January Dining Review and Pictures - Update 12/8 Sunshine and Liberty Tree

[John's Mom]

I had a few Magical Star cocktails last Dec. I found it to be very tasty. It is on my list for our Dec. trip along with my two AKL favorites (plus a few other drinks that I read about on the DIS).

 

[Flossbolna]

I had a few Magical Star cocktails last Dec. I found it to be very tasty. It is on my list for our Dec. trip along with my two AKL favorites (plus a few other drinks that I read about on the DIS).

What are your AKL favourites? My sister and I are planning to make use of Victoria Falls during our trip and any recommendation would be appreciated!!

 

[Flossbolna]

We made our ADRs around 60 days before our trip and C came up with the idea that she would love to return to that steak place in Epcot. I knew that we would be in trouble... Of course, our TA was not able to get an ADR for us. But somehow I developed the ambition to get that ADR and I started to call WDW Dine daily. I was never successful until I read one day about the problem of availability for two guests. Many people reported that they were able to get ADRs for three people without problem when there was no availability for two. So I started to call twice every day to enquire first for two and then for three guests. The third day I did this, I was lucky and got a lunch ADR for our last full day. I thought that this was a great way to end our vacation and was very pleased. And yes, it was for a party of three.

When we arrived at Le Cellier however, they were not busy at all and it appeared as if they were even taking walk ups (but I never confirmed that).

We waited for three minutes or so before they took us in and we were seated in the very front of the dining room. To be honest, I don't like the Le Cellier dining room. If I am in sunny Florida I want it to be light, not dark. The whole cellar theme does nothing for me – it only works in winter if it is cold outside and has lots of snow. I also don't like that there is so little space. And finally, you might call me a snob, but here the disparity between the surroundings (rather a bit elegant) and the patrons (theme park attire) really distracted from the theme. I don't think people need to dress up to eat at Le Cellier, it's just that for me it took away from the theme. Actually, the same is true to a certain degree for Liberty Tree Tavern. While at Prime Time Cafe or Tusker House it doesn't matter at all.

We had the most wonderful server here. Her name was Jenny and she was extremely friendly and fun to talk to. She also was extremely efficient and very knowledgeable. I wanted to order a beer and she was very good in recommending something for me. She also was excited that we were from Germany as her room mate at WDW was from Germany, too. She also had been Miss Octoberfest at a Canadian Octoberfest (sorry, I forgot which province that was). And told us that this Octoberfest is the reason they have the pretzel bread.

I told C that we needed to order the Canadian Cheddar Cheese Soup. We decided to share a cup of soup, here features with a bit of pretzel bread:

It was a nice soup, but honestly it did not wow me. It was pleasant, but I would have liked it cheesier. Also I was not impressed with the portion size. Perhaps that's the typical cup size in the US, but I found it rather small, especially since the people on the table next to us had the bowl and for just 1.50 $ more, it looked it was about three to four times the size of our cup. It did not matter that much to us as we got it more for the taste, but if you wanted a lighter lunch and just went for the soup, the cup would be a bad deal while the bowl would be a very good deal. I am sure one bowl of that soup would be plenty for me for any meal!

C decided that she had to get a steak and went for the New York Strip Steak - with bercy butter, balsamic red onions, watercress, and roasted Yukon potatoes:

She really loved the steak, but had huge problems finishing it. This was not a skimpy portion like the soup!!

I got the burger: Grilled Steak Burger - topped with house-made onion ketchup and your choice of cheddar or blue cheese. I love burgers and especially the ones that are freshly made. Considering that this was a steak restaurant I expected them to do a good burger. Here in Germany burgers don't appear on menus, only at fastfood restaurants like McDonalds, so it is always a treat to eat a burger at a TS restaurant.

I chose blue cheese on my burger (I think I have mentioned before that I love blue cheese!) and added smoked bacon. That's it:

The burger is served on an English muffin. I loved that, the blue cheese, the really good meat. The only thing that I passed on to C was the onion ketchup, which was a kind of onion jam. It was actually very good if you like onions, but since I am not so fond of them, I did not want so much of it. All in all it was the best burger I ever had. I think what I loved most about it besides the good quality of all ingredients was the fact that it was a bit special. The English muffin added a different texture to the meal and the blue cheese was pretty strong and very cheesy.

We also shared the maple crème brulee:

This was nice, but not special. I must say, by that time I had had too many crème brulees and really was getting a bit bored. I am determined not to get any in January.

In 2008 Le Cellier hadn't really convinced me at all. This time round it was a highlight during our trip regarding food and service. But I still think it lacks in atmosphere and service really depends on who you get. I definitely don't have to eat there every trip, there are other options in Epcot I want to try as well. I certainly would not call every day again for an ADR – even thought that was kind of fun as well. It is a good meal, but to me it is not in the top 10 of WDW restaurants. So as long as it is so extremely popular, I doubt I will eat there again.

Also, if you aren't on the DDP, it really isn't such a great deal. For dinner the steaks are 35 $, at the FF the steak was 42 $. But for me, considering the whole package of the meal was absolutely worth the 7 $ price difference.

 

[lovesdumbo]

Enjoying your dining reviews!!! I was at the Poly with my oldest DD(then 9) when you were there-we were there 1/27 to 2/3.

Love your FF review! I can't wait to try FF on my next trip!

I am taking my youngest DD for her 7th birthday in Jan to AKL. Looks like we'll just miss you-we'll be there 1/20 to 1/27.

Off to go read your Jan 2010 pre trip report.

 

[MyTalula]

Ohhhhhhhhhhhh Yum! I just read your whole thread, and can't wait for more!!:

You take excellent pictures by the way!!! And you have gotten me very excited to be returning to the Polynesian this February, I love Kona, Ohana, Tambu Lounge and Captain Cooks!! Can't wait for that first cocktail, though now I can't decide if it will be a Magical Star or Lapu Lapu... either way YUMMY!!

 

[John's Mom]

What are your AKL favourites? My sister and I are planning to make use of Victoria Falls during our trip and any recommendation would be appreciated!!

My favorites are the Nahtazu and Victoria Falls Mist. I carry the recipes with me when we go to WDW because some of the newer bartenders don't have them in their black books.

Let me know if you would like the recipes and I will PM you.

Kathy

 

[brookelizabeth]

I think I am starting to get a bit nervous about committing a cultural faupax now with my love for those condiment bars. It appears that my use of them might be frowned upon considering the comments here... Therefore I am glad that you admit to doing the same!!

Oh, don't worry - I think there are very few "food rules" in America that are strictly enforced when dining at a Theme Park (unless you are in a nicer restaurant of course). Anything goes!!!

That burger at LeCellier sounds very interesting!! We really enjoyed our dinner here, but like you said-there are so many other places at Epcot to try. We'll be back eventually, but it's not worth it to me to have to call all the time to get it. Maybe after we've tried everything we want to try at Epcot. But by then, it probably wont' be popular anymore!

 

[Flossbolna]

Hi everyone - if anyone is still reading this! I am sorry for having been away, there really isn't that much more to post, but still a bit. So I will try to finish it up as soon as possible, we are leaving for WDW in 50 days and will be back with a new review then. Can't have this one around unfinished still!

Enjoying your dining reviews!!! I was at the Poly with my oldest DD(then 9) when you were there-we were there 1/27 to 2/3.

Love your FF review! I can't wait to try FF on my next trip!

I am taking my youngest DD for her 7th birthday in Jan to AKL. Looks like we'll just miss you-we'll be there 1/20 to 1/27.

Off to go read your Jan 2010 pre trip report.

Hi, thanks for the nice comment on my dining reviews! We were at the Poly before you this January 1/23 to 1/30. Seems lie we swapped dates for the upcoming January! Have a wonderful trip!!

Ohhhhhhhhhhhh Yum! I just read your whole thread, and can't wait for more!!:

You take excellent pictures by the way!!! And you have gotten me very excited to be returning to the Polynesian this February, I love Kona, Ohana, Tambu Lounge and Captain Cooks!! Can't wait for that first cocktail, though now I can't decide if it will be a Magical Star or Lapu Lapu... either way YUMMY!!

The Poly is truly beautiful, but my heart really belongs to AKL! I am so excited about staying there again in January! I would suggest to get the Lapu Lapu at the Poly since it is a special drink for the resort. You can get the Magical Star anywhere on property.

My favorites are the Nahtazu and Victoria Falls Mist. I carry the recipes with me when we go to WDW because some of the newer bartenders don't have them in their black books.

Let me know if you would like the recipes and I will PM you.

Kathy

Kathy, if you are still reading this: I would appreciate the recipes! Thanks!

Oh, don't worry - I think there are very few "food rules" in America that are strictly enforced when dining at a Theme Park (unless you are in a nicer restaurant of course). Anything goes!!!

That burger at LeCellier sounds very interesting!! We really enjoyed our dinner here, but like you said-there are so many other places at Epcot to try. We'll be back eventually, but it's not worth it to me to have to call all the time to get it. Maybe after we've tried everything we want to try at Epcot. But by then, it probably wont' be popular anymore!

The burger is really wonderful. It is definitely made there from scratch!

 

[Flossbolna]

We had an ADR for Spoodles for that evening, but really were not very hungry after our lunch at Le Cellier. Therefore we cancelled that ADR and decided to go to Sunshine Season at Epcot as we wanted to see Illuminations for our last evening. We both wanted something light.

I decided that I wanted a ceasar salad. I was not interested in the chicken that was supposed to be on top and asked wether I could get it without chicken. Of course I could. However, when after we had paid I realized that I still had to pay the same price. I was a bit put out by that and next time I will know to ask wether there is a price difference... Still, the salad was nice, enough food for me that night. Just what I wanted!

C ordered the soup of the day and a strawberry shortcake. She really enjoyed both of her dishes.

I think Sunshine Season is a great place for a variety of tastes and options. It just lacks in theme. It is very functional, but not pretty unfortunately...

 

[Flossbolna]

We really had enjoyed lunch here in 2008 and therefore wanted to return for our last meal of the trip. I think the lunch menu is very appealing, dinner really does not look like a meal I would enjoy...

We both got raspberry lemonade as our drink which was very good! I think I had three glasses during the meal!!

I love the mugs they serve the drinks in as well as the oldfashioned looking cutlery!

We decided to share an appetizer, the Tavern Fried Cheese with marinara sauce:

We found this a rather strange dish. The cheese was ok, a bit bland we thought. But we were a bit surprised that we got a tomato based sauce to dip the cheese in. In Germany the only cheese we fry is camembert or brie (French soft cheese). And it is served with lingonberry jam (similar to cranberry sauce). I think I have mentioned before how we very rarely combine sweet and savoury in Germany: this is one of the few exceptions!! And I love it!

But back to the Tavern Fried Cheese: for me the marinara did not add anything to the cheese. We found the portion to be rather large, it was advertised as being for two. But we were not able to finish it, there only is so much warm cheese you can eat before you feel like it shuts your stomach down. Actually, here in Germany we say that cheese closes the stomach, that's why it is served at the end of the meal. Therefore I am always amazed at the cheese boards being served as appetizers. Ok, back to this appetizer: it was ok, but I think neither C nor I has any intention of ordering it again.

For my entree I got again what I had in 2008: the Colony Salad - Washington apples, sweet pecans and applewood smoked cheddar and grilled chicken tossed with field greens in honey shallot vinaigrette

It was great again! A very fresh salad with lots of different tasted going on with the apples, the pecans, the cheddar and the sweet vinaigrette. The chicken was freshly grilled, still hot and very juicy.

C was very tempted to order the turkey meal, but then decided to get what she enjoyed so much in 2008 as well, the New England Pot Roast - Our Tavern Keeper's Favorite - braised beef in a cabernet wine and mushroom sauce served with mashed potatoes and garden vegetables:

I think she was a bit dissapointed, she liked it better the year before. But she really was still feeling under the weather, so perhaps it was due to that...

This was our last meal at WDW!! More meals will start on 1/27/2010 when my sister Katharina (nodnol here on the boards) and I will travel to WDW and stay at AKL. We have a number of interesting meals planned and we will certainly do a dining review again. And since we are already busy doing a PTR, we are planning to do a TR as well.

I still have on post left over and that's a run down of our costs. I kept nearly all the receipts in order to find out wether the DDP would have saved us money....

 

[nodnol]

This was our last meal at WDW!! More meals will start on 1/27/2010 when my sister Katharina (nodnol here on the boards) and I will travel to WDW and stay at AKL. We have a number of interesting meals planned and we will certainly do a dining review again. And since we are already busy doing a PTR, we are planning to do a TR as well.

Oh, that's good to know about the dining review and the TR - did we agree on that?

Thank you very much for your reviews - I'm really looking forward to our trip. Time will fly - Christmas, New Year's Eve and then we already have to start packing - well, at least update the packing list

 

[klacey1]

So glad to see you back and finishing your report! I think this is the first bad review I've read of the Tavern Fried Cheese! I guess to most Americans, you can't go wrong with deep fried anything!!
I cannot wait to read your 2010 TR! You're doing a dining review, too, right?? Or will that be mingled into your TR?

 

[Flossbolna]

Oh, that's good to know about the dining review and the TR - did we agree on that?

Thank you very much for your reviews - I'm really looking forward to our trip. Time will fly - Christmas, New Year's Eve and then we already have to start packing - well, at least update the packing list

Well, I am counting on you contributing to them!! Especially I think your job needs to be coming up with good titles! I don't want to start another thread with the most boring title on the DIS!

So glad to see you back and finishing your report! I think this is the first bad review I've read of the Tavern Fried Cheese! I guess to most Americans, you can't go wrong with deep fried anything!!
I cannot wait to read your 2010 TR! You're doing a dining review, too, right?? Or will that be mingled into your TR?

I usually am a great fan of deep fried anything, so I was quite surprised that it did not work with the cheese for me!

So far, I am planning to do them seperately - but before I make any promises I might better consult with nodnol in order not to get even more protest from her!

But seriously, I think keeping them separate makes sense since they might be useful to different readers. Especially since TRs are more fun and Dining Reviews have more of an informative purpose. Especially since we will be reviewing our dining from a special dietary needs perspective. Nodnol can't eat dairy and tomatoes. So this aspect might be helpful for a third group of people, too!

 

[brookelizabeth]

Loved all your reviews! That Colony Salad sounds, and looks, delicious! We have yet to eat there, but perhaps that will be what I choose when we get there.

I am generally not a fan of cheese, but LOVE fried cheese!! I would just have to try it, and I know DH wouldn't argue Marinara sauce is a standard with fried cheese here, I'll have to try it sometime with a sweet sauce, sounds interesting!

 

[Flossbolna]

Loved all your reviews! That Colony Salad sounds, and looks, delicious! We have yet to eat there, but perhaps that will be what I choose when we get there.

I am generally not a fan of cheese, but LOVE fried cheese!! I would just have to try it, and I know DH wouldn't argue Marinara sauce is a standard with fried cheese here, I'll have to try it sometime with a sweet sauce, sounds interesting!

breaded fried camembert with jam is absolutely wonderful! Sweet works best with strong cheeses in my opinion, I also like strawberry jam with blue cheese!

 

[annichan]

Hi Floss, it took me until now to realise that you are finished with your report - thanks for all the great reviews! I've only got three instalments left in mine

I also saw that you must be on your way to the World by now - I hope you will have a great trip! I'll head over to your pre-trippie and read all about it now