It tastes like bacon! An anniversary DR from Mr.&Mrs. Roma: COMPLETE

[Roma]

Love it! Subscribed to the thread!

Thank you, Herfnerd! I'll be back with our BOG review soon... having two people tandem writing tends to slow things down sometimes .

 

[Roma]

** The holidays are (mostly) over and it is high time that I get back to reviewing! Thanks for reading .

Be Our Guest ​

Be Our Guest had started previews a few days before Mr. Roma and I were set to leave for our trip, but I had no expectations as to whether or not we would be allowed into New Fantasyland - let alone whether or not we'd get to eat out BOG. I read on easyWDW that people were getting reservations by walking up to the NFL CMs around mid-morning and inquiring about possible openings for that night. I decided it was worth a shot since we didn't have an ADR for that night, so we started circling the NFL around 9:30 that morning. I asked the friendliest looking CM what the lowdown was, and he said to return at 10:30. We did, and I was immediately allowed to go into NFL and up to the reservation booth. I selected a time (my mind fails me now but I think it was for 5:45?) and received a wristband with my time that I was supposed to wear for the remainder of the day.

We returned to NFL later in the afternoon and looked around a little bit before our ADR. We decided to wait until after dinner to ride the Little Mermaid ride and do ETWB because the lines were too long for us to make our ADR in time.

We checked in at the reservation booth and then made our way up the bridge to the castle. We were both very impressed by the theming outside, and even more wowed by the interior. BOG is without question the best themed restaurant in WDW. I would say the "experience" of eating in the castle alone is worth the reservation. I especially loved the stained glass rendering of Belle and the human Beast from the movie that is situated in the front lobby.

We were seated in the main dining room in the row of tables farthest away from the window to the far left, which afforded us a nice view of the whole room and nice respite from the nosy middle. I did notice, however, that the room was incredibly dark - so dim that you could barely read the menu unless you held it up to your face.

Our server came up and thanked us for coming to dine in the Beast's castle. Because we were still pretty full from lunch, we opted to skip appetizers and share the strip steak. We both opted for waters to start.

Menu pics (my apologies for the glare... there was no way to get discernible pics on the iPhone without it):

​

While waiting for our entree our server brought the bread basket out. It appears I failed to take a picture of it, but the rolls were almost identical in appearance and taste to the ones at Liberty Tree Tavern (aka slightly hard and mostly boring). The butter was also very hard.

After a short while we were presented with our steak:

Grilled Strip Steak - with garlic-herb butter and pommes frites $29.99 ​

We were both pleasantly surprised by this. The portion was more than enough for both of us, and we were happy to see the steak was cooked a nice medium. The greens were well seasoned and slightly crunchy, despite their somewhat soggy looking appearance in the picture. I tried to limit myself on the fries, but they were hot, crispy, and cut in a very thick shape - above and beyond your typical steak fry.

After our meal I decided it would be wrong of me to leave one of the first sittings at BOG without sampling the desserts, which were lined up in carts around the room (I'm assuming to give you the feeling that you are like Belle being served a la "Be Our Guest" in the movie). Unfortunately it seems our server got distracted at this point and took forever to return to our table with a cart. When she did it was so huge she could barely fit it between two tables, and I have no clue how they manage to push the things through the entire maze of chairs. While the carts are a cute idea for theming purposes, they are appear way too cumbersome to maneuver and take up too much space so I wonder if they will last very long.

I chose the chocolate cupcake

Triple Chocolate Cupcake - chocolate sponge cake, chocolate mousse filling, and choclate ganache $3.99​

Unfortunately this was the biggest disappointment of the meal. Like others have said, the wrapper is nigh impossible to remove. I ended up massacring the bottom of the cupcake attempting to get it off. I was hoping the taste would make up for the difficulty, but unfortunately it did not. In fact, it was one of the worst cupcakes I have ever had. The cake was completely tasteless and dry while the frosting was thick and pasty. Needless to say I did not finish it and can only hope that either A) the other options taste better or B) that Disney seriously rethinks this dessert choice, which is already out of place considering the other food offerings. I honestly cannot believe they are charging $4.00 for a cupcake that pales in every way to the other cupcakes offered throughout Disney.

Mr. Roma opted out of dessert, and decided to get a beer. He had yet to order a drink on the trip, and I told him that it was fairly ironic that he decided to do so for the first time at the only restaurant to serve alcohol in the MK. He opted for the Belgian Hooegarden. I had a small sip, but not enough to justify giving a review. You can find his below.

At the end of our meal our server surprised us with a serving of...

"The Grey Stuff"​

- in honor of our anniversary. The presentation was very cute, and the cocoa powder (?) print on the plate was well done. I was underwhelmed, however, by the taste and Mr. Roma ate perhaps two small bites before calling it quits. Our server described it as something along the lines of "oreo mousse" but I could not detect any Oreo flavor, and neither could Mr. Roma who is an Oreo fanatic. I'm hoping we just got a bad batch or something because it seems as if others have enjoyed it.

We had a great time at BOG despite the failed desserts, and especially enjoyed the magnificent theming. I'm sure as time goes by some of these little kinks will get worked out and BOG will offer more consistent service and quality. Our total bill ended up being $55.00

Mr. Roma says:​

I wasn’t sure what to expect from the Be Our Guest Restaurant. When we arrived, there was almost no wait and we were seated right away. We were seated in the first row of tables, the farthest from the big, majestic “window” that overlooks the ballroom. The setting was beautiful – truly the kind of place you want to go for a romantic dinner and dancing. Too bad this wasn’t a romantic dinner and there wasn’t any room for dancing. Who am I kidding – I don’t dance.

We ordered the Strip Steak to share. It came with green beans and French fries. I’m sure there was bread before, but I don’t remember that. The steak was incredible. It was very tender and flavorful. There was plenty enough for two.

For dessert we had the grey stuff. It was fine, but not spectacularly memorable.

I tried a Belgian Beer – Hoegaarden.

​

I’m told Be Our Guest is the only place in the Magic Kingdom to get a beer, so I figured I had to. I’m no beer expert, but I thought this was a good way to finish off an all-around solid meal.

--
Up Next: Some half-eaten Christmas party treats and a day at Islands of Adventure!

 

[Eastern]

Keep going this review is good

 

[wiigirl]

Loving your review...great pics!

 

[Tracerr00]

I'm really enjoying your reviews! For some reason I can't see your pictures (probably because I'm at work and I'm not supposed to!!) so I have to pull them up on my DIS app and look at both at the same time! I'm really getting a lot done at work as you can tell. I've been seeing quite a few not so good reviews of BOG lately so it was nice to see that you enjoyed it. Your steak looks delicious! Sorry to hear that your cupcake was meh.

I've never been to LTT...but I think the OOTC is calling my name! Not to mention I love a good cheeseburger too! Looking forward to more reviews!

 

[jecskc]

Joining in !! Loving your reviews so far and especially from each point of view. Very enjoyable to read. Looking forward to more !!

 

[DnA2010]

Really enjoying your review so far!

 

[jmm476]

Joining in! I'm enjoying your reviews so far, looking forward to more.

 

[Roma]

Keep going this review is good

Thank you so much for reading and commenting! I have plenty more coming .

Loving your review...great pics!

Looking back I kinda wish I had tried to take more pics with my regular camera... but I'm glad you like them anyway! Thanks for reading.

I'm really enjoying your reviews! For some reason I can't see your pictures (probably because I'm at work and I'm not supposed to!!) so I have to pull them up on my DIS app and look at both at the same time! I'm really getting a lot done at work as you can tell. I've been seeing quite a few not so good reviews of BOG lately so it was nice to see that you enjoyed it. Your steak looks delicious! Sorry to hear that your cupcake was meh.

I've never been to LTT...but I think the OOTC is calling my name! Not to mention I love a good cheeseburger too! Looking forward to more reviews!

Oh no I'm sorry you can't see the pics! Can you see them at home? At least you can see them on the trusty app . I really don't think BOG was as bad as everyone is making it out to be - but maybe my expectations just weren't as high?

You need to go to LTT and get that OOTC stat! It is to die for! And Mr. Roma still talks about that burger.

Joining in !! Loving your reviews so far and especially from each point of view. Very enjoyable to read. Looking forward to more !!

Mr. Roma will be glad to hear you like his point of view! He asks me sometimes what people are "saying" about his comments . I have really loved your reviews so I'm tickled to see you pop up in my thread .

Really enjoying your review so far!

Thank you! I'll have more reviews coming up soon .

Joining in! I'm enjoying your reviews so far, looking forward to more.

I hope you'll keep reading!

 

[partyof2]

How exciting that you managed to snag an ADR for Be Our Guest. It must have been fate with you not having any dinner plans for that evening!

The steak looks great. There's quite a few items on the menu that are tempting but steak with garlic butter is my No.1 food!

I agree that they need to revamp the dessert menu. The entrees are admirably bold for a MK restaurant but the desserts are disappointing. The cupcakes and cream puffs are fine bot lunch but they certainly need something more for dinner.

 

[disneydreaminA115]

Really loving your reviews so far! And, I can't lie, I'm awful jealous of your BOG visit!! We were there the weekend of the 16th of Dec. and the ressies were gone before I could even get through on the phones the first day. SO sad!

Looking forward to more food pics!!

 

[Roma]

Christmas Party Treats​

We stayed for the Christmas party that night in the Magic Kingdom, but weren't particularly in the mood for the "free" treats because we had had the unexpected dinner at BoG. Nevertheless, I felt we would be remiss if we didn't try the offerings, so we waited until later in the evening in an attempt to make some room in our stomachs.

We meandered over to Pinocchio Village Haus around 8:00, and the line moved quickly despite people ordering upwards of 15+ cookies and cups at a time. We each ended up with one chocolate chip and one snickerdoodle cookie and a cup of hot chocolate. My apologies for the half eaten cookie... it had been a very long day at that point.

​

I was skeptical that the mass produced cookies and hot chocolate would taste good, but I was proven wrong. The hot chocolate was not too hot or cold and tasted great (probably because of copious amounts of sugar!) and the cookies were moist. I slightly preferred the chocolate chip, but they were both good. I couldn't imagine eating more than a cookie or two or drinking more than one cup, but some people were really putting them back!

Mr. Roma says:​

My wife and I fought about this, whether or not I was going to review the free cookie and hot chocolate. She won, but I don't have to oblige her with a great review. It was a cookie. It was hot chocolate. That's about all I can remember.

I do remember liking the snickerdoodle cookie more. And it was chilly, so the hot chocolate did the body good.

But, people, seriously... just because Disney made it, doesn't mean it's worth writing home about. I'll end on a happier note, I'm glad I had the cookie and hot chocolate... even if it was just a cookie and hot chocolate.


--
Up Next: Butterbeer and the Three Broomsticks at Harry Potter World!

 

[Roma]

Butterbeer and the Three Broomsticks​

Mr. Roma and I are big Harry Potter fans, so we knew we couldn't go down to Orlando without making a pit stop at IOA as well. We were so excited that morning that we completely forgot we needed to eat breakfast (which we had had in our hotel the day prior... it was disgusting and I didn't even bother to take pictures of it!) before leaving. We ended up eating Chick-fil-a sandwiches while waiting at the turnstiles.

We immediately rode the Forbidden Journey twice upon entering, and made ourselves sick in the process. We decided we needed some serious down time after that, so we got in line for the Ollivander's experience. We decided to get a frozen Butterbeer to share while we waited.

Frozen Butterbeer $4.25 (?)​

This was an excellent choice. I'm not usually a big fan of butterscotch in large quantities, but this drink struck the perfect balance. The flavor was not overpowering, and the foam on top was particularly good. As Mr. Roma said, it had a slightly sharp taste that may turn some people off but that we enjoyed. It was absolutely more than enough for the two of us and we were full by the time we got to the last 1/5 of the cup. Unless you can really put heavy food and drink back, I don't recommend getting individual servings - especially if you want to eat more later.

We explored HP world for the next couple of hours before deciding we were ready to eat at 11:30. We knew we wanted to eat at The Three Broomstick's, but we also wanted to explore other parts of IOA so we needed to get a move on. I must say... the efficiency of TTB is one area where Disney may be able to learn something from Universal (eek!!). The whole experience was smooth sailing from start to finish. Upon entering you are asked whether you are there to "dine or look." If you want to look you are directed to a little box to the right, if you want to dine you are sent to the line on your left. You wait your turn to go up to the registers, and while waiting you can look at very large displays of the menus so that you can make your selection.

​

I wanted nothing other than the fish and chips, and Mr. Roma did initially as well before he saw the chicken and ribs platter. Within minutes it was our turn at the registers, and our food was ready not long after that. Once you have your food and supplies, a CM leads you to a table. No fighting for prime seating. No "saving a seat" in advance. It makes for a much more pleasurable experience.

Fish and Chips $12.99​

I was immediately impressed with the quality of my food. It is very easy to make fish and chips nasty - just let it get cold and soggy. My serving, however, was crisp and hot. The fries were also crisp and well seasoned. I tried a bit of Mr. Roma's chicken and thought it was cooked very nicely as well. The potatoes and corn were also good considering they too have the capacity to be very bland and gross in these settings.

I had heard good things about TTB, but I was still surprised when our experience was so positive. Granted, we did go before the lunchtime rush, so that may have affected things a little bit. Based on their system though, I think even busier times would not be overwhelming. We found the food to be much better than your standard table quick service offerings - and better than Universal's other offerings for that matter.

Later in the day we came back to HP world to get some treats from Honeydukes (which I will feature in the next post), and decided to get a regular butterbeer in a souvenir mug this time as well. We should have gotten the mug in the first place (cheaper refills), but oh well. This time I at least had the sense to buy it in the Hogs Head so that we could use our AAA discount. Unfortunately I forgot to take a photo of the drink by itself, so you will just have to imagine the frozen butterbeer in plain soda form. The drink was good, but no where near as tasty as the frozen option and just a little too sickly sweet for us. I think we'll stick to the frozen one in the future.

Mr. Roma says:​

Butterbeer. I'll be honest, I was a little skeptical. I didn't know what to expect. It definitely gives off the imagery of a cartoon beer - like something Cowboy Sam of the Looney Toons would drink.

All in all, I was more than pleasantly surprised. We first sampled the iced butterbeer. It was mid-morning, we were thirsty and waiting to get into Olivanders. It was a butterscotch soda and it was very good. It was thirst-quenching and refreshing. It had a sharp feel on the tongue but was pretty smooth going down.

Lunch was at the Three Broomsticks. I think just about everyone in Hogsmeade was there when we were, I might have even seen Scabbers and Crookshanks running around. After the counter service pizza we had at Universal, I was a little worried this might not be that great.

The atmosphere didn't disappoint. It's dark and rustic... and definitely feels like a pub or tavern. Even though it was broad daylight, it seemed to be lit by candlelight - I thought that was a nice feel.

Service was quick, though the line was a little confusing. I thought they could of done a little better job laying out where you were supposed to order and then pick up your food. The day we were there, the order line was kind of opened up to a big space and things weren't very clear. Maybe it was set up differently that day, so it could be just us.

As I said, the restaurant was crowded but we didn't have to wait for a spot to sit.

I ordered the

Chicken and Ribs Platter $13.99​

The chicken was smoked well - the outside had a little bit of crisp to it, but the inside was moist enough. It was a little dry, but I would stress the little. I was very happy with the chicken, but the ribs were sweet and tangy and I enjoyed those more. The corn was corn and the potatoes were potatoes, not much to report there. I left food on the plate (much to my wife's dismay, several times actually) and was very full after the meal.

It was very good lunch service in a very authentic atmosphere.

Later, we tried the warm butterbeer. It was less pleasing than the first, but still very good. It reminded me of a warm rootbeer - something you would drink, but definitely better served cold.

Alas, there doesn't appear to be any way to make butterbeer. I guess that means it is time to go back?



--
Up Next: Some sweets from Honeydukes

 

[Roma]

How exciting that you managed to snag an ADR for Be Our Guest. It must have been fate with you not having any dinner plans for that evening!

The steak looks great. There's quite a few items on the menu that are tempting but steak with garlic butter is my No.1 food!

I agree that they need to revamp the dessert menu. The entrees are admirably bold for a MK restaurant but the desserts are disappointing. The cupcakes and cream puffs are fine bot lunch but they certainly need something more for dinner.

I'm starting to think it was fate. I planned that day in Magic Kingdom way before the previews for BoG started... and they only started a couple days before we went at that!

If you like steak and garlic butter then you can't go wrong there. I'm not the biggest fan of strip (too fatty) but this one was good.

I agree the cupcakes and puffs would be fine at lunch, but they are incredibly underwhelming at dinner. I realize they want to push around the carts to keep up with the theme and be cute but it doesn't do anything for me if the offerings inside are bleh!

Really loving your reviews so far! And, I can't lie, I'm awful jealous of your BOG visit!! We were there the weekend of the 16th of Dec. and the ressies were gone before I could even get through on the phones the first day. SO sad!

Looking forward to more food pics!!

I seriously can't believe we got to eat at BoG. I told Mr. Roma he needed to care a little more because a lot of people were desperate to be in his shoes . Hopefully by the time you get to go they will have gotten over some of the growing pains and it will be even better!

 

[Happy 2 B Me]

I enjoy getting two propesctives about your dining adventures. So nice to have the actual guests reviewing their food. Will be watching for more views .

 

[gardengirl628]

Great reviews so far. Can't wait to read more. Have put LTT on the list to try in August....that ooey gooey toffee cake is calling my name!

 

[dec2009mama]

Watching this post.....
love the reviews!

 

[dakcp2001]

Love the reviews!

 

[Roma]

Thanks for sticking with me everybody! Reviews are going slow because Mr. Roma is working 14 hour days right now and doesn't want to to skimp on his reviews OR have me review without him sooo.... here we are. However, I'm hoping to have our next two up by the weekend .

I enjoy getting two propesctives about your dining adventures. So nice to have the actual guests reviewing their food. Will be watching for more views .

Thank you for reading! I agree - I love it when each guest gives their own perspective on the food. It's especially entertaining for me to read some of Mr. Roma's comments because sometimes he says things that are totally out of left field to me!

Great reviews so far. Can't wait to read more. Have put LTT on the list to try in August....that ooey gooey toffee cake is calling my name!

You cannot go wrong with the OOTC. I go nuts for really good chocolate chip cookies and the OOTC is sheer cookie perfection, despite the "cake" name.

Watching this post.....
love the reviews!

Thank you! I hope you'll keep coming back!

Love the reviews!

Thank you! I love to know people are reading.

 

[BurleyGirl]

Your Raglan Road review convinced me to give it a try...just made my Open Table reservation for our upcoming March trip...now to convince my guys that they will like it! (The Bread Pudding alone should do that, though...)