ryanpatricksmom
No more Pixie Poop!
- Joined
- May 18, 2001
- Messages
- 1,091
Our quick restaurant review 10/17 thru 10/20
The Mommy and Me Trip
A little background .For many years my family made the trek to WDW at least annually. We stayed on average for 6 nights a trip. Five years ago I divorced, and remarried 2 ½ years ago to a non-Disneyphile. As a result, my 17 year old had not been to Disney in ages.
This year, we decided to take a Mommy and Me trip me being the mommy, Ryan (17) is the me. I booked a quick 3 nighter in October expecting light crowds .oops! I booked deluxe dining because we were in the World for 4 full days giving us plenty of time to spread out the credits. We used 2 snack credits one time for breakfast, the remainder we used at Goofys Candy Company where we purchased goodies to take home. We used our refillable mugs for coffee in the morning, and also filled up at night with our beverage of choice.
We arrived around noon on 10/17, checked in quickly and headed directly to AK for our 2pm reservations at Yak and Yeti. We arrived a bit early, but were given a table immediately. I will agree with other posters, that this restaurant tends to be on the slow side, but as we were to find out, October in WDW aint what it used to be, LOL! For our appetizers we ordered the chicken lettuce wraps and pot stickers. We enjoyed both of them, with the award going to the pot stickers. For our entrees, Ryan chose the Chicken Lo Mein, and I had the Shrimp/Steak Combo. The Lo Mein was okay, not great a little too saucy. My meal was excellent, in fact we ended up sharing my meal and leaving most of Ryans. I was especially surprised by the beef. It was tender and flavorful. We both ordered the wonton dessert which is very good as well. I was so full by that point that I ate the fruit with the sauce and left most of the wontons, Ryan did the opposite. My only negative would be that hot tea is not one of the included beverages. I thought that this was strange for an Asian themed restaurant.
Dinner was at Coral Reef. Even after many, many trips to WDW, we had never been able to work this restaurant into our plans. Im so glad that we did this trip. We very much enjoyed the ambience. It was one of the few times that we didnt feel on top of our neighbors for one thing, and, the aquarium definitely adds to the experience. We enjoyed the bread/olive oil/balsamic vinegar that comes with the meal. I ordered the Lobster Bisque, while Ryan ordered a Shrimp Cocktail. My bisque was tasty, but lacked lobster flavor, imo. I left the majority of it to leave room for what I hoped to be bigger and better things. Ryan found his shrimp to be very good. For entrees, Ryan had the steak, while I ordered the grouper prepared with a risotto. We both enjoyed our entrees immensely. For dessert Ryan had the Chocolate Wave, while I had crème brulee. Both were excellent.
We retired for the evening after a very long day (5am to 12:30am), and prepared for the next days crowds and dining. I should mention at this point that initially I hadnt planned on making many ADRs having traveled in the fall previously, and finding empty parks. Friends (thankfully!) encouraged me to make reservations 60 days out, and we actually had some difficulty with times/restaurant favorites. As it turned out it worked out okay, because we tried some new places that we really enjoyed.
The next morning, we ate at Boatwrights. We are staying at POR, and because we each had 9 dining credits and only 4 days, one of the days we need to eat 3 meals in order to use them all. We delegated our first full day as piggy day and started with a sit-down breakfast. We each ordered a Tropical Smoothie and enjoyed them quite a bit. At the end of the meal we got a to-go cup since we could barely make a dent during breakfast. We also ordered coffee (for me), and chocolate milk (for Ryan). For our main course Ryan chose an omelet (w/ toast, homefries), while I ordered Eggs Benedict on a biscuit instead of an English muffin (w/grits). Everything was delicious. We didnt push ourselves to eat it all, because we still had 2 meals ahead of us.
Lunch was at Tonys Town Square. Ryan started with the Minestrone, which he pronounced as okay, I had the Tomato and Mozzarella salad, also just okay. The restaurant was packed, and service was spotty and slow. I also found it a little odd that they didnt offer bread prior to/with the meal. For our entrees Ryan picked Chicken Parm, while I had the Grilled Salmon Salad, substituting chicken for the salmon. Ryan again felt that his meal was okay, I enjoyed mine immensely. For dessert Ryan had cheesecake ( I believe that it was mocha), while I had the tiramisu. My dessert was the better by far.
Kona Café was our dinner spot. My only real complaint with this restaurant is how closely the tables are spaced. At the theme park restaurants, I understand; at the resort restaurants, I dont think that you should be bumping elbows with perfect strangers especially at a meal that costs more than $50 per person. As always, the bread with the macadamia nut butter is to die for. I have to stay very much in control, or Ill spoil my dinner in a heartbeat. For our appetizers, we had the Shrimp Roll and the Lump Crab Cakes. Both were excellent. Ryan ordered the prime rib, which he felt was his best meal of the trip, while I had the Tuna Oscar. I had initially ordered the shrimp/scallops, however the waiter discouraged me from doing so since I had ordered the Shrimp Roll. He was concerned that it would be too much of the same. After explaining that I did not like rare tuna, we agreed on the Tuna Oscar if it could be cooked medium. It still came pretty rare, but I muddled thru. I would not order this again, but I did enjoy the fried green tomatoes. For dessert we had the Chocolate Fondue and the Kileau Torte, both very good.
Sunday was DHS day, which is not our favorite for choice dining. We had ADRS for lunch at Prime Time Café, which is not typically a favorite of mine. Im not a huge fan of the schtick, and the food is only so-so. Our server was attentive, and not too over the top, so it worked out okay for us. I ordered the crab cake for an appetizer yucky, and Ryan had the shrimp cocktail pretty good. For our main course Ryan ordered the Chicken Caesar Salad, while I had the Pot Roast. Both were okay. The thing thats weird about Prime Time, imo (besides the server/client interaction) is that what they do well is all so heavy. I love comfort food, its just hard to hunker down and eat a plate full of meat and potatoes and then head out into the Florida sun. I prefer the food at Brown Derby, but thats not even close to being worth 2 credits, imo, so comfort food it was.
For dessert I had the famous PB&J milkshake (my fave, and I drank every drop in a to-go cup), and Ryan had the Brownie Sundae. Definitely the best part of the meal. Yum!
Dinnertime was a pleasant surprise. Im not a buffet person as a rule, but because we dont like the dining at DHS, and because we needed at least one night with a bedtime before midnight, we opted for the Cape May Buffet, only a short trip away from the park.
We really enjoyed this. The clams and shrimp were tasty. I didnt try the mussels. Ryan and I both enjoyed the salad bar section. The prime rib and chicken were very good. Ryan felt that the mashed potatoes were the best he had ever eaten. I loved having veggies, which had been sorely lacking in my diet so far this trip. The desserts, too, were delightful. I would give this a big surprise thumbs up, and the best part is that its affordable. This is definitely a meal that is a great value for those not on the dining plan.
Monday is our final day. Our plane does not leave until 9:20 pm, so we are going to have a very long day ahead of us. We start the morning at Tusker House for our only character meal. The food was delicious, service was impeccable, and the character interaction was very good. I would recommend this to anyone. I wont go into details as to whats offered, because trust me, you will find more than enough choices to please you.
Our final meal is Tutta Italia at EPCOT. We are exhausted and cranky and hoping for good things. Tutta does not disappoint. While I do think that this restaurant is overpriced, on the dining plan it is a great value, and delicious food. The bread with the flavored butter was wonderful. Ryan ordered the Caesar salad for his appetizer as I said he was cranky, so he wondered why with a $16 salad, assembly was required he enjoyed the taste though. I had a small eggplant parm for my appetizer that was out of this world. Entrees were pumpkin ravioli (me), and Lasagne (Ryan). Both were delicious. For dessert Ryan had the Tiramisu, while I had the Copetta Soto Bosco. Ryan loved his Tiramisu, and I loved my dessert as well, although the berries were frozen solid which could have been improved upon (esp. for a $14 dessert). All told, this was my favorite meal of the trip.
This is my babys last year at home, as he is a senior in high school. I dont know if well be squeezing any more mommy and me trips in, but if we do, I would happily do the deluxe dining plan again. I had previously tried the basic twice, and found the deluxe version much more to our liking. I need the break in the day to be waited on and cant stand the crowds/lines for counter service. The trick for us was having the full extra day to spread the meals out. I know that some people use deluxe as an opportunity to try the signature restaurants, and while I love the food, Im never up to changing for dinner on a theme park vacation, so that doesnt work for us. One big change going forward .well take our chances with the weather in December/January next time .its got to be less daunting than the crowds.
A little background .For many years my family made the trek to WDW at least annually. We stayed on average for 6 nights a trip. Five years ago I divorced, and remarried 2 ½ years ago to a non-Disneyphile. As a result, my 17 year old had not been to Disney in ages.
This year, we decided to take a Mommy and Me trip me being the mommy, Ryan (17) is the me. I booked a quick 3 nighter in October expecting light crowds .oops! I booked deluxe dining because we were in the World for 4 full days giving us plenty of time to spread out the credits. We used 2 snack credits one time for breakfast, the remainder we used at Goofys Candy Company where we purchased goodies to take home. We used our refillable mugs for coffee in the morning, and also filled up at night with our beverage of choice.
We arrived around noon on 10/17, checked in quickly and headed directly to AK for our 2pm reservations at Yak and Yeti. We arrived a bit early, but were given a table immediately. I will agree with other posters, that this restaurant tends to be on the slow side, but as we were to find out, October in WDW aint what it used to be, LOL! For our appetizers we ordered the chicken lettuce wraps and pot stickers. We enjoyed both of them, with the award going to the pot stickers. For our entrees, Ryan chose the Chicken Lo Mein, and I had the Shrimp/Steak Combo. The Lo Mein was okay, not great a little too saucy. My meal was excellent, in fact we ended up sharing my meal and leaving most of Ryans. I was especially surprised by the beef. It was tender and flavorful. We both ordered the wonton dessert which is very good as well. I was so full by that point that I ate the fruit with the sauce and left most of the wontons, Ryan did the opposite. My only negative would be that hot tea is not one of the included beverages. I thought that this was strange for an Asian themed restaurant.
Dinner was at Coral Reef. Even after many, many trips to WDW, we had never been able to work this restaurant into our plans. Im so glad that we did this trip. We very much enjoyed the ambience. It was one of the few times that we didnt feel on top of our neighbors for one thing, and, the aquarium definitely adds to the experience. We enjoyed the bread/olive oil/balsamic vinegar that comes with the meal. I ordered the Lobster Bisque, while Ryan ordered a Shrimp Cocktail. My bisque was tasty, but lacked lobster flavor, imo. I left the majority of it to leave room for what I hoped to be bigger and better things. Ryan found his shrimp to be very good. For entrees, Ryan had the steak, while I ordered the grouper prepared with a risotto. We both enjoyed our entrees immensely. For dessert Ryan had the Chocolate Wave, while I had crème brulee. Both were excellent.
We retired for the evening after a very long day (5am to 12:30am), and prepared for the next days crowds and dining. I should mention at this point that initially I hadnt planned on making many ADRs having traveled in the fall previously, and finding empty parks. Friends (thankfully!) encouraged me to make reservations 60 days out, and we actually had some difficulty with times/restaurant favorites. As it turned out it worked out okay, because we tried some new places that we really enjoyed.
The next morning, we ate at Boatwrights. We are staying at POR, and because we each had 9 dining credits and only 4 days, one of the days we need to eat 3 meals in order to use them all. We delegated our first full day as piggy day and started with a sit-down breakfast. We each ordered a Tropical Smoothie and enjoyed them quite a bit. At the end of the meal we got a to-go cup since we could barely make a dent during breakfast. We also ordered coffee (for me), and chocolate milk (for Ryan). For our main course Ryan chose an omelet (w/ toast, homefries), while I ordered Eggs Benedict on a biscuit instead of an English muffin (w/grits). Everything was delicious. We didnt push ourselves to eat it all, because we still had 2 meals ahead of us.
Lunch was at Tonys Town Square. Ryan started with the Minestrone, which he pronounced as okay, I had the Tomato and Mozzarella salad, also just okay. The restaurant was packed, and service was spotty and slow. I also found it a little odd that they didnt offer bread prior to/with the meal. For our entrees Ryan picked Chicken Parm, while I had the Grilled Salmon Salad, substituting chicken for the salmon. Ryan again felt that his meal was okay, I enjoyed mine immensely. For dessert Ryan had cheesecake ( I believe that it was mocha), while I had the tiramisu. My dessert was the better by far.
Kona Café was our dinner spot. My only real complaint with this restaurant is how closely the tables are spaced. At the theme park restaurants, I understand; at the resort restaurants, I dont think that you should be bumping elbows with perfect strangers especially at a meal that costs more than $50 per person. As always, the bread with the macadamia nut butter is to die for. I have to stay very much in control, or Ill spoil my dinner in a heartbeat. For our appetizers, we had the Shrimp Roll and the Lump Crab Cakes. Both were excellent. Ryan ordered the prime rib, which he felt was his best meal of the trip, while I had the Tuna Oscar. I had initially ordered the shrimp/scallops, however the waiter discouraged me from doing so since I had ordered the Shrimp Roll. He was concerned that it would be too much of the same. After explaining that I did not like rare tuna, we agreed on the Tuna Oscar if it could be cooked medium. It still came pretty rare, but I muddled thru. I would not order this again, but I did enjoy the fried green tomatoes. For dessert we had the Chocolate Fondue and the Kileau Torte, both very good.
Sunday was DHS day, which is not our favorite for choice dining. We had ADRS for lunch at Prime Time Café, which is not typically a favorite of mine. Im not a huge fan of the schtick, and the food is only so-so. Our server was attentive, and not too over the top, so it worked out okay for us. I ordered the crab cake for an appetizer yucky, and Ryan had the shrimp cocktail pretty good. For our main course Ryan ordered the Chicken Caesar Salad, while I had the Pot Roast. Both were okay. The thing thats weird about Prime Time, imo (besides the server/client interaction) is that what they do well is all so heavy. I love comfort food, its just hard to hunker down and eat a plate full of meat and potatoes and then head out into the Florida sun. I prefer the food at Brown Derby, but thats not even close to being worth 2 credits, imo, so comfort food it was.
For dessert I had the famous PB&J milkshake (my fave, and I drank every drop in a to-go cup), and Ryan had the Brownie Sundae. Definitely the best part of the meal. Yum!
Dinnertime was a pleasant surprise. Im not a buffet person as a rule, but because we dont like the dining at DHS, and because we needed at least one night with a bedtime before midnight, we opted for the Cape May Buffet, only a short trip away from the park.
We really enjoyed this. The clams and shrimp were tasty. I didnt try the mussels. Ryan and I both enjoyed the salad bar section. The prime rib and chicken were very good. Ryan felt that the mashed potatoes were the best he had ever eaten. I loved having veggies, which had been sorely lacking in my diet so far this trip. The desserts, too, were delightful. I would give this a big surprise thumbs up, and the best part is that its affordable. This is definitely a meal that is a great value for those not on the dining plan.
Monday is our final day. Our plane does not leave until 9:20 pm, so we are going to have a very long day ahead of us. We start the morning at Tusker House for our only character meal. The food was delicious, service was impeccable, and the character interaction was very good. I would recommend this to anyone. I wont go into details as to whats offered, because trust me, you will find more than enough choices to please you.
Our final meal is Tutta Italia at EPCOT. We are exhausted and cranky and hoping for good things. Tutta does not disappoint. While I do think that this restaurant is overpriced, on the dining plan it is a great value, and delicious food. The bread with the flavored butter was wonderful. Ryan ordered the Caesar salad for his appetizer as I said he was cranky, so he wondered why with a $16 salad, assembly was required he enjoyed the taste though. I had a small eggplant parm for my appetizer that was out of this world. Entrees were pumpkin ravioli (me), and Lasagne (Ryan). Both were delicious. For dessert Ryan had the Tiramisu, while I had the Copetta Soto Bosco. Ryan loved his Tiramisu, and I loved my dessert as well, although the berries were frozen solid which could have been improved upon (esp. for a $14 dessert). All told, this was my favorite meal of the trip.
This is my babys last year at home, as he is a senior in high school. I dont know if well be squeezing any more mommy and me trips in, but if we do, I would happily do the deluxe dining plan again. I had previously tried the basic twice, and found the deluxe version much more to our liking. I need the break in the day to be waited on and cant stand the crowds/lines for counter service. The trick for us was having the full extra day to spread the meals out. I know that some people use deluxe as an opportunity to try the signature restaurants, and while I love the food, Im never up to changing for dinner on a theme park vacation, so that doesnt work for us. One big change going forward .well take our chances with the weather in December/January next time .its got to be less daunting than the crowds.
But then I love rare tuna, the rarer the better. I was even better than the Seared Tuna Kona stopped offering a few years back.
