E
erikthewise
Guest
This is a report of dining on a business trip, when I attended a conference at the DTD Hilton. I was pretty good about the business part, attending a number of presentations and even giving one of my own. But when I was not at the conference, I was in the parks! I ate by myself at all meals.
Keep in mind Im a fairly tough grader, As mean truly exceptional food or service. An asterisk means this was the first time Id eaten there. Prices given include tax but do not include tips or discounts. Since I had a 20% discount on each table service meal due to my Disney Dining Experience card, the amount I paid (including tip) was usually about the same as the amount shown.
03/16 Thu Dinner: Akershus (Epcot) Server: Tor Martin
I arrived about 6:10 for my 6:25 reservation and was called about 5 minutes later. Before being seated I was asked if I wanted to wait in line to get my picture taken with Ariel or be seated immediately. Since I had eaten nothing but a Mickey bar since 9:00, and assumed (incorrectly) I would have a chance to see Ariel during dinner, I asked to be seated, and I was seated at what appeared to be the only table for two.
The restaurant was nearly empty! I asked my server about that and he explained that they seat in shifts. In retrospect this makes sense, as the princesses can only be out for so long at a time, and it really wouldnt do for one Aurora (for example) to leave and another visibly different Aurora to arrive with the same children still in the restaurant! This was my first face character meal so Id never thought about that before. Since nearly everyone else was still in line to meet Ariel, I had the place to myself for a few minutes.
If you are a former Akershus fan and are worried about the food, dont be! The food is as good as it was before princesses. The buffet is perhaps not quite as extensive, but it still has quite a bit and all the best dishes. It included
-- whole grain breads and lefse (potato bread somewhat like a tortilla)
-- goat, Jarlsberg, and other cheeses
-- peel and eat cold shrimp
-- yummy potato salad
-- smoked salmon
-- a variety of other salads and cold seafood selections
The buffet doesnt match the better WDW buffets such as Boma or Cape May, but then it never did. The difference here is that you can also order a hot entrée. I chose the Fresh Poached Cod, with seafood and shrimp medley, julienne vegetables and horseradish mashed potatoes. The seafood and shrimp medley turned out to be a seafood stew. It was a nice complement to the generous portion of cod, as the flavorful spices in the stew covered the inevitably bland flavor of the cod itself. I enjoyed it quite a bit, more than the salmon I had two years ago.
There were advantages and disadvantages to being a solo diner. The advantage was that I was presented with a complete dessert tray ordinarily shared by up to four people! There was chocolate mousse, lingonberry tart, and rice cream, and all were delicious! I had forgotten to save room for dessert, as this is a new feature with the princess meal. Nevertheless I somehow managed to eat it all, though it took me awhile.
The disadvantage was that as an older gentleman dining alone, the princesses didnt seem to know what to do with me. Aurora, Mary Poppins, and Belle were each good enough to say hi and exchange brief pleasantries. I would have welcomed a little more attention, but they had a lot of children to visit, and of course I was happy to see them giving the children priority. Jasmine did not visit, which may have just been an oversight, or perhaps she was a little self-conscious about her outfit I wouldnt blame her. Unfortunately Ariel didnt appear in the dining room at all, which was a disappointment. What did irritate me a little was that there was a CM whose job it was to make sure that everyone was visited by the princesses, and went from table to table asking everyone if theyd been visited by all the princesses. But she completely ignored me, not even looking in my direction. Her slight was more than compensated by Tor Martin, who was an absolutely superb server, doing everything to make me feel welcome and make sure I had everything I wanted. I was pleased to find that my Disney Dining Experience card was accepted here even though Akershus is not on the list of participating restaurants.
Warning: Many guests are put off by the food here. I personally love it but clearly many people strongly dislike it.
Total: $ $30.87 ($28.99+tax). Food: B+, Value: C, Service: A, Atmosphere: B+
Summary: When Akershus went princess, I swore Id never return. But this was a pleasant splurge. Its about as good a meal as I would have had at Cape May, and the seafood is better! If youre planning to go, bring children (rent some if necessary) or risk feeling somewhat left out.
03/17 Fri Lunch: Earl of Sandwich* (Downtown Disney)
I had read many rave reviews about this counter service spot in the Marketplace, but somehow our family never made it there in December. But it is literally just a five minute walk from the Hilton where my conference was taking place. (Hint: leave by the door next to the pool instead of the main entrance.) I had the Full Montagu, roast beef and turkey with cheddar and swiss cheese, romaine lettuce, tomato and mustard sauce. It was incredibly good; the raves were no exaggeration! Wonderful sub-style bread and generous and flavorful sauces seem to be secret. If I had to eat lunch all week long at DTD, Id eat here four or five times out of seven.
The sandwiches are not small, but neither are they enormous. They are no better value than Quiznos, which I also love, where the sandwiches are somewhat larger and cost a little more. If you are hungry plan on getting some sort of side as well; I got a brownie. The tables are pretty nice for a counter service place; and the décor inside was somewhat like a library I was too busy paying attention to the food to notice details.
Total: $7.35. Food: A-, Value: B, Service: N/A, Atmosphere: B
03/17 Fri Dinner: Columbia Harbor House (Magic Kingdom)
My favorite CS place in Magic Kingdom. I really must try someplace else sometime! I stopped in for a tuna sandwich (Anchors Aweigh); I asked for carrot sticks instead of chips, but didnt get them -- I didnt notice until I was nearly finished. The sandwich wasnt as perfect as last time, when the bread was toasted just right. But it was still pretty darn good, and filling too. I thought I should get something else, but strangely I wasnt hungry. Eventually I got a Dole Whip.
Total: $7.13. Food: B, Value: B, Service: N/A, Atmosphere: B
03/18 Sat Lunch: Earl of Sandwich (Downtown Disney)
Guess what, Im back again! This time I had the All-American: roast turkey, buttermilk ranch, cranberries, cheddar cheese, lettuce and tomato. Once again incredibly yummy. The cranberry sauce (whole berry) was a very welcome touch (but it was all at one end of the sandwich). This time I also got cole slaw, which came in a cardboard box (strange).
Total: $6.29. Food: A-, Value: B, Service: N/A, Atmosphere: B
03/18 Sat Dinner: Brown Derby (MGM Studios) Server: Radamez
If had just eaten here for the first time in December, but felt I needed to make up for years of neglect, so I decided to return. This time I ordered the filet, but with Radamez encouragement to make special requests, I requested that it be accompanied by the spaghetti squash and honey-mustard caramelized seasonal vegetables that was featured with the veal chop.
The filet was fine, but not quite as good as at Le Cellier, and priced $1 higher. Brown Derby has excellent dinner rolls, which I always appreciate. I enjoyed the grapefruit cake so much in December I had another this time that was my real reason for eating here!
Total: $39.37. Food: B+, Value: C+, Service: B+, Atmosphere: A-
03/19 Sun Lunch: Tusker House (Animal Kingdom)
I intended to try Flame Tree Barbeque, but I was not really in the mood for barbeque, and was somewhat put off by the fact that there was no indoor seating. So I hiked back over to Tusker House and had the salmon with rice and green beans. This is good deal a large piece of salmon that is surprisingly good for counter service, and a generous helping of green beans that are as good as youd get at a table service restaurant. I also had carrot cake.
Total: $12.01. Food: B, Value: B+, Service: N/A, Atmosphere: C
03/19 Sun Dinner: Garden View Lounge* (Grand Floridian) Server: Nelson
Ive wanted to experience this for several years, but wasnt looking forward to dragging my whole family there. DW feels that she doesnt belong in the Grand Floridian, and our boys probably wouldnt get much out of it, except for eating the good stuff which I wanted for myself. Anyway, a solo trip seemed like the perfect chance to try it out.
You can order as little or as much to eat as you want. You could have tea and scones with jam, or even just tea. Strictly speaking you dont even have to have tea, as they do offer other standard beverages. But really! If youre going to come here, you should do it right! I ordered the Buckingham Palace for $17.50, described as our traditional tea sandwiches, scones and jam tarts complimented by fresh strawberries and cream, or a selection of freshly baked pastries, along with your choice of tea.
Since I am not really a tea drinker but felt I had to have tea here, I ordered the cinnamon spice tea which turned out to be a very good choice. (I resisted the temptation to order tea, Earl Grey, hot in honor of Captain Picard of Star Trek.) The tea service was very elegant. Nelson prepared my first cup by using a silver tea strainer and pouring from the teapot. He then covered the teapot with a tea cozy to keep it warm. I am not a judge of fine china but the china used in the service was obviously high quality. When I later poured another cup for myself I was surprised at how heavy the teapot itself was.
The first course of tea sandwiches turned out to be teeny, tiny sandwiches; there were five of them: watercress, cucumber, egg salad, chicken salad, and meat loaf. Just kidding about that last one! It was really shrimp salad. The five of them together didnt amount to half of tuna salad sandwich at Columbia Harbor House. Accompanying these sandwiches was a small tart of some sort.
The second course consisted of scones and Devonshire cream. I had made a point of mentioning to Nelson that I had many years ago had authentic scones and clotted cream in Devonshire itself and was looking forward to duplicating that experience. He led me to believe that they dont ordinarily serve that quality of cream but he managed to dig some up for me. If it was a lie, it was a nice lie. It was fine, except that rather than scones there was only one scone, barely enough to use up the Devonshire cream.
The third course was dessert, which allowed you to select two pastries from a pastry tray, or have a bowl of strawberries and cream. I had already enviously watched a party of four all having strawberries and cream, so I was happy that it was also included in my meal. If it hadnt been, I would have ordered ala carte anyway!
I did enjoy this tea; it was more than a snack but less than a meal. I did not go away hungry, but since I had a late flight home I did end up getting a burger at Chilis Too a couple hours later at the airport.
Total: $18.64. Food: B, Value: C, Service: A, Atmosphere: A
Summary: A tasty and very elegant snack, for less than a plate of spaghetti at Tonys.
One final comment. Out of three table service meals, each time I was assigned to a male server. Once or twice is not significant, but three out of three is a pattern. I wonder if there is some sort of policy about not assigning solo male diners to female servers. If so, it seems incredibly silly. I have not experienced such a policy anywhere else. Like nearly all men, I enjoy having female servers and am perfectly capable of behaving appropriately in their presence. On those rare occasions when there is inappropriate behavior (which I have never observed), an experienced server is perfectly capable of handling it, by notifying the manager if necessary.
Keep in mind Im a fairly tough grader, As mean truly exceptional food or service. An asterisk means this was the first time Id eaten there. Prices given include tax but do not include tips or discounts. Since I had a 20% discount on each table service meal due to my Disney Dining Experience card, the amount I paid (including tip) was usually about the same as the amount shown.
03/16 Thu Dinner: Akershus (Epcot) Server: Tor Martin
I arrived about 6:10 for my 6:25 reservation and was called about 5 minutes later. Before being seated I was asked if I wanted to wait in line to get my picture taken with Ariel or be seated immediately. Since I had eaten nothing but a Mickey bar since 9:00, and assumed (incorrectly) I would have a chance to see Ariel during dinner, I asked to be seated, and I was seated at what appeared to be the only table for two.
The restaurant was nearly empty! I asked my server about that and he explained that they seat in shifts. In retrospect this makes sense, as the princesses can only be out for so long at a time, and it really wouldnt do for one Aurora (for example) to leave and another visibly different Aurora to arrive with the same children still in the restaurant! This was my first face character meal so Id never thought about that before. Since nearly everyone else was still in line to meet Ariel, I had the place to myself for a few minutes.
If you are a former Akershus fan and are worried about the food, dont be! The food is as good as it was before princesses. The buffet is perhaps not quite as extensive, but it still has quite a bit and all the best dishes. It included
-- whole grain breads and lefse (potato bread somewhat like a tortilla)
-- goat, Jarlsberg, and other cheeses
-- peel and eat cold shrimp
-- yummy potato salad
-- smoked salmon
-- a variety of other salads and cold seafood selections
The buffet doesnt match the better WDW buffets such as Boma or Cape May, but then it never did. The difference here is that you can also order a hot entrée. I chose the Fresh Poached Cod, with seafood and shrimp medley, julienne vegetables and horseradish mashed potatoes. The seafood and shrimp medley turned out to be a seafood stew. It was a nice complement to the generous portion of cod, as the flavorful spices in the stew covered the inevitably bland flavor of the cod itself. I enjoyed it quite a bit, more than the salmon I had two years ago.
There were advantages and disadvantages to being a solo diner. The advantage was that I was presented with a complete dessert tray ordinarily shared by up to four people! There was chocolate mousse, lingonberry tart, and rice cream, and all were delicious! I had forgotten to save room for dessert, as this is a new feature with the princess meal. Nevertheless I somehow managed to eat it all, though it took me awhile.
The disadvantage was that as an older gentleman dining alone, the princesses didnt seem to know what to do with me. Aurora, Mary Poppins, and Belle were each good enough to say hi and exchange brief pleasantries. I would have welcomed a little more attention, but they had a lot of children to visit, and of course I was happy to see them giving the children priority. Jasmine did not visit, which may have just been an oversight, or perhaps she was a little self-conscious about her outfit I wouldnt blame her. Unfortunately Ariel didnt appear in the dining room at all, which was a disappointment. What did irritate me a little was that there was a CM whose job it was to make sure that everyone was visited by the princesses, and went from table to table asking everyone if theyd been visited by all the princesses. But she completely ignored me, not even looking in my direction. Her slight was more than compensated by Tor Martin, who was an absolutely superb server, doing everything to make me feel welcome and make sure I had everything I wanted. I was pleased to find that my Disney Dining Experience card was accepted here even though Akershus is not on the list of participating restaurants.
Warning: Many guests are put off by the food here. I personally love it but clearly many people strongly dislike it.
Total: $ $30.87 ($28.99+tax). Food: B+, Value: C, Service: A, Atmosphere: B+
Summary: When Akershus went princess, I swore Id never return. But this was a pleasant splurge. Its about as good a meal as I would have had at Cape May, and the seafood is better! If youre planning to go, bring children (rent some if necessary) or risk feeling somewhat left out.
03/17 Fri Lunch: Earl of Sandwich* (Downtown Disney)
I had read many rave reviews about this counter service spot in the Marketplace, but somehow our family never made it there in December. But it is literally just a five minute walk from the Hilton where my conference was taking place. (Hint: leave by the door next to the pool instead of the main entrance.) I had the Full Montagu, roast beef and turkey with cheddar and swiss cheese, romaine lettuce, tomato and mustard sauce. It was incredibly good; the raves were no exaggeration! Wonderful sub-style bread and generous and flavorful sauces seem to be secret. If I had to eat lunch all week long at DTD, Id eat here four or five times out of seven.
The sandwiches are not small, but neither are they enormous. They are no better value than Quiznos, which I also love, where the sandwiches are somewhat larger and cost a little more. If you are hungry plan on getting some sort of side as well; I got a brownie. The tables are pretty nice for a counter service place; and the décor inside was somewhat like a library I was too busy paying attention to the food to notice details.
Total: $7.35. Food: A-, Value: B, Service: N/A, Atmosphere: B
03/17 Fri Dinner: Columbia Harbor House (Magic Kingdom)
My favorite CS place in Magic Kingdom. I really must try someplace else sometime! I stopped in for a tuna sandwich (Anchors Aweigh); I asked for carrot sticks instead of chips, but didnt get them -- I didnt notice until I was nearly finished. The sandwich wasnt as perfect as last time, when the bread was toasted just right. But it was still pretty darn good, and filling too. I thought I should get something else, but strangely I wasnt hungry. Eventually I got a Dole Whip.
Total: $7.13. Food: B, Value: B, Service: N/A, Atmosphere: B
03/18 Sat Lunch: Earl of Sandwich (Downtown Disney)
Guess what, Im back again! This time I had the All-American: roast turkey, buttermilk ranch, cranberries, cheddar cheese, lettuce and tomato. Once again incredibly yummy. The cranberry sauce (whole berry) was a very welcome touch (but it was all at one end of the sandwich). This time I also got cole slaw, which came in a cardboard box (strange).
Total: $6.29. Food: A-, Value: B, Service: N/A, Atmosphere: B
03/18 Sat Dinner: Brown Derby (MGM Studios) Server: Radamez
If had just eaten here for the first time in December, but felt I needed to make up for years of neglect, so I decided to return. This time I ordered the filet, but with Radamez encouragement to make special requests, I requested that it be accompanied by the spaghetti squash and honey-mustard caramelized seasonal vegetables that was featured with the veal chop.
The filet was fine, but not quite as good as at Le Cellier, and priced $1 higher. Brown Derby has excellent dinner rolls, which I always appreciate. I enjoyed the grapefruit cake so much in December I had another this time that was my real reason for eating here!
Total: $39.37. Food: B+, Value: C+, Service: B+, Atmosphere: A-
03/19 Sun Lunch: Tusker House (Animal Kingdom)
I intended to try Flame Tree Barbeque, but I was not really in the mood for barbeque, and was somewhat put off by the fact that there was no indoor seating. So I hiked back over to Tusker House and had the salmon with rice and green beans. This is good deal a large piece of salmon that is surprisingly good for counter service, and a generous helping of green beans that are as good as youd get at a table service restaurant. I also had carrot cake.
Total: $12.01. Food: B, Value: B+, Service: N/A, Atmosphere: C
03/19 Sun Dinner: Garden View Lounge* (Grand Floridian) Server: Nelson
Ive wanted to experience this for several years, but wasnt looking forward to dragging my whole family there. DW feels that she doesnt belong in the Grand Floridian, and our boys probably wouldnt get much out of it, except for eating the good stuff which I wanted for myself. Anyway, a solo trip seemed like the perfect chance to try it out.
You can order as little or as much to eat as you want. You could have tea and scones with jam, or even just tea. Strictly speaking you dont even have to have tea, as they do offer other standard beverages. But really! If youre going to come here, you should do it right! I ordered the Buckingham Palace for $17.50, described as our traditional tea sandwiches, scones and jam tarts complimented by fresh strawberries and cream, or a selection of freshly baked pastries, along with your choice of tea.
Since I am not really a tea drinker but felt I had to have tea here, I ordered the cinnamon spice tea which turned out to be a very good choice. (I resisted the temptation to order tea, Earl Grey, hot in honor of Captain Picard of Star Trek.) The tea service was very elegant. Nelson prepared my first cup by using a silver tea strainer and pouring from the teapot. He then covered the teapot with a tea cozy to keep it warm. I am not a judge of fine china but the china used in the service was obviously high quality. When I later poured another cup for myself I was surprised at how heavy the teapot itself was.
The first course of tea sandwiches turned out to be teeny, tiny sandwiches; there were five of them: watercress, cucumber, egg salad, chicken salad, and meat loaf. Just kidding about that last one! It was really shrimp salad. The five of them together didnt amount to half of tuna salad sandwich at Columbia Harbor House. Accompanying these sandwiches was a small tart of some sort.
The second course consisted of scones and Devonshire cream. I had made a point of mentioning to Nelson that I had many years ago had authentic scones and clotted cream in Devonshire itself and was looking forward to duplicating that experience. He led me to believe that they dont ordinarily serve that quality of cream but he managed to dig some up for me. If it was a lie, it was a nice lie. It was fine, except that rather than scones there was only one scone, barely enough to use up the Devonshire cream.
The third course was dessert, which allowed you to select two pastries from a pastry tray, or have a bowl of strawberries and cream. I had already enviously watched a party of four all having strawberries and cream, so I was happy that it was also included in my meal. If it hadnt been, I would have ordered ala carte anyway!
I did enjoy this tea; it was more than a snack but less than a meal. I did not go away hungry, but since I had a late flight home I did end up getting a burger at Chilis Too a couple hours later at the airport.
Total: $18.64. Food: B, Value: C, Service: A, Atmosphere: A
Summary: A tasty and very elegant snack, for less than a plate of spaghetti at Tonys.
One final comment. Out of three table service meals, each time I was assigned to a male server. Once or twice is not significant, but three out of three is a pattern. I wonder if there is some sort of policy about not assigning solo male diners to female servers. If so, it seems incredibly silly. I have not experienced such a policy anywhere else. Like nearly all men, I enjoy having female servers and am perfectly capable of behaving appropriately in their presence. On those rare occasions when there is inappropriate behavior (which I have never observed), an experienced server is perfectly capable of handling it, by notifying the manager if necessary.
