We just got back tonight (well, technically yesterday, since it's after midnight) from a five-night stay. Here's the scoop:
Sunday -- arrival and DTD.
We'd planned on eating at Wolfgang Puck express, but it was closed. At at Earl of Sandwich instead. DH had the italian sub and a brownie, I had the ham and swiss and the bread pudding. Nothing special here; certainly nothing that would induce me to pay OOP for anything on the menu. The food wasn't bad, just wasn't particularly interesting.
Monday -- Epcot and Whispering Canyon
Lunch: Kringla Bakery in Norway. I had Chicken Salad, DH had roast beef; MIL and FIL were also there and had salmon sandwiches with soup. We all had rice cream for dessert. DD (2.5) had the kids' PB&J, which was just an uncrustable. Sandwiches were filling and tasty, but the big hit was MIL's seafood soup. It was fresh, creamy, light and fantastic! I slurped down a good third of hers, and seriously considered returning to Epcot every day just to get some more. I never did return, but I'm still thinking about that soup.
Dinner -- Whispering Canyon Cafe. We all ordered the skillet and milkshakes. Food was good, but not spectacular. The pulled pork was the best of the lot -- not greasy at all, but very flavorful. Made the ribs seem tasteless by comparison. The peel and eat shrimp weren't spectacular, but they were kind of addictive. I couldn't stop eating them. Atmosphere, however, was great! DD was delighted when the CMs started everyone singing songs, and she about died of joy when she got to ride a hobby-horse around the restaurant. Our second favorite overall dining experience of the trip.
Tuesday -- DHS and Riverside Food Court
Brunch -- Play & Dine at Hollywood & Vine. This meal was the surprise of the trip. I scheduled it because DD loves the Little Einsteins, but didn't expect much of the food. Our ADR was for 11:20 am, the last breakfast seating. We got seated immediately, and the restaurant was maybe 1/4 full. We started out with breakfast (your usual meats and mickey waffles, plus a truly delicious potato and cheese casserole), but they also served lunch while we were there. Lunch was amazing! The seafood pasta was so good I wished I hadn't eaten any breakfast foods, and DH greatly enjoyed the meat they had (can't remember exactly what, sorry). They also had tiny fruit tarts for dessert that beat the desserts we got anywhere else that week. Best of all, each of the characters made it around to our table at least 3x, and each spent a fair amount of time with my starstruck daughter. Plus, she got to get up and dance with Leo and June. Definitely our favorite meal all week.
Dinner -- Riverside Food Court. Plenty of food, plenty of variety. DH had a hamburger, I had the create-your-own pasta and DD had pizza. The food was filling and tasty, though nothing really special. My only complaint was that the kids' menu was so limited -- we only saw Mac & Cheese and Spaghetti with red sauce on the menu, and had to pay adult prices for an 8-inch pizza.
Wednesday -- Magic Kingdom
Lunch -- Crystal Palace. I think I would have loved this if we hadn't been spoiled by the buffet on Tuesday. We had an 11:30 lunch ADR, and the place was packed! It was so busy that Winnie the Pooh never even made it over to our table (though DD did get to march next to him in the parade around the restaurant). The food was good, and I particularly appreciated that they have plenty of green veggies available. I didn't care for the flank steak I tried (tough, citrus marinade overwhelmed the flavor of the meat), but there was a delicious corn/polenta dish and the mashed potatoes were delicious.
Dinner -- Pinocchio Village Haus. We'd actually planned on eating at Columbia Harbor House that night, but for some reason it closed at 5:00. It was also pouring down rain and we were starving, so we settled on the Village Haus. The menu is terrible -- they basically offer chicken nuggets, pizza, and a few haldhearted attempts at salad. I got the Mediterranean salad, DH got nuggets and the ILs got pizza. We also got a side of Figaro fries to share. Given how limited the menu was, it was surprising the food was so bad. Nobody finished their meal.
Thursday -- MK and Epcot
Lunch -- Pecos Bill cafe. I got a barbecue pork sandwich, DH got a burger. I really liked the sandwich, which wasn't barbecue as southerners know it, but was still quite good. The sauce was on the sweeter side, rather than smoky and vinegary like I'm used to. Portion size was just right, too. DH liked his burger, and I was impressed by the great toppings bar.
Dinner -- Coral Reef. This is the restaurant I'm having the hardest time reviewing. The food was definitely the best we had all week, but the rest of the experience was pretty poor.
First, the place was super crowded. We had a 6:50 ADR, and didn't get seated until 7:20. When I made the ADR, I asked for a table near the tank, and was told that I'd need to request it when I arrived. The operator failed to mention, however, that they restaurant only has two tables near the tank large enough to seat a party of five. When we checked in, we were told that if we wanted to sit near the tank, we'd need to wait at least an hour.
Second, the service was horrible. Our server was incredibly slow and forgetful. We needed to ask for a booster seat three times before it was delivered, he forgot my MIL's wine and my DD's side dish (!), and did I mention he was slow? We sat at our table for 10 minutes before he even showed up to take our drink orders.
Third, and this is a small point, but the service itself was just lackluster. I told them when I made the ADR that we were celebrating my MIL's birthday and mentioned it again at check in. My MIL was standing right there, and the hostess didn't offer even a desultory "Happy Birthday." It's not like I was expecting balloons and fireworks, but a simple greeting would have been nice.
Finally,the place is LOUD! As in, school cafeteria loud. We couldn't even hear each other speak across the table.
But as I mentioned before, the food was amazing. DH and I both had the steak, and it was perfectly cooked, tender and flavorful. I tried MIL's Mahi-Mahi and was similarly impressed. I had the Key Lime Tart for dessert, and devoured the whole thing; the only dessert I finished all week. It was a perfect balance of sweet and tart, and the topping (some kind of marshmallow or meringue) was excellent.
I think that's all. Hope these reviews prove helpful to someone!
Sunday -- arrival and DTD.
We'd planned on eating at Wolfgang Puck express, but it was closed. At at Earl of Sandwich instead. DH had the italian sub and a brownie, I had the ham and swiss and the bread pudding. Nothing special here; certainly nothing that would induce me to pay OOP for anything on the menu. The food wasn't bad, just wasn't particularly interesting.
Monday -- Epcot and Whispering Canyon
Lunch: Kringla Bakery in Norway. I had Chicken Salad, DH had roast beef; MIL and FIL were also there and had salmon sandwiches with soup. We all had rice cream for dessert. DD (2.5) had the kids' PB&J, which was just an uncrustable. Sandwiches were filling and tasty, but the big hit was MIL's seafood soup. It was fresh, creamy, light and fantastic! I slurped down a good third of hers, and seriously considered returning to Epcot every day just to get some more. I never did return, but I'm still thinking about that soup.
Dinner -- Whispering Canyon Cafe. We all ordered the skillet and milkshakes. Food was good, but not spectacular. The pulled pork was the best of the lot -- not greasy at all, but very flavorful. Made the ribs seem tasteless by comparison. The peel and eat shrimp weren't spectacular, but they were kind of addictive. I couldn't stop eating them. Atmosphere, however, was great! DD was delighted when the CMs started everyone singing songs, and she about died of joy when she got to ride a hobby-horse around the restaurant. Our second favorite overall dining experience of the trip.
Tuesday -- DHS and Riverside Food Court
Brunch -- Play & Dine at Hollywood & Vine. This meal was the surprise of the trip. I scheduled it because DD loves the Little Einsteins, but didn't expect much of the food. Our ADR was for 11:20 am, the last breakfast seating. We got seated immediately, and the restaurant was maybe 1/4 full. We started out with breakfast (your usual meats and mickey waffles, plus a truly delicious potato and cheese casserole), but they also served lunch while we were there. Lunch was amazing! The seafood pasta was so good I wished I hadn't eaten any breakfast foods, and DH greatly enjoyed the meat they had (can't remember exactly what, sorry). They also had tiny fruit tarts for dessert that beat the desserts we got anywhere else that week. Best of all, each of the characters made it around to our table at least 3x, and each spent a fair amount of time with my starstruck daughter. Plus, she got to get up and dance with Leo and June. Definitely our favorite meal all week.
Dinner -- Riverside Food Court. Plenty of food, plenty of variety. DH had a hamburger, I had the create-your-own pasta and DD had pizza. The food was filling and tasty, though nothing really special. My only complaint was that the kids' menu was so limited -- we only saw Mac & Cheese and Spaghetti with red sauce on the menu, and had to pay adult prices for an 8-inch pizza.
Wednesday -- Magic Kingdom
Lunch -- Crystal Palace. I think I would have loved this if we hadn't been spoiled by the buffet on Tuesday. We had an 11:30 lunch ADR, and the place was packed! It was so busy that Winnie the Pooh never even made it over to our table (though DD did get to march next to him in the parade around the restaurant). The food was good, and I particularly appreciated that they have plenty of green veggies available. I didn't care for the flank steak I tried (tough, citrus marinade overwhelmed the flavor of the meat), but there was a delicious corn/polenta dish and the mashed potatoes were delicious.
Dinner -- Pinocchio Village Haus. We'd actually planned on eating at Columbia Harbor House that night, but for some reason it closed at 5:00. It was also pouring down rain and we were starving, so we settled on the Village Haus. The menu is terrible -- they basically offer chicken nuggets, pizza, and a few haldhearted attempts at salad. I got the Mediterranean salad, DH got nuggets and the ILs got pizza. We also got a side of Figaro fries to share. Given how limited the menu was, it was surprising the food was so bad. Nobody finished their meal.
Thursday -- MK and Epcot
Lunch -- Pecos Bill cafe. I got a barbecue pork sandwich, DH got a burger. I really liked the sandwich, which wasn't barbecue as southerners know it, but was still quite good. The sauce was on the sweeter side, rather than smoky and vinegary like I'm used to. Portion size was just right, too. DH liked his burger, and I was impressed by the great toppings bar.
Dinner -- Coral Reef. This is the restaurant I'm having the hardest time reviewing. The food was definitely the best we had all week, but the rest of the experience was pretty poor.
First, the place was super crowded. We had a 6:50 ADR, and didn't get seated until 7:20. When I made the ADR, I asked for a table near the tank, and was told that I'd need to request it when I arrived. The operator failed to mention, however, that they restaurant only has two tables near the tank large enough to seat a party of five. When we checked in, we were told that if we wanted to sit near the tank, we'd need to wait at least an hour.
Second, the service was horrible. Our server was incredibly slow and forgetful. We needed to ask for a booster seat three times before it was delivered, he forgot my MIL's wine and my DD's side dish (!), and did I mention he was slow? We sat at our table for 10 minutes before he even showed up to take our drink orders.
Third, and this is a small point, but the service itself was just lackluster. I told them when I made the ADR that we were celebrating my MIL's birthday and mentioned it again at check in. My MIL was standing right there, and the hostess didn't offer even a desultory "Happy Birthday." It's not like I was expecting balloons and fireworks, but a simple greeting would have been nice.
Finally,the place is LOUD! As in, school cafeteria loud. We couldn't even hear each other speak across the table.
But as I mentioned before, the food was amazing. DH and I both had the steak, and it was perfectly cooked, tender and flavorful. I tried MIL's Mahi-Mahi and was similarly impressed. I had the Key Lime Tart for dessert, and devoured the whole thing; the only dessert I finished all week. It was a perfect balance of sweet and tart, and the topping (some kind of marshmallow or meringue) was excellent.
I think that's all. Hope these reviews prove helpful to someone!
