Eight Amazing TS Dining Reviews April/May 2009

[skellingtonfreak]

I am in. You can continue now.

 

[dizneeat]

I'm in too! Yummy selection you have got there!!

 

[jenbear123]

Welcome to another edition of "Eight Amazing TS Dining Reviews"! Thank you for those following along. I always appreciate feedback and comments so keep 'em coming!

Now onto 1900 Park Fare!

Our ADR was on April 26th only a couple hours after our Crystal Palace reservation. This caused a slight problem... neither of us were all that hungry. But, alas, our lack of appetite wasn't going to stop us! We took the boat from MK over to GF and snapped a couple photos of the grounds before heading to the restaurant.

My mom enjoying the live piano music

After the piano player stopped, we headed over to 1900 Park Fare to check in and have our picture taken before going into the dining room. For some reason they didn't take our picture with a character, like I expected. At least it could've been with the Prince (I know, wishful thinking) The backdrop for the picture was that of Cinderella's castle, which is the exact location it would be if you were to cut a hole in the wall and look outside. Thought that was pretty cool. The process was very planned and organized.

Once we were brought into the dining room, I noticed right away how busy and (once again) chaotic it was. Lots of children excited to see Cinderella. My mom and I were sat at a small table at the corner end of a long dividing wall. It's hard to explain. It was very close quarters as if they were trying to squeeze in as many tables as possible. For example, where I was sitting, every time I went to pull my chair back, I would hit into the other person's chair who was sitting at the table perpendicular to ours. I tried to let it not bother me and just enjoy the fact that I was about to see Cinderella.

Our server was very friendly and courteous. She did her best to keep our drinks filled and commented on her favourites that we should try from the buffet. It was nice to actually have a short but sweet conversation with our server instead of feeling rushed through everything. In this case, we felt very relaxed and able to pace ourselves accordingly through our meal.

The food was delicious, especially the prime rib. Just like butter. Despite our lack of appetite, we tried our best to try everything. The food at the buffet was separated into "countries" i.e. curry was under Indian, pasta under Italy, and so on. You'd at least know where the food was coming from! One gem that I only discovered after I had eaten two plates of food was the Strawberry Soup.

Oh my goodness. This was heavenly. My favourite, bar none. This was served cold and it just burst with strawberry goodness. I wish I had gotten the recipe. Honestly, this could be eaten not just on its own, but drizzled on ice cream or topped on strawberry shortcake or... the possibilities seemed endless! Definitely give this a try when you're at 1900 Park Fare. You won't be disappointed (if you're a strawberry lover, that is)

Throughout our meal, the characters roamed the dining room. Cinderella was the first to arrive. I loved her dress (and I would with a price tag of $15,000 ) and I told her likewise. She simply replied "Thank you. It's my favourite."

See the Prince in the background? Boy, was he cute! I couldn't wait to have my picture with him! But....to my disappointment, however, he simply bypassed our table. I don't recall how or why... I can only assume it was because Cinderella was at our table. Darn. I'd have to say that was the only let down of the entire meal. The rest of the characters were great! Interacting with them was tons of fun.

Sorry for the picture quality. My camera doesn't do well in low light situations

Lady Tremaine was hilarious. I'm surprised some kids even got pictures with her! She was nasty!

Overall, this was a great experience. Service was good and attentive, the food was delicious (but typical of a buffet, except the Strawberry Soup) and the characters were the cherry on top. Yes, our table location kind of sucked but I couldn't let that affect the overall rating. Not all the tables were cramped like that and it was just the luck of the draw.

Anyone of any age will have a good time here. Cinderella and her gang are not there just for the kids! 1900 Park Fare is also a good alternative to CRT. You may miss out on dining in the castle BUT, at least here, Cinderella actually comes to your table!

Overall rating

 

[2xcited2sleep]

Prince Charming bypassed you? His loss! Men.

This looks like a fun meal. I love strawberries but for some reason the soup just doesn't appeal to me. But I may have to try it anyway because the character interaction sounds great.

Too cute you and mom were wearing matching t-shirts!

 

[Faith09]

Loving your review keep them coming!!

 

[disneyfan61]

 

[kimgof]

Great reviews!! We are trying 1900PF for dinner this trip, sounds great. My DD wants to do this and CRT so we are actually doing both! Oh well my two DS will just have to deal with it I figure my DD is only this little for a short time and she adores her princesses. Thanks for the review

 

[msce2]

I"m loving the reviews!

We will be visiting CP and 1900 PF next week, but for breakfast instead. I hope they have the strawberry soup! I've heard so many good things about it I really want to try it!

 

[jenbear123]

We will be visiting CP and 1900 PF next week, but for breakfast instead. I hope they have the strawberry soup! I've heard so many good things about it I really want to try it!

I'm not sure if they serve it at breakfast. You'll have to let me know what breakfast is like at both 1900 Park Fare and CP. I've never been for breakfast at either of them! Do you have an early ADR for CP? One of these days I'll try and get an ADR before MK opens at CP so we can get a pic in front of the castle without the mob of people behind us!

Prince Charming bypassed you? His loss! Men.

This looks like a fun meal. I love strawberries but for some reason the soup just doesn't appeal to me. But I may have to try it anyway because the character interaction sounds great.

Too cute you and mom were wearing matching t-shirts!

I was SO disappointed that he bypassed us. We tried waiting for him to come back around but it was obvious they wanted to turn our table over. Oh well. Maybe next time. I just hope the next Prince Charming will be as cute as this one was!

Have you tried the strawberry soup? If you haven't, you must! Just think of it as a strawberry smoothie in a bowl

And yes, my mom and I decided to go all out this trip and pre-purchase mickey mouse t-shirts. We're Disney nuts, what can I say?


Keep the comments coming! I will update later tonight....

 

[mi*vida*loca]

We did a lot of these same restaurants on our last trip. CAn't wait to hear more!

 

[MelanieC]

I'm in

 

[jenbear123]

Can I tell you right off the bat how much I LOVED this place!?

Okay, let me explain....

Our ADR was for 7:30am on April 27th. Originally it was for closer to 9am but I wanted to get an early start so we could get to MK for rope drop (something we had never experienced before). We arrived, checked-in, and were led over to where they take your picture. Here's how ours turned out:

From the left - my sister, my mom, me

After the picture, we were led to our table waaaaaaaayyy into the restaurant. I never knew this place was so BIG! Our table was located closest to where the characters came out to start visiting the tables. I was pumped to have breakfast (finally) with Mickey and the gang. As soon as our bum hit the chairs, Mickey came out! All of us were starving but didn't want to run straight to the buffet in case we'd miss Mickey! Our server promptly brought us our drinks. She was a very nice lady. After about 3 minutes, my sister couldn't take it anymore. She had to get something in her tummy. She bee-lined it for the buffet and grabbed some muffins (?) I can't remember exactly what it was that she brought back. I was hungry so I didn't care. I scarfed it down and just in time too as Mickey arrived!

After we took our montage of pictures it was on to the buffet! They had a wide variety of breakfast items including (but not limited to) Mickey waffles, watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew, (I think) strawberry yogurt, scrambled eggs, bacon, sausages, omelets (I didn't have one so I do not recall if they were making them fresh to order), cereal, wide variety of pastries, and cheese blintzes.

My first plate starting from the top and going clockwise: Watermelon, remnants of honeydew, Mickey waffle, and those raisins were from some sort of yummy granola mixture that I picked up. It was cinnamon flavoured and quite nice but I didn't care for the raisins. The fruit was amazingly fresh and ever so delicious.

My sister's plate starting from the top and going clockwise: scrambled eggs, Mickey waffles, French toast, bacon, and maple syrup. We grabbed a little bowl for the table for all of us to use. IMO, it might have worked better to keep maple syrup at all the tables...

In between stuffing ourselves silly, the characters kept coming to visit:

Donald was amazing. We were excited to get a picture with him and he picked up on this. So, to get us going, he simply bypassed our table. We all pouted but Donald came back! He was only joking! It was all in good fun

At certain times throughout the meal, a voice came over a speaker system about something to do with twirling our napkins. I didn't really see the point of it but we played along and twirled our napkins up in the air. The restaurant itself was rather noisy with all the excitement in the air but we were still able to maintain decent conversation in between mouthfuls.

The service was excellent with constant refills of drinks and making sure everything was alright with our food. It wasn't spectacular or anything but even though our server, I'm sure, was very busy, she still made it seem like she had time for us (unlike CP).

The food was absolutely delicious and very fresh. Probably one of the best breakfasts we've had at Disney World before (that includes the Tusker House breakfast that I'll be reviewing later). We stuffed ourselves silly and ate every last bite. Everything that we tried was divine. Some of the items offered we did not try i.e. Breakfast pizza and Vegetable Lasagna. I'm not sure who would want these at 7 o'clock in the morning? It just didn't seem very "breakfast" oriented...

Overall, I LOVED this place (did I mention that already?) The characters were so much fun, the service was excellent, and the food was simply to die for! What more could you want? I highly recommend Chef Mickey's to anyone and everyone. Even if you aren't interested in the character experience, still give it go and try the food! I'd like to perhaps try Chef Mickey's for dinner as well. Since the food comes out of the same kitchen, it has to be good! Worth the fight for an early ADR!

Overall rating: (for the food and experience) (for the service)

 

[Isthatyoutiger]

I'm in

Looking forward to reading more.

 

[disneyfan61]

Great review!! Glad you enjoyed your breakfast at CM.

 

[OurDogCisco]

Great reviews so far... I don't know how you guys ate 3 buffets in row though.

For the person that asked they do serve the Strawberry soup at breakfast. However, I really don't like it even with the hype. It is just too sweet for me. Or maybe breakfast is a weird time to eat it.

 

[let'sgo]

I LOVE the pictures and your report. Great job! Here's the recipe for the Strawberry Soup:

Strawberry Soup
1900 Park Fare
Grand Floridian

2 lb., 8 oz. strawberries (frozen variety, thawed with juice)
16 oz. heavy cream
2 oz. sour cream
3 oz. plain yogurt
8 oz. fresh strawberries
1. Mix first four ingredients.
2. Beat slowly until well mixed and a smooth consistency.
3. Chill; shake well before serving.
4. Add fresh strawberries as garnish.

 

[jenbear123]

I LOVE the pictures and your report. Great job! Here's the recipe for the Strawberry Soup:

Strawberry Soup
1900 Park Fare
Grand Floridian

2 lb., 8 oz. strawberries (frozen variety, thawed with juice)
16 oz. heavy cream
2 oz. sour cream
3 oz. plain yogurt
8 oz. fresh strawberries
1. Mix first four ingredients.
2. Beat slowly until well mixed and a smooth consistency.
3. Chill; shake well before serving.
4. Add fresh strawberries as garnish.

Wow! Thank you SO much! Now that I see the ingredients though... it's no wonder it tastes so good. Makes me feel a little guilty after eating so much of it

On another note, my mom and I are theoretically thinking of taking advantage of the free dining this year. Maybe mid-September for 10 days. My only concern is that if we wait much longer to book, all the high demand restaurants will be booked solid Of course it's all theoretical right now and we have to sort out finances but.... man, wouldn't it be nice?

 

[nutz2notz]

Great reviews so far.

Here's a little pixie dust hoping you get to go for free dining as well.

Looking forward to your next review.

 

[JerseyJanice]

Loving your reviews and photographs, Jen. You and your family are adorable!

I've eaten breakfast at 1900 Park Fare, and yes, they do have the strawberry soup then. It's so good! Like a chunky smoothie. You can really taste the fresh cream in it.

Chef Mickey's dinner has always been very good to us. If you get to go for free dining, make sure you go and have the soup du jour. The last few times we ate there, the soup was awesome.

 

[2xcited2sleep]

I can't wait to do Chef Mickey's for breakfast on my next trip! Thanks for sharing!