hegs65
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Sep 14, 2000
- Messages
- 618
We just got back from a fabulous stay at Port Orleans Riverside! We LOVED, LOVED, LOVED THE DINING PLAN! I cannot say enough about what a great value it is! We truely had the best meals that we have ever had at WDW this trip. Aside from Beaches & Cream and LeCellier, all of the following restaurants are new to us. Also, before I start, I just wanted to mention that at no time did we ever feel rushed and found that our food always arrived in a timely manner. We encountered some of the nicest wait staff ever. All were very friendly and eager to please. We ended up leaving an extra tip at all TS places as we felt they all went above and beyond. Here's where we ate:
LeCellier: (dinner) In a word, YUM! We splurged and ordered the chocolate raspberry shake which was not covered by the DP but was so worth it. Then, I had the most amazing bowl of cheddar cheese soup-(I don't know if it was because I was hungry or what but it was so delicious), pretzel bread, Filet Mignon-sauce on the side, and creamed cheese mashed potatoes. Dh did not enjoy the cheese soup last time (I know-gasp!) so he got the beef & barley soup. It must have been good because he ate it all. This was the first time he had the creamed cheese potatoes and he is still raving about them! Everything was cooked to perfection and delicious! (On a side note: We had ordered the sauce on the side because there have been so many mixed reviews. I thought it was tasty though, I am glad I ordered it on the side because if the filet was coated with it, I don't think I would have liked it as it was very sweet) I did not order dessert because I was so full from dinner and the shake. My dh had the childrens chocolate mousse which he loved. I tried to convince him to try the creme brullet that everyone raves about but he chickened out and stuck with his regular chocolate mousse. (he will later come to regret this decision as he finally did try it later on and loved it at a different restarant) Our waitress could not have been better-now if I could only remember her name!
Kona Cafe: (dinner) Another fabulous meal! I had the Ceasar salad (excellent salad-we both loved the dressing and the parmesean cheese shavings) followed by 2 very big char crusted filet medallions (did not order mushroom demi glace as I am allergic to mushrooms) with the creamiest yukon mashed potatoes and asparagus. Everything was excellent!
DH had the Ceasar salad, and the teryaki steak with grilled pineapple sauce (he loved the little chunks of grilled pineapple) with yukon mashed potatoes and brocolli. He was very happy with his meal and then was ecstatic when I wasn't able to finish mine and he got the rest! We then ordered dessert- the Killeaua torte. (now just to preface this, I had read a ton of reviews and put alot of research into our dining plans so I was hoping and praying that this was as good as the pictures I had seen prior to arriving)
Can I tell you that I think we both thought we had died and gone to Heaven after our first bite! OH MY Goodness!!!! I was full and I still ate half of it!!!! (I have pictures -just not sure how to post them yet) For those who haven't seen this dessert, it is this amazing chocolate dense cake that is topped with whipped cream and a raspberry and is filled with this warm fudgy sauce that spills out onto your plate when you stick your fork into it. The presentation is just lovely. The plate has 2 large tear drops of sauce on one side -one of raspberry and the other is lemon and then 4 small dots, 2 rasp, 2 lemon with the cake centered between them. The sauces are a great accompanyment (sp?) to the chocolate torte. The first recipe I am going to make for the holiday is going to be this torte. Again, our waitress was lovely and everything came out in a timely manner.
1900 Park Fare: (breakfast) We had tried for 2 weeks prior to our trip to get a dinner adr at 1900 Park Fare to no avail. We even tried to get in while we were there and they were still booked solid so we settled for breakfast instead. I had 2 goals at this restaurant, 1. I am a big fan of Cinderella and 2. I wanted to try the strawberry soup. (which as it turned out was at breakfast also-yeah for me!) Unfortunately, Cinderella is only at dinner-oh well-maybe next time! For breakfast, I had at last, the long awaited strawberry soup (which was so fabulous I had 2 bowls!), a made to order cheese omelet and a bowl of oatmeal. I was quite pleased with both the oatmeal and the omelet and well you know how I felt about the soup. Dh had the standard breakfast fare-no strawberry soup for him. His comment was that it was just regular food-nothing stood out except for the made to order omelet which he enjoyed. The characters (madhatter, pooh and Alice) were nice and thankfully just stayed long enough for a few pictures. Again our waitress was very nice.
CS at Cosmic Rays- (dinner) Both dh & I had the standard burger and fries deal- I added cheese sauce (I know, how are those arteries!) I was impressed that the burger was as good as it was. I was expecting nothing more than McDonalds so I was pleasantly surprised.
Sci Fi Diner: (lunch) We just had to check this place out! I knew going in that there have been very mixed reviews on this place so I was prepared. We stuck with burgers, fries, and shakes to be on the safe side. I was pleasantly surprised that I enjoyed this burger more than Beaches & Cream (later review) The atmosphere was definitely worth it! It is so cool in there. We have always loved the drive in theater and now unfortunately the closest one is 2 hours away. Being just the 2 of us, we were put in the back seat of a family of 3. Yep, we were hitchhikers! Actually, the family turned out to be really nice. My dh is a Lt. on our local police force who's 2nd favorite (okay maybe first-but a girl can dream) vacation spot is Myrtle beach (he loves to golf). As it turns out, the dad from the family in front of us is a police officer from where else? Myrtle Beach! Of course dh was all fired up about that! lol Talking with them, coupled with the atmosphere made for a very enjoyable lunch!
TS at Wolfgang Puck Cafe- (dinner) We have had excellent meals this trip, but this perhaps was the BEST meal I have ever eaten! I, on a whim (actually our awesome waiter Irving suggested it) tried the Butternut squash soup with a red pepper swirl as my appetizer-OMG!!! This was out of this world!!!! My dh had ordered the chicken quesidilla as his appetizer (which he liked) but was soon sorry as he tried my soup! He called Irving our fabulous waiter over and asked for another spoon. We gobbled it up in a heartbeat. Oh, and they also served this wonderful, dense, yet soft bread with an oil/balsalmic vinegar dip that was to die for. Actually, between the soup and the bread I was already on my way to being pretty full! For our main course we again both ordered the grilled angus fillet mignon which was fork tender with a hint of spice that enhanced it already wonderful flavor,(it comes with a green peppercorn sauce but it contained mushrooms so being allergic we had it plain) creamy mashed potatoes (which on the menu they call potato puree. and onion straws. I think that is the name-I loved them-they were like french fried onions with a hint of peppery sweetness For dessert, dh decided to try the creme brulet sampler and absolutely loved it-well except for the strawberry one-he hates strawberries. It came with four little samples-a dark chocolate, a strawberry, a vanilla bean and a butterscotch. He was now regretting that he didn't try it before. I hate to say I told you so but... Anyway, I ended up having the warm dark chocolate cake with double chocolate icecream, a rich chocolate sauce and the most wonderful whipped cream I have ever tasted. It was in a lot of ways similar to the Killeaua torte with the exceptions of the raspberry and lemon sauce and the addition of the ice cream which I barely touched. This dinner was simply amazing from start to finish and will be on the top of the list for our next trip!
Beaches & Cream: (lunch) This has become a new tradition for my dh since our last trip in Jan 05. He just loves the place! I like it also, but more for the atmosphere and dessert rather than the burgers. We both had burgers, fries and chocolate shakes. The shakes were yummy! My burger was a little on the dry side. His double burger was perfect. Now that I think of it, I had the onion rings not the fries. Actually, I had one small one because they tasted greasy to me. We did not have dessert here as the shake counted as dessert on the meal plan. The waitress saw me trying to take a picture of the menu and was kind enough to go out back and get me a brand new one to keep. That was so nice of her -again it seemed everyone was willing to go above and beyond.
Earl of Sandwich: (late lunch) Unfortunately, I did not like my tuna sandwich at all-having said that, my dh was raving about his turkey sandwich which had turkey, cranberry sauce and stuffing in it. I don't think it was their fault though. We had several counter service credits left on our last day, so while at DD we decided to get sandwichs from earl of sandwich to bring with us to the airport. Well, we were already short on time and the place was busy, so I just picked a random sandwich that I thought would make it to the airport without becoming a huge mess. I would have preferred meatball but thought the bread would get soggy and it would ice cold. So, after a very lengthy wait for the bus, and then a lengthy trip to the airport, (at least 2 and 1/2 hours had passed) I was less than thrilled when I opened my sandwich to eat it. Just the smell alone was not in the least appetizing! Like I said though, my dh was more than thrilled with his sandwich so I will definitely try this place again. Oh, they were very nice and let us get bottled soda instead of fountain soda at no extra charge because we were going to be bringing it on the plane. Do try the brownie cookie! It was a wonderful snack with milk on the plane!
So, that's it! All in all the dining plan was a huge value! At WPC our bill total was $127 not including the $12 we paid out of pocket for the fillet surcharge! Yes, it was alot of food and no, we don't normally eat an appetizer, entree and dessert but it was vacation so we decided to splurge a little! Plus, with all the walking I still did not gain any weight-I actually lost 2 pounds! We ended coming home with 2 unused c/s credits and I think 2 unused snack credits but that was okay with us. Actually, if I had any extra time, I would have given them away at Earl of Sandwich! Thanks for reading! Patty
LeCellier: (dinner) In a word, YUM! We splurged and ordered the chocolate raspberry shake which was not covered by the DP but was so worth it. Then, I had the most amazing bowl of cheddar cheese soup-(I don't know if it was because I was hungry or what but it was so delicious), pretzel bread, Filet Mignon-sauce on the side, and creamed cheese mashed potatoes. Dh did not enjoy the cheese soup last time (I know-gasp!) so he got the beef & barley soup. It must have been good because he ate it all. This was the first time he had the creamed cheese potatoes and he is still raving about them! Everything was cooked to perfection and delicious! (On a side note: We had ordered the sauce on the side because there have been so many mixed reviews. I thought it was tasty though, I am glad I ordered it on the side because if the filet was coated with it, I don't think I would have liked it as it was very sweet) I did not order dessert because I was so full from dinner and the shake. My dh had the childrens chocolate mousse which he loved. I tried to convince him to try the creme brullet that everyone raves about but he chickened out and stuck with his regular chocolate mousse. (he will later come to regret this decision as he finally did try it later on and loved it at a different restarant) Our waitress could not have been better-now if I could only remember her name!
Kona Cafe: (dinner) Another fabulous meal! I had the Ceasar salad (excellent salad-we both loved the dressing and the parmesean cheese shavings) followed by 2 very big char crusted filet medallions (did not order mushroom demi glace as I am allergic to mushrooms) with the creamiest yukon mashed potatoes and asparagus. Everything was excellent!
DH had the Ceasar salad, and the teryaki steak with grilled pineapple sauce (he loved the little chunks of grilled pineapple) with yukon mashed potatoes and brocolli. He was very happy with his meal and then was ecstatic when I wasn't able to finish mine and he got the rest! We then ordered dessert- the Killeaua torte. (now just to preface this, I had read a ton of reviews and put alot of research into our dining plans so I was hoping and praying that this was as good as the pictures I had seen prior to arriving)
Can I tell you that I think we both thought we had died and gone to Heaven after our first bite! OH MY Goodness!!!! I was full and I still ate half of it!!!! (I have pictures -just not sure how to post them yet) For those who haven't seen this dessert, it is this amazing chocolate dense cake that is topped with whipped cream and a raspberry and is filled with this warm fudgy sauce that spills out onto your plate when you stick your fork into it. The presentation is just lovely. The plate has 2 large tear drops of sauce on one side -one of raspberry and the other is lemon and then 4 small dots, 2 rasp, 2 lemon with the cake centered between them. The sauces are a great accompanyment (sp?) to the chocolate torte. The first recipe I am going to make for the holiday is going to be this torte. Again, our waitress was lovely and everything came out in a timely manner.
1900 Park Fare: (breakfast) We had tried for 2 weeks prior to our trip to get a dinner adr at 1900 Park Fare to no avail. We even tried to get in while we were there and they were still booked solid so we settled for breakfast instead. I had 2 goals at this restaurant, 1. I am a big fan of Cinderella and 2. I wanted to try the strawberry soup. (which as it turned out was at breakfast also-yeah for me!) Unfortunately, Cinderella is only at dinner-oh well-maybe next time! For breakfast, I had at last, the long awaited strawberry soup (which was so fabulous I had 2 bowls!), a made to order cheese omelet and a bowl of oatmeal. I was quite pleased with both the oatmeal and the omelet and well you know how I felt about the soup. Dh had the standard breakfast fare-no strawberry soup for him. His comment was that it was just regular food-nothing stood out except for the made to order omelet which he enjoyed. The characters (madhatter, pooh and Alice) were nice and thankfully just stayed long enough for a few pictures. Again our waitress was very nice.
CS at Cosmic Rays- (dinner) Both dh & I had the standard burger and fries deal- I added cheese sauce (I know, how are those arteries!) I was impressed that the burger was as good as it was. I was expecting nothing more than McDonalds so I was pleasantly surprised.
Sci Fi Diner: (lunch) We just had to check this place out! I knew going in that there have been very mixed reviews on this place so I was prepared. We stuck with burgers, fries, and shakes to be on the safe side. I was pleasantly surprised that I enjoyed this burger more than Beaches & Cream (later review) The atmosphere was definitely worth it! It is so cool in there. We have always loved the drive in theater and now unfortunately the closest one is 2 hours away. Being just the 2 of us, we were put in the back seat of a family of 3. Yep, we were hitchhikers! Actually, the family turned out to be really nice. My dh is a Lt. on our local police force who's 2nd favorite (okay maybe first-but a girl can dream) vacation spot is Myrtle beach (he loves to golf). As it turns out, the dad from the family in front of us is a police officer from where else? Myrtle Beach! Of course dh was all fired up about that! lol Talking with them, coupled with the atmosphere made for a very enjoyable lunch!
TS at Wolfgang Puck Cafe- (dinner) We have had excellent meals this trip, but this perhaps was the BEST meal I have ever eaten! I, on a whim (actually our awesome waiter Irving suggested it) tried the Butternut squash soup with a red pepper swirl as my appetizer-OMG!!! This was out of this world!!!! My dh had ordered the chicken quesidilla as his appetizer (which he liked) but was soon sorry as he tried my soup! He called Irving our fabulous waiter over and asked for another spoon. We gobbled it up in a heartbeat. Oh, and they also served this wonderful, dense, yet soft bread with an oil/balsalmic vinegar dip that was to die for. Actually, between the soup and the bread I was already on my way to being pretty full! For our main course we again both ordered the grilled angus fillet mignon which was fork tender with a hint of spice that enhanced it already wonderful flavor,(it comes with a green peppercorn sauce but it contained mushrooms so being allergic we had it plain) creamy mashed potatoes (which on the menu they call potato puree. and onion straws. I think that is the name-I loved them-they were like french fried onions with a hint of peppery sweetness For dessert, dh decided to try the creme brulet sampler and absolutely loved it-well except for the strawberry one-he hates strawberries. It came with four little samples-a dark chocolate, a strawberry, a vanilla bean and a butterscotch. He was now regretting that he didn't try it before. I hate to say I told you so but... Anyway, I ended up having the warm dark chocolate cake with double chocolate icecream, a rich chocolate sauce and the most wonderful whipped cream I have ever tasted. It was in a lot of ways similar to the Killeaua torte with the exceptions of the raspberry and lemon sauce and the addition of the ice cream which I barely touched. This dinner was simply amazing from start to finish and will be on the top of the list for our next trip!
Beaches & Cream: (lunch) This has become a new tradition for my dh since our last trip in Jan 05. He just loves the place! I like it also, but more for the atmosphere and dessert rather than the burgers. We both had burgers, fries and chocolate shakes. The shakes were yummy! My burger was a little on the dry side. His double burger was perfect. Now that I think of it, I had the onion rings not the fries. Actually, I had one small one because they tasted greasy to me. We did not have dessert here as the shake counted as dessert on the meal plan. The waitress saw me trying to take a picture of the menu and was kind enough to go out back and get me a brand new one to keep. That was so nice of her -again it seemed everyone was willing to go above and beyond.
Earl of Sandwich: (late lunch) Unfortunately, I did not like my tuna sandwich at all-having said that, my dh was raving about his turkey sandwich which had turkey, cranberry sauce and stuffing in it. I don't think it was their fault though. We had several counter service credits left on our last day, so while at DD we decided to get sandwichs from earl of sandwich to bring with us to the airport. Well, we were already short on time and the place was busy, so I just picked a random sandwich that I thought would make it to the airport without becoming a huge mess. I would have preferred meatball but thought the bread would get soggy and it would ice cold. So, after a very lengthy wait for the bus, and then a lengthy trip to the airport, (at least 2 and 1/2 hours had passed) I was less than thrilled when I opened my sandwich to eat it. Just the smell alone was not in the least appetizing! Like I said though, my dh was more than thrilled with his sandwich so I will definitely try this place again. Oh, they were very nice and let us get bottled soda instead of fountain soda at no extra charge because we were going to be bringing it on the plane. Do try the brownie cookie! It was a wonderful snack with milk on the plane!
So, that's it! All in all the dining plan was a huge value! At WPC our bill total was $127 not including the $12 we paid out of pocket for the fillet surcharge! Yes, it was alot of food and no, we don't normally eat an appetizer, entree and dessert but it was vacation so we decided to splurge a little! Plus, with all the walking I still did not gain any weight-I actually lost 2 pounds! We ended coming home with 2 unused c/s credits and I think 2 unused snack credits but that was okay with us. Actually, if I had any extra time, I would have given them away at Earl of Sandwich! Thanks for reading! Patty
