Rusty, no offense, but I've never seen you give a positive review to a restaurant. What ones do you actually like?
The only sit-down restaurants we routinely visit,
. . . Sanaa - Animal Kingdom Villas Resort (one of my personal favs)
. . . Artist Point - Wilderness Lodge Resort
. . . Citricos - Grand Floridian Resort
. . . Shula's Steakhouse - Dolphin Resort (no
DDP)
. . . Il Mulino - Swan Resort (no DDP)
Our (nearby) off-site Recommendations:
. . . Bull & Bear - Waldorf Astoria Bonnet Creek - Fine Dining
. . . Café D'Antonio - Celebration - Casual Italian
. . . Columbia - Celebration - Casual Spanish/Cuban
. . . Fish Bones - Hwy192 - Seafood
. . . Venetian Room - Caribe Royale Hotel - Fine Dining
. . . The Hotel Tea Room - Davenport, FL - Casual - Friday Steak-Fry, Afternoon Tea
I was about to say the same thing!! It's every single review. Good grief lighten up...
I understand your position(s), and apologize for any of my insensitivity.
1) Ratings/Reviews are based upon several factors.
. . . one factor would not make an eatery a "must do"
. . . likewise, one factor would not make an eatery an "avoid at all costs"
2) Just because an item gets a "C", it does not mean it is bad.
. . . the category is still average, but reasonable
. . . the category is still average, but acceptable
. . . the category is still average, but not great
3) There are only few eateries that can be rated an "A".
. . . an "A" is superior, and an individual must determine how many "A" and "B" ratings make the eatery Great for them
. . . for a Quality "A" rating, can anyone say that a sandwich at Plaza is superior when compared to a steak at V&A?
. . . other examples: meatloaf/fries/banana-split . . . can these really be classified as Great (anywhere)? . . . good, maybe, but great?
4) I rate Disney like I rate any other eatery.
. . . Disney does have good eateries, does have mediocre eateries, and does have poor eateries
. . . Disney does not get extra credit at any eatery for being Disney
. . . Disney does not get a break because it is a vacation destination, although some people over-rate eateries due to Disney enthusiasm
. . . Disney is rated as any other eatery
. . . without a true rating, would anyone put Le Cellier steak over a Morton's Steakhouse or Ruth's Chris meal?
. . . for instance, I would go off-site for a "B" versus eating at a Disney "D"
. . . would it be justified to give acclaim to The Plaza, and select it over Grand Floridian Café or The Wave on the basis of that review?
. . . would you pass up The Wave because someone rated McDonald's as Great (due to the McRib)?
5) As a Concierge at WDW who must make recommendations to guests, I would certainly not steer them to an average or poor eatery without qualifiers.
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NOTE1: I take food-quality-service very seriously, and do not just hand out Kudos because it is Disney. We have major interests in two eateries, a breakfast-lunch-only "Blue Plate Special" diner, and a fine-dining dinner-only restaurant. Our diner would only rate a "C" under my system. It makes good money and gets lots of patrons, but it is average and certainly not Great. Our fine dining would get a "B". It is good, but not a 4-Diamond restaurant. If you had not been to either, how could you determine which one to patronize, if the ratings were not comparable? Same for WDW eateries. My system (hopefully) gives you a quickie look at pricing and then the major characteristics of the meal experience. From these, one should be able to make an informed decision.
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NOTE2: I ran multi-national manufacturing companies prior to retirement. In hiring/recruiting, we gave extra points and extra credit to Veterans when compared to other candidates. I don't believe we should do the same for Disney restaurants, just because they are Disney.
