Party of 3 on the DDP - April 2012 *Updated 5/15: CHH and Final Thoughts*

[kelleigh1]

We have a TH breakfast booked and I'm really looking forward to it, but I hope we don't get stuck in the little room.

 

[dreamscometrue101]

Loving your reviews and pics.

My DS and I are dining at a lot of the same places you did and it's great to hear how your experiences went.

 

[CatNipRules]

We are eating here on our next visit. We have always loved this breakfast. Although we haven't eaten there since they moved! The buffet looks delicious and I can't wait to try the juice!!

 

[LittleStinkerbelle]

Thanks for sharing your reviews! We have cancelled our TH ADR the last two times were were going to AK... the food looks great though!

Your Wishes dessert party has me thinking.... that may be a great option for future visits. Thanks for sharing where to find information on when bookings open up.

Thanks for reading! Definitely consider the dessert party - it was really fun!

Thanks for your review of Tusker House!!! Your pics are wonderful!

Thank you!

We have a TH breakfast booked and I'm really looking forward to it, but I hope we don't get stuck in the little room.

I was thinking about this the other day (getting stuck in the little room) and when we go next time I was going to ask at check-in if we can be in the "main" dining area - I wonder if that would help? Worth a shot! I'm sure chances are pretty low of getting in that little room because there are so few tables. Enjoy!

Loving your reviews and pics.

My DS and I are dining at a lot of the same places you did and it's great to hear how your experiences went.

That's great - I hope you enjoy your ucoming trip!

We are eating here on our next visit. We have always loved this breakfast. Although we haven't eaten there since they moved! The buffet looks delicious and I can't wait to try the juice!!

I hope you have a great time at TH!

 

[LittleStinkerbelle]

Around 2 p.m. we started getting hungry for a little nosh so we decided to head over to Flame Tree BBQ because I’ve been wanting to have the pork sandwich again ever since I had it all the way back in 2009.

There was no line at all so we were able to put in our order right away. DD wasn’t too enthralled with any of the kids’ menu offerings so she settled on an uncrustable and we subbed Danimals yogurt for one of the sides. DH and I ordered the pork sandwich to split. Last time we had it the side was baked beans but I noticed they’d changed the side to coleslaw, which I’m not a fan of. We chose chocolate mousse as our dessert. As we were waiting for our order to be filled, a CM came over with a cupcake and put it on our tray. I was about to say, “we didn’t order that” when she looked at DD and said, “Mickey told me to give this too you!” Awww, DD was thrilled!

(after DD got her fingers in the frosting )

Here's our tray all loaded up:

We grabbed our tray and set off to find someplace to sit. Surprisingly, the seating area was packed even though there were no lines at the counter. We thought of going down by the pond but it wasn’t looking promising so we went a few steps up and found a seat under one of the covered areas.

The pork sandwich was just as good as I remember – tender and flavorful. I could’ve eaten a whole one myself but I knew it was wise to save my appetite for our big dinner at Citricos later that evening. Last time we ate at Flame Tree BBQ I remember being disappointed in the desserts but the chocolate mousse was surprising good. It had a nice layer of what tasted like cold hot fudge (does that make sense?) and between the two of use we scraped the cup clean!

Another thing I remember from our last visit is that the ducks are very aggressive here! This proved true once again and we had lots of little “friends” hanging out by our table angling for dropped items!

Flame Tree BBQ is one of my favorite CS locations and I definitely recommend giving it a try. Cost OOP for this meal would’ve been $22 (1 adult and 1 child CS credit used).

 

[wallawallakids]

Thanks for your review of TH!!! We are going there (for lunch though) in a few days!!!! It was fun to see the pictures of the inside. I was a little nervous about our decision to celebrate DD and DS's birthday there, but I feel a little better about it now. They both wanted to go to AK on their birthday and TH seemed like the logical choice for lunch then. I have enjoyed all of your reviews so far. So glad I subscribed!! Thank you!

 

[megan511]

We will be eating breakfast at TH at the end of this month! Thanks o much for the review, I am really excited now.

That pork sandwich from Flame Tree was my favorite CS meal last year. So delicious!

 

[wilma-bride]

Some great dining choices at Animal Kingdom. We are trying Yak and Yeti this year, for the first time, but if we weren't I would defintiely be heading to Flame Tree BBQ for that pork sandwich.

 

[BrerSam]

I have always wanted to do the tusker house breakfast it looks really good! I love the way the restaurant looks.

As for flame tree i agree it is one of my fav quick services too! Though I'm not a fan of any of the pulled porks at disney, give me the ribs any day! Though i do love that coleslaw ! mm

 

[kelleigh1]

Can't wait to read about Citricos. That's another on our list for October.

 

[Krissalee]

More great reviews!

There is something about Flame Tree BBQ that always pulls me in. I have a difficult time planning any other lunches at AK, because I always prefer making a return trip to Flame Tree.

Citrico's is one of my all time favorite restaurants - eagerly awaiting your next review!

 

[LittleStinkerbelle]

Thanks for your review of TH!!! We are going there (for lunch though) in a few days!!!! It was fun to see the pictures of the inside. I was a little nervous about our decision to celebrate DD and DS's birthday there, but I feel a little better about it now. They both wanted to go to AK on their birthday and TH seemed like the logical choice for lunch then. I have enjoyed all of your reviews so far. So glad I subscribed!! Thank you!

Enjoy your meal at TH and Happy Birthday to your DD and DS!

We will be eating breakfast at TH at the end of this month! Thanks o much for the review, I am really excited now.

That pork sandwich from Flame Tree was my favorite CS meal last year. So delicious!

I hope you have a great breakfast at TH!

Some great dining choices at Animal Kingdom. We are trying Yak and Yeti this year, for the first time, but if we weren't I would defintiely be heading to Flame Tree BBQ for that pork sandwich.

I really want to thry Yak and Yeti (either CS, TS or both!) - it's on my to do list but haven't fit it in yet!

I have always wanted to do the tusker house breakfast it looks really good! I love the way the restaurant looks.

As for flame tree i agree it is one of my fav quick services too! Though I'm not a fan of any of the pulled porks at disney, give me the ribs any day! Though i do love that coleslaw ! mm

The ribs looked good too all though I just can't pass up that pork sammy!

Can't wait to read about Citricos. That's another on our list for October.

More great reviews!

There is something about Flame Tree BBQ that always pulls me in. I have a difficult time planning any other lunches at AK, because I always prefer making a return trip to Flame Tree.

Citrico's is one of my all time favorite restaurants - eagerly awaiting your next review!

Citricos is coming right up!!!

 

[LittleStinkerbelle]

The time had finally arrived for our big “date night” at Citricos. I’ve been wanting to eat here for a while and was thrilled when we were able to fit it into our plans at the last minute due to a late-in-the game resort change.

DH brought DD over to the Poly and got her checked into the Never Land Club while I finished getting ready. We were staying in Boca Chica so it was just a quick stroll over to the main building to get checked in for our 6:05 p.m. ADR. We had noted on the reservation that we were celebrating my 40th birthday (a little early albeit) so when DH checked in he asked if we could possibly get a quiet window table. The CM laughed and said the window shouldn’t be a problem but she couldn’t guarantee quiet depending who got seated next to us.

Once we were checked in we settled into the wicker chairs in the waiting area and watched as it all of a sudden got quite crowded. One-by-one everyone that checked in right before us and even after us got seated and we still waited. By this point it was about 6:20 p.m. and we were the only ones in the waiting area. I sensed something was wrong. The hostess that DH had checked-in with glanced our way and all of a sudden had a panicked look on her face. She quickly came over and said the computer had crashed and she thought she’d printed all the guest tickets but had missed ours during the re-boot. She immediately got someone to seat us and the seater said, “I wondered why one of our best tables wasn’t being seated” so I knew we were in business! She took us around the perimeter of the restaurant so we could see the display kitchen, wine room and dessert station before showing us to a lovely table right by the window. Here was our view (swoon!):

And a look around the restaurant:

Table floral:

Not sure what this was - maybe the wine menu:

My menu was personalized with “Happy 40th Birthday” which was a nice touch. Our waiter came over and I could just tell right away that he was going to be great - that perfect combo of professional, precise, yet funny and personable at the same time. We ordered a bottle of Pouilly Fuisse and set off to explore the menu. When our waiter came back with our wine, we were still mulling over choices and he said the sautéed shrimp were the most popular appetizer but his favorite was the arancini (crispy risotto balls) so I ordered the shrimp and DH ordered the arancini.

While we waited for our apps we enjoyed some lovely bread and butter. The butter was topped with sea salt and lemon zest, which added some nice interest.

Soon enough our wonderful appetizers were served. Here are my shrimp, sautéed with white wine, lemon, tomato and feta:

Oh my, the description did not do this justice. It was SO good! I had a momentary panic when I speared what looked like a tofu cube (I’m tofu-phobic) but I quickly realized it was the feta, which I adore. This dish was almost like a soup, the sauce was very thin, but since it wasn’t served with a spoon I had to leave much of that goodness behind. So sad.

I had a small bite of DH’s arancini and it was very good as well. But I was so focused on my shrimp I didn’t have time to pilfer too much of his dish!

DH had ordered the citrus salad, which was assorted citrus with shaved red onion, mint, dates, almonds and blood orange vinaigrette.

He offered me a bite and I immediately regretted not ordering one for myself. This was one of the most delicious salads I’ve ever had! (And I’m not a big salad fan as evidenced by my lack of ordering one!) To be honest, neither of us could detect the dates, which is a shame because we like them, but everything else worked so perfectly. The crunch of the almonds (which were huge by the way) added nice texture and the citrus gave it a fresh taste. It was about this point in the meal where I noted to DH that they incorporate a lot of citrus in the dishes and he looked at me confused and said, “well yes, because it’s Citricos!” Ohhhhhhhh!

For entrees I was torn between land and sea. I love shellfish but don’t normally order non-shellfish fish dishes but the pan-seared Alaskan halibut was really calling to me. But so were the short ribs. Oh what to do? What to do? Well being my birthday celebration and all DH indulged me and said he’d go splits. Yay!

I ordered the halibut:

Delta asparagus risotto, Meyer lemon marmalade and pea shoot salad.

And DH ordered the Madeira-braised short ribs:

Trofie pasta, wild mushroom ragout and truffle crème fraiche:

We both agreed that the halibut was the clear winner. When it was time to switch plates I really had a hard time giving up my dish. Don’t get me wrong, the short ribs were tasty, but there was just something about that combo of the nice fleshy fish with the asparagus and that lemon marmalade. Yum! After I ate a bit of the short ribs DH must’ve sensed my longing and asked if I wanted my dish back. Yes please!

I was pretty stuffed at this point but that was NOT going to stop me from getting dessert. We decided to rest for a bit first with some tea. I was excited to see that they serve the harmony blend that I’ve enjoyed both times I’ve gone to the Gardenview Lounge:

We asked our waiter what he recommended for dessert and we appreciated that he was very honest (I hate when they say everything is good – that’s no help!). One of the desserts I was eying (can’t even remember which one it was) he said, “eh, I see people leaving some on the plate with that one.” Then I asked about the lemon cheesecake and he said, “I see people licking the plate on that one.” Bingo, I’ll take it! He said his personal favorite was the tropical crème brulee so DH ordered that.

My cheesecake came out with a lovely birthday presentation:

It was so pretty I didn’t want to touch it, so I took about a dozen pictures then dug in. Wowza, this was divine! Creamy with just the right “zing” from the lemon and then a hint of raspberries from the sauce and fresh raspberries. I had a taste of DH’s dessert but honestly, I was so sidetracked with my dish that I can’t even comment. I think he ate it all and said it was good, but I was on my own dessert planet at that point!

This meal was really the dining highlight of the trip. I found the atmosphere to be among the most relaxing of the signatures we’ve tried. The service was really flawless, which always enhances a fine dining experience. And of course, you can tell I loved every course!

We paid OOP for this meal and the cost including the wine but before the tip was about $213.

 

[vettegirl]

I agree the shrimp appetizer there is amazing!

 

[kelleigh1]

O-M-G! I can not wait for dinner at Citricos!!!

 

[iloveeeyore]

Oh, now I can't wait for Citricos!

 

[Linda67]

Oh I do hope the Halibut is on the menu in a couple of weeks time

It looks delicious

 

[TigerKat]

Citricos is one of our faves!

 

[Lisa29]

Late joining, great reviews so far. That strawberry shortcake looked delicious as did Ohana's and your halibut at Citrcos.

Can't wait to read more.

 

[wallawallakids]

I REALLY want to eat there!!! Love your review!! Can't wait for your next one!