Prawn Heads & Cupcakes & Soups, Oh My! 10/5 Complete (now with my Dining Wish List)!

[DonaldDoleWhip]

Loving your reviews of Philly food! I'm terrible and stick to the same places all the time even though I've been living here for almost three years. I want to try one of those ice pops they look delicious and so interesting!

Also I LOVE Bobby's Burger Palace, it's kind of a sick addiction

I live up the block from Bobby's myself! We're probably neighbors

Very cool - we live so close to each other! I'm a Sweetgreen/Chipotle fan myself, but Bobby's is a nice change if I feel like some guilt-inducing comfort food.

 

[jedijill]

Very cool - we live so close to each other! I'm a Sweetgreen/Chipotle fan myself, but Bobby's is a nice change if I feel like some guilt-inducing comfort food.

I live a few blocks from the original Chipotle.

Jill in CO

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

I live a few blocks from the original Chipotle.

Jill in CO

That's really cool! I see Chipotle everywhere now, so it's hard for me to imagine that there was an 'original' at one point.

 

[jedijill]

That's really cool! I see Chipotle everywhere now, so it's hard for me to imagine that there was an 'original' at one point.

Yep...the founder started making burritos in his dorm room at Denver University...the store is near DU now.

Jill in CO

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

Yep...the founder started making burritos in his dorm room at Denver University...the store is near DU now.

Jill in CO

That's really, really cool! I love stories of entrepreneurship like that. I have some friends who keep trying to start up food businesses in their dorm room, to much less success.

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

It's time to review some more WDW food! For dinner, we ended up heading to Beaches & Cream for some simple sandwiches and ice cream. We liked Beaches and Cream because it was a solid value with a wonderful atmosphere.

My mom ordered a single burger with fruit on the side. Simply served with lettuce and tomato, it was exactly what she felt like (and a decent TS value at $9.49).

I chose the grilled chicken sandwich on a multigrain bun. The chicken was nicely marinated, and I especially liked the hearty flavor of the bun.

Of course, the main reason to visit Beaches & Cream is dessert! My mom ordered a scoop of chocolate and a scoop of coffee ice cream. The scoops here are massive.

I went with the strawberry shortcake, which includes a shortcake base (no longer angel food cake), vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, rainbow sprinkles, and a cherry. Photographing this dish was was very difficult. It took two tries to find a decent angle.

Much better!

The cake itself was slightly dry, but with the creamy ice cream and moist strawberries complementing it, I enjoyed the dish overall. That said, it was a huge portion (like most B&C desserts) so I couldn't finish it.

Overall, we really enjoyed this meal at Beaches and Cream - the food was simple and a decent value overall. But in case you haven't heard yet, I wanted to let you know that my review is already outdated.

As many of you know, this past Wednesday was a big day for menu changes at WDW restaurants. Some of the changes were drastic (such as at Whispering Canyon Cafe), while others were simple seasonal changes or slight modifications. I recently read about some changes at Beaches and Cream, which are noticeable enough to affect how we feel about the place.

Here's the scoop on Beaches and Cream's menu update:

Instead of a 5-ounce burger (which you could order as a single or double), now there's simply an 8-ounce angus burger. One burger is $13.99 and comes with bacon, cheddar, lettuce, and tomato. The other burger is $14.49 and comes with blue cheese, onion rings, barbecue sauce, lettuce, and tomato. Since my mom and I don't love bacon and cheese on our burgers, these new options don't sound like great values (since we'd probably ask them to leave off most of the toppings).

The chicken sandwich is now a chicken caesar salad sandwich on a focaccia roll. This sandwich sounds a lot heavier than it previously was, and I'll miss the multigrain bun. There are other changes as well, such as a new open-faced pot roast sandwich. It sounds like another heavy dish.

There's one new dessert that sounds interesting - grilled banana bread and peanut butter with caramelized bananas, whipped cream, and a scoop of ice cream for $6.49. The Kitchen Sink now costs $26.99. Presumably there were other price increases as well.

Overall, I think some people will really like the new menu changes at B&C. The beef patty should be more substantial than it was (along with those topping additions, if they appeal to you), and I think the new dessert sounds great. That said, we'll probably be sticking to ice cream here (no more savory food). Dessert at B&C is enough of a calorie bomb as it is, and it would be silly to waste calories on unhealthy food I don't really want. Also, the price increases make it harder to see the 'value' in Beaches & Cream, since it was always the place for (relatively) inexpensive TS burgers. It's okay though - Beach Club Marketplace is nearby and offers some lighter options, which I plan to take advantage of when I'm in the Epcot resort area.

 

[jmm476]

The strawberry shortcake looks really yummy! I'm not a fan of the menu changes that I've heard of so far. We had booked WCC for our arrival dinner... now I'm trying to find something else to replace it with. While DH would have liked the skillet, I was going to order something off the menu. And now that there are no options, DH said he wouldn't eat there anyway.

And of course I was planning on Beaches n Cream for a lunch sometime that week, and I would have ordered the chicken sandwich. Is there a thread somewhere that has all of the changes listed together?

Anyway, since I consider you to be very well-versed in so many Disney eateries - do you have any suggestions for our arrival dinner? I want it to be a TS that's casual enough for our 1 year old who sometimes behaves in a restaurant, but not 100% of the time. Also, when she "talks" sometimes it's VERY loud. One of the reasons I had booked WCC (besides the fact that it's noisy so I thought DD could talk as much as she wanted and I wouldn't have to stick a pacifier in her mouth) was to see the Christmas tree at WL. So then I thought maybe we could just eat at Roaring Fork. But that's not exactly "special" for our first meal on property...

The only other ADR I made for the trip (we have QSDP) was breakfast at GFC so I could get the lobster eggs benedict and see the gingerbread house.

 

[SweetSpot]

Anyway, since I consider you to be very well-versed in so many Disney eateries - do you have any suggestions for our arrival dinner? I want it to be a TS that's casual enough for our 1 year old who sometimes behaves in a restaurant, but not 100% of the time. Also, when she "talks" sometimes it's VERY loud. One of the reasons I had booked WCC (besides the fact that it's noisy so I thought DD could talk as much as she wanted and I wouldn't have to stick a pacifier in her mouth) was to see the Christmas tree at WL. So then I thought maybe we could just eat at Roaring Fork. But that's not exactly "special" for our first meal on property...

I don't know as many restaurants as DDW but if you are looking for good and loud Raglan Road at DTD fits the bill. I haven't been there when it wasn't loud, especially when they are playing music and dancing.

I'm so sad that Beaches and Cream changed their menu. I can't eat 5oz, it's too much, but it was the smallest burger other than a kids burger I can find in WDW. Now at 8oz and a higher price it's not worth it. I was hoping the menus would get lighter not heavier more fat and calorie filled. Guess they are gearing away from their recent health kick especially after looking at the changes to WCC.

 

[Tracerr00]

Oh my goodness, I really, really, really just wanted a burger and some ice cream during our entire trip but as you can probably guess I didn't get it! Well, at least I can live vicariously through you and your mom!

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

The strawberry shortcake looks really yummy! I'm not a fan of the menu changes that I've heard of so far. We had booked WCC for our arrival dinner... now I'm trying to find something else to replace it with. While DH would have liked the skillet, I was going to order something off the menu. And now that there are no options, DH said he wouldn't eat there anyway.

And of course I was planning on Beaches n Cream for a lunch sometime that week, and I would have ordered the chicken sandwich. Is there a thread somewhere that has all of the changes listed together?

Anyway, since I consider you to be very well-versed in so many Disney eateries - do you have any suggestions for our arrival dinner? I want it to be a TS that's casual enough for our 1 year old who sometimes behaves in a restaurant, but not 100% of the time. Also, when she "talks" sometimes it's VERY loud. One of the reasons I had booked WCC (besides the fact that it's noisy so I thought DD could talk as much as she wanted and I wouldn't have to stick a pacifier in her mouth) was to see the Christmas tree at WL. So then I thought maybe we could just eat at Roaring Fork. But that's not exactly "special" for our first meal on property...

The only other ADR I made for the trip (we have QSDP) was breakfast at GFC so I could get the lobster eggs benedict and see the gingerbread house.

Yeah, recently I've been a huge proponent of menu changes, especially when they're interesting and add unique ingredients. But the latest news doesn't sound great. WCC's limited menu and B&C's culling of the lighter options are both upsetting changes to me, and unfortunately, there's no single thread covering all of the menu changes. I'm pretty sure The Wave changed over to its fall menu (I heard about a new duck and citrus salad which sounded good), and most 1-credit, Disney-owned restaurants probably saw price increases and a few menu tweaks. But until the official site and allears start updating the menus, we just have to wait and see.

On your arrival day, do you plan on entering a park? A possible option could be Kona Cafe - it's a very casual restaurant (since it's basically adjacent to the busy lobby), and it can be quite noisy. It's not my favorite place, but Kona has a huge following on this site. I would recommend Grand Floridian Cafe or The Wave, but GFC feels a bit 'fancier' than Kona (due to its elegant decor) and The Wave has little atmosphere and can be very quiet (if it's not busy). If you choose to have dinner at any of the monorail resorts, you could easily hop on the monorail to MK afterwards and switch to a bus/boat to Wilderness Lodge (so you can still explore the hotel).

I don't know as many restaurants as DDW but if you are looking for good and loud Raglan Road at DTD fits the bill. I haven't been there when it wasn't loud, especially when they are playing music and dancing.

I'm so sad that Beaches and Cream changed their menu. I can't eat 5oz, it's too much, but it was the smallest burger other than a kids burger I can find in WDW. Now at 8oz and a higher price it's not worth it. I was hoping the menus would get lighter not heavier more fat and calorie filled. Guess they are gearing away from their recent health kick especially after looking at the changes to WCC.

Raglan Road is a good suggestion! It can definitely be noisy, especially at dinner time.

I feel the same way about the menus. I know some people absolutely despised the 'health kick', given the endless complaints about multigrain buns (which I never minded). But the parks are saturated with unhealthy food, and it's nice to get something light for a change. Now, B&C has nothing light or healthy to offer (caesar salad just doesn't cut it - the dressing is extremely heavy and unhealthy, and if you leave off the dressing, you're overpaying for romaine lettuce and croutons). We'll see what happens, but perhaps next time I'll be more reliant on quick service salads.

Oh my goodness, I really, really, really just wanted a burger and some ice cream during our entire trip but as you can probably guess I didn't get it! Well, at least I can live vicariously through you and your mom!

Aw, I'm sorry to hear that - the burger and ice cream definitely belong on your list for next time!

 

[Quin]

I feel the same way about the menus. I know some people absolutely despised the 'health kick', given the endless complaints about multigrain buns (which I never minded). But the parks are saturated with unhealthy food, and it's nice to get something light for a change. Now, B&C has nothing light or healthy to offer (caesar salad just doesn't cut it - the dressing is extremely heavy and unhealthy, and if you leave off the dressing, you're overpaying for romaine lettuce and croutons).

I see it less as a change away from a 'health kick' and more a response to the relative lack of popularity of restaurants serving smaller items in conjunction with the Dining Plan: if I had a dime for every post I've seen on the main restaurant board from people saying to avoid the Plaza or B&C because they're less 'bang for the buck'.........

I think the same reasoning is behind the move towards the 'all day' menus with no difference between lunch & dinner: people on the DDP were ONLY making TS reservations for dinner, while the same restaurants had too many unused seats at lunch, because people wanted to maximize the perceived dollar value of those TS credits. Having the same menu all day encourages people on the DDP to have their main meal mid-day, or mid-afternoon, which increases total volume at the restaurants. Sadly, it also limits the options for people who for whatever reason were looking for a lighter sit-down meal during the day.

 

[nanienamou]

The savory items at B&C never really appealed to me - except maybe the tomato bisque and grilled cheese, but that new banana bread dessert sounds great. Might stop just to try it.

And I,m certainly not a fan of the family style or buffet places. It's just too much food and too expensive and doesn't fit the way we eat. That being said, WDW is such a family destination that I can see why these places would be popular.

What I would love to see at WDW are some tapas-style places, a little like Tutto Gusto, but I guess it's not cost-effective.

 

[SweetSpot]

I see it less as a change away from a 'health kick' and more a response to the relative lack of popularity of restaurants serving smaller items in conjunction with the Dining Plan: if I had a dime for every post I've seen on the main restaurant board from people saying to avoid the Plaza or B&C because they're less 'bang for the buck'.........

I think the same reasoning is behind the move towards the 'all day' menus with no difference between lunch & dinner: people on the DDP were ONLY making TS reservations for dinner, while the same restaurants had too many unused seats at lunch, because people wanted to maximize the perceived dollar value of those TS credits. Having the same menu all day encourages people on the DDP to have their main meal mid-day, or mid-afternoon, which increases total volume at the restaurants. Sadly, it also limits the options for people who for whatever reason were looking for a lighter sit-down meal during the day.

I think this is most likely their reasoning. I really like B&C did not have really high prices and I was getting smaller amounts of food. We never had a dining plan, I marvel at people's abilities to eat large quantities of food but I've never been able to do that. It's a shame both WCC and B&C took it to the the extreme and not only raised prices but removed the lighter options that I have seen reviewed here many times and were enjoyed by many. When you are walking constantly in the heat, lighter meals help you to get through the day.

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

I see it less as a change away from a 'health kick' and more a response to the relative lack of popularity of restaurants serving smaller items in conjunction with the Dining Plan: if I had a dime for every post I've seen on the main restaurant board from people saying to avoid the Plaza or B&C because they're less 'bang for the buck'.........

I think the same reasoning is behind the move towards the 'all day' menus with no difference between lunch & dinner: people on the DDP were ONLY making TS reservations for dinner, while the same restaurants had too many unused seats at lunch, because people wanted to maximize the perceived dollar value of those TS credits. Having the same menu all day encourages people on the DDP to have their main meal mid-day, or mid-afternoon, which increases total volume at the restaurants. Sadly, it also limits the options for people who for whatever reason were looking for a lighter sit-down meal during the day.

You're probably right about it being related to the DDP. But at the same time, I still don't think a $14.49 entree is going to be seen as a good value on the plan (since prices everywhere else are probably rising simultaneously). So on the 'relative DDP value scale' that people use to pick restaurants, Beaches and Cream would still land towards the bottom - only now it's a worse value OOP as well.

And interestingly enough, the chicken sandwich actually costs 50 cents less than before...meaning it probably contains less chicken, and more heavily dressed salad.

The savory items at B&C never really appealed to me - except maybe the tomato bisque and grilled cheese, but that new banana bread dessert sounds great. Might stop just to try it.

And I,m certainly not a fan of the family style or buffet places. It's just too much food and too expensive and doesn't fit the way we eat. That being said, WDW is such a family destination that I can see why these places would be popular.

What I would love to see at WDW are some tapas-style places, a little like Tutto Gusto, but I guess it's not cost-effective.

WDW is a family destination, but recently there have been so many positive menu changes that appealed to a wide range of people. I was really excited about a lot of them, too: grilled salmon at Columbia Harbour House, tandoori at AoA, venison at Artist Point, etc. And now it seems like the menu changes are going in the opposite direction - taking away variety while raising prices. Even Tutto Gusto has already reduced flexibility on its menu (many of the individual small plates can no longer be ordered - you have to get a pre-selected platter for two, which is even more overpriced than before ).

I think this is most likely their reasoning. I really like B&C did not have really high prices and I was getting smaller amounts of food. We never had a dining plan, I marvel at people's abilities to eat large quantities of food but I've never been able to do that. It's a shame both WCC and B&C took it to the the extreme and not only raised prices but removed the lighter options that I have seen reviewed here many times and were enjoyed by many. When you are walking constantly in the heat, lighter meals help you to get through the day.

Exactly - we definitely aren't the only ones who felt that way, but apparently it doesn't matter. But like I said, it just means I'll be eating more quick service meals. And if the prices of CS become increasingly outrageous, then we might finally start venturing off-site. Now that we've discovered the 'magic' of renting a car, we could easily reevaluate our dining strategy.

 

[Linda67]

Thanks for the info on the new B&C menu

I really enjoy the veggie burger in there so I hope they don't change it, that said, I agree with you in that you really need to skip the entrees and head straight for dessert as they are huge and delicious

 

[DisneyMomFanatic]

Sorry I am way behind! I have had meetings everynight this week and most of last week. Going back to work at school and the kids being back at school now is much more hectic than I remember. I wanted to say that I live in the Philly burbs, north west of the city. I come down to the city very little, not a big city kinda gal. I do when my DS had Dr appointments and MRI's at CHOP, other than that, I stay in the burbs. But, I am not far from you. I am so slacking in my report as well. I will be posting about an accidental DISmeet in my next report though. Looking forward to more from you. All your stuff looks good.

 

[happy2012]

B&C looks delish. I've never been there but ur chicken looks very good & healthy. Shame they are changing that.

 

[emmysmommy]

Hi Mr. DDW! I loved your local Philly foods review detour - especially the strawberry shortcake. Mmmmm! Em is a Chipotle lover too. In fact, the local Chipotle workers know her by name - that's bad.

As for Beaches and Cream - I for one am not that thrilled with the menu changes. I can't eat a burger that big and also don't prefer all the toppings or even cheese. I wonder if they have a kid meal burger option that is small but still authentic with the grilled burger thing.

The strawberry shortcake with the angel food cake was my favorite dessert at B&C. Now that they changed the cake, it is a tough decision to go with that option. There are so many other choices but I'm not a huge ice-cream fan so the the new banana bread/peanut butter/bananas dessert sounds like it is worth a try.

 

[NoOrdinaryPrincess]

Enjoyed the update! B&C is a place I've always wanted to go. Perhaps when I spend some time at one of the Epcot resorts.

 

[jabead]

Well the good news to come out of your statement is that another trip to WDW could be in the works! As for Philly, it's definitely not on the way from Illinois to Florida, so I completely understand.

Yep, while I'm not quite ready to add a ticker to my signature ...plans are formulating. Let's just say that I "might" be posting my own "live" from Disney World updates in about 6 months from now.

And Beaches & Cream was a nice surprise addition to your dining plans! I was just reading on the Disney Food Blog yesterday about the changes to their menu. To me, the changes seem to generally be good ones...well, except for the price increases.