The 12 days of... the Disney Deluxe Dining Plan! 11/16 Update ...Complete!

[CarolineInToronto]

I don't know if they put crack in the water up in Canada, or what, but our server is always competent, very energetic, personable, and attentive.

Uh-oh! Our secret is out, now.. dang!!

 

[Cat0727]

Yumm the cheesecake looks delicious! I could sure use some of that tasty looking gelato, it's almost 100 degrees here!

 

[englishrose47]

Great update !! I have to agree with British food often being very bland, BUT I tried the pork dish and it was WONDERFUL!!!Now you can see from my Dis name that I am EnglishI had the Lemon Tart for dessert and LOVED it !1It is "Tart" but I like lemon desserts that way!!

 

[Overexcited]

Great update !! I have to agree with British food often being very bland, BUT I tried the pork dish and it was WONDERFUL!!!Now you can see from my Dis name that I am EnglishI had the Lemon Tart for dessert and LOVED it !1It is "Tart" but I like lemon desserts that way!!

I love the country just not the food. Although I would be willing to try Rose and Crown. My DH always points out that Irish and Brits are known for pubs and great beer, not so many great dishes!! The great restaurants are usually "other" nationalities.

 

[wilma-bride]

Fantastic reviews, just read them from start to finish

 

[PrincessBetsy]

Another excellent couple of reviews! I'm glad you got your Scotch Eggs.

 

[MrBean]

Day 9: Lunch at Tutto Italia

Ahhh, another beautiful day in Epcot. We all know that one of the main draws of Epcot is all of the unique in-park dining options. Tutto Italia is one of those options that should not be missed, especially when on the dining plan!! It's one of the highest priced one dining credit locations, and the food does not disappoint.

We had a 1pm lunch reservation, and were seating with absolutely no wait. We were seated in the narrow section by the window, which had a nice view of the outside courtyard. One thing that stood out during this meal is the amount of teamwork we noticed, it was incredible! We had no less then 5 different people that brought us drinks, brought out food, cleared plates, and took our orders.

For my appetizer, I ordered the Calamari Fritti (with spicy marinara sauce). They do a great job here making them nice and crisp, and serve it with a nice lemon wrapped in cheesecloth to strain it. With the nice spicy marinara, this is one of my favorites!

My DW got the Prosciutto di Parma (Prosciutto ham, seasonal melon). The combination of sweet and savory makes this a hit! I always have to sneak a piece or two as it's a great appetizer that's very light and delicious.

For my entree, I got the Cotoletta. I was a bit thrown off by the small bone, but wow, what a nice dish. Tender and juicy with a light layer of breading and delicious sauce and cheese. I can't seem to find any full menus online to get all the specifics of the dish, but I think you'll get it when you see the picture

The DW got the tried and true Farfalle (with Bowtie pasta, Italian prosciutto ham, peas, Parmesan cream). We've made this many times at home since it was so good!

I hinted at it in a previous review, but this is where I got the best Tiramasu of the trip. I consider myself somewhat of a connoisseur of Tiramsu, and the Mocha Tiramisu (mascarpone cheese, espresso coffee, savoiardi biscuits and chocolate) at Tutto Italia is the best of the World!

My DW got the Copetta Sotto Bosco (berries, zabaglione cream gelato and chocolate sauce). A perfect way to end a great meal from start to finish.

They did bring out an anniversary dessert too, which looks pretty cool. I can't say that we ate it, but it took a great picture, haha..

The Ratings:
Food

Summary: Excellent from start to finish. Delicious apps, entrees, and desserts!!

Decor

Summary: Cramped seating, murals depicting Italy on the walls, nice view from window seat.

Service

Summary: Had about 5 different people serving drinks, delivering food, taking orders, etc.. Great teamwork and a great experience.

Cost
$111.83 (1 credit per person)

Overall

Summary: Great meal and service that ran like clockwork!

On Deck: Day 9: Dinner at Flying Fish

 

[bearbear]

I've enjoyed looking at your reviews. I won't be going to disney until next oct so I am enjoying living through everyone else. Especially with being pregnant, I am enjoying the pictures. Good luck with the your upcoming new little one. We are having a boy also.
I will keep checking back to see more reviews

I am enjoying looking at the pictures. I had the baby a week ago and I can't believe a week has gone by. Hopefully the time will go quickly until we can get back to Disney. Thank you for the pictures. I really like the dessert pics.

 

[Jiminy_78]

I had the baby a week ago and I can't believe a week has gone by.

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

I'm still waiting, somewhat patiently, our little guy is taking his sweet time and that is fine as long as he's healthy when he gets here. But I'll tell you, waiting out these last few days until his due date is both exciting and nerve wrecking! We're just so excited to meet him already!

 

[jrsmom]

Great review. I'm so-so about CP, but after reading your review, I think we might give it another shot. I never heard of the Pooh Ears-what are they?

It is the puffed french toast, it is on the kids section of the buffet and it is wonderful!!!

 

[myolite]

What time was your Narcooosee's reservation to be able to watch Wishes?

 

[englishrose47]

Your wife got the exact same entree and dessert that I did !!The pasta was excellent!!! Tiramasu the BEST!!!!!

 

[LMO429]

I only ate once at Crystal palace once in 2006..i never heard of the pooh ears i have to try them.

 

[Jiminy_78]

What time was your Narcooosee's reservation to be able to watch Wishes?

Our ADR was for 8:40pm, I believe the fireworks were at 10pm that night.

 

[Jiminy_78]

Day 9: Dinner at Flying Fish Cafe


Our last time to eat at the Flying Fish Café was on Thanksgiving Day in 2007 with my sister and brother-in-law. We had enjoyed our meal then but DH and I had not returned since then. But this trip we were visiting a lot of new restaurants and revisiting some old friends and this was one of those places. We’ve now tried all the signature restaurants and have established a list of favorites. This was the ninth day of our twelve day trip and a good friend of mine was flying down to join us for three days at the parks. Her friend works for Disney so she was able to stay with her offsite and meet up with us during the day. So this was her first meal with us and we were excited to show her around the Boardwalk.

After a fun afternoon at DHS we took the boat to the Boardwalk and checked in for our ADR. We sat outside for a few minutes waiting for our buzzer to go off before we were sat. But it gave us time to use the restroom (which isn’t located in the actual restaurant but in the sweet shop next door, and is shared by both FF Café and Kouzzina patrons). We were finally sat and presented with some personalized “Happy Anniversary” menus. Our server came by and introduced himself and we ordered our drinks. DH ordered a blood orange margarita and I ordered a lava smoothie. As soon as our drinks came out from the bar we were also presented with an appetizer from the chef, however, I didn’t write down what it was.

For my appetizer I ordered the herb and fennel pollen roasted lobster salad. It was a unique combination of fresh flavors, but for some reason it didn’t hit the spot for what I was craving that day. But I’m not sure what else I would have ordered.

DH ordered the Crispy Maine Coast Jonah Crab Cake (savory Vegetable Slaw, Roasted Red Pepper Coulis, and Ancho Chile Rémoulade ). He liked the crispiness of the crab cake but still preferred the crab cake he’d had at Brown Derby to this one.

Our friend ordered the calamari and said it was delicious!

For my entrée, I ordered the Oak-grilled Maine Diver Scallops (Butternut Squash, Sage, Mascarpone and Pecorino-laced Risotto di Carnarolli, Proscuitto di Parma Cracklins'). I am a person who eats with my eyes first and I have to admit this dish didn’t look very appetizing. I ordered the scallops well done to make sure that they were cooked enough to not affect our sweet baby. The scallops were fine, but the overall combination of flavors just didn’t work for me.

DH ordered the Smokey Citrus and Fragrant Pepper-spiced Yellowfin Tuna (Saffron Potatoes, Piquillo Peppers, Roasted Fennel, Tiny Tomatoes, Chorizo and Saffron-Vegetable). He liked his entrée but found that his tuna at Kona Café had been much better.

For dessert, DH and I both ordered the Signature Flying Fish Café Caramelized Banana Napoleon (phyllo, banana mousse, creme caramel, exotic fruit coulis and bitter chocolate) and I thought it was delicious, my favorite part of the meal! We shared them with our friend. We were also presented with a special dark chocolate and mint crème brulee on the house for our anniversary. Between the three of us we enjoyed dessert a lot! DH also enjoyed a café mocha with his dessert.

The Ratings:
Food

Summary: This meal wasn’t as wonderful as we had hoped, and I’m not sure if we just ordered wrong or if the food was just too much for us. We remembered really enjoying our previous meal here. I think that if I had not been pregnant I would have ordered different foods and enjoyed my meal a little more. I love seafood but I limited myself a little here. However, our desserts were very satisfying.

Decor

Summary: There are literally flying fish all over this restaurant; it’s a large open space with an open kitchen and lots of color and light. The only downside is the restroom situation, having to leave the restaurant to use the restroom kind of takes away from the magic a little.

Service

Summary: Our server was wonderful! He had a lot of energy and was quick to recommend different dining options and helping us to get the most of our dining plan. He reminded DH that he could order a coffee drink with dessert since he hadn’t used his beverage credit.

Cost
$139.67 (2 credits per person)

Overall

Summary: I’m not sure how I feel about Flying Fish after our two dining experiences. I feel like I need to give it another shot before deciding if it will be a “favorite” or not. I just don’t know when that will happen. We’re hoping to return to WDW for our tenth anniversary in 2012 with some extended family members and I’m sure that my sister and brother-in-law will want to eat here again as they enjoyed it so much in 2007. But we may be able to talk them into some of our other favorites instead (Jiko, Narcoossee’s, etc.).

On Deck: Day 10: Lunch at Le Cellier

 

[teslaaunt]

thank you so much for your great report. You chose quite a few of my choices and I have been thrilled with your reviews so far. Keep up the good work. Subscribing.

 

[wilma-bride]

Great updates - sorry that you didn't enjoy FF too much.

 

[patclairesmom]

I'm loving your food reviews! We've found that the later in our trip, the less we like our meal. Flying Fish is one of our favorites and we have been there several times. Could it just be that you were just foodied out?

 

[englishrose47]

The dessert looks yummy!! The rest not so much!!!!

 

[pdxJolene]

Haven't read all of the reviews yet, just Crystal Palace but I wanted to say I'm VERY excited... I love your rating system (very organized ) and I love to hear the opinions of couples traveling alone... I love kids, but don't have any yet so I have no need for endless chicken nugget reviews!