The 9 Day Birthday Feast w/pics! Updated 9/5

Great reviews! And good for you for speaking up. I hope he's no longer employed at WDW - and especially Animal Kingdom.
 
I am loving your reviews so far!!! Can't wait for more!!! I hope that CM isn't working for Disney anymore. How horrible:sad2:
 

Quick review of the Anandapur Tea Company before we go to the Yak and Yeti...if you have not had the Chai Freeze from there you do not know what you are missing! It is DELISH!!! Also, it is served mind numbingly cold so even in the July heat it stayed frozen long enough to finish it off. Perfect! I have had several of their teas in the past, my DD loves their jasmine tea, but it will be very difficult to go there and not get the chai freeze from now on! Beats the heck out of Starbucks iced chai lattes! DD had the fruit tea freeze, she thinks it was mango-banana but don't quote me on that. Whatever flavor it was, she REALLY enjoyed it. Later on in the evening my DH came back and got a coffee after dinner (you'll read why later), which I didn't try but smelled heavenly.

On to the Yak & Yeti. We were very excited to try this restaurant! The hostess was very nice, wished my daughter a happy birthday as she walked us to the table. I had asked for a view of the outdoors, which she wasn't able to accommodate but we understood, it was a very busy week and it was EMH so they were packed. We were seated on the second floor next to the railing that looks down to the first floor below. My DH commented he felt a little like we were sitting in a hallway.

I have to say that this restaurant is beautifully themed. It looks as though it had been transplanted from some tiny village in Asia. Maybe too much so. The picture frame on the wall above our table had broken glass that was really broken. :eek:

The waitress was another story. When we asked her what sake would go best with our dinner choices, she replied in a bored tone of voice "I don't know, I don't eat chinese food and I don't drink sake." :confused3 So instead my DH got a soda. I had brought in my chai freeze with me so I finished that off and ordered a water with lemon that arrived without lemon.

Even though we were on the dining plan, we decided to order the pork pot stickers as an appetizer. They were good, better than the takeout place we order from at home, but not as good as PF Changs, which I think had more to do the sauce than the actual pot stickers. It was very salty.

My daughter ordered chicken bites with apples. Nothing really to report here. My husband ordered the crispy honey chicken which was the least expensive entree on the menu. I ordered the Shaoxing Steak and Shrimp, which is described as skirt steak, tempura-battered shrimp, jasmine rice, stir-fried vegetables with chili plum dipping sauce, and happened to be the most expensive thing on the menu.

First off, it took a very long time for the food to come out. We saw several employees standing around, including our obviously bored waitress. When it did come out, the temperature was slightly above lukewarm. My plate was nicely presented - the shrimp skewers are very neatly stacked around a tower of rice which looked like they packed it into a cup and turned it over the way my daughter does with sand in a bucket when she's making sandcastles. I started with the shrimp and was surprised to find the batter tasteless and the shrimp extremely rubbery. The steak tasted like it had been marinated in dishwater. Seriously! The only way I can describe the flavor is...soapy. Yuck! The rice was just okay and the vegetables were overdone and soggy. My DH tried it also and had the same reaction. He was kind enough to share his crispy honey chicken, which was much better than mine. It was good, but nothing fantastic. I have had better at my local takeout.

Dessert was probably the best part of the meal. I ordered the fried wontons. They were interesting, kind of like a crab rangoon with cinnamon roll frosting. I didn't eat them all and asked for a box, but instead of the cute little chinese food box I'd seen in the pictures, she put them in a huge styrofoam box. I ended up throwing them out a couple hours later because I was tired of carrying them around. My husband had the sorbet trio which had mango, lemon, and raspberry sorbets. This was very good - light and refreshing. My DD and I kept stealing nibbles of it when he wasn't looking!

My DD's ice cream came without fanfare, but since the hostess had wished her happy birthday she was expecting another surprise. Being the good girl that she is, she didn't say a word to the waitress, just waited for her to leave and said, all downhearted, 'I thought they were going to sing and put a candle in my sundae again." So we sang her Happy Birthday anyway! :bday:

We had also ordered coffee (and tea for DD) which never came (which is why we headed back to the tea company after). The waitress was quick to point out, however, that the 18% gratuity on our receipt was only for the pot stickers which were not on the dining plan and not for the entire meal.

Overall I have to say I am sad to report that the Yak and Yeti has been placed firmly in the 'been there, done that, no need to do it again' category.
The combination of fair to poor food and slow, poor service was just so disappointing. I had always thought they needed another TS option at AK, but this just isn't it.

Up Next: Sunshine Seasons and the mourning of the Junior Chef Academy
 
Everytime we go to The Land, we have a plan - Fast Pass Soarin', get lunch at Sunshine Seasons, do Junior Chef's academy, ride Living with the Land, and then go back to Soarin' to use our Fast Pass. This year we did the same thing, with one exception -- no Junior Chef's Academy! I had read on the boards they'd closed it, but seeing a wall built in front of it was just kind of sad. :sad1:

We love the Sunshine Seasons! So many choices you can't find anywhere else! My DD was still in a breakfast kind of mood, so she had a cinnamon roll, a chocolate milk and creme brulee dessert (she was taking full advantage of mom's moratorium on healthy food requirements!) I had the roasted beet and goat cheese salad and strawberry shortcake and a bottled water. DH had a pork chop and creme brulee with a large chocolate milk. Somehow the cashier only charged us two lunch credits for all that! :cool1:

My DD8 says, and I quote: "My cinnamon roll was really good! I really think people should try it! If they already did, I bet they'd be saying the same thing! It was really big, I have to say, even my mom and my dad agreed. Then there was my creme brulee. It wasn't really creme brulee-y because it was all, like, MUSHY and it wasn't like, you know, like candy on the top and there was a lot of syrup on the top and also syrup on the bottom. So it didn't really taste as good as I expected. Well, that's all that I have to say -- back to my mom!"
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The roasted beet and goat cheese salad was phenomenal! It had a very light cilantro and lime dressing, honey roasted walnuts, and two different type of beets. The goat cheese was perfect, not overpowering. My daughter tried it and liked it as well. The strawberry shortcake was very good, light and fresh, and they give you a huge portion, which was good because since my DD and DH did not like the creme brulee, I ended up splitting my shortcake three ways.
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DH enjoyed his pork chop, said it was very tender. He agreed with DD that the creme brulee was not the right consistency and thought that it must have been sitting in the refridgeration too long because the top was soggy.

All in all -- we love Sunshine Seasons, just not the creme brulee!

Up Next: "We don't mean to be rude, but we're French!"
 
I am so sorry that you did not enjoy your meal at Y&Y. DH and I went last month and did not enjoy the appie (lettuce cups and I think that is because we compared them to PF Changs) but loved our entrees, the ribs and steak and shrimp.

Agree with you on the frozen chai, it is to die for!
 
I am so sorry that you did not enjoy your meal at Y&Y. DH and I went last month and did not enjoy the appie (lettuce cups and I think that is because we compared them to PF Changs) but loved our entrees, the ribs and steak and shrimp.

Agree with you on the frozen chai, it is to die for!

You know, I think you are right. We were definitely comparing it to PF Changs and it just didn't hold up. That and I think the service being on the poor side didn't help our impression much. Y&Y was one of the restaurants I was most looking forward to this trip, so it was definitely disappointing. I am glad to hear that you had a good experience there. Maybe it was just a bad night for some reason.

Thanks for reading!!!:goodvibes
 
Finally, a review where I get to use my own pictures! :)

We showed up right on time for our reservation and only had to wait a minute or two to be seated. I was not having any luck this trip with window seats. I had requested a window seat (so we could see Illuminations during dinner). I should have been more specific - we got a window view in the back of the restaurant facing the fountain and a wall. *sigh* Oh well, no view of the fireworks but the view of the rest of the pavilion did make you feel like you were really in France. This restaurant is very beautiful, everything from the lighting to the decor. As had happened at every restaurant, the host wished my daughter Happy Birthday as we were walked to our table. She LOVED that!

My DD8 was very excited about eating here. When our waiter, Olivier, came over to take our drink orders, she raised her hand excitedly. He said (read with heavy french accent sounding slightly bored) "Yes, what do you want?" And she told him what she wanted to eat. He told her he was just getting drink orders right now, he wasn't ready for dinner orders yet. Then after he walked away she quoted Ratatoille perfectly "We don't mean to be rude, but we're French." I died laughing!:lmao: Actually, Olivier was wonderful. He made fabulous wine pairing recommendations for our meal and was very patient teaching my DD how to properly say 'merci.' Unfortunately his last day was 7/15 because his 15 months were up but he got a job at a bistro in NYC, so we promised to visit him there.

For an appetizer, my daughter chose the cheese pastry. It was very attractive on the plate, but my daughter didn't care for it. I think she was expecting something sweeter like a cheese danish, but it wasn't that sweet. I finished it off for her, I really enjoyed it.
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I had the cheese plate, which was okay but forgettable. I honestly liked the goat cheese at Sunshine Seasons better, but the Gruyere was very good.
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The lobster bisque was one of the best tasting bisque's I have EVER had, and I'm from Long Island. I would note, however, do not expect chunks of lobster in it, there are none, it is a true bisque.
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For dinner I had Noix de Saint Jacques et gambas sautees Flan d'epinards, sauce a l'oseille - Sauteed scallops and black tiger shrimp served with spinach flan and sorrel sauce which was amazing!!! Scallops and shrimp were cooked perfectly, but what really set this apart was the sauce. I didn't leave a drop! I don't remember exactly what the rice sidedish was, but it was very good as well.
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My husband had the beef tenderloin, which he loved as well. I had a bite of it and it was very juicy and tender, with a fabulous marinade. The green beans were light and crisp.
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My DD was a bit disappointed that mac and cheese was only on the 'grown-up' menu and settled on the steak burger and fries, which she enjoyed.
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I forgot to take dessert pictures, so I borrowed a few more for you. ;) My husband had the creme brulee, which he stated 'this is how it's supposed to be done!"
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DD had the sorbet, which she very much enjoyed!
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I had a french pastry thing with fresh berries, which I unfortunately didn't take a picture of and it is not listed on any menu I can find, but it was awesome! Actually, I tried all the desserts -- they were all excellent!

During dinner, we had heard the wait staff singing Happy Birthday in French at several tables. Each time my DD's eyes lit up. At the end of the meal she was once again looking despondent. :guilty: Then Olivier came over with a cloth napkin and says to her "I don't sing. So I thought I would make you a present for your birthday instead." And he proceeded to turn the napkin into a birthday candle! :bday: She took this picture herself...
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That candle now holds a place of honor on her dresser! It was much better than just singing to her, and seemed perfectly...French! :artist:

I would say it quickly made its way to our top 5 WDW restaurants, right after V&As and California Grill!
 
I think we must remember to add the French place to our list. The food looks so much better than I would have thought! I just never thought of French food as being all that exciting. But everything you had looks very good and I bet hubby would love that shrimp/scallop meal.
 
I am enjoying the reviews... the good and the bad :thumbsup2

Thanks for sharing your experiences!!!
 
I'm in!!

I have to tell you - I read the beginning of this report last week when we were at WDW (what can I say...I'm addicted to the DIS!) and I loved your story about the glowtini so much I read it out loud to DH and then told my DB and DSIL. For the rest of the trip, DB and I had a running joke about getting the glowtini and did I have my ID with me (and thanks to you, I made DH carry it in his wallet so I would DEFINITELY have it...:rotfl: :rotfl: ).

Thank you for the great story and for giving us many giggles on our trip. Now I'm settling in for a great read!
 
I think we must remember to add the French place to our list. The food looks so much better than I would have thought! I just never thought of French food as being all that exciting. But everything you had looks very good and I bet hubby would love that shrimp/scallop meal.

My daughter picked out this restaurant. I have some friends who have been to France and no one ever seems to care for the food there so I wasn't sure what to expect, but it was excellent! Definitely worth trying!!!

Was the frozen chai on the DDP??

Yes, it counts as a snack credit.

I am enjoying the reviews... the good and the bad :thumbsup2

Thanks for sharing your experiences!!!

THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!

I'm in!!

I have to tell you - I read the beginning of this report last week when we were at WDW (what can I say...I'm addicted to the DIS!) and I loved your story about the glowtini so much I read it out loud to DH and then told my DB and DSIL. For the rest of the trip, DB and I had a running joke about getting the glowtini and did I have my ID with me (and thanks to you, I made DH carry it in his wallet so I would DEFINITELY have it...:rotfl: :rotfl: ).

Thank you for the great story and for giving us many giggles on our trip. Now I'm settling in for a great read!

:rotfl2: That is too funny! I'm glad you got a kick out of it!

Loving reading these! Thanks for the reviews they are great!

THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!
 
Going slightly out of order here. I can't find my pics of Earl of Sandwich. I have decided my husband ran out of room on the memory card and started deleting food pics behind my back!

Being Irish:shamrock: , I am always looking for authentic Irish food. Not just someplace that serves Killians with cornbeef and cabbage (which, strictly speaking, isn't Irish although that doesn't stop me from cooking it every St. Patrick's day!) So I was really excited to try Raglan Road!

My DD had the irish mac-and-cheese, which was code for mac and cheese with dubliner cheese instead of american or cheddar. It was very good, I tried a bite, and she actually finished it!
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I had the "It's Not Bleedin' Chowda" -- potatoes, mussels, prawns, scallops and fresh seafood infused with white wine and cream sauce. It was delicious!!! Potatoes were very tender, not chinzy with the seafood, and an excellent not-too-salty sauce. Sorry the picture is a little washed out, there is not much lighting in this restaurant so without the flash it was too dark.
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My DH had the sirloin with irish whiskey glaze. I didn't try it, but he said it was very good.
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For dessert, my DD had the hot fudge sundae with a birthday candle!:bday: I really wanted the bread and butter pudding, but allowed the waiter to talk me into having the strawberry and apple crumble instead, which was just okay. DH was stuffed and just had some of DD's sundae. I ordered an irish coffee with dessert (with Tullamore Dew) and it was delicious!

Raglan Road did not fulfill the search for an authentic Irish restaurant. It did, however, fulfill our hunger! The restaurant is attractive, the service was good and the food was excellent. We really enjoyed it and will come back again, later in the day next time so we can see the dancers.
 
I'm so looking forward to a bowl of that chowder. A friend here on the DIS has been raving about it and I'm really excited to try it!:thumbsup2
 













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