Never Eat More Than You Can Lift...But, Kermie, FREE FOOD!!! September 2009 Report

[disneygirlinnj]

Mmm...I'm so sad i didn't get to try the cheesesteak sandwhich!! every time we went to eat there I was craving something else. But those looked GOOD!

 

[simpsonps121]

Excellent report. Great job!!!

 

[catne]

Mmm...I'm so sad i didn't get to try the cheesesteak sandwhich!! every time we went to eat there I was craving something else. But those looked GOOD!

That's me, too...I keep saying I'll try something else, but keep ordering that muffaletto sandwich. Someday

Excellent report. Great job!!!

Thanks...I still have more to go, but have just been soooo busy lately with other stuff! Trying to get back at it tonight.

 

[catne]

So after returning to DHS to see Indiana Jones & use up our TSM fastpasses, we headed over to Olivia's at Old Key West for a 7:00 P.M. dinner reservation. The guard at the gate told us to head to the "big white" building with the big portico...which we almost drove past because of course it's not a "big white" building at all...it's a big BLUE building with white trim, lol. Well, they welcomed us home at the check-in podium and seated us 30 seconds later in the restaurant...which was 3/4 empty.

We decided to get appetizers (paying out of pocket, of course). DS & friend split an order of Crab Cakes, described on the menu as coming "with Tossed Greens and Key Lime-Mustard and Papaya-Ginger Sauces" priced at $10.49. They really enjoyed these; liked both sauces but really liked the key-lime mustard sauce (orangey sauce on plate)

DH & I split a cup of Conch Chowder, which was a basic fish chowder in a tomato-based sauce for $6.99. DH loved it, but I thought it was way too hot/spicy so he ate most of it.

DS chose the " Roasted Chicken Breast with Port Wine Balsamic Glaze, with Yukon Gold Potatoes, Frisée, and Roasted Garlic Nage $17.99" He really enjoyed this chicken...it almost looks burnt in the photo, but that was just the dark wine glaze, was not actually burnt at all. He thought the potatoes were delicious - very buttery flavor to them, but thought the serving was just a tad skimpy on the taters. The Frisee...well not really impressed. Fancy name for that strange frizzy-leafed vegetation on the plate. They seem to favor this greenery at Olivia's since it was on all the entrees. Not-so-nice taste to it (kind of bitter) but I guess it makes a pleasant contrasting color on the plate. So as decor it's good, as food...not so much.

DH & I both chose the Mahi Mahi, which is listed on the menu as " Coconut-encrusted Mahi Mahi, Spiced Citrus Glaze, with Yukon Gold Potatoes, Frisée, and Roasted Garlic Nage 21.99." They sure love they're frisee & nage here. Just in case you're thinking "nage,WTH?" - some kind of fancy cooking stuff?...well, it's not, lol. It's basically a garlic broth used to cook fish. Now this "coconut encrusted" fish sounded like the perfect dish to me - I just love coconut-encrustations. And DH has never really met a fish he didn't like. But this dish just didn't do for either DH & I...here's the deal. The coconut crust was outstanding - I loved it. But the mahi mahi is just way too "fishy" tasting for picky me (I know that sounds silly...of course fish will be fishy. But I really prefer shellfish & love the very bland white fishes like talapia, cod, etc.) So I mostly ate the crust on this. DH was exact opposite...he thought the coconut crust was over-the-top-way-too-much, and scraped about 1/2 of it off. But he liked the fish part just fine - fishy is fine by him. So I wouldn't order this again, but he probably would. We both liked the potatoes, but agreed with DS that the potato serving was a bit small. If it had been french fries, would have been 4 or 5 fries...not really a "serving", know what I mean?

DS's friend chose the Key West Salmon Salad which came with "Mixed Greens, Vine-ripened Tomatoes,Applewood Smoked Bacon, and Cucumbers, with Citrus Vinaigrette 19.99" according to the menu. She enjoyed this...thought the dressing was one of the best she's had.

For dessert, DS chose "A Sweet Ending to Your Celebration . . .Chocolate Cake with a Raspberry Sauce. " This is the standard chocolate cake that seems to be on all the menus...his serving was very fresh & moist. He thoroughly enjoyed this, but of course could not finish it.

His friend loves Key Lime anything, so she chose the Key Lime Tart , which is served "with Mango and Raspberry Sauce 5.49" Those cute dots on the plate were the sauces, of course. She loved the tart & the raspberry sauce, not overly impressed with the mango sauce.

DH & I both chose the Banana Bread Pudding Sundae. This is served ala mode with Vanilla Bean ice cream and was swimming in Bananas Foster topping, for $5.49. Outstandingly scrumptious dessert...and I actually had room for most of it since I didn't eat much of my fish besides the crust. Would order this again in a flash.

Everything except the appetizers & the boozy drinks was covered by the Dining Plan, so don't have a total on it. Service was excellent, food was served promptly & cooked properly. Although I didn't care for my fish, I won't hold that against them since I'm the one who doesn't like it all that much So we'd give Olivia's an 8 out of 10. Would have been a bit higher if they'd skipped the "frisee" and increased the potato serving some. Would we go back...sure. Just would order different entrees next time.

 

[Flossbolna]

Thanks for the Olivia review, there aren't many around! I think it has an interesting theme and am always thinking I might want to eat there one day...

 

[catne]

Thanks for the Olivia review, there aren't many around! I think it has an interesting theme and am always thinking I might want to eat there one day...

You're welcome...and I know what you mean. When I was looking for "new & interesting" and spotted the menu at Olivia's (with lots of seafood choices) I knew we had to try it. I should have got the shrimp & pasta! Or that salmon salad (which looked stupendous.)

 

[catne]

Breakfast was leftover desserts & cereal bars in the room. Then we hit Animal Kingdom right at rope drop and did the highlights, finishing up with Finding Nemo the Musical. We left the park around 11:30 and headed for Wolfgang Puck Express at DTD. Last time we were here (in May) they had something seriously wrong with the A/C - half the indoor seating was roped off while guys on ladders were up in the ceiling, tinkering away. And it was warm in there - they had industrial-sized fans going, but didn't help much. This time the A/C was running full blast, thank heavens, because it was really getting hot outside.

DH & I opted for pasta, which comes with caesar salad. These salads were just OK - they were very fresh & crispy lettuce but both of us thought the dressing was a little "lite" - both in flavor and quantity. Almost like a watered-down version of caesar dressing. By the time you ate about 1/2 the lettuce, the dressing was all gone. We were hungry, so we ate most of the salad anyway.

DS's Friend opted for a sandwich. She chose the "Roast Beef and Chedder - thinly sliced Niman Ranch beef, sharp cheddar, mixed baby greens, tomato, Horseradish sauce and Dijon Aioli $11.95" She really liked this...she loves spicy food, and thought the sauce had just the right bite/tang to it. Chips were just OK, though - kind of tasteless, somewhat stale tasting. If they buy these things, they must be using a no-name bargain brand.

DH & I both chose the "Rigatoni with Chicken Alfredo - fresh artisan rigatoni tossed in Alfredo sauce and sliced all-natural roasted chicken breast, topped with fresh Grana Padano parmesan $14.95" I had this dish in May & liked it enough to choose it again; DH had tried a bite before, so he chose it too. The dish is a bit misleading - it's actually a deep bowl so the serving size on is huge...neither of us could finish it. The garlic bread they serve with it is just so-so. Don't see why they don't do a better bread with this...have all those wonderful artisan breads for sandwiches, but this just tastes like plain wonder bread toasted even though it looks like it's a heartier bread. And though it looks like there's some cheese on top, it's barely even garlic-flavored really. It's OK for sopping up the alfredo sauce, but not really worth eating otherwise. It is a very good chicken alfredo, though.

DS also chose a sandwich, but he wanted the "Chicken Pesto Focaccia - all natural rotisserie chicken, garlic-basil-pesto sauce, red onions, chopped Romaine and Roma tomatoes and Creamy Lemon Pesto $9.95." Son loves chicken in all it's incarnations...this hit the spot. He also didn't care much for the chips...not fresh, & he agreed they were very bland and seemed to be totally unsalted, which is odd for chips. He doesn't even like salty food so when he says something needs salt there's probably none at all on that food.

We all had fountain drinks (mostly cokes) and all 4 of us chose the frozen yogurt for dessert...it was so very hot that day - especially coming from Animal Kingdom (WHY does it always feel 10 degrees hotter at AK than anywhere else?) So a cold dessert really appealed. We were told one topping was included in the dessert option on the Dining Plan, so DH & I had the choc/vanilla swirl yogurt with chocolate syrup. DS had strawberries on top of his, and his friend chose sprinkles. Wish I'd taken a picture...when they say "One topping" there, they're using a measuring cup to get that "one topping." Could not believe how much topping went on - had to be two gravy ladles of choc. syrup on ours; same with son's strawberry topping. And Friend's sprinkles...there was like a cup of sprinkles on that dessert (OK, somewhat exaggerated...but you could barely see the surface of the frozen yogurt through the sprinkles.)

Service was good, refills on the beverages arrived without asking, and our waiter was absolutely on-the-spot with our dessert orders when we finished eating. Overall, would give lunch a 8 out of 10...the main dishes were excellent, but the sides they come with were a let-down. We'd return in a flash for those entrees, though (and the entrees & desserts were plenty of food - we couldn't finish them.) On the Dining plan, everything was covered except the tip (and yes, it IS a counter service, but the waiters serve the food, constantly re-fill the drinks & bring out the desserts when you're done eating if you have ordered the frozen yogurt. So we did leave a tip for him This is one of the highest price option on the dining plan -- typically runs $20 or more a person here when we eat, so it's a great value if you're wanting to try one of the tastier, more expensive counter service restaurants at Disney.

 

[catne]

We arrived a little early; DS & friend were shopping at DTD, so DH & I went in to see about getting an adult beverage. The place was hopping -- only two stools left at the bar, so we snagged 'em. We could have sat outside, but it was still about 90 degrees, so no way! Cool & dark inside...perfect pub decor.

DH chose a beer, of course. Don't remember what kind. But it was dark & cold, it was beer, and it was good. Nuff said about the beer. I chose one of the cold icy mixed concoctions which the menu tells us is "Iced Irish. Ireland's answer to Starbucks with alcohol added of course. Baileys Irish Cream, Butterscotch Schnapps, Jameson, and iced coffee, topped off with delicious fresh cream." Love the names of food & bev at Raglan Road, and the menu descriptions all sound so good, too. This was an outstanding drink, and plenty of booze, too. Here's the Iced Irish & DH's beer.

Well, after getting our drinks at the bar and sipping for a minute or two, I saw it was past 7:00...DH & I were getting hungry, so I said I'd see if they would seat us & let us order an appetizer - we were expecting DS & friend to show up any minute. They said sure, but then started off to seat us in the back of beyond...the farthest dining room area. Well, I asked her if you could hear the entertainment back there, and she said not really. Now we are all really big fans of Irish music - love the Celtic scene (great-great-grandparents on all sides of the family came from Ireland...it's in our blood!) So I begged & cajoled to get a table in the main dining room so we could hear the band. She went back to the podium & after a fair amount of wrangling, they seated us on the end of the banquette seating just inside towards the right. We could see the band, though our line of sight was obstructed a bit by the tall tables - but we could hear very well. And the begging was well worth it - that Irish family band is outstanding on vocals & instruments (dancing's not bad either.) Well, we put in our appetizer orders, and when it came time to order drinks at the table, the waitress noticed I'd been drinking the Iced Irish, and suggested we'd surely enjoy the Bailey's milkshakes...so three of us did. Hubby had another beer, of course.

Here's our view of the band (against the far wall...the guy standing on the left was leaning on the bar. The waiter is serving people sitting at the tall bar tables mentioned above as partially blocking our view.) Wasn't bad...would have loved one of the tables in the middle nearer the stage, but those were pretty well locked-in with people by 7:00 p.m and they lingered over their meals & drinks so they'd still have the good tables when the singing started at 8:00. Can't blame them, but not sure I'd show up more than hour ahead of time to get those tables, unless I was in for a full night of drinking. Well, guess that could happen...

Back to the eats! For apps, DH & I just had to try the "Dalkey Duo" which is "Dalkey-battered cocktail sausages, with a Dalkey mustard dipping sauce" We LOVED these things...funny how they serve them (those are full-sized forks they're stuck on, so you get 6 forks to eat them with, lol.) They are not breakfast-type sausages, and not spicy like Italian sausage. Just a batter-fried plain sausage, but with that mustard dip they were really good. Could have made a meal out of them.

DS & Friend went for Smokie City, which is " Oven baked layers of smoked Pollock with mature Wexford cheddar and double cream. Served with crusty bread " What that actually looks like is bread & a bowl of creamy chowder to dip that bread into. This was also delicious...and also could have been a meal.

After thoroughly enjoying these appetizers, it was on to the main courses. DS chose the "Salmon of Knowledge Fresh salmon fillet topped with smoked salmon, baked and served with a****
Maple glaze. It’ll give you brains to burn." The salmon was served atop mashed potatoes (hey, it's Irish - has to have potatoes, right?) This dish was outstanding...he ate every bit.

Friend chose some sort of salad...I can't actually find it on any of the Raglan Road menus I see (none of them mention the raspberries!) But she wasn't feeling all that well - think she'd had some issues with dehydration that day so appetite was not up to usual. Anyway, she wanted something light & this salad did the trick. She liked it, but only finished about 1/2.

DH & I both chose "It’s not Bleedin’ Chowder! That’s what Master Chef said. It is potatoes, mussels, prawns, scallops and fresh seafood infused with white wine and finished with cream. " Oh.My.Gosh! This was the best chowder we have ever, ever, ever had. And we've had some outstanding chowder in our day. This was over-the-top delicious. We both wanted to lick the bowls...that good.

Well, we were drawing out the meal...enjoying the entertainment and the ambiance. But time came for dessert...and we valiantly ordered on. And here's where I run into problems doing reviews after the fact - I have brief notes about these dishes but didn't write down the names for all of them figuring I'd spot them on the on-line menus....well, didn't quite work that way. Here's DS's choice. Which he loved, loved, loved. But I have no idea what it was, lol - obviously has some strawberries on it, and swimming in sweet cream. But other than that, who knows what it was He also enjoyed a glass of mead with his dessert (he & friend go to Renaissance Fairs and order mead at those, so he was thrilled to find it on the menu at Raglan Road.)

DH & son's friend both ordered the same dessert...which looked fabulous but again I have no idea what it was. Some sort of crumble-berry tart. It was supposed to come with ice cream ala mode, but they both ordered it without the ice cream because they figured they'd never finish it. Did end up putting most of it in a to-go box. It was also delicious...sorry I don't have the exact name, though!

My dessert...I DO know the name of it! "Ger’s Bread & Butter Pudding
Like no other pudding you have ever tried. Believe us. " Oh, I believe....I really, really believe. I love bread pudding, and I have a new all-time favorite bread pudding. This was so good...the cream & caramel sauce just way, way, way tooooo wonderful. They have elevated bread pudding to an art form. Maybe you have to be ultra-Irish to like this stuff. I'm pretty sure Ger's Bread & Butter Pudding will be the dessert in the heaven I go to

We spent about 3 hours at Raglan Road...and we over-ate & over-drank, big time. The entrees, desserts & coffee were of course covered by the dining plan. But the extras were a bit much for a "free" meal, lol. Our room charges for the adult beverages, appetizers & tips came to well over $100 (making Raglan Road not-so-free-dining for us.) But it really was worth it, great apps & great drinks: we'd do it again in a heartbeat! In fact, as we were leaving, I told husband we should take DD there for her 21st birthday - she'd love it all. Service was excellent...drinks, apps, meal & dessert was paced very well to allow us to enjoy the entertainment. Adult beverages & all the food was outstanding. Entertainment was superb. Ambiance was wonderful. We'd give Raglan Road an 11 on a scale of 10...yeppers, it was over-the-top good.

 

[Mesa Verde]

I'm very late to this dining party, but I am really enjoying your detailed reviews!

Thanks for the info on Raglan Road; we're planing to go there without the kids and now have a better idea what to expect in both food & entertainment.

 

[TigerKat]

I do love that chowder at RR, one of the best entrees I've had at WDW!

 

[catne]

I'm very late to this dining party, but I am really enjoying your detailed reviews!

Thanks for the info on Raglan Road; we're planing to go there without the kids and now have a better idea what to expect in both food & entertainment.

Oh yeah, leave the kids at home - you'll have a much better time. There were plenty of kids in there, but I don't know why -- especially the little ones were bored out of their gourds. There's really no room for high chairs/strollers, etc. Guess I'm getting old, but what fun is there in taking you little kiddos to a bar, lol.

I do love that chowder at RR, one of the best entrees I've had at WDW!

We've had some great chowder over the years...this ranks right up there with the BEST! And so much sea food in it. Sometimes you get chowder & you're lucky to find anything that came from the ocean in it. Not this stuff-it was chock-full. I want some right now -- we're having crazy-cold weather in Nebraska this week.

 

[catne]

Thursday was again extremely hot, and it was going to be a DHS day for us (and evening - we had Fantasmic Dinner package reservations) so we started the day with breakfast bars & left-over desserts (breakfast of champions!) and headed over to DHS for rope drop. We did our usual fast-track to the the TSM fast-passes (thank you DH for having this drill down to a fine science...he actually was first in line at one of the fastpass machines today...return time was 9:25. Yippee! And then we also walked on stand-by -- walking straight through, no slow-down until the stairs then it was maybe 2-3 minutes wait time in the stairs area. Great time was had by all. After a fabulous morning at DHS - doing TSM 3 times in 3 hours AND getting one more set of fastpasses for our evening return time, we finally headed for lunch around 11:45 or so. By then it was pushing 90 degrees, so the shady tables at Starring Rolls were beckoning. Although it was approaching noon, there was a very short line when we went in - maybe 2 small groups ahead of us. After getting our food, we had our choice of tables outside. By the time we left, around 12:30 or so, the line filled the small shop & curled outside - had to be 20-25 people in line and people saving tables outside for their parties, too, so I guess we timed our lunch just right.

DS picked the Black Forest Ham Sandwich - with chips or fresh fruit $9.19
Simply Sea Salt potato chips, coke and tirimisu for dessert. Son was really surprised how much ham was on here...very impressive hunk o'ham here. He loved the tirimisu, but it was definitely too rich to finish.

Friend, DH & I all chose the Turkey Focaccia - with chips $9.19 We also chose cokes. Love these sandwiches...has to be 1/2 pound of shaved turkey on these deli sandwiches.

DH & I picked the Sea Salt & Vinegar chips; Friend chose the version with jalopeno (she likes HOT food.)

As you can probably guess by now, Friend loves all things key lime, so she naturally had to pick the Breeze from the Keys...which is kind of like a key-lime pie with a layer of lime jello on top. She liked it...not quite as good as the key lime tart at Sunshine Seasons or the key lime dessert at Olivia's on Tuesday. But plenty of key limey-ness. She ate about 1/2 of this.

DH & I both wanted something cold, so both picked the Banana Split dessert, $3.99 ...wonderful, but very rich. These desserts don't look all that large, but looks are deceiving here - these were too much to finish, too.

We all enjoyed our lunch at Starring Rolls. Nice to have cold sandwiches on a hot day and though we love the baked goods at Starring Rolls on a super hot day those cold desserts are a real treat. Would give our lunch a solid 10...not a thing wrong with it. We'd return any day - think Starring Rolls is a hidden gem at DHS.

 

[catne]

Drinks & rolls
We returned to DHS in time to use our fastpasses for TSM (love that game!) and then headed over to Mama Melrose's for dinner. We checked in about 15 minutes early for our ADR and boy, was that place hopping. The waiting area was PACKED! This was our 3rd time to Mama Melrose in a year and had never been this busy before. Last May we were there on the Fantasmic dinner package for a 5:10 seating and the place was at least 1/2 empty. This time, every table full and busy/noisy. We were kind of surprised to be seated 20 minutes later (so only about 5 minutes after our actual ADR time.) While we waited I saw many people turned away who were looking for walk-up seating. Most of them were astonished to be turned away -- had obviously never happened to them before at Mama Melrose. Guess that's what has changed now with the reduced Fantasmic schedule - the park & the restuarants are packed on Fantasmic nights.

We started with drinks. I chose the Peach Bellini and Son picked a Mama's Margarita. Both were very good - my only objection to the Peach Bellini is that it's kind of a skimpy serving in that tall skinny glass, lol.

DH chose...Beer. No surprise there - he's had the Italian beer before & liked it, so ordered that (Moretti.) Have to confess I have no idea what the name of Friend's beverage was but believe it contained strawberries, pomengranate & lemonade. Whatever it was, she thought it was very refreshing.

The bread & dipping oil arrived about the same time as the drinks.

 

[catne]

DH & I chose the Crispy Calamari For Two, which is "topped with Peppers and Onions served with a side of spicy Marinara Sauce 12.99 We've chosen this before at Mama's and it did not disappoint this time either. Crispy/crunchy without a greasy taste. The marinara is a tad spicy for me, but DH loves it.

Now when we came in May, DD chose the "Bruschetta
Marinated Tomatoes served with Crostini 5.99" and it was really, really blah/nothing/what a waste of plate space. So when DS said he was headed for that, I told him about his sister's experience in May - bland bread with virtually no tomato topping, etc. He ordered it anyway - said he had a gut instinct about it. Well, he was right - this was very different from what DD was served. For one thing, it was covered with the marinated tomatoes! DS & friend shared this and her app, and they really enjoyed it.

DS's Friend chose the Mozzarella and Tomatoes, "with Marinated Sweet Onions, Balsamic Drizzle, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, and fresh Sweet Basil 7.99" Again, a very delicious choice.

 

[catne]

Son's friend & I both chose my favorite from previous visits, the "Oven-baked Chicken alla Parmigiana over Spaghetti 16.99" This is not quite as good as Olive Garden's, but better than I can make, lol. Breading on the chicken was just a tad too crunchy/dry but apparently they pulled it out of the oven just in time because the chicken meat was still moist & tasty. The spaghetti was cooked al dente, which is the way I prefer it.

DH chose the "Charred Sirloin Steak Italian Roasted Potatoes with Caramelized Sweet Onions, Aged Balsamic Shallot Butter, and Chianti Wine Reduction" ...this also came with asparagus, and was cooked as ordered. It was not the best steak he's had at Disney, but was tasty.

DS chose the "Penne alla Vodka with Pancetta and Sweet Onion finished with Tomato Basil Sauce, Cream, Vodka, and Pecorino Romano 16.99" He couldn't finish this, but thoroughly enjoyed it.

 

[catne]

We were all pretty full when it came time for dessert...for once the service was prompt so there were no long waits between courses. But we all wanted to try the various desserts, so Son and Friend both tried the "Mama’s Tiramisu Layers of Ladyfingers soaked in Coffee and topped with Whipped Mascarpone Cheese." About 3 bites each was all they could manage, but they both liked it.

I chose another old favorite, the "Honey-Hazelnut and Ricotta Cheesecake with a Blood Orange Sauce topped with Whipped Cream." I love, love, love this dessert...think it's my favorite cheesecake on property. Choked down about 1/2 of it.

DH chose spumoni ice cream again...didn't get a picture of it this time, so here's a photo from May (in May it arrived at the table melting all over the place...as I said, the service was really slow then. This time it arrived still frozen, no drips.) DH was able to finish most of the dish.

All in all, this was our best Mama Melrose dining experience...we were seated relatively quickly considering the size of the crowd waiting, and then we had prompt, cheerful service and good food. This was the busiest we've ever seen MM - we really thought we'd be there forever since on previous two occasions the place was 1/2 empty and the food & service took forever. This time, everything went bing-bing-bing...not rushed, but timely. We'd give it an 8 out of 10. It's not gourmet Italian food, but it's good, plentiful and left us feeling quite contented. We would definitely return to Mama Melrose, especially on the Fantasmic Dinner package.

 

[SweetMommy]

So being an employee of Olive Garden, I'm feeling quite good! lol

 

[Smiling Cheshire Cat]

I can't stop laughing about that comment CM made about your DH's biscuits and gravy not being a snack credit anymore because it was plated. Could he have asked for it in a bowl and used a snack credit?

Thanks for the MM F! package review. We will doing this next month and can't wait to try it.

 

[catne]

I can't stop laughing about that comment CM made about your DH's biscuits and gravy not being a snack credit anymore because it was plated. Could he have asked for it in a bowl and used a snack credit?

Thanks for the MM F! package review. We will doing this next month and can't wait to try it.

Yeah, "Plated"...that had to be the silliest explanation ever -- would love to talk to the suit that came up with that reason. Course, husband offered to just take it in his hands, but that was a no-go And typical Disney-dining-snafu: I've read several dining reviews from people staying at POP during the same time frame who were getting biscuits & gravy over there for a snack credit. Apparently "plating" wasn't an issue there.

So being an employee of Olive Garden, I'm feeling quite good! lol

Love, love, love Olive Garden's "taste of Italy"...we get that & take 1/2 home so we get 2 meals out of it.Yummy!

 

[catne]

Friday September 10, Breakfast at Boma

Friday was going to be a somewhat easy touring day -the only "must do" we still had on our list was to get over to Animal Kingdom and see Festival of the Lion King. We really didn't have big park plans for the day, because we were heading to our first-ever Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party that evening and it was our last night so we planned to stay until the end. Since we had early dinner planned at Cinderella's Royal Table at 4:15, we knew we wouldn't want to be eating lunch in the middle of the day so we decided instead of our usual light breakfast, we would have a big buffet breakfast, then go see the Lion King. Then we'd head back to the resort & pack almost everything since we'd be leaving early the next morning.

We'd been to Chef Mickey's before for breakfast...not really interested in a character meal and though we liked it, we didn't think the breakfast there was "all that"....seemed like so much of what was offered on the buffet line at CM was aimed at kiddos (not surprising Well, we have heard so much good stuff about Boma breakfast, that's where we'd go. Have to say this was operating on "blind faith" here because we really, really did NOT like Boma dinner at all. Thought it was either tasteless/bland or yuck! on the spices. So we were trusting fellow Disers' reports that breakfast & dinner do not compare. Here's the interesting thing - this was during Free Dining, yet we decided to do this just two weeks before we got there and when I went on-line to check for times I could have had any time between 7:30 and 10:30 a.m. for Boma, table of 4. I thought maybe there was a glitch in the system & they were double-booking or something. But when we arrived shortly after 9:00 a.m., the place was EMPTY. Don't think there was 6 other tables filled in the whole restaurant. The service was wonderful - juice and coffee was instantly refilled, used plates disappeared...we have never had such excellent service at a buffet before. And the food...oh my. Everything you've heard about Boma breakfast buffet being the best on property is true. There are some "interesting" foods...like the green curry gravy with the "biscuits & gravy", but by & large it's all American style breakfast foods. But hot and delicious. The fruit was all fresh and the pastries were good. We all loved the food here. And fun-fun-fun, we were all serenaded by African singers, doing a line dance & singing a very interesting version of Happy Birthday. Besides me, two other tables also had folks celebrating birthdays, so each table got a personalized version in addition to the singing/dance line throughout the restaurant. That was a treat - those women have wonderful harmonies going (and they really looked liked they loved doing that performance - I don't remember the last time I saw adults look like they were having such a good time with their job.)

scrambled eggs with salsa, biscuit & curry gravy, breakfast potatoes, bacon, pecan roll, bowl of plain yogurt

Breakfast potatoes, bacon, eggs with goat cheese/chives, honey dew melon, cantaloupe, pineapple, sausage, chocolate chip croissant. The breakfast potatoes were spicy - too much for me but everyone else thought they were excellent. The scrambled eggs made with goat cheese & chives were outstanding - moist & fluffy without being soggy. The cheese gave them a creamy taste - not strong cheese flavor. We all liked the chocolate chip croissants here.
The oh-so-delicious coffee (apparently they're using the good stuff here) and also Boma's superb signature juice "West African Frunch (a combination of lemonade, pineapple juice, guava juice, orange juice, and papaya juice)" I think each of us drank at least 3-4 glasses of juice in addition to 2-3 cups of coffee...we would have floated out of there if we weren't bogged down with the wonderful food, lol.

The pecan roll, strawberries, chocolate croissant,banana bread, couple of muffins - all very fresh . The pecan caramel roll was very good, as was the choc. croissant. The banana bread, though moist & fresh was not all that flavorful. The muffins were good, but nothing special about them.

Son's Plate o'bacon, taters & maters (can you tell he LOVES bacon, lol.) He loved the bacon & taters, but thought the tomatoes looked way better than they tasted. Not spicy enough.

Friend's plate...she loves the usual breakfast foods, so had to try a plate of eggs, bacon, pancake, raisin french toast, waffle. She liked it all.

This bowl was watermelon (which was good) and a fruit salad (ack...thought it looked like fruit salad made with whipped cream, fruit cocktail, coconut, etc. but whatever the white stuff was it didn't taste like regular sweetened whipped cream. and seemed to have grapefruit and other sour and/or tasteless fruits in it. Quite the surprise when I took my first bite. Expecting one taste, getting something totally different. Yuck.)

Some more of the excellent coffee, yummy juice, croissant with cream cheese, choc chip croissant, honey dew, cantelope and strawberry (all excellent.)

We used up the end of our Table Service credits with this meal, but even paying cash I would choose Boma Breakfast. It was 10X better than Chef Mickey's for food - definitely had a lot more appeal for adult palates (though there was certainly plenty of kid-friendly choices, too.) We loved this breakfast - awesome decor, outstanding food and excellent service. Would give Boma breakfast a 10 out of 10...we'd go back any day.