Ten Days of Deluxe Dining and too many cupcakes to count!!

[shalecesjourney]

Day Four

Chef Mickey's Breakfast

This was the second day of the D23 Scavenger Hunt and we had an early morning reservation at Chef Mickey's before heading to the Magic Kingdom. When we arrived, we were seated almost immediately (after getting our picture taken). We found the selection to be good (we had the normal breakfast foods - bagels, eggs, bacon, sausage, ect.). Since we were in a bit of a hurry to get in line for the Scavenger Hunt, we ate pretty quickly, the only character we managed to see was Mickey, and I didn't get any pictures of our breakfast. The only ones I did take were of the cupcakes we got for our birthdays and one with Mickey!

Chef Mickey's Dinner

If there was a lack of pictures from breakfast, dinner was even worse! After breakfast, we did our 3 hours in Magic Kingdom and then headed to Animal Kingdom for our next 3 hours. We didn't arrive there until almost 2, so we had to hurry to complete the hunt by 5PM. We had a 6:30 dinner reservation at Chef Mickey's (since the awards ceremony for the hunt was at the Contemporary). So, we only had an hour and a half to get from AK to POFQ, shower and change, and get back to the Contemporary. We did it, but since the awards ceremony started at 8PM, we were pretty rushed through dinner. We did arrive right at 6:30, but were not seated until 7:15. We were only at our table for about 20 minutes before we left to head to the awards ceremony, so we barely had enough time to eat, let alone take pictures. However, I can say that the food was really good. The mashed potatoes were the best I have ever had!! Some of our other favorites were the clam chowder, the salmon, and the potato salad. Of course, we got more cupcakes and also managed to squeeze in a trip to the dessert station to get a couple treats!

 

[sunnysideup3]

Subbing in! Love your food porn

 

[jamiesmom07]

Loving your tr so far. Can't wait to see what else is on the menu!

 

[shalecesjourney]

Day Five

Boma

OK, now that the Scavenger Hunt was behind us and we were able to get some much needed sleep, we were ready to start the day at Boma. We arrived at 8:15 for our 8:30 reservation and were seated just before 8:30. We had a table near the windows, which made for a nice view. DH and I loved the juice they served, but since he is a kid at heart, DH also ordered chocolate milk. As far as the food, we enjoyed the fact that they had traditional breakfast items, as well as some more adventurous dishes.

One thing I absolutely loved at Boma - the scrambled eggs with goat cheese and chives. I seriousely had three helpings. If I could eat them every single day for breakfast I would - they were so good!!! DH really liked the sticky buns as well as the sausages and mealy pap.

Wolfgang Puck

After breakfast, we headed over to Downtown Disney. DH stopped off at Raglan Road to see if they had any Strongbow. They didn't but they offered him some Magner's, which was quite similar. So, we spent a couple hours shopping and even went into DisneyQuest for a while. We had a 12:30 reservation at Wolfgang Puck and arrived just before 12:20. We were seated almost immediately next to a window overlooking the lake.

For appetizers, DH ordered the Crab Cake. He said they were very moist and had a fresh flavor. However, DH detests tomatoes, so he was a little irritated at the fact that he forgot to ask for them without tomatoes.

I ordered the Artichoke and Five Cheese Dip. The dip, itself, was very cheesy (which made it a bit hard to eat because it was stringy), but tasted good. I didn't care for the flatbread that came with it, though. It was extremely hard made a mess everytime I bit into it.

For his entree, DH ordered the Macadamia Nut Crusted Breast of Chicken. The chicken was juicy, yet still crispy on the outside, and the sauce that was drizzled over it was delicious.

For my entree, I ordered the half sandwich/half soup combo. I picked the Tortilla Soup and the Chicken Aioli Pocket. I loved the sandwich. There were big chunks of chicken, crisp romaine lettuce, and the cilantro sauce was really good! On the other hand, I did not like the soup at all. It was very thick and was extremely spicy. Also, on the menu it said it would be served with goat cheese and tortilla strips. But, mine had tortilla strips and sour cream (which I hate). I only ate one bite.

We were so full by the time were done with lunch, so we decided to bring dessert back to the room with us. DH ordered the Snickers Cheesecake and I picked the Key Lime Pie. We ate them later that afternoon and both were very good!

Flying Fish Cafe

I will start by saying that this was one of my favorite meals during our trip. We arrived at 7:15 for a 7:30 reservation. We were seated towards the rear of the restraunt, next to a window. During our dinner, it started raining (which I am sure caused a headache for a lot of people), but we found it relaxing to look out over the courtyard while the rain was falling.

I started off by ordering an Ocean Mist, although DH and I shared it. It was the perfect start to our dinner!

For my entree, I ordered the calamari. I loved it!! The asian flavors brought a new twist to one of my favorite dishes and I was a very sad girl when it was gone.

DH decided he would try the Artisinal Cheeses. While he enjoyed them, I don't think he would order this again. It just wasn't his cup of tea.

DH and I decided to also split a Caesar Salad. I liked the fact that there were big leaves of romaine and the dressing was perfect!!

For my entree, I chose the Potato Wrapped Red Snapper. It was amazing!!!! The leek fondue that was under the fish was so creamy, which was the perfect accompaniment to the crispy potatoes and the flaky fish. I savored every single bite and, again, was a very sad girl when it was gone.

DH ordered the New York Strip Steak. He said it was cooked perfectly and he really liked the sauce that came with it.

For dessert, DH ordered the Trio of Sinful Chocolate Indulgences. He liked the creme brulee a lot, but didn't care for the flourless torta or the cherry bread pudding.

For my dessert, I opted for the Trio of Boardwalk Favorites. The caramel popcorn mousse was to die for!! DH kept trying to sneak bites of it and I was close to jabbing his hand with my fork to keep him away! The cherry limeade popsicle had a very strong lime flavor, which I didn't care for and the whoopie pie wasn't all that great.

Like I said, this was one of my favorite meals. I am most definately counting down the days until I can get some more calamari and potato-wrapped snapper!!

 

[sydneysmom]

Your reviews are WONDERFUL !!! The pictures are just gorgeous and mouthwatering !! YUM!!! I'm having such fun reading your reviews....please keep them coming !!

 

[bluejasmine]

Everything looks so good! I adore muffelettas!!

 

[mamaboogie]

Great reviews and gorgeous pictures!

 

[Linda67]

Just caught up and loving your reviews

Flying Fish looks wonderful

I soooo hope that the dessert you ordered is still on the menu when we are there in October, it looks delicious

 

[librarygeek]

Even though you didn't get many pics at Chef Mickey's, those cupcakes look delicious from there!

Wolfgang Puck's looks like a really nice place, I may have to try that in the future. And even though you both weren't too crazy about your desserts at Flying Fish, I have to say that those trios certainly look adorable

 

[Disney_Mama]

Great reviews and pictures. I too had my first Strongbow Cider at Disney and loved it. I buy them for home as well. Great with ice on a hot summer day.

 

[juliebug1997]

What was the dessert at the Flying Fish that had popcorn on top of it? Because that is a dessert for me!!!!!

 

[shalecesjourney]

What was the dessert at the Flying Fish that had popcorn on top of it? Because that is a dessert for me!!!!!

It was part of the Trio of Boardwalk Favorites. I wish they offered the Caramel Popcorn Mousse by itself, but I don't think they do. Although, I would order the trio again just to have the mousse - it was delicious!

 

[chocolateMinnie]

amazing pictures and reviews so far - love the look of Jiko and Flying fish. Can't wait for the rest

 

[scottishgirl1]

Great reviews and pictures! We tried the Dlx dining last year and used it to try out the Signature restaurants and would agree that Artist Point was our most disappoiinting as well.

 

[juliebug1997]

It was part of the Trio of Boardwalk Favorites. I wish the offered the Caramel Popcorn Mousse by itself, but I don't think they do. Although, I would order the trio again just to have the mousse - it was delicious!

I might have a small addiction to popcorn so.......

 

[EKW]

The rash! I thought I was the only one! I don't get it at Disneyland, even if it's hot out when we're there...and we do as much walking there since we walk to and from the hotel each day! Mine looks like hives...I figured it was from some cleaning solution they use in their carpets.

I've gotten those type of hives a couple of times in the past...from walking/sitting on freshly mown grass and once in a building I worked in that was having construction done, so there was always a nasty fine layer of dirt on the floors/carpets.

Mine went away within 24 hours of leaving Disney World!

 

[shalecesjourney]

Day Six

Captain's Grille

We scheduled an early morning breakfast at the Captain's Grille, so we could get over to EPCOT for Pixar Weekend. We arrived at 8:10 for our 8:30 reservation and were seated at about 8:20. After looking over the menu, we both decided to do to the breakfast buffet. DH liked the fact that there were individual eggs benedicts on the buffet, as well as the normal breakfast foods. I really enjoyed the roasted tomatoes; they were perfect with scrambled eggs!

Coral Reef

I was a little nervous about this restaurant, as I had read some negative reviews about the noise. In my opinion, it wasn't noisy at all! We were very lucky to be seated right next to the aquarium, at a table for two. Shortly after being seated, we were slightly annoyed that 3 children (whose party was seated on the top level of the restaurant, furthest from the aquarium window) had decided to climb on the ledge right next to our table, then literally crawled and sat right infront of the window, with their feet dangling down about an inch from our table. I gave some annoying looks around the restaurant, but no one claimed them. I was sure, though, that once the waitress came to take our order, she would tell them to leave. I was wrong. It wasn't until I finally complained (after our appetizers had arrived) that the staff finally told them to leave. Now, our DD is 9, and I know that if we go back there and were seated far away from the window, that she might want to go down and look and I might walk her down myself do one pass down the front aisle. But I would NEVER let her climb on the ledge and obstruct the view for everyone, not to mention, intrude on someone else's dining area. OK - I'll stop my rant now. I just had to get that off my chest, as it was the only thing we didn't like about the Coral Reef.

So, on to the food. For appetizers, DH and I decided to split the Appetizer for Two, which included the crab cakes, fried shrimp, and lobster soup. The soup was definately our favorite, but everything was very good!

For my entree, I ordered the Lobster Ravioli. The lobster was delicious and the pasta was perfectly cooked. The sauce reminded me of the lobster soup that we had with the appetizer, and went perfectly with the ravioli. My only complaint is that I had shell fragments in two bites of the meal. Not a huge deal, but a little annoying.

DH ordered the Seared Chicken Breast. He thought the chicken was well cooked and he liked the seasoning. It was his first time trying spaetzle and he thought it was really good!

I have a quick story to tell about something that happened while we were waiting for our desserts. We were watching this beautiful yellow and black striped fish swim by the window, when all of a sudden, a shark quickly came around the corner, grabbed the fish, and proceeded to swim infront of all the windows while eating it!! We looked around, and most of the people in the restaurant saw it, kids had this look of terror on their faces and parents didn't know what to say. We asked our waitress about it and she said that, while it is very uncommon, it does happen every now and then! I definately did not expect to see that and was a little shocked! Anyway, I just thought I would share, as it's not something that most people would expect to see.

For dessert, I ordered the Chocolate Wave. The chocolate cake was very moist and had a rich chocolate flavor, which went perfectly with the fresh flavors of the raspberry gelato.

For his dessert, DH ordered the Baileys and Jack Daniel's Mousse. He said it wasn't too heavy and the two flavors worked well together.

We will definately schedule another reservation at Coral Reef during our upcoming trips! It was the perfect place to cool off and have an enjoyable meal.


Biergarten

When we arrived for our 5:30 reservation at Biergarten, we were told the reservation system was down and they were unable to pull up any reservations. We were given a pager and didn't end up waiting long. We were seated just after 5:45. We were seated a table for 8. There was DH and I, and then a party of 6 (parents, grandparents, and two small children). We started up a conversation pretty quickly, and I really enjoyed their company. Everyone at the table, except the two kids and I, ordered a German size beer, which DH thoroughly enjoyed.

DH and I tried the cauliflower soup, which was quite good. We also got some salad (with the creamy herb dressing), schnitzel, salmon, pickles, potato salad, pretzle rolls, sausages, and potatoes. I don't think there was anything that we tried that we didn't like. My favorites were the potato salad and the herb salad dressing. DH's favorites were the sausages, schnitzel, and pretzel rolls.

After DH finished his German size beer, he ordered the beer tasting. He thought they were all good!

I am looking forward to returning to Biergarten on future trips. The atmosphere was great, we loved the band (DH even grabbed my hand and made me go dance with him), and the food was delicious!

 

[shalecesjourney]

The rash! I thought I was the only one! I don't get it at Disneyland, even if it's hot out when we're there...and we do as much walking there since we walk to and from the hotel each day! Mine looks like hives...I figured it was from some cleaning solution they use in their carpets.

I've gotten those type of hives a couple of times in the past...from walking/sitting on freshly mown grass and once in a building I worked in that was having construction done, so there was always a nasty fine layer of dirt on the floors/carpets.

Mine went away within 24 hours of leaving Disney World!

I didn't get it when we went to Disneyland , either, but for our last 6 trips to WDW, I have. It usually appears by day 3 or 4 and is usually just around my ankles and the lower half of my calf. I was definately concerned when, during this trip, it went all the way to my knees, but I figured it was because we had been literally power walking through the parks during the two day hunt.

My Disney rashes have also always gone away within 24 hours of leaving WDW!

 

[shalecesjourney]

I might have a small addiction to popcorn so.......

LOL Me too!!

 

[GoofySon'sMom]

We didn't plan on going to the Biergarten this trip as we wanted to try new places but last night DS asked if there was any way to fit it in. After seeing your review today, I am glad I did! It is definitely one of our favorites.

on the fish at Coral Reef! I am glad it was towards the end of your meal!