Om nom nom, a short deluxe report Updated 1-5! yeah it's been awhile..

[LockShockBarrel]

Ok so here I am, finally starting my dining report. I think I had some residual food coma symptoms.

The nutshell version (if you want the un-shelled version you'll have to read my full report "How do I Flush this? Squared!") after much hemming and hawing I decided that upgrading from Free Quick service dining just wasn't enough, and deluxe was what was truly calling my name.

Reservations were made, changed, and changed again. A few basics stayed and some new adventures were planned. It actually ended up being 4 places that were brand new to me over the course of my stay (9/10-9/13)

My plan looked a little, ok well a lot like this!

9-10 Lunch at Paradiso 37, Dinner at 50's Prime Time
9-11 Breakfast at Captain's Grille, Lunch at Casey's Corner, and Dinner at Narcoosee's
9-12 Breakfast at Grand Floridian Cafe, Lunch at Beaches and Cream and Dinner at Coral Reef
9-13 Breakfast at Whispering Canyon Cafe and Lunch at the airport

So who's ready?

 

[stitchaholic]

I am soooo ready

 

[NoOrdinaryPrincess]

Can't wait!

 

[jabead]

Yay...you've started a DR!

I'm here and ready! Off now to add the link to my list.

 

[LockShockBarrel]

Yay, officially more people than my actual trip report! At least I know people other than me have their priorities in the right order (hence why I had deluxe dining and a value hotel ) I'll be around later to get started!

 

[Missoutandabout]

How can I resist reading about the food exploits of the author of one of the best one-liners ever posted over on the resort board?

 

[MickeyNicki]

Cant wait, especially for Narcoossee's....been flip flopping on keeping it or not

 

[TigerKat]

I'm in!

 

[Caseheidi]

I'm here too! Love the restaurant reviews!

 

[sue and co]

I'm in.

 

[LockShockBarrel]

How can I resist reading about the food exploits of the author of one of the best one-liners ever posted over on the resort board?

Crushed dreams?!

 

[Missoutandabout]

Crushed dreams?!

That would be the one!

 

[LockShockBarrel]

Well I suck at this, life kind of went POOF on me and I haven't had a chance to get to the reviews! I just started a second job and it's been throwing me way off my internal clock. But priorities are reigning now so *Peter Pan voice* here we go!!!

I've been trying to come up with a rating system and I think I've got it now.
-Awful, will never bother again
-Really bad
-Bad but edible
-Not great but would eat it/go if it were the only option
-Not bad, but not good. Second string or plan b.
-Good, not the best but good.
-Awesome, would get/would go again.
-Holy crap the angels from cloud 9 are dancing on my tongue.
I'll rate components to a point, dishes, and overall meal because you know, it's an excuse to make this longer.

In the midst of planning, the original idea was to grab something quick at Pop then go to DTD. I happened to be reading through reviews on here and saw one for Paradiso 37. When it first came out I believe I deemed it too spicy or ethnic and basically wrote it off then and there. If I remember correctly it also wasn't on the dining plan and since I've bowed to that alter for the past several trips it was a moot point. Well reading through this review and looking at pictures I thought "Hey, that looks good...so does that..!" And I scampered off to look at the menu. I found some stuff I liked and thought "oh well it's probably not on the plan!....Oh wait, it is but there's no way at like 2 weeks out there's going to be reservations available or they'll be at funny times. There's a 12:55pm? Well I'll take it!"

Since I had miscalculated quite how long all the transportation would take, I ended up being about 10 minutes late for my ADR time but it was a complete non issue. There were maybe 5 other tables occupied at the time. I was seated immediately and took a couple pictures.

Behind me

In front of me

My server was Kim and she was pretty friendly. I ordered a coke to drink and you don't really need a picture of that. It tasted really watered down though. I figured it was just the ice but later in the meal I heard someone tell their server his tasted watery too so it wasn't just me. I didn't stick around long enough to see if they did anything though.

For my appetizer I had really been looking forward to the corndog nuggets (I'm a sucker for a good corn dog) so that's what I got. I was impressed with the serving size, and I get the impression people usually share this app.

The sauce was some kind of honey dijon thing, but I didn't taste it.

I have to say I was pretty disappointed with these. The batter was very thin and it fell off the hotdogs whenever I tried to bite into one or if I cut into it. The hotdog part itself, the skins were very thick compared to what I'm used to. They came out rocket hot. I tried the batter by itself and it was ok, the hotdog part was really bland. I found them as a dish to be between and .

I was a bit disappointed that the filet was only on the 3 course thing. I wasn't into the appetizer offered with it but I could have just not gotten it so this was more my fault. Instead I got a burger. Boring, I know. It came with P37 fries and when I asked what a P37 fry was Kim said "They're pretty much a McDonalds fry". I wasn't really expecting that answer, I kind of figured she just meant skinny and plain.

Well she was right, they were like slightly crispier less salted McDonalds fries. I'd rather have them from McDonalds though, they were just ok. A solid The burger was also just ok. The bun was fresh and soft, but the meat itself was not really seasoned. I didn't expect spicy or even spiced, but a bit of salt and pepper would have made a world of difference. Again, a solid .

For dessert I had read something about seasonal empanadas but sadly these weren't on the menu but a season creme brulee was. I was torn between this and the Chocolate stack cake. That thing looked awesome but just too heavy. I was pretty full at this point and just couldn't bring myself to order the cake. I asked Kim what the seasonal creme brulee was and apparently mid September is the season for vanilla I figured I'd try it anyway, I do like vanilla.

The brulee part was wafer thin and what I thought were sugar bubbles on it was actually condensation. It had come right out of a cooler. The creme part was creamy in texture but not in taste. That sounds odd, I know, but imagine real whipped cream made with real cream. Now imagine someone trying to whip skim milk into whipped cream. This creme brulee was the skim milk version. I guess you could say it was creamy but not rich. I took maybe 3 bites of this and decided it wasn't worth the effort or calories. I rate it

I was finishing up when Kim brought the bill over, and shot herself in the foot with me by making sure I knew that tips weren't included in my dining plan. Honestly, I get that some people probably stiff them but I think its so tacky to remind people of this. To me, Paradiso 37 seems like a fun place to go after work, or just a place for apps and drinks and while the menu is family friendly there's definitely better places out there. I didn't hate it but I certainly wasn't impressed nor would I bother making an ADR here again. Certainly an option if other places are full but I wouldn't suggest it as a "You should definitely go here!" So all in all, I'll give Paradiso 37 a and a quarter

Costwise, the drink was $2.99, the app $9.99, entree $15.99,dessert $7.99. Tax came to $2.41 so the grand total was $39.37, or 1 credit. .

 

[Ro Z]

Sorry you didn't have a better experience at Paradiso. We like it. But more for apps. we liked the corn dog nuggets and asked for regular yellow mustard. I really like the chicken sandwich. It comes with some stuff I don't like so I just get chicken bacon lett tom and mayo. Really good. I like the mickey d's fries once they came out cold tho but were replaced with hot ones right away. I also hate being reminded about the tip. But it is probably worse for the server to have to do the reminding.

 

[Ro Z]

Oh I forgot. I have almost froze to death inn Paradiso every time. Not only are the beers the "coldest" so is the place itself!!

 

[LockShockBarrel]

I could definitely see myself going again at like 11 with friends like a "we're hungry and want a drink" type thing but I don't think I'd go again for a meal. Everything tastes better after a couple drinks.

The tip thing, the server could avoid the whole awkward thing and just not ask you know? The last time I got that was right when the tips were dropped from the plan and the couple servers that did mention it were more like "Just so you're aware the dining plan recently changed and we did remove the gratuity and appetizers from it" It came across more apologetic like they were sorry to have to bring it up at all while this was "I'm telling you this so you better give me something."

oh and as a side note I forgot to add what the costs and all that fun was to my review, I'll do it later though, I'm exhausted!

 

[LockShockBarrel]

OK so....I have to admit I was a total failure at this point and didn't take any pictures at 50's Prime Time!! I was too distracted!

I had an 8:10 ADR but ended up heading over early and was seated at 7:44pm to be exact. It was way back in a corner, a kitchen I'd never seen before but it ended up being a great location. Sara was my, really our, server. I say our because the couple next to me and I started talking like we'd known each other for years, then when Sara would sit down at my table and jibber with us it was really like a family. The couple was from New Orleans and Sara gave them "sass" (their word) for not having thicker accents. I wouldn't say she was super in character but the was so friendly and funny and made us feel so at home I can't fault her for only minor shananigans.

Even though I was on deluxe dining, I skipped the appetizer. Nothing there really appeals to me and I can't tell you how sad I am that I missed them bringing back the old cheese appetizer!! I ended up with a coke (typical for me) and the fried chicken.

The last time I was there I had the steak and it was just a bad cut, lots of connective tissue. That is turning into an ongoing theme with 50's and me. The chicken...*le sigh* it's so frustrating to me. I like the way it tastes, I like the breading but I had to dissect the pieces to get at the good stuff. Its like what's on it is good, there's just not a lot of it. Maybe that's why the serving is huge. I'm conflicted on the rating here, so I'm not even going to give it one.

I didn't touch the greens and had been so distracted talking to my new family from NOLA, I forgot to ask for my potatoes sans gravy. I asked for plain ones rather sheepishly and Sara said something like "oh man..you better hope Mom's in a good mood tonight" The new ones were only just warm, but still pretty good. I could do without the skins in them though, its just a texture preference. I'd give them a .

For dessert I had the apple cobbler, inspired by my new family as well. I got it "a la modey" (Little Miss Sunshine anyone?) I loved the ice cream and the apple part, but the topping isn't what I'm used to. I come from the crumbly topping world, not the oatmeal crispy one. It wasn't bad but it'd be so much better with "the real" topping. Cobbler =

It was such a nice meal in atmosphere though, it made me very optimistic about the whole solo trip thing. Sometimes it takes me a while to warm up to people but once I do just try to get me to shut up, but I really didn't run into that for the whole trip. The restaurant wasn't super busy so Sara sat with us for probably a total of 15 minutes on and off. We talked about working for Disney, what all the cousins did for a living and this is where I had to explain exactly what a cheese monger is. Then I got to give her a short education on what the cheese that is supposed to be in the new "old" appetizer actually is. It was the most fun meal I had. So overall, even though the food wasn't outstanding, I still say .

The breakdown- drink- $2.99, meal- $16.99, dessert- $7.49- tax $1.79= $29.26.

I found at this point I probably wasn't going to make the "best" (boy this is a " heavy post) use of the deluxe plan. I'd even used a snack credit on a drink earlier in the day. THE SCANDAL!! but rest assured I didn't use it on a water. I haven't sunk that low. I think in the future I'd pay OOP for 50's, assuming I'm on a plan, and save the credit for something else or for a signature.

Next- That's some darn fancy french toast.

 

[Caseheidi]

We love 50PTD but have been hearing so not so good reviews lately. I hope their food returns to the yummy goodness it use to be. And that some of the servers will get back to the loud obnoxious relatives of my memory. They don't seem to be as in character any more?

 

[NoOrdinaryPrincess]

Love your 50PT reviews! I'm sorry your chicken wasn't what you expected. I appreciate your optimism though.

 

[LockShockBarrel]

I'm getting a little out of order here. I've been trying to keep this and my full trip report in sync but they're not that out of whack and I figured I'd throw you guys a bone and post another review.

There's really not much to tell of my morning prior to breakfast so don't feel like you're missing anything here.

I had a 9:10am ADR at Captains Grille at the Yacht Club. My last trip I had a 1 br villa at OKW and we just had breakfast in the room. I really missed going to breakfast so some delicious breakfast food was definitely a priority when I made my reservations this time around. After poking around looking at menus, I thought Captain's Grille would be a nice choice, lots of stuff on the main menu plus that buffet option. Normally I know what I'm going to order when I made a reservation so knowing that this place had a lot of options I'd like was a nice change. I got to Yacht Club very quicky (I took a cab) Seems I had a warped view of how far things were from each other and didn't realize the Epcot area resorts were so close to Pop. I checked in and was seated at 8:50 in a mostly empty restaurant.

The waitress was very friendly but a bit confusing when describing things. She asked if I was on the dining plan and the way she explained it sounded like the buffet was my only option but what she really meant was most dining plan users opted for the buffet. On the ride over I had thought I'd go for the buffet but I just wasn't hungry enough to justify it. Yeah I could have just made one trip, or taken a small amount of whatever I wanted but it just wasn't gonna happen.

Instead I decided on the french toast with "lavender infused strawberry compote and white chocolate ganache". It was supposed to come with bacon or sausage but I asked if I could have the captain's potatoes instead.

The potatoes were...odd. I love a seasoned roasted potato with the mushy inside and crispy outside. These weren't like that. Instead these were just mushy and not in a fluffy way but in a greasy way and there was a lot of onions with them. I wasn't a fan but part of that might also be in part that I didn't read or ask for a description of them first. I'm sure this will be a very subjective rating but for me they were a The french toast was interesting to say the least. I love french toast that's mushy on the inside (yeah I'm a texture person if you can't tell by this review ) This fit the bill for that quirk. It was the toppings that kind of killed it for me. The white chocolate ganache was just very sweet, no real taste of white chocolate to it. It was lost in everything, you wouldn't have even noticed it was missing. The strawberry compote was also a little odd. It was definitely real strawberries but it almost tasted like there was extra strawberry flavoring added to it, almost artificial. I'm not sure if that was the influence of the lavender or what but it was a little boggling. It wasn't bad, but I did walk away a little confused by that dish. I'll give it a

All in all, while the food was a bit off the mark for my taste I enjoyed the atmosphere and service, and I'm optimistic about the rest of the menu. I'd say it's a solid . I'd go again but I'd order something different.

Editing to add the recap: Drink $2.49, Meal $11.99, tax $.95 total= $15.43