Shari's Disney Dining Review - Yorkshire stylee! (With pics!)

[mamaboogie]

Greetings one and all!

Here's the food report from us Yorkshire folk on Saturday 16th August!

We had another exciting day at WDW, working our way through Disney's Hollywood Studios (Including Sarah and Kate making guest appearences with Mulch, Sweat and Shears and being given blow up guitars by them!).

We'd had much deliberation about where to eat in the studios - nothing immediately jumped out at us. It was Sarah who had mentioned that she quite liked the look of the Sci-fi Dine in Theater. We were happy enough to go with that. Simon had been before and I thought it might be fun. I was a little worried that the food experience would be less than brilliant but the atmosphere would more than make up for it.

Well, I needn't have worried! Sci-Fi was possibly the most relaxing meal so far!

The restaurant looked great - we had a dinky four person car with the reg. JCB. The lights were low and old clips were playing on the big screen.

I'd read that the atmosphere was great but not to expect too much from the food. However, I have to say that I enjoyed the food very much indeed - in fact we all did!

I took the plunge and ordered a Marsha's Martian cocktail - complete with a glow cube! (at last - alright it's not a glowtini!). This had Baileys, kaluha, vanilla and choc milkshake AND whipped cream! What's not to love! It was very rich and thick but totally delicious!

Si and Kate had oreo cookie milkshakes and Sarah ordered a cherry coke. Amazing! Shari gets a glow cube AND there are no sprites ordered! That's how much we enjoyed this place!

We ordered some onion rings to share as an appetizer and these were delicious - piping hot and crispy! Needless to say they were soon all gone! Here is a pic after everyone had had their paws on them!

For main course, Si, Kate and I had burger and fries. My first burger and fries of the holiday so far!

Sarah ordered a grilled chicken sandwich. All the meals were great - the fries were lovely and crispy and the burger was enormous! I simply couldn't finish mine!

Desserts were also wonderful - I had a rich chocolate tart with ice cream,

Si and Kate had hot fudge sundaes:

And Sarah had a hot apple crisp. Again none of us could finish!

One thing I liked was how quiet the diner was. There was a low murmer of conversation and the clips were playing but the atmosphere was very serene. All in all, a great meal and we would definitely go back.

As you can imagine, we were all full for quite a while after this! Later that evening, whilst heading to Fantasmic, we all grabbed a snack - my first Mickey Ice Cream of the holiday - but not the last!

We enjoyed the show then headed back to CBR. Si and I went to OPR to get some pizza for supper. We got two small cheese pizzas and two pepperoni. They were nice but nothing to get excited about. They filled a hole!

We used our refillable mugs most evenings. Si had hot chocolate, Sarah had Sprite (of course!) Kate had Fanta (my goodness, that orange colour really doesn't come out!) and I had jasmine green tea which was lovely and relaxing before bedtime. Not that we needed help with sleep! We conked out as soon as our heads hit the pillows!

Coming up: Find out how we get on with The Earl of Sandwich. And....Is Shari's return to The California Grill all she dreams? Do they find Kevin again?

Later Dudes!
Shari xxx

 

[Princesswanabee]

Great reviews so far! Can't wait to read more.

 

[irongirlof12]

glad to hear a for sci-fi

 

[suzimar57]

enjoying your reviews and photos!

 

[Disney Mommy 3]

Girl, I love every installment!! Your girls are really pretty!! They all seem to be having a blast!!Keep those pics coming--I am really enjoying this!!

 

[Jenvenza]

You have an adorable family! And I am loving your reviews!

 

[mamaboogie]

Great reviews so far! Can't wait to read more.

Thanks Princess! It's so great that people are reading my reviews!

glad to hear a for sci-fi

Just one of the many pleasant surprises this holiday! I do understand that not everyone will have the same experiences in restaurants as I do, but it's always good to hear different opinions.

enjoying your reviews and photos!

Thanks Suzi!

Girl, I love every installment!! Your girls are really pretty!! They all seem to be having a blast!!Keep those pics coming--I am really enjoying this!!

Aww! Thanks Disney Mommy! My girls are crazy! There are hundreds of photos of them pulling silly faces or trying on funny hats!

You have an adorable family! And I am loving your reviews!

Thanks once more! We had such fun and I think it comes over in the photos. Si and I regressed to childhood and just enjoyed being with the girls. Believe it or not, Sarah was quite timid when she was little and wouldn't go near any characters. She's making up for it now! I love the fact that they're both happy to queue up to see Princess, Pooh characters, Mickey, power rangers, spiderman or xmen!

One thing Si and I have loved about this holiday (and DDP) is that we could enjoy all these lovely meals WITH the girls. Just about all the servers we had treated them both wonderfully.

Oh, here is an extra picture of Sci-fi that I found:

Thanks all!

Shari xx

 

[Vavasmon]

Your reviews are making me very hungry!!
The drink you had at the SCi-FI looks so good!!! The reviews of late seem to be much better - I wonder if Disney made some changes in the food department?

 

[myladyisatramp]

Awesome report, love seeing and reading all the reviews. Thanks for taking the time.

 

[adsrtw]

Oh look! You and your honey are in the back seat in a dark 'drive in.' I hope you didn't do anything I wouldn't have.

I just couldn't help myself! I have heard mixed reviews again for Sci Fi, but wow those onion rings look great. I agree with Vav ~ I think some changes are happening for the better. Maybe a new supplier or a kitchen staff change? Great review!

 

[Lynn5700]

Great reviews I love the picture of your daughter tasting Beverly LOL!!!!!

 

[hmillerbarilla]

This is a great review! I'll be at Coral Reef on Sunday and I've been trying to decide between the mahi mahi and the catfish. So, thanks for the tip!!

 

[PiperGirlInWondrland]

Your reviews are great, looking forward to reading more!

 

[Minniespal]

Excellent

 

[meryll83]

Oh look! You and your honey are in the back seat in a dark 'drive in.' I hope you didn't do anything I wouldn't have.

There's always one isn't there?

(My) Simon loooooooves the Sci Fi dine in, we always have to go here for him, and I have to admit it is quite tasty, but I just want someone to turn the lights up slightly so I can see what I'm eating!!
I had a chili for the appetizer last time we were here and I thought it was pretty good, until I also had one for a starter at Beaches & Cream - that was delish! And with a No Way Jose to wash it down at the end, heaven!
Did you make it to B&C at all?

Slightly going off topic here, but I just wondered if the Dream Squad were still around giving 'dreams' away, or if the YOAMD has ended now?.....

 

[AussieAngel]

Oh my goodness! That chocolate tart from Sci-Fi is my favourite dessert ever! YUM!!

Did you ask for ice-cream on the top? When I had it in 2006 it didn't come with ice-cream...

Also, this is a silly question, but is the bun on top of the hamburger soft or crunchy?

Great reviews so far!!

 

[Shooby doo]

Well Mama I've gone & made the ADR on your head be it Just hope now that everything arrives on time! Only got 2TS out of 21 left it takes some working out! Did you try The Wave? Thinking of diving across from MK on our last day.
Anyway under a week to go so keep an eye out for my review!
Thanks SD

 

[Belle5]

Really enjoying your reviews!

 

[mamaboogie]

Your reviews are making me very hungry!!
The drink you had at the SCi-FI looks so good!!! The reviews of late seem to be much better - I wonder if Disney made some changes in the food department?

I dream of that drink now! It was delicious! I did initially want a glowtini - but I basically wanted it just for the glow cube! The Marsha's Martian had the glow cube and lots of bailey's creamy goodness! The only drawback was that it was filling - like a meal in a glass!

Awesome report, love seeing and reading all the reviews. Thanks for taking the time.

Thank you for reading! It's nice to put my experiences in black and white and even better to know that people are reading them!

Oh look! You and your honey are in the back seat in a dark 'drive in.' I hope you didn't do anything I wouldn't have.

I just couldn't help myself! I have heard mixed reviews again for Sci Fi, but wow those onion rings look great. I agree with Vav ~ I think some changes are happening for the better. Maybe a new supplier or a kitchen staff change? Great review!

Back seat? That would be telling! Our server was soo funny - when I ordered my drink she said to Kate - 'Watch out! The back seat driver is drinking!'
Sci-fi was a great experience. And by the way, I did see a couple of servers on roller skates!

Great reviews I love the picture of your daughter tasting Beverly LOL!!!!!

That was a classic moment! Kate has a generally expressive face!

This is a great review! I'll be at Coral Reef on Sunday and I've been trying to decide between the mahi mahi and the catfish. So, thanks for the tip!!

For us, the Mahi Mahi won hands down. We expected to like the Catfish more, but that was a bit 'meh'. Not unpleasant, but not great. The Mahi was great - the jasmine cashew rice was delicious!

Your reviews are great, looking forward to reading more!

Excellent

Cheers all!

There's always one isn't there?

(My) Simon loooooooves the Sci Fi dine in, we always have to go here for him, and I have to admit it is quite tasty, but I just want someone to turn the lights up slightly so I can see what I'm eating!!
I had a chili for the appetizer last time we were here and I thought it was pretty good, until I also had one for a starter at Beaches & Cream - that was delish! And with a No Way Jose to wash it down at the end, heaven!
Did you make it to B&C at all?

Slightly going off topic here, but I just wondered if the Dream Squad were still around giving 'dreams' away, or if the YOAMD has ended now?.....

There were lots of areas in WDW as a whole that I was squinting through lack of light! I'm surprised I didn't fall over more, as I am accident prone!
Sadly, we didn't make it to Beaches and Cream - not even when we stayed at the Beach Club Villas last time! (Although the girls went with Simon's parents.) I'd love to try a No way Jose!
The dream squad were still around - we saw lots of dream fastpasses and lots of ears. Sarah and I got nothing, but Si and Kate (off on their rollercoaster jollies) got a YOAMD pin badge AND got to 'open' BTMR one morning - ie choose whether they wanted the front or back then ride on their own on the first train of the day! Pah!

Oh my goodness! That chocolate tart from Sci-Fi is my favourite dessert ever! YUM!!

Did you ask for ice-cream on the top? When I had it in 2006 it didn't come with ice-cream...

Also, this is a silly question, but is the bun on top of the hamburger soft or crunchy?

Great reviews so far!!

I think the server asked if I wanted ice cream on the chocolate tart - I'm not with it enough to have asked without prompting! It was all great! I'm pretty sure the top of the burger bun was soft. I can't remember it being crunchy but I was probably too busy looking adoringly at my glowing drink. They set the cube initially at that epileptic-inducing fast blink but I soon found out how to set it to constant!

Well Mama I've gone & made the ADR on your head be it Just hope now that everything arrives on time! Only got 2TS out of 21 left it takes some working out! Did you try The Wave? Thinking of diving across from MK on our last day.
Anyway under a week to go so keep an eye out for my review!
Thanks SD

An ADR is your best friend! We spent ages deciding where to eat and we booked the ADRs as soon as possible. (Apart from the small alterations we talked about!) It was reassuring to have them and it was even more reassuring to get to CBR and get a print out of them - so we knew we'd done it all right! Have an AMAZING time Shooby! We didn't try the Wave but we saw it and it looks fantastic.

Really enjoying your reviews!

Thanks for reading Belle!

Shari xxx

 

[mamaboogie]

Hey Everyone!

So, we're onto Sunday 17th August.

It was hot today, very hot. We went to Downtown Disney. We got an early lunch at The Earl of Sandwich. This was a new counter service experience for us - but I had been drooling over the pictures of sandwiches for months so we had to try it!
You ordered at one till, paid at another and then waited for them to call your order number. It all seemed quite efficienat once we got the hang of it. There were plenty of tables too. I had an original beef, cheese and horseradish, Si had a jerk chicken sandwich, Kate had a chicken caesar salad and Sarah had a tuna melt.
The bread was lovely - hot and crusty. I was worried the horseradish might be too strong in my sandwich but it was fine. I wasn't totally sure about the beef - I have nothing against thin cut, rare beef, but this was a bit stringy and chewy. The bread made up for it though! I liked the way that they made Kate's salad fresh in front of you though. We came upon our first DDP restrictions with the desserts here - they had a wide range of desserts but DDP people were restricted to things like cookies and brownies. I would probably still eat here again though - they had such a wide range of sandwiches that I'd like to try another one.
I did take a couple of photos but they didn't really come out well - sorry!

We spent the afternoon shopping in DTD before having fun in Disney Quest.

Later that evening we headed over to the California Grill.

When we went to WDW in 2006 Si and I ate at the CG (it was our 'date' meal while his parents looked after the girls.) and we had possibly the best meal of our lives there. We were looking forward to taking the girls there this time - having seen how 'child friendly' it was last time. It had just been such a perfect experience last time. We'd had a wonderful server called Kevin who just looked after us so well and put us totally at ease. The food had been amazing and of course, the chance to see Wishes from the Top of the Contempory was awesome!

It was quite busy when we arrived (in our Sunday best - well, it WAS Sunday!) so we sat in the bar for a while. We were told it might be quite a wait so Simon took Kate onto the observation platform to take some scenic photos:

Quicker than expected, we were taken through to our table. As we weaved further and further along the restaurant, right over to the far side, a light bulb went off in my head. 'We're going to the wine room!' And I was right. We had a table in the wine room! Having read about this hidden gem many times on here, I was able to stun Simon with my knowledge.'Oh this is the wine room don't you know!'

Although there was no view of the castle, there were plenty of other beautiful views to be had. The wine room was quiet with only a couple of other groups in there. It had a lovely, relaxing environment. Here is a fuzzy picture of me in the wine room:

Then, the big surprise happened - We were once more served by Kevin!!!! Of course we didn't expect him to remember us - he must serve so many people and this time we had two children in tow. But I was so excited - I knew I could relax and enjoy the meal - Kevin would look after us!!
So, onto the food. I loved the sourdough bread with butter - I just love any bread and butter! For starters, I had the same as last time - the goats cheese ravioli - it was just as wonderful as I remembered!

Si and Kate shared a bacon and cheese flatbread but it was devoured to quickly to photograph.
Sarah was very adventurous and ordered the tuna 3 ways sushi:

Kevin was very knowledgable and explained to her was each type of tuna was. I think she liked some of it while others parts were too spicy for her. I tried some too and liked it well enough, but have decided that I'm never going to become a sushi fanatic.

Here is a pic of Simon enjoying the CG:

For the main course, Si and Kate had the beef filet:

I had (again!) the pork tenderloin with cheesy polenta:

The pork was as tender and deliciously crisp on the outside, just as I remembered it although there was a bit too much of the cheese polenta.

Sarah had chicken with tomatoes and croutons which she seemed to enjoy:

Si and I ordered coffee and Si also had a Barbados rum - very apt!

Onto the desserts. Kate and Simon had the molten lava chocolate cake, Sarah had a banana butterscotch buzz which she managed to demolish most of. I had a new YOAMD dessert to replace the honey crunch cake. (So I did have something new!) It was a cashew cake with berries, peaches, nut brittle, ice cream and chocolate shape thingeys. It was jolly nice and I nearly managed it all!

Kevin then told us that Wishes was about to start and he pointed us in the direction of a platform just by the wine room. We had already glimpsed Illuminations and the Electrical light parade from our table (as well as spectacular lightning!) and now we watched Wishes, 15 stores high on a nearly deserted platform (I didn't like the height though!!).

We were very honest when our bill came as we pointed out that we hadn't been charged for the very nice bottle of wine! This was soon rectified and Kevin was very grateful.

So, all in all, another amazing California Grill experience. In some ways, it wasn't quite as magical as the first time as we knew what to expect. But we got to take our girls there and share the experience with them. And, as you know, things like that are priceless.

Coming up: We say Aloha to Lilo and Stitch and we sing The Blues in DTD.

Shari xx