(insert witty thread title here)7 days of Disney Dining! Review with pics!

[minuet]

The next day we were off to Epcot and after getting FPs for Soarin' and working our way through the right side of Future World we headed to World Showcase and Les Chefs. We were seated promptly although walk-ups were being turned away at this point and the poor girl seemed flustered as people were upset that no one had told them to make ADRs.

We placed our order and quickly received our drinks and bread.

DH enjoyed the bread and ate 2 whole loaves himself!

For his meal DH had the burger without the fancy stuff and fries. He said the fries ranked #2 behind LTT Tavern fries and the burger also ranked #2 behind LTT. I thought this was interesting as in 2009 this was his #1 burger although we didn't eat at LTT then. He said the burger was well cooked and put together but the condiments at LTT put it over the top.

I had the French Onion Soup and it was the best French onion soup I've ever had...in fairness my previous experiences were at places where they serve a variety of food and it's not their specialty. I love Gruyere cheese, the bread was moist enough I could eat it in small bites and the onions were perfectly simmered. I finished my bowl here.

I'm not sure what the server was thinking as it took me about 45 min to finish this one bowl of soup and the couple at the next table ate the French menu in the same amount of the time. We were just finishing up when Remy made his rounds.

I really enjoy eating lunch here. The prices are reasonable OOP. It's nice food but not super fancy, they can feed my picky DH, and the combo option is great for those who can eat it.
My parents also enjoyed Les Chefs when they ate here in February and for my dad who has Crohn's, it's not always easy to find options for him.

We then went back to Future World, rode Soarin' and left for another heat break to return again for supper at ESPN Club.

 

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So heading back into the park, we knew we'd be going to ESPN Club. This is DH's favourite spot. We are both sport nuts. He is a hockey encyclopedia, plays it recreationally and also enjoys golfing. Our television is either one one sports station or the other. He loves hockey, baseball and will watch football and golf. He semi-follows basketball. He walks in here and feels home.

I'm not much better. I enjoy watching hockey and baseball, am addicted to tennis and Figure skating and when the Olympics are on don't bother ringing the doorbell. You can enter but do not talk about anything other than what is going on the TV.

So we came and were told that the live show was going to be starting soon which included a trivia game. We were hooked!

For drinks I went with The zone (a mixture of juices and Sprite) It was very tasty!

DH had his usual diet coke. For his meal he went with the homerun hotdog. This is one of the few all-beef hotdogs left in the park and it was fantastic he said. The fries were ok, standard fries and nothing special but good.

His face when he had it up

As nothing on the menu looked like a small portion I asked the server if I could order from the kid's menu. He said not a problem. Before he left to get it I asked if they had mac and cheese like they used to and which I thought I had read on the menu here. He said they didn't have mac and cheese on the kid's menu but I could order the one that comes with the steak as a side if that was what I wanted. He seemed doubtful and was like, "it's only a side portion, are you sure it will be enough?" Dude, I know your side portions are massive compared to what I'm used to so I'm sure it will be plenty, I'm thinking.

"yes the side order would be great" I replied.
"ok", he says and goes off to place the order.

It is a large, deep ramekin and the pasta is packed full in there. It was a lovely blend of cheeses with baked parm on the top. It was actually so packed I couldn't finish it but it tasted great. For a person who eats regular meals perhaps they find it teeny. I did see a guy near us order the steak meal with fries that comes with the side of mac and cheese and he cleared his plate so...I guess it depends on your normal portion.

We then played the trivia game but weren't picked to win a prize and returned to Epcot where once again rain cleared out the crowd and we had a fantastic viewing of Illuminations from the bridge with no wait to line up.

I had a Kaki Gori during Illuminations but no picture as we were afraid to put the camera out in the rain. I did think it was a weird though the ladies working the stand rolled their eyes when I asked for a straw as they said it doesn't go with a kaki gori...I ended up drinking most of it as it melted so fast even in the rain. The trio of flavours was delicious and I was very satisfied after dreaming of one of these for 2 years since the last one.

To be continued tomorrow with Animal Kingdom day!

Thanks to everyone for reading and hope you're enjoying.

 

[Schoolbread]

I AM enjoying, thanks much! I want to try the ESPN Zone sometime. I, too, am a sports junkie. RIGHT THERE with ya about the Olympics. Life stands still for those two weeks, whether it is summer or winter.

 

[archdandy]

I'm in! I really like how you go to some of the restaurants that might get overlooked by a lot of reviewers because they arent the most popular. I CSR's Pepper Market. It's one of the biggest reasons we choose that resort because its so much different than other resort CS restaurants.

 

[minuet]

Sorry for the delay...real world hit. anyways...

On our morning of Animal Kingdom day we got there for park opening. Rode Everest twice with no wait, Kali twice with no wait and walked through Maharajah to dry off a bit. After watching Finding Nemo we were ready to eat. I would have loved to try Yak and Yeti or the chicken at Flame Tree but DH looked at both menus and try as he might he had to honestly tell me that there was nothing he would eat there. Thus, we made our way to Pizzafari and shared a pepperoni pizza with the side salad and an order of breadsticks.

Based on our portions this was a perfect size to share. The pizza is typical Disney pizza and the breadsticks are standard in different places too but the sauce here is smoother. I don't like a chunky marinara sauce and find others have too much basil in them. This was a lovely little lunch. We then hit the rest of the park and when the rain hit hard in the afternoon made out way to Downtown Disney for our supper reservation.

 

[minuet]

After spending some time browsing the Christmas shop and deciding what I would purchase (I love this store!) we made our way to Pleasure Island and Paradiso 37. I had heard some good reviews, some not so good reviews and some terrible reviews of this place. However, the menu looked appetizing for what I eat and this was the one place where I actually didn't know what I wanted in advance as there were several appetizers I wanted to try.

I had a strawberry ice tea to drink which comes in a monstrous glass that I never got close to finishing. DH had a beer here.

We then ordered a chips and salsa to share. I loved this! The chips were fresh, hot, and with a delicate seasoning on them that made them enjoyable on their own but even better with the salsa. It was a smoky tomato flavour, not overly chunky which I love with a lovely blend of seasonings but not super spicy. I enjoy roasted tomato soup and this had a similar taste to it but with a salsa consistency.

DH then ordered a burger (of course!) for his meal with fries. He didn't get anything fancy on his burger but said the patty was really nicely done. He didn't touch the slaw so I have no idea what that tastes like. His only gripe was the fries which he said were lukewarm. I said he could send them back but he said it was fine and ate them anyways...I don't get it. I don't eat cold greasy food but that's me. I did notice in the kitchen they serve up the fries in their cups in advance and leave them under a heat lamp while everything else is prepared so that's likely the problem.

I ordered the mac and cheese bites for my meal. OMG! Hot, fresh out, and a delicious combination of creamy goodness and nice panko crumb coating. I've heard multiple reviews describing these as bland so perhaps I just eat a bland diet but I thought they were lovely on their own. I did enjoy the jalapeno-cilantro dipping sauce as well and alternated back and forth. The sauce is not overly spicy and gave a right amount of kick when I wanted it. There were seven pieces in my cup which for me was a perfect amount. I cleared my plate! I was stuffed though at the end.

We really liked this meal although our one gripe was getting the attention of our server as he frequently disappeared.

Next: disaster at Kona breakfast

 

[Schoolbread]

Disaster at Kona? You don't hear that very often! Intrigued....

 

[vettegirl]

I love your picture of Remy! I would love to see that little guy.

 

[cg83109]

cant wait for more reviews

 

[KatieCollette]

I'm in! If you don't mind me asking, how much was the LTT mug that you bought? I think my DH would probably love to buy one when we go in October! We have a dinner ADR there.

 

[archdandy]

I'm looking forward to your review of Kona! Its not often you hear anything negative said about it. Although it is a SHAME that you had a bad experience there.

 

[minniebeth]

I'm loving your review so far!

Everytime I go to Captain Cook's I get the pork sandwich, my favorite, but you convinced me to get the adult grilled cheese next time! It looks so good!

Thank you for your review of Paradiso 37~ my DH, DS, DBIL and DNs have eaten there, but my girls and I have not. They really liked it! It's on my DD's list to try on our next trip!

We love Kona but have had a few negative experiences there, so I'm curious as to what your experience was there...

will be reading more!

 

[minuet]

I'm in! If you don't mind me asking, how much was the LTT mug that you bought? I think my DH would probably love to buy one when we go in October! We have a dinner ADR there.

The mug was $5.00 in addition to the drink cost. We thought it would be more. At anything like Planet Hollywood or Hard Rock cafe they charge much more for their glasses.

 

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We got up and were out the door earlier as we were going for breakfast and not eating it in the room. We made it to MK in time for the train coming around and the opening routine which was nice to see for the first time. We then took the monorail over to the Poly and were seated for our reservation.

DH ordered a tea to drink as well as apple juice and I had a cafe latte. I asked if I could order from the kid's menu since I can't eat large portion and they said no problem. So I was really happy at this point.

DH then ordered plain pancakes with bacon. These came out fine with syrup and he quickly ate them saying they were prepared very well. Despite my encouraging he would not try the macadamia pineapple ones as he loves his pancakes but they must be plain.

I went with Donald's breakfast. One scrambled egg, sausage, and cinnamon toast.

Portion wise it was perfect. I dug in my fork and it was freezing cold. The eggs tasted like they had been prepared awhile ago and left sitting there. I cannot stomach cold, greasy food so I looked for our server and he was nowhere to be found. I then flagged down a different server and explained the issue. She took the plate away and said she would bring back a new one. Our server finally returned to ask if everything was ok. He noticed my missing plate and asked was I finished? I said no, I'm waiting because it was cold. He then took off to go find my plate. By this time DH is done and I haven't eaten yet. A second plate comes from the other server and she takes off again. The eggs are again freezing and have an even more rubbery taste to them. Our server returns and he can see I'm unhappy. He takes the plate again and I'm still waiting for breakfast.

The manager then came over to apologize and said he was going to check the kitchen because he had no idea how they messed up twice and it would be comped off my bill. I said I appreciated that. Another server then came with my eggs and sausage which I saw steam coming from so I was hopeful. They said they were re-doing my toast to make it was hot as well.

The final toast was delicious and the eggs were finally hot! The sausage was much spicier than I thought it would be.

Perhaps it was my error in ordering. I know Kona is known for Tonga toast and the macadamia pineapple pancakes...but what if you just can't eat that much? They can't neglect their other dishes either.

All in all I was sad about Kona as I had been looking forward to it for some time. Perhaps I should have gone for the Minni French toast. Who knows.

We then returned to the MK but this was when I was hit with major acid reflux/heartburn which didn't subside until we returned home 4 days later.

We're off to Tony's for lunch but eating was a struggle from here on out sadly.

 

[minuet]

so after my sad breakfast we went to Tomorrowland and I had a pineapple juice bar. Not quite a Dole Whip but very refreshing in the heat (no pic oops)

We then went to Tony's for our late lunch. By this point my chest is burning and I'm not in a food mood but DH is hungry and I know I do need to try something.

To me it was obvious I was unwell but perhaps not to the outside world as the server seemed a bit oblivious to everything. She rambled on about our choices and reminded us to save room for dessert and took drink orders and took off. She returned with them and was very insistent on having an appetizer first. I explained that I was going to have the appetizer for my meal and she looked unimpressed.

I ordered the garlic bread with tomatoes but on the side as DH was going to eat a piece or 2 and he doesn't like tomatoes chopped like that.

It tasted really good but I was getting nauseous from the burning by this point so I had 3 bites and took the rest to go. I ate it later at the resort but obviously it lost something after being in the fridge for an hour and not re-heated.

DH had the spaghetti and meatballs. He LOVED it! He thought the meatballs were really well done and some of the best he's ever had. He wished there was more sauce but he thought the spaghetti was cooked perfectly.

He ate quickly to get me out of there and he brought me back to the room where we crashed until I felt a bit better and returned in the evening for the parade. We met another couple from Canada who instantly knew I was from Newfoundland because of the way I was talking to another couple.
I felt very bad for this couple as they had been talked into getting the dining plan but not told to make ADRs. The mom had sent the dad and the girls on to the park while she was at concierge trying to find them ways to use the credits that her family would like. They managed to get a Cape May Breakfast and when I mentioned how it was a character meal in beachwear they were happy as they didn't think they would get a character meal.

I do hope they ended up enjoying the ADRs they got.

 

[jockey]

Really enjoying your report so far

 

[minuet]

Thanks everyone for the positive feedback!

 

[minuet]

The next day was our non-park day. Plans were to get our shopping done at Downtown Disney, have lunch and then go golfing (DH's only request for this trip)

After moving through World of Disney faster than I ever have before and making my purchases as Disney's Days of Christmas we went to our T-Rex reservation at 11:30. The restaurant was almost empty and we were seated on the edge of the ice room which was cool because we could still see everything else.

DH ordered a diet coke and I had a drink of sprite and cherry flavour. It was quite tasty but I was wishing after I had gone for something non-fizzy. My oops.

I went with Dexter's dual dip for my meal. I found these dips to be much richer than similar dips here. The queso was very thick and had an almost smoky quality to it. Up here queso is served very mild with tomatoes in it. It was ok but not good for my belly. The shrimp artichoke one had a seasoning in it that I couldn't place which gave it an odd taste for it. OK but I wouldn't order it again.

DH ordered the fish and chips as they serve cod and not haddock or pollock. Being from Newfoundland this is very important as cod is our main fish here. He was very disappointed in his meal and for once didn't finish it. He discovered he is not a fan of waffle fries and the fish batter was not what he was expecting...well I tried to tell him that when he ordered but he wouldn't listen. We specialize in deep-fried cod here, we have restaurants known for it and he claims my mother makes the best fish and chips so I knew he was going to be disappointed. Again, there was nothing wrong with it, just not what he anticipated.

We will likely not return to T-Rex next time, mostly because there are several other TS restaurants in Downtown Disney we have yet to try. I am glad we did try it though because otherwise I would have always been curious and one of my best friends said this was her favourite meal.

We then finished up shopping and made our way over the Saratoga Springs to golf. I am not a golfer and the sun was getting crazy hot in the sky. I played 3 holes and then drove the cart, took pictures, cheered on DH, and focused on staying cool and hydrated.

My original plan had us returning to DD for supper at Wolfgang Puck Express. However, when we were finished we were offered complimentary transportation back to our resort. We asked about getting it t DD and the voucher could not work that way. I was so hot and tired I could not imagine doing the bussing to DD and then getting food and then getting bussing back to the resort so I abandoned this idea and DH suggested pizza in the room. I agreed.
I thought I had taken a picture of our pizza but apparently not. It was typical Disney pizza. I also had a key lime pie dessert which was ok. I ate 1/2 then and the other 1/2 for breakfast the next day.

 

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Our next day was at DHS. I had been bouncing back and forth on this ADR for months, constantly changing it between Sci-Fi and Mama Melrose. We ended up going with Sci-Fi.

I have no pictures as we were seated on the edge so lighting was even darker than normal and my pics didn't come out at all.

I ordered the BLT soup as my meal. It was creamy, hot, nicely seasoned and delicious. I would get this again for sure.

DH had another burger with fries and while he enjoyed it he ranked it behind LTT.

After completing what we wanted to do in the morning I had another attack of acid reflux so we decided to skip the stunt show and went back to the resort to crash and help me feel better. I think we made the right choice as 2 minutes after we were in the room the skies opened and it thundered down. The TV said a severe storm watch was in effect.

Now we had a decision to make. We were only returning for Fantasmic in the evening but the weather could cancel it out. We were planning to go to Picabu for supper but was it worth trekking that far if that was all we did?

YES! I did not want foodcourt again especially having missed on WPE the day before. So we got ready and headed out. I explained to DH that we were going for the late Fantasmic so if the earlier one went we would be able to hear it and that would give us a better indication.

Up next: Picabu

 

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After making our way to the Dolphin we had to ask around to find Picabu. It's a bit tucked away and literally a hidden gem. The Fountain was pretty full as we passed but Picabu only had a couple of table filled, mostly by people in suits (I'm guessing convention) It was quiet, cool and very colorful. We thought it was wonderful.

I ordered a side of cheesy Fusilli for my meal. I had been wanting the market meal but I knew I would not make a dent in it so I asked if they could just do the side. Not a problem!

It was a nice velveety sauce and the fusilli was cooked very nicely. I would return again just for this although I would like to try some other things. The chicken and lasagna both looked wonderful.

DH went with chicken tenders and fries. They gave him 3 different sauces and he tried them all. His were cooked to order and brought to the table, much like WPE. He thought they were really good.

We were both super happy we made the effort to come here and are surprised more people don't. I guess not being on DDP makes a different and it is out of the way unless you're staying in the area. We will def. return to Picabu.