Dining reviews, May 20-May 27

[TexasErin]

We were on the DDP. Our crew included me, DH, DD (9), and DS (3). We stayed at the CR for the first three days and then switched to BWV where we rented points and were also on the dining plan.
May 20
We arrived at the CR around 2:30. We made it to Epcot around 4:00 for our usual tradition of milk and cookies at Electric Umbrella. (Whenever we were using snack credits, me and DH each ordered with one of us using snack credits and one of us paying cash so one person didn't have to try to keep up with what we were buying with snack credits and what was being paid for OOP.) The cashier misunderstood me when I used snack credits for our chocolate milks (as they were more expensive than the cookies) and charged me 4 counter services which I realized after looking at the receipts later. Our hotel easily fixed it later.
For dinner, we went to the Kona Cafe. Our ADR was for 7:40 and we were seated in a few minutes. Our server was very nice and told us we could all order smoothies for our drinks and the kids could get adult appetizers. The kids got smoothies, but DH and I just had sodas. I got the crab cakes, terriyaki steak, and kileau (sp?) torte. DH got the chicken noodle soup, filet, and apple brown betty. He was going to get the terriyaki steak as well but our server talked him into the filet (we got the feeling that maybe she was trying to increase her tip as we were on the DDP.) DD got the chicken noodle soup, hamburger, and kiddie cone. DS got the potsticker (okay so that's what I ordered for him since I knew he wouldn't eat any of the appetizers), pb&j uncrustable, and kiddie cone. DH and I both enjoyed our meals. DD liked her hamburger, but didn't like her soup or really care for her dessert (she's very picky). DS didn't like anything (he did not have much of an appetite on this trip).
May 21
For breakfast, we ate at Main Street Bakery. We used snack credits for the food items and paid for the drinks. I got the French toast loaf. This was not as good as last trip as it was really overcooked and was very tough to cut. DH got a cinnamon roll and the kids each got a muffin which they all enjoyed.
For lunch, we ate at Cosmic Ray's. We all got hamburgers except for DS who had chicken strips (or nuggets?) and chocolate cake. We all enjoyed it (love the toppings bar), except for DS. We kept telling DS to eat his food so he put a huge bite of chicken in his mouth and he decided it was too big or he didn't like it, so he spit it out. The problem is that DS just doesn't spit something out and that be the end of it; it triggers his EXTREMELY sensitive gag reflex and he then pukes! If you were eating there this day and he nearly made you lose your lunch, I sincerely apologize.
Dinner was at Liberty Tree Tavern. This was very delicious and is a tradition on each trip. It was great as always. I especially love the turkey, mashed potatoes with gravy, and Stove Top. I'm not crazy about the dessert, but DH really liked it. Our server was very nice and we really enjoyed the character interaction. I also love the colonial theme.
May 22
This was our MGM day. Breakfast was at ABC Commissary. DH, DD, and DS all had the pancake platter. I told DH to get me a biscuit and some hash browns and I was going to run next door the the Writer's Stop to get a frozen coffee. The machine was still in the process of freezing everything so DD went back later to get one for me. Everything was pretty good at ABC Commissary, except the biscuit which was pretty dry and hard.
We had lunch at the Sci-Fi. It looked like it was going to rain so we didn't leave anything in the stroller (this will be very important later in the day). We only waitied a few minutes to be called. Our server was very, very nice (I wish I could remember her name) and was helpful with explaining the dining plan. I had the spinach artichoke dip, a bacon cheeseburger, and the chocolate torte. I also had a chocolate shake for my drink. I didn't finish anything (well, except for the torte), because it was a lot of food. DH had the chili, a bacon cheeseburger, and I think a sundae. He had soda to drink. I don't believe either one of the kids got an appetizer as I knew neither one would eat a fruit plate or a cheese plate. DD got a burger and DS got macaroni. They each got a shake for their drink and the kid's sundae. I was not impressed with the food (except for the chocolate torte), which we have eaten here before so I knew it wasn't anything to write home about. Although the server was a very sweet lady and we love the atmosphere and watching the movie clips. Okay, so about 15 minutes after leaving the restaurant, I notice we don't have DS's beloved white tiger stuffed animal. I go back to the restaurant and look at our table which nobody was at yet, and don't see it. So I walked to the back of the restaurant and talked to one of the servers (I didn't see ours) and she asks the person who bussed the table and they hadn't seen it. They told me to check back later. About an hour later, I went back and asked at the front and they said they still hadn't seen it, but to go back and ask again. This time I saw our server and she and another very nice lady started asking around. Our server went back to our table and asked the people now seated there to look around. Tiger was in the floorboard so we had a happy reunion. It is SO dark in there that you couldn't just see him. You had to feel around for stuff
We ate dinner at Pizza Planet. DS had fallen asleep in his stroller so we decided to let him sleep and just take his pizza with us for later. Pizza was pretty good. DS slept until we were getting on the elevator to go back down. He ate his pizza while we waited for Fantasmic.
Sorry this is so long.........will post the rest of the days later. Still to come.......Tony's Town Square, Teppanyaki, Crystal Palace......

 

[SlightlyGoofy]

Thank you for the great report and I am so glad that you found your child's beloved Tiger. Tiger would have been lonely without his boy.

Slightly Goofy

 

[3princesses4us]

Thanks for the great reviews. Can't wait for the rest!

 

[figmentfan704]

Thanks for the great report!
My ds also has an extremely sensitive gag reflex. Thank goodness it doesn't surprise our family and friends anymore! We've learned not to 'eat' anything by our neighborhood pool anymore- we've shut it down a few times!
I can't wait to read the rest!

 

[danny1649]

For posting I enjoyed reading your reviews.

 

[TigerKat]

Can't wait for the rest!!!

 

[ufgator]

Thanks for the reviews.

 

[DisneycrazedX6]

Thanks for the great reviews!!! I can't wait to hear how Tony's and the Crystal Palace were...I am on the fence about both of them.

 

[LAWalz23]

Thanks for the reviews! Waiting for the rest!

 

[Minniespal]

Enjoyed reading your reviews - Thanx for sharing.

 

[TexasErin]

Continued.........
May 23
Well, I really messed up breakfast. We were on the dining plan but it was split between two resorts, so we couldn't use any of the credits from BWV until we checked in which I didn't think about at the time. So we had no table service credit for Chef Mickey's (unless I wanted to go check in before 8 am, uh, no thanks). I knew how many table service credits to use on our trip- I just didn't catch my scheduling mistake. So we skipped Chef Mickey's this trip. Instead we had breakfast at Main Street Bakery again. Kids had muffins again, DH had a cinnamon roll again, and I had a chocolate croissant. All were good.
We had planned on just having a snack around lunch, but since Chef Mickey's was a no-go, we ate lunch at Columbia Harbour House. This was the only place that said we had to use child credits for the kids. Our orders were macaroni (I believe), and the fish basket, and the chicken basket. All was good as usual. I was disappointed that they no longer have apple pie for dessert- if memory serves, I believe we had chocolate cake instead.
Again, dinner plans changed since we now had a table service credit left over from breakfast, I decided to stop by Tony's Town Square to see if they had any openings for dinner. They had one for, I think, 8:20 so we took it. We had kind of a long wait- maybe 15 minutes- but I was just glad they had an opening. From the reviews, I wasn't expecting much, but it ended up being my favorite dinner. I had the fried goat cheese, strip steak and roasted potatoes, and chocolate hazelnut torte. The strip steak was topped with red wine goronzola butter and had so much flavor. Everything was delicious, especially dessert. DH had minestrone soup, spaghetti w/ meatballs, and amaretto cheesecake. He enjoyed his as well. DD had salad, Peg's pepperoni pizza, and the chocolate chip cookie sundae. She loved her pizza. DS had spaghetti and the same sundae as DD- we did not get him an appetizer. He ate pretty well, which was rare for this trip. The atmosphere was very cute with all the Lady and the Tramp pictures, and service was good as well.
May 24
Breakfast was at Fountainview at Epcot. I paid for the drinks OOP and DH was going to order the food items using snack credits. I was ahead of him so I had sat down when he ordered. He told me that they told him he couldn't use snack credits for food- only for drinks (even though almost all of the food had a DDP logo by it on the menu). He was too embarrassed to point it out to them and didn't want to hold everyone up so he just paid for it. No big deal- just more snack credits to use later, but it would have been nice if the employees understood the plan better. I had another chocolate croissant, DH had a fruit danish (apple, maybe), and the kids each had a cookie (hey, we're on vacation, why not?) Everything was good.
We had a late lunch at Teppanyaki. I love this place and it is a tradition to eat here every trip. I had the garden salad with ginger dressing (I love the dressing), the chicken/shrimp combo, and the ginger cake. Everything was delicious. DH did not want an appetizer so I told him if he got the seaweed salad, I would help him with it (okay, eat it for him), the chicken/steak combo, and chocolate ice cream. Both the kids got Donald's Favorite (chicken with assorted vegetables and rice) and chocolate ice cream. DD ate all her chicken and rice. DS continued with his theme for our vacation and ate pretty much nothing. Our chef was very entertaining and most of us enjoyed the food very much. This was my 2nd favorite meal of the trip.
May 25
For breakfast, we ate at Tusker House. I had an apple turnover. DH had a cinnamon roll. DD had a chocolate chip muffin, and I think DS did, too. Everything was good. We ate outside as we had just been on Kali River Rapids and were SOAKED and too cold to eat inside. It was a nice little area to eat in.
For lunch, we ate at Earl of Sandwich at DTD. I had the Original which was very yummy (but could have used a little more horseradish). DH had a special of the day, which was a barbecue sandwich (in the same bread that they usually use); he thought it was really good. DD got the kid's pizza sandwich and hated it (she is really pretty picky.) DS had the kid's grilled cheese and actually ate it pretty well. We all got cookies for our dessert. No sides are available on the dining plan, but we didn't need any anyway. Everyone but DD enjoyed lunch very much.
We wanted to eat while we waited for Illuminations. So DH and the kids got food from Electric Umbrella (hamburgers and chicken strips and cookies) and I got a Frankfurter with sauerkraut and apple strudel from Sommerfest. DH and the kids enjoyed their's, but I wasn't real thrilled with mine- I don't know what I was expecting, but to me, it was just like a hot dog, and I prefer red cabbage over sauerkraut.
Well, my lunch hour is over, so I'll finish up the last 2 days later.....

 

[littleladykaty]

great review!!! Really enjoying it! My soon 2 b DS4 used to spit out "too big bites" as well...something learned from Grandma one week long trip...started doing it every time he didn't like food he was given. A whole production of gagging etc...scared grandma to death and she'd shout "SPIT IT OUT"... that doesn't work at daddy's...he did that once here and was promptly removed from the table and that was that. Never did it again...funny how his "choking" stopped rather abruptly when there was no drama other than not being able to finish his dinner. little stinkpot! He recently announced that he would NEVER choke at Mickey's house!

 

[Tinkerbell_Girl]

Thanks for the review! I can't wait to read the rest.

 

[TexasErin]

Thanks for the replies, everybody.
May 26
Breakfast was at Crystal Palace. We had an ADR before the park opened so it was nice to see Main Street almost empty. The food was great as always. I especially love the cheesy potatoe casserole thing and the puffed French toast. DS loved the little muffins and DD loved the Pooh waffles. The character interaction and service were all very good.
That afternoon we got snacks from Sleepy Hollow. DH got a Root Beer float, DD got a Coke float, and I got a cappuccino float. They were all so good. They were the best snacks of our trip. DS just wanted a chocolate chip cookie that we had left over from the night before which he really enjoyed (as evidenced by the food all over his face).
For dinner we decided to go back to Tony's. We didn't have an ADR scheduled for tonight as we had planned on using our last table service credit for tomorrow's breakfast, but decided at the last minute to change things around a little. They had a sign outside of City Hall saying that all table service restaurants had no more seatings available. I decided to check at Tony's around mid-afternoon and the nice man there told me that they had no openings, but sometimes people didn't show up and didn't bother to cancel. He said to check back around 5:00 and they might be able to seat us outside. We did and they seated us right away (outside). When we were first seated, it was sunny. Then all of a sudden it got VERY dark and a downpour started. The wind was blowing the rain against us. Our server and the manager were so nice- they said they didn't have a seat inside, but moved us to a table where we might be out of the rain a little more. It did help and we didn't get too wet, except DH who volunteered to sit with his back against the table. We knew the weather wasn't the restaurant's fault so we weren't upset at all, but the manager offered to give us free desserts (DH told him that we were on the dining plan, but thanked him anyway). So the manager gave us each 2 fastpasses for any attraction. He was such a nice man and another server brought over a table cloth to help cover us up since she knew we were a little cold...........anyway, the food was very good. I had the same fried goat cheese, strip steak and roasted potatoes, and tart. DH had the spinach/artichoke dip, strip steak, and amaretto cheesecake. DD got Peg's pizza (no appetizer by her own choice) and the kids sundae. We got DS the spaghetti (and chose no appetizer for him) and the sundae. DS was so tired that he slept through the appetizers and we had to wake him up to eat his spaghetti (he had already been asleep in his stroller for an hour before we went to the restaurant and was impossible to wake up.) He decided that he wanted Sissy's food instead so she was nice enough to share with him. We all enjoyed it, but the rain did put a damper on our meal.
May 27
This morning we had breakfast at Electric Umbrella. The kids each got the french toast stick which they enjoyed. DS got a breakfast sandwich and wished he had gotten something else as he said it wasn't very filling. I got the breakfast platter which had a cheese omelet (okay, but VERY cheesy), hashbrowns, sausage, and a biscuit. It was a lot of food so I shared some with DH and DD. DD had enough food, but wanted to try a hashbrown. It was all pretty good, but I think next time I might get something different and I know DH would.
We had a very late lunch at the Mara at AKL. We had to leave today and were driving about 500 miles. We couldn't decide where to use our last counter service and DH suggested this as we could at least technically claim to be on the road. DD and I each got the cheeseburger combo. We got DS the chicken strips and I believe DH also had the chicken strips. I was so hot that I decided a smoothie would be really good for dessert and the CM said that was allowed on the plan. Everybody else got chocolate chip cookies for their dessert. The CMs were incredibly friendly here, too. I love the AKL and we might stay here on our next trip (we have stayed here a couple of times before and fell in love with everything but its remote location).
Well, that's it. Sorry it took me so long to finish it and hope I didn't put anybody to sleep with the details. Thanks for reading!