Eat at ALL the buffets! 8/13-8/19

[bellebookworm9]

Hi everybody! I'm Gretchen.

It's been far too long since I've written and completed a dining review, so I'm ready to get started on this one. I'll be staying at Caribbean Beach from August 13-18, and then splurging on one night at the Grand Floridian.

Here are the TS places I'll be eating:
-Sci-Fi Dine In Dinner
-Garden Grill Dinner (new!)
-Tusker House Breakfast (new!)
-Boma Dinner
-1900 Park Fare Dinner
-Kouzzina Breakfast (new!)
-Chef Mickey's Dinner
-Grand Floridian Cafe (new!)

I've eaten at Boma, 1900 PF, and CM for breakfast in the past, but dinner is all new to me.

You can also expect some counter service adventures from:
-Leaning Palms (Typhoon Lagoon)
-Old Port Royale (CBR)
-Boulangerie Patisserie
-Yak & Yeti CS
-Starring Rolls
-Liberty Inn
-Be Our Guest
-Wolfgang Puck Express

I'll have the regular DDP for my CBR stay but not at GF. I hope you'll join in and read along (and I hope the WiFi cooperates to really let this be a live report)!

 

[rachel09985]

I am in! Just read your disneyland TR and loved it so looking forward to this!

 

[Dislover1991]

Just subscribed!

I'm very excited to see your reviews- we just booked our trip for next September and will be staying at CBR so I'm interested in some reviews of their QS! Plus you are reviewing some other places we have on our list as well!

Have a great trip!

 

[annie1995]

Can't wait to see your pics!

 

[turkishwife25]

Looking forward to reading your reviews! We'll be arriving on 8/23 and will be eating at several of the places you mention you will be.

 

[AmyKat]

Following along!

 

[bellebookworm9]

I'm afraid that this may not be as live as I'd hoped-the WiFi at CBR is uncooperative at best. I'll try to pop in later tonight and give it a go!

 

[bellebookworm9]

Leaning Palms & Mini Donuts-Typhoon Lagoon
Wednesday afternoon I headed to Typhoon Lagoon for a couple of hours. My first stop was to get some lunch and I had my eye on the Tropical Salad with Chicken (Mandarin Oranges, Dried Cranberries, Cucumbers, Tomatoes and Parmesan tossed in a Raspberry Vinaigrette-$9.59).

This was around 2pm and the line to order was pretty short. I lucked out with finding a table under the covered seating nearby, as a CM was just finishing cleaning one off.

Unfortunately, I found this salad a bit disappointing. The chicken was one big piece and not particularly easy to cut. Additionally, because it was served in a cardboard container, the dressing made the cardboard soggy and so many of the toppings were falling out as I attempted to cut the chicken. It was just kind of a mess.

Before I left the park, I had to stop and get some Mini Donuts. To my knowledge, these are only available at the water parks. They are available to order as a half or full dozen along with three choices of dipping sauces: chocolate, white chocolate, or raspberry. According to Touring Plans, the 1/2 dozen with dipping sauce is a snack credit. This is untrue! Nothing at this stand counts on the DDP. Total cost for 1/2 dozen + 1 dipping sauce is $6.54. I chose the raspberry sauce, and the donuts stayed nice and toasty during the short ride back to Caribbean Beach!

Backlot Express-Hollywood Studios
Originally I had a dinner ADR at Sci-Fi, but I decided to cancel it to keep costs down. After the disappointing lunch, I wanted something simple but filling, and this is the one counter service at DHS that I've never eaten at. I asked for the good old 1/3 Pound Angus Bacon Cheeseburger with Fries ($9.39). All of the DHS counter service locations have special Frozen cupcakes as well. There is a chocolate Anna inspired one, a vanilla Elsa inspired, and a carrot cake Olaf. Olaf came highly recommended so that's what I went with. I believe he was $5.19.

The burger was just what I was looking for and Olaf was delicious (and adorable)!

I stopped by just before 6:30 and already large portions of the restaurant were shutting down. I sat in the paint room to the right of the entrance, and the soda fountains and condiment areas were no longer operating; diners had to go back to the main room where they ordered to get utensils and such. However, it was relatively easy to find a table.

Up Next: Old Port Royale, Les Halles de Boulangerie Patisserie, and Garden Grill

 

[Tink2Day]

Looks great so far (except that salad) Olaf..just too cute.

Too bad the wifi is so bad, I love live reports.

 

[bellebookworm9]

Old Port Royale-Caribbean Beach Resort
Thursday morning I headed over to OPR for some breakfast around 7:30. The place was pretty empty and I had no trouble finding a table. There was a very short line at the register. My choice for the morning was the Kid’s French Toast meal. I order kid’s meals for breakfasts to save money, but I find them sufficiently filling. Sides were a choice of bacon or sausage and applesauce, plus a small drink. No one has ever given me a hard time about ordering a child’s meal, in case you’re wondering.

It was very good, although I did think the bacon could have been a bit crispier! I found a seat with no trouble in this colorful side room.

Les Halles Boulangerie & Patisserie-Epcot
For lunch I went to the bakery in the France pavilion. It was still early-ish, around 11:45 and there was no line at all, just a ton of CMs standing around waiting for people to order! I went with my favorite meal of the Fromages (cheese plate), half a baguette, and the Fraises (strawberry tart). I was able to grab a table inside just as another family was leaving, which was great, because it was really hot and humid that day and I did not want to eat outside!

The cheese plate comes with five different imported cheeses. In the top left is bleu cheese, bottom left is swiss (I don’t eat either of those), in the center is goat cheese, the bottom right is Brie, and the top right is Chaumes (I think). It was delicious as always.

Garden Grill-Epcot
My ADR was at 4:20; I arrived a few minutes early and checked in at the podium. Manager Sam checked me in and was so nice, especially once he found out I was dining alone-in his opinion, the best way to dine! He asked if I would like a table or a booth and I said it didn’t matter, to which he replied, “Perfect”. I took my pager and just a few minutes later it went off. Sam instructed the hostess to take good care of me because it was my first time there.

To my surprise, I was seated at a booth! I didn’t realize that the large semi-circular booths on the lower level have separate tables that can be connected and disconnected at will. Also in the booth at the larger table were a family of five, and their little girl, who was probably seven, slept right through the whole meal!

Agnes was our server, and the other family asked me if I could understand what she said, as she did have a bit of an accent. I asked the family if they would mind taking my picture with the characters and they were happy to do so.

Before any food was served, Pluto came by.

First up was the “Living with the Land” Harvest-Inspired Farmer’s Salad, with ranch dressing.

This was really good! I didn’t like the egg, radishes, or tomatoes, but it was easy to pick around them. I had two helpings of the salad though, that’s how much I enjoyed it.

A few minutes later, Farmer Mickey came by in his adorable overalls.

Then came the rolls with the awesome orange blossom honey butter. I could have eaten a whole basket of these so it’s good they only gave me two!

Dale came by for a visit:

And Chip, who was awesome! I think he proposed to me.

Next up was the entrée plate, about 20 minutes into the meal. On the left is the “roasted all natural turkey breast” and under that is the stuffing towards the front and the garden fresh veggies in the back. In the middle is the sustainable fish of the day, which was tilapia, with a pesto topping and tomato jam. Finally, on the right was the char-grilled filet of beef, topped with a horseradish spread and served on a bed of mashed potatoes.

I gave the turkey a try but I’m not a big fan of turkey anyway. The stuffing was very good.; I skipped the veggies. I like tilapia and this was perfectly flaky, but I didn’t like the pesto or the tomato jam. The beef and potatoes were the best; I ate every last bite!

Took a photo of the farmhouse as we rotated by.

And I asked Agnes if I could please have some of the macaroni and cheese, expecting a child sized portion. Instead I got this huge bowl.

I thought the goldfish were a bit weird but the small amount of the macaroni I was able to eat was very good.

Last but definitely not least was the seasonal fruit cobbler topped with vanilla bean whipped cream. I know many people, myself included, would prefer this to be served with ice cream, but it was still delicious!

All the characters came by again for a hug and a wave, and Dale told me he made the cobbler! I gave my compliments to the chef.

This was my first big meal of the trip and I really enjoyed it. I was able to fill up, meet some character, and make new friends with the family I was sitting with. Sam the manager even stopped by a couple of times to make sure I was doing okay.

One thing I will mention is that even though the restaurant spins very slowly, my balance system is very sensitive to spinning. There were times when I would just catch the rotation out of the corner of my eye on the edge of a scene and feel slightly dizzy, though the feeling soon passed. Overall I definitely recommend Garden Grill!

Up next: Tusker House, Restaurantosaurus, and Boma

 

[weswife]

Great report! I am enjoying the pics! Can't wait to read/see more!

 

[uvslinfo]

All the food looks great so far!!!!

 

[Dislover1991]

We tried Garden Grill last December and oh my goodness it was delicious! I absolutely loved the food! It was expensive (we did the Candlelight Processional package) but I loved it! I usually don't eat beef but I asked for about 2 plates of JUST the beef

 

[ariane37]

Hi Gretchen Enjoying your reviews so far! And OMG that GG food looks delish, makes me wish I booked it for our trip next week! We haven't eaten there since 2007 and the menu has changed but I think it looks better than when we were there. Guess I'll have to put it on my list for the next trip

 

[DaisyNY]

Loving your review...GG is one of our favorites too!

 

[bellebookworm9]

Great report! I am enjoying the pics! Can't wait to read/see more!

Thanks! There's plenty more to come!

All the food looks great so far!!!!

Except for that salad, I had no bad meals.

We tried Garden Grill last December and oh my goodness it was delicious! I absolutely loved the food! It was expensive (we did the Candlelight Processional package) but I loved it! I usually don't eat beef but I asked for about 2 plates of JUST the beef

Having tried it, I would definitely give it a try now for the CP package. Unfortunately the only time available for our CP day is 3:25, and we want the 8:15 show.

Hi Gretchen Enjoying your reviews so far! And OMG that GG food looks delish, makes me wish I booked it for our trip next week! We haven't eaten there since 2007 and the menu has changed but I think it looks better than when we were there. Guess I'll have to put it on my list for the next trip

I think the old menu didn't appeal to me that much, but now I'm not sure why I've never eaten there before!

Loving your review...GG is one of our favorites too!

Thanks for reading! I really enjoyed it there.

 

[bellebookworm9]

Tusker House-Animal Kingdom
Friday morning I had an 8:00am ADR at Tusker House. I had set my alarm for 7am, but somehow must have bumped it when I went to change the ringtone, as it got changed to 8am! By some miracle, I woke up by myself at 7:22am. I’ve never gotten ready so fast, and it’s a good thing I had a rental car because I never would have made it on time if I was relying on the buses!

At 7:44, just as I was pulling into the parking lot, this beautiful double rainbow greeted me.

I met my friend PB at the gate; I had booked this reservation for just myself and he decided to join me at the last minute. It was not a problem to change to a party of two, as I suspected. We waited only a few minutes before my name was called and we were escorted to our table.

This was my first plate: fresh fruit, lemon poppy seed bread, and a croissant.

I had contacted Disneyfoodblog about writing a review of this meal for them, so I took photos of all the buffet items just in case. Unfortunately, I never heard back. The restaurant was uncrowded at this early time of morning so it wasn’t really a disturbance to take the pictures!

In the center of the buffet room was a bread station. From left to right: apple turnovers, orange bread, blueberry bread, lemon poppy seed bread, and strawberry turnovers.

Warm cinnamon rolls, fruit cobbler, and banana cinnamon bread pudding with vanilla sauce.

White bread for toasting and a variety of bagels.

Chocolate croissants, Krispy Kreme donut holes, and plain croissants.

Fruit Loops and Rice Crispies

Starting at the left hand side of the buffet, we have bananas, mealie cornbread, regular cornbread, and coffee cake.

Jellies, jams, cheese, cream cheese, butter.

Syrup, vanilla and strawberry yogurt, dried fruits, granola.

Fresh fruit and cottage cheese.

Cereals: Rice Crispies, Raisin Bran, Corn Flakes, and Granola

 

[bellebookworm9]

Tusker House continued
Brown sugar, cinnamon, raisins, oatmeal, and I think mealie pap?

Biscuits and sausage gravy

I believe that’s salsa on the left, scrambled eggs, bacon, and sausage patties

Breakfast potatoes and Mickey waffles

Potato and Leek Frittata, Tater Tots, Ham and Cheese Frittata

Cheese Blintz with apple or cherry toppings

Kids Station

Spit-roasted Bone In Ham

I think these were fried sweet plantains and Basmati rice

This looks like Corned Beef Hash with cornbread topping and quiche

Maybe more breakfast potatoes and coconut sweet potato casserole

All the Mickey waffles anyone could ever want

And then of course, the characters!

I will admit that this buffet was kind of wasted on me. I was so into catching up with PB, waiting for the characters, and wanting to get out around 9 that I didn’t eat as much as I probably could have. The coconut sweet potato casserole was something that I really enjoyed but PB didn’t care for it at all. The oatmeal, Mickey waffles, and bacon were good, as was the fruit and breads that I tried. The biscuits (no gravy) were warm and soft. PB was more adventurous and didn’t complain about anything except that casserole. And we both loved the Jungle Juice! Mickey was the last character we saw at 8:57, and then we left and made it on to the first safari of the day. This was an excellent meal to get into the park early!


Restaurantosaurus-Animal Kingdom
I stopped in here for lunch around 1:45pm. The wait to order was short and I found a table in one of the side rooms without too much trouble.

My entrée was the Grilled Chicken Sandwich (topped with a Tomato, Garlic, Basil Relish and Cheddar). This was very good, pretty healthy, but a bit messy to eat!

For dessert, I had the cheesecake in a glass. I don’t know why AK is so into this gross gel stuff on top of their desserts; I always end up scraping it off. The fruit topping was good and so was the actual cheesecake.

Boma-Animal Kingdom Lodge
My dinner ADR was for 9pm. I closed down Blizzard Beach at 8pm and then went to the Lodge, got some soda for my mug, and called my mom before checking in around 8:50. They handed me a pager and I sat down to wait for a few minutes.

I was seated almost exactly on time. My server was Christina and she was so sweet and accommodating. I was worried that because my seating was so close to closing I would feel rushed, but thankfully, that was not the case. My table was right next to the “fence” for the buffet.

My first plate had a roll, pita bread, white bean hummus, black olive hummus, and butter. I enjoyed both of the hummus’ but I think the black olive as a little better.

Along with that plate, I also got a few salad: watermelon rind salad, curry pasta salad (at Christina’s recommendation), and African Fruit Fool.

I didn’t like the watermelon rind salad at all, and the Fruit Fool was pretty good. There were a variety of fruits in it, including bananas and apples, so the textures varied. And I’m so glad I tried the pasta salad because it was delicious!

Next course was the famous Butternut Squash Soup (they didn’t have the carrot ginger soup that night) and a mealie muffin. The soup was so good and I ate every last bite. The bread was okay but it didn’t taste much like anything.

For my entrée plate, I had Fufu, which is a mix of mashed white and sweet potatoes, regular mashed potatoes, bobotie, couscous, and the African Spiced striploin.

Both sets of potatoes were very good, as was the beef. I didn’t really care for the couscous and the Bobotie was a little too adventurous for me; it involves eggs, breadcrumbs, and beef.

Finally, I sampled a variety of the desserts. I love Zebra Domes and I polished off both of these! On the top of the plate was Strawberry Mint Panna cotta, which was just plain gross. Strawberry and mint just don’t go together and I didn’t like the texture of the “milk jello”, as I’ve heard it described. Next was the cassava cake, also something I didn’t like. I can’t even tell you what it tasted like, but it was warm, which I was not expecting. Last was pineapple cheesecake. I had high expectations for this, but it was a let down. I didn’t taste any pineapple at all and it didn’t really have a flavor. Next time I’ll stick to the Zebra Domes.

I’m kind of a picky eater and was worried about this restaurant but most of what I ventured to try was pretty good! And there were plenty of “safer” options if you wanted to stick to familiar foods.

Up next: Old Port Royale x 2 and 1900 Park Fare

 

[Vernie822]

Subscribing to your thread!

My cousin is finishing up her AuD at PITT this year - Good luck with yours too!!

Can't wait to read all about your trip.

 

[Dislover1991]

Tusker House looks SO good! You have definitely convinced me to go there on our next trip! Restaurantosaurus looks pretty good too- I may have to try the chicken sandwich as a light lunch!

Loving your reviews and can't wait for more!