MORE food??!! October 14-23 Dining Reviews *Updated-Boma Breakfast and Raglan Road*

[LilyWDW]

Dear Disboarders,

I have failed you. After all the time I have spent on these boards looking at food porn, I have committed the greatest of sins. I forgot to take pictures of my food while I was in Disney! My excuse is that the food looked so good that I would start eating before my brain reminded me to take a picture. Then, about half way through, I would go “Self, you forgot to take the dang picture.”, but by then it was too late as no one would want a picture of a half eaten plate.

Hopefully my little dining review will still help someone out, even without pictures.

We ate at a wide variety of locations so this review contains a wide variety of food. We had regular tables service, signature table service, counter service, and food and wine booths. I’ll let you know what we ordered and how we enjoyed it.

Oh, who is “we” you may ask? Well, we are:

-Myself (LilyWDW): I’m a 29 year old Masters of Business student that lives in East Tennessee. I am originally from just north of Chicago and lived there until I graduated high school and then moved here for college. I had been planning this trip for nearly a year and it was a thank you for my mother who has done everything she can to help me go back to school so I could get out of a horrible job (I would come home crying nearly daily because of how I was treated). Food wise, I love just about anything thanks to my wonderful boyfriend of 10 years. He has really made me open up my eyes to the great foods that are out there and to not be afraid to try new things. I don’t really NOT like any foods I can think of right now… except maybe anchovies. I also do most of the cooking at home.

-My mom (DM): I won’t disclose her age because she would kill me and then this review would never get finished… and that would be sad. She acts much younger than her age though and there is not a food she won’t try either… though that has been mostly recently because it’s that or she doesn’t eat at home when I try new recipes *evil laugh*. Really though, she is my best friend and has been there for me through thick and thin. Without her, I don’t know where I would be right now and I owe her more then I could EVER repay. This trip was an attempt to pay at least a little of that back.

And some general trip details… We were at POFQ October 14-23. Each day was planned, but I found that we often went off plan. The trip was a lot more relaxed than I expected it to be. We didn’t get everything done (missed Illuminations because I started to feel yucky for example) but it didn’t really bother me too much. Instead, we did what we wanted and just said “We will do it next time” if we missed something.

So, where did we eat? That’s a good question.

Table Service
Flying Fish
Boma (Dinner)
Boma (Breakfast)
Raglan Road
Via Napoli
Les Chefs
Brown Derby
Jiko

Counter Service
POFQ
Flame Tree BBQ
Pacos Bills
Columbia Harbor House 1
Columbia Harbor House 2
Wolfgang Pucks Express
Earl of Sandwich

Other
Food and Wine Festival Booths
Snacks

I’ll start the actual reviews after this break.

 

[tlenzendorf]

I'm here, I'm here!

 

[KatieCollette]

I'm in!

 

[msmith1026]

I'm in!! I was going to do a dining review too, and never remembered the pictures!! Maybe next time I go I will get it together enough to do one. Can't wait to read what you thought.

 

[LilyWDW]

I'm going to be doing this review by meal/restaurant and not so much by day. The reason for that is that my brain is mush with all the school work I have had and I am not really sure I can REMEMBER what day it was on.

However, I do remember that this meal was on our arrival day because it was a wonderful end to a horrible day. While the pictures I DO have load to the computer, I'll give you a brief story on what our travel day was like.

Out outbound flight from here to Charlotte was an hour late getting to the airport. Which meant, by the time we boarded and flew to Charlotte, our connection was taking off as we landed. So, we missed our flight to Orlando (cue me sitting at the gate in near tears). US Air put us as priority standby for the next flight out. So we sat at the gate waiting and hoping, and praying we would get on the flight... and we DID! We even had 2 seats together and one was even a window (I NEED a window for metal reasons).

I swear the fates were messing with us for a laugh. You see (a bit more information about me, lucky you) I had OCD. My biggest "thing" with it is planning and scheduling. I've discussed this in more detail elsewhere on the boards, but in a nut shell I NEED to have a schedule. So, when our flight was late, it sent my anxiety through the roof because the schedule was now all messed up. I was freaking out!

But all that matters is that it turned out okay. We made it into Orlando only about an hour and a half behind. Thanks to my OCD planning, I hadn't scheduled our first meal until over 5 hours from our arrival so we still had plenty of time to catch DME, check in, and head to the Boardwalk for dinner.

I'll post the actual food review next... since I have already bored you with that story!

 

[KatieCollette]

That's good that you didn't miss your ADR. An hour and half late isn't tooo bad. But I would have been in tears in the airport still, lol!

 

[LilyWDW]

Okay, so now on to the actual food review (I had to eat some lunch because I was getting hungry... wonder why?).

So, our arrival day dinner was at Flying Fish. I had read some wonderful reviews here and really wanted to do some new experiences this trip. Our reservation was at 7:40pm but we checked in at least 30 minutes early and were seated right away. The meal was wonderful and just a perfect end to the day!

We were hungry because we had had nothing to eat all day. The plan was to get a snack when we got to the resort to hold us over but, due to the flight issues we had, we got in later then we had planned. As such, a snack would have filled us up too close to our dinner and I wasn't about to let that happen!

For my meal I started with the soup of the day which was a delicious clam chowder with these little fritters on top. It is not on any of the online menus though so I can't tell you exactly what it was. I can tell you it was amazing and the best clam chowder I have ever had.

My mom had the "Caesar Salad - Young Red and green romaine leaves, Roasted Garlic dressing, parmigiano Sonoma jack frico and pesto sourdough croutons". It was fresh, tasty and light. One of the best caesar salads I have ever tasted.

For my entree I had the chef's special horseradish and herb crusted flounder with roasted fall vegetables. Once again, it is not on any of the online menus, but it was wonderful. I had never had flounder before this and I really enjoyed the firm but tender and mild fish. It was also 2 good sized pieces of fish (one under the other) and I could not finish it. Just too much food! I was expecting a single piece and would have been fine with that.

Mom went with the "Signature Flying Fish Cafe Potato-wrapped Red Snapper - Leek Fondue with a veal glace, red wine and Cassis butter reduction". She also got a side of "Aged Gruyere and Parmigiano potato Gratin". All I can say is WOW. No wonder that is a signature dish because it was perfect. Mom was worried about the Leek Fondue part, but it was amazing and worked so perfectly with the fish and potatoes.

(Sorry for the blurry photo here. I swear I am sober!)

And the Gratin? Heaven on a plate. It was really rich and creamy, but oh so tasty. Worth the splurge in calories!

Finally, we decided to share a dessert. I also had a pot of tea to help settle my nerves. We ordered the "Caramelized Banana Napoleon - Phyllo, banana mousse, creme caramel and exotic fruit coulis and bitter chocolate". When I bit into this, I swear angels came down and sang. It was simply amazing and I want the recipe SO bad. I was almost tempted to order a second one when we finished it, but I knew that would be pushing it for my poor stomach.

Overall, Flying Fish has now become a must do. Service was also outstanding and I loved the decor.

Food: 5/5
Service: 4.5/5
Decor: 4.4/5

Final: 5/5

 

[LilyWDW]

I have some time before I have to leave for class (Economics for Managers... yay....) so I thought I would try and get one more review in.

Our ADR for Boma was supposed to be at 5:10, but we checked in before they even opened and were seated quickly (and early). After giving our drink order, we headed up to the buffet and began to fill plates. I had heard great things about the food here and I was really excited to try a bit of everything...

And, honestly, I was a little disappointed. I guess I had built it up in my mind so much that it just didn't live up to that. It was good, but not amazing and not really worth the side trip. I might want to do it again in the future, but it will be a few trips before we do because we have other favorites and so many more places to try.

Though the soup and desserts ALMOST made it worth it...

I'll go over what is in the photos. The soup in the top photo was a coconut curry chicken soup. It was AMAZING and I should have just had bowl after bowl of it (I did end up with 2 bowls) and skipped everything else. A little sweet and a little spicy, it was just wonderful.

On the plate starting from the top and working clockwise:
Peanut Rice- Pretty good. I enjoyed it.
Prime Rib with Boma Mustard- Another tasty choice.
Couscous- Eh... didn't eat much of it.
Salmon- Decent and I ate it all.
Tofu- Bland and rubbery. The tofu was NOT cooked well at all.
Plain Rice- It's rice. Had it because of the Tofu so didn't eat much.
Ribs- WAY too strong Cinnamon taste. It overpowered the meat.
Chicken- Decent, but dry.

I also tried some of the salads (all were eh and nothing THAT special), humus and bread (basic, but very tasty), and most of the desserts (some were really amazing, especially the peanut butter and the passion fruit).

Food: 3/5 (Some was good, much wasn't)
Service: 2/5 (Server was really slow with the drinks and check)
Decor: 4/5 (Nice layout and cute design, but LOUD)

Overall: 3/5 (Try it for yourself, but I won't be in a hurry to be back)

 

[st4rrab0vemybed]

Great reviews so far! It's so nice to see that you and your mom went on this trip together, esp. as a thank you to her. I'm sure she truly appreciated it. This past April, my mom and I went together as well and had an amazing time!

I know what you mean when it comes to scheduling- I'm the same way, and go in a tizzy if something changes or runs late!

The food pics from Flying Fish look delish! Boma looked good too, and right now I'm debating on Boma, Sanaa & Yak & Yeti for my AK dinner.

 

[DisneyDreamerMom]

I'm in and can't wait to read more - the descriptions sound delish!

BTW, I'm in East TN too!

 

[Busymom85]

Looking forward to more. Thank you for posting.

 

[summerlady]

Looking forward to more reviews~We were at POFQ Oct. 16th through the 21st and I only took a few food pics even though I really intended to take pics of everything we ate. Oh well, there's always next time (that's what I said last time).

 

[KatieCollette]

I was thinking about making an ADR to Boma for my trip, but glad I decided not to. I read to many bad reviews of it!

 

[tlenzendorf]

I just realized after reading your Boma review that I forgot to try Zebra Domes! And we even stayed at AKL! Face Palm!

 

[Pinkgirl]

Great start, cant wait to try Flying Fish

 

[LilyWDW]

Great reviews so far! It's so nice to see that you and your mom went on this trip together, esp. as a thank you to her. I'm sure she truly appreciated it. This past April, my mom and I went together as well and had an amazing time!

I know what you mean when it comes to scheduling- I'm the same way, and go in a tizzy if something changes or runs late!

The food pics from Flying Fish look delish! Boma looked good too, and right now I'm debating on Boma, Sanaa & Yak & Yeti for my AK dinner.

She has done so much for me recently that it kills me that I can't fully pay her back. My job was HORRIBLE and the conditions were the worse I have ever dealt with with a company. She supported me every day when I came home in tears and was there to discuss my options. It was at her urging that I decided to get my MBA and quit my job, even knowing that it could be hard to find another job and it would have to be less hours.

This trip was the least I could do.

I'm in and can't wait to read more - the descriptions sound delish!

BTW, I'm in East TN too!

Oh, another East TN person! Small world!

Looking forward to more. Thank you for posting.

Thank you for reading. I should be posting more tonight or tomorrow night depending on things. Sometimes life likes to get in the way!

Looking forward to more reviews~We were at POFQ Oct. 16th through the 21st and I only took a few food pics even though I really intended to take pics of everything we ate. Oh well, there's always next time (that's what I said last time).

POFQ for the win! I LOVE that resort and it is so hard to think about staying anywhere else. I might try to save up for Grand Floridian for the next trip with my mom (maybe Nov 2013), but if I can't, it is POFQ all the way!

And I started off great with pics... then started to forget! I think I was so tired from the parks that my brain couldn't keep up.

I was thinking about making an ADR to Boma for my trip, but glad I decided not to. I read to many bad reviews of it!

It wasn't BAD... it was just eh. To me, it just wasn't anything special. I enjoyed the food but was wondering where the wow factor was.

Of course, I feel the same about Le Cellier so... take it as you will .

I just realized after reading your Boma review that I forgot to try Zebra Domes! And we even stayed at AKL! Face Palm!

Okay, the Zebra Domes WERE tasty. Not my favorite of the desserts, but they were very good! Get some next time!

Great start, cant wait to try Flying Fish

Flying Fish... *swoon*.

Thanks all for jumping in to read! I hope to have more reviews up tonight or tomorrow! I do this not only to relive the memories, but to hopefully help others make memories too!

 

[charming23]

Joining in.

 

[LilyWDW]

This will be a short review because, once again, it is a buffet. I am happy to note that I enjoyed breakfast here quite a bit more then dinner. Still, it wasn't anything special in my opinion. Good but not "OMG I have to go back" good.

Now, the highlight of the breakfast was the juice. That stuff was amazing! Even though I am not supposed to drink citrus (too much acid) I had 3 glasses of this stuff. It was good enough for me to deal with the possible issues I would face later.

To eat I once again tried to grab a little bit of everything. I can't remember all I got, but it was all pretty good. From what I can remember:

Oatmeal with topping: Tasty, but it IS just oatmeal
Fruit: Very fresh and tasty
Waffle: Fluffy, tender, and very good. I ate WAY too many of these with the warm syrup.
Brioche: Very good. I was surprised I like it because normally I don't like raisins in my food.
Plain Scrambled Eggs: Yum.
Scrambled Eggs with Goat Cheese and Chives: Triple Yum!
Potatoes: Had a really nice flavor to them that made them stand out.
Bobotie: No thanks... was not my cup of tea
Ham: Very good
Sausage and Bacon: Passable, though those sausages were oddly huge.
Pastries: Chocolate croissant was wonderful. Pecan roll was very good.

Food: 4/5
Service: 3/5
Decor: 4/5

Overall: 4/5

I would go again, but maybe not next trip. I was very happy with the selection and quality of the food.

 

[LilyWDW]

So, Raglan Road is one of our must do restaurants. I will always suggest it to people without hesitation. The food is simply amazing and some of the best you will ever have! Heck, I even "like" them on Facebook AND subscribe to their news letter!

This trip was no different.

For an appetizer I had the soup of the day which was a creamy tomato and garlic soup finished with gin. I have never had a tomato soup nearly as good as this one and I doubt I ever will. It was amazing. Also, it was served with a really light and airy breadstick that soaked up the soup perfectly. And when I finished with that, I used the Soda Bread to soak up even more.

Mom had the Caesar Salad. It was well made and fresh, but it wasn't as good as the Flying Fish one. Still good but just a Caesar Salad.

On to entrees. I had the Fish and Chips. I still wonder what was going on in my head because I had wanted the Paddy's Pork for MONTHS but then changed my mind while I was there! (As a side note I learned something on the trip... ALWAYS go with your first thought! Don't try to change your mind because then you will be sad!!!) The Fish and Chips were very good and I always like mine with Malt Vinegar. I was happy with the choice and would recommend it if asked.

Mom had the Shepard's Pie... and she ate every bite. In 2007 she tried a bite of mine and fell in love. She had been saying for MONTHS she would get the Shepard's Pie... and she did. And she loved it. And she is saying she can't wait to go back to get more.

Sure mom, I'll get right on it.

*sigh*

We skipped dessert this night because we were FULL... and I wanted a Carmel Apple with Nuts from Goofy's (I had 3 of these before the end of the trip).

Food: 5/5
Service: 4/5 (took a bit for the server to greet us after we were sat)
Decor: 5/5 (I love the look of this place!)

Overall: 5/5

Raglan Road is still VERY much a must do for every trip. I am trying to figure out a way to talk my friends into going when we go in June. It'll be a budget trip, but this place is SO worth it...