Sistah Twistah - A January Dining Review- Updated- 6/25 - COMPLETE!!!

[Jerusalem Gal]

That view! Oh man, I can understand why you didn't want to close the curtains at night.

YES! I never did at first. But then even though I managed to somehow fall asleep, I woke up in the middle of the night and just stared at the castle! So after a couple of nights I just closed the curtains (and hated it), but not before enjoying myself for a while, just watching the magic outside my window...

Omg, your pasta from AOA looks amazing!! Now I'm regretting not trying it when we stayed there a couple of years ago!

I had the Star Wars cupcake from contempo too- I had in my notes that the filling was cookies n cream flavor. Good but sweet!

Don't regret it, just learn from your mistakes next time!
And yes, I think you're right and the filling was cookies and cream, thank you! I just don't get why it had orange frosting

 

[Saphire5742]

WOWZA! What a view!!!!!!!!!!! If you're gonna shell out the dough, might as well make it worth it. Can't get any better than that.

 

[Jerusalem Gal]

WOWZA! What a view!!!!!!!!!!! If you're gonna shell out the dough, might as well make it worth it. Can't get any better than that.

Definitely!!!!!!!!

 

[Jerusalem Gal]

I'm on a roll!

We've reached Saturday night, our first fabulous night at the Contemporary! And we had an ADR at Chef Mickey's!!!!!

This was one of the first ADRs I made. I gotta admit, I'm a sucker for food porn and the Disney website has some seriously good pictures up there! That together with the fact that this is a buffet closed the deal for me.
I mean hello- not having to choose one entree out of so many?? Yes please! So Chef Mickey's is it!

Our ADR was for 8:45 pm and I was seriously excited!
First, my overall impressions:
I was surprised at the way the restaurant was set up. All open like that in the middle of the lobby (yeah, I know it's not the lobby but it looks like a lobby). I didn't really take to that at first (I'm pretty private about my food [said the girl writing the DR]) but we were seated all the way inside so that was pretty good.
This is what it looks like from the outside (sorry for the picture quality. My phone was a little shocked)



Ok, so this is not from completely outside- this is from the wait area before they call you in. But you can see the rooms overlooking the restaurant. It IS pretty open. (And note the monorail!!!! )

The place is so cheerful and bright and colorful! That part I loved!



Even the plates were colorful! And everything was Mickey themed of course!

Back to our ADR- we arrived early and were seated a few minutes after our ADR time. It seemed packed with people wanting to get in so I was a little worried but it ended up being ok.
They also took note of Shira's birthday pin!
When we were called in, they showed us to our table all the way inside the restaurant, up the stairs and... by the window!!!! With a view of the Magic Kingdom!!! (The same view we had from our room but it was our first night there and we hadn't seen the fireworks yet!) AND, it was a table for four!! So plenty of room!

Our server was an older woman and pretty friendly although towards the end I kind of felt she was rushing us out... She explained that people with birthdays (hi Shira, you lucky thing you) got a special napkin (it was yellow but I can't remember the color of the regular napkins. Blue maybe?) and also a signed birthday card from all the characters!!! (More on that later!)

*Please forgive all the exclamation marks. This was really an exciting experience!*

On to the food:
There was a really big variety of foods. Pretty basic- nothing really different or unique. Just down-to-earth good food.
The buffet area was a long curved table and both halves had the same things on them- it just made for easier access I guess. The desserts were separate, further out, by the entrance to the place.

Some pics from the buffet:



Salads and stuff. Not really my thing. Next:



Food!



More food!

I didn't get a picture of this, but the first thing that caught my eye was SUSHI!!!! OMG! One of my basic food groups! It'd been four days and I hadn't had any yet!

Ok- now plates (I actually wrote a description of these! Yay me!)

First plate:



So as I said before: SUSHI! (And shrimp!)

This was unfortunately disappointing. The sushi was just blah and I didn't like the (cold) shrimp. I'm not sure why I didn't really like the sushi. Maybe my expectations were too high. I mean, it wasn't bad, just not that good...
We're pretty big on sushi in Israel. I guess that's a problem. Check this out: http://theculturetrip.com/middle-east/israel/articles/top-5-sushi-restaurants-in-tel-aviv/
Apparently since about 2008 Tel Aviv boasts the third most sushi joints per capita in the world, after New York and Tokyo! (So yeah, I'm a big fan.)

Well, sushi aside, there are lots more yummy-looking stuff to try at Chef Mickey's!



This lovely red kids' plate (see how it's split into sections? There was just too much to try!) was my first plate from the hot food section.

On the right we have a lovely and delicious pirogi! Next to it- broccoli! (Or as my notes say: "look mom, broccoli!") I was so proud of myself for taking a veggie. (Don't tell anyone but that was only because they had the cheese sauce to put on it! )
Well, the cheese turned out to be only meh. But the broccoli was surprisingly good! Fresh, cooked well, not soggy.
Above the green we have some sausage pieces. Pretty good but not that memorable. The orange stuff right beneath the sausage was some sort of chicken. Possibly lemon because that's what I wrote in my pad, but with a question mark. I didn't even try it
To the left of the green tree you will find some polenta with short ribs. Come to momma! This was delicious! Both the polenta and the ribs and the sauce was just yummy!
To the left of that was some eggplant parm. I'm normally a big fan but this eggplant had too many seeds in it for my taste. I ended up peeling off the top eggplant part and eating the rest..

Now because the plate was so big, I took two pictures of it. That was the first half and this is the second:



Ok, all the way on the right- of course we have the mac and cheese (from the kids' section.... Pffffft! Adults need mac and cheese too!) But alas, it had no flavor.
Next to it we have some chicken nuggets, also from the kids' section. These were great!!! The tiny single corn dog nugget I didn't even try. Sis tried them and said they were soggy and didn't taste fresh.
On top of the chicken nuggets was a piece of cornbread which was very good and sweet but I didn't want to waste precious room so I didn't finish it.
AND since I'm some sort of weirdo, I figured I'd give the sushi one more chance. Nope. Still disappointing. when all the different kinds taste the same, you know they're doing something wrong.

And now for my last plate of real food:



Top right we have a slice of roast beef which looked awesome but didn't have much flavor.
To the left of it we have the very exciting lobster mac and cheese! (Ohhh, so that's what they serve adults!) This was not bad but not great either. I did find one piece of lobster in there! Yay!
It kind of felt more like a bechamel or alfredo sauce, not so much cheese. AND last but not least, some more of that delicious polenta with ribs! The ribs were so soft and had a delicious flavor. Really excellent.

Ok, those were my main courses.

As a side note, I did mention to myself that at the buffet they were also serving rice, chicken (looked like chicken thighs maybe), lemon chicken (which I took but didn't taste) and ribs in mango sauce.
I am reading this disbelieving right now. Ribs in mango sauce? Why is this not in my pictures?? How could I have not tasted this?? I feel so ashamed! I've let down all the carnivores of the world

We now interrupt our regularly scheduled program to show you some magical Chef Mickey's pictures!
(Which will be in a separate post because I've reached my limit! Stay tuned- Be right with ya!)

 

[Jerusalem Gal]

Ta daaaaaa...............









Ok, the lighting was REALLY bad so we're lucky to have any pictures at all!
We took some selfies and for some of the other pictures there was a nice family at the next table that helped us out. It was actually mutual. Shira took all of their character pictures!
We had to wait for quite a while to meet them all. A few times they got really close to the table and then the music started and they all went dancing around and left us... (alone. in the dark.)
Also, once or twice they just seemed not to notice us. Stopped by the tables next to us and walked right on by... That was weird. But with the help of the CMs, we got to meet them all by the time we were done.
It was so much fun!

And now, back to our regularly scheduled program.....

DESSERT!

First things first:
Shira got a "free" birthday cupcake! LOL! It was really sweet of them and we weren't complaining. It was just kind of funny with the buffet and all



And look at the card underneath- I don't have a picture of it open but it was signed by all four characters and I'm sure Shira will treasure it forever. (Right Shira? Because if not, I'll be happy to take it off your hands!)
It was so, so sweet.

And some dessert tables:




I loved this! The colors were fantastic! The tables were so inviting! And they had Reese's Pieces to put on your ice cream!! (Who needs the ice cream??)
(Ok, I just read in my little pad that the Reese's were FAKE! I had the same reaction to them now as I did then. "YAY, REESE'S! OH NO, THEY'RE FAKE!")

And my choices:



Ok, we're starting with the little cup of no-bake cheesecake with jello on top. To the left, S'mores. One more to the left, a rice krispies treat with fruit loops in it.
Right above that lies a chocolate chip cookie. And to the right of it, a vanilla cream-puff. The little one beneath it is a key lime pie and to the right, a chocolate cupcake.

I'm sorry to say there were all meh. I did enjoy the rice krispies treat but the fruit loops didn't do it for me....

And of course: (When I still thought these were REAL REESE'S PIECES)



How could you do this to us, Disney? To an unsuspecting crowd like that??

I only took the ice cream because of the (fake) Reese's. So once I realized they weren't real, the ice cream kind of had no point.
It was ok, flavor-wise. But not great.

As a nice ending to the evening, it was finally less crowded when we left so I got my picture taken with the chef!



In conclusion:

The food was just ok. Not great. I'm sure kids would find what to eat because there was so much to choose from. Adults too, actually.
I wouldn't go back for the food but I would DEFINITELY go back for the fun atmosphere and the real joy and magic of that place.
I loved it!!



Up next- our Hollywood Studios day! Hurray for 50's Prime Time!!!

 

[speiser.girl]

Contempo Café:
This was a BAD afternoon for me food wise... The pasta was OK ( I think my mom's is better ). I remember well that I was so excited for both the cone and the cupcake and was super disappointed by both of them, they just weren't good. I didn't finish either of them, and as opposed to the rest of the things I didn't finish and now regret, I'm glad I didn't finish these (that says a lot I think).
So yeah, I would take my POP greasy picnic burger and fries over this meal any day!
I actually think that when I go back to WDW (whenever that'll be ) no matter what resort I stay at, I'll go eat lunch at POP
On a better note- the room and view were absolutely amazing!

 

[Jerusalem Gal]

This was a BAD afternoon for me food wise... The pasta was OK ( I think my mom's is better ). I remember well that I was so excited for both the cone and the cupcake and was super disappointed by both of them, they just weren't good. I didn't finish either of them, and as opposed to the rest of the things I didn't finish and now regret, I'm glad I didn't finish these (that says a lot I think).
So yeah, I would take my POP greasy picnic burger and fries over this meal any day!
I actually think that when I go back to WDW (whenever that'll be ) no matter what resort I stay at, I'll go eat lunch at POP
On a better note- the room and view were absolutely amazing!

It's only 8 am and I'm dreaming about the Picnic Burger!

 

[LinderInWonderland]

It's only 8 am and I'm dreaming about the Picnic Burger!

STUNNING view at the Contemporary! When I go for my (and Magic Kingdom's) 50th birthday, I want to stay in a deluxe resort. I love the Contemporary's style and it would fulfill a long-held childhood dream - but the Polynesian holds all the food of my dreams. Oh well, I have got five years to decide.

I am sad that the sushi was sad. I hate sad sushi more than I hate sad burgers. I was very tempted to go to Morimoto Asia, but read a bunch of review that said the sushi there was 'meh'. I have been to Morimoto in Philadelphia where the sushi was epic, so I would rather keep that memory.

I am excited to hear about how you enjoyed (or didn't enjoy) 50s Prime Time. We had a great time there.

BTW, that puzzle is amazing!!!

 

[Jerusalem Gal]

STUNNING view at the Contemporary! When I go for my (and Magic Kingdom's) 50th birthday, I want to stay in a deluxe resort. I love the Contemporary's style and it would fulfill a long-held childhood dream - but the Polynesian holds all the food of my dreams. Oh well, I have got five years to decide.

The Contemporary was my childhood dream too! That's why I splurged. I was there with my parents and brother when I was very young and have been wanting to go back ever since. Definitely a different experience now that I'm older and worth every penny. We also stayed at the Polly about 3 years ago when my whole family went together. It was only for a few days and we didn't eat there at all but I loved the resort.
I'd suggest a split stay so you can enjoy both places! 5 years to plan, huh? Sounds fun!

I am sad that the sushi was sad. I hate sad sushi more than I hate sad burgers. I was very tempted to go to Morimoto Asia, but read a bunch of review that said the sushi there was 'meh'. I have been to Morimoto in Philadelphia where the sushi was epic, so I would rather keep that memory.

I actually read a really good review just lately here on the boards. I believe it was Mikka and Redwitch. They enjoyed the sushi and from the pictures and descriptions it seems like the real thing. Authentic, not the modern take on sushi.
I'd like to try it next time I'm there They also had good sushi at Tokyo Dining when I was there a couple of years ago!

I am excited to hear about how you enjoyed (or didn't enjoy) 50s Prime Time. We had a great time there.

Very soon

BTW, that puzzle is amazing!!!

OMG, I wasn't sure if I should buy it because it's Disneyland and not Disney World, but I'm so glad I did! It's stunning and I can't wait to frame it!!!!

 

[Vernie822]

This was the view from my bed:

OH MY GOSHHHHHH

This is AMAZING!! Shira, you can have the bed with the TV! Gimme the castle! I think I would have just lied awake staring at it all night.

This together with a bowl of popcorn and the Disney Parks soundtrack in the background....

Hahahahahaha this is my favorite stress reliever!!! Popcorn included.

Contempo Cafe is somewhere I've heard is pretty good but I haven't yet tried. I think we've walked past it and looked in a few times but never actually ate there. I really don't mind Pop's food court, I think it has lots of great options!!

I loved your Chef Mickey's review! Somewhere we have never been. I don't hear great reports on the food but it looks like they have a tooooon of variety! I am a sushi lover too so I would've jumped right on that first thing. And fake Reese's pieces?! WHAT IN THE WORLD!?

 

[TeresaNJ]

We last did Chef Mickey's with a group of 17 in October 2013, which included my four grandsons, ages at the time 9 months, 16 months, 2, & 7, and two of our group decided to skip dinner, with the excuse that it was too early for them to eat. I think they had the right idea! Just kidding. We had fun, but it was interesting, to say the least.

 

[speiser.girl]

I agree that overall it was meh,
Buuut there were a few things that were really really good:
The ribs with polenta were really really good, the best thing I ate at Chef Mickey's...
The chicken nuggets were good and fresh (as opposed to the corn dog nuggts, which was totally disappointing because after falling in love with them at Casey's Corner I was really looking forward to having like a whole plate of them).
And last but not least- the mashed potatoes!!! Yes you heared (actually read) correctly.
I guess Deedee didn't mention them because she didn't try any (shame on you) but they were really deliciuos.

About the characters and desserts:
Our server came to us when we finished and asked us if we met all the characters, I saw that they did that with all tabels and I think that's really nice and thoughtful (considering what Deedee said about them just passing us or not showing at all).
Desserts- man what a disappointment...

Bye now

 

[plutosgirl]

That view from your room was spectacular!! WOW!!!!!!!

 

[Jerusalem Gal]

We last did Chef Mickey's with a group of 17 in October 2013, which included my four grandsons, ages at the time 9 months, 16 months, 2, & 7, and two of our group decided to skip dinner, with the excuse that it was too early for them to eat. I think they had the right idea! Just kidding. We had fun, but it was interesting, to say the least.

That's such a nice picture!
Was it too noisy for you?

I agree that overall it was meh,
Buuut there were a few things that were really really good:
The ribs with polenta were really really good, the best thing I ate at Chef Mickey's...
The chicken nuggets were good and fresh (as opposed to the corn dog nuggts, which was totally disappointing because after falling in love with them at Casey's Corner I was really looking forward to having like a whole plate of them).
And last but not least- the mashed potatoes!!! Yes you heared (actually read) correctly.
I guess Deedee didn't mention them because she didn't try any (shame on you) but they were really deliciuos.

About the characters and desserts:
Our server came to us when we finished and asked us if we met all the characters, I saw that they did that with all tabels and I think that's really nice and thoughtful (considering what Deedee said about them just passing us or not showing at all).
Desserts- man what a disappointment...

Bye now

Oops, there were mashed potatoes?
Oh well, "next time"

That view from your room was spectacular!! WOW!!!!!!!

Right?? Wow, I don't think I'll ever be able to go back to a plain ol' room after that!!
Thanks for being here

 

[Elevationist]

For me the choice was obvious. I was here for the Create-Your-Own-Pasta dish. I saw it in a few DISers' dining reviews but at the end it was @Elevationist 's report that made me 100% sure I was gonna be visiting Landscape of Flavors.

Lucky for me, I was smart enough to get this....

DELICIOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Gorgeous... SO jealous!

Salads and stuff. Not really my thing.

Mine either, girl.

Love this! ADORABLE!!!!

 

[ArielSRL]

Great view! I'm so envious. Unless I win the lottery that view won't happen in my lifetime. Oh well.

We are doing Chef Mickey's. I've done breakfast but not dinner. It's mostly for the characters (I have two boys under 5) as I have heard it's just meh.

Great updates!

 

[Jerusalem Gal]

DELICIOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Gorgeous... SO jealous!

Mine either, girl.

Love this! ADORABLE!!!!

So glad you're here!

Great view! I'm so envious. Unless I win the lottery that view won't happen in my lifetime. Oh well.

We are doing Chef Mickey's. I've done breakfast but not dinner. It's mostly for the characters (I have two boys under 5) as I have heard it's just meh.

Great updates!

I took out a loan for this view so I can understand you! You can be sure next time I'll be better about my spending...
I'm not a breakfast person but if I were, I'd do 'Ohana to meet Stitch
And you're right, all in all it was just meh but I'd still go back because there was a lot to choose from and I LOVED the atmosphere!

 

[ArielSRL]

So glad you're here!


I took out a loan for this view so I can understand you! You can be sure next time I'll be better about my spending...
I'm not a breakfast person but if I were, I'd do 'Ohana to meet Stitch
And you're right, all in all it was just meh but I'd still go back because there was a lot to choose from and I LOVED the atmosphere!

That view probably was worth a loan!

I have wanted to do Ohana for years and it never seems to work out. But we are going back June 2017 and I am booking it for that trip for sure!

 

[tortilla24]

We're pretty big on sushi in Israel. I guess that's a problem. Check this out: http://theculturetrip.com/middle-east/israel/articles/top-5-sushi-restaurants-in-tel-aviv/
Apparently since about 2008 Tel Aviv boasts the third most sushi joints per capita in the world, after New York and Tokyo! (So yeah, I'm a big fan.)

I've gotta say, Fu sushi is amazing, but I'm NOT a fan of Moon at all. Also, sushi in Jerusalem is so-so in my opinion.. too Kosher

(Ok, I just read in my little pad that the Reese's were FAKE! I had the same reaction to them now as I did then. "YAY, REESE'S! OH NO, THEY'RE FAKE!")

FAKE?! HOWWWW?!

 

[Jerusalem Gal]

That view probably was worth a loan!

I have wanted to do Ohana for years and it never seems to work out. But we are going back June 2017 and I am booking it for that trip for sure!

I've read many 'Ohana reviews here on the DIS and it seems hit or miss to most people. But I have different expectations from my meals and so enjoyed it very much (not too long before I post my actual review!)
I think it's definitely worth the experience!

I've gotta say, Fu sushi is amazing, but I'm NOT a fan of Moon at all. Also, sushi in Jerusalem is so-so in my opinion.. too Kosher

I've never been to a sushi place in Tel Aviv so I wouldn't know but I enjoy the Jerusalem sushi if only because I don't have any other options
We used to have Sakura which was most definitely not kosher AT ALL and was very good but they recently closed down And now we have the "Sushiya" which is by no means quality sushi but it's ok if you're really craving shrimp maki
Do you live here or were you just visiting??

FAKE?! HOWWWW?!

Yes, fake!!!