In Celebration of (Disney) Food! 4/29 Monorail Dinner Pt. 2 (Kona)

[RGirl]

Oh, your meal at SAI looked so delicious! I definitely want to try this place - if for the ambiance if nothing else.

What a disappointment that DF's meal was not very good.

 

[pumba]

Loved your reviews and photos...

Our granddaughter and her fiance are going to Disney in May for their honeymoon and this gives her a better look at some of the restaurants besides the usual ones we always go to..

Thanks again for great photos

 

[kastoney]

Great SA review. I'm with ya on the vantage point of a kid. During my childhood visits we only ate counter service so SA was the only table service I got to see and I thought it looked like the fanciest place in the world. Strangely I've yet to ever eat there. That chicken and memories may have just sold me.

 

[disneynanacat]

San Angel Inn



On our next Disney day, we ended up skipping breakfast again. I got a strawberry smoothie from the KRNR Rock Station Food Truck at Disney's Hollywood Studies but I'll review that in an upcoming snack review! We spent the morning in DHS and then took the boat over the Epcot for lunch at the San Angel Inn.

I have always wanted to eat at SAI. I remember first seeing the restaurant when I was about thirteen years old and thinking it looked like the most beautiful restaurant in the world. I was captivated by the fact that it was indoors but it seemed like eating under the Mexican sky. However, nobody in my family liked Mexican food so we never ended up eating there.

I finally got the okay to make an ADR for this trip and it was one of the first ones that I made! I was glad to see that reviews seemed to have improved over the past year or so and it looked like a lot of DISers were having good experiences.



When we checked in, I asked for a table by the water and fortunately they had one available! I'm sure everyone checking in has the same request so it was a nice surprise that they were able to accommodate it. It never hurts to ask!

We were started with a hot basket of freshly made tortilla chips. These were served with two salsas, a hot and a mild salsa. I am pretty sensitive to spicy food and did not find either salsa to be particularly spicy. The chips were very fresh and crunchy and they were nice to snack on while we decided on our orders.



We decided to start with an appetizer to share. DF told me to pick anything and I ended up selecting the Tostados de Tinga - Fried corn tortillas topped with black beans, lettuce, onions, advocado, tomato marinated chicken, sour cream, and fresh cheese $10.50.

This came with three tostados. When they came to the table, our server knew we were splitting them so brought two extra plates and served one on each plate, leaving one on the original platter. Unfortunately, this happened so quickly that I was not able to get a photo of all three tostados together, but here is my tostado (DF had two).



These had a really good amount of chicken on them and were so flavourful! I loved the combination of the veggies, cheese, beans and meat. The fried tortillas were so crunchy and the appetizer was very substantial. I could see this making a great small meal! We were both so happy with this appetizer and it was a wonderful start to the meal.

For my entree I didn't even need to look at the menu, I knew from reading previous reviews that I would be ordering the Pollo A Las Rajas - grilled chicken breast served over red peppers, onion strips, cream sauce, and fresh cheese $19.50.



Oh. My. Goodness. This might be the very best thing I ate all trip. The chicken tasted SO freshly grilled and it was so juicy. The veggies underneath were delicious and were perfectly sauteed but still retained a nice crispness. The sauce was very creamy and rich, but was balanced out nicely by the crunch of the veggies. It was cheesy with a hint of sweetness. The rice was great mixed in with the extra sauce and the portion size was perfect. I tried so hard to finish every bit but despite how much I loved this dish, I just couldn't manage it! It was one of those meals where I so wanted to finish every bite on the plate and knew I would be wishing for those last few bites once I got home!

DF decided to go with the Chef's Recommendation which was Loma de Pue en Pipián - Pork tenderloin served over roasted vegetables and pipián - pumpkin, chiles and almond sauce $22.



This, unfortunately, was not a hit with him. DF likes very spicy, flavourful foods and he said this was extremely plain. The pork was well-cooked and tender, so he did appreciate the quality of the meat, but was really disappointed in the overall lack of flavour. In his words, "I'd rather have had Taco Bell." I think that about sums it up as to how disappointed he was in this dish, especially after the wonderful appetizer. He did say that he would return to the restaurant but would never order this dish again.

We tried a bite of each other's and he also loved my dish as much as I did. I agreed that his was quite plain, I'm not sure if perhaps they forgot a sauce or something? It was quite strangely plain and flavourless.

We were both very full at this point and decided to skip dessert, but our sweet server brought us out a dish of caramel ice cream with a candle. It was a very nice gesture and we both tried the ice cream, it was very good! Unfortunately both of us forgot to take a picture of the ice cream.

Overall, this meal lived up to every one of my expectations and I absolutely loved everything from the food to the atmosphere to the service. Unfortunately, DF didn't love his entree but everything else was wonderful.

Would we return?

Me: YES
DF: Yes

Great review! I love the chicken dish here too. Was thinking about trying something different on 10/9/13 but don't know if I can bring myself to do it! lol

Funny little San Angel Inn story for you. I took my DD and DGDs to SAI when my youngest DGD was 2. She was in a mood and when we sat a plate of food on her highchair tray she literally picked the plate up and tossed it to the floor. It was extremely loud on those tile floors. We were soooooooo embarrassed and my DD took her out of the restaurant immediately.

She's 9yo now and we have been teasing her about this ever since then. Telling her that SAI has her picture hanging in their office and that she's not allowed back in Mexico. We tell her that as soon as her park pass is scanned into the turnstiles at the Epcot entrance, an alarm goes off in Mexico to alert them that she's in the park and to be on the look out.

For our upcoming ADR there I'm going to tryyyyyyy to see if I can't get the manager or at least the waiter to come to the table and say, "Hey, aren't you Haley? The little girl who threw the plate on the floor?"

 

[Linda67]

Great review of San Angel Inn
I would love to eat there as it just looks so pretty but the menu really doesn't appeal to DH
Sounds like you had a lovely meal

 

[darthtatty]

Great reviews

Im looking forward to trying CMC, like you ive read lots of negative reviews.
However Im a big lover of seafood, so want to see how it is for myself.
Hopefully its as good as your experience.
Like you, I think my plate will be limited as I want to get as much seafood as possible.

 

[OnSpaceshipEarth]

Indeed...Cape May was never anything I had considered before. Your review has definitely put it on my radar for the next trip. We all love seafood and it seems like the perfect "vacation experience".

 

[DLFan123]

Great reviews! I enjoyed reading all about your experience at Cape May Café. We love the buffet there for a lot of the same reasons as you. I just love the casual, beachy feel, and we can't get all you can eat crab legs near us either (especially not snow crab legs, which are my running favorite right now). Those fried shrimp are good! And the mac and cheese is so good-it hardly belongs on a kids' bar IMO. So good it should be on the adults' buffet.

 

[autumnpalm]

Thanks for posting the great Cape May Cafe review! I had never really considered eating there, but your review has me really wanting to try it. Crab legs, mussels and clams? Count me in! Unfortunately, my DH isn't much of a seafood fan, so I fear it would be wasted on him, but I'm adding that to my list of places to eat on a future trip.

All your reviews and pics are fantastic! Can't wait to read more!

Honestly, before I walked by it I never seriously considered eating there either! It's too bad they took the non-seafood extras like ribs off the buffet for non-seafood lovers like your DH.

Love your CMC review and pics! San Angel looks really good too. We ate there a few years ago and didn't love it, but now I want to try it again. Thanks for the reviews

I remember reading some really terrible reviews for it a few years ago but they really seem to have improved lately! I would definitely return.

Great Cape May and San Angel Inn reviews! We've never eaten at CM as we're not big seafood fans (I enjoy it but the rest of the family, not so much) and we've always enjoyed our meals at SAI. Thanks for sharing your experience and lovely photos!

Thank you so much for your lovely compliment, I hope SAI becomes a regular in our dining plans!

Oh, your meal at SAI looked so delicious! I definitely want to try this place - if for the ambiance if nothing else.

What a disappointment that DF's meal was not very good.

Yes, he was really disappointed he didn't order the same chicken dish as me. When he told me what he was ordering, I said "but I haven't read anything about that one online!!" If only he had ordered the Carne Asada like I suggested.

Loved your reviews and photos...

Our granddaughter and her fiance are going to Disney in May for their honeymoon and this gives her a better look at some of the restaurants besides the usual ones we always go to..

Thanks again for great photos

I hope they have a wonderful honeymoon!! I think SAI is just a perfect honeymoon restaurant, it was a beautiful escape from the heat and bustle of the parks.

Great SA review. I'm with ya on the vantage point of a kid. During my childhood visits we only ate counter service so SA was the only table service I got to see and I thought it looked like the fanciest place in the world. Strangely I've yet to ever eat there. That chicken and memories may have just sold me.

I thought the exact same thing and it really was so much fun getting to actually eat there! The other restaurant I've wanted to try since childhood is Cinderella's Royal Table... unfortunately it's a bit more pricey than SAI but maybe next trip!

Great review! I love the chicken dish here too. Was thinking about trying something different on 10/9/13 but don't know if I can bring myself to do it! lol

Funny little San Angel Inn story for you. I took my DD and DGDs to SAI when my youngest DGD was 2. She was in a mood and when we sat a plate of food on her highchair tray she literally picked the plate up and tossed it to the floor. It was extremely loud on those tile floors. We were soooooooo embarrassed and my DD took her out of the restaurant immediately.

She's 9yo now and we have been teasing her about this ever since then. Telling her that SAI has her picture hanging in their office and that she's not allowed back in Mexico. We tell her that as soon as her park pass is scanned into the turnstiles at the Epcot entrance, an alarm goes off in Mexico to alert them that she's in the park and to be on the look out.

For our upcoming ADR there I'm going to tryyyyyyy to see if I can't get the manager or at least the waiter to come to the table and say, "Hey, aren't you Haley? The little girl who threw the plate on the floor?"

I would love it if they played into that! What a great story!

Great review of San Angel Inn
I would love to eat there as it just looks so pretty but the menu really doesn't appeal to DH
Sounds like you had a lovely meal

We really did.

Great reviews

Im looking forward to trying CMC, like you ive read lots of negative reviews.
However Im a big lover of seafood, so want to see how it is for myself.
Hopefully its as good as your experience.
Like you, I think my plate will be limited as I want to get as much seafood as possible.

I think it's always worth it to try things for yourself, we were pleasantly surprised! I did feel like I should try a wider variety of options but I was just so happy with what I did get!

Indeed...Cape May was never anything I had considered before. Your review has definitely put it on my radar for the next trip. We all love seafood and it seems like the perfect "vacation experience".

That is exactly what it is! A perfect "vacation" experience.

Great reviews! I enjoyed reading all about your experience at Cape May Café. We love the buffet there for a lot of the same reasons as you. I just love the casual, beachy feel, and we can't get all you can eat crab legs near us either (especially not snow crab legs, which are my running favorite right now). Those fried shrimp are good! And the mac and cheese is so good-it hardly belongs on a kids' bar IMO. So good it should be on the adults' buffet.

I totally agree the mac and cheese deserves a place on the main buffet! It was soooo good! And those fried shrimp really surprised me as well. The whole feel of the restaurant and the beachy feel really was awesome. I'm so glad we made a change of plans!

 

[autumnpalm]

Beaches and Cream



After our wonderful lunch at San Angel Inn, we took some time to explore the World Showcase and then again headed back to the Beach Club for some pool time. And for the second night in a row, pool-laziness got the best of us and we decided to cancel our previous ADR and just try getting a walk up at Beaches and Cream. Both of us felt like something simple and casual and the menu at Beaches and Cream appealed to DF more than the menu at the Captain's Grille.

We arrived around 5:30 and were told we could be seated at the counter immediately or wait approximately 20 minutes for a booth. I, being a big booth fan, persuaded DF it was worth the wait and we grabbed a pager and headed to the arcade next door. After about 15 minutes of skee ball and motorcycle racing our pager went off.

We loved the Juke Box song selector at our booth.



I'm not sure if it actually works as we never heard any of our song choices, but it was a fun touch! The restaurant was packed and had such a fun, happy atmosphere with families ordering Kitchen Sinks, talking, laughing and just enjoying their vacation.

We perused the menu for a while, I had a really hard time deciding what to order.







DF started with a strawberry milkshake.



This was "awesome." It was a huge glass and came with a half-full stainless steel tumbler. DF really loved this. There were actual chunks of strawberry and the sip I had I really enjoyed too.

I ended up ordering the turkey club sandwich with onion rings.



The onion rings were delicious, they were huge and crispy with nice thick slices of onion a good coating of batter. I ate every single one! The sandwich was a bit plain so I asked our server for some mayo which helped a little. The sandwich itself was huge so I only ate about half, especially since I had already inhaled most of the onion rings. I would have preferred fresh roasted turkey rather than deli turkey slices and it was disappointing in that it just seemed like something I could have made at home. However, I was loving the atmosphere and the onion rings so much that I really didn't have a single complaint.

DF went with the Angus Beef Burger blue cheese, barbecue sauce, onion rings, lettuce and tomato on a fresh-baked bun $14.49. He ordered this without the blue cheese.



He raved about this for the rest of the trip! He said the burger was very juicy, the bacon was crisp and smokey and the onion ring and BBQ sauce added a lot of flavour. The bun was buttered and toasted making it a perfect burger. He said everything about this was delicious and at the end of the trip he still listed it as one of the best things he ate.

Once again, we were too full for dessert!

After our lovely meal, we headed over to the Boardwalk as we had time to rent a surrey bike for two before continuing to Epcot for Illuminations. We had a BLAST.



In my analysis, Beaches and Cream + Surrey Bike + Illuminations = the perfect Disney night.

Would we return?

Me: Yes
DF: YES!

 

[RGirl]

Great B&C review!!! Everything (except maybe your sandwich ) looks delicious! And it just sounds so fun there. I really need to make time to get there - the last two trips we have stayed at an Epcot resort, and we have still never seen B&C!

 

[autumnpalm]

Hi everyone!

It's been over a month since I posted my last review-- I can't believe how the time has flown! I've been so busy with work for grad school that I have completely neglected these reviews. However, I have a bit of a break from heavy writing and am hoping to get quite a few new reviews up in the next little while. Thanks to anyone who is still reading!

Pizzafari




The next morning, we headed out to Animal Kingdom. We made it there for rope drop and rode the safari immediately and then walked over to Expedition Everest. It was a hot morning and after exiting Expedition Everest, DF wasn't looking so great and said he needed to eat something because he wasn't feeling well at all. I think the heat was getting to him too, so we decided to slow down and take a bit of a break at Pizzafari because they seemed to have some breakfast foods advertised.



I considered seeing if we could get a walk up to Tusker House but we decided to stick to Pizzafari for budget reasons!

DF chose the Spinach and Goat Cheese Frittata:



The frittata came with roasted breakfast potatoes. When I carried this to the table, he seemed a little perplexed by this- I'm not sure he knew what a frittata was (I definitely didn't, I'd never seen one before where we live in Canada!). He ate it up and said it filled his stomach and described it as an "egg souffle." He is a big meat eater so I think he wished for some kind of meat to go with the meal but didn't complain.

I wasn't really hungry at all so I just ordered some kids french toast sticks so I would have something to snack on while we sat there.



These were fine, but nothing special. They were slightly sweet and slightly crispy but I would have preferred some more cinnamon or flavour to them. I did love the grapes! I think this was around 4.00 so I felt it was a good value.

Nothing at breakfast stood out as great and I wouldn't make a point of returning, but it was nice to have a cool, quiet place to sit for about half an hour before we continued on our AK adventure! DF was feeling better by the time we left and thankfully the morning continued without event!

 

[autumnpalm]

Flame Tree BBQ/ Pizzafari

After continuing our tour of AK, it was time for lunch! Honestly, by the time lunch rolled around we were hot, tired and starving. We finished our touring at Dinosaur and I don't think poor DF was very pleased when I dragged him past the cool, air-conditioned, food-filled oasis that was Restaurantosaurus. I, however, had Flame Tree BBQ on the brain and was determined to get myself some onion rings!

When we got to Flame Tree BBQ, DF decided that he actually felt like pizza. Keep in mind at this point, that while he loves thin-crust, NY-style pizza he does not care for the deep dish sort of pizzas they serve at Pizzafari. I didn't mind carrying my Flame Tree BBQ over to Pizzafari because it was so darn HOT out, so I ordered and then carried my tray over with DF to Pizzafari.

I ordered the Smoked Chicken Salad with a side of onion rings.





I must admit, the walk from FTBBQ to Pizzafari was a little longer than I anticipated and I felt a bit strange navigating through the crowds with a tray full of food in my hands. I did, however, get a LOT of comments from fellow park-goers about the onion rings, inquiring where I got them and noting that they looked delicious!

Once we got to Pizzafari, I realized that DF had been thinking of NY-style pizza for lunch and this was not it! So, I convinced him to let me order for him since I'd read online that the Hot Italian Sandwich was pretty good.

Here it is:



He was less than enthusiastic about it when I brought it back to the table and to be honest, it didn't look too appetizing! He described it as a ham and cheese salad with caesar salad on top and an olive-oil dressing and declared it "good." He did say that the name was misleading as it was neither spicy nor warm in temperature. I'm not sure if it is supposed to come warm? But overall, he liked it so thank goodness for DIS reviews!

My smoked chicken salad was decent, it had a surprising amount of chicken in it. I think it was a pretty good value for that reason. Apart from the smoked chicken, which was very tasty, the salad was pretty basic. It reminded me of a fast food salad from Wendy's or McDonald's (which I suppose it sort of was!) The onion rings, on the other hand, were delicious and we ate them all. It was a large serving and they were perfectly hot and crispy with just the right batter: onion ration. Five stars for the onion rings!

All in all, it was a satisfying lunch but I think next time I'll stick to my beloved FTBBQ ribs and I think DF will do the same! But it's always fun to try something new.

 

[kastoney]

Welcome back, I'd thought we'd lost you ; ).

Those onion rings looks delish. Not something u see a lot of in WDW so it's good to see them done right.

 

[RGirl]

The onion rings look incredible!!! YUM!!!

It was kind of cool to see some CS breakfast options at AK - not sure I've ever seen them before.

 

[autumnpalm]

Welcome back, I'd thought we'd lost you ; ).

Those onion rings looks delish. Not something u see a lot of in WDW so it's good to see them done right.

Thanks for sticking around! And you're right, I LOVE onion rings and they are only offered in a few places!

The onion rings look incredible!!! YUM!!!

It was kind of cool to see some CS breakfast options at AK - not sure I've ever seen them before.

I didn't know they were there either! I guess discovering new food options is a perk of traveling with someone with a weak stomach.

 

[autumnpalm]

A Grand Afternoon

After our lunch in Animal Kingdom, we hopped on a bus to... The Grand Floridian! My mom was waiting for us there and we had gotten our luggage transferred in the morning so the switch was very easy. My mom had texted me with our room number and thankfully we had gotten every room request granted! It had always been our dream to stay at the GF and we planned to hang around the resort all afternoon and just enjoy being there.

This was our beautiful room view:



My mom hadn't eaten anything yet, so she was dying to grab something quick. Eager to explore the resort, I offered to go with her to Gasparilla's Island Grill to pick up something to bring back to the room.



DM chose the Angus Bacon Cheeseburger:



She reported that this looked a lot better than it tasted. DM is usually pretty easy to please but found this to be undercooked and cold. She said the toppings were good and fresh but the bun was also dry and overall she was underwhelmed. She did say that the accompanying chips were very good!

After my mom's quick bite, we headed down to the pool for the rest of the afternoon. We didn't take the good camera with us so these are all iPhone shots!



I can honestly say this was one of the best, most relaxing afternoons I've ever had. I was in a beautiful place surrounded by people I loved with so much to look forward to. It was like a piece of heaven.

I did want to try something from the Beaches Pool Bar even though none of us were very hungry. So, I decided to get an order of Beef and Brie Bruschetta.







Everyone loved this! The bread was nice and crispy and the beef and brie were plentiful. The meat was tender and the cheese had good flavour without being overpowering. The tomatoes added a nice touch of freshness. These were definitely a hit and I was tempted to order something else from the bar just to try it, but at that point we had a dinner reservation at the Grand Floridian Cafe in a few hours and decided to hold off until later.

Overall, if you're at the Grand Floridian looking for a quick bite, I would definitely recommend checking out the Beaches Pool Bar. They have so many unique menu options and the food was delicious. We did end up returning to Gasparilla's later in the trip and had a better experience the second time so maybe we just caught them at a bad time!

Coming up next: The DSLR is back and we're off to have dinner at the Grand Floridian Cafe!

 

[DisneyJo]

What a shame the burger wasn't very nice as it looked good!

The bruschetta however looks very delicious

 

[tybrilinja]

I am so along for your reviews! I love your pictures, my mouth is watering for those onion rings!!! The GF is such a beautiful resort. We have only stayed at values or mods so this is one of my "dream" resorts. (some day)

Can't wait to see more!

 

[RGirl]

Oh, your time at the GF looks and sounds just heavenly.

Gosh - your mom's burger looks fantastic, too bad it didn't live up to its good looks.

I'm so impressed with the food options at the pool bar! WOW!