Just Back - A few dining reviews

[jmm476]

Thanks for the great reviews so far. Can't wait to hear about Biergarten. I'll be eating there for the first time next month!

 

[indimom3]

I've been on the Disboards long enough to realize that there are people who LOVE Ohana, and people who do not feel the love.

We've eaten breakfast there our past 2 trips, and just love everything about it. So this trip when I scored a perfectly time dinner ADR, we decided to try dinner. We were there when they opened, for an ADR of 5:15. We were seated pretty much right away.

Our waitress was very nice and friendly, urged us to take our time and pick out drinks. Our drinks came very quickly once we'd ordered them, about the same time as the salad. I loved the salad. It was so light and refreshing. I can say the same for the rum runner. The pineapple welcome bread was not as good as the bread we'd had previously with breakfast, but it was still very tasty. The wings and the dumplings were next. As someone who LOVES spicy Asian food, I was pretty underwhelmed. I wish one of their trio of sauces had a good kick to it, that would have helped. They were good, just nothing to write home about.
The noodles and brocoli/sugar snap peas were next. Again, I loved the vegetables. Brocoli is a great favorite for 2 of my kids (go figure) so we were very happy with this course. The noodles were alright, but not much flavor going on there.

The meat started coming out about this time. It was also time for the kid's hula lesson, so they ran up to get leis and do a little parade. And it was also time for rum runner #2. The pair of servers were both very good. They repeatedly asked if we wanted more of anything, and brought my picky 6yo a plate of chicken nuggets when she rejected the other meats. They also seemed happy for us to linger after our pudding arrived.

I had been worried about tough leathery steak, after reading reviews here, so initially I took more of the pork, chicken (no turkey, boo) and shrimp. But I cut into the steak and realized it was medium rare - red and very juicy in the center. Possibly underdone for some, but perfect for me. It was the pork and chicken that were dried out. My husband got splashed with a bowl of steak juices, but other than that the service was great throughout the meal. It was truly a feast - so much food, and it just kept coming.

The bread pudding about put me into a coma. After the steak, it was certainly the best thing about the meal.

We were not rushed through dinner, as I worried we might be. The flavors were not as bold as I hoped they would be, particularly for the sauces. Everything was pretty bland. But the kids did 2 sets of hula dances and a parade, they really enjoyed it. And let's face it, 2 strong rum runners will make almost any evening a success.

I'm not sure if we'll go back there for dinner. It was fun but not spectacular. We might try the Kona sushi lounge next time, since our kids will eat sushi now. We will definitely be back for drinks!

 

[indimom3]

Our last big dinner at Disney!

We had never been to the Biergarten before, and I was not really expecting much from the food. I knew the kids would enjoy the music and dancing, and I hoped the atmosphere would let them be noisy and have a good meal for our last big night in the World.

We checked in at about 6pm, in mid-thunderstorm. Epcot had emptied out that afternoon, as the rain came and went. It was a perfect time to head in for dinner. We were seated right away, at a great table right off the dance floor. The band was playing when we came in. They were so fun. The kids were thrilled by the long horn, and the interior of the restaurant with the tree and the water wheel. You could tell it really grabbed them.

My husband and I both ordered beer. I had a wheat beer, he ordered the stout, both were great. They gave him a take out cup at the end of the meal because he could not work his way through the entire bucket, even though we were there for an hour.

The buffet was well stocked - our favorites were the daikon salad (nicely seasoned with caraway, I believe), beef roulades, and sauerbraten. The cabbage dishes were also well made, and the spatzle was amazing, very peppery. I have no idea how they make it so tender for such a crowd!

The kids enjoyed mac n cheese, chicken snitzel, and the cold sausage assortment. They also had fruit - apples, watermelon, and grapes. The desserts were very good, but by far the best was the apple strudel.

We had a reisling tasting at the end of the meal which was also very good. I'm not a huge fan of sweet wines, but good reisling is a nice treat on a hot day.

The band came back on before we had dessert and we all got up and danced with several others from the crowd. Everyone had a great time.

I think this was the kid's favorite meal of the week. Mine is a toss up between this one and Sanaa. Very different, but both great experiences. The food was much, much better here than I expected. There was a great variety of things to try and most of it was very well prepared. The waitress was friendly and attentive without being too pushy, she seemed to be enjoying herself and that makes a big difference. At CRT, the staff seemed to be braced for an assault. At Biergarten, they seemed to enjoy watching the guests enjoy themselves.

We will definitely go back. If we manage to sneak back down for a few days in December, this will be our Candlelight Processional dinner destination. It was a lot of fun.

 

[KatMark]

We've never done Ohanas and still aren't sure we want to so thanks for your honest review. I am SO happy you enjoyed Biergarten. We'll be back next month for the first time in about six years and I can't wait. We've always had great service and we've always enjoyed the food too. The entertainment can't be beat to entertain kids (although ours no longer go with us). My DH has to get a "to go" cup too because he can never quite finish that beer either.

 

[TheNewMrsB]

My family went to Biergarten last year and had a great time. I've been wanting to try it out but we always wind up making another ADR instead - no complaints here, but it is a place I'd like to try sometime. Glad you enjoyed it!

Oh, and the Kona sushi bar? YUM! Definitely give that a try (and I'll go to 'Ohana in your place! )

 

[ghengber]

Very informative

 

[disnut1149]

Hi
I really enjoyed reading your reviews!! It's a shame your CRT breakfast was so
rushed. My DD, DGD and I went 2 years ago, and we had a late breakfast and we weren't rushed at all. Our waitress was great and the characters spent a lot of time with my DGD. She was dressed as Jasmine, so Jasmine kept coming back to our table. It was one of the best character meals that we had. Thanks for sharing!!

 

[The_Aviator]

oh wow I loved the Biergarten review! Really got me excited for my trip! thanks!

 

[SlightlyGoofy]

Hey, is there room down on the farm for another Hoosier?

Nice report. You are so right in that the food quality etc. can vary from day to day and sometimes within the same day. What is rough is when you had a good experience one year, dream about it all year long, and when you go back it does not match your previous experience, or memory.

Slightly Goofy

 

[thumper*]

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...

HEHE you must be from Indianapolis.

Enjoying your reviews thanks for taking the time.

Sorry to hear about CRT I agree that it should be an ideal experience for the price and anticipation.

 

[TxRabbit]

Really enjoyed reading your reviews! Thanks for taking the time to do them. It was great to read your perspective because DH and I also enjoy spicy (hot spicy) food.

 

[LisaKeys]

Thanks for the dinner reviews. It was interesting to read about a couple of other restaurants that weren't mentioned in previous posts I've read.

I'm glad we hadn't picked the castle as one of our ADR's. I have read many reviews complaining of either the service, the whole experience not being worth the tickets, or being rushed. I don't think Mr. Disney would be happy at all - unfortunate. Perhaps word will eventually get to them, and the won't overbook - allowing for a finer dining experience. 11

Have a wonderful fall 2010!