leebee
DIS Legend
- Joined
- Sep 14, 1999
- Messages
- 14,343
Hi-
DD16 and I spent 9 nights in WDW in late August, staying at POP with an upgraded dining plan (qsdp to ddp). Here's a brief rundown of our experiences table service experiences (mostly dinner unless noted):
1. Kouzzina- DD and I LOVED Kouzzina. We had a 9:30pm ressie after a long afternoon/evening at DHS. We took the boat from the Studios to the Boardwalk. While the restaurant was pretty full, at this hour of night there were very few kids, or the ones who were there were mostly asleep! There is a bread basket available with a wonderful rosemary-olive oil bread that we really enjoyed. DD ordered the Cinnamon Chicken, which was lovely. Moderately spiced so not sweet, and not too hot, with a terrific rissoto. I had the braised lamb shanks, which were perfectly cooked; the tendons were creamy and the meat was falling off the bone (and the marrow slid right out... sorry if tmi, but this is a shank we are talking about and an important part of the experience). The sauce on this was deep, lamb-y, and aromatic, with a vague wine base- delightful! For dessert we both had the greek yogurt sorbet with mint syrup and berries. The syrup and berries are in a separate glass, so you can mix and match what you want. The sorbet was a little tangy, a little sweet, with a smooth but dry texture. We were both very impressed with this dessert.
2. Boma- Always a favorite with us. The carved beef is now strip and was very, very good, with all degrees of doneness (from very rare to well-done) available. We missed the peanut rice (no longer served on Monday and Thursday, not sure when it is), but they have a new peanut soup which was terrific. I was most impressed with the desserts, which are much nicer than they were 2 years ago. There is quite a variety of "small" things, such as a chocolate/cinnamon mousse, mango/peach thingy, zebra domes, some kind of butterscotch/caramel cheescake bits, etc. As always, we had a wonderful time. Our ressie was for 8:15 (AK closed at 7) so there were lots of families and kids.
3. Kona Cafe- This was our major "find" on our trip two years ago. While the food was as good as ever, we found the desserts attractive but not very good. We shared an appetizer of duck pot stickers, then each had the almond/coconut chicken. The chicken breasts were huge and perfectly cooked, and the salad with which they are served was tasty and enormous. DD couldn't finish all of her entree and I struggled with mine! The desserts, as mentioned, were a disappointment. Kiki Tart used to be lime but is now coconut cream custard- a very thin layer of custard with a HUGE mound of whipped cream. Too, too much whipped cream, and almost no flavor from the filling or shortbread tart crust. I ordered the chocolate fondue with seasonal fruits. Now, I love a good fondue, and anticipated something a little more exciting than what I got- basically tasted like Hershey's chocolate syrup, served with strawberries, pineapple chunks, and a few banana slices. Like I said... disappointing desserts, but terrific appetizer and entrees. Kona has a prix-fixe which lets you choose one from each group of three appetizers, three entrees, and three desserts, which costs $29.99 and IS available on the dining plan (DD chose the pot stickers, almond chicken, and kiki-tart. Fondue wasn't a choice, so I didn't do this but wish I had as we would each have had our own appetizer and not cared about the dessert).
4. Biergarten- Boy, was I impressed with this! We had had lunch ressies at Tutto that we cancelled (uninspiring lunch offerings) so ended up with a choice of Chefs de France (my preference) or Biergarten, and I let DD choose. I was so pleased! The cold salad buffet had great variety, there was only one sausage offering on the hot buffet, and there was a huge variety- german veal meatloaf, beef roulade, chicken, salmon, saurbraten, etc. The desserts were equally impressive: Great unsweetened berry compote, apple strudel with vanilla sauce, and a terrific, light cheesecake (thin upper and lower layer of sponge cake with an amazing, light, lemony whipped cheesecake filling). I had a beer flight (not on DDP), four 5oz. servings of beer for $9. It was a great experience until several days later. When checking balances, my Dis VISA rewards balance was "off". I discovered that, an hour after charging my room for our DDP credits and my rewards card for the beer flight and tip, someone at the Biergarten charged my rewards card for the tip a second time. Concierge at POP straightened this out by crediting the tip value to my room account, but this confirms the warnings to keep track of your ddp plan credits and rewards card balance!
5. Boma Breakfast- I think this was the best breakfast I have ever had! There was a large variety of "traditional" breakfast stuff, including a made-to-order omelet station, bacon, cereal, waffles, pancakes, etc., as well as carved roast ham and carved roast turkey. What we liked best, though, were the African-inspired offerings: Deluxe fat sausages, hot cooked quinoa cereal, scrambled eggs with goat cheese and chives. I found it very satisfying that the part of the meal that we liked best was the new experiences. Ressie was for 8:30am, and the dining room was fairly empty.
6. Crystal Palace Breakfast- CP is a long-time favorite with our family, but this time we were disappointed. It was... meh. Totally uninspiring, although with a large variety of traditional breakfast offerings- sweet breads/pastries, fruit, yogurt, cereal, pancakes, bacon, sausage (and sausage gravy!), eggs, etc. I think the best offering was the puffed french toast on the kids' buffet, and the peach cobbler was nice. We were very disappointed that there was no breakfast lasagne. The waitress said they are trying out new things, whatever that means. The character interaction was also pretty lame. There were two "parades" around the dining room with Tigger, but not many kids joined in. We were there for 75 minutes, and much of that was time spent waiting for the characters to come around (Pooh circulates also, instead of being in the lobby as was the usual situation for over 10 years!). It was disappointing and unimpressive.... perhaps we'll do lunch next time, but probably not b'fast again.
7. Teppan Edo- Honestly, I don't know what the big deal is about this restaurant. I didn't find the food any better/worse than what is offered in any Japanese hibachi restaurant I've been to, and our chef wasn't terribly talented- knocked over the volcano twice! For the price, they should be including the salad. Unlike the rest of Disney World restaurants, the portions here are NOT very large, and I left feeling satisfied but not full (not that stuffed is a great way to be, but it's the only Disney restaurant that didn't leave us feeling very full and like it'd been a great meal). The chocolate ginger cake was a disappointment: multiple layers of yellow sponge cake with a light chocolate frosting with barely a hint of ginger. The green tea pudding, however, was great! It isn't a pudding, it's a creme brulee or flan, with caramelized sugar sauce and a velvety cream texture. It's light green, but tastes mostly vanilla-eggy, like any good creme brulee. I wish I'd had this- original dessert plan was order one of each to share, but DD wasn't much into sharing her green tea pudding once she'd tasted it!
8 (and 9) CALIFORNIA GRILL! What can I say? Cali Grill surpassed every expectation, from quality and presentation of the food to the fireworks viewing to the service. The menu was fairly different from that posted on allearsnet, but that was expected as they use seasonally fresh ingredients, so the menu changes based on availability. AS it was our splurge, we ordered appetizers (paid oop) and I had a glass of wine with my meal (also oop). First course, DD had a grilled peach frisee salad with candied pecans and fresh veggies. I had chilled gazpacho with grilled shrimp. Both were wonderful! DD's entree was a pan-crisped chicken half (boneless) with manchego cheese and a fresh succotash (definitely NOT the creamed corn and lima-bean version) with risotto. I had the filet of beef with wine sauce, grilled asparagus, and cheddar mashed potatoes. It was the most amazing filet I have ever had, cooked perfectly and quite tasty, but after seeing/tasting the masterpiece that was DD's chicken dish, I truly wished I'd been more venturesome and tried one of the wonderfully-concocted, exciting entrees on the menu rather than going with the reliable beef filet. Oh well... there will be a next time. Dessert was another shared affair: Pluot tart with wine sorbet and mascarpone/meyer lemon cheesecake (which came with a garnish of berries and an amazing dark chocolate triangle). I think I paid about $52 oop before the tip, in addition to 2 dining credits EACH (4 total). It was amazing food, though, and worth it. OUr late ressie (9:35pm) guaranteed Wishes Viewing and a mostly child-free dining room. As for the Wishes Viewing... DD could see the castle from our table but I couldn't (I'd asked for fireworks view, jsut like everyone else...), so we chose to go outside on the viewing deck. THis is a large, long deck, and is the best place to be! The restaurant dims the lights and the soundtrack is piped into the restaurant and outside, so you can hear as well as see the show. From the angle of the Contemporary, the fireworks don't explode over/around the castle, but rather more off over Space Mountain; our table view would have been perfect if I'd known this. Still, I am SO glad we were outside and would do this again. On the way back in, I mentioned to DD that our appys probably had been sitting waiting for us and we'd have to bolt them down before dinner, but nope... we were seated for about 3-4 mins when our appetizers arrived, and dinner continued in this leisurely pace throughout.
All in all, we were pleased with our meals. Knowing what I know now, I wish we'd skipped TEppan Edo and CP and had a second meal at Cali Grill. Considering that we came home with 4 unused counter service credits, this would have been possible and we still would have stayed within the meal plan credits!
DD16 and I spent 9 nights in WDW in late August, staying at POP with an upgraded dining plan (qsdp to ddp). Here's a brief rundown of our experiences table service experiences (mostly dinner unless noted):
1. Kouzzina- DD and I LOVED Kouzzina. We had a 9:30pm ressie after a long afternoon/evening at DHS. We took the boat from the Studios to the Boardwalk. While the restaurant was pretty full, at this hour of night there were very few kids, or the ones who were there were mostly asleep! There is a bread basket available with a wonderful rosemary-olive oil bread that we really enjoyed. DD ordered the Cinnamon Chicken, which was lovely. Moderately spiced so not sweet, and not too hot, with a terrific rissoto. I had the braised lamb shanks, which were perfectly cooked; the tendons were creamy and the meat was falling off the bone (and the marrow slid right out... sorry if tmi, but this is a shank we are talking about and an important part of the experience). The sauce on this was deep, lamb-y, and aromatic, with a vague wine base- delightful! For dessert we both had the greek yogurt sorbet with mint syrup and berries. The syrup and berries are in a separate glass, so you can mix and match what you want. The sorbet was a little tangy, a little sweet, with a smooth but dry texture. We were both very impressed with this dessert.
2. Boma- Always a favorite with us. The carved beef is now strip and was very, very good, with all degrees of doneness (from very rare to well-done) available. We missed the peanut rice (no longer served on Monday and Thursday, not sure when it is), but they have a new peanut soup which was terrific. I was most impressed with the desserts, which are much nicer than they were 2 years ago. There is quite a variety of "small" things, such as a chocolate/cinnamon mousse, mango/peach thingy, zebra domes, some kind of butterscotch/caramel cheescake bits, etc. As always, we had a wonderful time. Our ressie was for 8:15 (AK closed at 7) so there were lots of families and kids.
3. Kona Cafe- This was our major "find" on our trip two years ago. While the food was as good as ever, we found the desserts attractive but not very good. We shared an appetizer of duck pot stickers, then each had the almond/coconut chicken. The chicken breasts were huge and perfectly cooked, and the salad with which they are served was tasty and enormous. DD couldn't finish all of her entree and I struggled with mine! The desserts, as mentioned, were a disappointment. Kiki Tart used to be lime but is now coconut cream custard- a very thin layer of custard with a HUGE mound of whipped cream. Too, too much whipped cream, and almost no flavor from the filling or shortbread tart crust. I ordered the chocolate fondue with seasonal fruits. Now, I love a good fondue, and anticipated something a little more exciting than what I got- basically tasted like Hershey's chocolate syrup, served with strawberries, pineapple chunks, and a few banana slices. Like I said... disappointing desserts, but terrific appetizer and entrees. Kona has a prix-fixe which lets you choose one from each group of three appetizers, three entrees, and three desserts, which costs $29.99 and IS available on the dining plan (DD chose the pot stickers, almond chicken, and kiki-tart. Fondue wasn't a choice, so I didn't do this but wish I had as we would each have had our own appetizer and not cared about the dessert).
4. Biergarten- Boy, was I impressed with this! We had had lunch ressies at Tutto that we cancelled (uninspiring lunch offerings) so ended up with a choice of Chefs de France (my preference) or Biergarten, and I let DD choose. I was so pleased! The cold salad buffet had great variety, there was only one sausage offering on the hot buffet, and there was a huge variety- german veal meatloaf, beef roulade, chicken, salmon, saurbraten, etc. The desserts were equally impressive: Great unsweetened berry compote, apple strudel with vanilla sauce, and a terrific, light cheesecake (thin upper and lower layer of sponge cake with an amazing, light, lemony whipped cheesecake filling). I had a beer flight (not on DDP), four 5oz. servings of beer for $9. It was a great experience until several days later. When checking balances, my Dis VISA rewards balance was "off". I discovered that, an hour after charging my room for our DDP credits and my rewards card for the beer flight and tip, someone at the Biergarten charged my rewards card for the tip a second time. Concierge at POP straightened this out by crediting the tip value to my room account, but this confirms the warnings to keep track of your ddp plan credits and rewards card balance!
5. Boma Breakfast- I think this was the best breakfast I have ever had! There was a large variety of "traditional" breakfast stuff, including a made-to-order omelet station, bacon, cereal, waffles, pancakes, etc., as well as carved roast ham and carved roast turkey. What we liked best, though, were the African-inspired offerings: Deluxe fat sausages, hot cooked quinoa cereal, scrambled eggs with goat cheese and chives. I found it very satisfying that the part of the meal that we liked best was the new experiences. Ressie was for 8:30am, and the dining room was fairly empty.
6. Crystal Palace Breakfast- CP is a long-time favorite with our family, but this time we were disappointed. It was... meh. Totally uninspiring, although with a large variety of traditional breakfast offerings- sweet breads/pastries, fruit, yogurt, cereal, pancakes, bacon, sausage (and sausage gravy!), eggs, etc. I think the best offering was the puffed french toast on the kids' buffet, and the peach cobbler was nice. We were very disappointed that there was no breakfast lasagne. The waitress said they are trying out new things, whatever that means. The character interaction was also pretty lame. There were two "parades" around the dining room with Tigger, but not many kids joined in. We were there for 75 minutes, and much of that was time spent waiting for the characters to come around (Pooh circulates also, instead of being in the lobby as was the usual situation for over 10 years!). It was disappointing and unimpressive.... perhaps we'll do lunch next time, but probably not b'fast again.
7. Teppan Edo- Honestly, I don't know what the big deal is about this restaurant. I didn't find the food any better/worse than what is offered in any Japanese hibachi restaurant I've been to, and our chef wasn't terribly talented- knocked over the volcano twice! For the price, they should be including the salad. Unlike the rest of Disney World restaurants, the portions here are NOT very large, and I left feeling satisfied but not full (not that stuffed is a great way to be, but it's the only Disney restaurant that didn't leave us feeling very full and like it'd been a great meal). The chocolate ginger cake was a disappointment: multiple layers of yellow sponge cake with a light chocolate frosting with barely a hint of ginger. The green tea pudding, however, was great! It isn't a pudding, it's a creme brulee or flan, with caramelized sugar sauce and a velvety cream texture. It's light green, but tastes mostly vanilla-eggy, like any good creme brulee. I wish I'd had this- original dessert plan was order one of each to share, but DD wasn't much into sharing her green tea pudding once she'd tasted it!
8 (and 9) CALIFORNIA GRILL! What can I say? Cali Grill surpassed every expectation, from quality and presentation of the food to the fireworks viewing to the service. The menu was fairly different from that posted on allearsnet, but that was expected as they use seasonally fresh ingredients, so the menu changes based on availability. AS it was our splurge, we ordered appetizers (paid oop) and I had a glass of wine with my meal (also oop). First course, DD had a grilled peach frisee salad with candied pecans and fresh veggies. I had chilled gazpacho with grilled shrimp. Both were wonderful! DD's entree was a pan-crisped chicken half (boneless) with manchego cheese and a fresh succotash (definitely NOT the creamed corn and lima-bean version) with risotto. I had the filet of beef with wine sauce, grilled asparagus, and cheddar mashed potatoes. It was the most amazing filet I have ever had, cooked perfectly and quite tasty, but after seeing/tasting the masterpiece that was DD's chicken dish, I truly wished I'd been more venturesome and tried one of the wonderfully-concocted, exciting entrees on the menu rather than going with the reliable beef filet. Oh well... there will be a next time. Dessert was another shared affair: Pluot tart with wine sorbet and mascarpone/meyer lemon cheesecake (which came with a garnish of berries and an amazing dark chocolate triangle). I think I paid about $52 oop before the tip, in addition to 2 dining credits EACH (4 total). It was amazing food, though, and worth it. OUr late ressie (9:35pm) guaranteed Wishes Viewing and a mostly child-free dining room. As for the Wishes Viewing... DD could see the castle from our table but I couldn't (I'd asked for fireworks view, jsut like everyone else...), so we chose to go outside on the viewing deck. THis is a large, long deck, and is the best place to be! The restaurant dims the lights and the soundtrack is piped into the restaurant and outside, so you can hear as well as see the show. From the angle of the Contemporary, the fireworks don't explode over/around the castle, but rather more off over Space Mountain; our table view would have been perfect if I'd known this. Still, I am SO glad we were outside and would do this again. On the way back in, I mentioned to DD that our appys probably had been sitting waiting for us and we'd have to bolt them down before dinner, but nope... we were seated for about 3-4 mins when our appetizers arrived, and dinner continued in this leisurely pace throughout.
All in all, we were pleased with our meals. Knowing what I know now, I wish we'd skipped TEppan Edo and CP and had a second meal at Cali Grill. Considering that we came home with 4 unused counter service credits, this would have been possible and we still would have stayed within the meal plan credits!
. I can't wait.
