peanutzmom
Proud Military Wife
- Joined
- Dec 27, 2003
- Messages
- 124
Well, it took me long enough, but I finally have time to write a dining report for my 4-day solo trip in mid-April.
Everything Pop (Pop Century Resort food court) -- I had lunch, dinner, picnic supplies, and breakfast here. Lunch my first day was a cheeseburger & fries. Cheeseburger was good, but fries were undercooked fat crinkle cut ones. There was more than enough of the cheeseburger, though, so I was full anyway. I went down for dinner that night around 7:00 PM, and the lines for the hot food were packed. I was starving and didn't want to wait, so I checked out the refridgerated section. I picked up a chef salad, a mini-bottle of chilled Pinot Grigio, and a bag of chocolate covered Mickey Pretzles. I was in and out in five minutes, then had a leisurely and YUMMY dinner in my room while watching Survivor. The chef salad was AMAZING, with lots of fresh veggies and really high quality meats & cheeses. This was one of the best (and least expensive) meals I ate this trip. The next morning before hitting MGM I went down for breakfast. I got the kids Mickey waffle meal, which came with two mini Mickey waffles and two slices of bacon. It was just the right amount to fill me without overfilling me before I hit the park. When we go back in November I'll be able to easily split one kids breakfast between both of my kids (age 6 & 4). I had to go take exams one of the days I was there, so I grabbed some items from the self-serve section of the food court that day. I got a chocolate croissant to nibble on for breakfast as I drove to the exam, then I bought a regular croissant, a banana, and a bag of Mickey Head cheddar crackers (like goldfish crackers) to pack for my lunch. They had little individual peanut butters & jellies with the condiments, so I grabbed a few of those and had a peanut butter & jelly croissant for lunch. This was definitely my cheapest meal(s) -- both breakfast and lunch cost me a total of less than $10.
Sci-Fi Dine In -- I had PS for Sci-Fi Dine in for my park day at MGM. This is the perfect spot for solo dining. You are seated in a car facing the movie screen, and all of the diners are so busy watching the clips they don't pay attention to anyone else. The clips also keep you entertained while you eat. I had an absolutely amazing server, Michael, who made the dining exerience a delight. The ambiance is definitely the draw here. The food wasn't bad by any means, but it wasn't amazing either. The cheeseburger was very good, the fries were barely so-so, and don't waste your $$ on the $9.00 "specialty drinks." I got the Red Lava, and though it had a unique presentation, it wasn't all that good. If I go again, I'd probably split a cheeseburger & an order of onion rings (which looked and smelled amazing -- the people in front of me ordered them) with my husband, and get a coke or shake instead of a cocktail. Definitely get a PS. When I went at my 1:30 PS, they were turning away anyone without a PS.
Earl of Sandwich -- I hit DTD for shopping and dinner after I went to MGM. It was a Friday during Spring Break, so everything was absolutely packed. I wasn't that hungry anyway, so I figured I'd try out Earl of Sandwich. At around 8:00 PM the line for hot sandwiches was huge. They have a cooler of cold sandwiches that you can Grab & Go, though, and that's what I opted for. I got the roast beef and blue cheese wrap, and it was excellent! The flatbread that they wrap it in is really tasty, the roast beef is very rare and high quality, and the blue cheese gives it a nice zip. I had to scrape off some of the blue cheese because it was so flavorful, but overall this was a very delicious and filling cold sandwich. I got it to go, found a bench overlooking the water, and enjoyed my sandwich while I people-watched.
Artist's Pointe -- the night of my exams I treated myself to Artist's Pointe to celebrate that I was done! What a great place to choose to celebrate! Again, it was a nice place to solo dine. It's a little more upscale and quieter (there were a few families with kids, but mostly couples). I got the buffalo steak with sweet potato gratin and a glass of red wine. They have a wonderful "chef's special" that includes soup, choice between two salads, choice between three entrees (that night it was buffalo sirloin, cedar plank salmon, and one I can't remember), and choice between two desserts. All of that is for $37 per person. If I had been hungrier I would have definitely given it a try. I was still 5 hours jetlagged, though, so my body just couldn't do that much food. I couldn't even finish just the entree that I ordered. The buffalo is AMAZING. It was so tender, and they serve it with these sweet carmalized onions that are worth ordering it alone. I'm a steak sauce gal, but I couldn't even imagine adulterating that great steak & onion medley with a steak sauce! I love sweet potatoes, so the gratin was really good, too. Now, they only serve "specialty wines" here, and the least expensive red wine *started* at $11 a glass. I'm used to paying $11 a bottle, so that was a bit of sticker shock. It was really great wine, but instead of the two glasses I usually order with a nice dinner, I limited myself to one glass because I just couldn't rationalize paying $22 for two glasses of wine. Overall, a GREAT dinner!
1900 Park Fare character breakfast -- On my last morning, I met a close friend and her family to celebrate her daughter's 6th birthday at 1900 Park Fare. What better way to end a vacation than with a birthday celebration?? I really enjoyed this character breakfast, and I would recommend it to adults who want to do a character meal but want it a little classier. The restaurant itself is beautiful, and the characters are fun but more subdued. We met Mary Poppins & Bert, Alice in Wonderland, and Pooh & Eeyore. The food was the typical Disney breakfast buffet fare -- bacon, sausage, eggs, pancakes, Mickey waffles, various hot & cold cereals, various quickbreads & danishes, etc. They did have the most AMAZING cheese blintzes & strawberry sauce -- I coud have eaten *only* that all day long! They also have a really good build-your-own-omelet station. It was a very filling breakfast that actually filled me up till dinner (our breakfast PS was 10:30 AM).
OK, that's the lowdown. If you have any specific questions, feel free to ask!!
Everything Pop (Pop Century Resort food court) -- I had lunch, dinner, picnic supplies, and breakfast here. Lunch my first day was a cheeseburger & fries. Cheeseburger was good, but fries were undercooked fat crinkle cut ones. There was more than enough of the cheeseburger, though, so I was full anyway. I went down for dinner that night around 7:00 PM, and the lines for the hot food were packed. I was starving and didn't want to wait, so I checked out the refridgerated section. I picked up a chef salad, a mini-bottle of chilled Pinot Grigio, and a bag of chocolate covered Mickey Pretzles. I was in and out in five minutes, then had a leisurely and YUMMY dinner in my room while watching Survivor. The chef salad was AMAZING, with lots of fresh veggies and really high quality meats & cheeses. This was one of the best (and least expensive) meals I ate this trip. The next morning before hitting MGM I went down for breakfast. I got the kids Mickey waffle meal, which came with two mini Mickey waffles and two slices of bacon. It was just the right amount to fill me without overfilling me before I hit the park. When we go back in November I'll be able to easily split one kids breakfast between both of my kids (age 6 & 4). I had to go take exams one of the days I was there, so I grabbed some items from the self-serve section of the food court that day. I got a chocolate croissant to nibble on for breakfast as I drove to the exam, then I bought a regular croissant, a banana, and a bag of Mickey Head cheddar crackers (like goldfish crackers) to pack for my lunch. They had little individual peanut butters & jellies with the condiments, so I grabbed a few of those and had a peanut butter & jelly croissant for lunch. This was definitely my cheapest meal(s) -- both breakfast and lunch cost me a total of less than $10.
Sci-Fi Dine In -- I had PS for Sci-Fi Dine in for my park day at MGM. This is the perfect spot for solo dining. You are seated in a car facing the movie screen, and all of the diners are so busy watching the clips they don't pay attention to anyone else. The clips also keep you entertained while you eat. I had an absolutely amazing server, Michael, who made the dining exerience a delight. The ambiance is definitely the draw here. The food wasn't bad by any means, but it wasn't amazing either. The cheeseburger was very good, the fries were barely so-so, and don't waste your $$ on the $9.00 "specialty drinks." I got the Red Lava, and though it had a unique presentation, it wasn't all that good. If I go again, I'd probably split a cheeseburger & an order of onion rings (which looked and smelled amazing -- the people in front of me ordered them) with my husband, and get a coke or shake instead of a cocktail. Definitely get a PS. When I went at my 1:30 PS, they were turning away anyone without a PS.
Earl of Sandwich -- I hit DTD for shopping and dinner after I went to MGM. It was a Friday during Spring Break, so everything was absolutely packed. I wasn't that hungry anyway, so I figured I'd try out Earl of Sandwich. At around 8:00 PM the line for hot sandwiches was huge. They have a cooler of cold sandwiches that you can Grab & Go, though, and that's what I opted for. I got the roast beef and blue cheese wrap, and it was excellent! The flatbread that they wrap it in is really tasty, the roast beef is very rare and high quality, and the blue cheese gives it a nice zip. I had to scrape off some of the blue cheese because it was so flavorful, but overall this was a very delicious and filling cold sandwich. I got it to go, found a bench overlooking the water, and enjoyed my sandwich while I people-watched.
Artist's Pointe -- the night of my exams I treated myself to Artist's Pointe to celebrate that I was done! What a great place to choose to celebrate! Again, it was a nice place to solo dine. It's a little more upscale and quieter (there were a few families with kids, but mostly couples). I got the buffalo steak with sweet potato gratin and a glass of red wine. They have a wonderful "chef's special" that includes soup, choice between two salads, choice between three entrees (that night it was buffalo sirloin, cedar plank salmon, and one I can't remember), and choice between two desserts. All of that is for $37 per person. If I had been hungrier I would have definitely given it a try. I was still 5 hours jetlagged, though, so my body just couldn't do that much food. I couldn't even finish just the entree that I ordered. The buffalo is AMAZING. It was so tender, and they serve it with these sweet carmalized onions that are worth ordering it alone. I'm a steak sauce gal, but I couldn't even imagine adulterating that great steak & onion medley with a steak sauce! I love sweet potatoes, so the gratin was really good, too. Now, they only serve "specialty wines" here, and the least expensive red wine *started* at $11 a glass. I'm used to paying $11 a bottle, so that was a bit of sticker shock. It was really great wine, but instead of the two glasses I usually order with a nice dinner, I limited myself to one glass because I just couldn't rationalize paying $22 for two glasses of wine. Overall, a GREAT dinner!
1900 Park Fare character breakfast -- On my last morning, I met a close friend and her family to celebrate her daughter's 6th birthday at 1900 Park Fare. What better way to end a vacation than with a birthday celebration?? I really enjoyed this character breakfast, and I would recommend it to adults who want to do a character meal but want it a little classier. The restaurant itself is beautiful, and the characters are fun but more subdued. We met Mary Poppins & Bert, Alice in Wonderland, and Pooh & Eeyore. The food was the typical Disney breakfast buffet fare -- bacon, sausage, eggs, pancakes, Mickey waffles, various hot & cold cereals, various quickbreads & danishes, etc. They did have the most AMAZING cheese blintzes & strawberry sauce -- I coud have eaten *only* that all day long! They also have a really good build-your-own-omelet station. It was a very filling breakfast that actually filled me up till dinner (our breakfast PS was 10:30 AM).
OK, that's the lowdown. If you have any specific questions, feel free to ask!!
