The Deluxe Dining Adventures of the Indecisive DISer - CA Grill added, 1/5

[bluechic03]

Delicious reviews! That smores dessert looks AMAZING....

 

[cdotla]

Awesome reviews so far!

Really glad to get your review on Yak & Yeti...confirms my suspicions that I will be better off at Flame Tree, which I love. Like you, I am not a fan of CS dining at WDW, and this will likely be our only CS meal on the trip. However, I love the BBQ chicken and DH loves the ribs, plus I LOVE sitting down close to the water and watching the Fab 5 float by on the boat.

As for Jiko - well all I can say is I am salvating!!! I have us booked there for my birthday actually, and I can't wait to go!!! It will be our 1st time!

Can't wait for more!

 

[scanne]

OK - when I read amazing DxDP reviews like this, I find myself re-thinking our summer plans.

I love the signature restaurants....I love the appetizers and desserts....I'm so torn.

Thanks for your reviews thus far! Can't wait to read more!!!

 

[Colleen27]

Breakfast – Pecos Bills

Okay, this isn’t exactly breakfast in the traditional sense, but as I said we’re not breakfast eaters. We were smack in the middle of the baby swap/FastPass Splash/Thunder Mountain marathon when the baby decided she was hungry, so I popped over to Pecos Bills for a little something to share.

They had just opened and the place was completely empty, but still the kids wanted to sit outside. We got a bacon double cheeseburger and a kids’ hamburger meal for us all to share. Disney burgers aren’t anything to write home about, but the fixins bar here is nice and my family is used to wheat buns at home so they don’t mind that Disney made the switch. We cut the burgers in half so that DH, DS and the girls could each get the toppings they wanted. Not being a breakfast eater nor a fan of burgers, I tried a bite of DH’s burger but was happier with the strawberry yogurt I got as the dessert with our meal. The fries were pretty good, probably because they were so fresh. While we were waiting, the CM preparing the orders started chatting with DD about her pirate outfit and ended up giving each of the kids a cookie, which was very nice of her.

This meal was when I realized that the DxDDP was great for us in a completely different way this trip compared to the first time we used it. I knew we weren't going to save as much with it as when it was just us and the older kids, but I really underestimated how much I would love the pre-paid aspect. It was a nice perk on past trips, but is was AMAZING this time. It was so nice not having to think about the cost of stopping for all the extra meals and snacks that DD16mo needed during long days in the parks.

Meal cost: $18.70
Meal credits used: 2

Lunch – Liberty Tree Tavern

We checked in right on time for our 11:50 ADR and were seated with just a few minutes’ wait. A very nice CM here noticed DD & I trying to fix the battery compartment on her camera, which had broken when she dropped it in the queue for Haunted Mansion, and kindly took it in back to tape up for us which was more than enough to get it through the next few days. That’s the kind of service that makes us come back to Disney over and over again; this young man wasn’t tending to our table or obligated to pay any attention to us, but when he saw us in the waiting area trying to get the camera working, he stepped in with an offer of help.

The dining room at Liberty Tree is quite pretty, and the restaurant was only about half full when we were seated. I overheard a hostess tell someone it would be about 40min wait without a reservation, so they were taking walk-ups. Surprising, considering the free dining offer had extended through December. I think this is another restaurant that could get quite noisy when full, depending upon where you’re seated. We were seated in a quieter corner off to the left of the main entrance, near the door they use for wheelchair access, because the hostess noticed that DD16mo was sleeping in her stroller and assigned us a table where we could just park her next to the table without blocking any walkways.

I don’t know that I’ve mentioned it before, but we’re on a quest to try all of Disney’s table service locations. I chose Liberty Tree this trip because it and Tony’s were the only restaurants left for us to try at the Magic Kingdom, and because the lunch menu looked really good to DH, who sometimes complains about a lack of “normal American” food on our vacations.

For our appetizers, DH and DS decided to share the crab & spinach dip for two, which was served with warm flatbread. This was very nice, with good sized pieces of crab in a very creamy, cheesy dip. It was a fairly large portion too, plenty for us to share around the table without finishing.

I ordered the tavern fried cheese, as much for DS as for myself because nothing really jumped out at me from the appetizer menu. I really enjoyed the little bite-sized pieces of cheese, but the mozzarella sticks weren’t anything special. The marinara sauce that accompanied the cheese was nice and thick with a good flavor, but all in all this was your basic fried cheese appetizer. Enjoyable but nothing really special.

For our entrees, DH went with the American classic – the Angus cheeseburger. This thing was HUGE. He ate just a little more than half, but really enjoyed it. It looked good, a nice, thick, juicy burger on an old fashioned (white bread) roll, topped with melted provolone and a pile of mushrooms.

DS ordered the Pilgrim’s Feast, roast turkey, mashed potatoes, herb stuffing and green beans. Again this was a very large portion, more than he could eat even though he didn’t care for the stuffing. The meat was very good, moist white meat, and the green beans were fresh and crisp. He would have preferred the gravy on the side, because there was a lot of it and he’s not a huge fan of gravy on his turkey, but overall he enjoyed this dish.

I had the pot roast, which has been tormenting me in DISboard reviews for ever. It absolutely lived up to expectations. The meat was fork-tender, the gravy was savory without being overpowering, there was just the right amount of carrots and onions accompanying the meat, and the mashed potatoes were creamy and thick. It was one of those meals where you know you’re full, but you’re still picking at it because it is just so yummy.

DD had the kids’ version of the Pilgrim’s Feast, which was about the same as the adult version but without the stuffing, and chicken noodle soup as her appetizer (though that's a bit of a misnomer most places, as it comes out with the entree). On the kids meal, the gravy is served on the side, which she really appreciated, and it was a nice sized portion for a kids meal.

The appetizers and entrees here were more than enough to do us in, so we ended up skipping dessert. One note about the desserts here – on the Allears menu, there is a strawberry shortcake listed that I don’t think was on the menu when we were there. If it was, we’d probably have ordered one to share because we’re all big fruit-dessert fans, but of the other choices nothing really sounded good so we passed on dessert and headed back out to explore the Magic Kingdom.

Would we go back? Maybe. The food and service were both excellent, but the portions were huge and most of the dishes were heavier than I tend to associate with lunch and the dinner menu holds no appeal for me at all since the loss of the characters. If ever they start serving the lunch menu at dinner this would be right back on our list, but it was a bit much for a midday meal.

Meal cost: $80.26
Meal credits used: 4
OOP costs: $15.07

Snack – Dole Whip & root beer float

Since we skipped dessert, we of course had to stop for a mid-afternoon sweets fix. The Dole Whip float was excellent as always, but I have to say – Disney, PLEASE leave my Dole Whips alone! The green tint was not visually appealing at all, especially once it started to melt a little and mix with the pineapple juice!

Strangely, the kids didn’t even notice that the ice cream in their float was tinted red.

Snack cost: $8.29
Snacks credits used: 2

Dinner – Kona Café

I almost hate to write this one. Kona made our must-do list on DD8’s 6th birthday trip, because DS just loved the shrimp & scallops dish, and this was our 3rd visit there. We checked in quite early, almost an hour before our ADR time, and asked if they would be able to fit us in or if we should come back. We were told we’d be seated in 10-15min and given a pager, so we stuck around the restaurant area. The kids had pirate makeovers earlier and were getting sick of their makeup, so getting them cleaned up and ready to eat took about a half hour. Afterward, we asked again about how long the wait might be, and were once again told 10-15 minutes. DD16mo was getting restless, so I took her over to listen to the handbell choir in the lobby, which she really enjoyed. When they took a break, it was just about our ADR time and even the big kids were getting impatient, so we checked once more at the podium, and guess what the hostess said? Yep, 10-15 minutes! We were finally seated about 15 minutes after our ADR time, which would have been one of the longest waits of the entire trip even if we hadn’t checked in early. Now, I can understand being busy and not being able to get us in early. I just wish they’d have said so! The kids would have been much happier had we known we couldn’t get in early and taken that tine to walk around the resort, take pictures downstairs by the waterfall, sit on the beach, catch the torch lighting ceremony, etc. instead of waiting around in range of the pager because we thought we’d be seated soon.

Needless to say, this really got the meal off to a rough start, and our server didn’t make it much better. She was slow to come take our drink order, slower still in delivering the drinks, and we had to ask to get bread. Once the bread arrived, about 10 minutes after we were seated, the kids’ mood improved immediately, and the bread was excellent as always. I just love that macadamia nut butter!

Like with Yak & Yeti, this is a loud restaurant and Katie wasn’t very happy to sit quietly with the snack or toys from her diaper bag, but once we had some food in front of us she was better. The service did get better as the meal went on, thankfully, though refills and the check were still somewhat slow in coming. I’m sure the waitress was just overwhelmed – there were a couple of big groups near us, one of which had two very loud, demanding little ones with them.

For our appetizers, DS & I ordered the sushi sampler. This was a new addition to the menu for us, since the sushi bar hadn’t yet opened when we were there last, and we were both very excited to try it. We were also both very hungry; I didn’t get any pictures of the appetizers at all. The presentation of the sushi was very nice. The sampler includes 4 pieces of 3 different rolls, which are presented on a square plate that is divided into quarters, with the ginger and wasabi in the remaining section. The rolls were the volcano roll, the California luau roll, and the hamachi roll. The volcano roll was by far my favorite; the sauce had a nice little kick to it, and the tempura crunch added an interesting texture. DS liked their take on the California roll, which included pineapple in addition to the usual crab and avocado. All three rolls were very good, not California Grill level amazing but fresh, well prepared, and with a unique twist that suits the Polynesian theme of the restaurant perfectly

DH had the lump crab cakes, which were very meaty but a little too crunchy on the outside. He enjoyed them, but they weren’t the best of the trip by any stretch.

As entrees, both DS & DH ordered the shrimp & scallops. On past trips, DS was still a child on the dining plan, so he was excited about getting his own order and DH was looking forward to actually getting to eat some of his shrimp for a change. The presentation of this dish has changed since our last visit. It used to be much more artfully arranged with a more generous amount of sauce on the plate as garnish, but now it is just sort of thrown together. Neither DH nor DS felt it was as good as on past visits, but they did still enjoy it. We also discovered that our toddler LOVES scallops, so while DH finally got to eat his own shrimp he lost out on the scallops this time around.

I ordered the tuna oscar, which was by far the best entrée of the evening. The tuna was seared in a wonderful, Cajun-type spice blend that was spicy and made a perfect crust, the green tomatoes were perfectly fried without being mushy or greasy, and the asparagus with hollandaise was a perfect complement to the very strong flavors of the rest of the dish. I absolutely loved this, it was better than I imagined, and my expectations were pretty high on the menu description alone.

DD8 had the Mickey ravioli and chicken noodle soup. This was the first and only restaurant all week to bring her meal with the appetizers rather than with the entrees, which was okay for her because she’s a slow eater and content to color when she’s finished, but probably would have annoyed me back when the kids were littler and keeping them occupied was a bigger concern. Nothing worse than having an impatient 4 or 5 year old who finished his food before the adult entrees even arrived! Neither of the girls cared for the ravioli, but they happily shared the chicken noodle soup and some of our meals.

By dessert, we had been here a ridiculously long time and everyone was getting a bit restless. Skipping dessert wasn’t an option, though, because the Kona Kone is half of what the kids love about Kona. So DH & DS both ordered that and DH handed his off to DD8. He & I shared my dessert, the fondue, which was good but very basic. Aside from the kiwi and the coconut balls, it wasn’t any different from the fondue I make for holidays here at home.

Would we go back? Sadly, I think Kona has fallen off our must-do list. I had a hard time fitting it in this trip to begin with and it turned out not to be worth the trouble. My meal was good, but the guys were disappointed in theirs, the service wasn’t very good, and the real hit of the night was the sushi which we could have gotten directly from the sushi bar with none of the hassles.

Meal cost: $138.53
Meal credits used: 4
OOP costs: $25

Total DxDDP value so far: $774.86

 

[lizzyb]

Loving your reviews. Sorry about Kona. It is our favorite for breakfast and we are going to give it a try for dinner in a couple weeks.

 

[branv]

Great reviews! Saw your pics yesterday of the Y&Y pineapple dessert and haven't been able to get it off my mind. These photo reviews are absolutely torturous sometimes!

Your food photos at LTT are really crisp! Mind if I ask what camera you're using? Mine is ancient, will be seeking one before our trip next year (soooo far away).

 

[mcgraws]

I am loving these reviews, we plan to visit many of these same places on our trip next month with the Dxdp

 

[Colleen27]

Breakfast – Old Port Royale

Not a very foodie day today, because it was our waterpark day. I ran to Old Port Royale for breakfast, and was pleasantly surprised with the selection. I got a steak quesadilla for DS, a western omelet for DH & I to split, chocolate chip pancakes for DD8 and Mickey waffles for DD16mo. Everything was decent, not top-notch but on par with a decent diner breakfast, and DS was very happy with the quesadilla because he’s not real big on breakfast foods. I’m not either, so DH had most of the omelet while I had the home fries and a bottle of OJ.

Meal cost: $46.82
Meal credits used: 4

Lunch – Lottawater Lodge

Again, not much to say and no pics. I didn’t even bring my camera to the water park! It was probably 1ish by the time the kids got hungry, and we basically ordered a little of everything for us all to share. Got a cheeseburger, chili dog, chicken wrap, and the “chef’s special” of the day, a pulled pork sandwich. Everything was okay at best, and Disney burgers really are kind of ick without a good fixins bar. The fries were nice and fresh, though, and they allowed us to get fruit cups as our desserts which was a refreshing break from the pre-packaged carrot cake/chocolate cakes that most of the counter services offer as the only dessert choices.

Meal cost: $50.69
Meals credits used: 4

Dinner - California Grill

This is another of our must-dos, and I’m happy to say it didn’t disappoint! We bused over to the Magic Kingdom with the intention of taking the kids for a nice monorail ride to dinner, but the monorail had broken down for hours a few days earlier and was acting funny again that evening so we hoofed it over to the Contemporary. I’m glad we did, or else I’d never have gotten this pic:

We checked in on the second floor and were shown where to park the stroller. I thought this was a very nice touch, a sort of oversized coat closet where the hostess parked strollers and gave us a claim tag so they could have it out and ready for us when we came back downstairs.

Our ADR was early, and we were seated as soon as we got upstairs. This is one of those restaurants where you hear about long waits for a table, but we’ve never experienced it. I do like having early ADRs at the signatures with the kids, however, so that seating isn’t subject to the usual variations in how long it takes to turn a table - all of ours were between 5:30 and 6, in the first half-hour the restaurant is open, and that worked out beautifully. On our last trip, we had a later reservation and a perfect window table for Wishes, but this time we were seated in a very nice booth around the far side of the open kitchen area. It didn’t have as nice a view, but was a much better location for dining with a toddler, more out of the way and a little quieter.

We had the most wonderful server here as well, her name is Kelly and she did an amazing job of pacing the entire meal so that each course arrived just as we were finishing the one before. We were never left waiting for refills, and she noticed the baby had finished the goldfish crackers they bring with the bread almost before I did and brought a second dish quickly as well.

I have book looking forward to the sushi here ever since our last trip, when I was pregnant with DD16mo and skipping the raw items, so I knew just what appetizer I was going to order – the spicy kazan roll. This was amazing. As always, the sushi at California Grill was fresh, tasty, and well presented. The fireball sauce has a good kick to it, making the dish live up to its name, and the crab and scallops add a little sweetness to counterbalance the heat.

My 11yo was looking forward to sushi here almost as much as I was, because sushi is one of his favorite foods and this was our first visit here since he became an adult on the dining plan. He ordered the tempura Malibu roll, which was also excellent. The sesame sauce was a compex blend of sweet and spicy, with a little more heat than I expected, and the variety of fish in this dish added an interesting dimension. Overall I preferred my choice, but I’m a nut for spicy foods. He preferred his choice, so that worked out well.

DH did something really uncharacteristic here – he ordered a salad, the Asian rock shrimp salad. Initially I think he planned to just eat the shrimp, but he was very impressed with this appetizer. The salad itself was a blend of more strongly flavored greens, the finely sliced pears added just a hint of sweetness, and the combination of the wasabi and soy dressings made for a nice, light topping. The shrimp were small and plentiful and very crispy, but the salad would have been excellent even without them.

Last but not least, DD got another fruit cup for her appetizer. This was a generous bowl of mixed fruit with lots of berries, and made both girls very happy.

For entrees, DS had planned on the Snake in the Grass, an eel roll that is one of the two sushi items that count as entrees rather than appetizers on the dining plan, but the ostrich appetizer at Jiko was so good that he decided to try the ostrich instead. I ordered the same, for the same reason. The ostrich is served rare over whipped potatoes, with honeyed carrots and figs, and the combination of flavors is superb. We both adored this, but disagreed whether it was better than Jiko; DS thought Jiko’s ostrich was a little better, while I preferred the California Grill.

DH had the filet, which somehow I failed to get a picture of, and he was very impressed. The teriyaki barbeque sauce was quite good, the sour cream mashed potatoes were very rich, and DH declared this the best steak of the trip by far.

DD ordered the grilled chicken kids’ meal, which wasn’t anything special but was a generous portion, well-seasoned and not at all dry, accompanied by fresh, lightly steamed green beans. The kids really like the signature kids meals because they’re more like food at home, and this one was no exception. Between her and the baby, they just about polished it off.

DH passed on dessert, saying he couldn’t eat another bite, but he did manage a bite of mine! I ordered the valhrona chocolate cake, which has become something of a “usual” choice for me. I was disappointed with the recent reports that the pairing was salted caramel ice cream, because in my opinion the pairing makes or breaks this dish, but they must have changed things up for the holidays because the pairing on the night we were there was peppermint ice cream garnished with a small piece of peppermint bark. Very festive and a much better complement to the rich chocolate of the cake, but not quite as good as the blood orange sorbet pairing I had on our last visit.

The kids both ordered their very favorite Disney dessert ever – the rice crispy sushi plate. They’ve changed the presentation of this a little since our last visit, adding very cute marshmallow wasabi and chocolate soy sauce accompaniments, and as usual it was a hit with both kids. My son likes this so well that after our first visit to CA Grill, he insisted I learn to make it to serve at his birthday party!

Will we go back? Certainly! I'd go just for the sushi even if we weren't on the dining plan, and I'm sure DH & DS would revolt if I tried to plan a trip without a visit to California Grill.

Meal cost: $244.41
Meal credits used: 8
OOP costs: $64.38

Total DxDDP value so far: $1116.98

 

[Colleen27]

Your food photos at LTT are really crisp! Mind if I ask what camera you're using? Mine is ancient, will be seeking one before our trip next year (soooo far away).

I use a Sony A100 digital SLR. I'm afraid I really didn't do it justice on this last trip, because I was usually preoccupied with the baby and not taking the time to get really good food porn. Even DH commented - the pics at LTT, where the baby was asleep for the entire meal, are MUCH better quality than the photos I took at the meals that she was awake for! That's the downside to an SLR; you have to take the time to make sure the settings are right, and it isn't great for distracted point-and-shoot photography.

I took a lot fewer pictures this trip too - about 600 over 9 days. On the previous trip, I took almost 2500 over 12 days!

 

[disney_princess_85]

Loving your reviews!

Your Liberty Tree Tavern review is the only one I've read that's ever made me want to eat there. My only reservation is that I'm a vegetarian and the one and only veggie entrée doesn't really appeal. There are loads of dishes that DBF would like though, so I might just go for it!

 

[vinotinto]

Hi there! I came across your review as we're doing the DxDP with kids in September and I was browsing ideas for ADRs. When is the next installment?

 

[MarieA]

Looking forward to the rest of your reviews!!!

 

[Kate716]

Loving your reviews. We're trying the Deluxe plan for the first time on our trip in 3 weeks! (Yay!!) We are also not fans of the Kona restaurant at the Poly so don't feel bad. We had a bad experience last May and will not be going back....even with sushi now on the menu.

 

[triciari]

Fun, fun, fun!!!

 

[cymbaldiva]

A shame you never finished this... I was enjoying your review

 

[aml3679]

I love reading your reviews and it is nice that you give the DDP breakdown. We opted for the Deluxe Dining Plan when we go next December and I knew it was worth the cost but there have been so many people saying it is not worth it, etc. It is worth it for the convenience. To be able to sit down and order a whole meal and just pay a tip. Did you find that it took away flexability though?

 

[Colleen27]

Wow, someone bumped this! I'd forgotten all about it in the craziness of early this year, and I apologize for not finishing up. Unfortunately all my notes and photos are long gone, casualties of a minor computer issue and my own laziness in not backing everything up.

I think the best of the reviews got finished, though - we had a minor stomach bug run through the family, and plans got derailed. DH was too sick for Akershus, so no food pics because I had all the kids and no second adult. I was sick on our DHS day so I missed Brown Derby and cancelled Kouzzina in favor of pizza in the room. Then my mom flew down to surprise the kids so I didn't get a lot of pics at Crystal Palace or Narcoosees, and we ended up cancelling Chef Mickey's in favor of a few hours at Epcot so my mom could see the holiday decorations. I promise I'll do better with reviews in March!

Aml3679, we don't find that the DxDDP takes away flexibility. We still change a lot of plans on the fly, and even with three of the five of us sick at some point over the course of the week we used our credits without difficulty (including sandwiches to go right before leaving for the airport) and felt the plan was well worth the money. I think having the plan actually makes us more flexible, because we're not thinking about the budget or the cost of the menu items that might sound good at any given moment. We will be on the plan again in March.

 

[2Tiggers]

I am loving your reviews! Keep them coming, your giving me good ideas!