The Alaskan Disney Dining Expedition - 11 days of Deluxe Dining *Updated 5-20-11*

[nessz79]

I'm in! You do great reviews- so thorough!

 

[Splat25]

Liberty Tree Tavern
Magic Kingdom
Lunch
Oct. 6, 2010

Overview
I think Liberty Tree has the largest waiting area/lobby of any WDW restaurant – at least that I have been to. The entry area is huge. There are benches to sit on and table full of coloring pages and crayons for kids. This was wonderful – we got to sit down, in a cool room and the kids got to color, while we waited for our table. The wait was pretty short, but still it was a very nice touch.

Atmosphere
The interior has the feel of an old style colonial pub. Liberty Tree Tavern has rich stained wood tones on the floor and trim and wrought iron lighting with mock candles.

Entryway

There are brick and stone accents on the fireplace and some walls as well.

Entryway wall – Note: Bathrooms located at entryway at top of stairs.

I liked the way the structural timbers looked. It added to the authentic feel of a colonial tavern.

Dining Area

Entryway looking up

Appetizers
We liked that Liberty Tree tavern brought out two of the kid's sides when our appetizers came to the table. It was really nice for the kids and made them feel special to have their own.

Kids Sides

The green apples are crisp and cold, but a bit tart. Both kids ate a little of the apples but after a few pieces, it was too tart. The celery and carrots with ranch dressing were the biggest hit. Both kids really liked these. The dressing was decent and the veggies fresh and crisp.

DW had the Declaration Salad as her appetizer – a mixed greens salad with a choice of strawberry vinaigrette or buttermilk ranch dressing. She chose the vinaigrette.

Declaration Salad

The greens were good, the grape tomatoes were just ripe with tight skin and nice pop when bitten into, the cucumbers were nice and firm and the onion was tasty and slightly hot. The vinaigrette was a nice change from ranch and made the salad a very refreshing appetizer on a hot day. It has a sweet and sour taste, a light strawberry and vinegar flavor, that pairs nicely with the chilled veggies. It was a decent size as well.

I ordered the special kettle soup of the day which was sausage and potato. I liked the presentation with folded red cloth napkin on the bottom. It came with crackers as well. The soup was rich and hearty. It had medium sausage flavor intensity and had plenty of potatoes. The veggies were nice large chunks, yet cooked just right. Overall, it was not spicy, but had good seasoning to balance the flavors.

Kettle Soup special – Sausage and Potato

Entrées
Both kids decided to have the same dish this time around – the pizza. They both enjoyed it and said it was good. It's an average pizza with cheese and sauce on a thin crust, pita like crust. The sides were tasty – mixed fruit and carrots and celery with ranch dressing. The fruit cup was very good – the grapes were sweet and crunchy (they popped when you bit them, we all love that!), and the melon was fresh and sweet as well. The carrots and celery were cold and fresh. It was very nice that we could choose better sides for the kids rather than fries all the time. We tried to steer them toward healthier entrée's, but didn't push it so much if they really wanted something not as good (pizza or hot dogs) as long as they got fruit and veggies as sides.

Kid's Pizza – sorry for the terrible picture, it's all I had

DW had the Freedom Pasta. This is sautéed chicken, mushrooms, tomatoes and basil in a cream sauce, topped with parmesan cheese. This dish was very tasty. There was a good amount of chicken and plenty of the mushrooms and tomatoes, which were decent sized as well. The sauce was creamy and had a nice flavor with a slight garlic hint. The fusil pasta was cooked just right, just slightly al dente. The large leaves of basil were a little off putting, even though I (DW) love basil. I cut up some of the basil, mixed it in, and voila! Wonderful! Overall I would definitely order this again. The dish would be perfect if they would chiffonade the basil before adding it – even if just to sprinkle it on top.

Freedom pasta

I didn't feel super hungry and was a bit tired from our full morning in the Magic Kingdom. At Liberty Tree Tavern, most of the dishes seemed to be heartier fare – but I wanted something lighter and more refreshing. The cast member said the fish special was Trout so I went out on a limb to try it (side note: I think I've only ever ordered trout two or three times in my life).

Trout fish special

Boy was I surprised when it was super good! I was worried the fish would be bland and lifeless, but it wasn't. The chefs did a great job in infusing this dish with hearty spices without destroying the fish itself. The trout skin was crisp (I didn't eat it as I am not a fish skin fan, but those who enjoy it should be happy) and the potatoes went very well with this dish. I would definitely order it again.

Dessert
DW decided to try the Ooey Gooey Toffee Cake, after a bit of a debate with herself over the chocolate brownie with ice cream – chocolate . . . brownies … Oh my, what to do! But we are at Disney, in part, to try new things, so she decided on the OGTC.

Ooey Gooey Toffee Cake

The cake comes as an individually prepared vanilla cake with a toffee filling. The cake is slightly cookie like, being made in this way, but very tasty and not too dry. The filling has a nice caramel toffee flavor. It comes with a good-sized helping of vanilla ice cream and topped with both caramel and chocolate sauce, sprinkles and toffee candy bits. The ice cream was a perfect addition to the cake. With the ice cream and toffee filling, it was a wonderful desert. It’s a large enough to share, but not so big that you worry about ordering it yourself.

I ordered the apple tart. I thought it would be refreshing and being a colonial type place, it should be able to do apple pie right. They served the mini apple pie tart a scoop of vanilla ice cream drizzled with a little caramel.

Apple Tart

The baked crust had a nice crispness to it and the apples had a decent cinnamon taste to them without being overly sweet. It was sweet, just not overboard. The vanilla ice cream tempered it well and added a lush creaminess to the dish. It was a refreshing end to the meal.

The kids actually decided to not have dessert. Color us shocked for sure. They had a few bites of ours, but had filled up on veggies and pizza and decided they were good. So we don't have a report on the kid's desserts from Liberty Tree.

Overall Impression
Liberty Tree Tavern is a great place to eat in the Magic Kingdom. The food was really good, the service was decent, and the overall atmosphere is very interesting. I was pleasantly surprised by the really good fish as well. The Magic Kingdom is very limited in table service restaurants so adding this to the Plaza mix for us will work nicely on future trips.

DH Rating 4 of 5
DW Rating 4 of 5

 

[Splat25]

Peanut1 - glad you liked Seward, it is a beautiful place thats for sure. Really nice fishing for salmon there as well. Did you get to visit the Sea Life center and Exit glacier (whats left of it anyway)? The wife says to visit in the winter before you decide Alaska is the palce for you. Seward is really buffered by the ocean so it's not too bad, but here in Fairbanks we can get weeks straight of -30F with spikes as low as -60F ......so as you can see, it's just not for everyone. I call it population control

Thanks for the great positive comments everyone, it helps keep us writing about them. It takes quite a bit to editing for the pictures and to do our write-ups

 

[OurDogCisco]

Nice pictures of BLT. Your review has me changing my mind about Liberty Tree Tavern. We just might have to check it out on our next trip. I was boycotting it as they took the characters away and we never got a chance to eat there before the change.

 

[klacey1]

Loving your reviews so far! Can't wait to read more!

 

[jennbunn]

love the reviews : )

 

[Linda67]

Just caught up with your reviews and they are great

You are so descriptive !!

 

[irishsharon]

I am really loving your review,I love the pictures and thanks for all the kids meal pictures also. My son is a very picky eater and if the pizza,chicken nuggets dont look like what he is use to he wont eat them.Seeing your pictures is so helpful. Thanks

 

[princessallegra]

Great reviews so far! Can't wait to read more!

 

[onelilspark]

Absolutely wonderful reviews! I'm in for the duration!

 

[mstmp]

Count me in! Can't wait to read more, I love your reviews. Taking our son in 11 months for the first time (son's first time) he will be almso 5 when we go and I really want to relax and take it easy. Go to the parks and to some nice restaurants!

 

[2xcited2slp]

Love how you are so detailed in your reviews---down to lighting fixtures and restroom locations!!! Great pics of both food and dining venues!!!! Can't wait to read more.

 

[jess20k]

I am really enjoying reading your wonderful reviews and looking at the pics! Thank you so much for sharing! I can't wait to read more!

 

[maiziezoe]

Loving your pictures and reviews!

Thanks so much for adding where the bathrooms are. My 3 year old daughter has made it her mission in life to visit EVERY SINGLE bathroom at EVERY SINGLE place she visits.

 

[CS3SONS]

Enjoying your reviews, love that you include picture of the restaurant interior.

 

[ireland_nicole]

Reallenjoying your review an looking forward to reading more

 

[bleeps]

A tip for the next time you have breakfast at Kona:

I, too, am the only coffee drinker in our family, but I always get the French press pot of Kona coffee. It IS worth the splurge (it can count as your own 2-beverage allotment on the DxDP), and the CMs will be happy to give you a to-go cup if you'd like!

Keep up the wonderful work on your reviews!

 

[Splat25]

California Grill
Contemporary Resort
Dinner
Oct. 6, 2010

Overview
The California Grill is a signature restaurant (takes 2 dining credits) that sits on top of the Contemporary hotel. Reservations are essential and they do have a dress code, but it's not overly restrictive. It was fun to dress up just a little after freshening up at our adjoining hotel (BLT).

Atmosphere
Check in is on 2nd floor of the Contemporary hotel at the California Grill front desk reception area. When your table is ready, your handheld buzzer will go off and they will direct your party to the elevator for your journey up to the top of the Contemporary hotel. Elevator access appears to be the only way up to the restaurant and it makes everyone feel special and adds an air of excitement.

Sunset from the Top

There is a side observation deck out the side of the restaurant where you can go to a deck area. From there you can enjoy some fresh air and some great panoramic views. We were lucky enough to be dining just before sunset so we were able to watch the sun go down behind the Grand Floridian hotel.

The atmosphere of the restaurant itself is refined yet airy and light. The wood tones are lighter and windows allow quite a bit of natural light in the dining area. Because of the intense light, they do have shades so you are not blinded if it is really bright out. They raise them just before sunset and have a little fanfare as they announce the sunset.

Inside California Grill

The restrooms are located down a hallway next to the elevators and are in the restaurant itself. While waiting on of the many trips to the restroom I take with the kids, I noticed there are lots of framed accolades, reviews and awards for the California Grill and their dishes.

Appetizers
We ordered iced teas and the cast members also bought out fresh lemons and a little sweetener dish.

Lemons and sweetener

Next came the fresh baked bread. It is served with a small dish of butter with salt sprinkled on top. The bread was a nice mix of dense and airy and had a wonderful crust. It was devoured very quickly.

Fresh Bread

Both kids opted for the kids' salad as their appetizer choice. It's basically a deconstructed salad of hearts of romaine, croutons (I believe they were house made) and ranch dressing. The kids loved being able to dip their lettuce and croutons in the dressing. It was exciting to be able to 'play' with their food at a fancy restaurant. They both ate it up and managed to not make a huge mess!

Kids Romaine Salad with Buttermilk Ranch & Sourdough Croutons

DW is not a seafood fan. So she asked the waiter for a suggestion and the ravioli was his recommendation. The dish is one huge ravioli stuffed with goat cheese filling and topped with the sun-dried tomatoes, pesto and basil and mushroom in a light tomato sauce.

Sonoma Goat Cheese Ravioli with Sun-dried Tomatoes, Pesto, Shiitake Mushrooms, and Basil

The ravioli may not look it, but it's very large and filled to the top with cheese. The sauce is amazing for something that seems so simple. And it pairs perfectly with the ravioli and toppings. The ravioli pasta was perfectly cooked, just a bit al dente. The cheese is very sharp, at least that is how DW describes it. Neither of us have really tried goat cheeses before, so it could be a standard trait of the cheese. But about half-way through it got to be a bit strong. The cheese has a few herbs mixed in that pair well with the rest of the dish. If you like goat cheese, you will probably love this appetizer. If you don't like strong cheese, you might want to choose something else.

I had the Rock Shrimp salad. It was presented beautifully with the rock shrimp along the edges in a circle pattern and drizzled with the soy reduction.

Crispy Asian Rock Shrimp Salad with Asian Pears, Red Onions, Soy Reduction, and Wasabi Cream

The rock shrimp were lightly breaded and deep fried to a crispy perfection. They had a great crunch and the breading was not too thick – it was almost tempura like but a bit coarser and a little thicker. The salad portion has a nice mix of sour, sweet, and spicy and went well with the rock shrimp. Overall this salad was absolutely delicious and I would most assuredly order it again.

Entrées
DS decided on the Mac and Cheese. Our waiter said its made in-house and wonderful. He was right. DS loved it.

House Made kids Macaroni & Cheese

It's made with traditional macaroni pasta and has a yellow cheese sauce, so it looks familiar, but Kraft it's not. It was wonderful. It looked so good we all had to have a taste. DS complained a bit, but decided to share one bite with each of us, just to be nice. Again, they cooked the pasta perfectly – just a bit al dente. And the sauce was just right, not too thick or too thin. It coated each piece of pasta with creamy goodness. I am not sure what cheeses make up the sauce, but it has a great flavor that is great for kids being just right – not sharp or too mild.

DD chose the grilled chicken. Yes, this is the grilled chicken from the child's menu.

Kids Grilled Chicken Breast with Roasted Potatoes and Green Beans

She (and we) were amazed when it came out. It was a wonderfully cooked boneless, skinless chicken breast with fresh green beans and roasted potatoes and a little sauce. The chicken was great, juicy and tender and seasoned with a little salt and pepper. DD gobbled it up and ate nearly the entire plate. The veggies were good as well. The green beans were cooked just until done, so had a slight crispness. The potatoes had a nice brown crust on them but were fluffy and creamy inside. DD nearly ate all of the veggies too.

DW and I both wanted to order the Oak-fired Beef Filet and were really looking forward to it all day.

Oak-fired Filet of Beef

The California Grill continued to deliver. The filet was tender and cooked perfectly to medium. It had a nice but light crust on the outside and was beautifully juicy inside. They placed it on top of creamy mashed potatoes and broccolini. There was also a lovely teriyaki barbecue sauce to go with the filet that had a nice balanced flavor that was slightly sweet.

Another Oak-fired Filet of Beef

The broccolini was cooked to al dente and was still a wonderful bright green. The mash potatoes were creamy and slightly chunky and tasted like they had a little cheese and garlic added. They were a nice paring with the filet. Our waiter recommended we try the steak with a little of DS's mac and cheese. It’s a very nice combination; however, DS ate pretty much his entire dish of pasta, so we had to deal with our wonderful potatoes. Either choice is amazing.

Dessert
Both kids opted for the ice cream for dessert.

Kids Vanilla Bean Ice Cream with Chocolate Fudge Sauce

It's very good quality vanilla ice cream with chocolate sauce, sprinkles and cookie 'Mickey ears'. Anytime the kids got 'Mickey ears' it was a hit. This takes a close second to the 'Mickeylodeon' from the Plaza. The chocolate sauce was very good and overall it was a hit.

DW and I both decided on the Valrhona chocolate cake – basically because we figured before even trying it that neither one of us would want to share it! It’s a molten chocolate cake served with peanut butter gelato.

Valrhona Chocolate Cake

All we can say is OH MY! The cake is amazing. It’s got a slight crisp on the outside, but fluffy cake inside, and then a huge amount of melted chocolate hidden inside. You cut into the cake and melted chocolate oozes out in what seems like a never ending river of warm goodness. You take a bite and the cake and melted chocolate are so warm and chocolatety your eyes want to roll back in your head. And then you try a bit of cake with the peanut butter gelato – you might just pass out from the sheer joy of the heavenly combination. Fair warning – this cake could ruin any and all other molten chocolate cakes for you in the future. The smear of toasted marshmallow cream is a nice addition as well. Even the brittle was tasty. Every bit of this dessert is a little bite of bliss.

Overall Impression
California Grill is an amazing dining experience well worth the 2 dining credits. Everything we had was cooked to its best and the taste was amazing. Its fancy enough to make a special night with your special someone, but not so stuffy you can't take the entire family. They have something for most tastes. For us it has become a must do for all our WDW trips.

DH Rating 4.8 of 5
DW Rating 4.8 of 5

 

[hdmichael]

We were just at California Grill last week, and my DH loved, loved that chocolate cake.

 

[Splat25]

maiziezoe .....My 3 year old daughter has made it her mission in life to visit EVERY SINGLE bathroom at EVERY SINGLE place she visits.

Maybe our Girls are twins? Seems my daughters purpose in life as well. Wonder if it is a subliminal Disney message? lol

bleeps .....always get the French press pot of Kona coffee. It IS worth the splurge

I will do it next time for sure - thanks for the info on the DDP use for it