Sorry this is so long ...
The Cast: My DH, me and our two sons 14 and 17.
The Scene: An eight night family vacation on the Dreammaker Silver Plan. This means we get wishes to use for our meals. The cost I list is what we would have spent including tax and tip. Most meals took one wish. Each meal includes an appetizer, entree and dessert for each of us.
Monday March 24 Dinner - Hollywood Brown Derby
We had the Fantasmic dinner package and had to eat at 4:10 - a little early for my tastes. Janet was our server and she was great. I wanted to try the Cobb salad but no one in my family wanted to give up their appetizer to share with me. Janet made it work on our plan somehow. She was also great at explaining the history of the salad, keeping water and pop filled, bringing rolls to the bottomless teenagers, etc. I loved the atmosphere in the restaurant. Very cool and quiet after the hot bustle of the park. We enjoyed a margarita (me) and a martini (DH).
DH and DS14 had the onion soup, DS17 had the Chili Corn Chowder and I had the Cobb Salad which I shared with everyone. It was very tasty and they all liked their soup. For entrees, DS14 had pork tenderloin, DS17 and DH had fillet, and I had the rack of lamb. We each had a lobster tail added on. My lamb was incredible and the sides dishes (acorn squash and red cabbage) were great. A tie for the best entree of the trip for me.
For dessert I had the creme brulee, DS17 had raspberry mouse, DH and DS14 had white chocolate cheesecake with strawberry soup. Creme Brulee was a disappointment - the sugar crust wasnt crispy enough. The rest were very good. I had thought about trying the grapefruit cake - I wish I had.
Grade A (Creme Brulee C) Cost: food $248.20 (used wishes); alcohol $17
Tuesday March 25 Lunch - Kringla Bakery (Norway)
We wanted to have a light lunch since our dinner ps was pretty early. DH and I met our kids here - I cant find their receipt, so Ill skip their lunch. I had the open face salmon sandwich. It was so good - egg salad stuff and a lox type of smoked salmon (here in Oregon smoked salmon is more often chunks of fish instead of sliced like lox) on some tasty bread. DH had an open-faced ham sandwich which he enjoyed - it looked plainer and pretty ordinary to me. We also had some lefse - Ive heard of this before and wanted to try it. We really liked it but Im not sure how to describe it. It was a flat bread - kind of the thickness and consistency of a tortilla - spread with butter, cinnamon and sugar I think. It was not overly sweet or rich but tasty. DH had the viking size Ringnes and I had the smaller one - very good beer but the 20 ounces were plenty for me. Lately Ive been reading about the rice cream and I wish I had tried that too - maybe next time.
Grade A- Cost: $32.23 (more than half of that was the beer)
Tuesday March 25 Dinner - Ohana
We had an early ps here before e-ride night. Got seated quickly. No drinks tonight - wasnt sure Id be safe on the mountains if I was tipsy. The lazy susan of appetizers arrived pretty quickly. The fried wontons were covered in too much sauce so they werent crispy - we liked them anyway and devoured them all. The second batch had less sauce and I liked them more. The chicken wings were wonderful - juicy and flavorful if messy. Salad, fried rice, and vegetables were okay.
The first skewers that appeared were the steak and turkey. We each had several pieces. They were cooked just right and were good but a little bland. Loved the peanut sauce - had to get another dish of it. Next the pork and shrimp arrived. I was a little disappointed in the shrimp - it seemed drier and less flavorful than Id have liked. My guys dont really like digging things out of shells so they werent thrilled with them. All in all the meat was adequate, with the steak my favorite meat. I preferred the food at other restaurants, but this was good for something different.
Since we got dessert on our plan we decided to order some. We all got the Coconut Snowballs (hard to imagine that I passed up a creme brulee). They were very good. The flavors of the toasted coconut, ice cream and chocolate sauce went together very well.
We were seated kind of behind the back of the grill over by the windows. The atmosphere there was quite calm. I think that was good, but we were a little out of it there. I might ask to be closer to the action next time. We had 2 servers helping us. Anything we needed was always delivered quickly.
Grade B Cost: $140.85 (used wishes)
Wednesday March 26 Lunch - Marrakesh
I did a quick wish calculation and decided we should have a nice lunch so we called for a noon ps. We were seated right away on the edge of the center stage area. We ordered 2 orders of Chicken Bastilla, 2 orders of Beef Brewat and Mint Ice Tea all around. Conveniently, each appetizer consisted of two pieces so it was easy for us each to enjoy a piece of both. They were crispy and flavorful but I thought a little too subtle. We enjoy a Moroccan restaurant at home in Portland and I liked this Chicken Bastilla less than the one were used to. At home its got more filling and less pastry and is served in one big cake that we all attack (of course we also sit on the floor and eat without utensils but I couldnt imagine them getting WDW tourists to deal with that). The tea was very nice, even our kids liked it although they added sugar.
For entrees, the teenagers got Shish Kebab, DH lamb couscous and I got Lemon Chicken. My chicken was very moist and flavorful. I really liked the sauce with chunks of preserved lemons and olives, nearly licked the plate clean. DH enjoyed his couscous saying it was about twice the portion he needed for lunch. Teenagers, as usual, cleaned plates and ate plenty of bread.
For dessert, kids ordered Bastilla, DH Crepes Casablanca. I wasnt really in the mood for more Bastilla so I got the Moroccan Symphony even though it sounded boring. Everyones dessert looked good and they seemed to enjoy it. Mine was wonderful, not boring at all. It was 4 or 5 different kinds of baklava. Each was a different shape and had different kinds of nuts and a different flavor. Id definitely recommend this.
The entertainment came on while we ate. First a man played a stringed instrument. I dont know what its called but the sound was lovely. My techie husband commented on how good the sound system was. He switched to drums with some recorded music and was joined by a belly dancer. She brought several little kids up to dance with her. Then she came over and got my 2 boys. I was amazed that they willingly went onstage (perhaps they didnt think they had a choice!). Shed demonstrate something - arms overhead, arms out in a pose, bent backwards - and get them to try it too. I have some fun pictures. I think having one of the first pss got us near the stage and those were the people she brought up - Id recommend trying for that and having your camera ready.
Our server was excellent. He brought things at a perfect pace, made numerous trips with more ice tea and was very friendly, talking about his stay here and his home. All in all it was a very pleasant experience.
Grade A- Cost $138.90 (used wishes)
The Cast: My DH, me and our two sons 14 and 17.
The Scene: An eight night family vacation on the Dreammaker Silver Plan. This means we get wishes to use for our meals. The cost I list is what we would have spent including tax and tip. Most meals took one wish. Each meal includes an appetizer, entree and dessert for each of us.
Monday March 24 Dinner - Hollywood Brown Derby
We had the Fantasmic dinner package and had to eat at 4:10 - a little early for my tastes. Janet was our server and she was great. I wanted to try the Cobb salad but no one in my family wanted to give up their appetizer to share with me. Janet made it work on our plan somehow. She was also great at explaining the history of the salad, keeping water and pop filled, bringing rolls to the bottomless teenagers, etc. I loved the atmosphere in the restaurant. Very cool and quiet after the hot bustle of the park. We enjoyed a margarita (me) and a martini (DH).
DH and DS14 had the onion soup, DS17 had the Chili Corn Chowder and I had the Cobb Salad which I shared with everyone. It was very tasty and they all liked their soup. For entrees, DS14 had pork tenderloin, DS17 and DH had fillet, and I had the rack of lamb. We each had a lobster tail added on. My lamb was incredible and the sides dishes (acorn squash and red cabbage) were great. A tie for the best entree of the trip for me.
For dessert I had the creme brulee, DS17 had raspberry mouse, DH and DS14 had white chocolate cheesecake with strawberry soup. Creme Brulee was a disappointment - the sugar crust wasnt crispy enough. The rest were very good. I had thought about trying the grapefruit cake - I wish I had.
Grade A (Creme Brulee C) Cost: food $248.20 (used wishes); alcohol $17
Tuesday March 25 Lunch - Kringla Bakery (Norway)
We wanted to have a light lunch since our dinner ps was pretty early. DH and I met our kids here - I cant find their receipt, so Ill skip their lunch. I had the open face salmon sandwich. It was so good - egg salad stuff and a lox type of smoked salmon (here in Oregon smoked salmon is more often chunks of fish instead of sliced like lox) on some tasty bread. DH had an open-faced ham sandwich which he enjoyed - it looked plainer and pretty ordinary to me. We also had some lefse - Ive heard of this before and wanted to try it. We really liked it but Im not sure how to describe it. It was a flat bread - kind of the thickness and consistency of a tortilla - spread with butter, cinnamon and sugar I think. It was not overly sweet or rich but tasty. DH had the viking size Ringnes and I had the smaller one - very good beer but the 20 ounces were plenty for me. Lately Ive been reading about the rice cream and I wish I had tried that too - maybe next time.
Grade A- Cost: $32.23 (more than half of that was the beer)
Tuesday March 25 Dinner - Ohana
We had an early ps here before e-ride night. Got seated quickly. No drinks tonight - wasnt sure Id be safe on the mountains if I was tipsy. The lazy susan of appetizers arrived pretty quickly. The fried wontons were covered in too much sauce so they werent crispy - we liked them anyway and devoured them all. The second batch had less sauce and I liked them more. The chicken wings were wonderful - juicy and flavorful if messy. Salad, fried rice, and vegetables were okay.
The first skewers that appeared were the steak and turkey. We each had several pieces. They were cooked just right and were good but a little bland. Loved the peanut sauce - had to get another dish of it. Next the pork and shrimp arrived. I was a little disappointed in the shrimp - it seemed drier and less flavorful than Id have liked. My guys dont really like digging things out of shells so they werent thrilled with them. All in all the meat was adequate, with the steak my favorite meat. I preferred the food at other restaurants, but this was good for something different.
Since we got dessert on our plan we decided to order some. We all got the Coconut Snowballs (hard to imagine that I passed up a creme brulee). They were very good. The flavors of the toasted coconut, ice cream and chocolate sauce went together very well.
We were seated kind of behind the back of the grill over by the windows. The atmosphere there was quite calm. I think that was good, but we were a little out of it there. I might ask to be closer to the action next time. We had 2 servers helping us. Anything we needed was always delivered quickly.
Grade B Cost: $140.85 (used wishes)
Wednesday March 26 Lunch - Marrakesh
I did a quick wish calculation and decided we should have a nice lunch so we called for a noon ps. We were seated right away on the edge of the center stage area. We ordered 2 orders of Chicken Bastilla, 2 orders of Beef Brewat and Mint Ice Tea all around. Conveniently, each appetizer consisted of two pieces so it was easy for us each to enjoy a piece of both. They were crispy and flavorful but I thought a little too subtle. We enjoy a Moroccan restaurant at home in Portland and I liked this Chicken Bastilla less than the one were used to. At home its got more filling and less pastry and is served in one big cake that we all attack (of course we also sit on the floor and eat without utensils but I couldnt imagine them getting WDW tourists to deal with that). The tea was very nice, even our kids liked it although they added sugar.
For entrees, the teenagers got Shish Kebab, DH lamb couscous and I got Lemon Chicken. My chicken was very moist and flavorful. I really liked the sauce with chunks of preserved lemons and olives, nearly licked the plate clean. DH enjoyed his couscous saying it was about twice the portion he needed for lunch. Teenagers, as usual, cleaned plates and ate plenty of bread.
For dessert, kids ordered Bastilla, DH Crepes Casablanca. I wasnt really in the mood for more Bastilla so I got the Moroccan Symphony even though it sounded boring. Everyones dessert looked good and they seemed to enjoy it. Mine was wonderful, not boring at all. It was 4 or 5 different kinds of baklava. Each was a different shape and had different kinds of nuts and a different flavor. Id definitely recommend this.
The entertainment came on while we ate. First a man played a stringed instrument. I dont know what its called but the sound was lovely. My techie husband commented on how good the sound system was. He switched to drums with some recorded music and was joined by a belly dancer. She brought several little kids up to dance with her. Then she came over and got my 2 boys. I was amazed that they willingly went onstage (perhaps they didnt think they had a choice!). Shed demonstrate something - arms overhead, arms out in a pose, bent backwards - and get them to try it too. I have some fun pictures. I think having one of the first pss got us near the stage and those were the people she brought up - Id recommend trying for that and having your camera ready.
Our server was excellent. He brought things at a perfect pace, made numerous trips with more ice tea and was very friendly, talking about his stay here and his home. All in all it was a very pleasant experience.
Grade A- Cost $138.90 (used wishes)
