"Good Food Is Like Music You Can Taste" - Sept DxDP Review, Family-Style! UPDATE 10/7

[Wendy31]

"How can I describe it? Good food is like music you can taste, color you can smell. There is excellence all around you. You need only to be aware to stop and savor it." - Gusteau, "Ratatouille"

Since these reviews begin with a quote from "Rataouille", one could assume that at least one of the reviews would be from Chefs de France. One would be wrong. I just liked the quote. Although we did eat lunch at the Boulangerie Patisserie!

Other disclaimers - In the past, I have started other Disney Dining Reviews threads from our other trips. Started, but, alas, not finished. I have also begun various trip reports and pre-trip reports that have not been finished. Which doesn't speak very well of me... I start out with really good intentions though!! Hopefully, I'll finish this one!

THE CAST OF CHARACTERS -

(I thought about posting a picture of us in front of the castle or some other Disney icon, but I thought a picture of us at a Disney restaurant fit better!)

DH, Jason - Not picky at all, likes to try new things, & could be considered "adventurous" when it comes to dining... he's also a very good cook & makes us some amazing meals at home!

Me, Wendy - I can be a little picky... I don't like mushrooms & can't stand mayonnaise, but, as I've gotten older, I've started enjoying & trying more things.

DD, Beth - At 11, she's considered a Disney adult, but, of course, she really still has a child's appetite and tastes. She can be quite picky, but her tastes are maturing, however. With a mix of the child's menu & the adult's menu, I was confident that she'd have plenty to eat!

Older DS, Chris - At 10, he's also considered a Disney adult. He loves to try new things, &, often, his eyes are bigger than his stomach. I knew he'd have no problem with the menus!

Younger DS, Nic - At 2, he was sort of free.. meaning that, we didn't have to pay for a dining plan for him, but, if we wanted anything extra for him, with the exception of a couple of places, we had to pay OOP for him. He is our pickiest child, and I'm not sure why! He likes turkey & ham, &, sometimes, I can get him to eat some hamburger. He's the only child I know that doesn't like chicken nuggets! LOL! He does like scrambled eggs, rice, noodles, macaroni & cheese, pizza, & french fries though! He pretty much likes all fruits and doesn't like any veggies... except ketchup, which I've decided to count as a vegetable because, although we eat pretty healthily & offer him all kinds of veggies, it's the only thing even close to a veggie he eats... Anyway, most of the time, he just shared from our plates.

DH & I are probably "wannabe foodies"... actually, we're probably not "foodies" but we enjoy eating out, trying new things, & eating really good food that's prepared & presented really well. But we still like cheeseburgers & fries!

In 2008, we also had the DxDP & really enjoyed it. I think the way we eat has changed since 2008 though. While I thought the DxDP would be a good fit for us this trip too & it was perfect for us in 2008, I'm not so sure now... In some ways it was, & in other ways, not so much. In 3 years, our family has changed, & so has Disney Dining. But more on that later!

THE SPECIFICS -

We were there from 9/10 through 9/20; we spent our first night at CBR & the rest of our trip at the WL beginning on 9/11. Our DxDP began on 9/11.

THE PLAN -

One of my favorite parts of planning a Disney trip is scheduling our ADRs!! Here's what our plan looked like at the start of our trip:

Saturday, 9/10 - Drive to WDW & Arrive at the CBR by Dinner

Breakfast: On the Road
Lunch: On the Road
Dinner: CBR Quick-Service

Sunday, 9/11 - Check-In to the WL & MK

Breakfast: CBR Quick-Service
Lunch: MK Quick-Service
Dinner: CRT

Monday, 9/12 - EPCOT, Future-World

Breakfast: Roaring Forks
Lunch: Le Cellier
Dinner: Garden Grill

Tuesday, 9/13 - DHS

Breakfast: Snacks in Room
Lunch: Sci-Fi
Dinner: Flying Fish

Wednesday, 9/14 - MK

Breakfast: Grand Floridian Cafe
Lunch: Tony's Town Square
Dinner: Kona Cafe

Thursday, 9/15 - AK

Breakfast: Roaring Forks
Lunch: Yak & Yeti
Dinner: Boma

Friday, 9/16 - Free Morning/Afternoon & MNSSHP

Breakfast: Roaring Forks
Lunch: Whispering Canyon Cafe
Dinner: Plaza Cafe

Saturday, 9/17 - EPCOT, World Showcase

Breakfast: Chef Mickey's
Lunch: World Showcase Quick-Service
Dinner: Tutto Italia

Sunday, 9/18 - EPCOT, Future World, & DTD

Breakfast: Snacks in Hotel Room
Lunch: Coral Reef
Dinner: T-Rex Cafe

Monday, 9/19 - MK

Breakfast: Crystal Palace
Lunch: MK Quick-Service
Dinner: 'Ohana

Tuesday, 9/20 - MK & Drive Back Home

Breakfast: Roaring Forks
Lunch: Liberty Tree Tavern
Dinner: On the Road

So, for anyone keeping track, that's 19 ADRs for 11 days & 10 nights! Also, for anyone interested, the quick-service locations at which we ate were Boulangerie Patisserie, Columbia Harbor House, Pinocchio Village Haus, Roaring Forks, & Tortuga Tavern.

Did we make all those ADRs? With the exception of 2, yes we did! Would we do it again? We're not sure...

I thought about writing a Trip Report too, but, since I have a very bad habit of not finishing, I'm not sure that's a really good idea! LOL! However, if I were to write a Trip Report, it would be titled "Expectations Are Not The Same As Magical Moments And Other Lessons Learned" and that would kind of be appropriate for this Dining Report too.

I've always enjoyed reading dining reviews, & they've been helpful to me as I've planned our ADRs. I hope this Dining Review Report is helpful to others too!

So here it is... a DxDP Dining Report from a Disney Family of 2 adults, 2 Disney adults, & a toddler where we learned it was always better when we stopped to "savor it"...

Please read on to find out which ADRs we kept, which ones we skipped, why DH's critique was always "It's alright...", and why we're not sure the DxDP is still right for us!

THE INDEX -

Old Port Royale, dinner - page 1, post #5
Pinocchio Village Haus, lunch - page 1, post #9
CRT, dinner - page 1, post #11
Roaring Forks, breakfast - page 2, post #17
Le Cellier, lunch - page 2, post #17
Garden Grill - page 2, post #26

 

[GoofySon'sMom]

Looking forward to your reviews! You have a beautiful family! I also have a DS that did not like chicken nuggets when he was younger. Still at 15 won't touch McNuggets! He always preferred filet mignon to anything on the child's menu! Since his is now 15, the DxDDP really works for us but I can see where it may not for other families.

 

[jakenjess]

I'm in! Looks like a great line-up! Your kids are adorable!

 

[Wendy31]

Looking forward to your reviews! You have a beautiful family! I also have a DS that did not like chicken nuggets when he was younger. Still at 15 won't touch McNuggets! He always preferred filet mignon to anything on the child's menu! Since his is now 15, the DxDDP really works for us but I can see where it may not for other families.

Thank you!! Yes, I'm not really worried that he doesn't like chicken nuggets, I just wish he liked more than what he does! I really wish he would eat some veggies! And I LOVE the DxDP!! But I'm just not sure it works for us while the kids are in this "in between" stage... we sent SO MUCH food back! Additionally, it seemed like our sit-down meals took a lot longer than they did in 2008.

I'm in! Looks like a great line-up! Your kids are adorable!

Thank you!!

I'm glad I have some readers!

 

[Wendy31]

I had WONDERFUL intentions to photograph EVERYTHING just like those great Disney Dining DIS Reviewers like MickeyNicki do!!

Sadly, while I did photograph a lot, I didn't photograph everything, so there are some gaps.

Anyway...

Saturday, 9/10

This trip was a surprise for our kids, & our 2 older children had spent Friday night with my parents while I spent ALL of Friday night packing! At 5:45 am on Saturday morning, we woke our kids up at my parents' house with "SURPRISE! We're going to Disney World!" t-shirts, &, by 6:30ish, we were on our way!

Some Pre-Disney Dining Reviews --

BREAKFAST - On the Road

The week before our trip, I found out about Chik-Fil-A's free breakfast promotion, so we found a Chik-Fil-A in Macon, GA that was participating, printed off our reversations, & made plans to be in Macon, GA by 10:30 am at the latest! And we made it by about 9:30ish, if I remember correctly!

DH had the spicy chicken biscuit, I had a bacon, egg, & cheese biscuit, older DD & DS had the chicken minis, & younger DS had a sausage biscuit. Breakfast was good, but not as good as Hardee's breakfast for an "on the road" stop.

There aren't any pictures of our Chik-Fil-A stop, primarily because I had been up ALL NIGHT packing so wasn't yet functioning very well!

We ate our breakfasts in the van & continued on our way!

For a little break, we stopped at the Florida Welcome Center, for our traditional Florida Orange Juice!

LUNCH - On the Road

We were making really good time, so just decided to eat some snacks in the van for lunch. I had packed a snack bag with oodles of prepackaged snacks & a cooler with drinks, so we were good to go!

Now, on to the Disney Dining Reviews!!

DINNER - Old Port Royale

We arrived at CBR between 3:30 and 4:00ish. After we unloaded a couple of bags & checked out our room, we headed to Old Port Royale.

Old Port Royale is arranged to look like a market, & the food court has different dining stations. At 5:00 pm, they start serving dinner from the Bridgetown Boiler. The menu looks really good & that's where I had planned to get my dinner. However, I think my sleepless night was catching up to me, &, since everyone else in my family was getting hamburgers, I just decided to go with a burger too. After all, as DH said, "It's hard to ruin a hamburger."

So we got two adult cheeseburgers with fries and 3 kids' cheeseburgers with fries & grapes. Drinks were included with the kids' meals but not the adults', so we also purchased 2 drinks.

I don't remember what the exact total was, but I remember being a little shell-shocked at the total! LOL! And thinking, "I can't wait until we're officially on the Dining Plan!"

Everything was just okay. The buns were kind of dry, and the fries were a little cold. But that could be because the dining room was freezing! I thought it was cute that the kids' meals came in the sand buckets.

I wasn't expecting a lot, but we were a little disappointed. Everything was just meh... Again, though, part of it could be that we were so tired from being up all night & then driving all day.

Here are some pics from inside Old Port Royale --

I loved the fans!

Later that evening, we had some drinks on the beach while we watched Illuminations! which were yummy! (But no pics...)

 

[chocolateMinnie]

subscribing, your children are adorable. Can't wait for more reviews and it's the first time I've seen photos of the infamous florida orange tasting.

 

[Wendy31]

subscribing, your children are adorable. Can't wait for more reviews and it's the first time I've seen photos of the infamous florida orange tasting.

Thank you!! We stop at the Florida Welcome Center for our orange juice every time we go to Florida! It's a "must-do" for us! LOL!

 

[Jonesloonybin]

Great review so far! When we drove down in May, our youngest dd would ask every hour or so if we were almost to the "free orange juice tasting" place.

All that money for disney and she was more worried about missing the free OJ.

 

[Wendy31]

Sunday, 9/11

BREAKFAST - Snacks

Originally, our plan was to eat breakfast at Old Port Royale before driving to the WL. We were going to have our first Mickey waffles of the trip!

However, we weren't really all that impressed with CBR's food court, & we were also really anxious to check-in to the WL so that we could get our KTTW cards & go into the MK. So we decided that we could just grab some breakfast at Roaring Forks.

Well, we arrived at the WL around 8:15ish, and, although I was expecting that we'd have to store our luggage, our room was ready. Yay! So we headed up to our room & waited for our luggage. Had I been thinking, we could have gone ahead & bought breakfast at Roaring Forks & eaten in our room while we waited, but we were too excited about getting into our room...

Anyway, by the time we got our luggage & organized our room a bit, we didn't want to take any more time doing something like eating when we could be "...walking right down the middle of Main Street!"

"Besides," I told DH, "We can get something at the Main Street Bakery."

Well, as everybody who's familiar with the Bakery knows, by the time we got into the MK (around 9:30ish), the Bakery was super-duper crowded!

All that rambling to say, for our 1st morning in WDW, our breakfast was...

2 Mickey Bars (DD & older DS), a frozen Strawberry Bar (younger DS), a frozen Pineapple Bar (DH), and a frozen Banana (me)!

We sat on a couple of benches in the shade & just soaked up the MK atmosphere. It was wonderful! And so were the ice cream & frozen treats!

My older DS's review: Only in Disney World can you have a Mickey Bar for breakfast!

I could swear that we took a picture, but, apparently, I'm wrong because, alas, I can't find it if we did!

We didn't want to start using up our snack credits - which is funny, because, at the end of our trip, we had 20 snack credits left - so we paid OOP.

THE HARMONY BARBER SHOP

Just because this post needs some pics...

We couldn't take a lot of time for breakfast because the kids had 10:30 am appts at the Harmony Barber Shop. Our younger DS was getting his 1st haircut! DD & older DS also got haircuts with gel & pixie dust. We loved the Barber Shop!! What a fun experience!!

Bye-Bye Baby Curls...

Ta-Da!!

Here they are!

LUNCH - Pinocchio Village Haus

Our favorite quick-service in the MK is Columbia Harbor House, but we wanted to save it for another day. We also like the Pinocchio Village Haus, so that's where we had lunch on our 1st day.

And, I have no pictures of this. I know... After we sat down & started eating, I said something like "Oh! We need to take pictures!" to which DH replied, "It's okay... it's just pizza & chicken nuggets."

Yes, I know, but a good DISer would take pictures anyway.

Moving on...

Since it was 9/11, when we entered the restaurant, there were 2 castmembers at the door handing out American flag stickers stickers which I thought was neat. They also had Pinocchio stickers which was cool since normally everywhere you go, you get a Mickey sticker.

For our meals, we got the following:

DH had the meatball sub sandwich & fries, & strawberry yogurt for dessert.

I had the chicken nuggets & fries & mango gelato for dessert.

DD had the pepperoni pizza & grapes & chocolate gelato for dessert.

Older DS had the cheese pizza & grapes & chocolate gelato for dessert.

Younger DS shared from our plates. I asked at the counter for an extra plate, & they very nicely gave me one. I also paid OOP for a child's drink for him.

Looking back, I really don't remember how anything tasted. According to DH, "It was alright." Nothing was awful. I don't really like WDW's quick-service chicken nuggets, & I knew this when I ordered my meal. But, for some reason, I thought younger DS would eat a chicken nugget. Additionally, DS didn't like the flavor of his cheese pizza. But the fries were good, and the kids loved the chocolate gelato.

And the mango gelato was very refreshing.

Also, the pizza meals normally come with salads, but DD & older DS were able to get the little packages of grapes instead which was nice.

For some reason, this trip, during our meals, I always felt some sort of "urgency" to finish quickly so we could move on to our next adventure. And I'm not sure why I felt that way... it wasn't our 1st, 2nd, or even 3rd trip. But I felt rushed this trip. Maybe it because we hadn't been since 2008, & I felt like we needed to fit everything in since it had been awhile. Or maybe because it was our younger DS's first trip... I don't know.

Also, DH & I, during meals, took turns occupying & taking care of younger DS, so I concentrated less on my own food.

Anyway, I don't remember anything out of the ordinary about our meal. Except I really liked the mango gelato!

The castmembers were nice & helpful. While I waited our food, one particular castmember was extremely talkative & friendly. Also, when we were there previously in 2008, there were castmembers out & about not letting anyone sit down unless they had their food with them. This time, DH & the kids were able to go ahead & sit down & get napkins & ketchup while I waited on our food.

I also like the themeing of Pinocchio Village Haus... it's a cute little place.

We'd return, but I'm also looking forward to maybe replacing it with the new quick-service that's planned for the new Fantasyland addition.

 

[Wendy31]

Great review so far! When we drove down in May, our youngest dd would ask every hour or so if we were almost to the "free orange juice tasting" place.

All that money for disney and she was more worried about missing the free OJ.

Thank you!!

And I think I'm just as bad as your DD. I don't think vacation really starts until we get our free OJ!

 

[Wendy31]

Sunday, 9/11 - Continued

DINNER - CRT

In the past, our first dinner has always been at Liberty Tree Tavern, but, since 2008, they quit having characters at dinner. We'd thought about Chef Mickey's, but wasn't too excited about that due to the reviews. I'd also thought about either 'Ohana or Whispering Canyon Cafe...

I had always thought that CRT would also be a great "first dinner", but, because until the last year, the characters were only at breakfast & lunch, we'd always scheduled breakfast & dinner - because we still enjoy dining with the characters! So, when they announced that the princesses would also be at dinner, I knew it was perfect for us!

Our ADR was for 5:30 pm, & we checked in about 5:25 pm. Normally, we're earlier for our ADRs, but we stopped to watch the 5:00 pm Flag Retreat. Since it was 9/11, the Voices of Liberty & the Main Street Marching Band performed. Additionally, a Color Guard from a local military unit was there. It was so moving, & I'm so glad we were able to be there.

Anyway, we checked in & then were directed to a line inside the lobby to wait for our picture with Cinderella. When you check in, you're given a "receipt"-like piece of paper to give to the castmember inside the lobby when it's your turn for your photograph.

Technically, we were a party of 5 even though our younger DS was free since he's 2. I did not expect that we would get 2 different photographs because of this, but we did! So we got a photo of Cinderella with the kids & a photo with our whole family. Nice little surprise! Cinderella was lovely & nice & very princess-y, but the castmembers understandably kept the line moving along. So there wasn't a lot of character interaction.

Here she is signing our autograph books...

After our photograph, we waited about 10-15 minutes before they called us to go upstairs. (This, Sci-Fi, Crystal Palace, & 'Ohana were our longest waits.)

The castmember that leads you upstairs and to your table gives you a "Royal Invitation" to CRT. I don't think you keep the invitation... at least, we didn't. Here's what it looked like (along with the menu)...

We were seated at a wonderful table on the 2nd tier along the wall. I really liked the table because, while it wasn't next to a window, it was sort of out of the way & I didn't feel crowded.

At character meals, I knew we were going to have problems because the castmembers like for the kids to sit on the outside of the tables so the characters have easier access. However, our younger DS normally sits in between DH & myself. At CRT, DD & older DS sat in the chairs next to the aisle while DH, younger DS, & I sat in the booth portion of the table - DH sat in the middle & younger DS sat on the end beside DH.

And it worked out fine... perhaps because younger DS was next to DH & I couldn't really reach him all that well, I enjoyed my meal at CRT the best out of all our meals! I'm kidding!

Actually, both DH & I were really pleasantly surprised! Being that it's a character meal, we've learned not really to expect much when it comes to food. However, at the end of the week, when we were listing our favorite meals, both mine & DH's favorites were CRT & Le Cellier.

Here's our Basket of Bread:

It was nice & crunchy on the outside & soft on the inside.

For appetizers, we had the following:

DH, older DS, & I had the Mixed Greens Salad - Mixed Field Greens and Fresh Herbs tossed with a White Balsamic Vinaigrette

DH & I both really liked our salads. Older DS normally likes salads - but not this kind & didn't really like the herbs or the dressing. (In my defense, I told him he probably wouldn't like it, but he wanted to try it. ) There were some kind of roasted seeds on the salad which were really good & added a little crunch. DH & I couldn't figure out what they were, & we should have asked our server. DH thought maybe pumpkin seeds. And, if they were, isn't that kind of brilliant? Pumpkin seeds to go with Cinderella's pumpkin carriage!

DD didn't find anything on the regular menu that she thought she'd like, so she ordered Grapes & Cheese from the kid's menu.

I was going to let younger DS share with DD, but our server insisted that the "little prince" needed his own. So younger DS got his own serving of grapes & cheese which he enjoyed.

For our entrees, we had the following:

DH had the Pork 3 Ways

This is not on on the menu at allears.net, so I don't have a good description. DH really enjoyed it though! It was some sort of pulled pork w/ bacon & swiss chard over spoon bread with an andouille sausage gravy, if I'm remembering it correctly. I didn't taste it, but DH said it was really good & flavorful. He said the spoon bread was great. Most everything else that DH ate during our trip was "alright", so this dish must have really impressed him!

I got the Roasted Beef Tenderloin - sliced roasted beef tenderloin with Duchess potatoes, asparagus, and a tomato Hollandaise

I enjoyed this as well. It wasn't a culinary masterpiece, of course, & I could see where it might be considered a little "banquet-y", but everything tasted good. And I really liked the Duchess Potatoes. The asparagus had a nice bite to them & weren't overdone.

Older DS also ordered this, and, when he ordered it, our server said, "And may I suggest the mashed potatoes instead of the Duchess Potatoes?" DS agreed to that, so his came with regular mashed potatoes. I'm pretty sure that he would have also liked the Duchess Potatoes, but he enjoyed his meal even with the mashed potatoes. I suggested that he get the sauce on the side which he also agreed to - which was a good suggestion, because he didn't like the sauce. (I didn't get a picture of his meal.)

DD ordered the Fried Chicken - fried chicken with a house-made Macaroni and Cheese and Cheese and Broccolini

I don't see any broccolini on this plate! LOL! I can't remember if we asked them to leave it off, or it just didn't come with it which was fine because she wouldn't have eaten it anyway!

She liked the fried chicken & said it was good. But she didn't like the macaroni & cheese. I didn't try her chicken, but I did taste the macaroni. OMG!! It was delicious! So creamy! And the topping was wonderful! DH loved it too & ended up finishing it for her. I'm not sure why she didn't like it! Probably because it was that baked kind of macaroni that kids don't like...

Because younger DS is 2, he ate for free at CRT. I really appreciated the fact that he got his own meal here, & the server was great about including him. His entree was buttered noodles which was perfect for him. (I didn't get a picture...)

Our desserts were the following:

DH & DD got the Dessert Trio - The trio consisted of a sample of the cheesecake, the mousse, & a fruit tart.

They both said that all three items were good, but their favorite was the fruit tart.

I got the Almond Cheesecake with Lingonberry Jam-

This is also not on the menu at allears.net. I loved my dessert! The lingonberry jam was great & a nice change from the other fruits that normally accompany cheesecake.

Older DS got the Valrhona Chocolate Mousse- A light chocolate mousse presented with berries and raspberry sauce

He enjoyed his dessert as well. But, according to him, a self-proclaimed chocolate-addict, what's not to like? I tasted it, & it was good - but not as good as my cheesecake!

DH & I also received coffee with our dessert - CRT was the only restaurant that offered coffee with dessert!

The server asked us if it was okay to bring the "young prince" some ice cream, and we, of course, said that was fine! I expected a small dish of ice cream. Instead the "young prince" received this -

And the "young prince" was very pleased with his royal dessert!

All in all, DH & I were both very pleased with our meal at CRT. And I was also impressed with our younger DS's meal.

Our server was wonderful, & probably the best server of our entire trip - and we had a lot of good servers. He was terrific with our kids & very pleasant throughout the meal. I wish I remembered his name. When I said something about how younger DS could share an appetizer with his sister, he replied that he was a grandfather, so he knew that each child needed their own dish!

The kids received Wishing Stars, Wands (DD), & Swords (DSs) for the Wishing Ceremony, & DH & I received a Sword & Wand as well!

We saw the following princesses:

Snow White...

Sleeping Beauty...

Belle...

And Ariel...

As one can see, younger DS is not quite so sure about the characters yet!

While the princesses didn't spend a lot of time at our table, I felt like they spent an adequate amount of time with us. And I also think they each really had their individual princess-character exactly right! Each one spent a little time with us to chat. Belle & our DD talked about their love for reading. Ariel talked about how her gown matched their outfits. Sleeping Beauty liked older DS's green hair. And Snow White was enchanted with our younger DS. I know sometimes CRT gets a bad rep for the lack of character interaction, and we've been before where it was really "Hello! Let me sign your autograph books. Here's let's take a picture" & then move on to the next table. But I was really pleased this time!

Additionally, I really liked how they introduced the princesses too! Each one came out individually. Before she came out, the announcer would tell a little of her story.

Finally, here are some pics from inside CRT...

CRT is still a must-do for us, & it's now our new first night dinner. We've eaten breakfast & lunch there previously, &, while we enjoyed the experience, the food really wasn't all that special. This dinner really did pleasantly surprise us! We really enjoyed it - the food, the service, & the characters!

 

[momtoccc]

Suscribing! Can't wait to read more

 

[ShesAPirate]

Great job so far! Looking forward to reading more!

 

[Disneybrenda]

Subscribing. We're going in December and I'm still playing with adr's, so anxious to see your reviews.

 

[Wendy31]

Suscribing! Can't wait to read more

Great job so far! Looking forward to reading more!

Subscribing. We're going in December and I'm still playing with adr's, so anxious to see your reviews.

Welcome!! Thanks for reading & replying! I should have some more up today!

Disneybrenda - I love planning our ADRs!! Where will y'all be eating?

 

[TanzUnited99]

I'm joining in! Great reviews so far and I love how you surprised the kids

Your meal at CRT sounds like it was a great experience - looking forward to reading more!

 

[Wendy31]

Monday, 9/12 - EPCOT, Future World

BREAKFAST - Roaring Forks

Before our day at EPCOT could get started, we needed breakfast! So, we headed down to Roaring Forks.

We got 4 Bounty Platters - scrambled eggs, bacon, potatoes, pancakes and a biscuit

This picture is not from 9/12. It's actually from another morning when we ate in our room. However, I didn't take any pictures of our breakfast on 9/12. I'm not sure what was up with me & the camera & our meals... I'm not sure I was "in the groove" yet! For drinks, we got orange juice.

We ate outside, & it was lovely! I love the courtyard area of the Wilderness Lodge! In 2008, the birds really bothered us when we ate outside, but, this morning, they weren't a problem at all! Have they done something about the birds? Also in 2008, I once tried eating out on our balcony, & I couldn't because the birds would NOT leave me alone. This time, I ate snacks on our balcony several times & was never bothered.

Anyway, the Bounty Platters were good. I asked for an extra plate for younger DS, & he shared our platters.

The eggs were really light & fluffy & probably the best part - younger DS loved them! And I loved that he loved them since the WL eggs were practically the only protein he ate during the entire trip! The potatoes were good but could have used some more seasoning because they were a little bland. The bacon wasn't bad... it could have been a little crispier, but it was edible. The pancakes were good - they had some sort of sweet (maybe maple?) taste to them & they were fresh & hot. And the biscuits were biscuits! They weren't the best biscuits I've had (I'm a southern girl, after all, so I've had some really good biscuits!), but they weren't the worst either.

I know that the quick-service locations at some of the deluxe resorts don't get as high of a rating as they do at the value resorts because of the lack of variety & lack of "extra stuff" at the condiment locations. However, I was pleased with everything provided. They had jelly, syrup, honey, peanut butter, ketchup, salt & pepper, & butter at the condiment section, & everything was always nicely stocked.

I think Roaring Forks has improved since we were there previously as well with the quality & taste of the food items. Plus, I love the Roaring Forks castmembers!! Every time I was in there, they were always so helpful & friendly!

We enjoyed our breakfast - the food was good, the outdoor area was great, & the company was too!

LUNCH - Le Cellier

For lunch, we had an 11:50 am ADR at Le Cellier, & it was nice that Le Cellier is located in Canada which is one of the 1st countries when you leave Future World so that we didn't have to trek all the away across the World Showcase!

We arrived around 5-10 minutes early & were probably seated within 5 minutes or so - not a bad wait at all!

We were seated in the Prince Edward Island section at a great table located against the wall in the corner, so we didn't feel crowded.

Our server brought us a Basket of Bread, of which we were only concerned with the Pretzel Bread - which was actually BETTER than I remember it being! DH tried the other 2 types of bread (some kind of wheat & a sourdough, if I remember correctly) & said it was good too but not as good as the Pretzel Bread. We loved it & had to ask for seconds, of course. For some reason, I don't have a picture of our bread, but younger DS really liked the pretzel bread as well...

For appetizers, we had the following:

DH got the Spicy Chicken and Chipotle Sausage - with Roasted Corn Polenta and Sweet Onion Jam

He enjoyed it & said it was really good & had a nice kick. I didn't try it, so I don't know how it tasted though. It smelled good!

I got the Tomato Stack - with Carmelized Onions, Cucumbers, Crumbled Blue Cheese, and Yuzu Vinaigrette

I loved this appetizer in 2008, & I still liked it in 2011. However, I didn't think it was as good as I had remembered it being. The big tomato slice on the bottom was delicious & so fresh! But the "salad" on the top was just okay to me. Actually, I think the presentation has changed a little since 2008.

DD got the Canadian Cheddar Cheese Soup - Made with Moosehead Beer and Smoked Bacon Cup

Yum! She liked it, although she couldn't finish because she said it got too cheese-y & too thick. It is a very rich soup, but it is soooo good when used as a dipping sauce for the pretzel bread!

Older DS wasn't liking any of the choices on the regular menu, so he got the celery & carrot sticks from the kids' menu. And, again, I don't have a picture. Sorry!

For our entrees, we got the following:

DH had the New York Strip Steak - his came with the cream cheese mashed potatoes

He ordered his steak "medium", and he said it was fine. Looking at the pic, I think the presentation leaves a little be desired. I can't remember if his steak automatically came with the mashed potatoes or not. According to the description at allears.net, the strip steak comes with "Gruyere-Yukon Gold potato gratin". Hmm...

I had the Le Cellier Mushroom Filet Mignon

As you can see, I subbed the risotto for the cream cheese mashed potatoes. I came *thisclose* to not subbing because I like risotto. However, there's just something about those creamed cheese mashed potatoes! And, no, I don't like mushrooms - but, for some funny reason, I do like the taste of mushroom sauces. And I really like the truffle sauce at Le Cellier. I think it's the texture of mushrooms. Anyway, I just scrape the offending mushrooms to the side!

I ordered my steak "medium well", & it was a little redder than medium well. I actually like my steak between "medium" & "medium well", so it was fine. Very tender & juicy & a perfect lunch-size portion.

DD & older DS both ordered the filet as well - except without the sauce & with French fries.

This was their first experience with filet mignon, & they both really liked it!

For younger DS, I ordered plain pasta with the sauce on the side because he likes to dip. And here it is with a side of French fries from his sister...

I'm not sure why I ordered this for him. He was just fine with sharing his brother's & sister's French fries. And he ate maybe 5 noodles total?

At the end our meal, this plate of noodles really messed up our bill, so I wished I had just let him eat French fries in peace! LOL!

For dessert, we got the following:

DH had the Bumbleberry Cobbler

He said it was good - the bumbleberries were tart & sweet.

I had the Maple Creme Brulee

This was, actually, my least favorite part of the meal. The carmelized topping cracked nicely & was sweet & crunchy, but the inside was a bit too runny for me.

DD & older DS had the famous Canadian Moose!

And they loved it, of course!

Younger DS shared his Daddy's ice cream.

Le Cellier was nice & dark & cool - perfect little "unwinding" lunch spot. However, it was A LOT louder than I remember it being. It's always been loud. The tables are closely-spaced, & I think the cave-like atmosphere causes a lot of noises to echo. But, this time, it was LOUD. If one spoke in a normal tone, one had a hard time hearing! LOL!

Once, I looked at DH & said, "It sounds like a daycare in here!" And it really did. There were so many crying children! Because the restaurant was loud to begin with, the crying didn't really stand out so much as add to the noise level, if that makes sense.

The parents next to us were having a hard time with their children - spilling drinks, crying, fighting, etc. And I really felt sorry for the parents because they were basically having to eat in shifts, & the mother left the table with the baby several times.

At one point, DH looked down at our younger DS & said, "I'm glad you're behaving so nicely."

I replied, "It's a little early for that... we still have a bunch of days & a bunch of meals! Don't jinx us!"

Dear readers, please keep the above conversation in mind... It will come into play later. *cue the theme from "Jaws"*

Anyway, our server soon brought our bill, & I saw that she had charged us for 5 credits instead of for 4. She apologized & said she thought we'd want to use a credit for our younger DS.

For 1 plate of plain noodles?! I think not. We didn't even get him his own appetizer or dessert.

I told her that we'd planned to pay OOP for his noodles. I was really worried because I thought we wouldn't be able to get the mix-up corrected until we got back to the WL. However, she told us that her manager could correct it.

DH left with the kids while I waited at the table. And waited. And waited a little bit more. But, finally, the server returned with our corrected bill.

She suggested that, at our future meals, we let the server know that we only wish to use 4 credits. Which was fine & probably a good suggestion & one that I used from then on. But, really, shouldn't the server ask before using an entire credit for something like a plate of noodles? I could have understood if we'd also ordered him his own appetizer & dessert, but we hadn't - a plate of noodles & a drink. Anyway, it was fixed, and we moved on!

Messed up bill aside, DH & I both agreed that Le Cellier is a nice lunch spot to which we'd return, & we again enjoyed our meal.

 

[MickeyNicki]

You kids are sooo cute! Loving your reviews, keep em coming...its helping me get revved up for my trip in 20 days

 

[ShesAPirate]

This may sound like a silly question, but was the Maple Creme Brulee sweet? Like, excessively sweet? I had maple candy once and had to throw it away because it was just horribly sweet. I love regular creme brulee, but not sure if I want to take the chance on maple. Thanks!

 

[luvmychaos]

I'm loving your reviews-we're going in Dec with the Dlx DP for 2 wks & your family reminded me of ours,even down to our sons matching baby curls(we're doing Harmony for his first cut too) except we'd be the people next to you at Le Cellier can't wait for more!