Does this poncho make me look fat?!?: An Aug '12 dining report *Updated 9/11*

[disneymom1229]

Hi and welcome to my very first dining report!!

We ate at a lot of great restaurants and for the most part took pictures. I tried hard to photograph everything, but I admit that towards the end of the trip, I was a little lax in my efforts…

I guess introductions are in order since I tend to lurk more than post…First off there is me…Elizabeth. I have loved Disney since I was very young. My grandparents lived in Florida when I was young and we would make day trips to Disney when we would visit. However, my first “real” Disney trip was in 1996 for my honeymoon!! : Lucky for me, my DH - Ron, was totally on board!! I have to say, though, that I was really bit by the bug during our first family trip in 2009. We were finally able to bring our children and we all loved it sooo much that, well, we just can’t help but keep planning return trips!! ( Sound familiar????)

This was my 4th trip since my honeymoon and our 3rd trip as a family. The other key players are my DH, DD14, DS11 and DS6. My oldest DS19 could not be with us on this trip as he had to start school and as a college sophomore, missing class was not an option…we did miss him though… Here is a photo of the five of us:

We arrived at Port Orleans Riverside on August 22 and departed on August 30. We have stayed at POR every trip except for our honeymoon. We absolutely love it here!! At first we chose it because it was the most reasonably priced resort that would accommodate our larger than average family, but now I think we would chose it regardless!!

Now onto the real reason we are all here…. THE FOOD!!! We were using the DDP this trip. I was able to book a bounce back for free dining when we were there last Sept. Now, I understand that the DDP is not for everyone. But for us, it is the only way to go!!!! Not only is it the best discount savings for us, we really enjoy the Disney dining experience. This trip we allowed the kids the opportunity to chose a restaurant. We don’t dine out much during our “normal” life…so eating out is a treat and really adds to that vacation feeling for us.

Here is a list of where we ate:

Day 1
Breakfast: Cinnabon (Pittsburgh Airport)
Lunch: Wolf Gang Puck Express
Dinner: Boatwright’s Dining Hall

Day 2
Lunch: Cosmic Rays
Snack: Surprise Treat at Main Street Confectionary
Dinner: Kona Café

Day 3
Breakfast: Riverside Mill
Lunch: La Cantina de San Angel, Kringla Bakeri og Cafe, Lotus Blossom Café
Dinner: Garden Grill

Day 4
Snack: Blizzard Beach
Lunch: Earl of Sandwich
Dinner: Rose and Crown
Snack: Riverside Mill

Day 5
Breakfast: Riverside Mill
Snack: Kusafiri Bakery
Lunch: Flametree BBQ
Dinner: Teppan Edo
Snack: Riverside Mill

Day 6
Snack: Aloha Isle
Lunch: Cosmic Rays
Snack: Main Street Bakery, Main Street Confectionary, Karamel Kuche (sp?), Fife and Drum Tavern
Dinner: Via Napoli

Day 7
Lunch: Riverside Mill
Snack: Aloha Isle, Mrs. Potts Cupboard
Dinner: Chef Mickey’s

Day 8
Lunch: Pizza Planet, Studio Catering Co.
Dinner: Cape May
Late Night Snack: Riverside Mill

Day 9
Breakfast: Crystal Palace
Snacks: Magic Kingdom
Lunch: Riverside Mill

We mostly ate granola, cereal and protein bars and fruit snacks from home for breakfast. We would pack them in our bags and eat them on the go. There were a lot of snacks that we got that I may not have remembered. (We did have to use 40 of them after all!!!!) And some I remember and did not get photos of, unfortunately.

So, we ate a lot!!! Some great food, some just so so food. My DD tried to order new and different for her. And my DS11 tried a few new foods as well. My DS6 pretty much stuck to fries, pizza and chicken nuggets. I’ll try to spare you multiple photos of these items!!! Those of us who dine with the younger set are already all too familiar with what they look like!!!

As soon as my photos finish uploading I will be able to get this party started!! I hope that I can share our opinions and offer some insight, but most of all I hope everyone enjoys a little taste of Disney!!!!

 

[Judgey Judgerson]

I haven't eaten at several of these restaurants, so I'm SUPER excited to see what I've been missing!

 

[chocolateMinnie]

very exciting line up - looking forward to reading your reviews

 

[starousse]

Looking forward to hearing your reviews.

 

[ILikeWaffles]

Joining in. I'm looking forward to reading your reviews.

 

[njgrl622]

I'm joining in too! We check into POR 10/22 and can't wait! I'm looking forward to reading your food reviews as I have ADRs at some of the places you visited!

 

[jecskc]

I'm in !! Can't wait to read !!

 

[Disney~Cutie]

I'm in of course! Excited to hear more!

 

[nanienamou]

Can't wait to read your reviews!

 

[MickeyNicki]

Count me in!

 

[NoOrdinaryPrincess]

Joining in!

 

[GoofySon'sMom]

I'm in! Can't wait for your reviews!

 

[disneymom1229]

Thanks to everyone for joining in!!! I was a little hesitant to take this on, but I am so excited that I have readers that now I am really into it!!!

So without further delay, here we go!

 

[disneymom1229]

Our first day started very early!! Our home airport is Buffalo, NY, but because of high airfares this year, we chose to drive to Pittsburgh and fly from there. It is only a four hour drive for us. We Price lined a room at the Pittsburgh Marriott Airport for the night we returned. Because we had a reservation we were able to take advantage of their free parking for up to two weeks and their shuttle service. Luckily, the parking could be before our stay!! So we drove straight through the night before our flight, parked our car and caught the shuttle. We made it to the airport at 4:45 am for our 6:05 am flight. It was a lot to ask of the kids, but they were troopers!!!
Needless to say they were very hungry when we got to the airport, so we stopped at a Cinnabon that was right next to our gate. My DS11 had a pack of their mini cinnamon rolls and me, DD and DS6 shared an “Inside the Roll”. Sorry that I do not have a picture of these…. But they were very tasty! The one that I shared with DD and DS was so good…it was all cinnamony and lots of gooey frosting. DS11’s mini rolls were very good as well. If you have been to a Cinnabon, you get the idea! We have all been changing our eating habits this year in an attempt to get healthy and lose a few pounds in the process….but we all agreed that we would allow ourselves to eat what we wanted within reason. We did really good, sharing things and just having enough to satisfy our tastes buds!

We got to POR and were checked in by 9:30 am. Gotta love those early flights! We had our whole day ahead of us. Since our room was not ready, we checked our carry ons with bell services and boarded the boat to DTD for our first Disney lunch. We decided to eat at Wolfgang Puck Express and had been eagerly anticipating it. Wolfgang Puck did not start serving lunch til 11:00am so we spent some time in a shop waiting.

We checked the menu before we went in and had pretty much decided what to order. We love this restaurant and we have eaten here before and used the DDP here. But, sometimes it is still confusing knowing what is considered a complete meal. Unfortunately, the girl taking our order was not much help. She kind of hurried us.

Anywhoooo…my DD ordered the Roasted vegetable sandwich with sweet potato fries, she had water to drink and cheesecake for dessert. The sandwich had buffalo mozzarella, pesto, lettuce, tomato and horseradish cream. DD said that this sandwich was pretty good and she would order it again. However, she thought the sweet potato fries were not really up to par. She really enjoyed the cheesecake, she finished hers and some of DS11’s!!!!!

DH had the Rotisserie Turkey Club and subbed fries for chips. He had diet coke to drink and crème brulee for dessert. He really enjoyed the sandwich. His fries wound up being shared by DS6, so he shared some of DD’s sweet potato fries but he thought that they tasted fine. He said that the crème brulee was just as good as he remembered it to be.

DS6 and I shared a cheese and pepperoni pizza. I got chocolate milk for our drink for him and ordered water for dessert for my beverage. I have to say that the pizza was okay. The crust was great, but the sauce had a different taste to it. My DS6 took one taste and decided it wasn’t for him. He wound up just eating DH’s fries and drinking his chocolate milk. These pizzas are pretty big! I was able to eat half and I was stuffed.

DS11 ordered a cheese pizza. Not sure if it wound up being the 4 cheese and pesto pizza, or if it was just plain cheese. But DS enjoyed it and ate half. DD tried a little of each and said she thought that they were very good. DS ordered soda to drink and had cheesecake for dessert. He really loved the cheesecake but could only eat a few bites.

Thoughts: Sandwiches were a hit, Pizza was a hit with DS11 and me, DS6 not so much. Desserts were excellent and were completely devoured!!!
Just a note…this is the best value for a counter service restaurant. The quality of the food is very high and the serving sizes are very generous. Also, there is such a wide variety here that you could eat here multiple times and not duplicate your meal. We also like that it is essentially a table service with real plates and silverware and servers bringing your food to your table and refilling your drinks.

Part 2 coming soon.....

 

[butiflfeet]

I can't wait for more!

 

[weswife]

joining your review!

I love eating at WPE too! Last year we went twicw and it was very good.

Great pics and details!

 

[disneymom1229]

joining your review!

I love eating at WPE too! Last year we went twicw and it was very good.

Great pics and details!

Thank you!! WPE is on our must do list!! Tried it for the first time 2 years ago and with the convenience of POR to DTD, it makes it so easy to get there!

 

[disneymom1229]

We hopped a bus from DTD to TL for a couple hours. Then we headed back to the resort because we got the text that our room was ready. Also, we were all pretty exhausted!!

We had reservations at Boatwright’s at 6:05pm. Even though this was the 4th time I have stayed at POR, this was the first time I had eaten at Boatwright’s. Not sure why we had never tried it, but we were excited to dine here. Partly because it meant a short walk from our room and not a bus ride away.
We arrived about 10 minutes before our ADR time and were seated within 2 minutes. The restaurant was still pretty quiet. We were led to a table that was about 15 feet from the entrance. The entrance is wide open to the walkway between the food court and the lobby. Since the dining room had plenty of empty tables we asked for one that was a little more private. They were more than happy to accommodate us and gave us a table that was up a few stairs and near the back. It is very beautiful in there. The lighting gave the dining room a very warm atmosphere, not dark though. Just very soothing and comfortable after a busy day. There is so much stimulation in the parks that it is nice to be able to wind down and really focus on your meal and your family. We found we could hear each other, not just listen to each other…..
The menu here features a cajun theme. Unfortunately, I did not take pictures of menus. Sorry !
Here is where my DD started her trend of trying new foods!!

We started out with a basket of warm corn bread and butter. Let me just start by staying that I have a serious love for Disney corn bread!!! So I was in heaven!!! This was so delicious! It was moist and sweet. I think I could have just eaten that…I believe everyone else enjoyed it too, but I was to focused on my own enjoyment to really notice!!! LOL!

DD had the Blackened Grilled Filet Fish, which turned out to be Mahi Mahi. We don’t eat much seafood, so this was something very new for her!! She decided to substitute the grilled grit cake and stewed green tomatoes for collard greens and asparagus. She loved this meal! She said the fish was seasoned really well, but not too spicy. And she really enjoyed the taste and texture of the Mahi Mahi. DD also said that the greens and asparagus were very tasty. She ordered the pecan pie for dessert. She loved the pie, she finished most of it even!

I had the slow-roasted prime rib with Yukon potatoes. I ordered it medium well and it came out perfectly done. It was very tender and flavorful. The meal came with a horseradish sauce and a red wine sauce. I had a bit of the horseradish sauce on a few bites of my prime rib and it was very good, it had a nice bite to it. The potatoes were also good. Just pretty basic, no special seasoning on them. I opted for no dessert at this meal. I started out trying to be good. Don’t worry, I gave in….

DS11 ordered the Grilled Tenderloin Medallions done medium, it came with mac and cheese and a crayfish beignet. He said that the tenderloin was excellent, but that the mac and cheese was just so so. He did not try the crayfish beignet, but DH tried it and said it was good, that it tasted kind of like a hushpuppy. DS ordered a smoothie as his drink. He loved this!! He said it was awesome. We all had a sip and it was very refreshing. For dessert, he ordered the chocolate cake with raspberry sauce. He said yum a lot while he was eating it, so it is safe to say that he enjoyed it.

DH had the Jambalaya. He said that it was very good. The sausage was tasty, but the shrimp was a little chewy. However, that did not stop him from cleaning his plate!! For dessert, he ordered the bread pudding. He said it wasn’t anything spectacular, but it tasted good.

DS6 had the children’s chicken nugget meal. He chose garden salad with Italian dressing as his appetizer and had a make your own sundae for dessert. He didn’t eat much of the salad, but finished all his nuggets. His sundae came out as a dish of vanilla ice cream with chocolate sauce and sprinkles on the side. He loved putting his own toppings on. I think he ate all the choc and sprinkles off the sundae, but did not finish all the ice cream. Sorry I did not get a photo of the chicken nuggets….just close your eyes and picture Tyson nuggets and you’ve got the correct image!!! Not exciting….

We thoroughly enjoyed this meal. From the atmosphere to the excellent service (shout out to our server, Dawn!) to the all the delicious food. If we stay at POR for our next trip, then Boatwright’s would be a must do.

Coming up…Day 2 Cosmic Ray’s and Kona Café…

 

[Emteach]

Just jumping aboard your thread. Looks great and some yummy choices. We just came back from Disney with the DDP and interesting to see what we missed and what we hit up same as you

 

[nfggirl5454]

I stayed at POR last July for five nights, and I'm a little sorry I missed out on Boatwright's. We were planning to eat there one night, but when some friends who live in Orlando decided to join us that night, my sister wanted to take them to Beaches and Cream instead.

Btw, I just subscribed and am looking forward to reading the rest of your reviews!