MournNStar
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Sep 8, 2009
- Messages
- 96
Hey everybody! This is my first Disney Dining Review! Just got back from the Wonderful World of Disney yesterday evening...unfortunately. DH and I arrived Thursday, Sept 29 to celebrate both our anniversary and the anniversary of the Happiest Place On Earth!
A little bit about me, I love food. I love to cook. I loooove sweets. Chocolate, cake, desserts, you name it... Well, I should say loved, up until about a couple months ago. I have severe food allergies. I just recently got retested and have a whole new slew of foods to avoid. I could go through the whole list but it would be easier to tell you all what I CAN eat... which is currently limited to 10-12 things.
Chicken, Beef, Turkey, Apples, Grapes, Lemon, Salt and Pepper, Potatoes, Lima Beans, Green Peas, Green Beans, Lettuce, Broccoli, Cauliflower...Water...Air...
SIDE NOTE: Disney is amazing at accommodating allergies. They really do care about not just avoiding certains foods but also taking cross contamination into account. A lot of restaurants do not even think that is an issue!
So that and being sure to appeal to DH's tastes, it makes planning reservations a challenge... plus it's kinda depressing not getting to eat all the fun stuff. But Disney pulls through for me! I got some good meals this trip AND I enjoyed not having to cook for myself for a change! About DH, he is pretty much just along for the ride. He appeases my Disney obsession! I'm the Disney nerd between the two of us. He's the super video game nerd so he can only accept my intense love for Disney! As far as foods go he could eat pretty much anything. He can have a huge appetite. He's not a big fan of seafood and sweets.
So here is a quick listing of where he and I ate:
Sept 29:
Mara
Sept 30:
Sunshine Seasons
Le Cellier
Fife and Drum Tavern
Oct 1:
Liberty Square Market
Artist Point
Oct 2:
Rainforest Cafe
Turkey Leg Cart
Oct 3:
Mara
Sci-Fi Dine In
Sept 29:
We left South Carolina about 130p so we got to Animal Kingdom Lodge about 830p. I was hesitant to make a dinner reservation because I was uncertain of our arrival time so I kind of left plans up in the air. But I was also a bit nervous because if you know anyone with food allergies its hard to fly by the seat of your pants when it comes to eating. Alas, Mara put my fears to rest. I alerted the staff about my allergies and they quickly had the chef come out to speak to me. She of course asked about my no-nos and we settled on chicken breast, broccoli and apples for dessert. My husband was actually not hungry.
Keep in mind, this guy could typically eat like a garbage disposal! He settled on a chocolate milk and chocolate dipped Mickey Mouse rice krispie treat with Mickey sprinkles. Sweets! Gasp! He loved his dinner of champions and I thoroughly enjoyed my chicken and broccoli!
Sept 30:
Today we went to Epcot. It was hotter than hell! And the first day of Food and Wine Festival so it was a tad busy and crowds continued to grow as the day went on. We snuck in a quick meal at Sunshine Seasons about 1130am. DH got a reuben panini, which had a pimento cheese type of spread on it, a potato salad type of side dish and a blueberry muffin. He said it was pretty good. The sandwich actually had a spicy kick to it which was weird.
Soon after that we had an 220p reservation at Le Cellier. That was my DH's only request for the whole trip. He LOVES that place! Of course, he devoured the pretzel bread. He ordered a soft drink (which surprised me as he thoroughly enjoyed his smoothie last time) and Steak, Potato and Mushroom skillet with a salad on the side. He said it was pretty good but he still didn't have much an appetite. He was kind of disappointed because he had his heart set on a rib eye. He swore up and down they had a rib eye last year. I again talked to the chef, who was more than willing to accommodate me. And I decided on the New York Strip Steak, medium, minus bercy butter and Gruyere-Yukon Gold potato gratin and replaced them with green beans. Both seasoned with salt and pepper and cooked in canola oil. It. Was. AMAZING! It was cooked perfect and the green beans were the best green beans I've ever had! Also the service was great, our waiter checked in with us frequently!
Later on for dinner I got my first turkey leg of the trip. Those things are so good! That was the first one in about 20 years because I used to be allergic to turkey.
Oct 1:
Today we went to Magic Kingdom... of course! DH thinks MK's anniverary was the main reason for the trip, not because it's our anniversary!
So the crowds were pretty intense as we made our way to Main Street Bakery to get my fruit. We took one look at the line of about 20 people and turned back around to Liberty Square Market for my grape fix and DH got a chunk of pineapple. You can't really go wrong with fruit!
We had a 530p reservation for Artist Point. This had been a long time coming. We made a reservation there last visit but didn't get to make it. I was excited about this meal, getting to see Wilderness Lodge and plus I kept hearing great stuff about it. It definitely met my high expectations! Todd got his basket of sourdough bread with black salt topped butter. Not certain of what the black flecks were he proceeded to taste one which caused a burning-hole-in-tongue sensation upon consumption. I've never seen some one turn such a shade of purple...
Chef toasted up some tapioca rolls for me. I was hesitant because I hadn't tried them before but decided to try a bit. It tasted a bit like soft pretzel. It was nice getting to eat a little bread for a change. He also cooked me up a Buffalo Striploin Steak with marble potatoes and broccoli. I had never tried buffalo before and it turned out pretty good. It of course was beefy in flavor but had a gamey taste to it as well. The presentation was very nice... it had a finesse to it. (Can you tell we watch a lot of Master Chef/Hell's Kitchen
) The marble potatoes were tasty! They had a sweet flavor to them, almost like sweet potatoes but not quite as sweet. DH ordered Pan-Seared Alaskan Halibut. At this point I was falling off the chair, he shocked me again! He's not a fan of seafood but he felt compelled to try it. The halibut had white California asparagus, morel mushrooms, English peas and citrus juices. DH enjoyed it greatly as it was light, flavorful, and complex... DAHMN *Gordon Ramsay accent*
Our waitress was very attentive, continously refilling our drinks and simply seemed to be enjoying her job! She was very knowledgable about the menu and wines offered there. It was nice to see someone so passionate about what she serves to Disney guests. She soon informed us that the chef was cooking me up something special for dessert. I was nervous because I'm so limited to what I eat. She gave me a raspberry sorbet with a raspberry sauce drizzled around it along with blackberries and raspberries for garnish. I attempted a couple bites and it was very good. It was so smooth, almost creamy it was so smooth and had such a sweet berry flavor. It was delicious! DH ordered the Chocolate Indulgence. Again, I was floored! I thought I was supposed to be the chocolate addict! He looked like he was in heaven eating that dessert. He said it was like a light fudge with a brownie base and it had chocolate covered cherries on top. It was a nice lighter dessert after his light entree. His appetite was suddenly back by that point! Our waitress gave us two glasses of a wine that was bubbly like champagne and had a raspberry in each glass. They were all wonderful! I would highly recommend Artist Point to anyone!
Oct 2:
Today we went Animal Kingdom and had breakfast at Rainforest Cafe. I didn't realize until a couple months ago that they have breakfast there. They definitely had a wide variety of choices for breakfast which was nice because breakfast is DH's favorite meal. He ordered a Key Wester, basically a strawberry banana smoothie, and the Pie of the Viper which is like a breakfast fajita in pizza form. It had a biscuit type crust with egg, salsa, bacon/sausage, cheddar, four cheese, red, green, poblano peppers, roma tomatoes and cilantro on top. He liked it alot but it was big enough to feed 3 or 4 people! He ate about a fourth of it. I got a take on Cisco and Pancho which included grapes, breakfast potatoes, a tapioca roll and flat iron steak. They gave me a lot to eat which was really nice because I feel like I snack most of the time. It was nice to have a full stomach for a change!
We decided to head to AKL for little down time because prior to that we ran around like crazy people and we were exhausted! We went to MNSSHP that night, which was our first time to this party. I was very excited and it definitely lived up to all the hype! I knew I wanted to eat something before the actual party started wo we got to the park about 430p and squeezed in some time on BTMR. The crowds were low so we got to ride it about 3 times in a row which was great! We grabbed dinner at Westward Ho Refreshments and the Turkey Leg Cart. I got my turkey leg and DH got a corn dog, plus double the cheetos and double the cookies. We sat in Frontierland and enjoyed our meals as we took in the scenery. Later near the end of the party DH had to get his cream cheese pretzel and then a dole whip. Ahh, I miss those...
I can't believe how quickly this trip went by, although I shouldn't be surprised... It always does. Today was a bit of a spontaneous day. We decided to sleep in a bit and grab breakfast at Mara before heading to Hollywood Studios/MGM to ride the new Star Tours. I got some grapes, breakfast potatoes and attempted some allergen free Mickey waffles. It was nice getting to enjoy something Disney themed! They only had maple syrup with high fructose corn syrup and corn syrup in it so I had to manage without but they were still pretty tasty! DH got a yogurt with fruit and granola along with the Breakfast Bounty Platter which included biscuit, Mickey waffle, sausage, bacon, scrambled eggs and potatoes. And I think he enjoyed it because it was all gone pretty quickly!
We headed to Hollywood Studios/MGM about 11 am and squeezed in a ride on Star Tours and a once through of One Man's Dream *tear* before making our 1135a lunch reservation at Sci-Fi Dine In. I didn't realize how passionate of a man Walt Disney was! It definitely brought tears to my eyes.
We had never tried the Sci-Fi Dine In and we pretty much figured out why... I was initially excited about it because of the theming behind this restaurant. DH grew up with lots of Sci-Fi and I figured he'd get a good laugh about it. Plus he enjoys the type of food they serve there, ie. milk shakes, diner fare, etc. The atmosphere was pretty much the high point of the meal. Our waitress seemed to be in another world. She pretty much took my DH's complete order, including dessert, not noticing my allergy request and need to speak to the chef. We told her I needed to speak to the chef about my dietary issues and it took 15-20 minutes. The place was pretty chaotic. She came back after about 10 minutes, gave my DH his vanilla coke and no drink for me, and proceeded to ask us if the chef had stopped by...shouldn't she have known that? Anyways, we were patient. Finally he came by and I told him I wanted a burger on a tapioca bun with just lettuce and grapes for dessert. Unfortunately there was no side I could really have so I just agreed to the side of cucumber salad to get the show on the road. Finally, the waitress asked what I wanted to drink. I got the cherry coke, which I give them props for because their cherry cokes redeemed themselves a bit. They were sooo good! After about 45 minutes of waiting on our food we finally got our entrees...and I found a tomato on my hamburger. This was the only incident in the whole trip that I felt like I wasn't listened to. And DH was very frustrated by that. I simply removed the tomato and ate because we wanted to squeeze more in before we had to leave. My burger was not that great. It tasted really weird... I couldn't eat the whole thing. DH got a steak with potato type of side dish. He said the steak was alright but he didn't enjoy the A1 kind of sauce on the steak. For dessert he ordered the Red Velvet Cheesecake which he enjoyed very much. That was his favorite part of the entire meal. We understand that they could've had a bad day and DH did enjoy the atmosphere, but all in all we were pretty disappointed with this restaurant. One and done.
As a whole, our dining adventures were very rewarding. Le Cellier hit the nail on the head, again! That will again definitely be a reservation made for our next visit. Artist Point was very nice and attentive. I would love to do that one again but I still want to try other restaurants first so I know what else is out there. Disney definitely helped to ease my uncertainty of safety involving my food allergies. For the most part they are the best when it comes to accommodating me. Although we had that screw up at Sci-Fi, I think they were flustered and not running smoothly for the day. If there is any doubt in your mind, please be assured... you can't beat the resort's genuine concern and eager attitude to make your dining aspect of the trip perfect!
A little bit about me, I love food. I love to cook. I loooove sweets. Chocolate, cake, desserts, you name it... Well, I should say loved, up until about a couple months ago. I have severe food allergies. I just recently got retested and have a whole new slew of foods to avoid. I could go through the whole list but it would be easier to tell you all what I CAN eat... which is currently limited to 10-12 things.
Chicken, Beef, Turkey, Apples, Grapes, Lemon, Salt and Pepper, Potatoes, Lima Beans, Green Peas, Green Beans, Lettuce, Broccoli, Cauliflower...Water...Air...
SIDE NOTE: Disney is amazing at accommodating allergies. They really do care about not just avoiding certains foods but also taking cross contamination into account. A lot of restaurants do not even think that is an issue!
So that and being sure to appeal to DH's tastes, it makes planning reservations a challenge... plus it's kinda depressing not getting to eat all the fun stuff. But Disney pulls through for me! I got some good meals this trip AND I enjoyed not having to cook for myself for a change! About DH, he is pretty much just along for the ride. He appeases my Disney obsession! I'm the Disney nerd between the two of us. He's the super video game nerd so he can only accept my intense love for Disney! As far as foods go he could eat pretty much anything. He can have a huge appetite. He's not a big fan of seafood and sweets.
So here is a quick listing of where he and I ate:
Sept 29:
Mara
Sept 30:
Sunshine Seasons
Le Cellier
Fife and Drum Tavern
Oct 1:
Liberty Square Market
Artist Point
Oct 2:
Rainforest Cafe
Turkey Leg Cart
Oct 3:
Mara
Sci-Fi Dine In
Sept 29:
We left South Carolina about 130p so we got to Animal Kingdom Lodge about 830p. I was hesitant to make a dinner reservation because I was uncertain of our arrival time so I kind of left plans up in the air. But I was also a bit nervous because if you know anyone with food allergies its hard to fly by the seat of your pants when it comes to eating. Alas, Mara put my fears to rest. I alerted the staff about my allergies and they quickly had the chef come out to speak to me. She of course asked about my no-nos and we settled on chicken breast, broccoli and apples for dessert. My husband was actually not hungry.
Keep in mind, this guy could typically eat like a garbage disposal! He settled on a chocolate milk and chocolate dipped Mickey Mouse rice krispie treat with Mickey sprinkles. Sweets! Gasp! He loved his dinner of champions and I thoroughly enjoyed my chicken and broccoli!Sept 30:
Today we went to Epcot. It was hotter than hell! And the first day of Food and Wine Festival so it was a tad busy and crowds continued to grow as the day went on. We snuck in a quick meal at Sunshine Seasons about 1130am. DH got a reuben panini, which had a pimento cheese type of spread on it, a potato salad type of side dish and a blueberry muffin. He said it was pretty good. The sandwich actually had a spicy kick to it which was weird.
Soon after that we had an 220p reservation at Le Cellier. That was my DH's only request for the whole trip. He LOVES that place! Of course, he devoured the pretzel bread. He ordered a soft drink (which surprised me as he thoroughly enjoyed his smoothie last time) and Steak, Potato and Mushroom skillet with a salad on the side. He said it was pretty good but he still didn't have much an appetite. He was kind of disappointed because he had his heart set on a rib eye. He swore up and down they had a rib eye last year. I again talked to the chef, who was more than willing to accommodate me. And I decided on the New York Strip Steak, medium, minus bercy butter and Gruyere-Yukon Gold potato gratin and replaced them with green beans. Both seasoned with salt and pepper and cooked in canola oil. It. Was. AMAZING! It was cooked perfect and the green beans were the best green beans I've ever had! Also the service was great, our waiter checked in with us frequently!
Later on for dinner I got my first turkey leg of the trip. Those things are so good! That was the first one in about 20 years because I used to be allergic to turkey.
Oct 1:
Today we went to Magic Kingdom... of course! DH thinks MK's anniverary was the main reason for the trip, not because it's our anniversary!
So the crowds were pretty intense as we made our way to Main Street Bakery to get my fruit. We took one look at the line of about 20 people and turned back around to Liberty Square Market for my grape fix and DH got a chunk of pineapple. You can't really go wrong with fruit! We had a 530p reservation for Artist Point. This had been a long time coming. We made a reservation there last visit but didn't get to make it. I was excited about this meal, getting to see Wilderness Lodge and plus I kept hearing great stuff about it. It definitely met my high expectations! Todd got his basket of sourdough bread with black salt topped butter. Not certain of what the black flecks were he proceeded to taste one which caused a burning-hole-in-tongue sensation upon consumption. I've never seen some one turn such a shade of purple...
Chef toasted up some tapioca rolls for me. I was hesitant because I hadn't tried them before but decided to try a bit. It tasted a bit like soft pretzel. It was nice getting to eat a little bread for a change. He also cooked me up a Buffalo Striploin Steak with marble potatoes and broccoli. I had never tried buffalo before and it turned out pretty good. It of course was beefy in flavor but had a gamey taste to it as well. The presentation was very nice... it had a finesse to it. (Can you tell we watch a lot of Master Chef/Hell's Kitchen
) The marble potatoes were tasty! They had a sweet flavor to them, almost like sweet potatoes but not quite as sweet. DH ordered Pan-Seared Alaskan Halibut. At this point I was falling off the chair, he shocked me again! He's not a fan of seafood but he felt compelled to try it. The halibut had white California asparagus, morel mushrooms, English peas and citrus juices. DH enjoyed it greatly as it was light, flavorful, and complex... DAHMN *Gordon Ramsay accent* Our waitress was very attentive, continously refilling our drinks and simply seemed to be enjoying her job! She was very knowledgable about the menu and wines offered there. It was nice to see someone so passionate about what she serves to Disney guests. She soon informed us that the chef was cooking me up something special for dessert. I was nervous because I'm so limited to what I eat. She gave me a raspberry sorbet with a raspberry sauce drizzled around it along with blackberries and raspberries for garnish. I attempted a couple bites and it was very good. It was so smooth, almost creamy it was so smooth and had such a sweet berry flavor. It was delicious! DH ordered the Chocolate Indulgence. Again, I was floored! I thought I was supposed to be the chocolate addict! He looked like he was in heaven eating that dessert. He said it was like a light fudge with a brownie base and it had chocolate covered cherries on top. It was a nice lighter dessert after his light entree. His appetite was suddenly back by that point! Our waitress gave us two glasses of a wine that was bubbly like champagne and had a raspberry in each glass. They were all wonderful! I would highly recommend Artist Point to anyone!
Oct 2:
Today we went Animal Kingdom and had breakfast at Rainforest Cafe. I didn't realize until a couple months ago that they have breakfast there. They definitely had a wide variety of choices for breakfast which was nice because breakfast is DH's favorite meal. He ordered a Key Wester, basically a strawberry banana smoothie, and the Pie of the Viper which is like a breakfast fajita in pizza form. It had a biscuit type crust with egg, salsa, bacon/sausage, cheddar, four cheese, red, green, poblano peppers, roma tomatoes and cilantro on top. He liked it alot but it was big enough to feed 3 or 4 people! He ate about a fourth of it. I got a take on Cisco and Pancho which included grapes, breakfast potatoes, a tapioca roll and flat iron steak. They gave me a lot to eat which was really nice because I feel like I snack most of the time. It was nice to have a full stomach for a change!
We decided to head to AKL for little down time because prior to that we ran around like crazy people and we were exhausted! We went to MNSSHP that night, which was our first time to this party. I was very excited and it definitely lived up to all the hype! I knew I wanted to eat something before the actual party started wo we got to the park about 430p and squeezed in some time on BTMR. The crowds were low so we got to ride it about 3 times in a row which was great! We grabbed dinner at Westward Ho Refreshments and the Turkey Leg Cart. I got my turkey leg and DH got a corn dog, plus double the cheetos and double the cookies. We sat in Frontierland and enjoyed our meals as we took in the scenery. Later near the end of the party DH had to get his cream cheese pretzel and then a dole whip. Ahh, I miss those...
I can't believe how quickly this trip went by, although I shouldn't be surprised... It always does. Today was a bit of a spontaneous day. We decided to sleep in a bit and grab breakfast at Mara before heading to Hollywood Studios/MGM to ride the new Star Tours. I got some grapes, breakfast potatoes and attempted some allergen free Mickey waffles. It was nice getting to enjoy something Disney themed! They only had maple syrup with high fructose corn syrup and corn syrup in it so I had to manage without but they were still pretty tasty! DH got a yogurt with fruit and granola along with the Breakfast Bounty Platter which included biscuit, Mickey waffle, sausage, bacon, scrambled eggs and potatoes. And I think he enjoyed it because it was all gone pretty quickly!
We headed to Hollywood Studios/MGM about 11 am and squeezed in a ride on Star Tours and a once through of One Man's Dream *tear* before making our 1135a lunch reservation at Sci-Fi Dine In. I didn't realize how passionate of a man Walt Disney was! It definitely brought tears to my eyes.
We had never tried the Sci-Fi Dine In and we pretty much figured out why... I was initially excited about it because of the theming behind this restaurant. DH grew up with lots of Sci-Fi and I figured he'd get a good laugh about it. Plus he enjoys the type of food they serve there, ie. milk shakes, diner fare, etc. The atmosphere was pretty much the high point of the meal. Our waitress seemed to be in another world. She pretty much took my DH's complete order, including dessert, not noticing my allergy request and need to speak to the chef. We told her I needed to speak to the chef about my dietary issues and it took 15-20 minutes. The place was pretty chaotic. She came back after about 10 minutes, gave my DH his vanilla coke and no drink for me, and proceeded to ask us if the chef had stopped by...shouldn't she have known that? Anyways, we were patient. Finally he came by and I told him I wanted a burger on a tapioca bun with just lettuce and grapes for dessert. Unfortunately there was no side I could really have so I just agreed to the side of cucumber salad to get the show on the road. Finally, the waitress asked what I wanted to drink. I got the cherry coke, which I give them props for because their cherry cokes redeemed themselves a bit. They were sooo good! After about 45 minutes of waiting on our food we finally got our entrees...and I found a tomato on my hamburger. This was the only incident in the whole trip that I felt like I wasn't listened to. And DH was very frustrated by that. I simply removed the tomato and ate because we wanted to squeeze more in before we had to leave. My burger was not that great. It tasted really weird... I couldn't eat the whole thing. DH got a steak with potato type of side dish. He said the steak was alright but he didn't enjoy the A1 kind of sauce on the steak. For dessert he ordered the Red Velvet Cheesecake which he enjoyed very much. That was his favorite part of the entire meal. We understand that they could've had a bad day and DH did enjoy the atmosphere, but all in all we were pretty disappointed with this restaurant. One and done.
As a whole, our dining adventures were very rewarding. Le Cellier hit the nail on the head, again! That will again definitely be a reservation made for our next visit. Artist Point was very nice and attentive. I would love to do that one again but I still want to try other restaurants first so I know what else is out there. Disney definitely helped to ease my uncertainty of safety involving my food allergies. For the most part they are the best when it comes to accommodating me. Although we had that screw up at Sci-Fi, I think they were flustered and not running smoothly for the day. If there is any doubt in your mind, please be assured... you can't beat the resort's genuine concern and eager attitude to make your dining aspect of the trip perfect!
