Do I have to eat again? A QSDP dining review

[VernRDH]

Howdy folks

We are back from 8 nights at the World. I am 8 pounds heavier. We were on the QSDP, but did do a few TS meals. I'll try to be thorough with descriptions, but feel free to ask if you have any questions. I didn't take any pictures, sorry.

Here's where we ate:

Sunshine Seasons (lunch and breakfast)
Columbia Harbor House
Rosie's All American Cafe
Cantina de San Angel
Tangerine Cafe
Nine Dragons
Tusker House
Beaches n Cream
Cosmic Rays
Trails End take out
Earl of Sandwich (breakfast)
Cookes of Dublin
Main Street Bakery (breakfast)
Backlot Express
Pizzafari
Kringla Bakeri og Cafe
Pecos Bills

I'll do each restaurant in a seperate post, just to make it easier to read.

I'll also do a post on some of the snacks we had, a lot of snack credits we used for drinks.

Next up:Sunshine Seasons

 

[VernRDH]

I have to say that Sunshine Seasons is at the top of my favorites list. We ate here for lunch the day we arrived, and again for breakfast later in the week.

For lunch we had the Chicken Cesar salad, the kids chicken with mashed potatoes and the turkey and muenster on foccaccia. All good as always. DH had the cheesecake for dessert, I had the apple caramel cake. DD got grapes and a cookie with her meal. The salad is my favorite, the greens are very fresh and the chicken is tender. DH likes the sandwich, but wishes it came with chips. DD has never met a potato she doesn't like and thinks the chicken is awesome. The desserts, what can you say, they are to die for. I should have had the key lime pie, but figured I would get back there to have it (unfortunately I didn't)

When we went back for breakfast, we had the bacon egg and cheese sandwich and the kids french toast. We each got 2 beverages, so we each got a soft drink and a bottle of water. I will say that it was unbearably hot in the beginning of the week, and we really needed the water! The croissant sandwiches were large and tasty. The kids french toast was actual pieces of toast, not the sticks. DD and I shared, as she liked the croissant and I wanted some french toast.

Three thumbs up for both of these meals.

Next: Columbia Harbor House

 

[VernRDH]

We have always overlooked this restaurant for some reason. Part of the goal of this trip was to try new eateries, and we liked this one. We went for dinner and had the following: Fish basket, the Anchors Aweigh sandwich and the kids chicken nuggets.

DH had the fish basket. Said the fish was good, however the tartar sauce left much to be desired. He is fussy when it comes to tartar sauce, and since this was not up to his standards, he was slightly unhappy. I had the Anchors Aweigh sandwich, which was phenomenal. I wanted things that were lighter and this was great. I tend to be fussy about tuna salad in restaurants, but this was good and cold (a must for me). DD had nuggets, what can you say about nuggets. She'll eat em. For dessert, we had one chocolate cake (good), one apple crisp (awesome) and a chocolate chip cookie. I would go back here again, DH would but would get chicken instead of fish.

Next: Rosie's All American Cafe

 

[VernRDH]

This was another eatery we had never tried, though I really never noticed it. It is right next to Catalina Eddies. This was a really hot day, and we didn't feel like schlepping over to the Commisary or Backlot Express, so this is where we ate.

DH and I both had burgers with fries and DD had the chicken nuggets (are you seeing a trend here). For dessert we had the carrot cake, the chocolate cake and a chocolate chip cookie. What can you say about Disney burgers, they are burgers. The bad thing about Rosie's is that there is no fixin's bar like at Pecos Bills or Cosmic Rays. It was fine as far as lunch goes, but nothing extra special.

Next: Cantina de San Angel

 

[VernRDH]

So long about this time, the heat is getting to us and the thought of eating more food is really killer. We chose not to do the DDP because it was too much food. I have to say that even on the QS plan, it was still too much food. But the plan works out well for us, since the cost of meals in the World have gotten pretty hefty (just like I was when I left). Not that I didn't finish some of my meals, but probably more than half I left some on the plate.

So our next stop on the culinary delight express is the Cantina at Mexico. DH and I had eaten here on our honeymoon 12 years ago. So while this wasn't new to us, the menu has changed and DD had never eaten here.

DH had the burrito, DD ate the nachos and I ate her kids meal, the chicken quesadilla. While I am no authority on Mexican cuisine, this was still pretty American-ized Mexican. Better than Taco Bell, but not as good as our local mexican restaurant. It was a lot of food, and the churros for dessert were huge. It didn't WOW me, but it was food.

Next up: Redemption at the Tangerine Cafe

 

[medicgirl911]

liking your QSDP review...something I am considering for a short trip in the future.

 

[mom of princessx2]

Loving it so far. Glad you liked CHH and SS because they are on our QSDP list for end of month. Looking forward to hearing about Tangerine Cafe because that is also on my list. Hope you had a good trip!!

 

[gottalluvmickey]

This is great! I always want to try new CS's but don't know where to eat.

 

[Haley/Hayden Mom]

We leave in around 11 days and are on the QSDP so this thread is a wonderful thing for me to see.

 

[VernRDH]

Thank you all for the kind words. Now on with the show...........

The Tangerine Cafe. I knew that I would like it, I just wasn't sure how DH would do. We had eaten at Marrakesh in 2006 and he was underwhelmed. But it could have been the company at the time

I will state once again that it was hot. Face of the sun hot. So eating big heavy HOT meals when it is roasty toasty outside isn't always fun. After pondering the menu, DH and I decided to each get the chicken wrap, which came with couscous and lentil salad (both cold!). DD got (drum roll please) CHICKEN NUGGETS!

Now the chicken wrap is basically a chicken gyro. For those unfamiliar with such delicacies, its chicken, lettuce, tomato, onion and the greatest invention involving yogurt EVER, tzatziki sauce (and if it wasn't tzatziki, then it was really close). It was scrum-diddly-umptious. It was a fantastic meal for a hot day. DH really like the wrap, so much so that he had it again when we returned later in the week. The couscous was really good, lentil salad, ehh, you really need to like lentils a lot.

On the second trip, I had the lunchbox, which was a sundried tomato wrap with chicken, fries and of course BAKLAVA. There is no dessert I love more than baklava. No wait, I may have said that about key lime pie. Well there are few desserts I have met that I didn't like. But baklava, mmmmm, it is yummy, honey goodness.

DD had the kids hamburger the second time, proclaimed it aces. She too has learned to love the baklava. Again, how can you not? Well maybe if you are allergic to nuts, then no you can't love it, but otherwise it is the bomb.

So Tangerine Cafe rates high, DH is still talking about it. If I can convince him to go to the diner, he can have a gyro and baklava and relive the magic.

Next: A Mother's Day surprise at Nine Dragons

 

[frdeb1999]

Great start!! I like hearing about the QS plan....nice option IMO. Looking forward to more of your review.

 

[VernRDH]

Now I know what you are thinking, this is a QSDP review, so what is a TS doing on the list? Well as it was Mothers Day, DH decided to surprise me with a nice air conditioned sit down meal at Nine Dragons (it was either that or Norway) Now when he asked me on this day where I wanted to eat in Epcot, and of course having the freedom to choose ANYWHERE, I thought carefully about my options. We had discussed eating at the Lotus Blossom CS at China, so when he pushed for China, I went right along. Silly old me.

So long about 4:30 we are headed over to that area of WS, and DH says okay lets go in. I say, but that is the TS restaurant, he is like uh, duh, its Mothers Day, we are eating TS tonight. My lucky day! Dessert would be the Nelson brothers concert, they are yumm-o.

So back to the food, since we were paying OOP, we passed on appys and dessert, and just ordered entrees. DH had the sweet and sour pork, which came with noodles. I had the honey sesame chicken with rice. DD had the kids sweet and sour chicken.

My chicken was delish, but the plain white rice was blah. I am not a huge rice fan, I much prefer noodles. DH loves pork fried rice, so he wasn't loving the noodles with his pork, nor the fact that the sweet n sour sauce was already on the pork. I thought his noodles, which were a spinach type noodle with garlic, chiles, and other seasonings were teriffic. I could have eaten just the noodles for dinner and been happy.

In all, it was a good meal, but pricey. With tip almost $60 for three entrees and two adult drinks, one kids drink. This pretty much solidified our decision to never eat TS again at Disney, but our next meal would cement that decision for good.

Next: Want to swim with the fish? Then you have to eat at Tusker House.

 

[VernRDH]

Now I will say that AK has been weak on restaurants in my opinion. We had eaten at Breakfastosaurus twice, and it was fine. But I never really had any desire to eat in AK. But the fine folks at Disney enticed me to eat there by offering priority seating to the 3:15 Finding Nemo, the Musical! show if you ate at Tusker House between 1 and 1:40. So call me Lolly, cause I'm a sucker..........

We went early and were seated within 10 minutes. Now this is a buffet, all you can eat, what is not to love. Well, the service for one and the food for two. Our server was a rather unfriendly man who could not find time to refill drinks until he brought the check by (I am so not kidding on this). The food, well, it was edible, but not anything to write home about. The pork and beef at the carving station was tough and fatty. Things were not always clearly marked on the buffet, so I was unsure what some things were. DD had mashed potatoes and a make your own PB & J (what a combo, I know). DH and I had some cesar salad, the meats and a few other items which I cannot remember. The desserts were okay, DD loved the Krispy Kreme donuts, since we no longer have a KK here. (We even got some at the airport to take home).

The best part was the PS for the Nemo show. The seats were great, and we really enjoyed the show. Could we have chanced it by waiting in line like the rest of the crowd and not paid $60 for lunch? Probably. Lesson learned.

As an aside, Disney has started doing something new on the bill. Math. They list for you how much an 18% or 20% tip is. Helpful if the service is up to par, not so much if its not.

One more sit down, but not really, at Beaches and Cream, where we dine with Royalty!

 

[VernRDH]

Now, I am not supposed to discuss this, but DH and I have our own website and podcast about cruising. Our inspiration was Matt from WDW Today. We have gotten to know him over the last two years, and wanted to thank him by taking him and his lovely bride out for dinner. We went back and forth about where to go, timing etc, and finally settled on Beaches and Cream.

We did not have an ADR, but only waited about 15 minutes for a table. Ordered were (in no particular order) a roast beef sub, a turkey sandwich, a cheese dog, a chili cheese dog and a kids cheeseburger. All came with fries. DH like the turkey sandwich, and I thoroughly enjoyed my chili cheese dog. Dessert was a kids sundae, one No Way Jose and one Milky Way sundae. DH and I split the Milky Way, and again, how can you go wrong with chocolate, caramel and ice cream?

The meal was good, the company excellent and a good time was had by all. We really enjoyed meeting Matt and look forward to seeing him again in the future.

Now, back to QS dining with our next stop on the culinary delight train, Cosmic Rays.

 

[VernRDH]

I really like the selection at Cosmic Rays. I don't however like the three different "bays" you need to order from if members of your party want different things. But alas, we were able to decide on one bay. DH and I both ordered the turkey bacon wrap (we only have one mind, we frequently will both be thinking of the same thing to eat, without having told the other person). DD had..........CHICKEN NUGGETS! Over in Bay 3 where the sandwiches are, there are no fries, but instead home made chips. So they are really just very thinly sliced fries. The wraps were really good, nuggets, well, they are nuggets, DD ate them all. Dessert was one carrot cake and one triple chocolate cake. DD had the chocolate chip cookie.

We ate here again on Thursday, while it was raining at dinner time. This time we went Bay 1, the chicken and ribs. DH got just ribs, I got the chicken and rib combo and DD got the kids grilled chicken salad. She really ate my ribs and I ate her salad. Now this is where value is king on the QSDP. The rib and chicken combo is priced out at $13.99 and is enough to feed two people. DD loved the ribs and her salad, while small, was pretty good. The green beans were good too, I ate mine and DH's as he has an aversion to many green foods. For a rainy night, it was a good choice. It was also nice to have something that wasn't fried and more wholesome, homey feeling.

Cosmic Rays continues to be a solid choice, we always can count on a good meal here.

Next, a rain storm of epic proportions and we get stuck eating Trails End take out.

 

[VernRDH]

We stayed at the Fort Wilderness campground on this trip. We stayed in one of the very nicely appointed cabins, which was really great. The downside to the Fort is the lack of food service options. There is Hoop de Doo, which is $$$$ or 2 TS credits, The Meadows snack bar at the pool, which is only open from 11-5, or there is Trails End buffet. There isn't a nice CS option. So when the skies opened on us on Tuesday night, we were kind of stuck for dinner. We had come back to the cabin for our afternoon break and swim, fully intending to return to Epcot that night. But to quote a silly, willy, nilly old bear "And the rain, rain, rain came down, down, down". And kept coming. Brought some hail along with it. And wind. So we sat in our posh cabin pondering our dinner choices.

Going ANYWHERE was really not an option-we would be soaked in a minute. So an executive decision was reached that Momma would go out and forage for dinner (I thought that Daddy was supposed to do that). So we decided that we would suck it up head up to Trails End for take out.

Now the TE menu is limited-pizza, a chicken dinner, wings, nachos and salad. DD wanted the Lone Rider, a 2 piece chicken meal with fries, coleslaw and a biscuit. DH and I had a cheese pizza, wings and salad. The chicken meal was really good according to DD, and she ate almost all of it. The pizza, well being from NY, pizza is a touchy subject. It is basically frozen pizza, and not a really good one at that. The salad was fine, but the wings were a bit interesting. We are used to regular buffalo wings and drumettes, but these were wings straight off the chicken! All this food (plus a couple chocolate chip cookies) came to nearly $50. Not really worth that much, but what could we do?

Next up: A trek across the pond to visit the Earl.

 

[VernRDH]

On Wedneday, DD and I had our trail ride at 8:30am. We skipped breakfast, figuring we would catch breakfast once we got to Downtown Disney, our destination for the day.

DTD is a treasure trove of eateries, but we have only ever gone to the Earl of Sandwich. DH wanted to eat at Cookes of Dublin for lunch, and only Wolfgang Puck and Earl are open for breakfast. Earl won.

Nice thing here is that there is no kids breakfast, so DD could get whatever she wanted. She and I both had the bacon, egg and cheddar sandwich on ciabatta. DH had the Breakfast BLT. We each got a soft drink and a dessert with our meal. I had a chocolate chip muffin crown, DH had a cookie and DD had a mickey rice krispie treat. While it was not busy or crowded at all, it did take almost 10 minutes for the sandwiches, since they were made fresh. The sandwiches were really good and tasty, hit the spot. The desserts were big and yummy too.

Earl continues to be a solid choice for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Next: D'oh, we're going to Cookes of Dublin

 

[fairytale]

Thank you for sharing your dining reviews.

I am keen to see whats to come as you have some choices similar to ours this forthcoming October

 

[VernRDH]

So when we were researching restaurants on AllEars, DH came across Cookes of Dublin. He loves him some fish and chips, so this became a must do. The menu also featured something that piqued his interest-the D'oh Bar. A deep fried candy bar (snickers, most likely).

So around lunchtime, after being denied a flight on the Characters in Flight balloon due to weather, we ambled over to Cookes. DH was practically drooling at the prospect of "authentic" fish and chips. So he and I each ordered the One and One. DD got the kids chicken tenders and chips. She usually eats the fish, but figured she could share with us. Oh how right she was. The nice lady at the counter asked if we wanted our dessert later. I told her yes and she just kept our slip until we were ready.

The fish was HUGE! It was enough for us to share and there were a lot of fries too. The tartar sauce was much more to DH's liking, so he was a really happy boy. We sat outside on the patio, as the seating is kind of limited inside. So the heat did not make me feel like eating it all, and there was no way I could have finished it all. DD liked the chicken and tried the fish too.

Now it was time for dessert. DD got ice cream, vanilla with snickers (soft serve though), I had a fruit cup and DH drooled at the prospect of the D'oh bar. I went back in and the lady got our desserts. You have to wait for the D'oh bar, as they make it right then for you. So I take this delicacy to DH, warn him it is straight from the fryer, and wait for him to squeal like a little girl. I'm still waiting. He HATED it! Now earlier when we told DD about this dessert, she proclaimed it "disgusting". After trying it, DH agreed with her. I was disappointed for him, as he had so wanted to try it. (my fruit cup was great BTW). Maybe it was because it was hot out, maybe the idea of a batter dipped and deep fried snickers bar is better than its actuality, but it wasn't for us. Your mileage may vary.

So while the fish was phenomenal, the dessert disappointed DH. He liked DD's ice cream better. But we would definately eat there again.

Next: Main Street Madness

 

[VernRDH]

So having done a few TS meals, we were able to squeeze a few breakfasts out of our QSDP. So on Thursday, we were to be in MK all day. We had previously stopped into the Main Street Bakery for snacks, and decided we would go back for breakfast (that and the fact that it is the only place for CS breakfast early in MK)

While the bakery offers a wide variey of scrumptious baked goods, breakfast is but one thing: the ham, egg and cheese croissant. I asked the girl what came with it for the DP. She said you got a "snack" such as an apple turnover or the crumb cake plus a drink. Now the turnovers are so big that it alone would make a good breakfast. She also told me that you could get 3 yes 3 snack items instead of the sandwich and snack. Again, no kids breakfast option, do DD got the same as us: the croissant sandwich. She got the donuts (2 KK glazed), I got the crumb cake and DH got the turnover. No way could we finish all the food. It was all delish, but just too much for that early in the morning. We were also able to get bottled drinks (powerade, juice, soda) too, which was great for taking with us.

This is a place where you can definately share a breakfast and have plenty to eat. The croissant is huge and tasty. I really liked the crumb cake, but again, I havent met a dessert/cake I didn't like.

Main Street bakery does not disappoint. Just wish they still had the french toast thing I had heard about, would have liked to try it.

Next: Backlot Express