Signature Restaurant Reviews (4/26 - 5/2) with pics ALL REVIEWS COMPLETE

[TigerKat]

Enjoying your reviews. We really enjoyed JIKO and we're trying all new places on our next trip, one of which will be Narcoossee's.

 

[luckytobeme88]

very nice review and pictures..

 

[auntfrannie]

Now to Thursday and Citrico's. This was going to be my special birthday dinner. The service here was phenomenal! Tiffany took excellent care of me and her recommendations were spot on.

First, the gateau of crab. Instead of using breadcrumbs in the crabcake, they use cream cheese and another kind of cheese (I forget what she told me). The result is a very smooth crabcake that melts in your mouth.


I've never had shortribs so I thought now is the perfect time to try them! Their angus beef braised boneless short ribs. Oh so delicious! No knife needed to cut them. All this wonderfulness sitting on a bed of creamy mashed potatoes.


For dessert I selected the seasonal berries gratin with the champagne sauce.
This is how the dessert was presented:


This was some kind of light,frothy cream with berries. Very light and refreshing! This is a close-up of just the dessert:


Citrico's gets top marks in my book! Worth the trip to get there!

 

[ClareH37]

Fantastic reviews - you've eaten at the restaurants I really want to try solo

 

[Camster0307]

Now to Thursday and Citrico's. This was going to be my special birthday dinner. The service here was phenomenal! Tiffany took excellent care of me and her recommendations were spot on.

First, the gateau of crab. Instead of using breadcrumbs in the crabcake, they use cream cheese and another kind of cheese (I forget what she told me). The result is a very smooth crabcake that melts in your mouth.


I've never had shortribs so I thought now is the perfect time to try them! Their angus beef braised boneless short ribs. Oh so delicious! No knife needed to cut them. All this wonderfulness sitting on a bed of creamy mashed potatoes.


For dessert I selected the seasonal berries gratin with the champagne sauce.
This is how the dessert was presented:


This was some kind of light,frothy cream with berries. Very light and refreshing! This is a close-up of just the dessert:


Citrico's gets top marks in my book! Worth the trip to get there!

Oh my - everything here looks fabulous!

Can't wait to read your review of Artist Point - we're trying it for the first time in June!

 

[John's Mom]

Great reviews!

 

[auntfrannie]

Well, Camster, here is my review of Artist Point. I thought this one was just so-so. It wasn't bad just not somewhere I would make an effort to go to again. The servers all seemed really young and inexperienced; not what you would expect at a signature restaurant.

I started with the Portobello Soup. This was quite tasty; rich and creamy. This would be the perfect soup for a crisp, fall day to chase away the chills.


I've never had Buffalo steak so this was my opportunity to try it. Honestly, it didn't taste any different to me than beef. Not bad but nothing special. The steaks at CA Grill, Citrico's and Jiko's were all better. The sweet potato side was ok but didn't seem to pair well with the steak.


Dessert was Berries with Mint Mousse. I was actually very pleased with the mint mousse; it was light and creamy and the mint wasn't overwhelming. The berries is in muscat wine were on the bland side. This was a no-sugar added dessert.

 

[tarheelmjfan]

Excellent Reviews! This is my idea of a perfect week of dining.

 

[auntfrannie]

That takes care of all the signature restaurants. Let's move on to the regular restaurants I did for lunch.

Starting with the Kona Cafe. This is one of my favorite restaurants. I don't think I've ever had a bad meal here. It can be noisy because one side is completely open to the lobby of the Polynesian.

Theresa was my server and she was very helpful. I started with the Potstickers. There were two tasty little potstickers on the plate; just the right amount for an appetizer.


This is where Theresa was so helpful. I was debating between a few things but was most interested in the Asian Chicken Chopped salad but I don't like carrots which are supposed to mixed in the salad. But I did like the sound of the spicy mustard dressing. Theresa was suggesting a few things but went off to check if my salad could be made w/o the carrots but with blue cheese. She came back with the good news that the carrots can be left out. Check out this gorgeous salad! It was sooooo good! Look at that huge bowl of blue cheese crumbles!


Dessert was another winner! The Chocolate Banana Creme Brulee. You can't see it, but under the banana creme brulee is a layer of chocolate. I love bananas & chocolate together. And the carmelized banana on top was a little slice of crispy heaven!

 

[auntfrannie]

Yak and Yeti.....maybe they need to iron out the kinks. I ordered the Wok Fried Green Beans. I've seen these on the menu at Friday's but have never tried them. They were surprisingly good. The beans were plump and firm with a very light tempura batter.


This is where they need to work out the kinks. Less than 30 seconds after they brought the appetizer they delivered the entree, Crispy Honey Chicken. The runner looked at me and I looked at her...at which point she offered to take the chicken back to the kitchen until I was ready for it. So eventually the chicken comes back out and it is the most tasteless chicken I've ever had. Even though there was a breading on it, even though there was a glaze on it, there was absolutely no taste whatsoever.


Fried wontons & pineapple for dessert. This wasn't bad; a little on the sweet side.


What I found odd was while I was still eating dessert, Gonzales (the server) came by and asked me for my dining plan card. He didn't have the check for me; he just wanted my card. I gave him my card and he came back with the receipt showing all zeros and that one dining credit was used. Then he told me what the actual total was so I could leave a tip. I found the whole thing just odd.

 

[auntfrannie]

Does anyone go to Disney for the rides? I don't! I go for the dining & shopping! This is the last review. I've been to Liberty Tree Tavern for dinner a few times. The food is always ok but you really go to LTT dinner for the great character interaction. So I was a little concerned with how lunch was going to be. I was pleasantly surprised! This was lunch on the birthday.

I started with the Tavern Fried Cheese. The long sticks are mozzarella; the little blobs are white cheddar. You can really taste the beer in the batter on these. They were pretty good but it's easily an appetizer that can be shared.


I selected the Pot Roast for my entree. Whoa! This was pretty darn good! The roast was very tender and the wine sauce was delicious! Way too much to eat for lunch though!


Notice the birthday candle in my no-sugar added berry sorbet! They came trouping out with the lit dessert, ringing a bell, and singing happy birthday. Oh no! They had everyone in the section sing HP to me. The sorbet was very light and flavorful; couldn't tell it was a no-sugar added dessert.


I was very impressed with LTT for lunch!

 

[TigerKat]

Those green beans look really good, think I'll have to try them!

 

[SondraC]

Great reviews! The pictures were heavenly!!!!!!!! Thanks for taking the time to post!

 

[auntfrannie]

Thanks everyone for taking the time to read! I enjoyed writing the reviews **almost** as much as I enjoyed eating the meals!

 

[disneyfav4ever]

I'm surprised you were able to do them all in a day! It takes me at least a month to write mine.

 

[AydensMom]

Thanks for the reviews. Sorry to hear about your experience at Narcoossees, its a must do for us everytrip.

 

[Krissalee]

auntfrannie, I want to have dinner with you! Loved your reviews!

 

[auntfrannie]

I'm surprised you were able to do them all in a day! It takes me at least a month to write mine.

I knew that if I didn't do them all at once I would completely forget to finish them! I wish I could be as dedicated when it comes to scrapbooking everything!

auntfrannie, I want to have dinner with you! Loved your reviews!

Disney has sooo much to offer with their restaurant selections, don't they? It's sad (kinda) when you plan your vacation around the restaurants instead of the rides!!!!

 

[Villains_Rock]

I started with the Portobello Soup. This was quite tasty; rich and creamy. This would be the perfect soup for a crisp, fall day to chase away the chills.

This is THE BEST soup I have ever had!!!!

 

[suzimar57]

ok, where do i begin?? (loving these reviews, BTW!)

the citricos crab gateau seemed like a spread (and something i'd have a hard time sharing with anyone! ) - it sounded great!

portobello soup at artiste pointe looked heavenly - big fan here of the mushroom!

i usually get a chopped salad (cobb, if available) wherever we eat, and the one you had at kona looked huge!!

sorry, but those tempura green beans (yak/yeti) weren't tempting.... (and i love green beans!)

my DH always gets the turkey dinner at LTT (during lunch) but he also loves pot roast, so i'm showing him your photo of it - maybe this trip he'll make a change! (it looked good!)

you're not alone: my disney trips have morphed over the years to one big "shop and dine" extravaganza!!!!