The $2,088.47 Disney Dining Experience! Update 9/29 - Everything Pop

[Tinker'n'Fun]

Thanks for the support everyone. I did feel awful. I am pretty sure though that the poor boy was so out of if that he didn't hear. Now his mother, that would be a different story. I am going to try and get out one more report before I change into my "bus" driver - "soccer" mom hat....

 

[Dreamer & Wisher]

When you said you were being awful I thought you were going to say you told the lady to take her kid back to the room. ( I was hoping anyways) The wait staff would probably have boxed up some food to go for her to eat while the child slept in a nice bed in peace.

Can't wait for more reviews.

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

This was a surprise for DH and DS. See DH is a wiseguy and DS is falling very close to the tree. The menu looked great and DD and I really wanted to try something new. This was the second evening in a row that during dinner the skies opened up and the rain came down, down, down.

We had the first sitting of the day and were there for the opening ceremony. We got our picture and waited for the ceremony. Now I am sure you know we are not an "opening ceremony" type family and I really didn't know what to expect. So when it turned out to be really nothing, just the hostess saying Susie and Bobbie (two made up little kids very clost to the floor) would like to invite you all to meet the Prince and Princess and the door open.... No tada, no nothing, just a lot of adults behind us talking. We were led to our table... Now I vowed not to complain this year about our tables. Last year was bad, so I kept an open mind and it was really good this year, but when the waiter brought us to our seats, we were all confused.


x xx x
x x
x x
x
x000
x000
x
x
x

Okay X's are the wall and O's are our table. We thought that the alcove was a bathroom or the kitchen and we were a bit upset, but after all was said and done, it was a blank space. We couldn't see what was going on in the room behind us (Cinderella dances etc) but it was okay. We ordered our drinks... Drum roll...... DS root beer, DD coke, DH coke, Me unsweetened tea/ bowl of lemon.... Nothing wrong with a little bit of comfort....

Okay before we review the food, I did some research for everyone...

From Allears, the menu

Starters - spring mixed greens, Caesar Salad, Dressings, Broccoli Salad with cashews, Greek salad, ambrosia, tomato mozzarella salad, macaroni salad, apple with port vinaigrette, peel and eat shrimp

Soups - cream of mushroom, tomato florentine, and chilled strawberry

Accompaniments - sweet potato and red bliss mashed potatoe, brown gravy, carrot and broccoli medley, sauteed squash with chives, niblet corn

Entrees - Chef's freshly prepared pasta, roasted prime rib of beef, mojo marinated turkey breast, salmon with a caper butter sauce, curry chicken with Israeli couscous, apple chutney stuffed pork loin with apple glaze, portobello raviolis with a pesto cream, mussels in ginger broth, salmon with a dill cream sauce, chicken marsala, cheese lasagna, Italian sausage with peppers, chorizo stuffed pork loin with mango barbeque sauce, vegetable egg rolls, mussels in tomato broth

Children's Corner - chicken nuggets, cheese and macaroni, mini corn dogs, pasta marinara, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, niblet corn, cheese pizza and fresh vegetables

Desserts - apple cobbler, bread pudding, brownies, key lime tarts, linzer torte, rice krispie treats, chocolate chip cookies, lemon cheesecake tart, Edy's Soft Serve Ice Cream

I would say 1/3 of the actual entrees were there. No biggie for us.

DD ate mostly from the children's section and had the chicken nuggets, pizza, corn, and mashed potatoes. She enjoyed them all, but overloaded on carbs and never did make it to the adult section.

DS had a combo of corn dogs, prime rib, mashed potates, and salad. He enjoyed everything....

Now lets get down to the nitty gritty. Prime Rib. I googled it. It's one of the eight primal cuts of beef. The top, elite... its.... ROAST BEEF. Cut it thin, have a sandwhich, cut it thick, call it Prime Rib. It was really good. Melt in your mouth good. Both gravy and AuJu accompanied it along with horseradish.
Both DH and I ate mostly this with mashed potatoes. This was 80% of both our meals. Along with it we had:

Caesar Salad - plain ole caesar salad
Tomato Mozzarella salad - a little heavy on the dressing, bitter
Peel and Eat Shrimp - who knows, not on our buffet
Salmon - I tried it and enjoyed it. I may try a full appetizer in the future.
Pork Loin - was not stuffed, but was cut to order and was very good. Not overdone which is key.
Strawberry Soup - I was the only one who tried it and I did like it. It was very good but it is sweet. I would prefer it as a pallet cleanser or pre-dessert.

As for the rest of the food that sounds so wonderful up there, not sure where it was. The was some foreign food on the buffet, but definetely not anything that looked as appetizing as the menu implied. We all have enough to eat though, we were full.

Dessert was ice cream for everyone but me. Now I have to admit that only one machine was pouring ice cream that tasted like ice cream. The waiter thought we were crazy. 2 out of 3 bowls needed to be redone as the ice cream tasted off. The gummy-bears were a great hit with DD and DS and they actually brought over a bowl full and ATE them all.

I enjoyed the key lime tart and cheesecake. Very rich and very good. Smooth and tangy. This and a few chocolate bites from the buffet and I was in heaven. (Coffee was also included)

Now everyone tells you to come to the restaurant for the character experience. Now to be honest, my husband is a "Character". His wit and sense of humor are in a league of their own. So started our pictures... Beautiful Cinderella, Prince Charming... Oh so cute and perfect... Then came The quote of the day....

DH to Anastasia - "Why are you here?" "Do you think you are special"? The look, the horror of our family.... And quite loudly, Anastasia yells to her mother and sister accross the room, "This horrid man with a mustache is being mean to me". And she left. And she didn't return, and we were not going to get any pictures. I was open-jawed and miffed. In the end, the waiter brought her over, DH had to apologize and pictures were taken. Was the food the best, no. Was it good to above average, yes. Was the experience worth every penny.... In a heart beat.

I will post pictures and spell check later, the soccer mom is late!

 

[hJOYh]

I am realy enjoying your reviews....I can just picture each meal as if I was at the table with you family, its funnny because you may think everything is going okay but then things can turn and go wronge in a blink of an eye! I do have to say the highlight of the reviews is the Quote of the Meal. I can't wait for yoru review of LeCelier, I have never been and we have reservations there 10/23 Great job with the reviews!

 

[LLLBelle]

Joining in. Very entertaining reviews so far

 

[bluejasmine]

Wow I think Id like to try 1900 PF after reading your review! Keep them coming,pls!

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

I was very excited to get this restaurant while booking our ADR's. Originally it was for 7:30pm and through the magic of the online system and insomnia, I was able to change it to 6:20pm. This was our 2nd. full day at Epcot and it was hot. We were able to do everything we wanted and actually were experiencing a new view of the Showcase through Kim Possible. I have learned that I am pretty impatient and that we have not taken advantage of all that the countries have to offer. In came Kim Possible, a very silly family and we had a blast. We started at noon and did sight seeing and missions until 5:30pm. We were at our melting point, so we gambled and walked over to LeCellier. The young girl behind the podium checked me in and told me very nicely not to expect to be called until at least my actual time, but to go inside, enjoy the cold water and rest before dinner. The staff was wonderful both outside and in the foyer. I got the kids activity books and crayons and DH and I talked with the workers and went to see the Niagara Fails exhibit. Now before anyone takes offense, we live 20 mintutes from the falls, and the plastic replica at Epcot, does NOT make the grade. Even the workers laughed about it....

So were we called at 6:20pm, no, it was closer to 6:40, but we were cooled down and relaxed. The company was wonderful and people watching is a great distraction from any flaws your family may have. We were brought to our table, and then it hit me. IT is very small here. Smaller than many of our very small Bistro's in our home town. We found that our table was not too close to the person next to use. Here are a few pictures.

The corner area

Spacing from our table to others

Heather from Toronto was our waitress and we chit-chatted a little because we live so close. She explained how we could get the Smoothies (not full smoothies as they are made with Pop) or a regular drink.
DD ordered the Red Maple a rasberry smoothie and a water, DS a root beer, DH a coke, and unsweetened tea with a bowl of lemons for me. I explained that I knew that I would have to pay for it but we wanted a bowl of cheddar soup to dip the breads. Heather immediately thought we were repeat customers. I told her no, but that I had friends who recommended it. She brought it over with extra pretzel bread. She started to explain the importance of each of the breads and we found out that DD danced in the Octoberfest parade in Ottowa where the pretzel bread originated. Small world.

DD's smoothie was wonderful. She shared a small sip with each of us and I would highly recommend it. Not to sweet, and not thick. A perfect little non-alcohol cocktail.

The soup and bread came out. It was very good. I was surprised at the celery and pepper in the flavor combination. It was much stronger than I expecpted. We devoured it in no time flat. Heather noticed this and brought out the recipe and said I might need this at home. That was very nice of her. We had asked Heather for a leisurely dinner, so around half way through the appetizer, she took our entree order. We all ordered the same meal, with a few small variations. Sorry, only one review here:

Le Cellier Mushroom Filet Mignon - with the works medium for me and DH, Medium for DS and Medium well for DD but with the mushrooms and sauce on the side. And scratch the risotta and pile on the cream cheese mashed potatoes.

Now when they came out, it appeared to us that the bowl it is served in is huge and the portions looked small. This is really not the case. The serving bowl is large, but the portion is perfect. The steak was melt in your mouth delicious and when mixed with the mashed potatoes and the reduction your tongue was given an experience of flavours none like I have ever experienced. DH willingly took half of my filet and DS was done before I could blink. Then there was DD. She carefully took the filet off the mashed potatoes and ate it. Then she slowly, one small bite at a time ate her mashed potatoes. Under her breath you could hear her say, I think this is better than the Hoops potatoes, yes, it is. She savored every single bite and even quickly pushed her brothers hand away as he tried to sneak a bite. It was really good, excellent. All four cuts of meat were perfect. Not one piece of fat, not one bad part, nothing bad could be said of it, other than it had to end. Did we miss the fact that there were no vegetables offered with the meal, NOPE, not at all.

Heather came and offered to bring me a coffee while we decided on desserts. We really were taking our times. We commented on the people around us, giggled, and laughed. One might have even said we were punch drunk. It was a great family experience. Funny side note, there was a very young man who seemed to be taking a young lady on a date (or it was his sister and they really didn't "get" along). They were so quiet and awkward throughout the meal and my kids took notes on "how not to act during a first date". Once again, I know not the nicest thing to do, but we really were having fun...

For dessert, I had the maple creme brulee, DH the chocolate on chocolate whiskey cake, DS had the a ice cream sundae and DD the smores.

Maple Creme Brulee - I was worried at first to order this. Small known fact, real maple sugar will trigger a gallbladder attack if yours is inflammed. Mine is gone, but I still get pain attacks with too much fat, but I went for it. OMG, OMG, I love creme brulee. I have been googling it at all the restaurants at home. It is so creamy and the the coating it just the right amount of crunch. The maple was pure. Take me away, I can die and go to heaven happy!

Whiskey on Whiskey cake - DH loved it, didn't share, but wants you to know it is really good, really rich, and matches wonderfully with coffee.

The smores were good. Not as sweet as they look. DD ate almost all of them, and she never eats all her dessert.

The sundae was a sundae, bit DS had an agenda, he was saving room for an extra meal back at the resort....

Okay, is the hype correct. It the restaurant "ALL THAT". Yeah, it is. The food was above average vs. any of the other restaurants we have visited. Heather was a doll and let us eat leisurely even though I am sure she could have gotten another table (We were there 2 hours 15 mintutes total). I didn't feel claustrophobic even though I am. The other diners were enjoyable to watch, and we left feeling full but not stuffed....

Just a last side note. The tip. I left Heather the single largest tip I have left for any one server in my life. We spent less on 4 CS's at times than the amount I left her. It was worth every penny to my family. Now, I just need to try to get the ADR for next year!

Quote: DS to ME after receiving the recipe for the soup..."You let me eat something with alcohol in it. How could you? I told you I never wanted to try alcohol ever. Never in my life!" (Cue sad, mad 14yo boy faces)...

Me to DS: "Don't worry, I used to put whiskey on your gums nightly when you were a baby."

Needless to say, we didn't speak much for the next hour, but he got over it!

 

[Pooh&OurHunny]

thanks for the update. We are trying LeCellier for the first time in our December trip. I'm hoping we get a good CM.

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

Sending a continued thanks to everyone who is reading along. I am not going to lie, it really feels good when someone reads along and comments.

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

Well did you guess Ohana as the meal we enjoyed the least? If so, you are a winner. I know, surprised! I sure was. I have been trying to get an ADR here for 3 years. I was so excited. And then I was so let down by the end of the night... Here, let me explain it all!!

We had a 5pm. ADR for Ohana. I was told this was the first sitting of the evening. We arrived at the Poly around 4:30ish and there was a line from the podium all the way past the entrance to Kona. Now I was a bit confused. How could all these people think they could do walk up at Ohana, and why all of them tonight? So I ask the last person in line if they have ADRs and yep they do? Confused, so am I and so are they. I get in line and send DD and DS off to explore. DH and I spoke with the older couple in front of us and we waited, and waited, and waited. Come to find out the computer went out and they don't know who has reservations and who doesn't and they are not sure how to handle it. Okay, I get it, a problem with the system, but it looked like it had never happened before. The staff looked clueless. I have to believe this was not the first time this has ever happened.

So here we all are, okay everyone reacted a little different. Can you tell? DH and I chose to speak with a really nice older couple in front of us. They spoke highly of the meal and we secretly hoped we would sit next to them. Because if not, we may have ended up next to.......

The little girl in front of us! I was secretly praying to God, please no, not her, anyone else, just not her! I won't complain about anything, I promise! I will be good. (and I was) I had visions of Jeffrey the little boy that Bill Cosby speaks of on the plane.. (Okay are you old enough to catch the reference?) She was so bad, and her parents didn't care. Not at all. She tried to jump from the second floor to get her parents attention, she cried on command, she stamped her feet, she did it all and her parents were oblivious...

But in the end, we sat next to the older couple and our meal began with:

Ohana bread, nice and warm but without any butter. We tried it and it was a sweet bread, but we needed butter. So we asked and it came out with the salad. The salad was okay, nothing special. The greens were a bit wilted because the dressing was already on it, but it was salad. DD and DS wouldn't even try it. DH and I did and it was okay, but definetely not great. I left the table for a few minutes and when I returned the wings and pot-stickers were already on the table and getting a bit "cold". I was only gone a few minutes I swear. Pinky swear even. DH, DD, and DS all said that the wings were good, but being from the wing capital you really can't compete. DD really liked the pot-stickers, but only the outsides. DH and DS said they were like any frozen food I could cook at home. So I tried them. The pot-stickers were good. I thought they were cooked perfectly with the little crunch on the outside and still moist on the inside. The wings were cold so they were mushy but the flavor was good. I would have really liked to try them "hot from the kitchen" but that never happened. Within minutes the waitress placed the noodles on the table with the broccoli and was two-stepping over with the skewers of meat... She was on triple-time. Everything was a blurr......

The broccoli was crisp, cooked al-dente and seasoned well. The noodles were good but we all felt the noodles at Epcot CS were much better seasoned.

Turkey: Seasoned with some sort of vinegar and something I could not figure out. 0-4 at our table, though I do admit it was moist....

Pork: BBQ seasoning which came accross as lighter fluid seasoning... 0-4 at our table...

Steak: Hit or miss depending on the piece. Out of the 16 pieces on the table maybe 8 were edible (too much fat or too much grilling flavor). Of the 8 I would say 4 were very good, 4 were just good.

Shrimp: Can't explain the seasoning as they were so "fishy" that was all you could taste. I am sure you all know. That flavor you get when seafood is just about ready to go. It is just so "fishy" that any type of seasoning is lost. Oh yeah, and rubbery.

So, at this point we told the kids not to worry, some restaurants are perfect for families, some not. We could go get dinner after dinner. Definetely not something they usually hear out of my mouth. DH who refuses to see the bad in any meal, did NOT eat his. In all our years together, this was the first time. At this point we had been in the restaurant a total of 25 minutes and our bread, salad, appetizers, and entrees had been served. And they all were still on the table. Not one plate was removed. I was embarrassed by the amount of food served and not eaten. Finally I asked that the table be cleared for dessert. Ordered a coffee and prayed for a great dessert. You know the one everyone raves about on the boards... It came... The bread pudding was undercooked in spots and had to be carefully dissected to get the cooked parts. The ice cream was good and the sauce was great. Now if we could have asked for just the ice cream and sauce we would have enjoyed it. But our waitress never re-appeared. Another gentleman took our bill and card, did the paperwork and 35 minutes from the time we walked in we walked out.... And as we passed Kona Cafe, DH had the quote of the night...

"Look at all those lucky diners, the ones who couldn't get the ADR's for Ohana, yep we were those lucky diners last year and didn't even know it".

We ended up getting pizza later in the evening. It was good!

 

[kupperman]

Oh boy. Hate to hear that about Ohana's. Ate there in 04 and it was pretty good but the menu has changed since then. Goin in Dec this year and we have ADR's for Ohana's. Hope it will be ok. I'm like your DH and I hate to see the bad in any meal as well. Hate you had a bad experience there.

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

Oh boy. Hate to hear that about Ohana's. Ate there in 04 and it was pretty good but the menu has changed since then. Goin in Dec this year and we have ADR's for Ohana's. Hope it will be ok. I'm like your DH and I hate to see the bad in any meal as well. Hate you had a bad experience there.

I am sure the computer system going down explains some of the problems:

Cold food as it was waiting
Fast service as they were behind

But we didn't like the actual flavor of the meats, it could be a personal thing and or it could have been a problem that night. With all the great reviews, I would like to say it was the evening, not the restauraunt. It was bad for us, enough that we won't ever return. Good news to those who love it, one more reservation for you! Enjoy your meal, I am sure it will be just fine.

 

[letstalkboutdisney]

Loved you review of leCellier. I hope we are able to get reservations next summer. We have never eaten here before and you made it sound wonderful.

As for Ohana, Now I don't feel like the only family who did not enjoy this meal. We went last summer and everyone hated it. We will never go again.

Can't wait to hear more!

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

Loved you review of leCellier. I hope we are able to get reservations next summer. We have never eaten here before and you made it sound wonderful.

As for Ohana, Now I don't feel like the only family who did not enjoy this meal. We went last summer and everyone hated it. We will never go again.

Can't wait to hear more!

I hope you get the reservation. It was wonderful...

Now I really love my husband, but to be honest, I have dreamt more of LeCellier and the blood orange sauce from Mama Melrose, than I have of him since returning, if I don't get this under control, I might need counseling!

 

[LLLBelle]

I love your review of Le Cellier and it makes me want to go even more.

Ohana has been on our iffy list. I'm sorry to hear that you had a horrible meal. We were just thinking that we have been to a Brazilian Steakhouse in Vegas that does the meat skewers (fabulous, 20 different types of meat) I just think it might be a disappointment.

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

I love your review of Le Cellier and it makes me want to go even more.

Ohana has been on our iffy list. I'm sorry to hear that you had a horrible meal. We were just thinking that we have been to a Brazilian Steakhouse in Vegas that does the meat skewers (fabulous, 20 different types of meat) I just think it might be a disappointment.

I can't really guage this restaurant with any others. The only other skewers we have are at a small diner in our area that does greek food... I would definetely ask others re: the spices etc. to see if it fits into your palate.

 

[KY Derby Girl]

All I can say is that our experiences at Le Cellier and O'hana perfectly mirror yours. Le Cellier is our favorite restaurant in all the "world" and we will probably never try O'hana again. We can go to Texas de Brazil for about the same $$$ as O'hana and have a fabulous meal!! Keep them coming!!

 

[binkytell]

i loved ohana last year, bit didnt get that feelin this year,
best thing was our seats, right at window for wishes

 

[chell]

When we went to Ohana for dinner last December our food wasn't that great either. The only things we liked were the salad, wings and potstickers. All of our meat was dry and overcooked. When I went several years ago with some friends the meat was great. I'm one of the few people around who does not like their dessert though.

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

We have started a family tradition (if two years constitutes a tradition) with 4:10pm ADRs at The Plaza Restaurant and than an evening at MNSSHP. We arrived on time and were seated within minutes. I love this place. It is so open and airy. The views are wonderful and it is always just the right temperature inside. I have read reviews of grumpy servers, but we have never had one.

We were seated and ordered... Should I do it? Repeat the obvious!, yeah I will go for it...

DH and DD had cokes, DS had root beer, and unsweetened tea with a bowl of lemons for me.....

DD and DH ordered the Angus burger, medium well - cheese please, DS ordered the Plaza Club w/cheese, and I ordered the Cheesesteak Sandwich. We all ordered fries as our side. DH had the works on his burger, DD ordered hers plain.

Okay, now everyone close their eyes and envision... Oh, that won't work will it.

Our waitress was wonderful and brought our drinks immediately. They were nice and cold and hit the spot. She also brought a plate of condiments for the burgers that included Mayo. Now this may not seem important, but it is very hard for DD to get mayo to dip her fries. Gross, yes to me, but to her it is a luxury. Our food came shortly but it was obvious that it was cooked to order and had not been sitting.

I'll start with the fries becuase we all had them. They are real fries. Not flash frozen from a bag. They look to be fresh cut and have the skins on them. They are cooked perfectly with a crunch on the outside but nice and perfect on the inside. They are hot as they should be and salted perfectly. We all enjoyed them.

DD and DD both enjoyed the burger. It was huge. And even though they had them cooked to the pink disappeared, they were still juicy, and large, and the roll was sooo good. The only complaint was DD wished that they would have put a few slices of cheese on the burger. It was obvious that only one was used. Back to the roll, it was really special. The rolls had that little shine that bakery rolls have and they were very fresh and a little sweet. I don't order burgers often in WDW but these rolls should be distributed to all the establishments.

DS is the king of the club sandwich and loved his. The turkey and ham were not highly processed lunch meat. The ham and turkey were very fresh and not at all salty. The bread was toasted properly and much to his delight, not grain bread. I didn't get a bite, and honestly didn't expect to when I noticed the crunchy bacon sticking out of every corner of the sandwich.

My cheesesteak was very good. I am not from Philly so I guess my review would be based on those who have cheesesteak subs from a pizza place or Subway. This was very fresh and the meat was very tender. No grizzle here. I really enjoyed the peppers and onions, al dente, and very fresh. Garden variety - as in just out of the garden!! The cheese was plentiful and melted very ooey and gooey. What was so special - NO GREASE. Not one ounce dripping from the sandwich. A real A+ from me, others may disagree.

Somehow we all had tons of room left for dessert....

DH and DS had the brownie sundaes. They are very large and very good. The hot fudge is really good and doesn't taste like it came from a jar. The brownies were very, very good. Good enough that DS let DD have most of it because she ordered a float and wasn't prepared for soda water in the float. Therefore, she did not like it and it sat... I ordered the banana split because I needed a fruit fix. I saw one being delivered to the next table and it looked huge. Somehow though, I ate almost the whole thing. The pineapple was fresh and so were the strawberries and banana. The ice cream was very high quality and no ice crystals were present. It was very smooth and very, very good. I haven't had a banana split since I was a little girl, and this brought back great memories...

This restaurant may not be the most expensive and may not have high end entrees, but it definetely is one of our favorites. We will be back next time, no questions asked.

Coming back because I forgot my quote of the day.... Picture an evening where it's okay for young and old to dress up at Magic Kingdom, and then picture a little lack of imagination and lots of pirates with their wenches...

DS to DH - "I guess all the costumer makers are guys, since all the pirates look great and all the wenches costumes are pretty much non-existant."

DH to DS - "Too bad there seems to be "more" of the wenches than should be though!"