EmptyCinema
Pirate Lord of the Seven Seas Lagoon
- Joined
- Jan 8, 2007
- Messages
- 616
Joint review by EmptyCinema and fAnnF.
Day 1 - 3/3:
Dinner: Biergarten @ Epcot (Germany)
EmptyCinema's Rating: 4/10
fAnnF's Rating: 4/10
The food at this restaurant was quite disappointing. From my European heritage, I'm well acquainted with real German food and I found this food tough and untraditional. The atmosphere was also disturbing: noisy and crowded. The "family style" seating leaves you sitting with strangers: this could be positive, but if you don't want your meal interrupted, it's not for you. The entertainment was a laughable interpretation of German culture. Given the number of German employees at Epcot, it was shocking that none of the entertainers was, in fact, German.
Day 2 - 3/4:
Breakfast: Crystal Palace @ Magic Kingdom (Main Street USA)
EmptyCinema's Rating: 8/10
fAnnF's Rating: 7/10
Crystal Palace is an amazing experience for breakfast. An early ADR (before park open) is a must. This gives you an opportunity to see Main Street empty, and you can often finish your meal right around rope drop. It is a character dining experience with Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore, and Piglet. The food is buffet-style and is excellent with lots of options, including fresh fruit, bacon/sausage/eggs, pancakes/character waffles, and custom omelettes. My personal favorite is found on the kid's section of the buffet: the puffed french toast. The hot cocoa is also always excellent, and your juice glass will never be empty.
Lunch: Backlot Express @ MGM (near Star Tours)
EmptyCinema's Rating: 6/10
fAnnF's Rating: 5/10
This counter service location is acceptable. The food is very similar to many other counter service meals, but it does have a large amount of seating available (a real plus at peak hours).
Dinner: Electric Umbrella @ Epcot (Future World)
EmptyCinema's Rating: 7/10
fAnnF's Rating: 7/10
The Electric Umbrella is a convenient counter service location in Future World. The chicken fingers, as elsewhere in WDW, are excellent. Only available here (as far as I know) is a roast beef and provolone sandwich with tangy mayonnaise. This is an excellent sandwich for those looking for something fresh, not fried, but in a hurry. The topping bar allows you to have it almost any way you want.
Day 3 - 3/5:
Lunch: Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe @ Magic Kingdom (Tomorrowland)
EmptyCinema's Rating: 6/10
fAnnF's Rating: 5/10
Cosmic Ray's has three "bays", one with chicken, one with burgers, and one with sandwiches. Their chicken noodle soup (in the sandwich bay) is excellent with large pieces of chicken. It is disappointing that fries are not available in all bays, and at some hours, only the burger bay may be open. The burgers are standard fare, but the topping bar does offer sauteed onions and mushrooms in addition to the standard veggies.
Dinner: Liberty Tree Tavern @ Magic Kingdom (Liberty Square)
EmptyCinema's Rating: 7/10
fAnnF's Rating: 6/10
Great characters, though Goofy needs to watch out for the lights. The food is served family-style with a fixed menu, which allows everyone to have a little taste of everything. The steak tips are excellent with a nice pepper seasoning to them. If you're expecting the macaroni and cheese to be the same as everywhere else in WDW, it's not. This meal is "hosted by Stouffer's", so the mac and cheese is their recipe, but still excellent.
Day 4 - 3/6:
Lunch: Nine Dragons @ Epcot (China)
EmptyCinema's Rating: 8/10
fAnnF's Rating: 8/10
We enjoyed the sampler for two at Nine Dragons, which was possibly the best food we had on this trip. It should be noted that Nine Dragons has no entertainment or characters, so is somewhat more relaxing and more focused on the food. The food here would give any Chinese restaurant a run for their money. Do note that the hot and sour soup is indeed HOT.
Dinner: Columbia Harbor House @ Magic Kingdom (Liberty Square)
EmptyCinema's Rating: 7/10
fAnnF's Rating: 6/10
Columbia Harbor House offers predominantly fried fish and chicken, but also some sandwiches. The fish is surprisingly light, flaky, and tasty. The chicken fingers are just the standard WDW chicken fingers, but the coleslaw is fresh and "just right."
Day 5 - 3/7:
Lunch: Garden Grill @ Epcot (Land Pavilion)
EmptyCinema's Rating: 7/10
fAnnF's Rating: 9/10
Garden Grill is a character meal served family-style. The restaurant is unique in that it rotates through the upper level of the "living with the land" ride. The food is excellent, though the service left much to be desired. The characters are great, often joining you at your table if you leave a little room at the end of the booth. (Makes for a great photo)
Dinner: Casey's Corner @ Magic Kingdom (Main Street USA)
EmptyCinema's Rating: 7/10
fAnnF's Rating: 8/10
Watch out for the ducks: they like to join you for your meal. In one room at Casey's, you can watch a sports-reel style cartoon while sitting in a highly-baseball-themed environment. The food is good, offering large hot dogs, corn dog nuggets, cracker jacks, and a variety of baseball-inspired foods. They have, of course, sauerkraut and several kinds of relish for your dogs as well as chopped onions and the standard mustard/mayo/ketchup. Additionally, they have hot cheese sauce for your pleasure.
Day 6 - 3/8:
Lunch: Whispering Canyon Cafe @ Wilderness Lodge
EmptyCinema's Rating: 6/10
fAnnF's Rating: 7/10
The entertainment at Whispering Canyon can only be described as eclectic. I strongly recommend ordering a large coke/other beverage. Good luck drinking it all. If you can't handle a few good natured ribbings, this probably isn't the place for you. The food is good, but nothing amazing.
Dinner: Casey's Corner @ Magic Kingdom (Main Street USA)
See above.
Day 7 - 3/9:
Lunch: Pizzafari @ Animal Kingdom (Discovery Island)
EmptyCinema's Rating: 7/10
fAnnF's Rating: 6/10
Pizzafari's pizza is surprisingly good, especially for an Animal Kingdom restaurant. If you're looking for a lid or a straw for your drink, you won't find one here (or anywhere else in the Animal Kingdom) as there are concerns about them being dropped on the ground and animals choking on them. The caesar side salad was disappointing: it's only lettuce with some unsatisfying caesar dressing on it.
Dinner: The Plaza @ Magic Kingdom (Main Street USA)
EmptyCinema's Rating: 5/10
fAnnF's Rating: 3/10
The Plaza was crowded and noisy, and the food is nothing special. The service was downright disappointing. It offers mainly sandwiches, and the "German-style" potato salad is even less German than that at Biergarten. The potato salad was, in fact, rather tasteless.
Day 8 - 3/10:
Lunch: Pinocchio's Village Haus @ Magic Kingdom (Fantasyland)
EmptyCinema's Rating: 5/10
fAnnF's Rating: 5/10
Pinocchio's was highly crowded (though it was a Saturday) and the menu leaves out a few key points: for example, the Italian sub comes on a multigrain roll (doesn't seem very Italian). It does overlook it's a small world, so seats over there can be entertaining, but anywhere else it's just plain crowded. The Figaro Fries are an interesting option, but are rather soaked in the cheese sauce. Pinocchio's might be better during off-peak times, but at peak hours, it seems like everyone in Fantasyland is eating there.
Feel free to post any specific questions about the places we ate: we'll try to answer those to the best of our abilities.
Day 1 - 3/3:
Dinner: Biergarten @ Epcot (Germany)
EmptyCinema's Rating: 4/10
fAnnF's Rating: 4/10
The food at this restaurant was quite disappointing. From my European heritage, I'm well acquainted with real German food and I found this food tough and untraditional. The atmosphere was also disturbing: noisy and crowded. The "family style" seating leaves you sitting with strangers: this could be positive, but if you don't want your meal interrupted, it's not for you. The entertainment was a laughable interpretation of German culture. Given the number of German employees at Epcot, it was shocking that none of the entertainers was, in fact, German.
Day 2 - 3/4:
Breakfast: Crystal Palace @ Magic Kingdom (Main Street USA)
EmptyCinema's Rating: 8/10
fAnnF's Rating: 7/10
Crystal Palace is an amazing experience for breakfast. An early ADR (before park open) is a must. This gives you an opportunity to see Main Street empty, and you can often finish your meal right around rope drop. It is a character dining experience with Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore, and Piglet. The food is buffet-style and is excellent with lots of options, including fresh fruit, bacon/sausage/eggs, pancakes/character waffles, and custom omelettes. My personal favorite is found on the kid's section of the buffet: the puffed french toast. The hot cocoa is also always excellent, and your juice glass will never be empty.
Lunch: Backlot Express @ MGM (near Star Tours)
EmptyCinema's Rating: 6/10
fAnnF's Rating: 5/10
This counter service location is acceptable. The food is very similar to many other counter service meals, but it does have a large amount of seating available (a real plus at peak hours).
Dinner: Electric Umbrella @ Epcot (Future World)
EmptyCinema's Rating: 7/10
fAnnF's Rating: 7/10
The Electric Umbrella is a convenient counter service location in Future World. The chicken fingers, as elsewhere in WDW, are excellent. Only available here (as far as I know) is a roast beef and provolone sandwich with tangy mayonnaise. This is an excellent sandwich for those looking for something fresh, not fried, but in a hurry. The topping bar allows you to have it almost any way you want.
Day 3 - 3/5:
Lunch: Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe @ Magic Kingdom (Tomorrowland)
EmptyCinema's Rating: 6/10
fAnnF's Rating: 5/10
Cosmic Ray's has three "bays", one with chicken, one with burgers, and one with sandwiches. Their chicken noodle soup (in the sandwich bay) is excellent with large pieces of chicken. It is disappointing that fries are not available in all bays, and at some hours, only the burger bay may be open. The burgers are standard fare, but the topping bar does offer sauteed onions and mushrooms in addition to the standard veggies.
Dinner: Liberty Tree Tavern @ Magic Kingdom (Liberty Square)
EmptyCinema's Rating: 7/10
fAnnF's Rating: 6/10
Great characters, though Goofy needs to watch out for the lights. The food is served family-style with a fixed menu, which allows everyone to have a little taste of everything. The steak tips are excellent with a nice pepper seasoning to them. If you're expecting the macaroni and cheese to be the same as everywhere else in WDW, it's not. This meal is "hosted by Stouffer's", so the mac and cheese is their recipe, but still excellent.
Day 4 - 3/6:
Lunch: Nine Dragons @ Epcot (China)
EmptyCinema's Rating: 8/10
fAnnF's Rating: 8/10
We enjoyed the sampler for two at Nine Dragons, which was possibly the best food we had on this trip. It should be noted that Nine Dragons has no entertainment or characters, so is somewhat more relaxing and more focused on the food. The food here would give any Chinese restaurant a run for their money. Do note that the hot and sour soup is indeed HOT.
Dinner: Columbia Harbor House @ Magic Kingdom (Liberty Square)
EmptyCinema's Rating: 7/10
fAnnF's Rating: 6/10
Columbia Harbor House offers predominantly fried fish and chicken, but also some sandwiches. The fish is surprisingly light, flaky, and tasty. The chicken fingers are just the standard WDW chicken fingers, but the coleslaw is fresh and "just right."
Day 5 - 3/7:
Lunch: Garden Grill @ Epcot (Land Pavilion)
EmptyCinema's Rating: 7/10
fAnnF's Rating: 9/10
Garden Grill is a character meal served family-style. The restaurant is unique in that it rotates through the upper level of the "living with the land" ride. The food is excellent, though the service left much to be desired. The characters are great, often joining you at your table if you leave a little room at the end of the booth. (Makes for a great photo)
Dinner: Casey's Corner @ Magic Kingdom (Main Street USA)
EmptyCinema's Rating: 7/10
fAnnF's Rating: 8/10
Watch out for the ducks: they like to join you for your meal. In one room at Casey's, you can watch a sports-reel style cartoon while sitting in a highly-baseball-themed environment. The food is good, offering large hot dogs, corn dog nuggets, cracker jacks, and a variety of baseball-inspired foods. They have, of course, sauerkraut and several kinds of relish for your dogs as well as chopped onions and the standard mustard/mayo/ketchup. Additionally, they have hot cheese sauce for your pleasure.
Day 6 - 3/8:
Lunch: Whispering Canyon Cafe @ Wilderness Lodge
EmptyCinema's Rating: 6/10
fAnnF's Rating: 7/10
The entertainment at Whispering Canyon can only be described as eclectic. I strongly recommend ordering a large coke/other beverage. Good luck drinking it all. If you can't handle a few good natured ribbings, this probably isn't the place for you. The food is good, but nothing amazing.
Dinner: Casey's Corner @ Magic Kingdom (Main Street USA)
See above.
Day 7 - 3/9:
Lunch: Pizzafari @ Animal Kingdom (Discovery Island)
EmptyCinema's Rating: 7/10
fAnnF's Rating: 6/10
Pizzafari's pizza is surprisingly good, especially for an Animal Kingdom restaurant. If you're looking for a lid or a straw for your drink, you won't find one here (or anywhere else in the Animal Kingdom) as there are concerns about them being dropped on the ground and animals choking on them. The caesar side salad was disappointing: it's only lettuce with some unsatisfying caesar dressing on it.
Dinner: The Plaza @ Magic Kingdom (Main Street USA)
EmptyCinema's Rating: 5/10
fAnnF's Rating: 3/10
The Plaza was crowded and noisy, and the food is nothing special. The service was downright disappointing. It offers mainly sandwiches, and the "German-style" potato salad is even less German than that at Biergarten. The potato salad was, in fact, rather tasteless.
Day 8 - 3/10:
Lunch: Pinocchio's Village Haus @ Magic Kingdom (Fantasyland)
EmptyCinema's Rating: 5/10
fAnnF's Rating: 5/10
Pinocchio's was highly crowded (though it was a Saturday) and the menu leaves out a few key points: for example, the Italian sub comes on a multigrain roll (doesn't seem very Italian). It does overlook it's a small world, so seats over there can be entertaining, but anywhere else it's just plain crowded. The Figaro Fries are an interesting option, but are rather soaked in the cheese sauce. Pinocchio's might be better during off-peak times, but at peak hours, it seems like everyone in Fantasyland is eating there.
Feel free to post any specific questions about the places we ate: we'll try to answer those to the best of our abilities.
im looking forward to trying wcc in september
