deltachi8
Smells of rich mahogany
- Joined
- Mar 30, 2004
So, its six weeks late, but I have finally gotten around to writing my dining reviews for our wonderful August Vacation featuring the Disney Dining Plan.
On the trip: Me (Dad) and my DS(10 and mostly eating off the kids menu).
Dates: August 22-August 30 at POP.
After a late arrival on the 22nd, we woke up bright and early on August 23rd and headed out to our first destination, the Magic Kingdom then proceeded on an eating adventure for the next week. Here are the Table Service Places we visited:
Crystal Palace: Dinner, August 23. This is one of our favorites and one we always make sure to visit, though this would be our first Dinner. We had a 7:15 seating, arrived at 7 PM and were seated by 7:20. The buffet was good with several choices to meet just about anyones tastes. DS likes to visit Poohs Corner for kids favorites Mac & Cheese and Chicken Fingers. My perosnal favorites here are Cinnamon and Lemon Infused Balsamic Rice, the Fire Roasted Corn Spoon bread, Shrimp, Black Bean and Mango Salad, Sun-Dried Cherry Chutney and the awesomely tasty Wild Mushroom and Chicken Pasta with Bail Asiago Cream Sauce.
Desert selection is diverse and can meet just about anyones tastes. Make sure you visit both sides of the desert bar, as there are different choices on each. My personal favorite this time was the Coconut Flan. The Tiramisu was also very good. DS stuck to the ice cream.
Our server was excellent, very fast with drinks and attentive. The character interaction was very good, not rushed even with a full house. We have pictures with Pooh, Tiger, Piglet and Eyore. Overall rating (out of 5 stars): Food: 4.5, Service: 5, Atmosphere 5.
Boma: Dinner, August 24. We arrived early for our 5 PM seating to check out the Animal Kingdom Lodge. If you have not seen this place, I suggest you do. The lobby and gift shop were very interesting and we were able to see a few animals from the lookout to the Savanah. We checked in at 4:50 and were seated by 5 PM. Our server was terrific, extra so with DS, explaining what was available and encouraging him to try new things. We were seated along the back window for a nice view of the thundershower outside and next to a very nice family from Ohio.
The offerings at Boma are diverse and tasty. As a first timer there, I shed some reservations and decided to go for it, sampling many of the offerings. I cant say I loved everything, but didnt have anything I didnt like. I think I can live on the Muligatony (sp) soup. Creams, with a perfect balance of spice and a hint of sweetness from apples. The salads were fresh and tasty as was te fresh fruit, the Couscous Marrakesh also gets high marks. I thought the Durban Spiced Roasted Chicken was a bit bland, but the varied other offerings certainly made up for it.
DS tried some things, notably the peanut rice which, as our server told him, tasted like peanut butter. He was able to find familiar favorites in chicken fingers and spaghetti with meatballs.
Deserts were terrific, topped off with Zebra Domes. What a great blend o chocolate, sponge cake and coffee. I could eat a plate full if allowed. Service as mentioned, very good: attentive, friendly and helpful. The atmosphere is great, it feels almost like a quiet market place with locals offering up their favorites for you to sample. I highly recommend Boma, it has quickly become one of my favorite places to dine. Service: 5 stars, Food: 4.5 Stars, Atmosphere: 5 Stars.
Mama Melrose: Dinner (Fantasmic Package), August 25. When making our ADRs, we originally were set to return to the Sci Fi but the CM at Disney Dining suggested the Fantasmic Package and Mama Melrose. As both DS and I love Fantasmic, we deced to go along with advice. Our PS was set for 4:50 PM and we arrived at 4:45. After a short 10 minute wait, we were taken to our table.
The restaurant itself is set to remind you of a ol neighborhood Italian place from New York or other metropolitan destination. Red and White table clothes, the tile floor, and open feel to it. On the Fantsmic package you have a set menu to choose from. You receive a flatbread (we had the cheese one), salad , an entrée and desert off the special menu. Our server was very friendly and playfull with DS making us feel very much at home.
The flatbread was very good, and very hot! Let it cool for a second or suffer the burnt roof of the mouth syndrome like I did. No worries, that didnt spoil it for me! The salad was flavorful with a nice light dressing and gorgonzola cheese. Also, the bread brought out is wonderful and hard not to keep eating. Crusty and warm. For diner, I chose the Spicy Italian Sausage with Rigatoni pasta. This is made with peppers, onions, and a tomato-basil sauce topped with caprino cheese. It was good, not great. Not as spicy as I thought it would be, but still good. DS had the Kids Calzone (cheese) which he said was OK it was his first calzone, so he didnt have much to compare it to.
The best part of the meal was desert. I chose the Happiest Celebration on Earth Coffee Tartufo. This is coffee ice cream crusted with crushed coffee beans, chocolate, butterfingers, and hazelnuts with a sambuca Anglaise sauce..or as I put it, heaven on a plate. It was wonderful. The menu says a $2 extra charge for this, but we did not incur that. DS had gelato which he loved. Ratings: Service: 5 Stars, Food: 4 Stars, Atmosphere: 3 Stars (nicely done but a bit too busy for me).
San Angel Inn: Dinner, August 26. I have to put in a small disclaimer here, this is my favorite restaurant at Disney. I love the food and atmosphere here and make it a must visit for each trip. We had a PS for 7 PM and we arrived a bit early, 6:40 and too time to browse the marketplace in the pavillion. If you havent visited before, I suggest you do this, it kind of sets you up for the mood of being in Mexico. The place was very busy and this was our longest wait for a table, as we were not seated until about 7:15. No worries though, we were entertained by the mariachi band and the shopping.
We informed our server (as we always) do that we were on the Dining Plan and for the only time on our trip, this seemed to disappoint our server. He was not rude, but certainly was not friendly either, little to no interaction, no suggestions and no real interest. We waited several minutes forour drinks and never did receive the chips and salsa. This was the only server we were disappointed with during our stay.
However, it did not ruin the meal. For an appetizer, I had the nachos. Nothing spectacular, lots of cheese, put together a bit sloppy, but very tasty. DS, dining from the childrens menu, was not offered an appetizer. For Dinner, DS had Chicken Quesadillas which he liked. He did not eat much of the rice because it had stuff in it (kids ) I had the Puntas De Filete - Beef tenderloin tips sauteed with onions and chile poblano strips covered with roasted chile pasilla sauce. It came with refried beans and rice. The beef was very tender and had a nice spectrum of flavor form the chilis and onions. The rice was a bit dry, but not bad and the beans black beans I believe, were good.
For desert, DS had vanilla ice cream, I had the Capirotada de Chocolate Blanco a raisin bread pudding with white chocolate and caramel this was very good, small by comparison to other places, but perfect size if you ask me.
One of the best parts of eating here is the atmosphere. It is terrific, always dining at night no matter the time the volcano smolders in the distance, the mariachi band plays in the distance, the boats from the river of time float by
Ratings: Service: 2 stars, Food: 4,5 Stars, Atmosphere: 5 stars.
Now: Part Two:
Ohana: Dinner, August 27. The one and only time we arrived a bit late (5 minutes) for our ADR as the bus from DTD took longer than we thought it would. We arrived at 5:0 for a 5 PM PS and understandable, had a wait of about 20 minutes for our table. While waiting, I ordered a Margarita and it was terrific. As you can guess from my tag line, I love em and this was certainly a goo done much better than the frozen ones at Epcot.
After out wait, we were taken to our table, which had a view of the castle, the monorail and Big Thunder Mountain in the distance. Terrific view! We were greeted by our cousin and given the run down of the place. DS was immediately drawn into the how to dance the hula instructions with the other kids and it was a blast to watch. Later, he would participate in the limbo and the coconut races. This is great place to bring your kids as they will not be bored one bit in the grown up restaurant.
The food was plentiful, all you can eat served family style. I loved the lime dressing on the salad, a very nice surprise. The dipping sauces for the fried wontons were tasty I particularly liked the peanut sauce. I would also use these sauces later on for some extra flavor on the meats. The wontons themselves eh.
I didnt eat much of the wings I will probably be shot for admitting this as I am from Buffalo, but I am not a big wing fan. They were not bad though the honey coriander dressing on them was not too sweet. Shrimp was tasty, but not overwhelmingly so. I am not a huge fan of peel your own shrimp, so it wasnt my favorite on the menu. The stir fired mix veggies were well prepared crispy and tasty. A very nice compliment. The augratin potatoes seem like an odd choice for a Polynesian themed meal, but its potatoes and cheese how can you complain? Well, I cant they - were quite good. .
The skewered meat started to arrive next turkey, beef, pork and sausage. The only complaint was that its too much food! All of them tasted good very good flavors, not dried out at all. However, you just feel like your stuffing yourself silly because you want to taste it all. Of course, just to try it, I started using the dipping sauces for the wonton son the meats to add a little extra jazz not needed, but worth the try.
Just when I thought we could not eat any more its desert time the Ohana bread pudding a la mode with Bananas Foster Sauce was amazing. Somehow, I was able to find room for it and Im glad I did. I know people miss the old desert (which I never had) but I cant imagine anyone not liking this.
Our server, once again was terrific. Played games with my DS, was very attentive and had a great smile all the time. The fun and games for the kids is a blast to watch. OHana was a wonderful treat!
Ratings: Service: 5 Stars, Food: 4 Stars, Atmosphere: 4.5 Stars.
LeCelier: Dinner, August 28: Our PS was set for 7:20 PM and the place was jammed. We arrived at 7:05 and were seated by 7:20. The place is built to resemble a lodge in the Canadian woods. Tables are not separated by much, and are lined up so you will get to know your neighbors. If your looking for a quiet, romantic dining place during a peak time this is not it. That is not to put the place down, because the theming is nice, service wonderful and food very good.
Let me start with our server who stands out as the best we had during our trip. He was very friendly and attentive, but also made several suggestions for us. I started out with a cappuccino freeze smoothie and it was great especially after a hot and humid day at the park, it really hit the spot. For appetizers, I had my heart set on the Cheddar Cheese Soup after reading so much about it on the boards, however, I was sold by our server on the Shrimp Cocktail an Asian inspired version served with wasabi slaw and a horseradish chili sauce. It was quite good, just enough spice an heat where it did not over power the shrimp. I did get a taste of the soup as DS orders that. After reading so much about it I have to say, the reviews are not over-stated, its very good.
For the entrée, I chose the 7 oz Filet which is glazed in maple barbecue sauce (very Canadian) and served on a pillow of cream cheese mashed potatoes. I am not a big steak eater in fact, its rare that I have it at all, but this was quite good. The sauce was flavorful and slightly sweet but once again, just enough to add too and not over-power the food. The mashed potatoes are simply excellent. DS had a grilled chicken breast with fries which he liked.
Desert I chose the Creme Brulee sampler the dish divided in half first half, maple crème with a vanilla sugar topping, the second half, vanilla crème with a maple sugar topping. OUTSTANDING! DS had the campfire smores, which he liked (he is a smores nut) especially the presentation.
One thing I truly liked about LeCellier is that the food was wisely portioned. I never felt stuffed but certainly left full. It certainly allowed for each course to be completely enjoyed.
Ratings: Service: 5 Stars plus, Food: 5 Stars, Atmosphere: 3.5 Stars (a bit loud and crowded).
Whispering Canyon Café: Dinner, August 29. We had a 5 PM Priority Seating for the WCC and arrived early to explore the Wilderness Lodge a bit. Terrific lobby in fact, I liked it so much, I plan on staying there next visit. We checked in at 4:45, but Dinner service does not start until 5 PM, so we still had a short wait for our table. We were seated at about 5:05 and were taken to the back section which feels more like the hotel lobby than the restaurant. It is certainly quieter here, we were asked if that was OK, and we said yes as DS can be bothered by noise. In retrospect, I thin for him, it would have been more fun to sit in the main dining room.
Our server greeted us very nicely and took our drink orders. She returned by showering our table with about 40 straws. I had the bottomless milkshake which was very good. For appetizers, I chose the nachos and DS the Southwest Chicken Soup. The Nachos were OK, but nothing grand certainl. DS did not care for his soup but that is because it was not what he is use to having. I tried it and thought it was quite good.
For n entrée, I choose the Grilled Chicken Pasta which is vegetables (not many) and chicken with pene pasta in a cream chipotle garlic sauce. I love chipotle, so I had to try this. It was very tasty and a huge amount of food. I could not come close to finishing it. DS had the grilled cheese and fries from the kids menu which of course arrived with out ketchup. An announcement ensued that the child at the back table needed ketchup, could anyone help him out? Of course, about 15 bottles later, he was smiling and satisfied. We then returned the favor to another diner later on.
When it came time for desert, I had to decline. They all looked wonderful, but there just was no way to do it, now on day 7 of the dining plan, I think I had reached my limit! I chose to have an expresso instead and DS had the worms in dirt, which was messy and delicious according to him.
While there, we also experienced the wooden horse races, DS going to the main dining room to check it out. If you are traveling with kids, make sure you sit in the main room. Yes its loud, yes its busy but its so much fun for the kids. Every kid there had a smile on. If youre an adult only group, I would ask for the back section, which is quieter.
Our server was terrific, a smile always, stayed in character and was very attentive. The food was good and plentiful (maybee overly so) and its a fun place. Ratings: Service: 5 Stars, Food: 3.5 Stars, Atmosphere 4 Stars (depends on what you like).
50s Prime Time Café: Lunch, August 30. Having a pick up time of 3:30 for the Magical Express, our last meal on the dining plan would be a lunch here. It was a strange day. Tropical Storm Ernesto was slated to hit Orlando that day. Many flights were cancelled in anticipation of the storm Disney closed Typhoon Lagoon as well. The parks remained open, but by the looks of it, you wouldnt know. It was very empty at the Studios that day. While the skies looked ominus, it didnt rain a drop until we left (hows that for a little magic).
We had a late lunch planned, 1:30 PM and only had a short 5 minute wait in the living room for our table. When seated in the kitchen, we were met by cousin Tim who instructed us to take our hats off at Moms table and make sure the elbows stay off the table as well. While waiting for our drinks, we enjoyed taking in clips of old shows such as the Mickey Mouse Club, Topper, Car 54, Dick Van **** and Donna Reed.
The appetizer I hose was the fried herb cheese was came with some fresh fruit and crusty, crouton type bread. Very tasty, not at all like a cheese stick for Fridays, much better. DS had chicken noodle soup was hearty and tasty.
For our main courses: I had the chicken sandwich with fries while DS had mac and cheese. Both were OK, nothing great, just good solid food. Desert for me was a hot fudge sundae, while DS had a build your own Sundae. He had fun with is and hey, he is 10 and its ice cream, whats he not going to like? Mine was good, but I think the Sci Fi Sundaes are better.
Overall, the atmosphere of this place can not be beat its terrific, every detail is wonderful. Our server was good, but not overly in character. The food was OK. We would certainly return for the atmosphere itself. Ratings: Service: 4 Stars, Food: 3 Stars, Atmosphere: 5 Stars.
So ends our Table Service reviews for our Dining Plan adventure. 8 Days and 6 pounds gained and many smiles along the way.
On the trip: Me (Dad) and my DS(10 and mostly eating off the kids menu).
Dates: August 22-August 30 at POP.
After a late arrival on the 22nd, we woke up bright and early on August 23rd and headed out to our first destination, the Magic Kingdom then proceeded on an eating adventure for the next week. Here are the Table Service Places we visited:
Crystal Palace: Dinner, August 23. This is one of our favorites and one we always make sure to visit, though this would be our first Dinner. We had a 7:15 seating, arrived at 7 PM and were seated by 7:20. The buffet was good with several choices to meet just about anyones tastes. DS likes to visit Poohs Corner for kids favorites Mac & Cheese and Chicken Fingers. My perosnal favorites here are Cinnamon and Lemon Infused Balsamic Rice, the Fire Roasted Corn Spoon bread, Shrimp, Black Bean and Mango Salad, Sun-Dried Cherry Chutney and the awesomely tasty Wild Mushroom and Chicken Pasta with Bail Asiago Cream Sauce.
Desert selection is diverse and can meet just about anyones tastes. Make sure you visit both sides of the desert bar, as there are different choices on each. My personal favorite this time was the Coconut Flan. The Tiramisu was also very good. DS stuck to the ice cream.
Our server was excellent, very fast with drinks and attentive. The character interaction was very good, not rushed even with a full house. We have pictures with Pooh, Tiger, Piglet and Eyore. Overall rating (out of 5 stars): Food: 4.5, Service: 5, Atmosphere 5.
Boma: Dinner, August 24. We arrived early for our 5 PM seating to check out the Animal Kingdom Lodge. If you have not seen this place, I suggest you do. The lobby and gift shop were very interesting and we were able to see a few animals from the lookout to the Savanah. We checked in at 4:50 and were seated by 5 PM. Our server was terrific, extra so with DS, explaining what was available and encouraging him to try new things. We were seated along the back window for a nice view of the thundershower outside and next to a very nice family from Ohio.
The offerings at Boma are diverse and tasty. As a first timer there, I shed some reservations and decided to go for it, sampling many of the offerings. I cant say I loved everything, but didnt have anything I didnt like. I think I can live on the Muligatony (sp) soup. Creams, with a perfect balance of spice and a hint of sweetness from apples. The salads were fresh and tasty as was te fresh fruit, the Couscous Marrakesh also gets high marks. I thought the Durban Spiced Roasted Chicken was a bit bland, but the varied other offerings certainly made up for it.
DS tried some things, notably the peanut rice which, as our server told him, tasted like peanut butter. He was able to find familiar favorites in chicken fingers and spaghetti with meatballs.
Deserts were terrific, topped off with Zebra Domes. What a great blend o chocolate, sponge cake and coffee. I could eat a plate full if allowed. Service as mentioned, very good: attentive, friendly and helpful. The atmosphere is great, it feels almost like a quiet market place with locals offering up their favorites for you to sample. I highly recommend Boma, it has quickly become one of my favorite places to dine. Service: 5 stars, Food: 4.5 Stars, Atmosphere: 5 Stars.
Mama Melrose: Dinner (Fantasmic Package), August 25. When making our ADRs, we originally were set to return to the Sci Fi but the CM at Disney Dining suggested the Fantasmic Package and Mama Melrose. As both DS and I love Fantasmic, we deced to go along with advice. Our PS was set for 4:50 PM and we arrived at 4:45. After a short 10 minute wait, we were taken to our table.
The restaurant itself is set to remind you of a ol neighborhood Italian place from New York or other metropolitan destination. Red and White table clothes, the tile floor, and open feel to it. On the Fantsmic package you have a set menu to choose from. You receive a flatbread (we had the cheese one), salad , an entrée and desert off the special menu. Our server was very friendly and playfull with DS making us feel very much at home.
The flatbread was very good, and very hot! Let it cool for a second or suffer the burnt roof of the mouth syndrome like I did. No worries, that didnt spoil it for me! The salad was flavorful with a nice light dressing and gorgonzola cheese. Also, the bread brought out is wonderful and hard not to keep eating. Crusty and warm. For diner, I chose the Spicy Italian Sausage with Rigatoni pasta. This is made with peppers, onions, and a tomato-basil sauce topped with caprino cheese. It was good, not great. Not as spicy as I thought it would be, but still good. DS had the Kids Calzone (cheese) which he said was OK it was his first calzone, so he didnt have much to compare it to.
The best part of the meal was desert. I chose the Happiest Celebration on Earth Coffee Tartufo. This is coffee ice cream crusted with crushed coffee beans, chocolate, butterfingers, and hazelnuts with a sambuca Anglaise sauce..or as I put it, heaven on a plate. It was wonderful. The menu says a $2 extra charge for this, but we did not incur that. DS had gelato which he loved. Ratings: Service: 5 Stars, Food: 4 Stars, Atmosphere: 3 Stars (nicely done but a bit too busy for me).
San Angel Inn: Dinner, August 26. I have to put in a small disclaimer here, this is my favorite restaurant at Disney. I love the food and atmosphere here and make it a must visit for each trip. We had a PS for 7 PM and we arrived a bit early, 6:40 and too time to browse the marketplace in the pavillion. If you havent visited before, I suggest you do this, it kind of sets you up for the mood of being in Mexico. The place was very busy and this was our longest wait for a table, as we were not seated until about 7:15. No worries though, we were entertained by the mariachi band and the shopping.
We informed our server (as we always) do that we were on the Dining Plan and for the only time on our trip, this seemed to disappoint our server. He was not rude, but certainly was not friendly either, little to no interaction, no suggestions and no real interest. We waited several minutes forour drinks and never did receive the chips and salsa. This was the only server we were disappointed with during our stay.
However, it did not ruin the meal. For an appetizer, I had the nachos. Nothing spectacular, lots of cheese, put together a bit sloppy, but very tasty. DS, dining from the childrens menu, was not offered an appetizer. For Dinner, DS had Chicken Quesadillas which he liked. He did not eat much of the rice because it had stuff in it (kids ) I had the Puntas De Filete - Beef tenderloin tips sauteed with onions and chile poblano strips covered with roasted chile pasilla sauce. It came with refried beans and rice. The beef was very tender and had a nice spectrum of flavor form the chilis and onions. The rice was a bit dry, but not bad and the beans black beans I believe, were good.
For desert, DS had vanilla ice cream, I had the Capirotada de Chocolate Blanco a raisin bread pudding with white chocolate and caramel this was very good, small by comparison to other places, but perfect size if you ask me.
One of the best parts of eating here is the atmosphere. It is terrific, always dining at night no matter the time the volcano smolders in the distance, the mariachi band plays in the distance, the boats from the river of time float by
Ratings: Service: 2 stars, Food: 4,5 Stars, Atmosphere: 5 stars.
Now: Part Two:
Ohana: Dinner, August 27. The one and only time we arrived a bit late (5 minutes) for our ADR as the bus from DTD took longer than we thought it would. We arrived at 5:0 for a 5 PM PS and understandable, had a wait of about 20 minutes for our table. While waiting, I ordered a Margarita and it was terrific. As you can guess from my tag line, I love em and this was certainly a goo done much better than the frozen ones at Epcot.
After out wait, we were taken to our table, which had a view of the castle, the monorail and Big Thunder Mountain in the distance. Terrific view! We were greeted by our cousin and given the run down of the place. DS was immediately drawn into the how to dance the hula instructions with the other kids and it was a blast to watch. Later, he would participate in the limbo and the coconut races. This is great place to bring your kids as they will not be bored one bit in the grown up restaurant.
The food was plentiful, all you can eat served family style. I loved the lime dressing on the salad, a very nice surprise. The dipping sauces for the fried wontons were tasty I particularly liked the peanut sauce. I would also use these sauces later on for some extra flavor on the meats. The wontons themselves eh.
I didnt eat much of the wings I will probably be shot for admitting this as I am from Buffalo, but I am not a big wing fan. They were not bad though the honey coriander dressing on them was not too sweet. Shrimp was tasty, but not overwhelmingly so. I am not a huge fan of peel your own shrimp, so it wasnt my favorite on the menu. The stir fired mix veggies were well prepared crispy and tasty. A very nice compliment. The augratin potatoes seem like an odd choice for a Polynesian themed meal, but its potatoes and cheese how can you complain? Well, I cant they - were quite good. .
The skewered meat started to arrive next turkey, beef, pork and sausage. The only complaint was that its too much food! All of them tasted good very good flavors, not dried out at all. However, you just feel like your stuffing yourself silly because you want to taste it all. Of course, just to try it, I started using the dipping sauces for the wonton son the meats to add a little extra jazz not needed, but worth the try.
Just when I thought we could not eat any more its desert time the Ohana bread pudding a la mode with Bananas Foster Sauce was amazing. Somehow, I was able to find room for it and Im glad I did. I know people miss the old desert (which I never had) but I cant imagine anyone not liking this.
Our server, once again was terrific. Played games with my DS, was very attentive and had a great smile all the time. The fun and games for the kids is a blast to watch. OHana was a wonderful treat!
Ratings: Service: 5 Stars, Food: 4 Stars, Atmosphere: 4.5 Stars.
LeCelier: Dinner, August 28: Our PS was set for 7:20 PM and the place was jammed. We arrived at 7:05 and were seated by 7:20. The place is built to resemble a lodge in the Canadian woods. Tables are not separated by much, and are lined up so you will get to know your neighbors. If your looking for a quiet, romantic dining place during a peak time this is not it. That is not to put the place down, because the theming is nice, service wonderful and food very good.
Let me start with our server who stands out as the best we had during our trip. He was very friendly and attentive, but also made several suggestions for us. I started out with a cappuccino freeze smoothie and it was great especially after a hot and humid day at the park, it really hit the spot. For appetizers, I had my heart set on the Cheddar Cheese Soup after reading so much about it on the boards, however, I was sold by our server on the Shrimp Cocktail an Asian inspired version served with wasabi slaw and a horseradish chili sauce. It was quite good, just enough spice an heat where it did not over power the shrimp. I did get a taste of the soup as DS orders that. After reading so much about it I have to say, the reviews are not over-stated, its very good.
For the entrée, I chose the 7 oz Filet which is glazed in maple barbecue sauce (very Canadian) and served on a pillow of cream cheese mashed potatoes. I am not a big steak eater in fact, its rare that I have it at all, but this was quite good. The sauce was flavorful and slightly sweet but once again, just enough to add too and not over-power the food. The mashed potatoes are simply excellent. DS had a grilled chicken breast with fries which he liked.
Desert I chose the Creme Brulee sampler the dish divided in half first half, maple crème with a vanilla sugar topping, the second half, vanilla crème with a maple sugar topping. OUTSTANDING! DS had the campfire smores, which he liked (he is a smores nut) especially the presentation.
One thing I truly liked about LeCellier is that the food was wisely portioned. I never felt stuffed but certainly left full. It certainly allowed for each course to be completely enjoyed.
Ratings: Service: 5 Stars plus, Food: 5 Stars, Atmosphere: 3.5 Stars (a bit loud and crowded).
Whispering Canyon Café: Dinner, August 29. We had a 5 PM Priority Seating for the WCC and arrived early to explore the Wilderness Lodge a bit. Terrific lobby in fact, I liked it so much, I plan on staying there next visit. We checked in at 4:45, but Dinner service does not start until 5 PM, so we still had a short wait for our table. We were seated at about 5:05 and were taken to the back section which feels more like the hotel lobby than the restaurant. It is certainly quieter here, we were asked if that was OK, and we said yes as DS can be bothered by noise. In retrospect, I thin for him, it would have been more fun to sit in the main dining room.
Our server greeted us very nicely and took our drink orders. She returned by showering our table with about 40 straws. I had the bottomless milkshake which was very good. For appetizers, I chose the nachos and DS the Southwest Chicken Soup. The Nachos were OK, but nothing grand certainl. DS did not care for his soup but that is because it was not what he is use to having. I tried it and thought it was quite good.
For n entrée, I choose the Grilled Chicken Pasta which is vegetables (not many) and chicken with pene pasta in a cream chipotle garlic sauce. I love chipotle, so I had to try this. It was very tasty and a huge amount of food. I could not come close to finishing it. DS had the grilled cheese and fries from the kids menu which of course arrived with out ketchup. An announcement ensued that the child at the back table needed ketchup, could anyone help him out? Of course, about 15 bottles later, he was smiling and satisfied. We then returned the favor to another diner later on.
When it came time for desert, I had to decline. They all looked wonderful, but there just was no way to do it, now on day 7 of the dining plan, I think I had reached my limit! I chose to have an expresso instead and DS had the worms in dirt, which was messy and delicious according to him.
While there, we also experienced the wooden horse races, DS going to the main dining room to check it out. If you are traveling with kids, make sure you sit in the main room. Yes its loud, yes its busy but its so much fun for the kids. Every kid there had a smile on. If youre an adult only group, I would ask for the back section, which is quieter.
Our server was terrific, a smile always, stayed in character and was very attentive. The food was good and plentiful (maybee overly so) and its a fun place. Ratings: Service: 5 Stars, Food: 3.5 Stars, Atmosphere 4 Stars (depends on what you like).
50s Prime Time Café: Lunch, August 30. Having a pick up time of 3:30 for the Magical Express, our last meal on the dining plan would be a lunch here. It was a strange day. Tropical Storm Ernesto was slated to hit Orlando that day. Many flights were cancelled in anticipation of the storm Disney closed Typhoon Lagoon as well. The parks remained open, but by the looks of it, you wouldnt know. It was very empty at the Studios that day. While the skies looked ominus, it didnt rain a drop until we left (hows that for a little magic).
We had a late lunch planned, 1:30 PM and only had a short 5 minute wait in the living room for our table. When seated in the kitchen, we were met by cousin Tim who instructed us to take our hats off at Moms table and make sure the elbows stay off the table as well. While waiting for our drinks, we enjoyed taking in clips of old shows such as the Mickey Mouse Club, Topper, Car 54, Dick Van **** and Donna Reed.
The appetizer I hose was the fried herb cheese was came with some fresh fruit and crusty, crouton type bread. Very tasty, not at all like a cheese stick for Fridays, much better. DS had chicken noodle soup was hearty and tasty.
For our main courses: I had the chicken sandwich with fries while DS had mac and cheese. Both were OK, nothing great, just good solid food. Desert for me was a hot fudge sundae, while DS had a build your own Sundae. He had fun with is and hey, he is 10 and its ice cream, whats he not going to like? Mine was good, but I think the Sci Fi Sundaes are better.
Overall, the atmosphere of this place can not be beat its terrific, every detail is wonderful. Our server was good, but not overly in character. The food was OK. We would certainly return for the atmosphere itself. Ratings: Service: 4 Stars, Food: 3 Stars, Atmosphere: 5 Stars.
So ends our Table Service reviews for our Dining Plan adventure. 8 Days and 6 pounds gained and many smiles along the way.
