion. It would have bee good as an appetizer but not as an entrée. It was 80% pecans which got overwhelming for a main course size meal but we were happy to see they tried to be creative with the vegetarian selection. The steak was the best steak Ive ever eaten in my life, and the mushroom risotto it was sitting on was out of this world! The cheese plate was very exotic but not for the faint of heart with a real, serious blue cheese and an olive goat cheese. The cheese soup lived up to its previous dis board reviews, yummy! The desert sampler was a good mix of flavors but please dont attempt to eat it on your own like I did! Service was really fast especially since we told our server that we were in a hurry (to get over to the magic kingdom for EMH) and he whisked us through our meal as fast as he could.
Price w/ Tax: $84.07 (we used 2 TS credits)
Tempura Kiku (Dinner)
Appetizers: 2 Garden Salads
Entrees: 2 Take Tempura Dishes
Desserts: Fresh Fruit (Pineapple), Ice Cream
Finally a lighter meal!! We were the only people in the place, really, no one else was there so obviously service was quick and efficient. I dont know why we were alone, the rest of Japan had a lot of people milling around ad it was at a prime dinner time. The salads were your standard Japanese restaurant small iceberg with ginger dressing, and the tempura was really, really good. It was fried to perfection and I really liked how you could pick from a lot of different combinations of meats and veggies. The girls behind the counter were very polite and it was fun to be able to watch them preparing the food. I would really recommend this place, it seems to be overlooked by a lot of people. I remember going here as a kid and it being so packed we had to wait a long time (they dont accept ADRs) maybe things have changed since then? I thought the food still tasted very good.
Price w/ Tax: $61.70 (we used 2 TS credits)
So Ill break down the cost/savings for anyone interested in the dining plan.
Had we paid OOP for every TS meal (plus soda and tip) while there we would have spent $513.05
The dining plan cost us $468.00 but we spent $75 OOP so we ended up spending $543 total for food.
If you factor in the CS and Snack credits we used each day that would add up to MAJOR savings!! It worked out for us but I realize not everyone would have a schedule/appetite to accommodate all this eating. It was our first time on the plan so we will probably utilize it even better next time with experience.
Sorry for all the details but I figured Id share since Id already done all the math!
Side-note: I sound like a MAJOR glutton in this report! I swear I would never eat like this at home! The dining plan does save you money but it makes you pig out at every meal to feel like youre getting your moneys worth!
Brown Derby (Lunch)
Appetizers: Honey-Chipotle Barbecue, Portobello Mushroom, Chèvre Cheese Tortelloni
Entrees: Sesame-Seared Yellowfin Tuna Cobb, Thai Noodle Bowl
Desserts: New Age Chocolate Decadence Soft Cake, Grapefruit Cake
Service was amazing, appetizers came out moments after we ordered them! We ate around 3pm though so the place was empty. The food was really great overall, DBF talked about his tortelloni and Tuna Cobb throughout the vacation! The Thai noodle bowl was pretty much to be expected, nothing amazing though. I was really impressed with my chocolate cake desert though because it was very tasty but apparently no sugar added, vegan and dairy-free!
Price w/ Tax and Tip: $75.71 (Paid OOP b/c we didnt think using 4 TS credits would be justified for $75)
California Grill (Dinner)
Appetizers: Roasted Pumpkin Soup, Sonoma Goat Cheese Ravioli
Entrees: Duck Three Ways, Grilled Pork Tenderloin
Desserts: Braeburn Apple and Brown Butter Tart, Chocolate, Chocolate, Caramel
Service was slow at first because we sat down right before the fireworks when everyone was trying to get into the restaurant but once our server took our order the food came out very quickly. The view of the fireworks was amazing even though we werent next to the window. The food was incredibly good, not as good as Brown Derby though but maybe that was just our selections. The polenta that came with the pork tenderloin was the best polenta I have ever had. The apple tart didnt have much flavor but DBF inhaled his chocolate cake thing so it must have been good.
Price w/ Tax: $101.18 (We used 4 TS credits)
Ohanas (Dinner)
You dont order at Ohanas they bring all the food to you. We had wonton chip with three dipping sauces (sauce were all really tasty), salad with an amazing honey-lime dressing, very good chicken wings, shrimp (didnt have much flavor), AWESOME potato cheese side dish, so-so Asian stir fried veggies (overcooked and no flavor), and more grilled meats than we could handle. To be honest we were full way before the main meats every got to us! The best part was the wings, salad and wonton chips! Desert was bread pudding with banana and caramel, which was really good (but not if you hate bananas like DBF!). We waited 40 minutes to be seated even with an ADR but service was REALLY quick once we sat, the food just kept arriving.
Price w/ Tax: $55.36 (We used 2 TS credits)
Biergarten (Dinner)
This meal was good, but pretty standard, not out of this world and not particularly authentic. The oompa band show was actually very good. A little silly as to be expected but the band is very talented on multiple instruments. The food was a wide range of salads, bread, potato dishes, lots of different meats and sauces and the only vegetable I saw was carrots and the cabbage dishes. I say it wasnt completely authentic because they cut corners, the chicken schnitzel for example was just the normal Disney chicken tenders. Our waitress seemed to be in a bit of a daze, maybe she had too many customers when we got there but she seemed to be annoyed with us when we couldnt decide on a wine and pushed us to choose quickly, she did stay on top of clearing away our old plates quickly however. Every time I got up to refill at the buffet my old plate was cleared when I got back.
Price w/ Tax: $44.71 (doesnt include any beverages, we used 2 TS credits)
Le Cellier (Dinner)
Appetizers: 2 Canadian Cheddar Cheese Soup
Entrees: Le Cellier Mushroom Filet Mignon, Butternut Squash "Risotto"
Desserts: Chef's Signature Dessert Plate, Canadian Cheese Selection
The butternut squash thing was a total dud in our opinion. It would have bee good as an appetizer but not as an entrée. It was 80% pecans which got overwhelming for a main course size meal but we were happy to see they tried to be creative with the vegetarian selection. The steak was the best steak Ive ever eaten in my life, and the mushroom risotto it was sitting on was out of this world! The cheese plate was very exotic but not for the faint of heart with a real, serious blue cheese and an olive goat cheese. The cheese soup lived up to its previous dis board reviews, yummy! The desert sampler was a good mix of flavors but please dont attempt to eat it on your own like I did! Service was really fast especially since we told our server that we were in a hurry (to get over to the magic kingdom for EMH) and he whisked us through our meal as fast as he could.
Price w/ Tax: $84.07 (we used 2 TS credits)
Tempura Kiku (Dinner)
Appetizers: 2 Garden Salads
Entrees: 2 Take Tempura Dishes
Desserts: Fresh Fruit (Pineapple), Ice Cream
Finally a lighter meal!! We were the only people in the place, really, no one else was there so obviously service was quick and efficient. I dont know why we were alone, the rest of Japan had a lot of people milling around ad it was at a prime dinner time. The salads were your standard Japanese restaurant small iceberg with ginger dressing, and the tempura was really, really good. It was fried to perfection and I really liked how you could pick from a lot of different combinations of meats and veggies. The girls behind the counter were very polite and it was fun to be able to watch them preparing the food. I would really recommend this place, it seems to be overlooked by a lot of people. I remember going here as a kid and it being so packed we had to wait a long time (they dont accept ADRs) maybe things have changed since then? I thought the food still tasted very good.
Price w/ Tax: $61.70 (we used 2 TS credits)
So Ill break down the cost/savings for anyone interested in the dining plan.
Had we paid OOP for every TS meal (plus soda and tip) while there we would have spent $513.05
The dining plan cost us $468.00 but we spent $75 OOP so we ended up spending $543 total for food.
If you factor in the CS and Snack credits we used each day that would add up to MAJOR savings!! It worked out for us but I realize not everyone would have a schedule/appetite to accommodate all this eating. It was our first time on the plan so we will probably utilize it even better next time with experience.
Sorry for all the details but I figured Id share since Id already done all the math!
It feels like it's been awhile. I love your detail! It sounds like you all had some terrific meals. I'm curious, though. You said you might do even better next time with experience. Can you share some of the lessons you learned? What would you do different next time? And, I'm nosy. 
Are you planning to do a counter service reviews, too? I hope so.
