Doing It Deluxe, Indulgence for 14 Nights... With Pics!! **Update: CALIFORNIA GRILL**

[DisneyMom5]

Looks great!

 

[World Bouncer]

Really enjoying your reviews and we also really liked Tutto when we ate there a few weeks ago.

Tutto italia looks wonderful. I'll be there Dec. 6th for lunch. So excited!

great review dad!

Thank you for the review of Wolfgang Puck's Cafe! I LOVE Wolfgang Puck's Express, but we have always shyed away from the WPC because of the bad reviews. I just put this on my list for our nest trip!!

What I would do for a piece of that carrot cake right now!!!!

amazing reviews, I have really enjoyed, thank you so much for all the thought and effort you have put into this!

Looks great!

Thank you everyone for the great comments...
coming up tonight or tomorrow...

Cap n' Jacks

 

[eyor44]

Wolfgang Puck Cafe, Lunch, 09-20-08
Appetizer

ME
Crab Cake - Sauteed Maryland Style crab cake with marinated tomato basil aioli, garnished with micro greens $14.95
Very good! I enjoyed all three of mine, then helped Mary with one of hers too! Plenty of crab and great flavor from the cooking style and sauce.

The crab cakes look wonderful. I love crab cakes

 

[JoAnnPan]

Thanks to you I am sooooo looking forward to my ADR at Tutto in Feb.
Looks great...wouldn't mind having the same waiter you did either .
You do your reviews so well - so many more to go!!

 

[Goldeelox9]

Wolfgang Puck Cafe, Lunch, 09-20-08
Crab Cake - Sauteed Maryland Style crab cake with marinated tomato basil aioli, garnished with micro greens $14.95
Very good! I enjoyed all three of mine, then helped Mary with one of hers too! Plenty of crab and great flavor from the cooking style and sauce.

These look really good, But I am from Maryland, the Crab cake capital of the world and these are NOT Maryland Crab cakes....LOL I am always disapointed when I order crab cakes anywhere but home!

I want to try Wolfgangs on my next visit to the world!

 

[World Bouncer]

Cap n' Jack's, Dinner, 09-20-08

Our reservation here was for 9pm. We had been wandering Downtown Disney all day long trading what seemed to be a million pins or so, spent a good amount of time in Disney Quest, and did some shopping.
We were hungry and ready for dinner, so we checked in at 8:30 and requested a window seat. The CM told me it would be around our reservation time before we would be seated, so we took our pager and headed outside to enjoy the water..... 5 minutes later our pager alerted us and in we went!


Appetizer

DD & DW
Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail - with cocktail sauce $10.99
Not much to say about this, it was good, but it is what it is... shrimp cocktail. Both received 6 shrimp not huge but not small, and if you like shrimp, they were great!

ME
Crab Cakes - topped with Cajun-horseradish sauce and Napa slaw $10.49
I was nervous about the "cajun" and the slaw. Both turned out to be just fine, the cajun was not too spicy and the slaw was very tasty. The crab cakes were not huge but just enough to satisfy. There was a fair amount of crab meat in them and I enjoyed every bite. There are better crab cakes on property, but really nothing wrong with these.

Mickey?

Entrees

DW, DD, & ME
Twin Lobster Tails - With drawn butter, rice pilaf, and fresh veggies. - $31.99
This entree was very enjoyable, the lobster tails were great! Now maybe it isn't the same as you get at Narcoossees, but still very delicious! The lobster was fairly tender with good flavor, it didn't feel like or taste like I was chewing rubber. (we had Narcoossees lobster the next night)

*** NOTE: as of October 4th, 2008, this entree has been removed from the menu. The general thought is that it will not be put back, although I do not have my hopes up, maybe they will ?

Desserts

DD & DW
White Chocolate Raspberry New York Cheesecake - $5.49
What can I say.. cheesecake... mmmmmmmm!!! I will have a hard time choosing between this and the key lime pie next time.

ME
Key Lime Pie - $5.49
At a glance this piece of pie looks kind of sad, but when I took a bite, I was very pleased... Huge flavor with the perfect sweet/tart combination! This was a winner!

Beverages
DD, DW, & ME
Berried Treasure Smoothie - A non-alcoholic frozen blend of Strawberry, Raspberry, and low-fat yogurt. - $4.29
One of the 1 table service locations that offer something more than just your regular soda menu for a beverage on the dining plan. This was pretty good and were caught by our waitress having a cherry stem tying contest... (I won)!

Beverage $ 12.87
Food $ 147.91
Tax $ 10.46
Total $ 171.24



Service
The service here was friendly. Our server was nice and made sure our needs were taken care of.


Atmosphere
We enjoyed this restaurant, the decor was nice with a nautical theme and we felt comfortable here. An extremely casual ambience. If hadn't been for the little girl who was doing a solo singing performance throughout the whole meal, it would have been fairly quiet(she was a wonderful singer and wanted to show off her talents... free entertainment). The restaurant was clean and we did not feel crowded. We requested a table by the window, which was no problem to get and this added a little something to the experience.

Food
We think that the food was just fine. The Lobster was much better than the previous reviews we had seen. Other than the lobster, the menu was not all that great, not that you will go wrong with it, but the selection was just very limited. Portion sizes were not real big, so you can eat a full meal including app and dessert and not have to be wheeled out, also I wouldn't suggest sharing your meal here.

Overall
A very nice location for a family meal. Decent food and decent service, but nothing to write home about in any category. I have to agree with others that this place is just missing the potential.. it is the perfect spot for a nice upscale restaurant, location downtown Disney and right on the water... this could be a very romantic destination for couples, but for now it just fits in my average (with a nice view)family restaurant list. Don't get me wrong.. a couple could enjoy a meal here followed by a stroll along the water, which would make a very nice evening. I was also surprised to discover that this restaurant is still owned and operated by Disney. I would not hesitate to suggest this location to people, but since the lobster is now off the menu, we will hold off on a return visit to see if they tweak the menu.

 

[englishrose47]

Subbing !! We too love PH !! The Tostados are awesome !! So was the lime pie !!
RR I also loved that Next time I am trying the chowder for sure still unsure about dessert!! I have to catch up on the other reviews , but I laove you style Great Pix and commentary!!

 

[frostymom]

Hi,
New to the boards here. I found your thread and think I have made some ADRs in error after seeing your reviews.

I am going to call WDW and request to change! We are travelling with a 2 and 4 year olds so I was thinking Character experiences but now thinking some of your picks instead. We are doing the dining plan but one counter and one table serve per day. Do any of your dinners count as 2 table services? Thanks!

Thanks for sharing.

 

[World Bouncer]

Subbing !! We too love PH !! The Tostados are awesome !! So was the lime pie !!
RR I also loved that Next time I am trying the chowder for sure still unsure about dessert!! I have to catch up on the other reviews , but I laove you style Great Pix and commentary!!

Thanks for subbing... welcome!

Hi,
New to the boards here. I found your thread and think I have made some ADRs in error after seeing your reviews.

I am going to call WDW and request to change! We are travelling with a 2 and 4 year olds so I was thinking Character experiences but now thinking some of your picks instead. We are doing the dining plan but one counter and one table serve per day. Do any of your dinners count as 2 table services? Thanks!

Thanks for sharing.

Hi & Welcome to the DIS

2 Table Service locations are:

Narcoosees
Citricos
Artist Point
Jiko
Yachtsman Steakhouse
Hollywood Brown Derby
Cinderellas Royal Table
California Grill
and
The Dinner Shows(Hoop Review... Mickeys Backyard BBQ... Spirit of Aloha)

 

[goofygal531]

Planet Hollywood 09-16-08 -We had Lunch reservations for 2:30pm

How did you get a reservation? I called WDW-DINE and they're telling me Planet Hollywood accepts walk-ups only.

 

[goofygal531]

Hi,
We are doing the dining plan but one counter and one table serve per day. Do any of your dinners count as 2 table services? Thanks!.

I have young kids too and we're on the DxDDP. For our signature meals we've decided on: Yachtsman's Steakhouse for T-giving dinner, the Brown Derby (it's loud and noise-perfect for my kids!), Cinderella's Royal Table for breakfast (my princes want to meet a Princess ) and Mickey's Backyard BBQ.

Some signature restaurants are really "nice" and just not appropriate for young children UNLESS you dine at 5:30 just when they open. I would NOT bring my children to Narcoossee's (we got a babysitter that night!), California Grill, Citricos, Flying Fish and Jiko. Meals at these restaurants are a dining experience. People go to these restaurants for a quiet (expensive! if paying OOP) meal and I know my children would not last two hours at the table knowing they'd rather be on Small World! I would not want my children to disturb someone's "special" dinner. However, if your children are very well behaved then go and enjoy. I'm just referring to my own children. Just something to keep in mind

 

[ChelleinNC]

Without the lobster tail, I'm not sure I'd bother going.... Sure hope Disney decides to bring 'em back and maybe add a little more to the menu. I do have to say that cheesecake looked wonderful

How did you get a reservation? I called WDW-DINE and they're telling me Planet Hollywood accepts walk-ups only.

I can try to answer this real quick. PH takes different ADR' times depending on the season. We've had lunch ADR's and we've had times where the earliest I could reserve was 4:45pm because they "don't take" lunch ADR's. Not sure why, but that's been my experince with PH for 3 visits over the last year and a half.

 

[RebeccaDreamsDisney]

Thanks so much for your review on Wolfgang Pucks Cafe! Going there in Dec. and can never get reviews on the cafe, it's always the express! Which BTW is excellent as well if anyone is wondering! Thanks again

 

[World Bouncer]

How did you get a reservation? I called WDW-DINE and they're telling me Planet Hollywood accepts walk-ups only.

We got different answers on different days. A couple tries and in, but walk ups at lunch time are usually pretty easy.

Thanks so much for your review on Wolfgang Pucks Cafe! Going there in Dec. and can never get reviews on the cafe, it's always the express! Which BTW is excellent as well if anyone is wondering! Thanks again

 

[englishrose47]

I am all caught upwith the reviews !! Le Cellier was very good when I went in Feb my filet was excellent, the mashed potatoes excellent as was the cheese soup and the vanilla creme brulee! Ihad a great server too! But I have heard so many bad reviews since then that I am not going next time !!I agree with the poster without the l0obster tails at Capt Jacks I'm not going, that was the only thing on the menu I wanted !!I do plan on Narcosses next year and they seem to consistantly get good reviews !! When I go alone I usually stay away from most character meals with the exception of CP which I love . Le Chef's is another repeat for me next time I love the apple crepes there !!

 

[World Bouncer]

Just a quick note to everyone... I will try to get another review up soon.
Next up will be

Liberty Tree Tavern and Narcoossees

 

[lucas]

Great reviews!

Goody!! Liberty Tree Tavern and Brown Derby are coming up soon! Can't wait to hear how you liked them.

 

[JoAnnPan]

Loving your reviews!

 

[eyor44]

How did you get a reservation? I called WDW-DINE and they're telling me Planet Hollywood accepts walk-ups only.

You will be there the same time we are. I was told the same thing about PH. It may have something to do with it being Thanksgiving week and the PH vouchers everyone is getting with the packages?

 

[ovrmihed]

Hi Mary's husband! *lol* I thought I'd stop by and say hello. I work with her and she told me about your food report last night. Looking forward to seeing more yummy food.

April

P.S. Thanks for bringing me the chocolate covered pretzels from Goofys Candy Company!