Our 8 Days of DDP Dining 3/13 - 3/21/08 with photos

[dancemomnj]

Thanks for adding the photos! I'm enjoying all your reviews!

 

[TigerKat]

Great reviews!!

 

[Candice30]

so glad you started this thread. i am getting so hungry. i have been to boma and love it there. never been to ohana's so i might try on 2009 trip. the kids i am taking this summer unfortunately wouldn't go for the food. can't wait to read and see more!

 

[Vavasmon]

Day 4 – EPCOT and Garden Grill
We had breakfast at Everything POP – we were in the food court before 8am. DD had French toast with meat and milk. I had French toast with meat and Diet Coke in my mug. DFr had a POP Waffle with meat and coffee in the mug. Once again another standard breakfast - everything was hot. I appreciated that they had designated 1 line as cash/charge only no meal plans. The meal plan really slows down the checkout in the am – so many people with incorrect items; too many items; not enough drink. The total – paid out of pocket was 18.49.

Today was our EPCOT day and we wanted to be there at opening to ride Soaring. For lunch we decided to try the CS in Germany (Sommerfest). Neither DD nor DFr wanted Mexican (my first choice) so off we went. I will tell you that we just beat the crowd. We were second in line to order and had no trouble getting a table. We no sooner sat down to eat and there must have been 25 – 30 people in line. I was amazing at how fast it filled. I had never eaten there – honestly you could easily miss it – the Biergarden is the headliner. We all three had the bratwurst with roll and sauerkraut platter. DD’s was ordered without the sauerkraut. For dessert I had the apple strudel and DD and DFr had the pretzel. Drinks were our standard bottle of water, a coke, and a diet coke. The meal was enjoyed by all. The bratwurst was well cooked. I placed mine and the sauerkraut onto the roll. The apple strudel would have been perfect if it was warm. It was sliced apples and golden raisins in a flaky crust with some cinnamon sugar on top. The vanilla sauce was a wonderful accompaniment (almost like melted vanilla ice cream). The pretzels were large and warm (standard soft pretzels). The total before the DDP was 37.83.

For dinner, we had a 5:50 ADR at Garden Grill. We arrived at the Land Pavilion (which was a zoo from Soarin') at about 5:30, checked in, and were given a pager that went off right away (less than 1 minute). We were seated in the upper level, table 67 – right by the stairs. We sat for several minutes before a server came by. She took our drink order (coke, diet coke, skim milk and water) before she disappeared again. DFr and I debated wine and decided against it. She explained that my request for cranberry on the side was not necessary since the turkey was no longer on the menu. It had been replaced by roast chicken. While waiting for our drinks we saw Pluto, Dale, and Mickey. Chip came by shortly after the bread and drinks arrived. I was disappointed that the bread basket did not contain a roll and piece of cornbread for each of us to try. The butter was yummy (I think it is honey butter). The salad was served family style. It had a very good buttermilk ranch dressing but was, IMHO, not well prepared. We had to mix the dressing – that was poured into a blob in the center into the salad. The salad had a nice mix of fresh greens (not just lettuce), cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, and croutons. I asked for some additional bread (that finally arrived with the seconds for the meal). The photo below was taken after we had already served on portion. We had salad, sat, talked, saw all the characters a second time, and then dinner arrived. It was beef in a mushroom cabernet sauce, roast poultry (it was chicken but very small and bony chicken), fired catfish, potato casserole, and steamed green beans. The beans were nice and hot but very crisp. I like them that way but some people may consider them under cooked. The fried catfish’s breading was very strongly seasoned – it over powered the fish – it was all you could taste. The chicken was very small (the wings at ‘Ohanna the night before were larger than the leg and had more meat) and somewhat dry. We all agreed that the chicken at Flame Tree was much better. The beef was cooked medium well/well. DD did not care for the sauce (she is not a mushroom fan and it had a notable wine flavor). She did enjoy the meat without the sauce. The potatoes were cheesy but lacked the rich flavor DD and I remembered. The server came by after we had basically finished all the food - We had to ask for seconds on the beef, chicken (I wanted to give it another try), and beans. I also requested the forgotten bread, and refills on the drinks. We waited about 10 minutes for the seconds. FYI - the chicken was not any better. When she came by and asked if she could bring out our dessert we asked about the berry sauce. It was strawberries which DD does not like and DFr is not a fan of either. She agreed to bring the sauce on the side so they could have the cream filled puff pastry. The pastry was the same as the last time we ate at the GG. Overall this was our worst sit down food experience of the trip. I was very disappointed because we enjoyed the meal last time. The quality of what we were served has gone way down hill. I know the menu is in flux – they are deciding what to do about the potatoes and they just changed the turkey to chicken. Our server was not the best (but also not our worst). I would go back for the excellent character interaction not the food. We saw all four characters at least four times and took lots of pictures. The three dinners covered by the dining plan were 105.41. I left a 17.81 tip (15% instead of 20) because of the somewhat slow service, forgotten requests, and lack of drink refills. She did redeem herself with the dessert having the sauce on the side – DD did not want a cupcake – the only option offered last trip.

Salad:

Dinner (Served onto our plates):

Dessert:

 

[alldiz]

Thanks for the review....great pics.
Kerri

 

[mom2my3kids]

Love your reviews and pics..

 

[phabric]

Great reviews. We are going for the first time to O'Hana in Aug so enjoyed this review.

 

[drcbpearce]

Ok, I"m a new kid here and I"m curious. We are planning our first visit to WDW in May, so I'm scouring these pages trying to learn and plan and prepare (OCD, anyone?) My question regards tipping, once again, please forgive my ignorance. I understand tipping at a table service restaurant, I've waited tables w/the best of them. But in reading your reviews, which are fantastic btw, you mentioned a pretty hefty tip at Boma, which is a buffet. Is the buffet there different than the Chinese buffets I've visited? any time I"ve been to a buffet, we choose our own food and the 'server' basically refills our drinks, clears the dishes and delivers the check. Is it different at Boma? Or was the btl of vino more the reason for the good tip?

I really want to be sure that we do the correct and proper thing when we are there. There wasn't anything that would ruin my night faster than being stiffed on a table I'd worked my **** off for!

Please enlighten me. I know the CM's there work really hard and I don't want to be the group that ruins someone else's night b/c they're so dumb they don't realize they should've tipped better!

Thanks! Keep it coming! I'm drooling over the photos! I can't wait to get there!

 

[John's Mom]

Enjoying your reviews! Thanks for sharing.

 

[Vavasmon]

Tipping is a whole mine field on the DIS. It is a very touchy issue with many - and no - I never waited tables but worked fast food for 5.5 years. I live in Northern Virginia, metro Washington DC where the standard tip is 20%. I know is some parts of the country the standard is 15 - 18%. I eat every sit down restaurant meal expecting to tip 20% of the total and adjust based on my experience. Yes - many here on the DIS would consider me an high tipper - I had the same comments 3 years ago when I posted detailed dining reviews. In 2006, I left extra tip money on top of the DDP tip that was 18% of the pre-tax total when I felt a server deserved 20% of the total with tax.

My philosophy on tipping is that any server deserves a 20% tip if they do what I consider a good job. A good job is keeping the beverage glasses filled, clearing plates away when I am done, answering any questions I may have, checking back to make sure the food is okay, promptly resolving any issues that may arise, accepting responsibility for any mistakes that they make, and having a "happy" upbeat attitude. The three things that bother me the most are: empty glasses for long periods of time, when a server treats my 12 year old like she is three, or when someone demonstrates an attitude of dislike for customer service. For servers who I consider to be exceptional, I calculate the 20% on the total including the tax.

I think the servers at the buffet restaurants in WDW work at least as hard as the other locations. They make considerable more trips to the tables clearing plates, etc. The only thing they do not do is carry the food out. In many of the restaurants we dine in a food runner brings the food not your server. The Garden Grill was the first location where I left a 15% tip. At the Captain's Grill (review still to come) I only left a 12.5% tip. At Boma our total with tax (including the wine) was 130.20. He met my criteria for an excellent job - he didn't rush us when the seating coordinator tried to, refilled drinks, cleared plates, and answered questions about the buffet so I left 20% of the total with tax.

 

[PISCESANGEL]

Excellent reviews and pictures! Thanks for taking the time to do a very detailed report - looking forward to more...

 

[Vavasmon]

Day 5– Downtown Disney and Raglan Road (note my spelling may be incorrect for some of the menu items at Raglan Road - I tried!!)

We were tired after Illumination and slept in until at least 10:30. We grabbed two chocolate croissants and a crumb cake using snack credits. I paid out of pocket for DD’s milk and a banana. The total snack credit was 9.06 and paid out of pocket was 2.43.

Based on all the wonderful reviews on the DIS, I had decided to try the Earl of Sandwich before our Disney Quest afternoon. DD and I both had the Hawaiian BBQ Sandwich and DFr had the Original 1762. DD had a bottle of water, despite some reported issues, I had no trouble requesting this and we were given the same larger size bottle as all the Disney Counter service restaurants provided. DFr had a coke and I had a diet coke. For dessert DD and I each had a cupcake and DFr selected the bread pudding. We found an inside table and waited for I number to be called. We noted the man calling numbers had a tough job – first he had to project his voice very well and he worked in very cramped quarters. I am happy to report that the sandwiches lived up to all the rave reviews on the DIS. My Hawaiian BBQ had a nice layer of ham, chicken, and slices of what appeared to be fresh pineapple. The sauce was a wonderful accompaniment to the slightly salty ham and sweet pineapple. DFr said the sauce on his sandwich went well with the beef. We all ate just a bite or two of the desserts. Quite honestly, I think all three of us would have appreciated an option for either chips or soup instead of the dessert but the plan did not offer that flexibility. I will defiantly eat here again. The total before the DDP was 27.00.

Sandwiches (Hawaiian BBQ and the Original):

Dessert (cupcake and bread pudding):


For dinner, we had a 6:00 ADR at Raglan Road. We finished at Disney Quest around five and were able to be seated early. We were eating the day after St. Patrick’s Day and before the live entertainment started so the restaurant was about half empty. Our server’s name was Phillip and he grew up in Northern Virginia in the same neighborhood where my parents lived in the late 1960’s/early 1970’s. It is not that far from where I now live. (small world!!). Phillip quickly took our non-alcoholic drinks orders and made a few suggestions from the menu. When he returned with the sodas/milk, DFr and I each ordered a beer and I had to try the Dalkey Duo after seeing all the photos on the DIS. Phillip noted he would bring a separate check for the alcohol and appetizer. We told him that was fine and we understood it was not part of the plan. When Phillip brought the appetizer he took our dinner orders. DD had the Salmon of Knowledge, I had Paddy’s Pork (Phillip’s recommendation), and DFr had the Serious Sirloin. We had agreed that DFr and I would each split the other’s entrée since we were having a hard time deciding.

The appetizer was a good as it looked on the DIS. The sausages are breaded and fried in a light batter and dipping mustard is provided. We had no trouble finishing it among the three of us. All three dinners were very good. DD loved her salmon. It reminded her somewhat of the maple glazed salmon we had on DCL. My Paddy’s Pork lived up to Phillip’s recommendation. It is a pork loin chop with a sausage placed in the middle. The pork was well cooked and moist. The sausage did not detract from the flavor and the sweet soy topping completed the meal. DFr’s steak was cook exactly as he ordered it (med towards med well). It was a nice cut of sirloin. All three dinners were served with mashed potatoes topped with leeks. DFr and I each also ordered a second beer. We both agreed that the steak was good but the pork was better. I think that it is because it is different than what we normally order - we had good steaks at other location on this trip. For dessert we had a hard time selecting – we ordered two Donbrody Kisses (DD and I are big chocolate fans) and a Ger’s Bread and Butter Pudding. We ended up sharing the desserts with each other and enjoyed each one – I give the slight advantage to the Kiss but DFr gives the advantage to the bread pudding. We did not have the seating or service problems reported by many DISers. I think part of that may be because we ate earlier than the live entertainment. We loved the food and the brews and would return again. I would like to see the live music next time. The three dinners covered by the dining plan were 102.23 (if I can read my scribble correctly). The total for the appetizer and alcohol (paid OOP) was 37.60. I left a 24.50 tip (20% of the pretax total).

Dalkey Duo:

Dinner (Salmon, Steak, and 2 shots of Paddy’s Pork,):


Dessert (Donbrody Kiss, Ger Bread and Butter Pudding):

 

[suzimar57]

excellent reviews and even better photos - thanks so much!

 

[JESW]

Great reviews - enjoying reading them! Just a comment about post #24...you ate at Garden Grill but were saying that you were checking in at the Poly - may be confusing for those who haven't been there and don't know that it is in Epcot in the Land pavillion.

Looking forward to reading more!

Jill

 

[Vavasmon]

Great reviews - enjoying reading them! Just a comment about post #24...you ate at Garden Grill but were saying that you were checking in at the Poly - may be confusing for those who haven't been there and don't know that it is in Epcot in the Land pavillion.

Looking forward to reading more!

Jill

Thanks - I fixed my cut/paste mistake - I was doing two days at one time going back and forth between notes/receipts/etc.

 

[drcbpearce]

Tipping is a whole mine field on the DIS. It is a very touchy issue with many - and no - I never waited tables but worked fast food for 5.5 years. I live in Northern Virginia, metro Washington DC where the standard tip is 20%. I know is some parts of the country the standard is 15 - 18%. I eat every sit down restaurant meal expecting to tip 20% of the total and adjust based on my experience. Yes - many here on the DIS would consider me an high tipper - I had the same comments 3 years ago when I posted detailed dining reviews. In 2006, I left extra tip money on top of the DDP tip that was 18% of the pre-tax total when I felt a server deserved 20% of the total with tax.

My philosophy on tipping is that any server deserves a 20% tip if they do what I consider a good job. A good job is keeping the beverage glasses filled, clearing plates away when I am done, answering any questions I may have, checking back to make sure the food is okay, promptly resolving any issues that may arise, accepting responsibility for any mistakes that they make, and having a "happy" upbeat attitude. The three things that bother me the most are: empty glasses for long periods of time, when a server treats my 12 year old like she is three, or when someone demonstrates an attitude of dislike for customer service. For servers who I consider to be exceptional, I calculate the 20% on the total including the tax.

I think the servers at the buffet restaurants in WDW work at least as hard as the other locations. They make considerable more trips to the tables clearing plates, etc. The only thing they do not do is carry the food out. In many of the restaurants we dine in a food runner brings the food not your server. The Garden Grill was the first location where I left a 15% tip. At the Captain's Grill (review still to come) I only left a 12.5% tip. At Boma our total with tax (including the wine) was 130.20. He met my criteria for an excellent job - he didn't rush us when the seating coordinator tried to, refilled drinks, cleared plates, and answered questions about the buffet so I left 20% of the total with tax.

Thanks for the input. I appreciate it. Your reviews and photos are terrific. MY DH is not too into it yet, but he does love to eat, so I'm hoping this will help tip the scales for him!

 

[Echo queen]

I hate to hear the turkey is off the menu for Garden Grill, loved it.
This was a great report, (very detailed) do you think it would have been an advantage to you to use the deluxe dinning plan?

 

[FirstMagic]

I'm enjoying your dining reviews! Thanks for all the detail you are putting into it (times, prices, critiques on food), glad you were able to get some TS reservations even at a late date, and I'm looking forward to the rest of your report!

 

[Vavasmon]

I hate to hear the turkey is off the menu for Garden Grill, loved it.
This was a great report, (very detailed) do you think it would have been an advantage to you to use the deluxe dinning plan?

Thanks for the comment on the report.
To answer your question - I don't think we would have gotten our money's worth from deluxe but I need to run the final numbers sometime this week. We did not let the plan force us into our meal selections - we ordered from the menu what we wanted not always the most expensive. We also ordered the extras at Raglan Road (OOP) because we wanted it.
I know I would not have used two snacks per day (I had 10 left as it was). The cost of breakfast would not have made up the price difference. Also, I did 1 sit down meal per day because that feels right - we are generally basic breakfast people, an amusement park counter service lunch, and sit down dinner. The food court was wonderful for us.

We did not do any shows or signatures this trip (partially due to late planning) nor do I need an appetizer and dessert - at home I usually order the appetizer so it would be nice if that was an option but not both.

 

[marivaid]

Thanks for the great reviews, I can't wait to read about your Coral Reef lunch. It's our one ADR I'm worried about. So many conflicting reviews!