Send in the Wheelbarrows, I Can't Walk or Move UPDATED 11/7/10 Captain Cooks

[vinotinto]

Hilarious title! Love all the snack pics. That cookie sandwich is indeed ginormous!

 

[crystalcml]

We had a 6:15 ressie at Kona and arrived at 5:45. We were seated close to our ressie time. This restaurant was my hidden gem last year. It was quiet and nice and wonderful. This year holy chaotic! There were people everywhere and not enough servers on staff. We were seated for close to 20min before our server came to take our drink order. We asked since he was there if we could just order our meals being that we had plenty of time to view the menu.

Once our drinks arrived, we were also given bread to start.
Hawaiian bread with macadamia nut butter

Brandon ordered:
Ginger-crusted Rib Eye with Tamarind Jus, Mashed Yukon Gold Potatoes, and Stir-fried Broccolini

He ordered it medium and it came just as asked. He thought the flavor was good. Mashed potatoes were awesome according to him lol. He thought his meal was good but swears up and down this was not a rib eye steak.

Crystal ordered:
Ginger-crusted Rib Eye with Tamarind Jus, Sticky Rice, and Stir-fried Broccolini

This was alright as a whole. I ate almost every bite of my steak which is unusual for me. I didn't really eat the broccoli as it was half cooked and I can't do broccoli that way. It's fully cooked or the highway for me. I love the sticky rice at Kona and asked if I could substitute rice for mashed potatoes and they said that was no problemo. I did feel as if this wasn't nearly as good as it was last year though.

Mary ordered:
Pomegranate Barbecued Pork Chop served with Pan-roasted Fingerling Potatoes and Braised Swiss Chard

She said this was ok. She thought the pork chops were a little on the dry side but had good flavor. The string things on top were really good. The potatoes were potatoes. She thought they were better when she added butter (left over from the bread), salt and pepper.

The desserts:
Once we were done with dinner we had to flag our waiter down for refills on our drinks and to get our dessert order in. I knew our server was really busy so we were trying to bug him as little as possible but I didn't care to wave someone down.

Brandon ordered:
Kilaeua Torte

He didn't eat much of this. I tried it cause it looked like something right up his alley and I thought it was pure chocolate. I'm not a chocolate fan so I didn't like it very well.

Crystal ordered:
Kona Cone

This came with 2 scoops of ice cream (one chocolate and one vanilla), cotton candy and m & m's. I don't do m & m's or chocolate ice cream so I just removed that scoop and set it on the plate. The rest was devoured by moi! I loved this little delight last year however they have cut back this year. No more little cups of toppings to add yourself. They put m & m's on the plate and that's it. I don't like m & m's so that did nothing for me.

Mary ordered:
No Sugar Added Apple Stack

She thought this was very good. It has good flavor and crips wontons. The apples were done perfectly and it was topped with a medium sized scoop of ice cream.

All in all, I was a bit disappointed with Kona this year. So much so that we we cancelled our 2nd ressie this trip. With the service being mediocre at best and the food lacking this year compared to last I'll pass on it. I wouldn't hesitate to try it again a different time, maybe next year.

 

[sophie832]

Great reviews so far! Can't wait for more

 

[sandym718]

I really think Kona has gone downhill. In 2007, LOVED it!! Great food, great service - and they still had the filet. In 2009, horrible service and the food was only OK. Not terrible (like the service!). but just eh. I think we're going to skip it for 2011, even though we're at the Poly, and try something new.

 

[emmysmommy]

I'm really enjoying your review... so many places to add to my "wish" list of restaurants at WDW!! The apple stack at Kona looks yummy. (But then again so does all your food photos!)

 

[wdwfanatic316]

Really enjoying your reviews! Can't wait for more!

 

[MickeyNicki]

Loving your reviews!

 

[chris&wendy]

We eat a lot when we go too, but I never feel like I gain weight because we walk SO much and I run each morning.

 

[kmrein]

Enjoying your reviews and looking forward to more (....even though I am a die-hard Brewers Fan....)

 

[Linda67]

Just caught up with your reviews

I just HAVE to get an ice cream cookie sandwich on my next trip

Great reviews and pictures and looking forward to reading more

 

[crystalcml]

We were so disappointed with Kona Cafe that we cancelled our 2nd ressie and decided to try Tony's Town Square for lunch instead. The last time we ate at Tony's, we really enjoyed the food and that was it. We were rushed and pushed by our server that it put us off for about 3 years before finally going back this year.

We had an 11:30 ressie and the restaurant was pretty empty. We checked in around 11:15 and were seated within 5min. We unfortunately were seated next to a group of 6-7 adults and ONE shrieking child. I know kids cry and sometimes things happen that are out of a parents control but no one in this party was doing anything to comfort the shrieking child and the waitstaff started making a joke of it walking by the table saying "I can't hear you".

At lunch we were not given bread but we were ok with that.

Crystal ordered:
Chicken Parmigiana
Lightly Breaded Chicken Breast with Marinara Sauce topped with Melted Mozzarella over Spaghetti.

This picture doesn't do this little masterpiece any justice! This plate of food was ginormous and oh so delicious! The sauce was tasty and not over-powering. The chicken was humongous, breaded and crispy. The spagetti was a perfect al dente! I ate and ate and ate and Brandon ate and Mary ate and we still didn't finish my plate. We did finish the chicken breast though. Perfecto!!!

Brandon ordered:
Meatball Submarine
Meatballs, Caramelized Onions, and Marinara Sauce topped with Melted Mozzarella

Brandon loved this. Although it doesn't state on the menu, it does come with a small salad. This was also quite large and very tasty. Brandon said it was the best sandwich he's ever tasted. He gobbled up every single drop besides the bite I stole bwahahahaha!

Mary ordered:
Caesar Salad with Chicken
Romaine Lettuce with Grilled Chicken tossed with Caesar Dressing

This was yet another portion on the larger spectrum. Mary thought this was terrific! The best cesar salad she's ever eaten. I did get a chance to swipe a bite of this also and can whole heartedly agree it was goooood!

Desserts
Crystal ordered:
Tiramisu
Espresso-soaked Lady Fingers, Whipped Mascarpone, and Dark Chocolate Shavings

I thought the presentation of this was unique and I was a little scared. But I owned up and took that first bite and I was in love! This was fantastic! It was creamy and smooth and the cake wasn't all the way soggy. The espresso was perfect and not overpowering (I love espresso mind you).

Brandon ordered:
Spumoni
Layers of Ice Cream with Pistachio Nuts and Cherries

Brandon thought this was amazing! He ate every last drop and the cookies that were included. I didn't try this since he hovered over it and wouldn't let me near it, so I can't vouch for him lol

Mary ordered:
Pistachio Crème Brûlée

She thought this was phenomenal. It was creamy, sweet and had a lot of pistachio flavor. She seems to think this was the best part of her meal even after the amazing salad lol. I did get a taste and I thought it was good but not nearly as good as my tiramisu!

All in all, this was one of my favorite meals during our trip despite the shrieking child 2 feet away from us. Our server was fantastic and very good at his job! I wish I could've had him at every restaurant we went to lol. We will definitely be returning here next year!

 

[crystalcml]

I've heard on these boards that UK chocolate is so much better than America chocolate. So I had to put it to the test. This test is brought to you by a non-chocolate loving person with no biased opinions (Crystal) and a chocoholic chocolate monster (Brandon)

We decided to go with the Galaxy Ripple and the Cadbury Dairy Milk Caramel

GALAXY RIPPLE
I had one bite of the ripple and thought it was alright. Once you take a bite it was like there were a bunch of chocolate ribbons on the inside. It was kind of cool to look at. I went in for a second bite and it was gone hence the chocoholic chocolate monster! Brandon thought it was very good.

CADBURY DAIRY MILK CARAMEL

I got a picture of this partially unwrapped before chocoholic could get to it. I thought this was better than the galaxy. It was creamy and full of caramel. Brandon must have thought this was only alright as he left half of it to me (which never happens).

Our little taste test didn't go to far because we didn't have any American chocolate on hand to compare them too so we just enjoyed them lol.

We paid out of pocket for these treats and they came to be around $6.50 for both bars.

 

[crystalcml]

La Hacienda

Looks like this will be a beautiful spot to watch illuminations if you're one of the lucky ones to get a seat!

 

[Linda67]

Great updates

I love that you tried the English chocolate bars but $6.50

In the shop next to where I work would cost about $2.

Wha't funny is when we come back from vacation we bring back load of U.S chocolate

 

[butiflfeet]

I'm loving your reviews

 

[crystalcml]

We had a 7:40pm ressie and checked in around 7:20. We were seated roughly around 8pm. We were seated at a table next to a window and had a wonderful view of the France pavillion. This however was the only thing we enjoyed during our dining expierence. Our server was extremely nice and he was working really hard but they had him spread too thin and waiting too many tables.

The view from our table:

We were asked our drink order and when the drinks arrived, they brought out bread. The bread was crusty and crunchy on the our side and soft in the middle.

We then proceeded to order dinner and this is where it goes from mediocre to downright bad.

Crystal ordered:
Gratin de macaroni
Baked macaroni with cream and gruyere cheese

I liked this a lot. The pasta was cooked perfect and the sauce and cheese were an interesting combination that turned out to be very tasty. It's too bad but I'm the only one that really enjoyed my dinner. Then again I find it hard to screw up mac and cheese

Brandon ordered:
Demi poulet fermier roti, pommes rissolees et tomate grillee
Half of an all-natural roasted chicken, rissole potatoes and grilled tomato

This came out looking very pretty however the plate and food itself was so hot you couldn't touch it. At first I thought Brandon was over-exaggerating but I touched it and burnt 2 of my fingers. I've never in my life touched a plate that hot at a restaurant. It was easily over 300 degrees. Once it was cool enough for him to eat 30 min later he said the chicken was so dry he couldn't chew it so he didn't eat it. He said the potatoes were just ok. I really felt bad for him because we were almost finished with our dinners before he could even taste his.

Mary ordered:
Filet de boeuf grille, sauce au poivre noir Gratin Dauphinois et haricots verts
Grilled tenderloin of beef with a black pepper sauce original potato gratin of Savoy and green beans

Mary was very disappointed. She thought the beef was just ok nothing special. I tried it and thought the same. The potatoes on the other hand were absolutely fabulous! I'm not a big potato eater and I thought they were the best thing on the table.

Desserts:
This is where it goes from bad to worse. We ordered our desserts while our dinner plates were still on the table. About 15min later our server comes to take away our main course dishes and then we sat. After another 20min of just sitting there our desserts finally made an appearance.

Crystal ordered:
Creme Brulee
Vanilla creme brulee served with a Madeleine

This would've been very good had it been brought out right away. It was cold and the top sugar layer was soggy.

Brandon ordered:
Profiteroles au chocolat
Puff choux with vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce

This was a disaster! These were supposed to be cream puffs filled with ice cream and chocolate sauce drizzled over the top. Since we waited over 30min for our desserts, this is how it was handed to Brandon. A giant sloppy mess. The poor kid couldn't eat his dinner cause it was boiling hot and now his dessert looked like this. I thought this was very poor.

Mary ordered:
Crepe a la pomme et cannelle, glace vanille, caramel jus de pommes
Crepes filled with cinnamon, apple, vanilla ice cream and apple caramel sauce

These came out cold and soggy along with the rest of our desserts. Mary thought they would have been good had they brought them out appropriately. And the ice cream was mush once you touched it.

Our one like as a family......The window view. My like......the macaroni. Other than that, I feel like we were bamboozled and cheated. We did not complain or ask to speak with a manager as our expierence was already ruined and we were over it and just plain wanted to leave. I made our ressie for 7:40 so we could walk out and catch Illuminations and we missed all of that. Didn't even get to see one firework. I was extremely disappointed and will most likely never return here and that's pretty unfortunate.

 

[crystalcml]

We went shopping around downtown disney and decided to stop for lunch. I was really excited to try Cookes of Dublin because it's not talked about too much on these boards.

We walked in and noticed immediately it's a really small restaurant. Luckily for us we were there around 11:15am and there wasn't a soul in the place. We looked over the menu and decided to order. The person at the counter wasn't the nicest person in the world and my mom couldn't stand her she thought she was really rude.

Crystal ordered:
Battered Chicken Tenders

This came with 2 chicken tenders and a boat load of chips (fries). These were bigger than they lookd however I could've done with less chips and 1 more chicken tender lol. I thought these little babies were moist and juicy and they were hands down the best chicken tenders I've ever had in my life!

Brandon ordered:
Battered Burger and Chips

This was a large burger topped with garlic mayo and spring greens with a boat load of chips. Brandon thought the first half of his burger was great. When he went to eat the 2nd half he said it was too greasy and didn't want to finish it. He ate a good helping of chips too. I had a bite of it and thought this was fabulous! I actually wished I would've ordered the battered burger myself! Definitely a plus in my book!

Mary ordered:
The Original One & One
Fish & Chips

This was a large piece of fresh fish served with a boat load of chips. Mary thought this was very good. It was moist on the inside and crisp on the outside. She's almost afraid to order fish at restaurants because it might be too fishy tasting. She devoured her plate and enjoyed it! I didn't try this because I won't go near fish with a 10ft pole so no comment from me

Desserts:
When we ordered desserts, Brandon and I really wanted to get the infamous "doh-bar" but they said you couldn't get that as a dessert only as a snack credit. They gave us 2 choices for dessert on the dining plan.....
1. A fruit cup
2. A chocolate chip cookie
Well I wasn't too thrilled with those choices simply because their dessert menu had so many more appealing choices.

Mary and I went with the fruit cup:

This was the nastiest thing ever. It wasn't fresh fruit, it almost tasted stale.

Brandon ordered:
The chocolate chip cookie. Which I forgot to get a picture of. I ended up eating the cookie and throwing away my musty fruit. The cookie was good and soft and gooey and perfect!

Crystal and Brandon went back another day and got the infamous:
DOH-Bar

This is a little piece of amazing!!!!!!! It was a battered and deep fried snickers dusted with powered sugar. Brandon and I shared one of these and that was plenty because it's rich and greasy after a while but ohhhh so GOOD!!!!! I've found my new love in life lol

All in all, I liked this restaurant. We went at a good time as it was empty but at peak lunch times I could see this restaurant getting jam packed! My 2 not so favs were....
1. I thought they could give less chips with their meals because we wasted a ton.
2. I wish you could choose any dessert off the dessert menu. I didn't understand why you could get a doh-bar as a snack credit but not a dessert.

The FULL Dessert Menu:
Doh-Bars
Ice Cream Cone
Fresh Fruit Cup
Chocolate Chip Cookie
Mini Doughnuts

 

[sandym718]

Yum, Doh Bar!!

 

[crystalcml]

Cosmic Rays is one of our CS family favorites! Brandon couldn't wait to eat here and kept asking and asking when we were going here lol. The poor kid wanted ribs sooo bad

It's usually busy and can be kind of loud but the lines are always moving along and we've always found a table to sit at.

Crystal ordered:
Cheesesteak sandwich with fries

This was great once I removed all the peppers and added more cheese sauce lol. It's a large sandwich so Mary and I split it along with her dinner. I love the fact that you can get whatever condiments your little heart desires at the huge condiment bar!

Brandon ordered:
Chicken and Ribs combo with mashed taters and green beans

This is a big dinner! You get a half slab of ribs and a 1/2 rotisserie chicken along with mashed taters and green beans. Brandon devoured every single stich of the meat and potatoes but left half the green beans. He said it was the "best meal EVER!!!!" and left the restaurant feeling like a rolley-polley!

Mary ordered:
Bacon Cheeseburger with fries

Mary and I split the burger and the cheesesteak sandwiches. Mary says this is one darn (insert profanity here) good burger. The only thing she wished was that the double cheeseburger was still on the menu. All that was on the board was a single burger.

Desserts:
Crystal ordered:
No Sugar Added Brownie

I absolutely love these brownies and order one when ever I can! They are moist and chewy and good sized.

Brandon ordered:
Triple Chocolate Cake

Brandon loves this mess of chocolate. He says it's gooey goodness. Every time he eats this, he ends up with chocolate and frosting all over the place lol

Mary ordered:
Carrot Cake

Mary loves the carrot cake from here. She says it just tastes different than at any other CS restaurant. It was sweet and creamy and just the right amount of frosting!

My summary:
You can never go wrong with good ol' Cosmic Rays!

 

[TruBlu]

Wow, I wonder when Cookes switched to not letting you get a doh-bar on the dining plan??? It was our favorite place at DTD, but now we'll go to WPE instead.