Our Meals from 1/25 to 1/27 ***Final Update***

[MickeyCrazed]

Note: I have updated this post with descriptions and details that I forgot to add last night. I will perodically update the thread with additional reviews.

Hello Everyone!

I'm trying to shake off the blues of being back home by thinking back over our trip. Thought you would like to know our opinions.

First stop - Beaches and Cream using one Connection voucher: We split a Vanilla milkshake, both bought a Grilled Prime Rib Sub, split an order of Onion Rings and a No Way Jose. Overall experience: Just Okay. The waitress seemed to take an attitude because of the voucher. I felt as though she took a very businesslike approach with our table, yet was joking with her other customers. The sandwich was not that great, and the onion rings were so burnt I couldn't believe they served them to us. Left feeling glad I didn't pay full price for the meal.

Second stop: Califorina Grill. We were really looking forward to this meal. Could not get seating for the MK fireworks, so we took a fireworks cruise (which was very Magical) and then made PS arrangements for 9pm. We arrived a 1/2 early and were not seated until 9:20. The most exciting part of the meal was walking to our table and seeing the Illuminations fireworks in the distance. After that, the night went downhill. We ordered the Triple Cheese, Triple Garlic Flatbread and it was just OK. DH had the Center Cut Beef Filet, and I had the Grilled Pork Tenderloin and both were excellent. The downside was that the waiter never removed the wine list from our table. As soon as he brought our meals he also dropped off the dessert menu in case we wanted to order the Valrhona Chocolate-Banana Bread Pudding, or the Heirloom Apple Tart. They take about 20 minutes to prepare, and he wanted to reduce our wait at the end of the meal. Well that was fine, but again he never returned to take our dessert order or remove the menu from the table. We ended up leaving without dessert and a total bill of only $90 which wasn't bad considering we both had Martinis. Overall, the meal was good, but I would have to seriously consider going back because our service was so lacking. By the way, the couple next to us had a fantastic waiter who was very attentive and they seemed to be having a great time. Glad to see it wasn't all bad.

Lesson learned after these two meals: Your waiter has the power to make or break your experience. Great service can spice up an average meal, but poor service can make a great meal ordinary.

Third stop: Counter service in Mexico. DH and I spilt a combination platter and a beer. Food was OK, but probably wouldn't go back again.

OK - Enough with the negative. Here come some great experiences.

Next: Lunch in France. (Chefs de France or Bistro de Paris) Which one is it? I always get so confused. We ordered The French Menu which was a combination meal. It included a bowl of French Onion soup, a Grilled Ham, Tomato and Cheeese sandwich and Creme Brulee. Great meal and value. Will definately return for lunch in the future.

And finally for this part of my report: Portobello YC at DD. Our meal was excellent. As an appetizer we split an order of Bruschetta alla Toscana. It was good, but Palio still gets my vote for the best Gruschetta at WDW. DH had Spaghettini alla Portobello, and absolutely raved about his meal. I had the Filetto di Manzo in Salsa di Tartufo which was also fantastic. For dessert we had Crema Cotta Carmellata. It was even better than the brulee we had in EPCOT. Overall, it was all outstanding, and was the best meal so far.

More to come:
Pepper Market
Artist Point
Palios at the Swan
Brown Derby
and Beaches and Cream again (for a second try)

Feel free to ask questions.

 

[Krissalee]

It is true - the service can make or break a meal. I think you should give the California Grill another chance - maybe with a better server, you will have a better experience. When we were there 12/02, our server, Gail, was fantastic, and really made our meal special by being personable and accomidating.

I was really interested in you Portobello review- we have never dined there, but thanks, in part, to your review, I really want to try it in October!

 

[MickeyCrazed]

Krissalee,

I am sure that we will probably give CG another try in the future. Our main entrees were great, and I'm sure the atmosphere for the firewworks is outstanding. I was just expecting a little more since I heard so many rave reviews. We usually give each place a second (and sometimes a third chance) before we give up. Next time, I will be sure to call early enough for firework seating to add a little more Magic!

I'm glad you are giving Portobello a try. We waited 5 years before going, and were kicking ourselves during dinner for waiting so long.

 

[Uncleromulus]

You are so right about the service. All of our previous meals at CG had excellent service.
And Portobello is our favorite DD restaurant.
Look forward to your next installment!

 

[Krissalee]

I'm glad to see such a positive outlook MickeyCrazed! I'm looking forward to more reviews!

 

[MickeyCrazed]

We chose Palio next: DH and I split the Bruschetta Al Pomodoro. It was fantastic as always! DH ordered the "Chefs Creation" which was Pork with Broccoli Rabe (sorry, I don't know the name.) I ordered the Petto di Pollo alla Cacciatore. And we split dessert which was Bananas covered with Chocolate. (Sorry, I don't know the name of this either, and cannot give a very good description.) But what I can say is, everything was FANTASTIC!....sorry for yelling!
Palio has gotten some "average" reviews on this board recently, and I was really worried that the food quality had slipped. I was sad because Palio is our "Hidden Favorite" of the World. I am very happy to report that not only was the meal as good as ever, our waitress was the best server that we had during the trip!

Then we decided to give Beaches and Cream another try. (Mainly because we had 3 Q&C vouchers left and couldn't decide where to use them. We were staying at the Boardwalk, so Beaches was an easy walk.)
I happy to report that we made a good decision to go back. We had a different waitress this time. Again, we used 1 voucher and bought an extra sandwich. We decided on the Chicken Sandwich, Hot Dog w/Chili, Onion Rings (which weren't burnt this time) and a Fudge Mud Slide. The waitress laughed when we asked for the Mud slide without the "Mud". The ice cream sounded good, but we generally don't like that much chocolate. So the final product ended up being a brownie with 3 scoops of vanilla ice cream, 2 Oreo cookies and whipped cream. The dessert and the rest of the lunch was great! We left very happy, and will visit again during our next trip!

That's it for now....I will continue to update this post till all my reviews are complete!

 

[inky dinky doo]

I was really glad to see your review of Portobello's. It's on my list of "want to tries" for December. Thanks for sharing. I'm looking forward to the rest of your reviews.

Pat

303 days and counting . . . again!

 

[Eyesnur]

Since you saw how good service can (and should) be at the CG, I think it would be crazy for you to write it off your list. After all there are very few negative reports here (on the DIS) but things do happen occasionally and you unfortunately were the recipiant of one of those bad things. I'm sure next time will be great!

 

[BCV23]

I think we had the same waiter at CG in Jan. 2002. But we've dined at CG many times and have enjoyed wonderful service every time but that night. I hope you try it again sometime!

 

[MickeyCrazed]

We decided to use another Q&C Voucher at the Pepper Market for lunch. We both ended up trying their "specials" and I can't remember the name of either. DH had Oriental Steak, Rice and an Egg Roll. I had Pork with Mexican Rice, Refried Beans, and a few Nachos. For dessert we split a Crossiant with Fresh Fruit on the top. Overall it was a great meal for a food court. I was amazed at the number of choices they have. We normally don't eat at food courts at WDW, but ended up trying this because of the vouchers. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to anyone who wants a quick meal on the go.

We used the final voucher at the Tusker House in AK. We split a Fried Chicken Sandwich and a piece of Chocolate Cake. Again, a decent meal for counter service.

The vouchers did save us money (expecially at B&C), but I don't know if we would purchase them again. During our past trips, we always went out for a "full service" breakfast and dinner each day. This year we didn't because of the vouchers which I planned on using for lunch. I ended up worrying about where to use them to get the most value, and it took away some of the fun of the meals. We will probably return to our old habits next trip.

Our final dinner was at Artist Point. DH had the Crispy Venison Spring Rolls and Cedar Plank Roasted Silver Bay Salmon. I had the Pan-seared Pork Chop. We split the Artist Point Cobbler for dessert. I cannot say enough wonderful things about this meal. Everything was cooked perfectly, our waitress was good, and we left very full and happy!

Our last meal at WDW was (sniff ) at the Brown Derby. We split the Chicken and Chorizo Quesadilla. I can't remember the name of DHs meal, but it was a Filet over Cobb Salad and Toast. It must be a new entree because we never saw it on the menu before. He loved it and said it was the perfect meal to end the trip. I had the Grilled 10 oz. NY Strip Steak. While it wasn't my favorite meal of the trip, it was good and the atmosphere there is great. (To be fair, NY Strip is not my favorite cut of steak, but there wasn't much else that I would have enjoyed there.) So for anyone who likes likes that type of steak, the meal would have been excellent.

All said, we had some fantastic meals during this trip. It is hard to pick a favorite. DHs 2 most memorable were Artist Point and Palio. My 2 were Artist Point and Portobello YC.

We are not sure when we will be returning to WDW, and I am feeling a little blue. It was fun reliving these memories, and I hope my review will help you make decisions for your upcoming trips. Again feel free to ask questions!

 

[inky dinky doo]

Hey, MickeyCrazed! I've got the best cure for the blues. [color=dark pink]Schedule another trip to Walt Disney World, now! [/color] I speak from experience. Our last trip was Oct./Nov. 2001, and I felt really blue until I started planning for our next trip, December 2003. No matter how far away, another trip "in the works" always seems to help.

I really enjoyed your reports. It sure is tough deciding where to eat when so many places sound wonderful. Your reports helped, though. Thanks!

Pat

302 days and counting . . . again!