Just Back - A few dining reviews

[indimom3]

We are just home from our trip to the world, and I have some dining reviews to share. We were a party of either 2 or 3 adults (my mother was with us for the first half of the trip), 2 kids, and 1 'don't call me a baby' infant.

Columbia Harbor House Lunch (7/25 and 8/1)
Akershus Lunch (7/26)
Roaring Forks Dinner (7/28)
Sanaa Dinner (7/29)
CRT Breakfast (7/30)
Ohana Dinner (7/31)
Biergarten Dinner (8/1)


Columbia Harbor House
We at at CHH twice on our trip. The first time it was great. A big thank you to the Disboarders who recommended eating upstairs - getting out of the noise and heat was priceless. I had the hummus and tomato sandwich, DH had the albacore, Mom had the fish and chips. The kids all had the chicken nuggets. We all enjoyed our meal, although the fish and chips were not anywhere near as good as they are at Epcot, IMO. I ate every bite of the sandwich, it was delicious.
Our second time there, the following Sunday, was a different story. Same sandwiches, different taste. I'm not sure what went wrong week to week, but the bread was super soggy in the middle, and crumbly-stale on the crusts. The brocoli slaw tasted different as well. It was still nice to sit upstairs. We also had to go back down and ask for the kid's grapes and our chips as they were forgotten. Something went off the rails in the kitchen that day.
Service was fine both times. Nothing special, but everyone was polite. Overall, a good place to eat for the MK.

 

[KatMark]

New food porn.

That's strange that within a week time the same thing tasted different. Glad you "found" the upstairs -- we love to eat there, especially by a window and people watch.

 

[indimom3]

We had the Princess lunch at Akershus on Monday, 7/26. This was my favorite meal of our December trip, so I was very excited to try it again. My 2 DDs were also VERY excited, to say the least.
I was disappointed when I saw the menu had changed so significantly from December. Almost entirely sandwiches now. My husband and I both ordered the venison sausage sandwich with red cabbage and potato salad, with corn chowder for our soup. My Mom ordered the salmon burger with vegetable soup. The kids all ordered that authentic Norwegian Cheese Pizza from the kid's menu, lol.
The cold buffet was wonderful. There were a number of interesting things to try, some of them good, some of them not to my taste. But it was very nice to see such a variety. The only thing I noticed missing from December was the roe. The whole family enjoyed the buffet.
I had the venison sausage over white beans for my entree back in December, and I was happy that the sausage was every bit as good as I remembered. The knife-and-fork sandwich was very flavorful and good. The portion was also huge. I took half of it home with me. The corn chowder was barely warm. It was still tasty, so perhaps it was meant to be served that way, I'm not sure.
The dessert tray, served family style, was fabulous. We fell on it like a pack of wild animals. I particularly liked the pastry stuffed with berries and sweet cheese.

The Princess interaction here was great. You take your picture with Belle, and the rest of the headliners came to the table. We saw Cinderella, Aurora, Ariel, and Snow White. They posed for pics and talked to the girls for as long as the girls felt like talking. It was a wonderful character meal.

Service here is outstanding, IMO. Our waitress was very attentive. She was not rushed, or interested in rushing us. She checked in several times and was very available for refills or questions. I had a similar experience in December. Big thumbs up.

Overall, I really like Akershus. It's a better experience than CRT, IMO, and better food. I am so sad to see the menu offerings getting downgraded. I don't want this place to become another princess factory. I hope they keep their standards.

 

[indimom3]

New food porn.

That's strange that within a week time the same thing tasted different. Glad you "found" the upstairs -- we love to eat there, especially by a window and people watch.

I'm sorry to not have pictures! My husband already thinks I'm insane with my Disney obsession. I think he'd have me committed if I started photographing our meals. I did take a few pics of him holding a bucket of beer at the Biergarten, though.

 

[KatMark]

I'm sorry to not have pictures! My husband already thinks I'm insane with my Disney obsession. I think he'd have me committed if I started photographing our meals. I did take a few pics of him holding a bucket of beer at the Biergarten, though.

Please don't feel bad. My husband "tolerates" my need to take pictures of the food (and I've already told him that after our four days in Disney next month, I'm taking pictures of our food for eight days in Marco Island ).

I can't wait to see the "bucket of beer" pic.

 

[Hare23]

We are just home from our trip to the world, and I have some dining reviews to share. We were a party of either 2 or 3 adults (my mother was with us for the first half of the trip), 2 kids, and 1 'don't call me a baby' infant.

Columbia Harbor House Lunch (7/25 and 8/1)
Akershus Lunch (7/26)
Roaring Forks Dinner (7/28)
Sanaa Dinner (7/29)
CRT Breakfast (7/30)
Ohana Dinner (7/31)
Biergarten Dinner (8/1)


Columbia Harbor House
We at at CHH twice on our trip. The first time it was great. A big thank you to the Disboarders who recommended eating upstairs - getting out of the noise and heat was priceless. I had the hummus and tomato sandwich, DH had the albacore, Mom had the fish and chips. The kids all had the chicken nuggets. We all enjoyed our meal, although the fish and chips were not anywhere near as good as they are at Epcot, IMO. I ate every bite of the sandwich, it was delicious.
Our second time there, the following Sunday, was a different story. Same sandwiches, different taste. I'm not sure what went wrong week to week, but the bread was super soggy in the middle, and crumbly-stale on the crusts. The brocoli slaw tasted different as well. It was still nice to sit upstairs. We also had to go back down and ask for the kid's grapes and our chips as they were forgotten. Something went off the rails in the kitchen that day.
Service was fine both times. Nothing special, but everyone was polite. Overall, a good place to eat for the MK.

How was the Biergarten Dinner? I will dining there next month with a 4 year old picky eater, lol.

 

[indimom3]

How was the Biergarten Dinner? I will dining there next month with a 4 year old picky eater, lol.

Oh, see, you're skipping ahead! No fair.
They don't have a separate kids' buffet. But they do have a couple of mild sausages that taste very hot-doggish and mac n cheese. I saw the chef pointing them out to another Mom in your situation. The chicken schnitzel is essentially breaded fried chicken breast, pounded thin, and they will give you ketchup. Lots of fruit. My 6yo is a VERY picky eater and she did alright there. My 4yo would still be eating if they would have let her move in.

 

[Hare23]

Oh, see, you're skipping ahead! No fair.
They don't have a separate kids' buffet. But they do have a couple of mild sausages that taste very hot-doggish and mac n cheese. I saw the chef pointing them out to another Mom in your situation. The chicken schnitzel is essentially breaded fried chicken breast, pounded thin, and they will give you ketchup. Lots of fruit. My 6yo is a VERY picky eater and she did alright there. My 4yo would still be eating if they would have let her move in.

oops ! I was not sure you would comment on each, thanks!!

 

[indimom3]

To add to my review - my Mom's salmon burger was also very good. But she regretted ordering it after seeing how many different kinds of salmon were on the buffet.
And the kids loved the pizzas.

We also stopped at the bakery and bought some schoolbread to take back to our cabin with us. Because 2 platters of rice pudding, chocolate mousse cake, and berry stuffed pastry were clearly not enough dessert for us... Yum.

 

[indimom3]

This was our first time trying dinner at Roaring Forks. This is the counter service location inside the Wilderness Lodge. The WL is always worth looking at, and the kids enjoyed walking to see the geyser and the stream bubbling through the lobby.

My Mom and I both had territory salads - which have mixed greens, gorgonzola, raisins, and beets. They mix the salads to order. It was a large portion and very good. We also had some chili which was just barely spicy enough for me. My husband had a roast beef sandwich, which they also made to order, and it would have easily fed 2 grown men. In fact, he had the leftovers for lunch the next day.
The kids had pasta salads (which they said had too much spice in them - they are sensitive to oregano like their mama, so I think that must have been it) and ham or turkey sandwiches, and we all had soft serve for dessert.

It was a great dinner, and we'll definitely head back there next time around.

My husband and I also ate at Artist's Point this trip. I must admit to being slightly disappointed so I didn't single it out for review. Our waiter was good but slow, and we did had a great Pinot. The mushroom soup lived up to it's reviews, nice flavors and very rich. But my halibut was slighly overcooked and the orange sauce was heavy and not really bright and acidic enough to effectively balance the fish and risotto. It was not a well built dish - the parts did not mesh. We were also underwhelmed by the atmosphere, which is hard to say in the WL, since the hotel is so beautiful. It felt like a great big barn, not a gourmet dining experience. It just didn't feel posh enough.

 

[indimom3]

We had dinner at Sanaa on Thursday evening. We arrived just after they opened, and were treated to a drum circle welcome. It was fun, but a little weird to have the hostess ask our name and have to basically YELL it back at her.
I asked for a table near the windows so we could see the animals and we were given a lovely semi-circular booth just across from the windows. We saw several zebra, giraffe, and other assorted animals during our meal. This was very entertaining for the kids and we appreciated being able to linger over our food.
The dining room here is stunning. There are 'trees' that are modeled after acacia trees, with their 'leaves' covering the entire ceiling. The chair backs look like Africa shields and the entire place is filled with muted colors and interesting shapes to look at. I loved it.

Our waitress was overly friendly and chipper at first, but she toned it down after she realized we were real people. She noticed that our kids were hungry, and brought their fruit out very early to take care of that. She knew the answers to all of our many questions about the menu and wine list. She was very good and thorough.

We ordered a red curry duck over wild rice cake to share for a starter, and our YDD and DS devoured it so we had to order another one. Both came out very quickly. It was well spiced, but not hot, and like I said 2 of our kids loved it. The duck was tender and the rice had a nice texture.
The bread service was also outstanding. We ordered one each of the 3 breads and enjoyed all of them, especially the onion kulcha. Our dipping sauces were the sambal, mango chutney, and red pepper hummus. I could have eaten half a gallon of the sambal. It was so spicy and delicious. The others were also good, and mild enough for the kids to enjoy.

The kids meals were your typical disney junk, with the exception of the fish. My YDD ordered that and it was actually very good. It tasted like a trained chef actually took a hand in preparing it. But they had green beans with all the kid's meals that were - honestly - like rubber bands. You could not have eaten them. This is my permanent complaint about Disney food. The kids meals should be so simple, but they are the most inedible meals on the property. What are they thinking?! okay. rant over.

My husband ordered the tandoori lamb and it was excellent. Tender, perfectly cooked, well seasoned. He did not let me have very much of it.
I ordered the slow cooked combo with short ribs and green curry shrimp. It was amazing. The short ribs were in a cinnamon spiced red sauce, and they just melted in your mouth. The shrimp were perfectly cooked in a very interesting green curry sauce. Again, not 'hot,' but spiced and delicious. I added sambal to my basmati rice since I do enjoy spicy food, and I think if we go back again I will ask if the chef is able to fire things up a bit. My husband and I could have shared this combo meal - it was a very large portion.

We shared a half bottle of unoaked south african chardonnay with our meal. It was nice and dry. Many of their wines are available by the half bottle, which is a very nice touch for us. It was fun to see so many South African bottles on the wine list.

The kids had chocolate cake with mickey sprinkles for dessert. Since they had some interesting dessert wines on the menu, my husband and I decided to drink our dessert and ordered some vin santo. It was delicious.

This was probably our favorite meal of the trip. The menu wasn't long, but everything we ordered tasted fantastic. And the restaurant itself is just lovely. Next time, we will save more room for dessert.

We have considered staying at AKL before. But I think as good as Sanaa was, this trip decided us against that. We waited FOREVER for buses to and from Kidani. It was very frustrating, and according to some of the other people on the buses with us, a very common occurence. Also, and this is probably due to the intense heat, but the Savannah really smelled like a Savannah. Somehow, I didn't anticipate that. I know Disney animals are still animals and they all poop somewhere - but I don't think I'd like lingering on my balcony with that in the air.

 

[indimom3]

Oh, if I ran the castle...

If you can't say, "Have a magical day!" with sincerity and at least some enthusiasm, you should not be working at CRT.
If you feel the need to scowl at a 4yo girl for taking too long to walk to her table, because she's gawking at a stained glass window, you should not be working at CRT.
If you see a 2yo boy drop his wishing star, breaking it, and start crying tragic tears, the correct response is, "Let me get you a new star, Prince!" The incorrect response is, "Well, they are made in China, son, not the castle," before turning and walking away.

The concepts of "fine dining" and "move the heck along, you only get 30 minutes at this table" do not mix. And this is the big FAIL of CRT. It's a Princess Factory. It's not a dining experience.

I will say that I had some good granola and yogurt. In a bowl big enough to bathe a baby. Our waiter was very efficient and polite. But it's so obvious that they want you to get OUT. The princesses bustle through and then you are moved along.

We were in the first seating, arriving about 820 for an 840 ADR. We were seated right away in a window table. We were greeted by a team of unsmiling, businesslike hostesses. They were clearly motivated to get our butts in seats, and then get our butts out of those seats.

I ask Disney - where is the magic? Where is the joy in this place?! We were so excited to eat in the CASTLE. We were out of the restaurant by 855. It was our fastest meal of the trip.

I got nothing good to say here. We met Princesses that we could have waited in a 5 minute line in ToonTown to meet. We were treated like cattle. We don't ever need to do that again. I'm sorry that Disney has taken what should be their best, most memorable, dining experience and turned it into an assembly line.

That fine old castle deserves better.

 

[catne]

Loving your reviews so far.

So sorry your castle meal went so crummy...we were really disappointed when they turned dinner into a Princess meal because we figured the princess meals were just as your describe. With no princesses, dinner was much more relaxed...just that short little Fairy Godmother show once an hour. Don't think we'll be back there, probably.

 

[disneymom06]

So true about CRT, It is a mill and I also felt that as soon as we were seated that the clock was ticking on our allotted time.

Can't wait to read more.

 

[The_Aviator]

I did consider doing the CRT for about 1 second, I didn't think it was worth spending two DDP credits for the experience when you can go to 1900PF, meet princesses and evil stepfamilies (which from what I hear is the better part!), eat for as long as you like and get charged only one credit!

It's just a shame that you had to experience it, though

I can't wait to see your Biergarten review though, we're booked for it.

 

[indimom3]

I feel bad trashing the Castle meal, but it just didn't work. I think part of the problem is that you have such high expectations - it's the CASTLE! Then when it doesn't live up to those expectations, to the point where you feel unwelcome, they have farther to fall. Even my princess loving girls said they preferred Akershus.
Ah, well, I'm sure they will still fill it to the brim every day even without my ADRs. Next time we will try 1900 PF - we met the Stepmother and Stepsisters in the park this trip and the kids were thrilled.

I'll finish the other reviews today! I have to get through the mountain of laundry that 3 sweaty kids and 2 sweaty adults created.

 

[KatMark]

Sorry to hear your castle meal did not turn out well. I've read good and bad reviews about both breakfast and dinner. In our over 20 visits, we've never eaten there. We have two boys who when they were small would not be caught dead eating with Princesses; today, at ages 24 and 22 that would be a whole different story.

 

[pigletforever]

I have always wanted to eat at the castle. THis time because my sons girlfriend we will get to. But lately all the reviews are not great. We also have a ressie at Akershus. I managed to get an 8:05 ressie before the park opens. But I wondering if we want to spend 2 credits per person to be treated like cattle.

 

[Iott Family]

We had dinner at Sanaa on Thursday evening. We arrived just after they opened, and were treated to a drum circle welcome. It was fun, but a little weird to have the hostess ask our name and have to basically YELL it back at her.
I asked for a table near the windows so we could see the animals and we were given a lovely semi-circular booth just across from the windows. We saw several zebra, giraffe, and other assorted animals during our meal. This was very entertaining for the kids and we appreciated being able to linger over our food.
The dining room here is stunning. There are 'trees' that are modeled after acacia trees, with their 'leaves' covering the entire ceiling. The chair backs look like Africa shields and the entire place is filled with muted colors and interesting shapes to look at. I loved it.

Our waitress was overly friendly and chipper at first, but she toned it down after she realized we were real people. She noticed that our kids were hungry, and brought their fruit out very early to take care of that. She knew the answers to all of our many questions about the menu and wine list. She was very good and thorough.

We ordered a red curry duck over wild rice cake to share for a starter, and our YDD and DS devoured it so we had to order another one. Both came out very quickly. It was well spiced, but not hot, and like I said 2 of our kids loved it. The duck was tender and the rice had a nice texture.
The bread service was also outstanding. We ordered one each of the 3 breads and enjoyed all of them, especially the onion kulcha. Our dipping sauces were the sambal, mango chutney, and red pepper hummus. I could have eaten half a gallon of the sambal. It was so spicy and delicious. The others were also good, and mild enough for the kids to enjoy.

The kids meals were your typical disney junk, with the exception of the fish. My YDD ordered that and it was actually very good. It tasted like a trained chef actually took a hand in preparing it. But they had green beans with all the kid's meals that were - honestly - like rubber bands. You could not have eaten them. This is my permanent complaint about Disney food. The kids meals should be so simple, but they are the most inedible meals on the property. What are they thinking?! okay. rant over.

My husband ordered the tandoori lamb and it was excellent. Tender, perfectly cooked, well seasoned. He did not let me have very much of it.
I ordered the slow cooked combo with short ribs and green curry shrimp. It was amazing. The short ribs were in a cinnamon spiced red sauce, and they just melted in your mouth. The shrimp were perfectly cooked in a very interesting green curry sauce. Again, not 'hot,' but spiced and delicious. I added sambal to my basmati rice since I do enjoy spicy food, and I think if we go back again I will ask if the chef is able to fire things up a bit. My husband and I could have shared this combo meal - it was a very large portion.

We shared a half bottle of unoaked south african chardonnay with our meal. It was nice and dry. Many of their wines are available by the half bottle, which is a very nice touch for us. It was fun to see so many South African bottles on the wine list.

The kids had chocolate cake with mickey sprinkles for dessert. Since they had some interesting dessert wines on the menu, my husband and I decided to drink our dessert and ordered some vin santo. It was delicious.

This was probably our favorite meal of the trip. The menu wasn't long, but everything we ordered tasted fantastic. And the restaurant itself is just lovely. Next time, we will save more room for dessert.

We have considered staying at AKL before. But I think as good as Sanaa was, this trip decided us against that. We waited FOREVER for buses to and from Kidani. It was very frustrating, and according to some of the other people on the buses with us, a very common occurence. Also, and this is probably due to the intense heat, but the Savannah really smelled like a Savannah. Somehow, I didn't anticipate that. I know Disney animals are still animals and they all poop somewhere - but I don't think I'd like lingering on my balcony with that in the air.

We stayed at AKL back in Feb of 2009 in two savannah rooms and never had any issues with smells so Im guessing its the heat combined with animals in close proximity that created such a barn yard odor! I can tell you that here in Indiana the dairy and hog farms can be wiffed out miles away

 

[indimom3]

We stayed at AKL back in Feb of 2009 in two savannah rooms and never had any issues with smells so Im guessing its the heat combined with animals in close proximity that created such a barn yard odor! I can tell you that here in Indiana the dairy and hog farms can be wiffed out miles away

Well, I'm also in Indiana, and I agree! I laughed out loud when I walked out onto the balcony in Kidani and thought, "It smells like Conner Prairie out here!" It was such a beautiful lodge, though. Maybe if we were to go in winter...