Honeymoon + DDP = HEAVEN! (Pics and Reviews, California Grill, Coral Reef and MORE!!)

[pianoronni37]

It's been awhile since our honeymoon (10/21/08-10/28/08) but I keep reading all of these reviews on this site and think about how much they helped me - so here is my attempt to help you!

**The photos are not that great, I didn't want to use flash in some of the restaurants, and I had a case of the "shaky hands!"**

Let me introduce ourselves:

I know, a handsome couple, eh? Perfect for each other!

Now let's eat!!!

First up: Raglan Road!

We had to get up at about 5am for our flight, wait in Atlanta for 4 hours (!) and we checked into All Star Sports at about 5:30pm. DH and I took a little nap and then got ready to go to DTD to start off our honeymoon festivities! I knew we would be too tired to try to take on a park, so this was a perfect way to start the trip!

Our ressies at Raglan Road weren't until 10:30pm, but we were so hungry we stopped over at 9:30pm just to see if we could get in. Luckily, we only waited about 10 minutes before we were seated! The music was loud and raucous, and so much fun! The Irish dancer was incredible too - but the FOOD was sooo delicious!!!

I got It's Not Bleedin' Chowder, and BOY was that delicious!! The broth was divine, full of potatoes and tender mussels, shrimp and scallops - I loved this dish!

DH got Kevin's Heavenly Ham - this was also great, although DH could have eaten another plateful! The ham was tender, the glaze was great - the potato cake underneath was a great touch, and the cabbage was flavorful and really set off the ham!

Then it was time for dessert - YAY! The reason I came to DTD in the first place!

Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you the one, the only - BREAD PUDDING!!!

Sweet and delicious, this was exactly what I wanted - the cream sauce was sooo good on top of that hot bread pudding! The only bad part, I was getting too full - I wish that my stomach was bigger!!!

DH had the Dunbrody Kiss, which he didn't love, but he certainly liked it.

He'd probably order the bread pudding next time!

Next up: Boma!

 

[pianoronni37]

Now, I don't have any photos for Boma, and there is a reason for this. As DH and I sat down to eat, at the table directly behind us, a little girl had a seizure. She was very sick and she was unconscious, but her parents didn't seem all that concerned, so they waited and ate, then left. She must have a condition, but I didn't feel it to be appropriate to take photos.

Besides that, which was hard to ignore, really, the food was amazing. Boma is one of those places that DH and I will almost always go out of our way to visit.

I started out with a bowl of each soup (I'm a soup-a-holic!). The only soup I went back for was the carrot ginger soup - that was smooth, with a great sweet flavor - it could have almost been a dessert soup!! I also had some salads, with the watermelon rind salad being my absolute favorite!

The breads were delicious, and DH and I both fell in love with the FuFu, sweet and white potato mashed. That was SOOO good, I'm going to be making that at home!

I had a few helpings of the crusted salmon (I think it was almonds?), each helping getting bigger and bigger!!! DH couldn't stop himself from getting 3 helpings (BIG ONES!) of the ribs - WOW were they good! Sweet and tangy, with a hint of spice, they just fell apart in our mouths!! DH is from Memphis, and they know ribs, but he wants to go back to Boma JUST for the ribs!!!

The desserts, although plentiful, were not our favorites. A lot of them had that "alcohol" taste that we're not crazy about (he doesn't drink at all, I stick to my red wine!).

Next trip, DH and I are going to try Jiko, but we'll really be surprised if we love it more than we love Boma - that buffet could have kept us there all night!!

Next review: Mama Melrose's (Fantasmic! Dinner Package)

 

[pianoronni37]

I don't care what you say.

I'm not afraid to admit it.

See? Here goes.....

I liked Mama Melrose's. I did. I thought it was good.

AND I really loved the photos in the lobby.

Bob Denver and (very sleepy) me as The Skipper.

So because DH and I booked Mama Melrose's as the Fantasmic! Dinner Package, we got to order an appetizer. This is something we did not know, so it was a VERY nice surprise, as I was thinking about ordering the Mozzarella and Tomatoes anyway:

This was VERY good, HUGE portions of mozzarella (cheese makes every part of me happy), grilled onions (ohhh yes, I said grilled), and just the right amount of balsamic and olive oil.

DH got the Crispy Calamari, which was also very good, nice and lightly seasoned, good dipping sauce, and yummy peppers and onions made this a great (although HUGE) appetizer! I had to help him with it.

For dinner I was debating what to order, and I remembered the concierge in the hotel told me that the Penne Alla Vodka was delicious, so I went ahead and got it. He was right! I know I know, this is still Mama Melrose's, the place with all of the bad reviews, but I really did like this. Though, to be honest, I enjoy a can of spaghetti-o's now and then, so you might not ENTIRELY count on me. But I did manage to finish the entirety of this dish, with the help of DH!

DH got a special, the Pork Marsala, and THIS was very good! The pork was tender and medium-well, juicy and delicious. The mushrooms were sooo flavorful, and the rice was just the perfect touch to soak up that sauce. DH ate most of this dish, but I have to say, we helped each other out on our entrees.

Now I believe we did order desserts, I think I got a chocolate truffle cake, while DH got the tiramisu. Honestly, I don't at all remember eating them. I have no photos, only this one showing how absolutely full I was:

Too bad I didn't stay full - because next up was (blah) Les Chefs de France!!

 

[pianoronni37]

I really wanted to like this meal at Les Chefs de France. I was very excited about it. We had ressies at San Angel Inn, but I'd heard such bad reviews I changed at the last minute to whatever was available - and I was psyched that it was Les Chefs!! Until, of course, we got there.

We arrived for our 6:30pm ressies 15 minutes early, waited until after 7pm to be seated, and greeted rather rudely by our waitress. We expressed to her that we wanted to be out in time for Illuminations (surely 1 hour and 45 minutes is enough time to eat), and she just nodded and walked away.

The big reason that we wanted to try this restaurant is because of the duck. DH and I decided one of us would get the duck, the other would get the beef tenderloin. Well, we both kind of lost out on this deal.

After waiting about 40 minutes for our entrees to arrive (seriously, it was nearly 8pm), we found that his duck was cold and my beef, ordered medium-rare, was very well done and extremely chewy. We didn't care at this point, we weren't going to wait another 40 minutes, we wanted to be out to see Illuminations, as DH has NEVER seen it, and I really think it's just so beautiful.

His duck looked good, but we didn't eat much of it:

And my beef tenderloin was a lie - it wasn't tender, it was tough, chewy, overcooked and I didn't even like the potatoes! They were "al dente," who makes potatoes al dente?? Gross. I don't even think this looked appetizing, and it certainly doesn't look medium-rare (even from the outside!):

By the time we were finished eating, with zero refills on our drinks, it was 8:35. I needed that time to crunch through my steak. The waitress asked what we wanted for dessert, and I asked if it we would still be out before 9:00pm to see Illuminations. She assured us that the desserts were all set to go, she would have them out in 5 minutes.

Okay, so I ordered the creme brulee, which was actually very good, and DH ordered the crepe - which was even better! I don't have photos, as we crammed the food down our throats, but the waitress didn't even come back to our table with the check until 9:00!! THEN we had to wait for her to run through the KTTW card, we didn't get outside until 9:15, and by then there was just no way to see the show.

After this dining situation, DH just wanted to take a nap:

And I drank as much as possible to get that taste out of my mouth:

At least if we had gotten a good meal out of the experience, we'd be happy. But it was disgusting, I'll never go back. Cold poultry and beef jerky? Thanks, I'll pass.

Next on the honeymoon dining adventure?
CALIFORNIA GRILL!!!

 

[pianoronni37]

Okay, first of all let me thank Disney for this dining plan. Without it, this meal alone would have cost us $160 plus tax and tip. Ouch. The only thing we paid for OOP was the lobster bisque. I'll get to that.

We arrived at California Grill after spending the day in Magic Kingdom. We thought we would be under-dressed (both of us in polos, he in khaki shorts and sneakers and myself in capris and sneakers, remembering that flip-flops are not allowed). We really did feel under-dressed. Most people were there enjoying cocktails, I think they were staying at the California Grill, because I cannot see a woman walking around in a slinky dress and 6 inch strappy heels trying to hitch a bus to Port Orleans.

I made sure to get reservations for about an hour before the fireworks, so we could have some time to eat. We arrived about 30 minutes early, but we were seated within 10 minutes!

DH and I were not going to order appetizers, but we both saw lobster bisque on the menu and we simply HAD to order it!

This was rich and delicious, we both ate every drop!

We didn't wait very long for our entrees to arrive, but we wouldn't have minded waiting longer, as the view was breathtaking! We saw the lights down at Magic Kingdom, the lovely water surrounding us, and we just melted. At least I did - if he knows I said that he "melted" he would probably divorce me.

I had heard such great things about the Oak-Fired Filet of Beef, but after Chefs de France, I just couldn't do more beef for fear of eating more jerky. However, DH got the filet and I wish I did get it - it was tender, perfectly seasoned, and the teriyaki BBQ sauce was divine! Yum! I'd have licked the plate.

I ordered the Grilled Pork Tenderloin. The waiter made sure to let me know that they serve it medium, and I was okay with that. When it came, it was pink in the middle - which kind of freaked me out at first since I'm used to cooking pork until it is a doorstop (thanks for telling me about worms, dad), but I LOVED this, it was SOOO tender and yummy! The goat cheese polenta served with it - ohhh wow, I wanted so much more! And more mushrooms, too, please!!!

(As you can see, I dug in before realizing I didn't take a photo! Sorry!!)

All of a sudden the lights dimmed and the waiter came over to us, as we were finishing our meals, and asked if we wanted to go out onto the balcony for Wishes. Of course! We headed out there and saw a spectacular show, it really made our trip!! This was definitely the highlight...

When we came back inside, our table was cleared and we had fresh water waiting for us. The waiter asked about dessert - of COURSE we will, we're on vacation (and it's covered by the DDP!).

DH ordered the Valrhona Chocolate Cake with a Raspberry Ice Cream , which he thought was absolutely divine - rich and chocolatey, the ice cream was smooth and soo yummy!

I got the "Year of a Million Dreams" dessert - WOW was this good! The cashew cake was sweet and light, the ginger caramel ice cream was some of the best ice cream I've ever had, and the fruit was just the perfect accompaniment!!!

I can't say enough about how much I loved this place. I recommend it, it is DEFINITELY worth sacrificing 2 TS credits and paying OOP for turkey legs one night (which we did, and as you can see by DH's face, it was tasty!):

What's next? Oh yes, lunch at Coral Reef. Hold your horses, another bad review is coming up!

 

[danalee]

Nice reviews! Oh and we are a family of Mama Melrosa LOVERS! we always have a great meal there!

 

[pianoronni37]

DH and I arrived in Epcot at about 11am. We did a few rides, got a FastPass for Soarin' (which I chicked out of, I have an inner ear disorder and those simulator rides are the only ones to mess me up!), then headed over to Coral Reef for our 3:00pm reservation. We got there about 30 minutes early, at around 2:30pm, but we didn't mind sitting and waiting for 30 minutes or so. There was a party there of maybe 7 or 8 that was sitting there when we arrived.

At about 3:15 they started getting antsy. At 3:30 the father (I assume) walked up to the podium and I heard him say "Our reservations were at 2:45, we've been waiting over 45 minutes" and the hostess said "I'm sorry, only 10 more minutes." At this point, DH and I had been waiting for 30 minutes (1 hour altogether). So DH walks up to the podium and asks when we would be seated, they said the same thing - 10 minutes. At 3:50 the party of 8 was seated.

At 4:00 we were seated. I expect to wait, 10 maybe 20 minutes. But an hour? ONE HOUR?? For lunch?? That took up a HUGE portion of our day.

So anyway, I was excited because they did give us an aquarium seat. However, there was a young boy, maybe about 4 or 5, that kept holding onto my husband's chair and bouncing up and down. We love kids, but seriously, shouldn't parents say something when a child is disturbing somebody else? I don't know - we don't have any of our own yet, but this only added to the bad vibes at Coral Reef.

The waitress was very nice, other than the view that was the best part of the lunch. The food was mediocre, the portions were small, and I found a bone in my fish. Lovely. Not just a small bone either, this was about as long as my thumb. So DH and I switched entrees!

He had ordered the Lobster Salad and Lobster Soup combo. The lobster salad was good, the soup was alright, but the portion was SOOO SMALL! After waiting around for 2 hours to eat, and not having dinner plans until much later in the day, this was so disappointing!

In this photo, the only thing that had been touched is the lobster salad being spread on a baguette - this was a meager portion of food for a strapping young man like my hubby!

I got the Blackened Catfish - and although good, it was a small portion of fish (decent portion of pepperjack grits, and they were lovely) and the bone I found really ruined the dish for me.

We were paying OOP for this meal, since we wanted to save our TS for a character dinner. So it was a nice surprise when the waitress brought over a free dessert, the Chocolate Wave. I hated this dessert - it was a nice gesture, but I find any dessert that has an opaque creamy center to be nauseating. Plus, those brandied cherries really packed a punch! I felt like anyone who got close enough would know I spent some time in Epcot, if you know what I mean!

But the dessert itself was beautiful, with the Best Wishes chocolate on it!

So, we probably won't go here again. The view was very nice, maybe dinner would be better, but to take 3 hours out of our day for lunch? I don't think so. That was a waste of time, and we were still pretty hungry afterward, so we grabbed some samples at the F&W festival! Yummy gazpacho in Spain, by the way.

Last review coming up: Crystal Palace!

 

[pianoronni37]

Nice reviews! Oh and we are a family of Mama Melrosa LOVERS! we always have a great meal there!

You know, I think most people expect too much from these restaurants! As long as my food is cooked right, the service is decent, and I get my refills (big point!), I can enjoy a meal. This food really made it great though - that Penne alla Vodka was just so yummy, and I can't stop thinking about the huge portion of mozzarella in that salad!!

I'm glad somebody else enjoys this place, I found it to be quaint and somewhat quiet, tucked away in DHS!!

 

[pianoronni37]

DH and I were planning on canceling our reservation here. I didn't hear the best things about the buffet, and the two of us weren't too keen on having characters interrupt our meal.

I am SO glad we didn't cancel! I found this to be one of the best experiences of our whole honeymoon! We don't have any pics of the food, we were too distracted taking pics of the characters (my favorite is Tigger mugging with DH!):

At first I thought it would be annoying to have the characters coming around at dinner time. Really, this was SO FUN! It made us feel like kids! And Eeyore had always been my favorite, so when he came over I made sure to tell him. And then he made "kissy" noises in my ear when I was smiling for the picture!!

The characters weren't even the best part of the meal - the meal was!! I absolutely loved the cold salads, DH couldn't get enough of the prime rib, and I kept piling on the adobo pork!!! The salmon was verrry good, so was the spoon bread and the mussels! Yum!! I really enjoyed this buffet - I wouldn't mind stopping in for lunch, because DH and I definitely overate!! The dessert selection was fabulous, we must have tried one of everything (oops!).

I highly recommend this experience. If you are someone who thinks that a character dining experience might not be for you - don't miss out on something nostalgic just because you feel too "old" for this! We kind of thought we would be watching the kids have fun, but these characters made it fun for us, too! Tigger even pointed to DH's "Just Married" button and gave him a thumbs up!!!

I will always remember this experience. This was the most "Disney" we felt while we were here - delicious food, plentiful options, and great characters to make us feel welcome. HUGE thumbs up for Crystal Palace!!!

 

[ShannonMB]

Great job on your first review! I've been reading some pretty poor reviews of Les Chefs lately. Glad you enjoyed CP -- we're going there for the 1st time in Feb and I'm super excited!!!

 

[iluvpluto27]

I've really enjoyed your reviews and pics. And I also had the lobster salad and soup at Coral Reef and was surprised how small the portion of soup was. It's a little bowl to start with and I think mine wasn't even a third full (it was good though).

 

[chocolateMinnie]

great reviews, congratulations to you both.

 

[luckytobeme88]

Congrats!

 

[pianoronni37]

I've really enjoyed your reviews and pics. And I also had the lobster salad and soup at Coral Reef and was surprised how small the portion of soup was. It's a little bowl to start with and I think mine wasn't even a third full (it was good though).

I really enjoyed the lobster bisque, it was tasty, but there were only 3 spoonfuls in that bowl! Come on! For the price, I would expect more than 1/4 cup of soup and a single scoop of lobster salad!! Coral Reef is a place that we will not visit again anytime soon!

 

[natalielongstaff]

Great reviews, the penne alla vodka is divine

 

[DWFan4Life]

I just finished reading your reviews and I really love it. You got awesome pics. It looks you really had a great time. Looking forward for the next review.

Have a nice day.

 

[BreTyPres87]

Those gorilla pictures are hilarious! I am enjoying this review so i'm subbing and waiting patiently for more