A few notes before the epic adventure begins.
My best friend and I went to Orland for a week over spring break. While the weather didnt always cooperate, we had a great time. Whilst at WDW, we partook of the Silver Plan, which I will probably never do again. I love to eat, and as you can tell from our reviews, have yet to meet a meal I didnt like. However, I got home and did not eat for 2 days because I just couldnt believe how much we packed away. It was really over the top, and I think for the future, a few counter service or non-three course meals are a good idea! That said, Disney made no money on us, as we worked hard to come out ahead on our wishes.
Bottom line for those who dont want to read this saga:
Favorite Lunch: Cinderellas Royal Table
Favorite Dinner: Cath: Brown Derby
Bekki: Tchoup Chop
Best Time: Hoop De Doo
Biggest Surprise: Earl of Sandwich or Enchanted Oak Tavern
Restaurant Reviews
4/9/04
Tchoup Chop, Royal Pacific Resort
Dinner: This had been one of my top restaurants in the Orlando area, and it still holds its place! We were given an amuse bouche of a fried egg roll type thing with Brie and smoked salmon. Although Cath isnt a fish person, it was pretty good. To start we shared the steamed dumplings. While quite good on their own, the peanut sauce served with the shrimp chips added a neat dimension. The sauce also went well with Caths meal of the duck and chow mein noodles. The duck itself was excellent, but the noodles had almost a sweet flavor that was a little weird. I had a repeat favorite of the pork chop and mashed sweet potatoes. Yumm! A great dish again. For dessert we had essentially the same thing, just in a different form. I had pecan pie with vanilla ice cream; Cath had a praline parfait, pecan pie filling layered with cream. Both were outstanding.
4/10/04
Enchanted Oak Tavern, Islands of Adventure
Lunch: For counter service, this place was soooo good. I had the smoked chicken salad with raspberry vinaigrette. It came with a corn muffin, although it didnt say it on the menu, so I ordered one, and ended up with two. No matter, I love corn muffins
Cath had the smoked chicken plate, which came with corn and French fries. A great counter service mealand not crowded either!
Confisicos Grille, Islands of Adventure
Dinner: After a lazy afternoon back at the hotel, we came back to IOA for dinner. We started with the buffalo chicken strips: very good. I had the hot turkey sandwich. I liked it a lot, but was very full from the strips and only ate about ½ of it. Cath had a pizza with various pizza toppings. She too was very full, and we brought ½ of it back for a snack later that night.
4/11/04
Earl of Sandwich, Downtown Disney
Lunch: We were starving after a hotel switch and little breakfast. Luckily I had heard great things about the Earl, and the menu looked good so we gave it a try. Awesome! The bread, a cross between a biscuit and a roll, was hot and crusty. My beef and blue cheese hit the spot. Cath had the American, turkey and cheddar cheese, which she also proclaimed as terrific. And such a deal: we got out of there for less than 15 bucks, unheard of for a Disney eatery.
Boma, Animal Kingdom Lodge
Dinner: I eat at Boma every time I come to WDW, and it never fails to impress me. Our server remembered me from my honeymoon in December, and recommended all of the new stuff since then. Both Cath and I stuffed ourselves silly. I had two huge bowls of the chicken corn chowderI could easily eat that for every meal. I noticed this time, perhaps because it was very crowded, that people dont understand the food pod concept. Everyone kept standing in lines, and if some one went to a pod out of turn, people gave them dirty looks. Oh well, I just kept out of it, and stuck to the soup
4/12/04
Pizzafari, Animal Kingdom
Lunch: Another regular of mine; I just love it here. I had the usual hot deli sandwich, Cath had the pepperoni pizza. It was fast, hot and not crowdeda good combination in my book!
Le Cellier, Epcot
Dinner: Wow, was this a good meal! Cath started with the cheese soup and had the prime rib for an entrée. The prime rib, while tasty, was more steak-like than either of expected prime rib to be. We both fell in love with the pretzel bread! I had a new appetizer of pan-seared duck and an apple slaw. It was very good and not too fatty. For the main entrée, I had the New York Strip. I really wanted room for dessert, so I only ate about ½. Desserts were very good as well. Cath had the maple crème brulee, one of her favorite desserts of all time. I had the chocolate bread pudding, which while rich, was well worth only eating ½ the steak. The service here was slightly less than attentive, but not unpleasant, and she was very nice and brought one of the chocolate moose desserts for us to see on request.
4/13/04
Prime Time Café, MGM Studios
Lunch: I think this place is great fun, and the food is pretty darn good too! Cath was a huge fan of the chicken noodle soup. The noodles were still al dente, not mushy like they usually are. We also got the fried cheese. It wasnt at all what I expected (I was thinking cheese sticks a la TGI Fridays) but it was delicious. We both had the grilled chicken sandwich. The bacon on the sandwich was maple flavored, something we both love, but if someone doesnt like sweet meat, they might be disappointed. Cath had a peanut butter milkshake as well. Our server told us about a brownie sundae that sounded delicious, but he neglected to mention its as big as your head. I took quite a few bites, but didnt even make a dent in it!
Hoop Dee Do Review, Fort Wilderness
Dinner: I had never attended a dinner show at WDW, but this one seemed right up our alley. Imagine our surprise as we were led to a table for 2 right up against the stage, front and center (table 13, if youre interested). Luckily the actors didnt pick on us too much, and we had a great view of everything. The food was also very good-not a gourmet meal by any stretch of the imagination, but good old home cooking! We had a blast, and laughed about every minute.
4/14/04
House of Blues, Downtown Disney
Lunch: This was an unplanned stop, as we had thought about doing EMH at Epcot, but scrapped it for a lazy morning shopping at DD. Cath had been to the House of Blues in LA, and highly recommended it, so we chose it for lunch. We had a great meal here. We shared the fried calamari and the spinach artichoke dip as starters. The entrees took some time, so we ate nearly all of both, and really werent that hungry for the main feature, but we managed to eat it anyway
Cath had a chicken, mushroom and pasta dish that was super good. It almost had a stroganoff flavor too it, and I had wished I ordered the same thing. My grilled chicken was also very good, but the pasta dish was over the top! We some how managed a few bites each of dessert, apple crumble for Cath and key lime pie for me. The apples were fairly spicy, and not too sweet. I liked it, but Cath was not a fan. The key lime pie was excellent, and I ate way more than I should havebut I just couldnt stop!
Rose and Crown, Epcot
Dinner: Neither of us had ever had real British food before, so we thought this would be interesting. I started with the fruit and cheese plate and Cath had a salad. I think after all the eating we had been doing, fresh fruit and veggies sounded really good I had the English pie sampler. Wow, was this good! I love comfort type food, and this combined the best comfort food into one dish. The pork pie was both of our favorites (it almost tasted like a bready pot stickeryum!), but the other two were also excellent. Cath had the steak, pretty straightforward. Tasty but nothing special. Dessert was good. Cath had the Baileys crème brulee. Not bad, but if you dont like the taste of alcohol in your dessert, ship this one. I had the sticky toffee pudding. Luckily I know what the English mean by pudding, so I wasnt surprised by the mini bundt cake they brought out. I liked the flavor of it a lot, very rich toffee, but the pudding itself was sort of hard to eat because the exterior was tough.
4/15/04
Cinderellas Royal Table, Magic Kingdom
Lunch: This was probably one of our favorite lunches. Cath started with the seafood spring roll, which was a surprise for someone who doesnt really like seafood It was a pretty average spring roll. I had a salad to start with, basic, balsamic vinaigrette, but very fresh. Just a note on the pretzel bread they serveit is outstanding! We liked it so much we asked for seconds and slid a couple extra in out to go box for later!
We both had sandwiches. Cath had The Coachman, a turkey sandwich served with a salad. I had The Mariner, a salmon club served with sweet potato chips. The bread on both was impressive, and the ingredients on both were very fresh and delicious. However, they were HUGE, we could have split either. For dessert (at this point on our trip, it was painful to order, but we were determined to make the most of our plan) I had a slice of lemon pound cake with raspberry sorbet, and Cath had the castle sundae with a chocolate crown.
The Brown Derby, MGM
Dinner: After our successful lunch, we were more than surprised to have a great dinner as well. We both started with soup, Cath had the French onion, I had corn and oyster chowder. The soup part of mine was very good, but apparently I am not a fan of large whole oysters. They had a funny texture, so I ate around them The French onion was very good. For the main course, Cath had the roasted chicken with a citrus glase and a rice pilaf. She proclaimed it her favorite of the trip. The glaze was awesome and the chicken was roaster perfectly. I had the pork tenderloin with pear compote and cheddar cheese grits. Again, I love comfort food, and this dish was pure comfort! Dessert was the best crème brulee Cath had while we were in WDW; it was simple, double vanilla and very creamy. I had the banana cheesecake that was also good (though nothing to write home about). Our service was fantastic, the restaurant was quiet and peaceful, and it was our last dinner of the trip, so I think we especially savored it.
4/16/04
Beaches and Cream, Beach/Yacht Club
Lunch: Just a quick stop before we headed out to the airport. Well, not too quick, as we had about a 20-minute wait. We sat at the counter and got to witness 3 kitchen sinks! We split some onion rings. I had a burger with fruit instead of fries. When people say this is the best burger on property, I have to agree! Cath had the prime rib sandwich, which is also very good. For our sweet treat, I had a mini No Way Jose (a scoop of vanilla with hot fudge and peanut butter) and Cath had a mint chip milkshake. A very tasty end to a great trip.
My best friend and I went to Orland for a week over spring break. While the weather didnt always cooperate, we had a great time. Whilst at WDW, we partook of the Silver Plan, which I will probably never do again. I love to eat, and as you can tell from our reviews, have yet to meet a meal I didnt like. However, I got home and did not eat for 2 days because I just couldnt believe how much we packed away. It was really over the top, and I think for the future, a few counter service or non-three course meals are a good idea! That said, Disney made no money on us, as we worked hard to come out ahead on our wishes.
Bottom line for those who dont want to read this saga:
Favorite Lunch: Cinderellas Royal Table
Favorite Dinner: Cath: Brown Derby
Bekki: Tchoup Chop
Best Time: Hoop De Doo
Biggest Surprise: Earl of Sandwich or Enchanted Oak Tavern
Restaurant Reviews
4/9/04
Tchoup Chop, Royal Pacific Resort
Dinner: This had been one of my top restaurants in the Orlando area, and it still holds its place! We were given an amuse bouche of a fried egg roll type thing with Brie and smoked salmon. Although Cath isnt a fish person, it was pretty good. To start we shared the steamed dumplings. While quite good on their own, the peanut sauce served with the shrimp chips added a neat dimension. The sauce also went well with Caths meal of the duck and chow mein noodles. The duck itself was excellent, but the noodles had almost a sweet flavor that was a little weird. I had a repeat favorite of the pork chop and mashed sweet potatoes. Yumm! A great dish again. For dessert we had essentially the same thing, just in a different form. I had pecan pie with vanilla ice cream; Cath had a praline parfait, pecan pie filling layered with cream. Both were outstanding.
4/10/04
Enchanted Oak Tavern, Islands of Adventure
Lunch: For counter service, this place was soooo good. I had the smoked chicken salad with raspberry vinaigrette. It came with a corn muffin, although it didnt say it on the menu, so I ordered one, and ended up with two. No matter, I love corn muffins
Cath had the smoked chicken plate, which came with corn and French fries. A great counter service mealand not crowded either!Confisicos Grille, Islands of Adventure
Dinner: After a lazy afternoon back at the hotel, we came back to IOA for dinner. We started with the buffalo chicken strips: very good. I had the hot turkey sandwich. I liked it a lot, but was very full from the strips and only ate about ½ of it. Cath had a pizza with various pizza toppings. She too was very full, and we brought ½ of it back for a snack later that night.
4/11/04
Earl of Sandwich, Downtown Disney
Lunch: We were starving after a hotel switch and little breakfast. Luckily I had heard great things about the Earl, and the menu looked good so we gave it a try. Awesome! The bread, a cross between a biscuit and a roll, was hot and crusty. My beef and blue cheese hit the spot. Cath had the American, turkey and cheddar cheese, which she also proclaimed as terrific. And such a deal: we got out of there for less than 15 bucks, unheard of for a Disney eatery.
Boma, Animal Kingdom Lodge
Dinner: I eat at Boma every time I come to WDW, and it never fails to impress me. Our server remembered me from my honeymoon in December, and recommended all of the new stuff since then. Both Cath and I stuffed ourselves silly. I had two huge bowls of the chicken corn chowderI could easily eat that for every meal. I noticed this time, perhaps because it was very crowded, that people dont understand the food pod concept. Everyone kept standing in lines, and if some one went to a pod out of turn, people gave them dirty looks. Oh well, I just kept out of it, and stuck to the soup
4/12/04
Pizzafari, Animal Kingdom
Lunch: Another regular of mine; I just love it here. I had the usual hot deli sandwich, Cath had the pepperoni pizza. It was fast, hot and not crowdeda good combination in my book!
Le Cellier, Epcot
Dinner: Wow, was this a good meal! Cath started with the cheese soup and had the prime rib for an entrée. The prime rib, while tasty, was more steak-like than either of expected prime rib to be. We both fell in love with the pretzel bread! I had a new appetizer of pan-seared duck and an apple slaw. It was very good and not too fatty. For the main entrée, I had the New York Strip. I really wanted room for dessert, so I only ate about ½. Desserts were very good as well. Cath had the maple crème brulee, one of her favorite desserts of all time. I had the chocolate bread pudding, which while rich, was well worth only eating ½ the steak. The service here was slightly less than attentive, but not unpleasant, and she was very nice and brought one of the chocolate moose desserts for us to see on request.
4/13/04
Prime Time Café, MGM Studios
Lunch: I think this place is great fun, and the food is pretty darn good too! Cath was a huge fan of the chicken noodle soup. The noodles were still al dente, not mushy like they usually are. We also got the fried cheese. It wasnt at all what I expected (I was thinking cheese sticks a la TGI Fridays) but it was delicious. We both had the grilled chicken sandwich. The bacon on the sandwich was maple flavored, something we both love, but if someone doesnt like sweet meat, they might be disappointed. Cath had a peanut butter milkshake as well. Our server told us about a brownie sundae that sounded delicious, but he neglected to mention its as big as your head. I took quite a few bites, but didnt even make a dent in it!
Hoop Dee Do Review, Fort Wilderness
Dinner: I had never attended a dinner show at WDW, but this one seemed right up our alley. Imagine our surprise as we were led to a table for 2 right up against the stage, front and center (table 13, if youre interested). Luckily the actors didnt pick on us too much, and we had a great view of everything. The food was also very good-not a gourmet meal by any stretch of the imagination, but good old home cooking! We had a blast, and laughed about every minute.
4/14/04
House of Blues, Downtown Disney
Lunch: This was an unplanned stop, as we had thought about doing EMH at Epcot, but scrapped it for a lazy morning shopping at DD. Cath had been to the House of Blues in LA, and highly recommended it, so we chose it for lunch. We had a great meal here. We shared the fried calamari and the spinach artichoke dip as starters. The entrees took some time, so we ate nearly all of both, and really werent that hungry for the main feature, but we managed to eat it anyway
Cath had a chicken, mushroom and pasta dish that was super good. It almost had a stroganoff flavor too it, and I had wished I ordered the same thing. My grilled chicken was also very good, but the pasta dish was over the top! We some how managed a few bites each of dessert, apple crumble for Cath and key lime pie for me. The apples were fairly spicy, and not too sweet. I liked it, but Cath was not a fan. The key lime pie was excellent, and I ate way more than I should havebut I just couldnt stop!Rose and Crown, Epcot
Dinner: Neither of us had ever had real British food before, so we thought this would be interesting. I started with the fruit and cheese plate and Cath had a salad. I think after all the eating we had been doing, fresh fruit and veggies sounded really good
I had the English pie sampler. Wow, was this good! I love comfort type food, and this combined the best comfort food into one dish. The pork pie was both of our favorites (it almost tasted like a bready pot stickeryum!), but the other two were also excellent. Cath had the steak, pretty straightforward. Tasty but nothing special. Dessert was good. Cath had the Baileys crème brulee. Not bad, but if you dont like the taste of alcohol in your dessert, ship this one. I had the sticky toffee pudding. Luckily I know what the English mean by pudding, so I wasnt surprised by the mini bundt cake they brought out. I liked the flavor of it a lot, very rich toffee, but the pudding itself was sort of hard to eat because the exterior was tough.4/15/04
Cinderellas Royal Table, Magic Kingdom
Lunch: This was probably one of our favorite lunches. Cath started with the seafood spring roll, which was a surprise for someone who doesnt really like seafood
It was a pretty average spring roll. I had a salad to start with, basic, balsamic vinaigrette, but very fresh. Just a note on the pretzel bread they serveit is outstanding! We liked it so much we asked for seconds and slid a couple extra in out to go box for later! We both had sandwiches. Cath had The Coachman, a turkey sandwich served with a salad. I had The Mariner, a salmon club served with sweet potato chips. The bread on both was impressive, and the ingredients on both were very fresh and delicious. However, they were HUGE, we could have split either. For dessert (at this point on our trip, it was painful to order, but we were determined to make the most of our plan) I had a slice of lemon pound cake with raspberry sorbet, and Cath had the castle sundae with a chocolate crown.
The Brown Derby, MGM
Dinner: After our successful lunch, we were more than surprised to have a great dinner as well. We both started with soup, Cath had the French onion, I had corn and oyster chowder. The soup part of mine was very good, but apparently I am not a fan of large whole oysters. They had a funny texture, so I ate around them
The French onion was very good. For the main course, Cath had the roasted chicken with a citrus glase and a rice pilaf. She proclaimed it her favorite of the trip. The glaze was awesome and the chicken was roaster perfectly. I had the pork tenderloin with pear compote and cheddar cheese grits. Again, I love comfort food, and this dish was pure comfort! Dessert was the best crème brulee Cath had while we were in WDW; it was simple, double vanilla and very creamy. I had the banana cheesecake that was also good (though nothing to write home about). Our service was fantastic, the restaurant was quiet and peaceful, and it was our last dinner of the trip, so I think we especially savored it. 4/16/04
Beaches and Cream, Beach/Yacht Club
Lunch: Just a quick stop before we headed out to the airport. Well, not too quick, as we had about a 20-minute wait. We sat at the counter and got to witness 3 kitchen sinks! We split some onion rings. I had a burger with fruit instead of fries. When people say this is the best burger on property, I have to agree! Cath had the prime rib sandwich, which is also very good. For our sweet treat, I had a mini No Way Jose (a scoop of vanilla with hot fudge and peanut butter) and Cath had a mint chip milkshake. A very tasty end to a great trip.
Just think of the money you saved not eating at home for 2 days. 
