ehagerty
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jul 16, 2001
- Messages
- 2,099
These restaurants were selected for trial by virtue of their participation in the Orlando radio station promotions where you buy one gift certificate and get one free.
We understood that, if we wanted a great meal and money were no object, that Emerils and Mythos were the most recommended choices. That said......
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Nascar (Citywalk)
Ambience:
We are not car race fans of any kind, although DS14 at least knows what the different race car types are. Everything I know about car racing I learned from the Discovery Channel so I actually know a thing or two about the physics of forumla one racing design, safety studies (Amazing Crashes or some such thing ) and, as of last night, the autobahn. Oh yes, and I get to watch monster garage in the company of stuffed hunting trophies when I get my hair cut
Still, we dont have to be a fan of something to appreciate it. The décor was fun, with two race cars hanging from the ceiling (Earnhart? Petty?), complementing the 360 degree ongoing film about Nascar racing. Occasionally (seemed to be about 1x/hr) the cars would simulate starting a race, with pretend smoke and tires spinning. It is a noisy, boisterous place, which was fine with us.
Food selections and reactions:
BBQ Pork was suggested by the waiter, who thought it was the best item on the menu. I thought it was quite good. DH47 says he has had better. Might have been the fact that he started at the ends, which were a little dryer than the center ribs. We dont live in BBQ country, so I would think that you shouldnt listen to us on this one.
Chicken Caesar OK
Burger OK
Drinks we ate at an odd time (3:00 pm) and drinks were sometimes empty. In fairness to the server, we were seriously dehydrated from the very hot day. Seem to recall that I switched from ice tea to diet coke usually a sign that the brewed ice tea, usually quite good everywhere in the South, was lacking in some measure.
Desserts two Reeses things, rated OK by those who partook
Myself, I dont eat any ice-cream fudgy thing out, even at Beaches and Cream, because almost no one makes hot fudge like mine - well, my picky ingredients and Betty Crockers chocolate sauce recipe. The success is in the beating out the moisture with a good mix-master. Lets just say it is unlikely that your average or even superior - restaurant is going to use pure cane sugar (instead of that cheaper, beet stuff), unsalted butter (instead of some lesser product), real chocolate squares, evaporated milk, etc .
Service:
Friendly, helpful; somewhat inattentive, possibly due to the off hour we were eating. Waiter was probably trying eat his own meal ..
Value:
The waiter was very accommodating about letting me use more than one gift certificate at a time. This meant that the meal was a very good value for the dollar.
Summary / The bottom line:
Would we do it again? Maybe, IF we had discount coupons. If not, we would probably try someplace new / different.
Would we recommend it? Would neither recommend or dis.....
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The Kitchen (Hard Rock Hotel)
Ambience:
This restaurant was nicely decorated, upscale, clever. With utensils as a theme, it reminded me of Chef Mickeys.
Food: Overall, our expectations (based on menu and ambience) were higher than the food delivered. Specifically:
Steak Sandwich - tasted OK, but was "pulled" or "shredded" - which I never would have guessed from the menu - so we felt a little hoodwinked (since "pulled" meats are usually yesterday's leftovers).
Southwest Pizza - bland, prefer a crispier crust. Expected a thin crust pizze to be cripsy without having to specify when ordering. Now I know.
Corn Chowder - bland, with hint of bacon. New-England style and thickness.
3 Cheese Pizza - had cheese with some flavor. Probably the best tasting dish we got.
Shrimp Ceasar salad - shrimp was cold / spicy. Dressing bland.
Chinese Chicken Salad - OK, tasty, but too much dressing.
Calamari appetizer - $10, average tasting, half of them were "tentacles" which meant they were mostly batter and no one ate them - making the dish 1/2 inedible.
Dessert - 2 chocolate cake, 1 strawberry cheesecake - upon updating trip notes, no one could remember anything memorable to say about these desserts. For what it is worth....
Service:
Waiter seemed a little tentative at first, but once we established a rhythm, he was very good, keeping drinks full.
Value:
The waiter was very accommodating about letting me use more than one gift certificate at a time. This meant that my meal was a good value for the dollar.
Summary / The bottom line:
Would we do it again? Maybe, IF we had discount coupons. If not, we would probably try someplace new / different.
Would we recommend it? Would neither recommend or dis.....
We understood that, if we wanted a great meal and money were no object, that Emerils and Mythos were the most recommended choices. That said......
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Nascar (Citywalk)
Ambience:
We are not car race fans of any kind, although DS14 at least knows what the different race car types are. Everything I know about car racing I learned from the Discovery Channel so I actually know a thing or two about the physics of forumla one racing design, safety studies (Amazing Crashes or some such thing ) and, as of last night, the autobahn. Oh yes, and I get to watch monster garage in the company of stuffed hunting trophies when I get my hair cut
Still, we dont have to be a fan of something to appreciate it. The décor was fun, with two race cars hanging from the ceiling (Earnhart? Petty?), complementing the 360 degree ongoing film about Nascar racing. Occasionally (seemed to be about 1x/hr) the cars would simulate starting a race, with pretend smoke and tires spinning. It is a noisy, boisterous place, which was fine with us.
Food selections and reactions:
BBQ Pork was suggested by the waiter, who thought it was the best item on the menu. I thought it was quite good. DH47 says he has had better. Might have been the fact that he started at the ends, which were a little dryer than the center ribs. We dont live in BBQ country, so I would think that you shouldnt listen to us on this one.
Chicken Caesar OK
Burger OK
Drinks we ate at an odd time (3:00 pm) and drinks were sometimes empty. In fairness to the server, we were seriously dehydrated from the very hot day. Seem to recall that I switched from ice tea to diet coke usually a sign that the brewed ice tea, usually quite good everywhere in the South, was lacking in some measure.
Desserts two Reeses things, rated OK by those who partook
Myself, I dont eat any ice-cream fudgy thing out, even at Beaches and Cream, because almost no one makes hot fudge like mine - well, my picky ingredients and Betty Crockers chocolate sauce recipe. The success is in the beating out the moisture with a good mix-master. Lets just say it is unlikely that your average or even superior - restaurant is going to use pure cane sugar (instead of that cheaper, beet stuff), unsalted butter (instead of some lesser product), real chocolate squares, evaporated milk, etc .
Service:
Friendly, helpful; somewhat inattentive, possibly due to the off hour we were eating. Waiter was probably trying eat his own meal ..
Value:
The waiter was very accommodating about letting me use more than one gift certificate at a time. This meant that the meal was a very good value for the dollar.
Summary / The bottom line:
Would we do it again? Maybe, IF we had discount coupons. If not, we would probably try someplace new / different.
Would we recommend it? Would neither recommend or dis.....
-------------------------------------------------------------
The Kitchen (Hard Rock Hotel)
Ambience:
This restaurant was nicely decorated, upscale, clever. With utensils as a theme, it reminded me of Chef Mickeys.
Food: Overall, our expectations (based on menu and ambience) were higher than the food delivered. Specifically:
Steak Sandwich - tasted OK, but was "pulled" or "shredded" - which I never would have guessed from the menu - so we felt a little hoodwinked (since "pulled" meats are usually yesterday's leftovers).
Southwest Pizza - bland, prefer a crispier crust. Expected a thin crust pizze to be cripsy without having to specify when ordering. Now I know.
Corn Chowder - bland, with hint of bacon. New-England style and thickness.
3 Cheese Pizza - had cheese with some flavor. Probably the best tasting dish we got.
Shrimp Ceasar salad - shrimp was cold / spicy. Dressing bland.
Chinese Chicken Salad - OK, tasty, but too much dressing.
Calamari appetizer - $10, average tasting, half of them were "tentacles" which meant they were mostly batter and no one ate them - making the dish 1/2 inedible.
Dessert - 2 chocolate cake, 1 strawberry cheesecake - upon updating trip notes, no one could remember anything memorable to say about these desserts. For what it is worth....
Service:
Waiter seemed a little tentative at first, but once we established a rhythm, he was very good, keeping drinks full.
Value:
The waiter was very accommodating about letting me use more than one gift certificate at a time. This meant that my meal was a good value for the dollar.
Summary / The bottom line:
Would we do it again? Maybe, IF we had discount coupons. If not, we would probably try someplace new / different.
Would we recommend it? Would neither recommend or dis.....
