Run Disney to Eat Disney - Glass Slipper/Dark Side Challenge Dining Report - Feb & Apr 2016 - 5/9

[LindseyJo22]

Man, it stinks that the service at Morimoto was so bad - it looks like the food was delicious, but that doesn't make up for such a poor experience overall.

Can't wait to read more

 

[franandaj]

Sorry the service was so bad. I guess our experience was pretty good compared to what you had. My biggest complaint was how clueless the server was on sake sizes and then that everything pretty much arrived all at once. I like to eat my sushi first before the cooked food. Your Peking duck did look really good. We might give this place another try in October, there's just too many other places I can't wait to go back to!

 

[franandaj]

Ooops! Double post!

 

[Dis_Yoda]

We just bought into DVC @ the tail end of 2015, so this is the first trip we're booking. I had done some research and read the same about VGC, so I wasn't really expecting to get in - but I just don't think I can handle the stress of the waitlist. We did end up booking at Fairfield Inn since we figured being across the street will be great and we can spend the $800 we'll save on some other activities!

Waitlists are stressful! I've had decent luck each time I've tried (4 different times) but it was always single night reservations I was going for so that helps the odds of it filling. Fairfield Inn seems like a good choice - very walkable! That $800 will go quick between Disneyland & Hawaii!

We ended up booking an oceanview studio. We'll be there for 6 nights so that was our splurge! We're also spending 3 nights at the Grand Wailea in Maui prior to arriving at Aulani. Choosing what to actually do is going to be so tough. I know we want to do Diamondhead and Pearl Harbor, maybe 1 or 2 more things, but I think I want to plan on 2 full resort days as well.

Nice! We did the Oceanview as well.

I totally get on picking what to do being tough! We are struggling with that. Diamondhead and Pearl Harbor are totally must dos for a trip like that! Aulani looks so awesome as a resort!

As awful as it sounds like the service was at Morimoto, this looks soooooo good. We have a local Asian place (Thai/Japanese/Chinese) and their rock shrimp is to die for. Sorry your meal wasn't the greatest, if I was your husband I would've done the same thing.

There food was amazing (that which we were served) I love spicy rock shrimp! You are lucky you have a local place that has something similar you can enjoy! I haven't found something near this in Naples yet! Bad meals happen! At least it wasn't the trend for the trip!

I love your Dooney. Ah!

Thank you! I got it at the Star Wars - Light Side Half Marathon Weekend this year! I love it for around the parks!

The shirts are really cute (well, from a female perspective, haha) but I can see why your husband doesn't think he'd wear it! You'd think they'd offer a navy or black for the men or something!?

Good luck at the races this weekend![/QUOTE]

Man, it stinks that the service at Morimoto was so bad - it looks like the food was delicious, but that doesn't make up for such a poor experience overall.

Can't wait to read more

Exactly. The food there is top notch! Totally worthy of the Morimoto name! Service not so much - at least this go around. We will skip it the next couple of trips and probably give it another try in a year or so.

Sorry the service was so bad. I guess our experience was pretty good compared to what you had. My biggest complaint was how clueless the server was on sake sizes and then that everything pretty much arrived all at once. I like to eat my sushi first before the cooked food. Your Peking duck did look really good. We might give this place another try in October, there's just too many other places I can't wait to go back to!

I think the servers totally need more training there. Your sushi shouldn't have come the same time as cooked food! That Peking Duck was good! It was even good tonight when I ate it reheated for dinner (our ability to cook after running 13.1 miles and dealing with I-75 being shut down for 9 miles causing over an hour delay in traffic meant we weren't doing anything once we got home - in fact, its probably bed time after I post the next update since I had a 2:30AM wake up today!)

 

[Dis_Yoda]

Skipper Canteen

After two rides in Magic Kingdom, we were both ready for lunch. While we were waiting in the Fastpass line at Space Mountain, we discussed our options for lunch. I mentioned that Skipper Canteen recently opened. We decided to see if we could get in without much of a wait and if that wasn’t an option, we would head to Pecos Bills so he could get a veggie burrito and I would get Nachos.

Lucky for us! There was practically no wait!

After less than 10 minutes, we were brought to a two top in the main section of the restaurant and reviewed the menus.

Our server greeted us quickly and had the perfect attitude similar to a real Jungle Cruise Skipper. My husband and I both ordered the same tasty drink despite myself not being a normal soda drinker anymore. At least we did get some water (gotta hydrate for running!) The Frosty Melon soda was so yummy! Super sweet for a full glass but we both managed to drink two glasses of the soda and water during the meal!

Frosty Melon Soda (Thailand Coke Product)

We ordered our meals and afterwards I went to explore the restaurant’s decorations some:

We were brought some bread that we pleasantly enjoyed.

Bread w/ Orange Blossom Honey

We both ordered the same entree, except with different protein selections. I had my Pho with Duck while my husband had his with Tofu. While the portion looked small when initially served, the shear amount of noodles in that bowl had no problem filling either of us up! The broth was perfectly spicy thanks to the peppers but quickly balanced out with the cilantro and other herbs. My duck was cooked well and my husband had no complaints about his tofu. We had to call it quits before it was all gone! The dish felt like fresh clean eating which is sometimes hard to get at Walt Disney World.

Rice Noodle Bowl - Pho Broth with Jalapeños, Mushroom, Carrots, Fresh Herbs - 1 with Duck, 1 with Tofu

Of course, we had to ruin the clean, fresh eating with something unhealthy. It is vacation after all! We split dessert. We loved it! The cake was moist and the cashew-caramel ice cream blew us away. We were happy to split it as the cake was so rich it would have been to much to enjoy the whole thing!

Kungaloosh - An African-Inspired Chocolate Cake w/ Caramelized Bananas served with Cashew-Caramel Ice Cream topped with Coffee Dust

This meal was a super success! Our server was perfectly funny and attentive. You could tell he enjoyed his job and made sure to keep nice tabs on all his tables. We will totally go back again!​

 

[vettegirl]

I love the menu design at Skippers! Sounds like your meal was quiet lovely there

 

[franandaj]

Skipper Canteen sounds like a neat place for lunch, I'm hoping that we can somehow squeeze it in on our next trip.

 

[TeresaNJ]

Enjoying your review! My husband just recently got into running, & is hoping to do the half marathon at Disney next January. We ate at Morimoto's in November & had the same type of service issues! Hope they resolve that. Love that you loved Skipper's Canteen. It's in our plans for our May trip!

 

[Dis_Yoda]

I love the menu design at Skippers! Sounds like your meal was quiet lovely there

The whole design of Skippers is awesome! It totally feels like a place the skipper's from the Jungle Cruise would hang out! I know it hasn't gotten the best reviews around the Dis but we really enjoyed it! Maybe we didn't have over hyped expectations which probably helped.

Skipper Canteen sounds like a neat place for lunch, I'm hoping that we can somehow squeeze it in on our next trip.

It was such a cute lunch spot! They started taking same day reservations recently which is helpful - we didn't do that and still got in - although we were there shortly after opening. They told someone else - they really don't have too much of a wait until the dinner rush at 5:30PM.

Enjoying your review! My husband just recently got into running, & is hoping to do the half marathon at Disney next January. We ate at Morimoto's in November & had the same type of service issues! Hope they resolve that. Love that you loved Skipper's Canteen. It's in our plans for our May trip!

That's awesome your husband has gotten in running! Disney is such a great place to run as well. The January Half is a great goal for him to have! The January runs tend to have better manners than the Princess weekend does! Sad to hear you had service issues as well at Morimoto - hopefully they eventually have that rectified as the food is so good!

Hope you enjoy Skipper's in May! Its totally off the normal theme park menu options which I find I really enjoyed. I like having something unique!

 

[Dis_Yoda]

Boathouse

We headed to Disney Springs a little before 4PM for our 5PM Reservation. We had awesome luck with the buses and were there a little after 4:15PM. I avoided impulse art buying again (this time it was only $150) and only picked up some Bath Bombs from Basin for enjoyment after the 10K and Half. We got to the Boathouse a few minutes early and were immediately seated deep into the restaurant!

It wasn’t long before the waitress had us some water and awesome rolls! These parker house rolls are addicting! We both totally ate 3.5 rolls during the course of this meal. We don’t feel bad about it either as they are that good, especially with a little bit of the butter all melty inside.

Parker House Rolls w/ Butter

Our waitress returned and took our full order. My husband’s soda and my whiskey cocktail were quickly served! It always is a sign to me of a restaurant that respects cocktails to serve Whiskey cocktails with an ice ball. It was perfectly strong and a great drink for my one drink of the day (my rule for running trips)

Bradford - 4 Roses Whiskey with spiced ginger ale

I got something different for my appetizer this time around and had a garden salad. The herb vinaigrette was a nice flavor for the mostly iceberg lettuce (thats not mixed greens) but at least I got some vegetables in my diet for dinner! That is what I was wanting to accomplish.

Garden Salad - Small - Mixed Greens, Seasonal Vegetables, Herb Vinaigrette

My husband ordered a side dish as his main appetizer. He enjoyed the mac n’ cheese. He said it wasn’t extremely cheesy in taste and felt more gourmet. That didn’t stop him from pretty much finishing it!

Mac N’ Cheese

Each time I’ve gone to Boathouse, I’ve ordered the same entree. I’m ok with that as it is that good. They know how to take care of their steaks here! Cooked to a perfect medium rare with a fresh béarnaise makes for a great dinner! So tender and flavorful!

Filet Mignon (8 Ounce) - Certified USDA Gibsons Blue Star Heritage Angus w/ Bearnaise

My husband went with a large caesar salad. (Yes, Mr. Vegetarian realizes there are anchovies mushed up with egg, parmesan, and lemon into a traditional caesar dressing but apparently “That doesn’t count”) He really likes it here! He could only handle about half though after having had that huge pasta dish for his appetizer.

Caesar Salad - Large - Traditional Anchovy, Egg & Parmesan Dressing

These poor fries didn’t get enough attention from either of us during this dinner. They are totally fresh cut and perfectly fried with just the right amount of salt on them. The handful I ate I loved. They came back to the room with us for my husband to eat at a later date. Most likely, his dinner on Sunday after we get home from Disney.

Fresh Cut Fries

My husband was too full for dessert. I wasn’t but I took mine to-go! It was a nice root beer float that I enjoyed on our way towards the bus to the resort!

Root Beer Float - Vanilla Ice Cream w/ Frostie Root Beer

Boathouse continues to be our new favorite among Disney!​

 

[GoofySon'sMom]

I am a bit late to the party! Had to postpone our upcoming March trip until May so I have been in a bit of a funk! So glad to see that you enjoyed the Noodle Bowl at Skippers. It was one of my favorite meals on our January trip. Very sorry to hear about the service at Morimotos! We are hoping to try it in May. Hoping we have a better experience!

 

[vettegirl]

Your Boathouse review is awesome! I keep hearing mixed reviews, but we would really like to give it a try on of our visits. Those fries look so good!!

 

[Vernie822]

I have been wanting to try the Boathouse ever since it opened, and somehow we still haven't. Everything you guys have looks delicious. I'm a sucker for amazing rolls and butter!

 

[Pooh's-Honey-Pot]

Great reviews so far!

 

[Dis_Yoda]

I am a bit late to the party! Had to postpone our upcoming March trip until May so I have been in a bit of a funk! So glad to see that you enjoyed the Noodle Bowl at Skippers. It was one of my favorite meals on our January trip. Very sorry to hear about the service at Morimotos! We are hoping to try it in May. Hoping we have a better experience!

Welcome along! You aren't too late - I still have one full trip to go on and half my meals to finish! Sorry you had to postpone your trip to May! I'm sure your trip in May will be great! Glad that you had a favorite meal at Skippers! I need to catch up on your reviews (that real life thing sucks sometimes) You will enjoy the food at Morimotos! I hope you have better service too. We'll probably give it another year until we try it again when looking at our plans for the rest of 2016.

Your Boathouse review is awesome! I keep hearing mixed reviews, but we would really like to give it a try on of our visits. Those fries look so good!!

I've seen some of the bad reviews of the place. I think sometimes places get so hyped up and are disappointing when it isn't as good as the hype. I think it also depends on the area that you live in. To me, the prices aren't unreasonable for the quality and portions you get. I can see those that live in low cost of living areas may feel ripped off by the costs. An average meal out in Naples is going to be $100, unless I eat at a bar type place and even that is going to be at least $50. The fries were so good! Despite my husband and I eating a decent amount each, there was still enough to take some home with us which ended up being my husband's dinner Sunday Night while I had my left over Peking Duck!

I have been wanting to try the Boathouse ever since it opened, and somehow we still haven't. Everything you guys have looks delicious. I'm a sucker for amazing rolls and butter!

My husband and I totally each ate 3.5 rolls. I excused it as carb loading for the races, but really I would have done it even without the runs upcoming! It is so hard to find good Parker House Rolls with nice soft butter, at least since I left Georgia. These are soo good! Hopefully you get there soon but there are a ton of wonderful places in Disney to eat as well

Great reviews so far!

Glad you are enjoying them!

 

[Dis_Yoda]

Enchanted 10K Food - Pre & Post Race

When the alarm went off at 2:45AM, I actually woke up with zero issue! I quickly got ready and started making my breakfast as my husband slept for an additional 15 minutes.

Publix Sourdough Bread w/ Butter & Grape Jelly

Looks similar to breakfast the day before? The Rockstar was actually the half I didn’t finish on Friday while getting ready for the parks. I didn’t drink too much of that as it wasn’t a normal pre-race thing for me. The bread was enough to keep me going until the race. Sometimes I just get on a toast kick and that seems to be this trip!

During the race, my food was boring. A Salted Watermelon Gu about halfway thru and 2 Jolly Rancher Watermelon Candies.

An hour and thirtysomething minutes later, I crossed the finish line, got my pretty medal and was like, hydrating and food please!

Done

Full Size Blue Powerade & Water Bottle

Banana & Food Box

I unpeeled the banana on my way towards the buses back to the hotel. The best tasting banana is the first banana you eat immediately after running 6.2 miles! I also chugged my water before getting to the bus.

Eventually, I got back to the hotel. I started drawing my bathwater in the jacuzzi in our 1 Bedroom and unpacked the box of food from RunDisney. I was sad I got coconut puffed rice instead of the caramel I got at Star Wars. I took the Fruit Snacks and Goldfish along with my Powerade and enjoyed them while soaking in the tub for the next 20 minutes. Goldfish haven’t tasted that good since Star Wars Half

Contents of RunDisney Box​

 

[franandaj]

It wasn’t long before the waitress had us some water and awesome rolls! These parker house rolls are addicting! We both totally ate 3.5 rolls during the course of this meal. We don’t feel bad about it either as they are that good, especially with a little bit of the butter all melty inside.

Our server there called them Hawaiian Rolls on crack, which I thought was accurate. We ordered a second plate and between the two of us finished all of them.

My husband ordered a side dish as his main appetizer. He enjoyed the mac n’ cheese.

That looks really good, I think I'm going to get some of that next trip!

They know how to take care of their steaks here! Cooked to a perfect medium rare with a fresh béarnaise makes for a great dinner! So tender and flavorful!

Good to know. We plan on ordering the Tomohawk Rib Eye, that is if we don't have one at Del Frisco's on International Drive. The Palm got changed when a new Del Frisco's opened in Orlando.

My husband went with a large caesar salad. (Yes, Mr. Vegetarian realizes there are anchovies mushed up with egg, parmesan, and lemon into a traditional caesar dressing but apparently “That doesn’t count”)

I don't know if you saw on FB, but two days ago I went on a crash, plant based diet. It's definitely not a "lifestyle change", but even though we pretty much only eat protein and vegetables at home (well I do) my weight was just skyrocketing upwards. So I decided in preparation for my next trip, I needed drastic measures. Why am I saying that here? Because I have a mushroom (peppers and onions) recipe with Wine, mustard, Sugar (I now use Agave) and Worcestershire that I like. I decided that I could include that in the plant based diet because the anchovies in the Worcestershire "don't count". So I totally se his logic!

I took the Fruit Snacks and Goldfish along with my Powerade and enjoyed them while soaking in the tub for the next 20 minutes.

I love those fruit snacks! And soaking in the tub!

 

[tigger536]

Joining in! I did the GSC last weekend and will be doing the darkside challenge in April! Love your choices!

We are planning on going to Morimoto in April - I wanted to this past trip but time got away. Sounds like the service leaves much to be desired though.

Great report so far!

 

[2xcited2sleep]

I always enjoy your reviews!! I am glad you enjoyed the Boathouse. I love it there. Everything I've tried has been amazing. I can't say I find the menu at Skipper Canteen but have been hearing such good things I may give it a go. Sorry about your service at Morimoto - that's just inexcusable. Looking forward to hearing more. And congratulations on all of your race successes!!!!

 

[Dis_Yoda]

Our server there called them Hawaiian Rolls on crack, which I thought was accurate. We ordered a second plate and between the two of us finished all of them.

That is a great way of describing them! We've killed a 2nd basket each time we've been there as its one of the best parts of the meal!

That looks really good, I think I'm going to get some of that next trip!

He really liked it! He just wishes he had switched the two items for his appetizer/entree. He probably would have eaten more of the salad then!

Good to know. We plan on ordering the Tomohawk Rib Eye, that is if we don't have one at Del Frisco's on International Drive. The Palm got changed when a new Del Frisco's opened in Orlando.

Oh! Del Frisco's! I think that is totally worth skipping The Palm for, as much as I like The Palm. Go many awesome places to pick a good steak from!

I don't know if you saw on FB, but two days ago I went on a crash, plant based diet. It's definitely not a "lifestyle change", but even though we pretty much only eat protein and vegetables at home (well I do) my weight was just skyrocketing upwards. So I decided in preparation for my next trip, I needed drastic measures. Why am I saying that here? Because I have a mushroom (peppers and onions) recipe with Wine, mustard, Sugar (I now use Agave) and Worcestershire that I like. I decided that I could include that in the plant based diet because the anchovies in the Worcestershire "don't count". So I totally se his logic!

Some days you got to do what you got to do for yourself. If you want to lose weight that way before your next trip, go for it! Is it working? I forgot anchovies were in Worcestershire - that would probably be a "don't count" for us as well as I actually use Worcestershire in a couple non-meat based dinners we make around here as well. I'm just not going to tell him that its in there.

Weight sucks - I struggle with that as well with how the scale goes up despite doing all the right things at home most of the time.

I love those fruit snacks! And soaking in the tub!

They are super tasty fruit snacks! They probably tasted better that morning than normal too as having run 6.2 miles. Most food tastes good then.

Joining in! I did the GSC last weekend and will be doing the darkside challenge in April! Love your choices!

We are planning on going to Morimoto in April - I wanted to this past trip but time got away. Sounds like the service leaves much to be desired though.

Great report so far!

Thanks for joining in! Hope you had a wonderful weekend running as well! Where else are you planning for Darkside? We may end up changing some of our options of what we had planned but I will figure that out as we get closer. The food at Morimoto is awesome! I hope the service is better for you though.

I always enjoy your reviews!! I am glad you enjoyed the Boathouse. I love it there. Everything I've tried has been amazing. I can't say I find the menu at Skipper Canteen but have been hearing such good things I may give it a go. Sorry about your service at Morimoto - that's just inexcusable. Looking forward to hearing more. And congratulations on all of your race successes!!!!

Thank you for always reading along. I'm glad you love the Boathouse too! I can see how the menu at Skipper's Canteen doesn't appeal to everyone. It is something against the normal options Magic Kingdom has. I'm hoping to get this first half of the report buttoned up by the middle of March, especially as I have a bachelorette party to go to in early April that I need to prepare for as I'm one of the bridesmaids!