Dining reviews with many pictures!! 5/1 to 5/9

[Yellow_Stitch]

Dining reviews May 1st through May 9th 2006.

May 1st

Day 1 started with delicious biscuit sandwiches from Hardee’s near the Indianapolis Airport. The best way to start the day at 5:30 am. Lunch was at Downtown Disney around noon. We had heard that Raglan Road was open for lunch now, but it turned out to be just a vicious rumor, so we chose Cooke’s of Dublin which is the fish and chips place attached to RR. DS6 got the child’s chicken skewers meal and DW and I shared the One and One (fish and chips). The fish was excellent and the chips were tasty, if a bit undercooked. We sat outdoors in a cozy patio area with an unfortunately unmanned bar. We were looking for a light meal since we had Hoop Dee Doo reservations at 7:15 that night and knew we would be stuffing ourselves then.

We arrived at Pioneer Hall 10 minutes before seating at HDDR and were seated to the left of the stage about 3 tables back. Not quite as good as our table last year (dead center, second from the stage) but not bad at all. Our server took our drink order - Sangria makes the show much funnier for some reason - and brought our salads and bread and butter. The salad was tasty and plentiful and the bread was good. Next came the ribs, chicken, corn on the cob and baked beans. All were hot and adequately prepared, but the ribs seemed better and or meatier than last year. This was all washed down with large volumes of Sangria. Finally the strawberry shortcake was (literally) trotted out and with 2 pans of it for the 3 of us, I tried to do my bit for Ireland and consume as much of it as possible. (I know, the sacrifices I make.) It was sweet and delicious; how can Strawberry shortcake be anything but?) We waddled out of Pioneer hall with bloated bellies, the Hoop Dee Doo song on our lips and Sangria coursing through our bloodstreams, not a bad way to start our vacation.

 

[Yellow_Stitch]

We had an 8 am ADR for Donald’s Breakfastosaurus at the Animal Kingdom and we were really looking forward to it. We were led in with a large group to the room housed in a sort of Quonset hut. Our guide showed us our tables, and I mean showed. We were told to immediately hit the buffet without sitting down. DW decided to wait with our son while I got his food as well as mine. One minute later here they come to the buffet. The guide had politely but firmly told DW that she had to get up and get her food now. She couldn’t fall behind the group. Everything was very assembly line like. Get ‘em in and get ‘em out. The character interaction was good and the food was ok, but the whole experience was very rushed and hectic and loud. We were done in under 25 minutes. This is at the bottom of the character meal lineup in our opinion.

For Dinner we bussed over to Boma at the Animal Kingdom Lodge at 5. We had a nice table in the far right at the back of the restaurant. DW and I each ordered a wine flight (around $11 - a bargain for 3 glasses) with dinner; I chose the white and DW the red. We enjoyed them immensely. The food was super. I tried some things that I missed last time we were here and enjoyed them all. We both loved the butternut squash soup and the falafel balls, but really everything was good. The prime rib was nice too. For dessert we tried a bit of everything, including the much ballyhooed zebra domes. All delicious. This is a personal favorite restaurant of mine, but next time we might step up to Jiko. DS as usual had chicken fingers, just like almost every meal on this trip.

 

[Princess4Eeyore]

Thanx ... great pics

 

[Yellow_Stitch]

Breakfast was at the Mecca for all gourmands and connoisseurs- the Pop Century Food Court! We both enjoyed the breakfast platter with scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, potatoes and a biscuit. Nothing special, but it tasted alright and was a filling start to the day. We also tried the waffle platter and DW had the breakfast pizza one morning. These were ok, but not as good as the bit of everything platter.

Dinner was a bit more elegant than the food court. The Hollywood Brown Derby is a favorite of ours for good reason. The food is excellent, probably the best in any of the four parks and the setting is very relaxing and refined. We had a fantastic waiter named Hugh who was very personable and was great at keeping our son from getting bored. DS had a couple of Star Wars figures to keep him occupied and he talked with Hugh about everything Star Wars. At the end of the meal Hugh presented him with a certificate naming him the “Number 1 Star Wars fan!”

We started with bread and butter, then shared a Cobb salad. I enjoyed it, but DW is not very fond of Bleu cheese, so she didn’t love it. We had a wine flight with this meal as well and this one had four glasses ($20). All of the wines had some sort of Hollywood connection. One was Fred Mac Murray’s family vineyard, while another was “Marilyn Merlot.” We liked them all to a lesser or greater degree. The flight is on the menu but must not be ordered too often since we got many a look from our fellow diners!

We both ordered the Filet Mignon with potatoes and a wine reduction sauce. It was outstanding and we both devoured our meals. For dessert DW had the grapefruit cake which she thought was not bad, but not her favorite. I had the Happiest Celebration dessert inspired by the stunt show. Notice the flames behind the “wheel” and the tire tracks on the plate. It was chocolate with orange and was terrific. It reminded me of one of those chocolate orange things you have to whack on the table to separate the slices, but on a higher level. We left with sated appetites and more great memories.

 

[ugadog99]

Terrific reviews and great pics. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Yellow_Stitch]

Breakfast was again at the food court, ‘nuff said.

We shared a lunch at the Cantina de San Angel in Mexico. A sampler platter was great to split. We topped it off with churros and washed it all down with Margaritas. Not a bad place to stop for lunch.

Dinner was at the Biergarten in the German pavilion at Epcot. DW rates this as her worst dinner at WDW! The main issue was the seating. As you may already know you are often seated with another family, well we were seated with 2, on the upper level. We ate an early dinner and the place was not even half full. The main problem was that we were directly inline with 2 very large men who completely blocked our view of the band and entertainment. The food was good in my opinion, but DW didn’t like it much. DS6 loved the music and ate his usual salad and chicken. DW had a glass of Riesling and I opted for beer, Spaten Optimator. Why get a half liter when for 2 bucks more you can have a full liter, I always say. It was delicious and seemed to get better as I got near the bottom of the glass. After this I thought everything there was the best I’d ever had. Maybe I’m not the best judge of this one…

No good pictures for this day!

 

[Yellow_Stitch]

We just had a light snack in the room and went swimming before heading to Epcot for lunch. We chose the Tangierine Café at Morocco. We each got the Shawarma platter, mine chicken and lamb and DW just chicken. We both loved it! Dessert was some kind of almond baklava. Very filling. Sitting out in the little courtyard area was a nice break from the day of walking.

We ate dinner at Le Cellier at 4:30 and DW declared this the best meal of the trip. She had an Icewine martini and I had a Labatt’s blue beer. The 3 breads to start the meal were great and we both had the cheddar cheese soup which was very tasty. Dipping the bread in the soup was a hit as well. The main course for each of us was the mushroom filet and it was the best we had this trip. The meat was delicious and the mushrooms really added to the taste. This was on top of a risotto which was very well prepared and not mushy or starchy.

DS had the spaghetti kid’s meal and fell on it like a starved wolf. I wish more restaurants had pasta on the kid’s menu. For dessert we shared a sampler containing a raspberry sorbet, maple crème brulee and a chocolate cake. All were delicious and we left in a great mood.

 

[OurDogCisco]

Great reveiw.... Can't wait to see the rest..

Tina

 

[Yellow_Stitch]

Breakfast at the food court.

Dinner was Ohana at the Polynesian. Check in was very slow but we ended up with a great table facing the volcano at the pool with the castle in the distance. The food just starts coming and doesn’t stop. The salad was great and the chips and dipping sauces were quite good.

DW ordered a Lapu Lapu which is served in a pineapple and I got a backscratcher which of course had one in the glass. Both were potent and delicious, and added to the meal.

More food arrived, chicken wings and potatoes along with stir fried veggies, all of which were great. It’s just so much food, we did our best but we could have had 2 more people and still not cleaned all the plates. Then the skewers of meat appeared. All were good and tasty. No, the beef they slide onto your plate is not Kobe tenderloin, but it was well cooked and tasted good. All this was followed with bread pudding with vanilla ice cream and a bananas foster topping, which was a big hit.

As a side note, the activities for the kids including coconut races and the shaka maraca parade/limbo were great. My son loved the parade and had the biggest smile on his face. Remember from Lilo and Stitch that Ohana means family and this is a fairly noisy, kid friendly meal, not so much a romantic, quiet spot!

 

[mdhkitten]

Great job! You're making me hungry!

 

[Yellow_Stitch]

Breakfast at the food court.

Dinner was early (3:50) at the Crystal Palace. The characters were great; how can you go wrong with Pooh Bear? The food was good as well, much more varied than I had anticipated. The prime rib was well cooked and I tried a little of almost everything else and enjoyed it all. Desserts were good, with the notable exception of the red velvet cheesecake. Very dry and not much taste to it which was very disappointing.

 

[Yellow_Stitch]

Breakfast at Ohana at the Polynesian. The characters were very entertaining with Stitch stealing a little girl’s Lilo doll and running off with it as she laughed until a CM got it back for her. He used my son’s autograph pen to clean out his ears. (Stitch, not the CM.) The food was standard breakfast fare, but was fresh and well done. Plenty of fresh fruit too. Another parade entertained DS while we enjoyed the coffee and the view.

For lunch we shared a rotisserie chicken and rib platter at Cosmic Ray’s. The lines were long and the dining room was crowded, but the food was excellent. The chicken was moist and tasty and plenty for 2 or 3 for a light meal.

Dinner was at the Whispering Canyon Cafe at the Wilderness Lodge. Our waitress was Little Susie Lies-a-lot and she was hilarious. “We used to have great bottomless milkshakes, but the machine is broken and you can’t have one.” This was the only restaurant we found that actually had something for kids to color instead of the lame kid’s menu word scramble page you get elsewhere. Susie gave all 3 of us pages to color, then she had us sign them and taped them to the wall near our table for all to see. My son colored a second page which she added to the gallery.

As for the food it was an excellent, hearty meal. The ribs were especially good, better than the Hoop Dee Doo ribs. Again it was just too much for us. This was definitely the most fun we all had at a meal this trip- 3 thumbs up!

 

[Yellow_Stitch]

One last serviceable breakfast at the food court and we were on our way.

We had a late lunch/early dinner at Tusker House at Animal Kingdom which was our first time there. We shared a half chicken platter which was basically the same as the Cosmic Ray’s version. Very satisfying and a good value as far as Disney goes.

All in all we really enjoyed our dining experience this trip and felt we used the dining plan to our best benefit. We had to pay for a couple of meals out of pocket since Hoop Dee Doo and the Brown Derby were 2 credits each and of course the liquor wasn’t free, but we had a good time. We didn’t fall in love with breakfast at the food court, but it was convenient. Having said that, BRING BACK THE SILVER PLAN!!!

 

[donaldtutter]

Awesome reviews! Thanks!

 

[rigs32]

I'm super excited about the wine flights at Boma now. DH and I love tasting and we can each taste all six if he orders one and I order the other. Did you enjoy them? Would you recommend one over the other?

 

[mdhkitten]

You think that you got some looks at the Brown Derby for your wine flights? My friend and I just got back and had dinner at Jiko, where our wonderful server, whom we've had before, did her own wine pairings for us, and we ended up with a total of 10 partially filled glasses on our table. She commented that people probably thought that we were a couple of alcoholics (remember, she's our friend, so we thought it was very funny! )!

 

[amarberry]

Great reviews! Loved the pictures. Interesting about the wine flight at Boma. I never noticed it on the drink menu (to excited about the food when I'm at Boma). I'm not a wine drinker, but DH might enjoy that.

DH and I are quite familar with the Spaten Optimator after our last trip. We hit the beer stand in Germany a few times on our last trip. That beer really packs a punch...

 

[Yellow_Stitch]

Boma wine flights:

I generally prefer white wine and enjoyed the Boma flight, but I did taste the reds and they were good too. We bought a bottle of Pinno Chardonnay at the AKL gift shop which we have yet to drink. We've already had bottle of Riesling we bought at Germany and still unopened bottles from France and Italy. Just need to cook the right dinner for each.

amarberry, before our trip I spotted Optimator six packs (bottles) at Kroger. Not sure if you have Kroger supermarkets, but I'm going to get some next time I'm there!

 

[ctnurse]

Your reviews and pics are great. Now please tell me more about wine flights. I love wine with dinner and I cant believe I dont know about them. I cant wait to try Boma.

 

[Yellow_Stitch]

Boma wine flights were only 10 bucks or so which I think was a good value. The whites can be read in the picture I posted and here they are:
Beyond Sauvignon Blanc, Delheim Gewurztraminer, and Raats Original Chenin Blanc. The red flight was a Merlot, and a Pinotage and the middle wine is unremembered. (The name is anyway!) I'm looking on allears.net for a listing, but no luck yet. I need to bring a notebook to all meals to keep things straight!