I Can't Believe We Ate the Whole Thing! 15 Nights of DDP with photos...!

[swankybeth]

Great report and pictures. Looking forward to more. Love DH's diet coke face, priceless!

 

[pooksma]

Yes! These are the threads I need to see. We are doing the DDP and trying some new to us places. Keep em coming. DH and I were just commenting on how will our DS (6) make out. After reading your son's choices, I think we'll be OK.

 

[Marion]

Yes! These are the threads I need to see. We are doing the DDP and trying some new to us places. Keep em coming.

Ditto what she said! Loving the photos and descriptions and that is an impressive list of places you reviewed

 

[sham101505]

Thanks for all the reviews! Excellent

 

[cinderelladad]

Pictures look great keep them coming

 

[iluvdisney01]

Wow! You ate at all those restaurants? Must have been a lot of food! Great reviews and I can't wait to read the rest. Seems like every place we're planning to go to is in your list.

 

[scrapbookinmickeyfan]

This is great and the pictures are making me hungry! I cannot wait to read more.

 

[slk537]

After Backlot Express, we did a few rides and the Muppet Show. We came out of that right as the parade was going past, so we stopped for a quick snack. DH went to refill my water bottle while I bought a frozen banana and Sprite for him and for DS to share. When we met up, I mixed in my cherry lime crystal light in the water and looked at my little brown eyed boy as he looked at the banana with a definite lack of interest. So of course, as we were on vacation, I went back and came back with:

Itzakadoozie!!!

I would love to show you all a photo of the frozen banana, but when DH handed the second half to me, I accidentally donated it to the pavement. Sigh. Half a lovely treat had to go in the trash. For those of you who haven't seen these, it's a banana on a stick, dipped in chocolate and covered in peanuts. Then frozen. Very nice. And kinda sorta a little healthy, right?

 

[slk537]

A long time ago, I had thought about making ADR's at Coral Reef because I thought DS would just love the aquarium and atmosphere. I actually went so far as to make an ADR for lunch once, but cancelled it. It was just too expensive for non seafood lovers such as us. Plus the reviews on the DIS were not exactly glowing and there were enough great options at Epcot to bother with this.

But then the DIS started giving some glowing reviews. And the photos on the Food Porn thread (LOVE that thread!!!) were starting to look really good. And I have the DDP and 15 nights to play with. So I made the ADR. And boy oh boy, am I glad I did!!!

We checked in and met a lovely family to chat with while we waited. The lobby with its different colored jellyfish lights on the ceiling really made the undersea feeling start for us.

The Gods of Restaurant Seating were with us as the friendly hostess led us to our table. There are tables right by the aquarium and then next to those are semi circle booths. We were seated in one of the semi circle booths with a perfect view of the entire middle aquarium area. Just perfect! We enjoyed seeing the huge sharks (Sand Tigers - I asked) and enormous sea turtles swim by. And there was a huge class of divers that night - at least 8 of them swimming through the tank, waving and holding up signs.

Our view from the table:

But enough about the restaurant - here's the FOOD!

Foccacia bread and butter - DH ate just about all of this on his own:

It was soft, almost sour doughy bread with a chewy hard crust. Very good. The butter was good - typical Florida butter. Coming from the Dairy State, we always forget that butter and milk and such don't always taste the same as they do at home. Again, this does not stop us from eating it.

I ordered a diet coke for my drink and DH ordered a regular coke. I offered to share my diet one and he politely declined. DS ordered a kitty cocktail for his drink. I know it's supposed to be a "kiddie" cocktail (or Shirley Temple to some) but when I was a little girl I thought it was a kitty cocktail and the name has stuck for me.

The plastic dolphin on the side was a nice touch - and so were the extra cherries...

For our starters, DH and I both ordered the same thing - an appetizer I hadn't seen on All Ears. A sortof "surf and turf": Grilled Shrimp on Cucumber Salad and Braised BBQ Beef on Polenta.

Sorry for the blurriness - I think I used the wrong setting on this one:

DH and I both agreed that the shrimp was good, but the cucumber salad was…for lack of a better word: weird. The BBQ beef tasted like two tougher bites of beef in barbecue sauce and…well….we don’t like polenta. There is just something about it that is…again…weird. Every time I have had polenta I really try to like it and every time I just don't. Just our opinions, but other than the shrimp we were not impressed. And we were definitely not $9.49 a serving impressed.

DS wasn't hungry and we (okay, I) wanted to try the Creamy Lobster Soup, so he agreed to order it.

He tried it (because we threatened him with no transformers that night if he didn't - stellar parents, that's us!) and was not impressed. DH tried it and liked it well enough. I tried it and I heard angels sing. Oh. My. God. I like clam chowder - I do. And I like lobster mostly until I think about what it is (I'm squidgy about seafood, remember?) but this? This was like the creamiest, most delicious clam chowder I have ever had times 100. I ate the whole bowl, having given up on my own appetizer. The bread was an excellent accompaniment. If you haven't had it this is my explanation: a cream soup base with the only "stuff" in it being pieces of lobster meat (see? "Stuff"...? I promised I wasn't a professional food critic ). It was truly excellent.

For dinner, DS selected the Macaroni and Cheese. He liked it very much:

DH and I again ordered the same thing: The New York Strip with potatoes au gratin and broccolini:

YUM!!! The potatoes were very good, the broccolini was also very good and the steaks? Again: Oh. My. God. Absolutely delicious! They were served with some sort of sauce that tasted like the steak itself. The sauce added nothing to the flavor – just enhanced it. (I just looked it up on Allearsnet – it’s beef demi-glace. I guess that would explain it!) We just loved the entrees! I ended up giving DH about a quarter of my steak because I didn’t want to get too full before dessert and he really liked it a lot. We both ordered medium rare and they were perfectly done.

For dessert, DS went with (surprise!) the Make Your Own Sundae:

He had a lot of fun with this - although he didn't eat much. He was in one of his not hungry modes.

I ordered the Chocolate Wave. I was really looking forward to this, especially as I love the idea of white chocolate ice cream:

Notice anything missing? Yup. No ice cream. Fortunately DS didn't mind donating his. The three cherries on the side were brandied. I didn't realize this and popped one in my mouth. WHOA! That little gem must have marinated (macerated?) for WEEKS! I graciously shared one with DH and amused myself by his expression. I had to - I told him I was pretty sure they cherries had liquor in them and he said: "It's probably all cooked out". Um...nope. He believed me after he tried it.

Speaking of boozy desserts, DH ordered the Baileys and Jack Daniels Mousse:

I also had some of this with my Chocolate Wave. I agreed with DH - the Baileys layer was great and the Jack layer was a bit boozy. But not the slightest bit less great

All in all, this was a fun and delicious meal. And as you can see in the list of meals I'll review, it was one that got a repeat performance later in the trip.

 

[undertheseas]

Awesome reviews and pictures! WOW thank you so much! I love your sense of humor and the fact that you are including kiddie (kitty? ) meals. Thanks for taking the time to post these!

 

[dancemomnj]

I'm so glad you liked the Coral Reef. We will have dinner there for the first time in July. I'm not a seafood eater at all so glad to ehar you enjoyed the steak.

Loving your reviews and pictures!

 

[Gabrielsbigtrip]

We were at the Coral Reef the day before Mother's day. I was so scared because I had read mixed reviews and this was our last ADR. I didn't want to end our trip on a rotten note.

We loved it! We ordered almost the exact items. I ordered my son the lobster soup which I fought over with my hubby because all my son would eat is the Mac and Cheese. I ordered the crab claw salad which was good. We also got the steaks. You picture is at an angle that doesn't show the TRUE size. They were HUGE. Mine was a little more pink than I like but it was very very good.

The chocolate wave was very good too and like you I made the mistake of popping one of those cherry bombs in my mouth. I was wondering where the alcohol was in the dessert! This was one of my favorite desserts of the trip!

We also were seated in those semi circle booths! I would go back again for sure! Very cool atmosphere to boot.

Your pics are great!

 

[dancemomnj]

Is the mac & chesse at CR like the boxed type or more the homemade? My dd like the boxed type.
Also the seats your talking about are the for only 3 people or less or can 4 fit in them?
Thanks!

 

[TMB1203]

I love this report so far.
Can't wait to see more!

 

[oybolshoi]

Love the reviews so far - you're getting me revved up for our trip next week!

Two things:

1) I absolutely love Diet Coke Face Man.

2) I think I have to go to Coral Reef just to try that Baileys and Jack Daniels Mousse. Where's the Homer Simpson drool icon?

 

[slk537]

Is the mac & chesse at CR like the boxed type or more the homemade? My dd like the boxed type.
Also the seats your talking about are the for only 3 people or less or can 4 fit in them?
Thanks!

I would say more like homemade than Kraft. Very creamy. DS liked it very much and he does like Easy Mac, Kraft spirals, etc.

The booths could easily fit more than three people. Easily.

 

[slk537]

We were at the Coral Reef the day before Mother's day. I was so scared because I had read mixed reviews and this was our last ADR. I didn't want to end our trip on a rotten note.

We loved it! We ordered almost the exact items. I ordered my son the lobster soup which I fought over with my hubby because all my son would eat is the Mac and Cheese. I ordered the crab claw salad which was good. We also got the steaks. You picture is at an angle that doesn't show the TRUE size. They were HUGE. Mine was a little more pink than I like but it was very very good.

The chocolate wave was very good too and like you I made the mistake of popping one of those cherry bombs in my mouth. I was wondering where the alcohol was in the dessert! This was one of my favorite desserts of the trip!

We also were seated in those semi circle booths! I would go back again for sure! Very cool atmosphere to boot.

Your pics are great!

You are SO right about the size of the steaks!! 14 oz, I believe. And you know the old adage about "never buy seafood at a steakhouse or a steak at a seafood place"...? Well this was proved wrong twice on our trip. The steak at Coral Reef was outstanding and the shrimp cocktail at Le Cellier Steakhouse was too.

 

[slk537]

Yes! These are the threads I need to see. We are doing the DDP and trying some new to us places. Keep em coming. DH and I were just commenting on how will our DS (6) make out. After reading your son's choices, I think we'll be OK.

Truly - my little guy isn't too picky, but I didn't want him getting bored with the same old same old. That didn't happen at all. And I was thrilled that "ice cream sundae" meant the make your own. At several places we were told he could pick items from the complete meals, but others told us he couldn't and they always recommended the choose your own. I'll try to mention other options he had and didn't pick. For example, at Coral Reef he could have gotten carrots and celery with ranch instead of the soup. I'll post a photo of that appetizer with the next CR review.

Also - most TS places did have something particular to them on the menu - Le Cellier offered kid's steak and the cheese soup, Coral Reef had the lobster soup, Spoodles had a steak kabob, Whispering Canyon offered the skillet, etc. In addition to that, there is pizza, chicken, mac and cheese, hotdogs - all the staples of a kid diet Your son should be happy with his choices.

 

[Stargazer]

Lovin' your reviews! We've only got 3 TS this trip, but I've already got DH sold on looking at free DDP for our next trip!

 

[Giggle]

Your pictures ae great! I want more! I'm so thankful we have ADR's for Coral Reef in September. Ours are for lunch though.