I want what I want so the heck with the Dining Plan!

[MisplacedTraveler]

Great reviews so far! I just found your thread and I can't wait to read more.

 

[DiggleBelle]

Please keep reviewing!
Came out of lurkdom (is that a word?)
To say I just found your review and think it is great!
Am doing a OOP trip in December.

 

[vettegirl]

Sounds great so far!

 

[CJ]

Looking forward to more!

Great reviews so far! I just found your thread and I can't wait to read more.

Thanks so much for the encouragement!

Please keep reviewing!
Came out of lurkdom (is that a word?) To say I just found your review and think it is great! Am doing a OOP trip in December.

Thanks so much and welcome to the great world of the DIS !!!

We are looking forward to eating at House of Blues on Saturday. We, too, have a coupon from restaurant.com. Did you have any trouble using it? I had heard (after I purchased it) that some places were not wanting to accept them. I look forward to your dining reports!

Thanks, and no we had no problem using the coupon!

I've been eyeing this for ages! Did you and your DH order it "as is"? I've noticed a lot of people order it without the blue cheese, and that makes me sad -

I wouldn't dream of changing it in any way. It is perfect!

 

[CJ]

After our lunch at the Coral Reef we enjoyed the 45 minute rest at Ellen’s Energy Adventure. It is a great post-meal attraction and DH & I both really like her. The rest of the afternoon we toured Future World. We had a late dinner adr at 8:15 pm, and we were ready for a nice relaxing evening and would see Illuminations on a later evening. We checked in five minutes early at the desk at:

LE CELLIER

We’ve eaten at this restaurant many, many times. Our daughter worked there two years ago as part of the Cultural Representative program. And even before that we were regulars and ate there every trip. With such a late adr I was expecting it to be a little less busy than normal and I certainly expected to be seated promptly.

This was not to be…….. we waited and waited and were finally seated after almost 40 minutes . I was not a happy camper! We were sat at the tiniest table I think I’ve ever seen and when I went to the restroom there was no toilet paper in one of the only two stalls and the used paper towels were overflowing from the garbage on to the floor.

Our server, Lindsey, was quite new but was very nice and certainly not to blame for any of the above problems. I ordered a Raspberry Rain cocktail and DH had a Sangria. They were both fine (but you know how once you’re angry, it’s very hard to appreciate stuff? ). We drank those quickly and I tried to shake my bad mood.

DH ordered us a very nice bottle of Chateau des Charmes Cabernet Merlot to share with dinner, which is from a vineyard right here in our area of Ontario. At this point I more or less told Lindsey that we would be moving to a larger table, because there were a bunch of them empty and set. She was very accommodating and moved us without a problem.

DH was still full from lunch and knows how filling the soup here can be so for his meal he just ordered a bowl of the:

Canadian Cheddar Cheese Soup - Made with Moosehead Beer and Smoked Bacon Cup $5.49 Bowl $6.99

This was delicious as always and he enjoyed the multi-grain breadstick while I munched on the pretzel bread. DH also ordered a large mixed green salad that I cannot find on any menu. He enjoyed it with the soup. I had my heart set on my entrée choice (I think otherwise we would have not waited so long):

Le Cellier Mushroom Filet Mignon - with wild mushroom risotto, white truffle and herb butter sauce $34.99

This was very good as always and was especially wonderful with our choice of wine. This is the first time I have not substituted the cream cheese mashed potatoes for the risotto. I just recently tried risotto and discovered that I am a fan! In hindsight, I wished I had made the change, because at this point it was so late that the risotto seemed too rich in combination with the filet. But I know that had it been better timed and not after the stress beforehand, I would have loved the whole dish.

At this point there was only two other tables occupied and we were full and tired. Lindsey (bless her heart) surprised us with an anniversary card signed by the staff, two half-glasses of champagne and a complimentary order of:

Chocolate "Moose" - Chocolate Mousse rolled in Toasted Chocolate Crumbs with Maple Leaf Antlers $5.99

It was so sweet of her, but we were stuffed so she boxed the mousse up for us and we made our long walk to the bus stop back to the All Star Sports.

Despite Lindsey’s best efforts, I was disappointed by this adr and it turned out to be our 2nd to least favorite meal of the trip.

 

[vinotinto]

FAB reviews! Of the places you are reviewing, we have ADRs at:
Yak & Yeti lunch
Hollywood Brown Derby dinner
Coral Reef dinner
Le Cellier dinner
Tutto Italia dinner
Les Chefs de France lunch

I love the detail about which dishes were the best (nutmeg or cinammon and no creaminess in the lobster soup at Coral Reef is enough to make me want to stay away from that!).

I've been trying to find out what non-pasta dishes are now on the Tutto Italia dinner menu, do you remember (especially, fish, lamb, or beef)? Looking forward to that review!

 

[wdwfanatic316]

Great reviews so far! Can't wait to read more!

 

[CJ]

After our long day and night at Epcot we decided to sleep in, and after we awoke we spent a great morning at the Magic Kingdom and arrived right on time for our 1:15 pm lunch adr at the:

PLAZA RESTAURANT

We were seated very quickly at a decent sized table for 2. It was very busy and I apologize that I don’t remember our server’s name, but she was fine (don’t you all find that you forget the server’s name when they are fine but not exactly memorable?). We decided to share the:

TURKEY SANDWICH
Smoked Turkey, Bacon, Lettuce, Tomato, and Mayonnaise on Toasted Multigrain Bread 11.49

DH also ordered the soup of the day which was a Tomato Bisque served with croutons. Both the soup and sandwich (which we had served with french fries) were very good. We shared:

Complimentary refills on: Soft Drinks or Iced Tea 2.69

This was a great light lunch as we had a big dinner ahead of us!

 

[PixieDustandEeyore]

I like how you highlight things it makes the ease of reading nice!

 

[DLo]

great reviews! looking forward to more. Thanks for taking the time to review and give fair opinions on not only the food but the server and atmosphere.

 

[AimeeMichele]

I'm very much enjoying the detail of your reviews! Keep them coming!!!

 

[Pooh&OurHunny]

Great updates, love your detailed reviews.

 

[butiflfeet]

I have to chime in and agree with your other readers. The detail in your reviews is so nice. I'm really loving how you are describing the atmosphere and food to give a full experience. Its nice to read a review where a person explains why they did or did not like it

 

[CJ]

Saturday August 21st : we ended up spending almost the full day at the Magic Kingdom so rather than take a break we caught the monorail from MK to Epcot. We walked directly to the World Showcase's left side with one location in mind:

LA CAVA DEL TEQUILA

This place is new, small, and very nice. There is seating for about 30 people and I managed to grab us a table for two while DH parked his scooter just outside. I wanted to order a flight of margaritas but our server explained that they don’t offer them on the weekends. But we were returning to the WS on Monday, so now I had a plan! They have a nice selection of “tapas” (appetizers) but we didn’t want to spoil our dinner, so DH & I just ordered a margarita each:

They are expensive ($12 each I believe) but they are phenomenal! I had a cucumber one, and DH had a jalapeno. They were both served on the rocks and they were big! I said to DH I wish they were half the price and half the size!! Both were so fresh tasting and delicious. I could have stayed at La Cava for an evening easily! We would return ......

 

[angelmav]

Thanks for the great reviews, really enjoying!

 

[CJ]

After our margaritas at La Cava we did the boat ride in Mexico and started to stroll towards Italy. The sky got darker and darker as we got there and we rushed to find a spot to plug DH’s scooter in that was under some kind of cover. We found a spot and used our Mickey ponchos to cover it up as best we could. Right at our adr time of 6:05pm the downpour started and we entered the lobby area of:

TUTTO ITALIA

It was packed with people waiting to be seated and those just trying to get out of the rain. They had some kind of a problem with the women’s restroom and it was closed when we arrived. I wanted to wash up and walked over to Via Napoli to use their facilities, but that place was so jammed I couldn’t even get in the doorway! So back to Tutto I went.

We only waited a few minutes after checking in to be seated. This place is very pretty. The walls look like tapestries of Italian locales. It has a very “fancy” feel and both DH & I loved it at once. We were at a table for 2 along the wall, small but not overly so. Our server was Sonya and she was wonderful and very friendly. When we told her that we were from Canada, she told us that she had been here this past winter and wants to return again before her year is up. She was truly a sweatheart!

For drinks we ordered:

Italian Margherita - Limoncello, Grappa $10
This was delicious! I don’t normally like frozen margaritas, but this one was very smooth and refreshing and milder tasting than a regular one.

Negroni – Gin, Campari, Red Vermouth, Angostura Bitters, Orange Slice served on the rocks

This is one of DH’s drinks of choice here at home (he is ½ Italian) and he was very pleased with their version.

We told Sonya that we were in no hurry and that we wanted a nice “Italian” style dinner. She understood immediately and was perfectly attentive when she needed to be, and then let us be otherwise. While we were sipping our cocktails she brought us the complimentary:

Verdure, Olive "Giardiniera" e Ricotto con Basilico
Pane De Casa - with Tuscan olive oil - herb and parmesan grissini breadsticks

These were so good! Bread and breadsticks, olives, marinated mushrooms, and basil infused ricotta cheese. All of this and the most wonderful extra virgin olive oil to dip the bread in!

I told Sonya that we wanted to order each course separately as I wasn’t sure how full we would get. Not a problem at all! I ordered a bottle of Placido Chianti that was excellent (and we told Sonya we would drink it as in Italy – WE do the pouring, which DH & I so prefer and it’s so much simpler for the server! )

To start we ordered the:

Grand Antipasto Misto - chefs selection of various appetizers and specialties, generous platter served family-style (serves two) $29

We have NEVER ever eaten an antipasto this delicious or this beautifully presented! It was huge and had: Proscuitto, Mortadella, Tuscan Ham, Buffalo Mozzarella, Italian Gorgonzola (very smooth and mild tasting), Cappellini Beans, Marinated Mushrooms and Artichokes, various kinds of Olives, Zucchini, Roasted Red Peppers, fresh Basil, and Roma Tomatoes. It was perfection!

I’m so glad we were taking this meal so slowly because after the wonderful bread and this amazing antipasto, I didn’t need a full entrée! So I ordered the:

Minestrone di Vedure - fresh garden vegetables and ditalini pasta soup $8

This was the best choice. It was delicious and just the right amount for me! DH, on the other hand, being ½ Italian HAS to have pasta at Italian restaurants. He ordered the:

Casareci - cavatelli pasta, sweet sausage ragu, tomatoes, Pecorino Romano $25

He loved it and ate every bite! I was too full to try it, but it did look very good and it was not a ridiculously large serving as some places tend to give you.

We then relaxed and sipped our wine and chatted with Sonya whenever she stopped by to check on us. After awhile we decided that we each wanted a:

Cannoli - crisp pastry filled with sweet ricotta, chocolate and candied orange $12

These were delicious as well. I would have liked a little more chocolate, but that’s a minor complaint.

After about two hours we left very full and very content. The scooter had survived the rain well covered. We slowly went to France to see their movie “Impressions de France” and then watched Illuminations from the bridge between France and the United Kingdom.

It was a perfect evening and Tutto Italia was by far our favorite restaurant experience this whole trip! And Sonya was our absolute best server as well!

 

[Pooh&OurHunny]

Wonderful update, I cancelled my lunch at Tutto Italia so I can go to the German place but now I think I might have to change it back. Your review made me regret it and plus my husband and I went to Germany and we really wasn't found of the food we were going for the entertainment for our son but the food at Tutto sound really good.
Thanks

 

[CJ]

FAB reviews! Of the places you are reviewing, we have ADRs at:
Yak & Yeti lunch
Hollywood Brown Derby dinner
Coral Reef dinner
Le Cellier dinner
Tutto Italia dinner
Les Chefs de France lunch

I love the detail about which dishes were the best (nutmeg or cinammon and no creaminess in the lobster soup at Coral Reef is enough to make me want to stay away from that!).

I've been trying to find out what non-pasta dishes are now on the Tutto Italia dinner menu, do you remember (especially, fish, lamb, or beef)? Looking forward to that review!

Although we didn't order any non-pasta entrees, I remember there were quite a few of them! There was definitely some beef, fish, and chicken choices (I don't recall a lamb dish). They sounded delicious, but I was just too full to try any of them! (Oh and btw, you're going to love my Les Chefs review! )

Wonderful update, I cancelled my lunch at Tutto Italia so I can go to the German place but now I think I might have to change it back. Your review made me regret it and plus my husband and I went to Germany and we really wasn't found of the food we were going for the entertainment for our son but the food at Tutto sound really good.
Thanks

They are such different experiences with very different food! I can only say that we LOVED Tutto. But the Biergarten is a lot of fun... so it depends what you're looking for, I guess.

 

[Krissalee]

I loved the way you ordered course by course at Tutto Italia!

My ideal appetizer would be an antipasto, but I never order it, thinking it would be too much food, and I wouldn't be hugry for my dinner. If I ordered course by course, I could do what you did, and after enjoying a lovely antipasto, have a nice light soup or another appetizer afterwards.

Thanks again for sharing your reviews!

 

[vinotinto]

Although we didn't order any non-pasta entrees, I remember there were quite a few of them! There was definitely some beef, fish, and chicken choices (I don't recall a lamb dish). They sounded delicious, but I was just too full to try any of them! (Oh and btw, you're going to love my Les Chefs review! )

Thanks for the info and for the mouthwatering review of Tutto. I've been really debating this ADR. I wanted to eat at epcot proper that night (our first) and had been debating whether to switch it to Kouzzina (which was our fave last time) or Biergarten for the kids (unfortunately, nothing on the Biergarten menu was appealing to me). But based on your review, I'm going to stick with Tutto. BTW, nice teaser about Chefs! I'll be tuning in for that one too!