Dining Reviews from 9/9-9/16

[susieq76]

Hi All! Just returned from 8 wonderful nights at Disney. We had the dining plan for most of our stay and after sooooo many trips we finally became DVC members!!!! Great trip with highs and lows dining wise. No photos as my hubby is anti pics of food

Day 1: 9/9- Raglan Road

We added this night to our original days and did not do the parks this day- we did Typhoon Lagoon and Disney Quest. For lunch we shared a chili dog and huge turkey leg at Typhoon Lagoon. This meal was oop and wonderful. My husband votes this the best meal of the week.

We shared the Appetiser D'Lirrah for Two. It is NOT as listed on the Allears menu, it included the Dalkey Duo, Scallop Forest, Heaven on Earth and Nom Nom Wings (not the drunk Chicken). It was very yummy and all the boys and I agree that the Scallops were to die for while the rest was really, really good. It was all gone in seconds (we were hungry). Also, I loved the bread (the kids did not like it) but I did NOT like the dipping sauce- it was too sweet for me.

For dinner I got the Lambo and DH got the It's Not Bleedin' Chowder!. The children got Shepherds Pie and 2 Fish and Chips. We also shared a side of Colcannon. The Lambo was delicious but huge and I could not finish it. My husband loved (I mean lick the bowl loved) the Chowder. I thought it was a bit rich for me but very tasty. DH finished every drop of his and then ate the rest of mine! He really loved this food! All three boys cleaned their plates and were super happy.

We did not get dessert as we were planning on dessert later but just never got hungry for it.

A side note- we were originally given a seat in the far room where we couldn't see the dancers. I asked nicely for a different table where we could see and within 10 minutes they found us one. The workers, servers, everyone was just wonderful!

 

[momof2disprincesses]

Congrats on becoming DVC members!

We joined in Feb. 2008 and have never regretted it once.

Can't wait to hear more of your dining reviews.

 

[susieq76]

On 9/9 we checked into Bay Lake for our stay and started the dining plan.

We checked in earlier than the room was ready and headed to the CR for the monorail and breakfast at the Contempo QS. We shared the breakfast burrito and a Bounty Platter. Filling and yummy.

Our first park day was at Epcot and lunchtime found us at La Cantina de San Angel. This is a family favorite and we shared 4 meals:

Tacos de Carne - (beef tacos)

Empanadas de Queso - (cheese empanadas)

Tacos de Pollo - (chicken tacos)

Nachos

They were all very yummy and we finished it all. For dessert we all shared the mini Churros. My boys and husband loved them, I thought they were ok- but I'm not a Churro fan to begin with.

Dinner was at the Coral Reef

DH started with the Creamy Lobster Soup as did all three children. I knew one of my kids wouldn't eat theirs so I didn't get an appy. I was right and I ate one of theirs. The other two loved the soup. Hubby and I loved it too.

For dinner I had the Seasonal Catch of the day which was Cohiba?

(from allears) Pan-seared Sustainable Seasonal Catch - on mushroom risotto with bay scallops and celery root nage and parsley-truffle oil

It was delicious- a grouper type taste to me and cooked perfectly. I also loved the risotto although the "bay scallops" were so tiny- like a pencil eraser size.

DH had the Grilled New York Strip Steak - served with horseradish smashed potatoes, and marketfresh vegetables.

He was pretty disappointed in the steak. It was good but he ALWAYS has this steak and usually its better. I tasted it and it was good but a bit chewier than we care for.

The children all had the grilled Mahi and were thrilled with it.

For dessert I had the Chocolate Wave. It was horrible- over cooked and dry. The waiter even brought me a second one and it too was dry and tasteless.

DH had the Creme Brulee. He LOVED it. I was surprised as he usually doesn't eat dessert.

All three kids had the brownie and none liked it nor finished it.

We will be back but it was not the best experience.

 

[starousse]

We shared the Appetiser D'Lirrah for Two. It is NOT as listed on the Allears menu, it included the Dalkey Duo, Scallop Forest, Heaven on Earth and Nom Nom Wings (not the drunk Chicken). It was very yummy and all the boys and I agree that the Scallops were to die for while the rest was really, really good. It was all gone in seconds (we were hungry). Also, I loved the bread (the kids did not like it) but I did NOT like the dipping sauce- it was too sweet for me.

Can I ask, were you allowed to get that appetizer for two on the dining plan? I heard others say that you could not.

 

[vettegirl]

I totally those scallops at Raglin Road are amazing! My MIL always says those are worth the trip to Florida!

 

[susieq76]

We were not on dining plan that night so I'm not sure- sorry!

 

[vettegirl]

You can get the platter on the deluxe plan, you just both would need to combine both appetizers into one. We did this last year and the server even encouraged my in laws who were not on the DDP to help us eat that huge platter.

 

[rlduvall]

I totally those scallops at Raglin Road are amazing! My MIL always says those are worth the trip to Florida!

Do you know if the scallops at Cooke's of Dublin are the same? I love, love scallops.

Thanks!

 

[rlduvall]

Nice reviews OP. Thank you for taking the time. And tell your husband now that you are DVC members . . . he has to get over his aversion to contributing to food porn.

 

[susieq76]

LOL- I will be sure to tell him that Food Porn is mandatory... if I use THAT particular terminology then I may be allowed to take pics

Day 3- 9/10

Breakfast at Chef Mickeys

We LOVE Chef Mickeys, not for the food but for the characters and fun. The food is typical buffet but we're okay with that considering the amazing characters. Honestly, I barely remember what we ate but I know we were very full and super happy when finished. Here are a few character pics...

 

[susieq76]

We did not eat lunch today as we were still really full from Chef Mickeys... We did have yummy Mickey Ice Cream bars in the Magic Kingdom- which we ALL enjoyed!

For Dinner we headed over to the Hoop Dee Doo Review. It was an experience...

Hoop Dee Doo Review- we love the HDDR and go every trip to Disney (this was our 7th family trip there and it had always been wonderful- we even have a favorite server, Rob so we are familar with the show and all categories of seating). This year we were iffy about going since we had been so much but my 9 year old twins and their 8 year old brother put their allowances together and offered to pay for it. I booked a Cat 2 table (oop) of 5 in March 2012 for September 10, 2012, 7:15pm show. We were super excited when we arrived at Fort Wilderness (the boys were so proud to have paid for it). They mentioned that the show was going to be all on one level that night. Speaking to 2 or 3 families that had all booked Cat 3 seating we were surprised when we were seated in the very last seat behind a pole at an elevated table. My feet did not touch the floor and with my back issues it was very uncomfortable. I asked to see a manager and asked that we be seated at a lower table (there were only 4 that were raised). The manager, Craig, tried his best but could not give us a lower table (and the tables were so packed in there was literally not an inch of space). He did acknowledge that they had moved all the Cat 3 seating to Cat 1 up front but could not change our table that was behind a pole and elevated so we could see a little bit all the way in the back. Craig worked hard to make us happy and gave our children light up Buzz Lightyears and managed to get my son Tommy in the show (which thrilled him). I really appreciate how much he did to make our kids happy but frankly between the pole in our view and my back pain after sitting on the high seat I doubt we will go back. So I will note that a) that Craig was wonderful at trying to make my family happy despite not being able to fix the seating issue and b) that by not wanting to use the balcony and shoving us all on the main floor the people planning the seating made for some VERY unhappy paying customers with a major backache. That being said, the food was hot and plentiful and what we saw of the show was very fun (although we prefer the old Sixpence).

 

[susieq76]

On 9/11 we spent the day at Hollywood Studios. We started at 9 and spent the whole day there. My children all went on Rockin' Rollercoaster for the first time ever and LOVED it!!!!

For lunch we headed over to Pizza Planet. We shared 3 pizza/salad combos- 1 veggie, 1 meat and 1 cheese. We got three Capuccino cupcakes as well. It was a filling meal if not the best pizza ever. My boys love it there and we go every year. I felt that it was much better than in previous years. We especially loved the cupcake. That was delicious!

For Dinner we had Fantasmic Package Ressies at Mama Melrose at 5:15pm. It was an 8:30pm show that night. It was quite busy inside but we were seated about 10 minutes after our ADR time, so not bad at all. Since we had the fantasmic package we got an appy, entree and dessert platter.

For an Appetizer DH and I shared the Clams Oreganata and Fresh Mozzarella and Vine-ripened Tomatoes. All three children got a salad. We enjoyed both appetizers and the kids loved the salad. The tomatoes were fresh, the clams a bit salty but not too much. The clams were a tad bit overdone but it is a park restaurant and considering that, it was quite good.

For entrees all three kids got chicken parm with spaghetti. I tasted the sauce and did NOT like it (but, I am very picky). My kids, however, loved it. So

DH had the Charred Strip Steak - with five-cheese baked macaroni, aged balsamic-shallot butter, and Chianti Wine Reduction. He loved it and thought it was better than Coral Reef's steak by far. We were ehhh about the baked macaroni though. It was okay, but nothing to write home about.

I had the Seafood Cioppino - fresh clams, shrimp, calamari, and mussels tossed with fregola pasta and a flavorful tomato seafood broth. I was surprised at what fregola pasta was (its a tiny little orzo type pasta). It was good, a bit spicy and the seafood was cooked very well. All in all, I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it.

For dessert we had the dessert plate with two different types of cake on it- one was a coffee cheesecake and the other was a cannoli cake covered in chocolate ganache. My husband liked the cheesecake and I liked the cannoli cake All three kids had the icecream sundaes and enjoyed them.

We were surprised at how much we enjoyed Mama Melrose. The last time we went (2005) we seriously disliked it. I thank the DIS for us getting the "right" things and steering clear of the sauce which I would have disliked. So Thanks All!!!!

 

[vettegirl]

Do you know if the scallops at Cooke's of Dublin are the same? I love, love scallops.

Thanks!

Yes they are exactly the same and half the price with the wonderful chips

 

[rlduvall]

Yes they are exactly the same and half the price with the wonderful chips

Yay!!!! Thanks for the response.

 

[susieq76]

The next day we had an early morning YES class at Epcot. DH played golf at Oak Trail while I took the kids to Epcot. He met us after golf and we headed to Sunshine Seasons for lunch. The 5 of us shared 4 meals:

The Mongolian Beef with Stir Fry noodles

Togarashi Seared Tuna Noodle Salad

Slow-roasted Pork Chop - with cheddar mashed potatoes and BBQ sauce

Oak-grilled Rotisserie Chicken - with black beans and yellow rice

We enjoyed each but the Seared Tuna Noodle Salad was our favorite. The chinese was not as good as we remembered, the chicken was delicious but the beans and rice... eh. The pork chop went quickly with me only getting a tiny bite, so that too was well appreciated.

For dessert we had Key Lime Pie, Cheesecake with Berries, Chocolate Mousse cake and a brownie. All was delicious.

Dinner that night was at O'Hana and we were stoked! We LOVE that kind of food and have NEVER eaten there before!

We had ADRs for 7:00pm. Checked in at 6:45 and were seated at 7. We were thrilled to get a great table with a Castle view close to the fire pit. It was a great view and our kids loved, loved, loved the woman singing and entertaining. Our waiter was Edward and his assisstant was Cliff. Dinner started out with Edward taking our drink order. We asked for one chocolate milk and two regular milks for the children and waters for us as we had just got drinks from the bar (a beer and Lapu? in a coconut). We did imply that we would have more beverages after we finished those. Edward brought three chocolate milks and left quickly (I mean threw them on the table and booked it) and then Cliff began bringing our food. Our salad and sides all came out and were wonderful but as soon as they came and I began helping our kids take food, Edward came over with the first meat (chicken). I nicely asked if we could just wait a few minutes for the meat as I had my hands full and also asked that the regular milks be brought. A few minutes later Cliff brought our milks and then... nothing for over 25 minutes. Cliff was busy helping all the tables around us but Edward was no where to be found. At one point Cliff came over and we asked for meats and he noted that he would do that. He seemed to have his hands full but was super helpful and tried his best to do it all. He finally got us our steak (last of the meat to come out) at 8:35pm. Edward did not come back to the table until 8:40pm to give us our check. Never asked if we wanted a drink, refill our water, the kids milk, nothing. When he gave us our check we immediately gave him our card to pay and mentioned that we were interested in seeing the fireworks from our room which started at 9pm, so we were in a bit of a rush. He brought the card and bill back (literally dropped it on the table) at 8:54pm (yes, I checked my watch). 14 minutes is too long and then to not say a thing? Just not Disney caliber at all. We left a tip ONLY because of Cliff (he was working so hard!!!). I even tried to find a manager to speak to but could not find one easily and frankly my kids were shot at that point. I believe Disney should be aware when a server is not nice nor efficient and will write them regarding it. Due to this experience and despite the fact that we all liked the food, we will not return to O'Hana. Also, the lady who was entertaining was just so good with the children and I want to acknowledge that as well.

 

[susieq76]

Thursday, Sept 13

We started off the morning at Tusker House at the Animal Kingdom. We got to the CR bus stop at 7:05am for an 8:00 ADR. The bus got there at 7:25 and then went to the Poly to p/u. Only problem is that with the construction going on in the road in front of the Poly, our Bus Driver sat at the turn for 5 minutes, drove past to the GF, picked up there and then made his way back over to the Poly. And waited again. For a very long time. We got to the AK at 8:18am.

They were very understanding (there were 4 diff groups with 8 & 8:05 ADRS on the bus who were all late). We booked it to Africa and were seated quickly. The food, the characters- everything was wonderful! The servers we had rocked- it was a fabulous start to the day. My children and I discovered that we really liked the Mealie Pap and the Bobotie. It was delicious!