Faint hearts never won fair lady - or got all the ADRs *Update 12/1 - F&WF Kiosks*

[TheMaxRebo]

Great start! Can't wait to read the rest. My child also likes to tease us by ordering something healthy like salad and not eating it. Kids.

Welcome and thanks! My daughter is usually pretty good about eating things, but not salad so no idea why she picked that one

I'm joining in!! I enjoyed Raglan Road last month as well and pretty much gave it the same rating. I can't wait to hear more reviews!

We weren't sure about Raglan Road before our last trip, but after two stops it is now one of our favoirtes

RR is a huge favorite with my Dh and I. Great review and wow that lamb looks good.

Wow, my DH would love that lamb shank! Glad we've got ADR's for Feb. Thanks for posting!

Those lamb shanks are inspiring me to go over to Costco and pick some up for dinner

DW really did like the lamb - just be sure to ask for extra sauce

Mmm, I love Ragland Road.. that bread makes me just dream of when I can taste it again and eat their tasty food.

Can't wait to read more! (and see more pictures!)

Love the bread (so did DD - she ate like 4 slices - and the dipping sauce. It's just so different

Subscribing. I think I am going to have to sneak into Raglan road just for dessert (that bread pudding looks fabulous!).

It looked fabulous going to other tables so we just had to get it - and are really glad we did

 

[TheMaxRebo]

ell, we had plans today to go to Animal Kingdom and Magic Kingdom before dinner, but the rain washed those plans away. Worked out for the best though as we all got in good naps and actually made it to church while on vacation.

Since there were some requests to review off-site locations as well, I will try to at least provide quick recaps of them (ah, the power of asking ) No pictures though this time, sorry.

We had first thought to go to Millers Ale House or something similar to watch the NFL games over lunch - but it seemed like everyone had that idea and we couldn't even find a parking spot. So we decided to head a little further up I525 and came across a Joe's Crab Shack and decided to go there. I know this is a chain, but there aren't any near where we live (even though there are commercials on TV) so for us it still felt like a vacation destination.

DD got the cheeseburger sliders and she ate them, so that was a good sign.

I got the surf-and-turf burger (burger with popcorn shrimp on top with a spicy sriracha remoulade sauce). I must say that this was one of the tastiest burgers I have ever had. Meat was cooked just how I like it (medium rare) and the popcorn shrimp and sauce really tasted good.

DW got the Snow Crab with Garlic and Herb sauce. It seemed like they forgot to put the Garlic and Herb part on it, so the waitress brought out some garlic butter for dipping which definitely did the trick. The snow crab were pronounced very good and it was a good portion with three large clusters of legs.

DMiL got the Classic Steampot which came with snow crab, dungeness crab, shrip, and andouile sausage. This was the hit of the table with everyone realizing they liked the dungeness crab even more than the snow crab. The sausage (which I ate) was a very mild andouile sausage - good, but nothing special.

Oh, I also got a Pineapple Mojito to drink which was really, really good

Overall this was an enjoyable meal in a nice, fun setting. The waitress was nice but a little absent minded (we had to ask about 5 times for a booster seat).

Next up - California Grill. Will the weather improve?!?!?!? [spoiler alert] yes, yes it did [/spoiler alert]

 

[bowbat]

We had first thought to go to Millers Ale House or something similar to watch the NFL games over lunch - but it seemed like everyone had that idea and we couldn't even find a parking spot. So we decided to head a little further up I525 and came across a Joe's Crab Shack and decided to go there. I know this is a chain, but there aren't any near where we live (even though there are commercials on TV) so for us it still felt like a vacation destination.

Plus, good luck finding a non-chain restaurant in that part of Orlando. Sounds like it was a good choice!

 

[vettegirl]

I always enjoy at meal at Joe's the prices are a bargain compared to Disney.

 

[librarygeek]

Thanks for the reviews! I just moved about a month ago and driving around the other day I saw a Joe's Crab Shack - so now I know that it's probably worth checking out!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Plus, good luck finding a non-chain restaurant in that part of Orlando. Sounds like it was a good choice!

Yeah, I had done some research for restaurants and found some non-chains a little further away, but we never ventured that far

I always enjoy at meal at Joe's the prices are a bargain compared to Disney.

We ate at Fultons last trip and Joe's was certainly cheaper than that

Thanks for the reviews! I just moved about a month ago and driving around the other day I saw a Joe's Crab Shack - so now I know that it's probably worth checking out!

It was pretty good - very laid back and casual - almost a bit of a bar feel to it, but family friendly. You can certainly do worse! [tease alert] and we did on this trip - but that is a story for another post! [/tease alert]

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Our last trip DW and I had "date night" out at the California Grill and we enjoyed it so much we decided to eat here again this trip - but this time with the entire family

We arrived a few minutes before out 7:40 ADR and went up the elevator with our buzzer in tow. It went off about 10 minutes later and we were seated at a great table one row away from the windows with a great view of the castle. DD really enjoyed telling us excitedly which color the lighting on the castle changed to.

We first placed our drink order which was a bottle of Nora Albarino, Rias Baixas wine that DMiL and myself shared (and DW had a taste of) and water. The wine was quite good (a little sweater than I prefer though) - and paired pretty well with just about everything we ordered other than the Spicy Kazan Roll. And for only $39 it was a great value we felt

We decided to share the Chef's Garden Heirloom Tomatoes (baby mozzarella, tomato jam and micro basil) and Sonoma Goat Cheese Ravioli to start which came out along with their rustic bread accompanied by butter with sea salt.

The bread was good - but I think since it came out with the appetizers it didn't get much attention - which is just as well as we didn't need to fill up on bread

The flatbread was excellent. Really tasty tomatoes with DW commenting she really liked the yellow ones. DD really, really liked the flat bread, though she took the tomatoes off and just ate it as really high-end cheesy bread.

The goat cheese ravioli was great as well. We go this last time and we were not disappointed we got it again. Really nice flavor in the goat cheese that the broth/sauce just adds too. It is just one big ravioli though - wouldn't have minded a slightly larger portion.

For main course I decided to get the Spicy Kazan Roll (Crab, Shrimp, Bay Scallops, Tuna, and Fireball Sauce). I really didn't want to not get sushi and as I was the only one who would eat some (DW normally would be all over this) decided this was the best way to do. I am really happy with my choice as it was wonderful and not as heavy as some of the main course options. The sauce by itself can get a little spice, but when you eat it with a piece of roll it is heavenly.

DW got the Duck Two Ways (seared breast, potato rositi, cherry demi, confit leg, pluot gastrique). She enjoyed this - with the duck breast over potato rosti being the highlight.

DMiL got the Grilled Pork Tenderloin (with goat cheese polenta, roasted mushrooms, zinfandel glaze, and sage). I had this last trip and kinda encouraged her to get it. She is happy for my prodding though and really liked it. The pork was cooked perfectly and the polenta was great.

We didn't order a separate item for DD - she just ate some of the pork and duck and really liked the pork

On to dessert ....

DD got the pudding with whipped cream - she liked this, but didn't eat a ton

DMiL got the Lemon Trio (Pudding Cake with Citrus Syrup, Lemon Curd with Huckleberry Compote, Lemon-infused Tapioca). This was good but we all felt it was just too lemony - some other flavors would have been good to break it up.

DW got the Bananas and Caramel (Crispy baked phyllo squares layered w/banana, caramel, mascarpone mousse, and caramelized banana) which she really enjoyed - especially the caramel part

I was going back and forth between one of the chocolate desserts and the goat cheesecake, ultimately deciding on the S'moors Chocolate Valhalla Cake - and I am really glad that I did as it was definitely the best dessert we ordered.

Overall we again loved the California Grill. Really good wait staff (though we did have to ask for water refills and the bread didn't come out first), a really great setting and really, really good food.

We give this the full Robin Hood rating - though I must admit that watching the fireworks on the observation deck while holding your daughter who keeps saying "Wow!!!" tends to cause you to round up on a rating

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Today was our full EPCOT day and lunch was planned for the Princess Storybook Dining at Restaurant Akershus. Right before lunch we canged DD into her Belle costume for the big event .... if you can't already tell, this review may be slightly biased . Here is a picture of her with Belle:

We arrived a few minutes before our ADR time of 12:05 and were called in about 10 mins, so not too bad at all. We were led to a table in a small round room off to the side that only held 3 tables. It worked out quite well as we were able to tell when the princesses were coming by and get DD ready (i.e., wipe her face off, etc.). For those interested, in addition to meeting Belle at the beginning, Aurora, Cinderella, Ariel, and Snow White came around. DD has a thing for Snow White and during the procession she abandoned her line and just followed Snow White wherever she went. She also greatly enjoyed her interaction with Ariel who made lots of funny faces at her.

Oh yeah, this is a dining review. So on to the food .... I know the food at Akershus gets a bad rap, but this is our second time here (two years ago we went for dinner) and both times have enjoyed the food.

First up is the cold buffet. Below is a picture of my plate - with the other plates being fairly similar. I got (starting from the top and going clock-wise), a roll, some turkey and munster cheese, asparagus, carrot and raisin salad, potato and salami salad, shrimp salad, a piece of smoked salmon, and some greens. All of it was pretty good and I enjoyed the different salads that were offered. Not pictured but DW really liked the beat and apple salad, even going back for more.

For entrees, I got the Open-faced Chicken Sandwich (on sourdough bread with tomatoes, arugula, bacon, mushroom vinaigrette, jarlsberg cheese,
and lingonberry mayonnaise) paired with a cup of cauliflower soup. The sandwich was quite good with a large piece of chicken on it (not sliced chicken like I was expecting and the soup was really tasty - lots of flavor to it.

DMiL got the Open-faced Beef Sandwich (thinly sliced beef sirloin, wild mushroom-onion ragoût, jarlsberg cheese, and lingonberries) paired with the vegetable soup. She proclaimed the beef to be very tender. The soup she liked but felt it was not what she was expected for vegetable soup - it was very thick and had beans in it.

DW got the Oven-roasted Chicken Breast (with farro vegetable risotto
and gjetost cheese sauce). She said she liked it and basically cleared her plate - though she didn't give me any other specifics

DD surprised us by asking for the meatballs (served with mashed potatoes and corn) .... which she wound up eating basically none of. She did try them though (that is one rule we have, that she has to at least try food before she is able to call it "yucky"). I tried them too and felt they were kind of "meh" - not bad, but kinda bland and heavy - I would definitely not want to eat a lot of them.

Dessert is served family style and has three components: Sweet and Savory Chocolate Mousse, Traditional Rice Cream topped with Strawberry Sauce Flaky Puff Pastry filled with Mascarpone Mousse topped with fresh Berries. We found all of them to be good with the mouse cake probably the best. The rice putting I felt wasn't great on it's own but tasted good with the strawberry sauce.

Overall, we give this restuarant a "little John"

The princess interaction is great and we like the food . I wouldn't got here just for the food if you didn't care about the princesses (especially given the prices) but for anyone who wants to solid princess interaction this is a great setting and I think there is enough variety on the menu that people can find something they will like

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Monday 10/10 - Drinks

We will do the full F&WF kiosks on Friday but I did sample a few drinks this afternoon

Avocado Margarita from La Cava del Tequila:

El Mayor premium silver Tequila, melon liqueur, fresh avocado, agave nectar and fresh lime juice, served frozen with a hibiscus Himalayan salt rim

I had been reading rave reviews about this and really wanted to try it. It was great! Really creamy (which is obviously different for a typical margarita) and the salt rim adds a lot. I didn't taste much alcohol though, so it was either made weak or well hidden - I assume the later.

Leinenkugal Berry Weis - Craft Beer Kiosk:

This was quite good, but the berry flavor was very strong - to the point I wasn't even sure if it still qualified as beer. Fun to try but I personally wouldn't make a habit of buying it

(hmm, not sure about associated the kids with beer, but oh well)

next up is dinner at Rose & Crown!

 

[bowbat]

Avocado Margarita from La Cava del Tequila:

El Mayor premium silver Tequila, melon liqueur, fresh avocado, agave nectar and fresh lime juice, served frozen with a hibiscus Himalayan salt rim

I had been reading rave reviews about this and really wanted to try it. It was great! Really creamy (which is obviously different for a typical margarita) and the salt rim adds a lot. I didn't taste much alcohol though, so it was either made weak or well hidden - I assume the later.

I've been reading the same rave reviews, because I was *just* telling my husband that this is on my Must Have list for our next trip.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

I've been reading the same rave reviews, because I was *just* telling my husband that this is on my Must Have list for our next trip.

It really is quite good and very unique so I definitely suggest you try it. As a bit of a spoiler alert to a future review, I later tired the Jalapeño one and liked that one even more

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Dinner tonight was at the Rose & Crown - at least partly chosen for the private viewing area for Illuminations

We checked in about 10 or 15 minutes before our 7:50 ADR with hopes of being seated in an outside viewing area. We were called around 5 minutes after our ADR time and lead directly to ..... an inside table *sigh*

I wanted to try an English Rose (Beefeater Gin, Apricot Brandy, Sweet Vermouth, with Pineapple, Orange, and Cranberry Juice) to drink as I saw it mentioned on the boards as a "favorite drink @ Disney":

It did not disappoint. Very tasty and refreshing - though was more of a "fruity" drink than expecting considering it had gin and vermouth it it.

Since DD was filling up on bread we figured she would just eat some of our food - and that worked out fine

I got the fish and chips:

The fish was very good with nice flavor to the batter. The chips/fries were fine, but nothing special

DW got the Shepard's Pie (Ground Lamb with Onions, Carrots, and
Mushrooms topped with Creamy Mashed Potatoes and Cheddar):

She was excited to see it was made with lamb as a lot of places seem to be making this with beef now and she doesn't eat beef. She really, liked it but it was very filling and she only ate half

DMiL got the Pan-roasted Cornish Hen (with Roasted Root Vegetables, Swiss Chard, and Chicken Jus):

She also really liked this, but felt there wasn't a lot of meat on the bird

We also ordered a side of Bubble and Squeak:

This was pretty good, but different that what we are used to - when we make Bubble & Squeak we use brussel sprouts and seemed more potato based

We ordered dessert and then went out to watch Illumniations which is just great from that spot - seems like you are really close and can really feel the heat from the fire. DD really liked that proclaiming "Daddy more!"

When we returned to the table, the brought our our Sticky Toffee Pudding (Steamed Pudding “Cake” served with warm Vanilla Custard and hot Butter-Rum Sauce) ...

... and the Irish Whiskey-Caramel Custard:

The Irish Whiskey-Caramel Custard was basically just a creme brulee and was good, but a little burnt tasting and nothing special. And the Sticky Toffee Pudding .... oh, was that good. Despite not being a small portion DMiL stated that we should have gotten 3 or 4 of them. The cake itself was good, but the caramel and creme angles sauces were stellar.

Overall we give this restaurant a Little John

The rating is propped up by the sticky toffee puddng and the view of Illunimations. If you can get a later dinner reservation it is a great choice, but based just on the food, while nothing was bad, there are probably better choices in EPCOT.

 

[DisneyGuess]

I'm on board! Can't wait to read & see more!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

I'm on board! Can't wait to read & see more!

welcome!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

We decided to split a couple of meals from here and it was plenty of food to do that. In the pictures of our tray you will see the 1/2 slab of ribs meal that came with coleslaw and beans, a bar-b-q chicken salad, an order of french fries, one of onion rings, a large lemonade, and a safari amber beer.

I ate the ribs and shared some with DD, DW had the salad, and DMiL mostly had the french fries and picked at the rest of the food. All of it was pretty darn good. The ribs were tasty and pretty meaty and DW enjoyed the salad. The fries and onion rings tasted pretty fresh (and glad that the onion rings were battered not breaded). Also the safari amber beer was good too.

Based on this being a counter service meal, we give this a Little John

Good sized portions of pretty good food and enough to share so as to not hurt your wallet too bad

 

[Busymom85]

Thank you for posting. I'm enjoying your reviews. Looking forward to the rest.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Thank you for posting. I'm enjoying your reviews. Looking forward to the rest.

Welcome! and thanks

So, been a little pre-occupied with the freak Halloween blizzard we had, but hopefully will be back on track getting this review done.

Coming up .... 'Ohanas!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

This was the meal I was most looking forward to and most worried about after ready some not so good reviews (mixed in with good ones) - particularly notes on how long the wait to be seated beyond your ADR time could be.

We arrive early to The Polynesian after spending the afternoon in the Magic Kingdom (which was beyond packed, by the way) and checked in about 10 minutes early to our 7:05 ADR. We settled in and decided to place a drink order with the hostess in the waiting area seats thinking it would be a bit of a wait. Well, before our drinks were even back we were called and (after we figured out how to handle said drinks) were lead to a 4 top close to the windows behind the wall the grill is against.

Quick note on the the drinks:

I ordered the Kona Pale Ale - though I think they brought me the Long Board because when I asked for another pale ale, it was quite different than the first and more like a typical pale ale. they were both good, though I actually think I liked the Long Board better.

DW got a virgin tropical Mohito and enjoyed it (and the 2nd one) quite a lot.

DMiL got the Magic Star Cocktail, which is pretty atypical for her, but I think she was feeling the spirit of the evening - and really wanting the flashing glow cube. Both the drink and the cube were a hit.

Since we already had our drinks we basically dove right into the Pineapple Coconut bread - which was divine. So much so that DW was tempted to ask for an extra loaf at the end of the meal to have for breakfast the next day.

Very quickly our Mixed Greens with Honey-Lime Dressing, Coriander Chicken Wings, and Pork Fried Dumplings came out which was shortly followed by the first round of skewers (which were shrimp) and our broccoli and noodles. The only negative I will have to say for this review is at the beginning we felt a little rushed as they brought, what seemed like, several rounds of food basically at once.

A take on the food so far:
Bread - Excellent
Salad - Very good, though not blown away like I have read in other reviews
Wings - ok, but nothing special
Dumplings - really, really good and I had to stop myself from eating too many
Shrimp (from skewers) - while messy to eat (you had to peal them) these were absolutely great. Cooked really well and a wonderful taste. I got more of these later.
Broccoli - Fine, but nothing exciting and didn't get much attention from us
Noodles - These were really good and went well with the meats that were to come

After a little time to eat, the next skewers came around. First the Marinated Sirloin Steak and then the Oak Grilled Chicken and the Asian BBQ Pork Loin (all three pictured below - steak at the top, chicken bottom left and pork bottom right)

And here are the the accompanying sauces (peanut, chimichurri, and sweet-and-sour)

Our take on the meats:
Steak - absolutely fantastic. Wonderful taste and cooked just how I like steak (medium rare)
Pork - probably the weakest of the skewers for us. Not bad, but not as good as the others and I think a little over cooked
Chicken - quite good, especially with the peanut sauce

We were getting full but really tried to save room for dessert, which came out next. Not sure what to say that hasn't already been posted on this board but it really is heavenly

After dinner we went down to the Polly beach and DD played in the sand a little while we got some seats to watch first the Electric Water Parade and then Hallowishes. This was a great view for Hallowishes as you can really appreciate how wide spread the fireworks are.

All in all, just a fantastic evening that worked out even better than I hoped for. Definitely gets the full Robin Hood rating:

 

[jmm476]

Glad to hear you had a good experience at 'Ohana. It gets very mixed reviews, but we tried dinner there for the first time last year and absolutely loved it! The dumplings were my favorite part of the meal, but I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of all the food after reading other people's reviews.

One day, I'll stick around to watch the fireworks from the beach at Poly. I'm always in a big hurry to get back into the parks...

 

[st4rrab0vemybed]

Great reviews so far! All the food pics. look tasty, and are making me very hungry! The Leinenkugal Berry Weis had my friend/co-worker drooling over my shoulder too.

I'm also from NY, and that freak storm sure was a doozy! I hope you and your family are OK.