Quick Dining Reviews from 9/15-9/23

[JerseyJanice]

I didn't take pictures of our food. I'm not the biggest photograph taker as it is and most of the time, I was pretty hungry when my food got to the table so I dug right in. But I like to write about my experiences at the restaurants, so if you're interested in reading my impressions, here they are.

Background: I traveled with my older brother and his wife plus their two adult sons and their wives and daughters. Each of my nephews has two baby daughters. Nephew #1 has a 2.5 year old and an almost 18 month old. Nephew #2's girls are 2 years old (birthday was during our trip) and 6 months.

We stayed at the Swan in an executive suite with two bedrooms--actually the two bedrooms are regular resort rooms that adjoin a suite parlor in the center. I slept in the pull-out coach in the parlor. My brother and his wife stayed in a resort room on the same floor.

We ate dinners at the following restaurants:

Garden Grove
Be Our Guest (Great niece's second birthday party)
Yak & Yeti
Ohana

We frequented the booths at the Food & Wine Festival quite a bit and got late night munchies twice from Flippers Pizza and Kimonos in our resort. We also picked up a lot of stuff from the resort's quick service Picabu, and my sister-in-law and I ate a dinner at Cabanas Beach Bar in the resort.

 

[JerseyJanice]

My brother and his wife plus Nephew #2 and his little family flew down from NJ on Wednesday. Their flight was crazy delayed; they got credits toward future flights. I took the same flight on Friday and fortunately, did not have the same problem.

They didn't check into their room until 8:45 that night and wound up going to Bluezoo close to 10:00 PM. The restaurant allowed them to keep their stroller at the table, but they were only one of three tables at that hour. Three of them selected the Magical Dining menu and said it was an amazing meal. My nephew's wife ordered just soup and salad. They told me that the clam chowder was excellent.

We went to Garden Grove the night I arrived. The crab legs were a disappointment. Not sure where they went wrong, but the meat was all stuck to the shells and were nearly impossible to eat.

Everything else was very good though. Stuffed lobster and the fried seafood basket were delicious. The tri-tip roast was my and my nephew's favorite thing with horseradish sauce. Mashed potatoes and green beans were fresh and tasty. The dessert selections were fantastic, and we had two pitchers of Phins and Feathers craft beer.

We used our AAA membership for 20% off the food. The service and characters were both outstanding. We had Goofy, Pluto and Chip & Dale visit our table twice, and they each spent quality time with my 2 year-old niece who adored them. She is crazy for the characters; they are her favorite thing at WDW and Garden Grove was a great place to meet them.

Other than the crab legs, this was a very good meal.

 

[JerseyJanice]

On Saturday, 9/16, we had dinner at Be Our Guest to celebrate our 2 year-old's second birthday. Each of my great nieces wore a Belle outfit. The birthday girl wore an adorable yellow Belle short set with ruffles that I bought her at Costco. The oldest girl had on a Belle yellow gown. Her younger sister wore a sundress. All three of them wore tiara-like clips in their hair.

The beast comes through the restaurant every half hour or so on his way to the library. They play music and announce that the master is in the house. He stops to bow to the crowd in the dining rooms. We were seated in the Ballroom along the space where he walks by to the delight of our birthday girl and the horror of her older cousin who was frightened of his size and "scary wolf" tail.

I ordered the steak frite and thought it was wonderful. I loved the garlic aioli dipping sauce that came with it. IDK if it was supposed to be for the fries or the steak, but I used it for both. My brother got the lamb, a few others got the seafood pasta and one of our mama nieces got the ratatouille. Each of the three older girls got a child's steak meal. My nephew ordered one or two bottles of Pinot noir. I got a bottle of Stella Cidre and bro got the Chimay Blue which was very good. I tried it and wish I ordered it instead.

Thanks to a video posted by fellow Diser @ExCMbeau I knew about the celebration dessert platter and got my nephew to order it. It was a perfect size for my non-dessert loving family, and the birthday girl was delighted with it. Belle sent her a beautiful signed birthday card with an apology for not being able to make it to her party.

After dinner, we took the girls to meet the beast. The older two were frightened by the suits of armour and were glad when we got out of that part of the line. We had to convince the oldest to meet the Beast, and it was precious to watch her warm up to him. He put out his paws and they waltzed. OMG! It was so cute.

Finding this ADR was a huge hassle. I worked on it for months. The Sunday before the trip I happened on the one we got by pure luck, and I think it was from guests changing plans due to Irma. It was worth the months of trying though. Our meal was perfect. The service, food and atmosphere were all excellent.

 

[JerseyJanice]

The next day, Sunday, we got a few breakfast platters at Picabu and split them between us.

We went to Epcot during the afternoon and stayed until closing. We ate and drank from the F&W Festival booths. I got a sampler thing with 8 coupons to spend on cocktails.

My favorite things were: scallops with succotash from Coastal Eats and the creme brûlée from France. I did not like the spicy apple margarita; I loved the jalapeño margarita last year. The apple one was far too sweet.

I did not like the smoked corned beef dish at Flavors from Fire. It was absurdly salty--and trust me, if I think something is too salty, it's close to being a pure salt lick. I didn't even try the piggy wings because they didn't look good to me compared to my memory of last year's. The meat looked smaller and the sauce looked pale.

Compared to last year, the portion sizes were noticeably smaller and the prices on most things seemed to be higher. I didn't sample many wines because of how expensive they were. At $6 to $7 for a little more than a swig of wine, no thank you. I'd rather spend a bit more and get a full glass.

I went back-to-back years in 2010 and 2011 and loved both Festivals. I was at last year's during Matthew and had a wonderful time. This year's Festival didn't measure up to my memories of the previous years' Festivals. This time of year is not the best for me workwise, and between the F&W not being fabulous and planning around the Halloween party, I won't be back for next year's F&W.

 

[JerseyJanice]

I bought a school bread in Norway Sunday night and brought it back to the room for breakfast the next morning.

Late that night and the following night, we got Flippers pizza delivered from Lake Buena Vista. We had three pizzas each night with assorted topping combinations.

Monday, we scattered and my dinner wound up being a bowl from the taqueria in Picabu. I got rice, steak, black beans, guacamole, pico de gallo and cheese. It was very good and filling. The steak was marinated skirt and surprisingly tender and tasty.

 

[NYCgrrl]

A lot of the restaurants you ate out I'm not familiar with simply because geographically it's in a different area from my hotel.
That being said you never know where you'll wind up @ Disney World, so good to have your thoughts.
I'm so glad your pre-trip BOG work was appreciated and showed itself in such vivid memories!
What were your thoughts on Y+Y and Ohana's?

 

[JerseyJanice]

Tuesday was our Animal Kingdom day as I managed to get everyone FoP Fast Passes this day. When I could do FPs at 60 days out, Saturday, Sunday and Tuesday were the only days that Rivers of Light was playing, so Tuesday was the day I chose for AK.

We were able to do the child swap so my brother and his wife and my nephews rode while I stayed with all the nieces. We made plans to meet them at Satuli Canteen. I bought a bowl at the Canteen and a child's meal with the cheeseburger pods. I chose the rice and grain base, steak and chimichurri sauce.

Right off, I liked this place. It is beautiful and different looking. Your food comes on real dishes and you get actual silverware.

We divided up the food and everything tasted very good to me. I even liked the boba pearls and the cheeseburger pod. The pearls taste like yogurt, but have a totally different texture. They have a bit of crunch on the outside and are juicy on the inside, kinda like pomegranate seeds.

After we rode, which takes a while even with FP, we went to Yak & Yeti. The wait for a table was 45 minutes, but we were seated in 10 with my Landry's Select Club card. Actually, I went with all the nieces and nephews; my brother and his wife went back to the hotel for a rest.

We started with a cocktail each and a couple of Dragon rolls. I was torn between ordering the Korean beef stir fry and the Kobe burger. I went with the burger after reading about the toppings since it sounded more unusual than the stir fry. I chose the shiitake mushroom and scallion topping and smoked Gouda cheese. It came with a sesame soy mayonnaise and a tiny fryer basket of very thin julienned fries. OMG! This dish was to-die-for! Incredibly delicious and juicy. I sat next to our 2 year old birthday girl who helped me eat the fries.

Her dad got the combo shrimp and chicken lo mein to split between the two of them. The other two nieces who aren't nursing got a side order of chicken fried rice each. My older nephew got a shrimp lo mein and his wife ordered the seared tuna salad. Younger nephew's wife got a fish taco special.

We were stuffed after eating, and I didn't even think about the wonton dessert. We took the lo mein and fried rices that were not finished back to the room. I used my birthday reward and some gift cards and the whole meal with tip came to $240 for 5 adults, 3 kids and a couple of drinks each.

We went to Epcot that night for PM EMH. It was super crowded, but worthwhile since I got a frangipane pastry in France for breakfast the next day.

 

[JerseyJanice]

On Wednesday morning, we decided to go to Studios. My younger nephew and his little family decided to take a break and stayed at the resort while the rest of us took the boat.

We planned to go to the Magic Kingdom that night and see Happily Ever After and enjoy PM EMH. In between the Studios and MK, my sister-in-law and I went to Cabanas for a casual dinner.

I had a complimentary drink coupon from the concierge desk and used it on a pina colada with an extra floater of rum. I thought that they might charge me just for the floater, but they did not.

I ordered a steak sandwich and my SIL got a lobster roll. Both sandwiches were delicious and so was my drink. Frozen drinks that come from a machine really benefit from a floater.

SIL and I plus my older nephew and his older daughter stayed in MK to ride Buzz during EMH. He was in touch via phone with the rest of the group. When we made it back to the suite, there was a sushi feast from Kimonos in the room. They ordered a bunch of rolls, udon and tempura. It was sent up as room service with plates and utensils and condiments. My nephew treated and said that they gave him 20% off for AAA and charged $5 to deliver it. Well worth it! Everything was fresh and well made and we had whatever we needed to enjoy our light night "snack."

 

[suse66]

Sounds like a super fun trip with lots of good food! Even though I have stayed in the Epcot resort area for three out of six trips, I have never tried any of the Swan?Dolphin restaurants. I think I am going to have to pay a visit over there!

 

[JerseyJanice]

Thursday morning, I went to Picabu and got a ciabatta sandwich with egg, bacon and cheese. With the AAA discount, it came to $10.80 which seemed crazy for an egg sandwich, but I don't think you can find anything besides pastry for a cheaper breakfast in the World.

It was a very good sandwich though. The scrambled eggs on it were fresh, bacon was plentiful, and the roll itself was large. It came with fried potatoes that were also quite good. Back in the suite, I cut the sandwich in half and shared it and half the potatoes with my 2 year-old niece.

In the afternoon, we made it to Epcot where we got to see the movie in France, which I love, and the American Adventure, which I also love. We hit the Mexican boat ride and stopped in the Odyssey building for a craft beer break. That passion wheat beer is fantastic! I wish that they would offer guests a full size beer or wine, for that matter, from the F&W choices. We already tried the passion wheat in a flight and knew we liked it. It would have been nice to be able to buy a pint of it.

We took the monorail to the TTC and walked to Ohana from there. The path is a pretty one and it was nice to see more of the Polynesian resort.

Our ADR was for 4:05 so not long after dinner service began. Everything was on point except for a couple of issues with the drinks. I had a Lapu Lapu and it was perfection in a pineapple shell! Loved it. However, my nephew ordered a Manhattan and it arrived with a blob of sauce or something on the side of the glass. WTH?

My sister-in-law ordered some kind of margarita and said it was horrible. Way too sour. My nephews tasted it and said it was like getting a glass of Rose's lime juice on the rocks. One of the older nieces didn't like her alcoholic lemonade drink either. I told both of them to get a Lapu Lapu, but do they listen?

When our server returned, we explained the issues with the drinks, and he was great about fixing them. He brought another Manhattan and told my nephew to drink the sauce-laden one too if he wanted. He took back the nasty margarita and lemonade and brought back two Lapu Lapu drinks in their place. We were charged for them instead of the original drinks, which was fine.

The food was very good, and we were surprised by how much the babies ate. The oldest one ate almost a full skewer of shrimp, and I lost count of how many potstickers the 2 year-old ate. The server brought two plates with 3 Rice Krispie treats on them that the girls didn't touch. They really liked the bread pudding and had that. He brought us two clamshell containers so we could take them to go.

After yet another fabulous dinner at Ohana--it's my favorite in WDW--we took the bus at the Polynesian to the Studios to see Fantasmic. I got a popcorn refill there. They gave me a box of popcorn instead of putting it in my bucket, I guess because they didn't pop it there. I ordered 4 Fat Tire ales, but they would only serve me 2. I grabbed my younger nephew's wife to order the other two, and they wouldn't give it to her because she didn't have her ID with her. So my nephew came over with both their ID's and then we were good. They are both 32 BTW.

 

[JerseyJanice]

Friday, our last full day, we split a couple breakfast platters from Picabu to start the day. We went to the MK where I got a maple popcorn refill. Later on, I bought Mickey pretzels for my nephew's families. Each comes with a cup of warm, albeit pre-packaged, cheese sauce. I got myself a jalapeño jack pretzel, which was excellent, and shared with my brother and his wife.

After 4:00, party guests were arriving and filing the park so we left via monorail to Epcot. This was our last night at the Festival, and we ate and drank our way around the World.

I had the fried chicken from Farm Fresh with elderberry cider. Got the filet and soul in Canada. Went to the regular beer cart there and got a full size La Fin du Monde. Excellent beer, especially on tap.

At the Almond Orchard, I split a cauliflower risotto and got a glass of Moët & Chandon Rose Imperial Champagne with a sampler ticket. Both were lovely. My family sought out the shrimp and penne dish in Italy. Said the sauce was out-of-this-world delicious. I went to France and spent my last Sampler ticket on a Le Passion martini and bought another creme brûlée. Both items were worth buying more than once.

After seeing Illuminations for the fourth time this trip, we returned to the resort. My younger nephew and his family went to The Fountain. I wanted to drink some of the beer we bought on the way in.

The next day was an early travel day. I got up, packed and showered. I had my last cups of Starbucks coffee brewed fresh with Dasani water, but I didn't eat anything until I stopped at the Villa pizza counter at the gates in MCO and got a spinach Stromboli. Home again, home again, jiggity jog.

 

[JerseyJanice]

What were your thoughts on Y+Y and Ohana's?

Love them both. This trip was the second time at Y&Y for me, and I've been to Ohana countless times. It's my favorite Disney restaurant. It's fine for just a few people, but if you go with a group, it's a guaranteed great time for all.

 

[Dakota731]

WHat is school bread?

 

[pepperandchips]

Thank you for sharing @JerseyJanice! I know we have been following each other's comments in the F&W thread and I loved reading about your trip. What a special celebration and a lovely time spent with family. I love that you all were able to stay in that large suite!

since I got a frangipane pastry in France for breakfast the next day.

Oh yes! Favorite thing there, but I hate ordering it as I can't manage anything close to passable French and the CMs never know what I want!

It was sent up as room service with plates and utensils and condiments. My nephew treated and said that they gave him 20% off for AAA and charged $5 to deliver it. Well worth it! Everything was fresh and well made

WHAAAT! That's amazing. I wish I didn't know this now. I have never heard of it, but just wow! And they honored a discount, that is so nice

It would have been nice to be able to buy a pint of i

Well you could, but it would take two of the small ones and then some and cost you about $13...

I ordered 4 Fat Tire ales, but they would only serve me 2. I grabbed my younger nephew's wife to order the other two, and they wouldn't give it to her because she didn't have her ID with her. So my nephew came over with both their ID's and then we were good. They are both 32 BTW

Ugh. I hate that they are so inconsistent with this policy and only seem to be sticklers at the absolute worst times. I totally get not wanting to accidentally sell alcohol to a minor. It's another thing to refuse beer to a 32 year old woman and her aunt. Common sense people, come on.

Went to the regular beer cart there and got a full size La Fin du Monde. Excellent beer, especially on tap.

Good call! This is what we usually do too! Did it seem like the same size that is normally sold at other times that are not during the festival?

Thanks again for sharing!

 

[JerseyJanice]

Thank you for your comments @pepperandchips!

I just pointed to the frangipane pastry. I have no tongue for any language besides English. I'm really not sure how to say it.

I had no idea that Kimonos would give a AAA discount for room service. I thought it applied to their casual restaurants only, and Kimonos is a signature? IDK. I was still at the Magic Kingdom when my younger nephew ordered it. He said he just asked about it and they said yes.

The Fin du Monde was from the regular cart and the beer was the regular size. It tastes great and the alcohol content is high. What's not to like? LOL.

Thanks again for the interaction. I'll be watching this part of the board for reviews from you because I enjoy reading yours too.

 

[JerseyJanice]

Sounds like a super fun trip with lots of good food! Even though I have stayed in the Epcot resort area for three out of six trips, I have never tried any of the Swan?Dolphin restaurants. I think I am going to have to pay a visit over there!

The Swan/Dolphin resort and its restaurants are top notch. There are so many wonderful things about staying there besides the location which is fantastic for Epcot lovers like my family. We are now talking about going back in the spring to enjoy the Flower & Garden Festival.

 

[JerseyJanice]

WHat is school bread?

Deliciousness! It is a pastry from the bakery in Norway. It is a yeast bread spiced with cardamom, filled with vanilla custard, and topped with toasted coconut.

One of them and a cup of Starbucks is a breakfast of champions! LOL!

 

[NYCgrrl]

Love them both. This trip was the second time at Y&Y for me, and I've been to Ohana countless times. It's my favorite Disney restaurant. It's fine for just a few people, but if you go with a group, it's a guaranteed great time for all.

Good to hear the song remains the same!

I've eaten Ohana's food via room service and was pleased with it. What's not to like?
Simply grilled meats, pot stickers, a salad and a lo mein type dish with bread pudding for the sweet toothies. I do wish the noodle dish had more veggies in it and will be sure to ask them to put the salad dressing on the side next time but it was a meal that all of us (2 adults, 2 kiddos) were comfy with.
In order to get out of the ADR rat race I'm not even competing next visit.
Rented a cabana and a large group of us (the man's FL family joining in) will eat a "Twilight Feast" by the pool. Twas the easiest group reservation I could think of that required little planning from me what with them still changing their arrival dates every 5 minutes, LOL.

Looking forward to eating at Y+Y this trip since I hear so much good of it. The 1 TS credit makes it a fantastic value as well.

 

[JerseyJanice]

Good to hear the song remains the same!

I've eaten Ohana's food via room service and was pleased with it. What's not to like?
Simply grilled meats, pot stickers, a salad and a lo mein type dish with bread pudding for the sweet toothies. I do wish the noodle dish had more veggies in it and will be sure to ask them to put the salad dressing on the side next time but it was a meal that all of us (2 adults, 2 kiddos) were comfy with.
In order to get out of the ADR rat race I'm not even competing next visit.
Rented a cabana and a large group of us (the man's FL family joining in) will eat a "Twilight Feast" by the pool. Twas the easiest group reservation I could think of that required little planning from me what with them still changing their arrival dates every 5 minutes, LOL.

Looking forward to eating at Y+Y this trip since I hear so much good of it. The 1 TS credit makes it a fantastic value as well.

I find all ADRs to be a hassle so getting Ohana's food by room service sounds good to me. You should ask them to include more stir-fried vegetables with the sides and add them to the noodles.

Speaking of ADRs, I recommend joining the Landry's Select Club. I learned about it here and it has worked great for me. It cost $25 to join which you get back almost immediately to spend at any Landry's. Every year, you'll get $25 to spend within your birthday month or the first 15 days of the next month. They don't ask for proof of the date and don't really care when you spend your $25. Give them a date when you're most likely to be in WDW if you want to use it at Y&Y or Rainforest Cafe. It's good on drinks and/or food.

Best of all, the Select Club card works like a "front of the line" pass. Just show it to the hostess, and you'll get the next available table. No need to deal with an ADR.

My older niece loved Y&Y and said her seared tuna salad was the best entree she's ever had in a Disney restaurant. I told her it's because Y&Y is not really Disney. LOL! This girl's favorite restaurant of all is Nobu so that's her perspective.