Let the Stomach Stretching Begin! (Oct PTR) 11/2 - List of December ADRs

[annnewjerz]

I'm in for this one.

Yay!

Welcome. I hope it's an enjoyable read!

 

[annnewjerz]

Alright people, we're 5 days out and I decided I can't wait anymore. I need....


SNACK SUGGESTIONS!

Now, when suggesting a snack, please take the following into consideration:

1. We will not be on the DDP, so anything is fair game.
2. We will only be at CSR and the MK area, with the exception of a dinner at the Dolphin.
3. DH and I have never really had any of those good Disney treats (Dole Whip, Icecream cookie sandwich, Disney popcorn, MK cinnamon roll, etc.)
4. We have a $20 per day snack budget. I'm sure this will be more than enough for snacks for two people, but just in case I'm not being realistic about prices, let's keep the snacks $5 and under, no snooty $10 snacks here!

I'm open for suggestions of any kind. Fudge, candy, pretzels, cookies---bring it on!

 

[scoot241]

Main Street Bakery Cinnamon Roll (Note: cinnamon rolls in other parks do not compare)
Mickey Bar (need convincing? See pictures at the end of this post: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=33896026#post33896026)
The bags of chocolate covered pretzels are really good
I don't think I've ever had the rice krispie treats, but I hear they're rather good too

I know, these probably sound pretty standard, but they're soooo good (especially the cinnamon roll).

 

[NuttyDisneyMom]

MUST HAVE MAIN ST BAKERY CINNAMON ROLL!! Eat, euphoric feeling of deliciousness, repeat!

The fudge is also fabulous from MS confectionary in MK. They have SO many different varieties and you get a big piece for a good price

 

[annnewjerz]

Alright, everyone. I'm leaving tomorrow morning and just wanted to say thank you to everyone who has been reading so far and that I hope I have lots off good dining experiences to tell you about when I get back.

I also wanted to tell you all again that I will be using twitter and live blogging while in The World. If you want to follow me on either of those, see the links in post 19 of this review or go to:

www.anngoestowdw.blogspot.com

and

www.twitter.com/annnewjerz

Talk to you all next week!!

Ann

 

[KatMark]

Alright, everyone. I'm leaving tomorrow morning and just wanted to say thank you to everyone who has been reading so far and that I hope I have lots off good dining experiences to tell you about when I get back.

I also wanted to tell you all again that I will be using twitter and live blogging while in The World. If you want to follow me on either of those, see the links in post 19 of this review or go to:

www.anngoestowdw.blogspot.com

and

www.twitter.com/annnewjerz

Talk to you all next week!!


Ann

Ann, have a wonderful trip. Can't wait for the reviews.

 

[annnewjerz]

Ann, have a wonderful trip. Can't wait for the reviews.

Thanks, Kathy!!

 

[NuttyDisneyMom]

Have a safe and magical trip!!! Take lots of pics

 

[annnewjerz]

Alright everyone, let the reviews begin!!! I'll be incorporating tweets/blog entries into my reviews if I posted any while we were on our trip.

October 17th was the first day of our trip (my birthday) and we had one reservation planned---dinner at Todd English's bluezoo.

We walked over through Epcot's International Gateway. It was a nice (if not chilly) walk. Eventually we saw the Dolphin and considering all we had eaten up until that point (approximately 5:00pm) was a donut for breakfast and some cookies on our flight---it was like seeing the pearly gates of heaven in front of us. Salvation in the form of a seafood restaurant.

I really thought that finding bluezoo would take a bit of effort. I've never been in the Swolphin before and didn't know what to expect. Luckily, as soon as we entered the doors into the hotel we were delighted to see bluezoo to our immediate right.

We checked in and because it was about 4:45 at this point and dinner doesn't begin until 5:00, we had a seat at the bar. Erik decided to have a beer and I had a diet Coke. It felt so nice to sit down and know we'd be relaxing for the next hour or two.

At about 5:00 exactly, we were told we could be seated whenever we were ready and were escorted from the lounge to the restaurant. I've got to say that it was a really pretty restaurant. Very cool looking, very empty and even though it was fancy it wasn't overly stuffy. Erik was wearing khaki shorts and a polo shirt and I was wearing a dress with sandals.

At dinner at bluezoo. Restaurant is very nice, server is great. Ordered a million apps.
5:23 PM Oct 17th from Tweetie

Once we were seated, our server came over. I wish I could remember his name, he was great. He went over everything on the menu, made recommendations and gave us probably far too much time to sit and ponder what we wanted to order.

At this point, everything on the menu looked amazing. We hadn't eaten anything but a donut and some chocolate chip cookies all day and probably would have eaten just about anything at this point.

We ended up ordering a bunch of appetizers rather than an entree each just to get a sample of everything we could.

First, out came the bread. There were three different types---one was parmesan and crunchy, one was ciabatta bread and one was this soft buttery bread that was sooooo good.

Next came the appetizers. We went with the following:

bluezoo's New England Style Clam Chowder - light and brothy with salt cured bacon, house-made oyster crackers: Erik wanted to try this, I'm not a fan of clam chowder. It definitely matched the description and even came with little mini-clams in the shell inside the soup. Unfortunately, Erik didn't read the description. He likes thick, chunky soup and this was more brothy and light. He said it tasted good, but in terms of texture he wasn't a huge fan.

"Olive's" Classico Flatbread - roasted tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, torn basil: I decided to order this after seeing (I believe) MickeyNicki's dining report. It was really good. The crust was light and crisp, the tomato sauce wasn't like a pizza sauce at all and all of the ingredients tasted nice and fresh. It doesn't look like it, but it was actually a really good size, 8 pieces total.

Yellowfin Tuna Tartare - from the "Olive's" table, twisted cucumber salad, crispy rock shrimp, orange glaze, scallion cream: This is something that we didn't originally intend to order, but after hearing the description and that the tuna came out cold sushi style, I thought it sounded really nice and refreshing. I really liked it a lot and, in fact, ate probably the whole thing. Erik wasn't a fan of the cucumber and the orange glaze, so he took two forkfuls and left the rest for me.

Teppan Seared Jumbo Sea Scallops - braised beef short rib, silky cauliflower puree: THIS was the most anticipated dish of the whole trip, after reading the description and hearing Carrie (Lurkyloo) rave about it, my mouth was watering. This dish definitely lived up to all expectations and, in fact, exceeded it. I thought for sure that once Erik saw it had cauliflower he would refuse to eat it, but he ended up LOVING it. We actually ordered a second serving because Erik couldn't get enough. The scallops were cooked perfectly, the short rib could be pulled apart with the lightest touch of the fork and the cauliflower puree/sauce situation was awesome. Every bite was like a little slice of heaven and I'm completely in love with it. I'm seriously considering making another reservation for our trip in December.

Scallops are amazing. Just put on an order for more. Mmmmmmmmmm. Screw dessert.
5:50 PM Oct 17th from Tweetie

That plan didn't work. We ordered dessert AND the scallops. This is vacation, after all, right?

Warm Chocolate Cake - with liquid ganache center, maracaibo chocolate cream pudding, peanut ice cream: This was another Carrie recommendation. I love chocolate and I love peanut (butter) so I figured it would be a great dessert. It came out and was mighty tasty. The chocolate pudding was good, the icecream was only slightly peanutty and the center of the cake was nice and gooey. It gets a definite thumbs up, but definitely not one of my top 5 desserts or anything, just good. Luckily, our server was great and since I noted it was our "anniversary celebration" on our reservation, when the check came we weren't charged for the cake.

Our dinner totaled $90 with tip, which was not bad considering we got 5 apps and a dessert, as well as two sodas.

Maybe it was because we were extremely hungry, or maybe it was because bluezoo is just that good. Whatever the reason, I'm currently working on rearranging some ressies to see if we can fit it in again for our trip in December.

This restaurant definitely gets a Pure Fizzy Lifting Drink Ecstasy.

This was a GREAT way to start the trip and I'm hoping I can get there again soon.

Next Up: Breakfast @ Kona Cafe

 

[scoot241]

Yum! bluezoo at the Swolphin looks delicious! $90 for five appetizers and dessert isn't too bad either. I've never actually been inside the Emerald City; might be something to consider one day.

 

[disneyfav4ever]

I love the rating system.

I love the original Willy Wonka, but did not like the remake. It was one of those movies that should have never been made IMO.

 

[KatMark]

Blue Zoo looks terrific. Great start.

 

[LMO429]

looking forward to more reviews

 

[mchelle77]

Subbing

 

[MickeyNicki]

Oh I just love BlueZoo! I cannot wait to get back there....I was telling DH that the next time we go for 10 days I want to do all the fancy dancy dining and he said we may not fit in the car to go home

 

[GoofySon'sMom]

Ok, one of these days I need to go without the dining plan so I can eat at Blue Zoo! YUM!

 

[Happydog]

THANK you for this review! We are trying to decide between BlueZoo and Flying Fish for Christmas Dinner -- We have never tried either...

Looking forward to more!!

 

[annnewjerz]

Our second reservation of the trip was breakfast at Kona Cafe. This was another first for us and we were really looking forward to it.

We arrived at Kona about 15 minutes ahead of our reservation time and were seated within 10 minutes or so. My initial thoughts upon seeing the restaurant was that the placement of it was a little weird. It was very open to the floor it was on with just a railing dividing it from the hallways with people walking to/from the monorail, gift shops, etc. It felt a little public, but luckily we were seated towards the back of the restaurant near the Kona Island Coffee place, so there was slightly more privacy.

I made sure to proudly display my birthday button because you never know what kind of pixie dust you may experience if you make it know what you are "celebrating today." Turns out it got me nothing. I didn't expect a free meal, free dessert or anything, but not even a happy birthday from our server? C'mon now!

After looking over the menu, even though I reeeeally wanted the macadamia pineapple pancakes, I went with the Tonga Toast to see if it lived up to all the hype it gets here on the DIS. I must say, my initial reaction was disappointment when I saw this plate put down in front of me.

I don't expect a gourmet presentation or anything, but how sad looking is that plate?? First, there are like three shriveled bacon pieces that weren't even hot. Second, the Tonga Toast looks like it's using the bathroom (if you know what I mean). Regardless, I know looks aren't everything and proceeded to eat my breakfast. I'm not a fan of regular French Toast, so on the plus side, this tasted nothing like French Toast. It was lighter, crispy from being fried and absolutely covered in sugar. Very sweet, almost like a donut, but not nearly enough banana on the inside. All in all, I'd give this breakfast a "meh."

Erik decided that he wanted to try a little of everything, especially since our next meal wasn't unil 5:00 at The Plaza. He ordered the Big Kahuna, which consists of just about every breakfast food you can imagine.

I guess this could be compared to the Grand Slam at Denny's or something. It had eggs, bacon, ham, sausage, potato, french toast and pancakes. I tried the pancakes, which were what I really wanted and they were soooo good, really made me regret the Tonga Toast. Erik had the rest of the stuff and liked it enough. He said it all tasted good, but that there wasn't anything particularly special about what he got.

Considering breakfast is cheap, we'll probably give Kona another shot on our trip in December, but wouldn't be disappointed if we couldn't fit it in.

For now, I think Kona should be rated an Augustus Gloop. Breakfast definitely wasn't bad, but not really anything more than just good. Not very memorable.

Up next: Dinner at The Plaza

 

[KatMark]

Mark is dying to have that Big Kahuna for breakfast; and I was very disappointed about the Tonga Toast. I've read good and bad and now not sure what way to go with making that ressie.

 

[annnewjerz]

Mark is dying to have that Big Kahuna for breakfast; and I was very disappointed about the Tonga Toast. I've read good and bad and now not sure what way to go with making that ressie.

I would definitely give it a try, it's inexpensive enough that if you don't love it at least you weren't wasting $35 on a steak dinner or something.

Our breakfast wasn't stellar, but it definitely wasn't bad. In December, we already have Crystal Palace and Kouzzina booked for breakfast---so we'll probably head back to Kona just to see if we had an off day. If it's just so-so again, we probably won't go back. My theory is that no matter what reviews I read, I like to try stuff out for myself. People hate San Angel Inn and I love it. Different strokes for different folks!