Reviews from 2/1 - 2/5 inc Turf Club, RR, WP, GF Cafe, Kona & Counter Service

[dznymom1]

This is a review of our table service meals from last week. If I get a chance I will add our Counter Service Meals. We were a party of 2 adult women, and there was just way too much food on the DDP. We gave it our best shot though If you have any questions, I will be happy to answer!

Turf Club - Sis had onion rings, top sirloin steak with crabmeat and cheesecake. I had crabcakes, top sirloin with crabmeat and chocolate lava cake. The presentation of the onion rings was cool, and they were plentiful and good. I had 3 large crabcakes with sauces and they were excellent. The steaks were HUGE, full of flavor and cooked to perfection. I usually only order filet mignon, but our wonderful waiter (Christian) recommended the steaks and he was spot on. Sis enjoyed her cheesecake and the lava cake was scrumptious. We also had wine with dinner and found the selections by the glass to be decent. All in all this was a fabulous meal and Christian was a terrific server who received a nice additional tip. Bill minus the wine - $96.27 OVERALL GRADE - A

Kona Cafe - We seated within 5 minutes and the first thing we noticed was how loud the restaurant was. Sis had caesar salad, prime rib and the kilahuea torte. I had sticky wings, mahi mahi and the kilahuea torte. Although I didn't care for my wings, sis said they were great. Her salad was good. Unfortunately, our main courses were not really hot when they came out, and we chose not to complain. The mahi mahi was excellent and I enjoyed the dish, but it definitely would have been better if it was hot. Sis thought her prime rib was okay, but not exceptional. The desserts were very good, but we waited a long time for them. We ordered press pot of kona coffee, and were very disappointed with it. It was delivered without clear instructions, so maybe we did it wrong, but it was not good. Overall service was lacking, and although the food was good, I would not hurry back. Bill minus the coffee - $86.55 OVERALL GRADE - B-

Raglan Road - We started at the bar, and ordered the Dalkey Duo for cash and shared it with some folks at the bar while we had a beer and an Irish Car Bomb. The Dalkey Duo was decadently yummy - deep fried mini-sausages. Great beer food! For dinner Sis had an appetizer which I cannot remember (pobably thanks to the car bomb) fish & chips and a chocolate dessert (maybe the Dunbrody Kiss...). I had goat cheese, Pie in the Sky (a chicken pie) and Bread pudding. The fish and chips was very good, but the chocolate dessert was disappointing. The goat cheese was fabulous although gigantic, The chicken pie had great crust, but the filling was uninspired. The bread pudding was absolutely superb. I would like some right now! We had a nice table and really enjoyed the music. Service was harried, but our server worked hard. I am not sure of the total cost because the bill showed $59 and then zeroed out. We tipped additional to make up for the adjusted total. OVERALL GRADE - B+

Grand Floridian Cafe Breakfast - We had cancelled our dinner the previous night in favor of watching the Super Bowl, so on our final day we had 2 TS (and a boatload of CS and snacks) to use. We decided to walk over to DD and take the first resort bus that had an interesting breakfast. So, we ended up at GF Cafe and had a very pleasant breakfast. I had Eggs Benedict with OJ & coffee. Sis had a plate of eggs, bacon, sausages, biscuits, potatoes (I think that was it) with a coke and coffee. It was all excellent, and the atmosphere was lovely. Although not a good value monetarily, we thoroughly enjoyed this meal. Our server was less than flexible though, and a bit of a sour puss. Total bill - $42.15 OVERALL GRADE - A-

Wolfgang Puck - We had spent the afternoon in the Rose & Crown Pub, so we were not very hungry but had to finish off our last TS. We each chose a salad for an appetizer - one Caesar and one mixed greens. Both were very fresh & good. We decided to go with pastas for dinner and shared one Pasta Bolognese and one Fettucine Alfredo with pancetta. The Pasta Bolognese was the best I ever had and the Alfredo was just okay. We ordered one cheesecake and a lava type cake to go, but I am ashamed to say we never ate them. They looked fabulous though. This restaurant was extremely noisy and service was spotty because it was so busy. I would try to eat here at an off time if it is possible. Our overall bill showed $72, but again it was adjusted so we tipped extra. Overall Grade - B

 

[momof2disprincesses]

Thanks for sharing your reviews.

I am thinking about trying Raglan Road, but dh is hesitant - doesn't think he'd like the Irish pub atmophere and food. I think it looks yummy though.

I thought someone said they have a kind of show at dinner - Irish dancers - is this true?

 

[dznymom1]

Here's a rundown of our CS and snacks. We were staying at Saratoga Springs, and just dabbling in the parks, so we spent more time at DD than most people probably do.

Earl of Sandwich was my first lunch & Sis had not arrived yet. I had a Scardetto sandwich which is like an Italian sub. It was very good - I just love their bread. Only fountain soda was on the plan ( I prefer bottled water), and desserts were cookies, brownies or bread pudding I believe. I had the bread pudding, and it was good but would have been better warmed up with whipped cream or ice cream. Picky, I know The bill for me was around $12. Grade B+

Wolfgang Puck Express in the Marketplace. I had the BBQ chicken Quesadilla and it was enormous and absolutely delicious - I mean really, really good! Sis had rosemary chicken and it was half a chicken with a huge amount of mashed potatoes swimming in butter. It was excellent but way, way too much food for one person. I was allowed to have bottled water here, so that was good. For dessert we had the creme brulee (which we requested since it wasn't mentioned when we asked what dessert we could have). It was very good. This was a wonderful lunch and a great value athough we ate less than half of our meals. I believe our total around $30. Overall grade - A++

Backlot at the Studios - Sis wasn't hungry, but my CS was burning a hole in my pocket. I wanted plain old food, so I ordered chicken strips and fries with a fountain soda and a marble cheesecake. I love Disney's chicken fingers (what can I say?) and these were the same as usual. Hot and yummy, with blah fries. The cheesecake was okay for prepackaged, but a couple of bites was plenty. Cost was around $13 I think. They were a bit unorganized here, but this is definitely my preferred CS at MGM since the Commissary has been consistently lousy for me and I am not fond of Pizza Planet. Overall grade - B

Wolfgang Puck Express West Side - Do you see a pattern here? A friend joined us for lunch so we used 2 credits and purchased one drink OOP and still had too much food. We got the Pasta Bolognese (this was when we realized it was the best Bolognese ever, ever) and a pizza with sausage and some veggies. The pizza was also superb. The key lime pie was very good, and Sis enjoyed her frosted brownie. Total cost was well over $30 plus the cost of one beverage. Overall Grade - A

Sunshine Seasons - I love the variety here. I had turkey & muenster cheese sandwich on foccacia bread with chipotle mayo. It was fresh and yummy. For dessert I chose a strawberry & cream concoction that I really enjoyed. Along with a fountain soda that ran around $14. Sis used 2 snack credits and got a tomato & mozzarella side and a cucumber and tomato side. She paid OOP for a soda, and was very happy with her lunch. This is a great place for lunch, but go a little off hours so you can find a table. Overall grade - A

Artist's Pallette - We had to leave the resort at 5 AM for early flights, so we had to use the credits up the night before. We used our last 2 CS credits for fruit and cheese plates that were packaged up and perfect for the flights home. It came with a dessert choice and we went for cookies to bring home. We had coffees to give us the energy to stay up until the wee hours packing (I had to be conscious enough to pack my Owner's Locker which required thought and creativity!) The folks at Artist's Pallette were very helpful in figuring out the best way to use our remaining credits. I was only sorry we hadn't made it here for a real lunch. Overall Grade - B+

We used snacks throughout the week for 2 two liter bottles of soda, one box of donuts (of which we ate one), 2 decorated rice krispie treats (The most decadent food ever ) and the 2 snacks Sis used at SS for her lunch. We used the last snack credits for a bag of Mickey pretzels, Goofy sour candies and something else I forget to bring home. We were never really hungry enough to need the snacks, but it is nice to have them I guess.

All in all, the DDP is just too much food, and even though we made it a point to leave food on our plates at every meal, it was tough to be sensible. This was my 2nd time on the plan, and at least this time we didn't leave with unused credits! I can't decide whether or not to do the plan in April when I will have my husband and teenage son along, who can eat twice their weight in a sitting! We will have a car, so the option of eating off site is there, so I have a big decision to make....

 

[dznymom1]

Thanks for sharing your reviews.

I am thinking about trying Raglan Road, but dh is hesitant - doesn't think he'd like the Irish pub atmophere and food. I think it looks yummy though.

I thought someone said they have a kind of show at dinner - Irish dancers - is this true?

There is an Irish band that starts playing at 9PM (I guess it used to be 8PM but they moved it back). There is a single Irish Step Dancer that comes out a few times to do a dance on an elevated table in the middle of the restaurant. I thought it was a bit awkward, and I woudn't want to eat at that table, but peopole really enjoyed it. It really is a fun place for adults. There is plenty of beer being served, but everyone is nice and friendly as is typical in a Pub. We really liked it.

 

[heather360]

Thanks for the reviews.

I was wondering if you happen to remember the time of day that you ate at Wolfgang Puck Cafe? I know you mentioned that the restaurant was crowded. I was thinking of making an ADR at 5:00pm on a weekday to avoid the crowd but now I'm wondering if I should make it for 4:00pm.

 

[dznymom1]

Thanks for the reviews.

I was wondering if you happen to remember the time of day that you ate at Wolfgang Puck Cafe? I know you mentioned that the restaurant was crowded. I was thinking of making an ADR at 5:00pm on a weekday to avoid the crowd but now I'm wondering if I should make it for 4:00pm.

We were there around 7PM on a Monday nite. The restaurant was filled with families, and many of them seemed to be finishing up. There were a lot of people waiting for tables, but we were seated pretty quickly. Tables were turning over fast and furious while we were there, but plenty of people were waiting when we left. I would think 5 would be better, but maybe try 4:30 to split the difference a bit?

 

[richym1]

Thank you for those great reviews! I may add those to my list! Great information. Well written.

 

[S.Poppins]

Thank you for the reviews. I want to try Wolfgang Pucks on our next trip.

 

[Minniespal]

Enjoyed reading ~ Thanx for sharing.

 

[phisigprincess]

Thanks for the reviews! We also LOVED Wolfgang Puck Express!! What good food AND it counted as a CS!