Munching with Mickey..A pound a day

[janeapplemeadow]

O.K. here we go. I've been reading these reports for 2+ years and getting great info. (inspired by Dizneat, Catne and MickeyNicki) so I thought I would finally contribute something.
A little background about me. I'm a certified Disney freak(or so my family thinks), I'm single, I,m self-employed, I own a True Value Hardware store in Massachusetts. I discovered Disney in 1980 and a love affair began. I've made too many trips to count. Many times I'm traveling with young nephews and a niece(never to soon to addict the younger children) but this time it was an adult trip with my best Disney friend, Mary. We are both seasoned Disney travelers so this trip it was about signature dining. (no children=no chacacter buffets) At home I'm a good cook and baker and I try to eat healthy. Lots of chicken, fish and vegetables. When I'm on vacation anything goes and I basically eat non-stop, hence the " pound a day" title. I'm not a food snob, I enjoy signature dining but also crave a buger from Pecos Bill. I had fully planned to take lots of photos of everything I ate. The first place we ate at, Mary looked at me and stated, if your taking pictures, I'm leaving. (She's not a Dis'er) So, to keep things civil I put my camera away for the week.
I know..what's a food report without pictures, why bother. You have seen all these photos before, so use your imagination. I'll try to give you my honest, unbiased opinions.

 

[janeapplemeadow]

So we begin Day 1. We left Manchester NH @ 7:OO a.m. ( with 2+ feet of snow)looking for warmth in sunny Florida. We landed in Orlando to 50 degrees and drizzle. Not to worry we have 6 more days for things to warm up (yeah right!!) We stepped off the plane to be met by our "limo driver from The Wedding singer" ..Crushed velor tux and all. When we got to our ride it was a stretch limo, much to my suprise, and he needed to clean it before it was dropped off, and did we mind taking to the Grand Floridian? It was a treat. But the treat really came when we checked in. I have been to the GF more times than I can count and have NEVER recieved an upgrade. The CM fooled around for a few minutes and then said "your room in SugarLoaf is ready" SCORE!!!! My first ever upgrade, bring on Concierge Level. Now I don't need to have breakfast reservations anywhere. I knew that we had a 5:30 ADR at Artist Point that evening so we skipped lunch and grazed in the club lounge in SugarLoaf.
The mid-afternoon snacks were out. I stayed in SugarLoaf many years ago and I can say that the offerings have shrunk in size. They had bowls of pretzels, potato chips and tiny bread sticks. There were assorted dips and pesto and some crackers. They have updated their coffee machine so there was no Nescafe here. I fell in love with the coffee machine. Pop a little "pod" in and push the botton, and bingo, you have expresso. No need now to buy a re-fillable mug. The refrigerator in the corner had cold drinks and off to the side was lemonade and filtered water(no bottles). Everything in the lounge was fresh and tastey and was enough to hold us over until our dinner at Artist Point.

 

[eargal]

Great start, I'm in!

 

[irishsharon]

Congrats on the upgrade!!! Looking forward to your reviews.

 

[phabric]

Will looking forward to more reviews.

 

[BlueSkies]

Great start... Im in too!

 

[janeapplemeadow]

We hung around the lounge for a while and walked around the GF until dinner. It was still cold and raw but we took the boat from the Magic Kingdom over to the Wilderness Lodge. Our reservation was for 5:30 at Artist Point. Now keep in mind that is the first reservation of the evening but still we were given a pager and had to wait about 10 minutes. We roamed around the lobby then sat in front of their massive fireplace to warm up.
At 5:40 pm our pager went off and we were escorted into the dining room to a window seat overlooking the pool. The restuarant wasn't very busy and it stayed 1/2 empty for another hour. Our server introduced himself and took our drink orders very promptly. Very boring, one coffee and one club soda and lime. He gave us a few minutes to review the menu and came back.
We decided to place our appetizers order 1st, then main course later. I've learned that if you do this, they don't bring everything out almost at once. We decided to split the cheese plate for an appetizer. We were presented with a sectioned plate/bowl with 3 cheeses and many little tastes to go with it. The cheeses were Midnight Moon(rather soft and mild) Beemster X-O (firm cheddar) and Smokey Blue cheese (the BEST) With the cheeses were a spoonful of honey comb, a fig tart, dried cherries and walnut toasts. Overall a very good cheese plate and we finished it all.
For a main dish Mary had the Char grilled Buffalo strip steak with black diamond mac and cheese and cider glazed brussel sprouts. The steak was cooked medium as requested. I was anxious to try the mac and cheese but I found it to be a little bland. Mary said the brussel sprouts were done just right and finished them off.
I ordered a dish I'd not seen on a menu before. Prawn and crab hot pot with a spicey broth reduction. The waiter alerted me before I ordered that it would be spicey and the prawns would come with heads. I gave my standard reply, let's try it I'm on vacation. (this vacation I decided to step outside my comfort zone and order new things) This was an interesting dish. It was spicey rice and mushrooms in a large bowl with 3 steamed prawns and crumbled crab on top of the rice. The waiter set a spoon down for the broth in the bowl, but there really wasn't any broth, it was more like risotto. The prawn were juicy and plump, but the crab was in very tiny pieces. The entire dish was spicey but not overpowering. I enjoyed the dish but it was messey to eat because I had to peel and de-head the prawns
Dessert : Mary ordered the Artist Point Cobbler with seasonal berries and black raspberry ice cream. It looked great the berries were fresh and the cobbler was just out of the oven. This was the dessert hit for the night. I went with chocolate(it's not dessert if it isn't chocolate) and ordered the Valrhon Chocolate terrine with amarena cherries. Now I do love my chocolate but I thought this was only a fair dessert. The cherries were terrific but the slab-o-terrine tasted old and dried out. I needed a cup of coffee to wash the thickness down.
Overall we enjoyed dinner here. The setting was relaxed and the surroundings beautiful. The waitstaff was friendly and professional. We were visited by the manager to check in with us. I would definitely return. The total bill without tip came in at $125.00. We were not on a dining plan. It was too cold at this point to roam around the grounds so we caught the bus back to the GF and called it a night.

 

[txtara]

I'm in!

 

[Pooh&OurHunny]

joining in. Wonderful upgrade at GF, One of my favorite resort.

 

[janeapplemeadow]

Day 2 dawned cloudy and cold, 37 degrees. We started with a light snack in the concierge lounge downstairs. They had platters small pastries including cream cheese muffins, apple danish, strawberry puff pastries and pecan rolls. Off to the side was the bagels and bread for toast. They also had a huge vat of oatmeal with raisins and brown sugar on the side. There was a selection of 3 dry cereals with milk and bowls of cantelope, honeydew, watermelon and pineapple with yougurts. They also had a platter with sliced cold meat and cheese. Fruit juices were on the sideboard right beside THE BEAUTIFUL COFFEE/ESPRESSO MACHINE. This morning I went the healthy route and had a bowl of fresh fruit with yougurt along with my 5 cups of espresso. The fruit could have been a little more ripe, but all in all I enjoyed it.

We spent most of the day at DHS. Early afternoon we stopped into the Writer's Stop for lunch. I had a peanut butter cookie and a latte. The cookie was fresh with a good peanut butter flavor and it was huge. I did think the latte was a little small for the price, but it was real coffee so I was happy. It never warmed up and the wind picked up and we were both cold so we headed back to the GF without any plans.

By 5:30 we were starving and it was barely 55 out so we decided to try our luck with a walk up @ Citrico's. I was about 6pm and we had no problems being seated right away. That should have been an omen. The restaurant was only half full and we were led to a table in the very back near the window. A beautiful place with low lighting and a view of the marina. On the way in I realized it was freezing in the place. We sat for about 5 minutes and the Cherick our server(or so I thought) came over. He was pleasant and apologized about the cold. They were working on fixing it. He took our drink orders, coffee and a club soda and lime and left the menus.

We decided to start with a cheese plate that Mary and I shared. We waited and waited. Then a runner brought it out to us. It was a very small selection of 3 cheeses. Lemon ricotta (the size of a ball of butter) was light and fresh with just a hint of lemon. Fourme d:Ambert with a slight smokey taste and firm. The 3rd was P'tit Basque a mild firm cheese. Served on the plate was a small dab of honeycomb, crackers and dried fruit. All in all a good selection, but very skimpy.

Now the weirdness starts. Over comes Gwen, who says she is our waitress. O.K. I'm easy. She seems disinterested in us. I ask a few questions about the menu and she keeps looking off in the distance not real friendly or helpful. I commented again about how cold it was and she just blew me off. We palced our orders and waited and waited.

I ordered the Tile fish with pappardelle pasta, calmata olives and sundried tomatoes. The tile fish was a soft flesh fish very mild and well prepared. The pasta was great. Flat noodles with sundried toamtoes and and white wine sauce. The combination was great. The only problem was it was so cold that 1/2 through my meal it was cold.

Mary ordered the braised short ribs with creamy polenta, mustard greens and orange demi glace. It is a spectacular presentation. She said the meat was fork tender and the glace was rich and paired well with the polenta. Like me her meal got cold 1/2 way through.

Then we waited and waited. I had just put another piece of bread on my plate and Gwen appears and starts clearing dishes withou even asking if we're done. She tosses down the dessert menus and dissappears again. By this point I'm freezing and I've put my jacket over my legs to keep warm. Gwen returns and wants to know why I don't want dessert. I said nothing really hits me, I like plain chocolate. She makes a snide comment about the bannana chocolate torte being chocolate and I explained I reaaly don't care for bannanas. Mary ordered the lemon scented cheesecake and we both had coffee. She enjoyed her cheesescake, she said it was creamy and light with just the right amount of lemon. We waited another 15 minutes for Gwen to return with our check. The meal without tip came in just under $124.00. On they way out I ran into the manager who asked how everything was. I explained to him how cold it was and that it really was unfortunate that it made for a less than pleasant dinning experience. He got defensive and told me how he walked around and didn't think it was that cold but he called earlier to get it fixed. I knew this was a useless coversation so I bid him goodnight.

Would I go back? Absolutely. I thought the food was good and hopefully next time I'll luck out and get a good server.

 

[MickeyNicki]

Hi I'm in, sorry I am late but I just got back from WDW!

I just read your cheese plate review at AP to Todd and he is really excited to try it next!

So sorry your waitress/manager experience was less than stellar...like you we love the food and that alone will keep us coming back but a bad waiter/waitress can put a damper on things.

Ready for more!

 

[janeapplemeadow]

DAY 3
Saturday morning the sun came out along with the wind and it was 39 degrees. I needed to be in Epcot by 8:15 am for the Nature Inspired Segway tour. I grabbed a toasted bagel with cream cheese and my 5 cups of espresso from the Sugarloaf lounge and headed out.

Mary met up with me after the tour. It was noon time so we started to walk around the World Show Case. We had dinner plans later so we grabbed a snack in France at the pastry shop. We each got our own cheese plate with a french bread. (You wonder why "a pound a day" in the title) For $6 this was a great lunch. 3 large pieces of cheese- brie, muenster and a mild cheddar. With the bread it was a very filling lunch. The cheese was just the right temp and very fresh.

We wandered around all afternoon and made our way over to the boardwalk for our ADR at Flying Fish. We checked in at the podium and were seated immediately. What a great restaurant. The decor is very whimsical and the tables are properly spaced for private conversation. Curly was our waiter and he greeted up promptly and took our drink order. You guessed it, coffee and a club soda with lime.

We decided to split the cheese plate for an appetizer. (Are you sensing a theme here). Let me just say, this was THE BEST cheese plate I had all week. (and I certainly had a lot!) 5 cheeses with the best accompaniments. I've lost my paper on the exact names of the cheese, but there was a blue cheese form Oregon that was spectacular. The cheddar was smooth and strong. There was a soft selection with a hint of smoke in it. I came with honey comb dried grapes and toasted bread and an onion jam. 2 others were soft cheeses that were good, but not my favorite. I dream of this cheese plate when I'm hungry now.

For main course I went outside of my comfort zone and orderd Citrus, sesame & Szchuan pepper crusted yellowfin tuna. Mary orderd the Oakgrilled diver scallops. I asked Curly how the tuna would be prepared and he gave his suggestion and I crossed my fingers.

The runner delivered our plates to the table and I looked at the Tuna and it was black charred. O.K. so I've never eaten seared tuna before. I cut into it and it's rare in the middle, then I notce it's sitting on potatoes and greenbeans, not the advertised bokchoy, tiny carrots lotus root and snap peas in a lemon grass herbacous broth. Then my mouth says, this isn't fish, it's steak. I debated whether I would just eat it, but I wanted the tuna. It took 5 minutes to find and flag down Curly. He was very sorry and placed a new order for tuna. Mary's diver scallops were served on a bed of celery root, mushroom, marscarpone pecorino laced risotto. I tasted the risotto and it was sinfully creamy. The scallops were plump and perfectly seared. I told her to eat without me. When my tuna arrived she was 3/4 of the way through. That's why I seldom send things back, it's always an akward timing event with the other person.

The tuna arrived seared on the outside looking raw on the inside. I was a little hesitant to take that first bite. I shouldn't have been. It had the greatest flavor, not the least bit fishy, and melt in your mouth tender. It sat atop some of the most flavorable broth and vegetables I've ever had. A great dish.

While we were waiting for our desserts, Curly came back to apoligize again, and he brought a complimentary cream brule with him. Great dessert, the sugar on top cracked and snapped when you put you spoon in it. A good rendition of creme brule. Of course we each ordered a dessert. Mary had the Fall golden apple pecan and blondie tart with toffee ice cream. The filling was good, the crust a little tasteless. I got the Florida Tequilla keylime tart. I missed the tequilla reference when I ordered it. I don't really like tequilla and the tart had a strong taste of it. It's too bad because the otherwise it was very good. My mistake, no fault of their's. The coffee was good and strong. Again before we left Curly said how sorry he was for the mix-up.

Cost before tip $123.50. Would be go back again? Despite the mix up, in a heartbeat without question. I rate it the best dinner we had for the week and the atmosphere was very relaxing. I can't say enough good things about it.

 

[txtara]

DAY 3
Mary met up with me after the tour. It was noon time so we started to walk around the World Show Case. We had dinner plans later so we grabbed a snack in France at the pastry shop. We each got our own cheese plate with a french bread. (You wonder why "a pound a day" in the title) For $6 this was a great lunch. 3 large pieces of cheese- brie, muenster and a mild cheddar. With the bread it was a very filling lunch. The cheese was just the right temp and very fresh.

You just found me my lunch in Epcot! Cheese and bread........yummmmmmmmm

 

[TigerKat]

Really enjoying your reviews. Sorry to hear you had a bad waitress at Citricos, sometimes that is enough to make someone not go back and their food is always amazing! Flying Fish is also tops on our list!

 

[catne]

great reviews, even without pictures, lol.

Sorry you had such crummy service at Citricos. We were lucky in January to have both good food & good service there. And we love Flying Fish...have been there twice now and great both times. We need to try Artist POint one of these days...

 

[DLo]

great start. looking forward to more. We haven't been to a sig rest yet - travel with a picky teenager - hoping to go with my hubby one day.

 

[janeapplemeadow]

Really enjoying your reviews. Sorry to hear you had a bad waitress at Citricos, sometimes that is enough to make someone not go back and their food is always amazing! Flying Fish is also tops on our list!

Thanks for reading I'm gald I finally made a point to try Flying Fish.

great reviews, even without pictures, lol.

Sorry you had such crummy service at Citricos. We were lucky in January to have both good food & good service there. And we love Flying Fish...have been there twice now and great both times. We need to try Artist POint one of these days...

You really should try Artist Point. I was a little hesitant after reading some of the mediocre reviews. The food was worth it.

great start. looking forward to more. We haven't been to a sig rest yet - travel with a picky teenager - hoping to go with my hubby one day.

You'd be suprised about taking teenagers to a signature dining restaurant. I took my niece and nephews to California Grill on my last trip and they really enjoyed it.

 

[janeapplemeadow]

Day 4
Another cold morning in Florida. We were a little slow to start. Breakfast in the lounge again and it was off to the Magic Kingdom. Getting there at rope drop meant that we did all we wanted to do by noon. It wasn't crowded until about 11:30. We went our seperate ways and I headed to Downtown Disney. I made my way all the way over to the baloon ride and decided I was hungry for lunch.

I spotted Wolfgang Puck Cafe. I had never been there before and there was no one in there so I got a seat at the bar for lunch without a wait. I am a sushi neophyte. I tried it on 2 previous trips to CG and I really liked it, so I went with the sushi roll special for the day. It was a roll with tuna, whitefish and I thought avacado. The man behind the sushi bar served up my plate rather quickly. The roll was a basic sushi roll with a mango spice sauce on top. First problem, no fork, and I'm not skilled with chop sticks. The server was no where around, so I sucked it up and learned how to eat with chopsticks real fast. I must have looked like a 4 year old!! The roll was sweet and fresh with a nice light heat from the mango sauce. I was really enjoying it. Then, the reason I should not eat sushi unsupervised, I picked up the ball sized object I thought was avacado and popped the whole thing in my mouth. Within 2 seconds a blow torch went off in my sinuses right to my eyes. This was not avacado, but wasabi paste. OUCH!!! I recovered pretty quickly but ate with more caution after that. I enjoyed the lunch and the setting was bright and airy. The bill for sushi and a cocktail was $25 for lunch before tip. I would return for the sushi.

Walking around Downtown Disney worked up an appetite for dessert. I stopped into Ghrirardelli's for ice cream. It was crowded but ordering went quickly and I found an empty table quickly. I ordered the peanut butter and hot fudge sundae. It took about 15 minutes for my ice cream to arrive. The sundae was O.K. I thought the peanut butter sauce lacked intense peanut butter taste. To be honest I like the No Way Jose sundae better at Beaches and Cream. Coffee included the check was $10+.

Mary and I met up again and headed back to the Majic Kingdom for the Electric Light Parade and fireworks. There still wasn't much of a crowd so we knocked off a few rides. Mary was hungry so we headed over to Pecos Bill for a late supper. Now I know that some people give this place a bad review, but on every vacation I need to eat here for the bacon double cheeseburger. I really wasn't hungry (a shame) so Mary ordered dinner without me. It was 7pm and the place was nearly empty. She got the taco salad bowl and to be socialable I ordered a carton of yogurt and tea. I was suprised with Mary's taco bowl. It looked realy good. She hit the fixing bar and loaded it with lettuce, tomatoes, onions, salsa and mushrooms. The fixing bar was fully stocked and very neat and clean. No drips or dropped food anywhere. Very impressive. She said the taco shell was crisp and fresh. She was suprised because the sauces and meat were so mild, but I guess Disney has to appeal to the masses. On a side note, I got yogurt. Now mind you, I'm in heart attack haven with very little healthy food to be found so why does Disney think I want low fat yogurt. The stuff was nasty, with a powdery, artificial sweetness. If a strawberry ever passed near the container I'll eat my hat. Please Disney, let me have a yogurt that has a few more calories and taste.
Next time I'll just go with my bacon double cheeseburger. All in all a good counter service choice. Will I return? of course, it's my favorite counter service guilty pleasure!!