Not Known As Light Eaters - A Deluxe Dining Tale, Updated 8/24 Mama Melrose's

[fantasia73]

For the past five months or so, I have religiously read the dining reviews on this board. They greatly inspired my trip planning, and I hope that my reviews will help others in much the same way.

It has been 5 years (5 long years) since I last embarked on a deluxe dining adventure. On that trip, I vowed that it would be my last time on the dining plan. It was too much food. At one point the friend I was traveling with dissolved into tears and said "I just can't eat anymore." As my title says, my friends, my family, and I are not known as light eaters. We love food. We eat a lot. Luckily, so far it hasn't caught up to us in the weight department. For us to say it was too much food, that was saying a lot. As we planned this trip, we went back and forth about whether or not to do the plan. Calculations were made, preliminary restaurant menu selections tabulated, and everyone agreed that we wanted to try so many things that the deluxe dining plan just made sense. We booked 7 nights at the Boardwalk, Magic Your Way tickets, and deluxe dining packages. With the buy 4 nights, get three free, we thought the deal was pretty darn good.

The Details

Dates: August 5-12, 2009
Resort: Boardwalk Inn (and by the way if you were the family staying in Boardwalk Inn room 3214, yelling at your kids and telling them that if they don't stop you will beat them, probably isn't a great way to make them behave, but I digress).

Cast: Me, your lovable narrator. 35 years old. The master planner of this trip. Have traveled to Disney 10 times since I was 4 years old. Not someone who needs to go to Disney every year, but makes a pilgrimage of sorts every five years. Loves to cook, eat, dine out, and take pictures of food. Favorite Meal - Filet at Jiko

Birthday Girl, my best friend, roommate, and all around heckler. Turned 37 on this trip. Also loves food. Doesn't really cook. Favorite meal - Filet at Jiko.

Dad, my dad, 62. The one person doubled his money on the dining plan. He ate every bite of food on every appetizer, entree, and dessert that he ordered. Not a crumb left behind. Favorite meal - Lobster at Narcoossee's.

Mom, my sweet mother. She came a close second to my dad in the clean plate club. Also loves food. The only person in our group to even come close to tossing her cookies after a meal. Favorite meal - Filet at the California Grill.

The Restaurants:
8/5 Big River Brewery
Flying Fish Cafe
8/6 Kona Cafe
Jiko
8/7 San Angel Inn
Narcoosee's
8/8 Mama Melrose
Sanaa
8/9 Yak and Yeti
Brown Derby
8/10 Wave
Artist's Point
8/11 Les Chefs de France
California Grill
8/12 Room Service - Boardwalk

 

[amandelba]

Sounds delicious. I'm in.

 

[PrincessTrisha]

Wow what a great line up. I hope that you enjoyed the plan as much as I did.

If you ever need a travelling partner, let me know.

 

[fantasia73]

Food: As I said in my first post, everyone in this group loves food and loves to eat A LOT. Out if all of the meals that we ate on this trip, there was only one restaurant that we all agreed had not so good food. If you looked at my list of restaurants and were able to guess the answer as Mama Melrose, you would be correct. Every other restaurant was at least good, if not excellent. The portions were generous and had we been paying out of pocket for these meals, generally we feel that we would have gotten our money's worth. The lone exception to this was lunch at the San Angel Inn where the price you paid did not cover the portions. We all had different favorites, but universally we all agreed that Disney does food well.

Service: Service was also generally very good. Many servers were friendly and helpful. Not one seemed to be put off by the fact that we were on the dining plan. Most explained how the plan worked, and pointed out favorite dishes to order from the menu. We did find service to overall be a bit slow. The space between courses was generally a little byond what is generally acceptable. For us, it worked great. We loved being able to take the time to have a leisurely meal at dinnertime. We had some spare time to digest in between courses. Most dinners took longer than two hours. This would probably be a disaster for families with small children, but since we had none of those, it worked great.

Allergies: I have recently developed a food allergy and so this part of the Disney dining experience was new to me. I had had my travel agent mark the allergy down on our reservations, and except for the Kona Cafe and Les Chefs de France, when I arrived at the restaurant the chef was always prepared for me. The chef would come out and personally take my order. If there could be cross-contamination issues, the chef would cook my food separately. Leaving out the exceptions, my allergy was taken seriously and I was treated like royalty. Sometimes, you tell about an allergy, and the restaurant people treat you like "if you can't eat how I cook, don't bother eating at my restaurant." Here it was "How can we make this the safest best possible meal for you."

Kids: As a party made up entirely of adults, we knew there would times that kids would impede upon our dining experiences, this is Disneyworld not Delmonico in Vegas. There was only one time that I really wished I could tell the parents off. At Jiko, a 2 year old was out eating dinner at 8:00 at night. She was tired and cranky. She threw her sippy cup at us repeatedly, and screamed like her toenails were being ripped from her toes. The parents were obviously at the end of their ropes, the kid needed to be in bed, and I quickly tired of handing the cup to the parents. Everywhere else, kids were uniformly better behaved than I would have been at their ages. Those two hour meals that seemed long to me must have been torture for the kids, yet they sat still, played with toys that the parents brought for them, and out matured some of their parents!

 

[fantasia73]

Wow what a great line up. I hope that you enjoyed the plan as much as I did.

The planning was almost as fun as the trip! Well . . . not really, because the trip exceeded my expectations, but it was fun to plan!

 

[fantasia73]

We arrived at the Boardwalk at 2:00 and had planned to walk to France in EPCOT to get some crepes and Grey Goose slushies, but it started pouring soon after we checked in, so on the spur of the moment decided to head to the Brewery. We had all been then before. We were gearing up for dinner at the Flying Fish, so we paid OOP, and just split some sandwiches.

The girls ordered the Blackened Mahi Mahi Sandwich - Spicy seared filet on a freshly baked roll with leaf lettuce, sliced tomato and chipotle mayo. Served with Kettle chips. The sandwich was way better than what we were expecting. The fish was thick and the quality was quite good (not fishy at all). The chipotile mayo was tasty, but the sandwich could have used a little more of it. The chips were good, nothing special.

The parents ordered the Honey Dijon Chicken Sandwich - Grilled chicken breast basted in Honey Dijon mustard and topped with smoked bacon strips and Swiss cheese. Served with Kettle chips. They liked it, but that was all they would give me.

For beer, I had the Wowzer's Wheat. If you like Blue Moon or other wheat beers, you will enjoy this. It wasn't the most flavorful that I have ever had, but it was certainly good enough. Good enough that I ordered a second one. At $5.50, it wasn't badly priced.

My dad had the beer flight, and his comment was "outstanding." Unfortunately, that is about as much as he ever gave me. Funny how just about everything was "outstanding" that he ate all week.

The birthday girl had the Southern Flyer Light Lager. She thought that the emphasis was a little too much on the light. More like a Bud Light than a Sam Adams Light, if you know what I mean.

Overall, we had a decent first meal at Disney. None of us really expected much, so we were pleasantly surprised. If you like beer, this isn't a bad place to go to, especially if you want to escape the crowds of EPCOT at lunchtime. It's just a quick walk via the International Gateway.

 

[disneygirlinnj]

i'm in! i'm loving all of these deluxe reviews lately I'm starting to get worried that we're going to have WAY too much food since we're not really doing signature restaurants but..oh well

 

[butiflfeet]

I can't wait to read more of your reviews!

 

[fantasia73]

Before continuing on with my reviews, I thought I would give our impressions of the Deluxe Dining Plan.

We really enjoyed being on the plan and felt that it was a great value for us. I didn't keep track of the $s saved, but I do know that we came out ahead. We used every single one of our snack and meal credits. We approached the plan knowing it was going to be A LOT of food. So, we tried to stick to lighter foods (such as fish, sorbets, salads, etc.) This approach seemed to work well. We were always hungry for our next meal, and never made ourselves feel sick (expect for my mother one night at Artist's Point). We used our snack credits on breakfast items from the Boardwalk Bakery, smartly purchased the night before, so we could have a quick breakfast before leaving for the parks. We also generally had some sort of snack mid-morning - either a Mickey Bar or a frozen drink. We did make coffee in our room the night before as well, because we can't stand Disney's coffee, and iced coffee sounded a lot better than hot coffee in that heat! Returning from the parks, we would fill up our refillable mugs with soda. It was irritating that you had to bring the mugs in to show proof that you had them, only to be given soda in a separate paper cup.

The part I liked best about being on the dining plan was not having to worry about what I was ordering. If I felt like a $15 cheese course, I could have it, and not think how much that really is for four tiny portions of cheese. We got to try so many different things with four of us being on the plan.

Would I go deluxe again? I'm not sure. There were quite a few things we missed committing to a 2 hour meal every night. We would have liked to have gone to the parks after the sun had gone down and it was cooler. We missed Illuminations and Fantasmic. Also, sometimes we just didn't feel like ordering three courses, but it seemed such a waste not to. We definitely think you can eat reasonably at Disney without the plan. It just depends on what kind of deal Disney offers us.

 

[disneyfav4ever]

Can't wait to read your reviews!

 

[fantasia73]

Tradition states that we start every trip with a visit to the Flying Fish Cafe. We enjoy the atmosphere, the varied menu, and always feel like it's a great way to kick off our trip. Staying at the Boardwalk, it was an easy walk to the restaurant. Our reservation was at 7:20, we arrived a few minutes early, and were promptly sat at our reservation time. As we were being sat, the hostess asked a steady stream of questions, and was very friendly. We were sat amongst quiet tables filled with adults, so we were pleased. The hostess noted the food allergy and told us the chef would be right out to talk to us.

-------Note: I took some food pics on this trip that I will post to go along with my report. I felt like enough people post every single bite of food that they have, I would keep it simple and just post what I think is the prettiest food!

The chef did come out and take my order personally to make sure he had full control of what I was eating. Everything I ordered was okay, but he did deliver each course to me personally. It was very special to me, because I felt 100% safe that I would not be ending up in the emergency room! That's a good feeling.

For a beverage, I split a bottle of chenin blanc with the birthday girl. It arrived to the table not quite cold enough, but after sitting on the cold stone, subsequent glasses were okay.

For my first course, I had Chilled Wild Caught Gulf Gulf Shrimp "Cocktail" - Frisee, Shaved Radishes, Spiced Hearts of Palm, Creamy Verde Sauce, Chive-infused Oil - $16.00

I really enjoyed this course. Since they were Gulf shrimp, they were a little fishier tasting than the ocean shrimp that most people are used to (at least New Englanders). I enjoyed that flavor, but others at my table thought that was too much fish taste. The sauce was very nice and clean tasting. I finished every bite.

The birthday girl had Fresh Mozzarella di Bufala Heirloom and Marinated Tiny Tomatoes - Served with Radicchio, Aged Balsamico Syrup, Fresh Basil, Loire Valley Extra Virgin Olive Oil. She loved it! The mozzarella was very creamy and rich tasting. I had a bite and had to agree.

For an entree, I had the swordfish special. I didn't take a picture and I don't have a description from the menu, but in my notes, I wrote "YUM!" I remember saying that it was the best swordfish I had ever had in Florida. It was a very thick piece of meat that was cooked perfectly. The sauce was Asian inspired and perfectly complemented the fish. I loved this dish!

The birthday girl had the signature Signature Flying Fish Cafe Potato-wrapped Red Snapper - Served with Cream Leek Fondue, Veal Glace and Red Wine Butter Sauce. She did like, but didn't love it. She really liked the fish and the crispiness of the potato, but did not love the sauce.

The parents had Oak-Grilled Main Diver Scallops - Served with Artichoke, Opal Basil and Mascarpone-laced Risotto di Carnarolli, Clamshell Mushroom, Crispy Capers, Artichokes and Pancetta. They loved it, but it was very rich and both had a hard time finishing their generous portions. Who would have thought that Mascarpone risotto would be filling?:

For dessert, with my allergies, I was allowed to have the strawberry napoleon. It wasn't anything special, but it was good.

The birthday girl had white chocolate creme brulee. This was a hit all around the table. Everybody loved it.

The parents both had the trio of sorbets since they were so full from the risotto! They liked them just fine. Dad's comment was "outstanding."

We really enjoyed this meal and thought it was a great way to start our trip. The service was friendly, but quite slow. They were not in rush to get us out of there. It took us 2 1/2 hours to finish this meal. We noticed that our waiter had a lot of tables. We were wondering if there were any cutbacks affecting the amount of servers at any given meal?

 

[sctigger]

Sounds yummy can't wait to read more.

 

[MHSweb79]

I'm going in a month (yay!) and I don't have a single ADR for any of your retaurants. But I wanted to join because I notice you are from "Providence" too. (Actually, I live a few miles north in the Blackstone Valley).

 

[medicgirl911]

Can't wait to read more about it! I am curious tho as to what your allergy is??

 

[Pooh&OurHunny]

I can't wait to read more... enjoying your review

 

[fantasia73]

Can't wait to read more about it! I am curious tho as to what your allergy is??

Oops forgot that detail. Coconut and coconut oil.

 

[fantasia73]

Our first full day in the Magic Kingdom was full of fun. The crowds were light and we dashed through ride after ride with little to no wait. We picked up a few fast passes throughout the day to us during the afternoon, but we set a record for us for the most rides ridden before lunch. Our fateful mistake was riding Splash Mountain before leaving the park to get to lunch. We were towards the back of our log, but the water cannons were on at the base of the drop and soaked us all. It felt good, but we kind of felt bad that we would be walking into lunch looking less than pretty!

The Kona Cafe is located inside the Polynesian. We jumped on the local monorail from the Magic Kingdom with plenty of time to spare before our reservation. Unfortunately, the monorail stops seemed extra long and we arrived about 15 minutes late. Even with our lateness, we were seated immediately. After being seated, that's when the promptness ended. The rest of the service was very slow. It seemed like forever until we ordered our drinks and double forever before they were brought out to us. We were very thirsty after running through the magic Kingdom for the previous 4 hours! We all had Diet Coke to drink. We would have loved a cocktail, but alcohol plus 95 degree weather wouldn't have equaled anything good.

For an appetizer, My dad and I split the Sticky Wings - Glazed Chicken Wings with a tangy mustard drizzle and toasted sesame seeds. I did like them, but I didn't think they were as good as other people have made them out to be. The sauce could have been more flavorful. The birthday girl had Pot Stickers - Wok seared duck dumplings with a creamy ginger-soy sauce. She raved over these and considering how fast she ate them, I wasn't able to get a sample! My mother had the Kona Salad - Mixed greens, Maytag blue cheese, fresh fruit, red onions, and smoked almonds with a citrus vinaigrette. There was plenty of blue cheese and we all got to sample it. Maytag blue cheese sure is good.

For entrees, we all ordered the same thing. Fish Tacos - Seared Tilapia with Tomato Salsa and Mango Mayonnaise. I don't have a picture because we all devoured these. They were awesome. The taco shell wasn't like something from the grocery store. It was more flaky and obviously homemade. The sauces were also good. Everyone wished we had time to go back her for lunch on another day to get these tacos again.

For dessert, my parents and I all ordered the Chocolate Fondue with Tropical Fruit and House-made Cookies. It was really good. I ate all of the fruit and gave my cookies to my parents, since there was coconut in them. I would have like to have some banana slices to dip, but that's just being picky!

The birthday girl had White Chocolate Cheesecake Cheesecake with a hint of White Chocolate, Strawberry Coulis, and Whipped Cream. She picked it because it was the smallest dessert, but this ended up being her most favorite dessert on the whole trip. I did manage to grab a bite before it was gone and it really was delicious. The cheesecakes on this trip never disappointed! They were always delicious.
Here's a picture of the cheesecake.

Everyone agreed that this was a great lunch. All of the food was very good. We would all love to try the Kona Cafe for dinner next time. The service was very slow, but we enjoyed a break from the heat of the park. Other tables seemed to be served faster than we were, so it may just have been that we were stuck with a SLOW server. She was nice enough, but she seemed to move slower than molasses.

 

[Pooh&OurHunny]

Thanks for the update. We never went to Kona Cafe and was wondering if its worth it to leave MK and have lunch there but your food review makes it worthwhile. Cant wait to read more.

 

[disneygirlinnj]

Mmmmm i love those pot stickers at Kona!

 

[MissMichelle]

I would DIE if I had a coconut and coconut oil allergy! Coconut is my favorite flavor in the whole world.

Loved your review of Flying Fish...We will be trying it for the first time in September...Its my birthday meal