The Picky Eater & The Glutton Attempt to Conquer DxDDP...Tusker House Breakfast 12/30

[disneygirlinnj]

So this morning we had an 8:05am Crystal Palace ADR and got to get into the park early! LOVED having it be so empty! Got to take a bunch of great photos...

I saw the line getting pretty long at CP so we paused on photos for a bit and went to check in. Seated within 10 mins and got this cute surprise on our table...



Our server came over and took our drink order and sent us on our way to get food. He said all the characters won't be out for awhile though so we have time. Sadly though we missed Pooh on his first run through the restaurant!

I honestly don't remember the coffee here. I kind of want to say that it wasn't the horrible Nescafe stuff? But I could totally be wrong. I remember clearly getting the gross coffee at Tusker House but don't remember it anywhere else! We also got freshly squeezed orange juice which mom loved and I definitely enjoyed as well.

My plate of yumminess...



Mom and I both got omelets to order and they were cooked perfectly. Mom just had plain cheese and I had ham and cheese with tomatoes. Possibly peppers too but I don't see any in the photo. I HATE when my eggs are even the slightest bit runny and these passed my test. Next to the omelet is the breakfast pizza. It wasn't too bad, but I expected there to be some kind of meat on it? Didn't finish the whole thing. In the back are the biscuits and gravy. I felt like these tasted like nothing. The gravy was bland. Biscuits were good by themselves though. Hiding under the grapes were potatoes, must have been decent but I can't remember. And the infamous Disney bacon. I personally love the bacon there but I HATE greasy fatty bacon. This bacon is usually crisp.

I forgot what else mom got but I remember it being a LOT of food and I 'scolded' her for taking so much. Mom usually eats NOTHING when we go out to eat. She'll eat a quarter of her meal and be full. Surprisingly she ate like a HOUSE this whole week. We were both amazed. I have NO idea how she did it. Me, on the other hand, ate barely anything. Very sad. The heat and my nerves got the best of me I think. So yup...mom ate everything on her plate. Pretty sure she had fruit, croissants, waffles, etc.

As we started eating, a few of the characters came out...





By the time we were finished, we had only seen Piglet and Tigger. Slightly disappointed. The server came by with the bill, a birthday cupcake, and a card signed by all the characters at CP. Cute touch!

Oh! Before I forget.... Ekkirt and I had been Tweeting back and forth to each other. He and his family were also having 8am breakfast at CP! We both tweeted what we were wearing and sure enough I see him and his granddaughter making our way to our table. It was great to finally put a face to a name! Sadly though we both totally forgot to take photos!

Mom then headed to the restroom and of course that's when Eeyore showed up..



My day was made....Eeyore is my favorite Pooh character so I was happy! Mom came back and we decided not to wait for Pooh. He wasn't anywhere in sight so it would have taken him a while to get to us anyways.

Overall we really enjoyed Crystal Palace. Some food was hit or miss but that was just personal taste. Mom loved every bite and I really enjoyed what I liked. It was better than Tusker House's breakfast (although we liked TH too) and I love the atmosphere. Would we eat here again? Definitely! I tried to book ADRs for my trip in January but they're closing for renovations.

The breakdown:
Two Adult Breakfasts: 2 @ $18.99 each
Total before tip: $40.45
TS Credits Used: 2
OOP: Just tip

The rest of our MK day will have to be continued later on...time to head to work!

 

[thechesters420]

Awesome food pics! Looks great

 

[disneygirlinnj]

After wandering the MK for a bit in the morning we headed down Main Street.

When we got to Tony's we were about a half hour early and when I tried to check in, the CM pretty much told me she isn't going to check me in and that I have to come give our name again in 20 mins. Hmph! NOT off to a good start guys! I was already iffy about eating here since we only had so-so experiences in the past. Oh well. So mom sat in the waiting area and I just wandered the store for a little bit. We were trying to find a cool picture frame and photo album and we found them there. Didn't want to buy them yet though so I just made a mental note. Then it hit me! I NEVER picked up my birthday fun card!! EEK! I went over to mom and told her I'd be right back and headed out to Guest Realations. It was a quick transaction and in minutes I had $79 to spend however my heart desired.

By the time I got back to Tony's it was time to check in for real this time. We went into the waiting area and had a seat and only waited a few minutes for our name to be called. We were sat all the way in the back in a comfy booth kinda by the kitchen. It wasn't a problem though because we were out of everyone's way and it was crowded in there!

We did get more confetti...


Now I was seriously pretty full from breakfast and made a promise to myself that I wouldn't make myself sick by forcing food. But I WAS going to try things!

Our waitress came out and was pretty friendly. She made some suggestions about what she liked and took our drink orders. I think it was water for me and soda for mom.

Now onto the food!

We decided to try something that was new on the menu... Breaded Zucchini Sticks. I forgot to write down the price of these but I'm thinking they were around $7.99. They were pretty decent! Not too greasy and were nice and crunchy yet the zucchini was soft inside. The marinara sauce tasted better than what I remember at Tony's so not sure if they changed it slightly? I tried a few pieces and mom ate the rest. She really enjoyed it (are you sensing a trend?).

Sorry...we ate a few before taking the pic..



I decided on the Insalata Alla Caprese...on allears it's called...Tomato and Mozzarella Salad - Tomatoes, fresh Mozzarella, and Red Onions tossed with Roasted Garlic, Shallots, and Balsamic Dressing $8.69

Now I think the description on allears is slightly different than what we had. The description sounds like what I had a few years back... tiny mozz balls tossed with grape tomatoes and dressing. What we were served today was a million times better! This was a large piece of mozz cut into slices with a large ripe tomato...all drizzled with oil and balsamic glaze, topped with sliced raw onions and served with large garlic croutons/bread.



This was also tasty and good. The mozz was pretty fresh and the tomatoes were definitely ripe. They went well with the balsamic glaze. I was pleasantly surprised with it. Sadly I could only have a piece or piece and a half of both tomato and mozz. Mom tried it too and enjoyed.

For entrees mom chose the Eggplant Catasta (Stack) - Layers of Eggplant, Caramelized Onions, Fresh Mozzarella, and Parmesan with Marinara Sauce over penne pasta $14.99

To me this looked like some kind of version of eggplant parmesan... I don't really think their fresh mozz was the same that they had on the appetizer. This was definitely grated mozz that you get from a bag it seemed. And didnt see any caramelized onions but that's ok because mom isn't a huge fan of them. And umm... where's the sauce on the pasta?



Turns out the sauce was hiding under everything. Mom said if she was going to have more pasta, she would have asked for more sauce but she mainly ate just the eggplant. She said it wasn't mushy like sometimes fried eggplant can get and said she'd get it again.

I was really indecisive on my entree. I didn't want a sandwich, or a ceasar salad, or a full pasta dish. I was FULL already!! So against my better judgment, I listened to the waitress and ordered the Chicken Parmigiana - Lightly breaded Chicken Breast with Marinara Sauce, melted Mozzarella over Spaghetti $16.99.

Figured I could just eat the chicken and not the pasta. Last time I had the chicken parm though, it was sub par and NOT that great at all. I crossed my fingers and hoped for the best.

Now I know the photo doesn't look too appetizing but here it is.. (I was too lazy to change lenses or push the plate further away..sorry!)



How was it? I was pleasantly surprised again! The sauce wasn't runny like last time...the same marinara from the zucchini sticks. The chicken was well seasoned and moist. The pasta I honestly don't remember too much about. It wasn't mushy though, that I would remember! After a few bites though, I was ridiculously full.

Dessert time...really? MORE food?

Mom chose the Spumoni - layers of ice cream with pistachio nuts and cherries $4.99



It was typical spumoni...the ice cream wasn't anything AMAZING but mom enjoyed it. She ate all the pistachio and chocolate and left the vanilla.

I was going to pass on dessert until I heard the dessert of the day...Chef's Signature Cheesecake - $5.49 and it was.....Pumpkin Cheesecake!!!!! I LOVE anything pumpkin and this got me excited. I also ordered a coffee. I asked before ordering and the waitress said that the coffee is fresh brewed. Nice! Yet another surprise because last trip there it was still that gross Nescafe stuff.



This was... delicious! I actually barely ate the crust on the bottom but that was also very good. I just really wanted to savor the cheesecake part. Not too overpowering on the spices and just sweet enough. I could have this dessert every day. MMMMMM!!

Oh...we also got a bottle of Evian included with the dining plan. After we agreed to it I realized that this is just the server's ploy all around Disney to get more tip money. No one really NEEDS the bottle of Evian but..it's an extra dollar tip for them, right? I noticed servers all around us throughout the whole week pushing the bottles of water and bottles of juices. Smart move on their part...but we fell for it a few times. Oh well.

I didn't write down the final total, but I know it was about $70 by looking at the tip we gave.

We were pleasantly surprised with Tony's this time around. It still isn't real authentic Italian food but it's finally starting to compete with the Olive Garden's and Macaroni Grill's of the world. We'd definitely eat here again...but sadly only because we're not that blown away by any other TS in the MK either. This is the best of the bunch that we've found.

 

[thechesters420]

Looks yummy!

 

[MickeyNicki]

We LOVE Tonys, so glad you enjoyed your meal there too! I wish I was eating that pumpkin dessert right now, looks sooooo good!

 

[disneygirlinnj]

So tonight was the dinner I was looking forward to...my actual bday dinner at Kona. But I think the powers that be had other plans.

So this is where the review goes south. Why, you ask? Cause it's the Kona dinner update. The Kona dinner that I was SO looking forward to. The Kona dinner that I assumed would be JUST like the AMAZING Kona dinner we had two years ago.

Umm...it wasn't. It was by far the worst meal of the trip. The food itself was decent and of course I loved having dinner with Sarah and gang, but everything else put SUCH a damper on it that I just wanted to get the heck out of there and go back to the room.

And? No photos Sorry guys. The little annoyances started before we even sat down so by the time we DID sit down, I was in NO mood to take out the camera.

So when my friends Sarah, Holly, and Mike got off the monorail to join us, it was exactly our ADR time...6:30ish. Mom and I had already been waiting and checked in about 15-20 mins prior. When we checked in, they told us it will only be a 15 min wait. It was REALLLLYYYYY crowded up there though so I knew it might take slightly longer. I also just assumed that the crowd was up there for Ohana. I thought wrong. By 6:45pm we still hadn't called up so I went to go check. The CM was pretty nice...and actually went to go check with other CMs to see why we weren't sat yet. He came back and said it should be a few more mins. I ask exactly how long and he says fifteen. Hm....OK. Whatever. I understand how restaurants can get behind so I let it go. About 20 mins later we finally were seated.

Our waitress was decent in the beginning. Then I'm not sure if she got frazzled or just gave up but we lost her for LONG periods of time. A few times she was sitting in a booth talking to other guests. But would sit in that booth for ten minutes at a time. If the restaurant wasn't crowded, go right ahead and shmooze. But this place was PACKED. Every table was seated and all her tables wanted something. She just didn't seem to care.

We explained to her that my mom and I were on the DxDP and Sarah and the gang would be using TIW. She seemed OK with it so we started to order. The macadamia nut bread was brought to the table and everyone attacked, except me.

I was REALLY NOT that hungry. Since the waiting debacle, I was starting to get nervous. I knew my mom was already tired and she was showing it. The standing around and waiting only made it worse. She wanted to be home by 8pm-ish so she can wash and do her hair for tomorrow and it was already 7pm. We weren't making that deadline! And the way it was going, we were going to be REALLLY late.

Since I wasn't hungry I offered my appetizer to Sarah and the gang. They decided on the Pot Stickers - wok-seared duck dumplings with creamy ginger soy sauce $7.49.

Mom chose the Kona Salad - Mixed greens, Maytag blue cheese, fresh fruit, red onions, and smoked almonds with a citrus vinaigrette $7.99.

Mom took one bite of her salad and hated it. She didn't like the mixed greens at all. So we offered the salad to the gang and they finished it off. The pot stickers were decent...but slightly dry as if they'd been sitting out for a while. Also smaller than what I remembered. The flavor wasn't as good either. Kinda disappointed. I only had half of one and the gang finished the rest.

For entrees, mom chose the Shrimp and Scallops - panko breaded shrimp and pan-seared scallops with sticky rice and ponzu, spicy guava-passion fruit and wasabi cream sauces $20.99

But she asked for all shrimp and all the sauces on the side and they gladly obliged. We asked for lemons to squeeze on the shrimp when the CM's brought the food. And we waited....and waited.. and no lemons. We saw the CM we asked running around bringing out more food, and no lemons. Looked for our server and thats when we saw her in the booth. Finally the CM we asked came running over and finally brought the lemon, but it was honestly 10 mins later. Mom enjoyed the shrimp after that though, thankfully. The shrimp were smaller than last meal but there were definitely more of them.

I ordered the Pomegranate Barbecued Pork Chop served on pan-roasted fingerling potatoes and applewood smoked bacon braised Swiss chard $21.99

This was actually pretty good! The chop was cooked perfectly and was still moist. However I didn't taste ANY pomegranate bbq? the potatoes were also pretty good and well seasoned. Sadly though I only had 5 bites. I honestly just couldn't eat any more.

Oh...Holly had the Coconut Almond Chicken and said it was OK, nothing great. Sarah had the Pan Asian Noodles with Shrimp and said it was good, typical lo mein.

So now time for dessert! EEK! I was sooo full and hurried but I didn't want to rush anyone else. So I made them pick two desserts. We chose the Kilauea Torte a la mode $7.28 and the Chocolate Fondue $6.99. Mom doesn't like vanilla ice cream all that much so I asked for chocolate for the kilauea torte. Now... you would have thought I told the waitress that I wanted anchovies on it. She looked at me like I was crazy...rolled her eyes... and said 'You do realize that's going to be a lot of chocolate?! It's MUCH better with vanilla' I'm pretty sure I spat something back and then realized I should get both flavors and she rolled her eyes AGAIN and said 'fine but I have to charge you for the other flavor'. I never said I didn't want to pay for it. So I told her OK and to put it on MY bill. Off she went...

Another ten minute wait and the desserts finally arrived. The kilauea torte was good. Nice, warm, ooey, and gooey. Just how it's supposed to be. It was good with the vanilla. Mom decided she didn't want any and all she wanted was her chocolate ice cream so she ate that. The chocolate fondue was also pretty good. If I remember right though, the fondue was kinda like Hershey's syrup? I know it came with strawberries... and I honestly can NOT think of what else. Sorry guys.

We had asked for our checks before and I gave her my card and then Sarah gave her the TIW card to split everything up. My bill came right back. Sarah's on the other hand? We have NO idea what happened. We saw our server walk back and forth a million times, with the bill in her hand and just NEVER came by. She also gave Sarah a huge attitude because Sarah didn't tell her prior about TIW....which is a lie. Then to make it worse, poor Sarah just wanted the bill split onto 3 cards... and the lady pretty much flipped out and was horrible. Again...another ten mins of watching her wander the restaurant holding all 3 credit card slips. UGH!

Oh! To make it even worse? She put the ice cream on Sarah's bill and flat out said 'Well since you paid for their appetizers and desserts, I put the ice cream on their bill' Umm...??? I told her to put it on MINE. It wasn't about who paid for more food. We were all taken aback but considering how long it took already, we just gave up.

So if you haven't picked up... Kona was a bust. The food was decent (not as good as last time though) but the server totally put a damper on EVERYTHING. And I SO wanted to enjoy my real bday dinner! I was so disappointed. I felt bad for dragging everyone there so that made it worse. Would I eat there again? Probably...but definitely not during free dining or a busy time. They just can NOT handle the crowds for some reason. And the service was horrendous. Last time it was the BEST service of the trip. I have no idea how it can be SUCH a difference.

The Breakdown:
Coke: $2.69
Diet Coke: $2.69
Pot Stickers: $7.49
Kona Salad: $7.99
Shrimp Scallops: $20.99
Pork Chops: $21.99
Chocolate Fondue: $6.99
Kilauhea Torte a la Mode: $7.28
Total before tip: $83.19
DDP Credits Used: 2
OOP: Just tip


I promise all other reviews are much better!!

 

[NuttyDisneyMom]

So sorry about your bday dinner at Kona I can totally empathize that a server can ruin the meal when they provide horrible service. We're going to Kona for dinner next month for the first time and cannot wait! Hopefully we won't get your server Hope you go back to Kona again and have better service next time

 

[disneygirlinnj]

So sorry about your bday dinner at Kona I can totally empathize that a server can ruin the meal when they provide horrible service. We're going to Kona for dinner next month for the first time and cannot wait! Hopefully we won't get your server Hope you go back to Kona again and have better service next time

Haha, I have faith that this isn't a normal occurrence. I'm definitely going to have dinner at Kona again as soon as I can fit it into my schedule!

 

[annnewjerz]

Sucks about Kona, but I'm glad to hear you're willing to give it another shot. We went there for the first time for breakfast the other weekend and it was okay---nothing great. We decided to give it another shot in December and if it isn't anything great then either, we'll probably start trying alternate breakfast locations.

My birthday dinner at bluezoo was faaaaaaaaaaaaantastic, maybe next time you should try there.

 

[MomsOf2boys]

Oh I would have not been happy either... I probably would have spoken to the manager about it as well. Sorry your birthday dinner was not special!

 

[disneygirlinnj]

Thanks guys!

So I just read another Kona dinner review and it made me giggle.

I just read Mocharilla's Kona dinner review and she complained that their waitress took forever with the bill and sat and talked to tables for LONG periods of time. I went and checked my receipt? Same waitress! Figures, right? At least I know she wasn't just like that with us!

 

[disneygirlinnj]

So our dining experience just HAD to get better after the Kona fiasco, right? Glad to report it did!!

Next up on the list? Breakfast at the Wave!

Mom and I woke up and got ready and headed to the bus stop for the MK. When we got there we heard a family ask the bus driver about going to Chef Mickey's. He said he'd see what he can do about dropping them directly off at the Contemporary...sweet! Sure enough, after dropping a few people off at MK, we got door to door service right to the Contemp. This day was already looking up!

We headed over to the Wave and found it was pretty empty! Maybe 10-15 tables were seated. We were shown to our seats right away and Lisa was our server. Just what we needed after our Kona fiasco! Lisa went above and beyond a few times and I couldn't thank her enough. I was in desperate need of some good coffee and the Wave didn't disappoint. Mom ordered a tea as her drink.

When Lisa found out it was my birthday, she brought out a cinnamon danish with the drinks. It was delicious but too sweet for me so early in the morning! We only had a few bites.

For my meal I had the American - two eggs (over medium for me!) with breakfast potatoes and choice of bacon, pork sausage or chicken sausage $11.99. I chose the chicken sausage since I've never actually had it out before.



The eggs were cooked perfectly. I HATE when any part of the white is runny. But I LOVE runny egg yolks. The potatoes were very good as well, perfectly seasoned. The chicken sausage I wasn't too thrilled with, but it wasn't bad. It had a good flavor, just not my favorite. If it was more well done I might have liked it better but this seemed like it was steamed or something. I'd rather some really good bacon!

Mom chose the BYO Omelette - $11.49. I don't see it on any menu but it's on the receipt! I don't even think it was on the menu that they gave us. Mom saw the feta cheese scrambled eggs but hates scrambled eggs. They gladly made her a feta and tomato omelette, with potatoes.



Mom loved it. Perfectly cooked, and enough feta. Some places jip you on the cheese!

We both forgot that we didn't really want the biscuits, although they were good. I just like dipping real toast into the egg yolks, and mom just likes toast better. So we asked if we can get a side of rye toast and Lisa gladly brought some over free of charge.

We quickly ate our breakfast and asked for the bill. When Lisa came to bring it over, she also gave me a signed birthday card from the whole staff at the Wave. SO cute!

The breakdown:
BYO Omelette: $11.49
Tea: $2.19
American w/Chk Saus: $11.99
Organic Columbian Coffee: $2.19
Total before tip: $29.68
DDP credits used: 2
OOP: tip

Would we eat there again? DEFINITELY! I loved it and it was nice and relaxing. We actually had breakfast there again on our last day. The service was amazing, the decor was beautiful...couldn't ask for much more.

On our way out we stopped in the bar area and I was in heaven. It was a beautiful bar with TV's to watch sports, etc. On the sides was a little lounge area with couches, etc. Perfect place to go without the kids after a long day in the parks! Sadly I didn't take any photos though I'm planning on having dinner there in January though so I'm looking forward to trying it!

 

[disneygirlinnj]

OK! I'm back! And I'm going to get a TR in if it kills me today. The trip details are starting to get fuzzy and it's making me upset!

So I left you guys off with breakfast at the Wave... now onto lunch at Tutto!

Our reservation was for 1pm and looking at our receipt as well as my tweet, I believe we were there right on time. We were seated right next to the tiny 'patio' area closest to the outside tables. It was a slightly tiny two person table but not too bad. Our waitress was Rena and she was delightful. She was very friendly and always made sure that we had everything we needed and that our glasses (mom had a soda, I had iced tea....both $3) were full.

To start off, they brought a basket of different types of bread and breadsticks, along with a plate of olive oil and a tiny bowl of olives. Yummy start!

For appetizers, I started off with my usual... Prosciutto di Parma - Prosciutto ham, seasonal melon $16

I'm pretty sure I can be considered a prosciutto snob. I can live on good prosciutto for the rest of my life. I might be bloated from salt overload, but it's a risk I'd take. I know a lot of people hate it since it's so salty...but if you find quality prosciutto, it's not as salty as most. Growing up with all these great Italian deli's in my area, I've had my share of the good and bad. This prosciutto? Perfect! Yes, it's very expensive for an appetizer, but even if I was paying OOP, I'd order it. Freshly sliced, not too fatty, not too salty. The melon was perfectly ripe and a great compliment to the meat. I'm definitely glad my mom doesn't eat it...more for me!

The melon is hiding under there somewhere...



Mom chose the "Bufala" Mozzarella - tomatoes, basil and Tuscan olive oil $12
Not sure why Bufala is in quotes but it's made from water buffalo milk instead of cow. It's softer/creamier than cow mozzarella. This didn't disappoint either.



I forgot to take an 'after' photo but after, the waitress came by and supplied us with olive oil to drizzle over the whole plate. This was delicious as well. Perfectly fresh mozz and the olive oil was a perfect compliment. The tomatoes could have been slightly riper but I know they weren't in season any more.

Needless to say, both our plates were completely bare by the time they came to clean the table!

Mom was excited when she saw filet of sole on the menu. It's her favorite fish so she ordered that... Sogliola in Tecia - saute breaded filet of Sole, lemon, caper relish $24



She LOVED this! Didn't eat the greens or anything but pretty sure she ate every last bite of the fish. It smelled actually good to me, and I hate seafood. I didn't smell the typical seafood smell. She said it was very light and had a perfect lemon flavor.

I couldn't really make up my mind so asked for a pasta recommendation. Rena suggested the Casarecci - Cavatelli pasta, sweet sausage ragu, tomatoes, pecorino romano $21



YUM! I devoured every last bite of this too. Cavatelli, if made wrong, can be way too heavy and pastey. This was fairly light and not horribly filling. The sauce wasn't too heavy either and the sausage flavor really stood out in the dish. I sopped up every last drop of sauce with some crusty Italian bread at the end. Ok...must stop talking about it..my mouth is watering!

I think it was around here when I tweeted about 'part' of my Tutto experience...

Tweet Update, 1:31 PM Sep 28th: It must be a requirement that if you're a male waiter at tutto...you must be beautiful lol

I'm sorry to all the guys reading this (Scott!) but it's true. There ratio of good looking men to not-so-good-looking men in there was staggering. Obviously I wasn't complaining...haha! And pretty sure Scott has been making fun of me ever since whenever I mention Tutto!

We were pretty much stuffed to the gills after eating every last bite of both appetizers and entrees but of course we couldn't turn down yummy Italian desserts, right?

I ordered the Cannoli - crisp pastry filled with sweet ricotta, chocolate and candied orange $6.50. The allears menu says it's $12 but not on my receipt!



This was a fairly decent cannoli. Not the best I've ever had but it ranked up there. Again, I'm pretty picky with my Italian food! The cannolis are definitely filled with cream to order and aren't just sitting around getting soggy. Bonus points for that!

Mom chose the Copetta Sotto Bosco - berries, zabaglione cream gelato and chocolate sauce $14

She did make a slight change though and asked for the dark chocolate gelato instead of the zabaglione gelato.



The berries were all very fresh and ripe, and the chocolate gelato went well with all of them. I forget what berries were included but definitely strawberries, raspberries, bananas (?) and possibly blueberries?

Oh! Before they brought out the normal desserts... I heard a slight commotion behind me. A few of the waiters all got together and sang 'Happy Birthday' to me in Italian. Very cute! They also presented me with this yummy dessert:



It was chocolate mouse in a chocolate shell with raspberry drizzle. Not too heavy or sweet..just right!

I think I can confidently say that Tutto was the second best meal after Citricos. I loved every single thing about it and wouldn't change a thing. The service was great, as well as the food. Liked it so much that you'll be seeing it again in this TR at some point, haha! Yes, it's expensive but they use quality ingredients and I think it's worth it.

The Breakdown:
Iced Tea: $3
Soda: $3
Prosciutto: $16
Bufala Mozz: $12
Casarecci: $21
Sogliola: $24
Cannoli: $6.50
Copetta Sottobosco: $14
Subtotal: $99.50
Tax: $6.47
Total before tip: $105.97

We paid the bill, thanked everyone, and made our way back out into the gorgeous Florida weather.

 

[onelilspark]

I'm with you on prosciutto. Man, it is delicious!

 

[meloneyb21]

Great pictures. What kind of camera do you have? The clarity of your pictures are excellent.

 

[disneygirlinnj]

I'm with you on prosciutto. Man, it is delicious!

Mmmm...I'm craving some right now

Great pictures. What kind of camera do you have? The clarity of your pictures are excellent.

Thank you! I have a Canon Rebel xTi and I'm pretty sure all of these photos were taken with a 50mm f/1.8 lens.

 

[msce2]

Tutto looks amazing! I am thinking about dropping Mama Melrose and giving Tutto a try. Thank you for your great reviews!

 

[disneygirlinnj]

Tutto looks amazing! I am thinking about dropping Mama Melrose and giving Tutto a try. Thank you for your great reviews!

If it were me I definitely would! Mama Melrose is good and fun but it reminds me a lot of Olive Garden/Macaroni Grill. Tutto is more authentic Italian...if you're in Epcot I'd recommend it but if you're looking for a place at Hollywood Studios, I'd pick Mama's.

 

[disneygirlinnj]

Right after Tutto, we continued on with our journey. I walked past the Australia kiosk by the Africa Outpost and the smell of the lamb chops stopped me dead in my tracks. I'm half Greek...we love our lamb! I quickly ran over there too while mom sat on a bench waiting and grabbed a chop using a snack credit.

Grilled Lamb Chop, Red Wine Sauce, Murray River Sea Salt $5.50



Headed over to mom and relaxed for a few minutes. The lamb chop was delicious!! Slightly fatty but nothing horrible. Cooked perfectly medium and had great flavor. I really don't see or remember any red wine sauce though. They could have used slightly more seasoning but I was still happy.

After some more wandering (but no snacking!) and a quick trip to DTD, we decided to head back to POFQ. It was definitely dinner time... I reeeeallly wasn't hungry and mom never eats too much so we actually split one CS meal.

I got a Powerade, Banana (for the morning snack), and a Personalized Cheese Pizza with side salad. All for one CS credit. Nothing really to review here. The pizza wasn't as good as our arrival day, but it was still decent. I stole a slice from mom and ate the side salad. The salad was fresh but OMG the dressing was sooooo gross. I kinda ruined the salad with it. I grabbed the french dressing and THOUGHT I had mixed it enough in the package but when i tried to pour it on the salad, only the greasy oil poured out. Needless to say I was skeeved out so didn't eat much of it.

 

[disneygirlinnj]

Today was our AK day with breakfast at Tusker House... so we were up and out pretty early.

When we got to AK, they were already letting people with ADRs into the park. The CM had a clipboard but wasn't checking anyone. These two poor girls apparently thought that they could just walk up for the ADR and the CM politely told them that there are no walk ups. They looked defeated! They trekked all the way to AK and couldn't even get in. Sad, lol.

I wish I had more time to take in AK when it was pretty empty. It was beautiful but we were so hungry that we didn't even stop for any photos. We went up to the hostess stand, gave our name, and were quickly told to wait in line to be seated. We bypassed the group photo and were quickly brought to our table.

Our waitress was friendly, although she disappeared for a few times throughout the meal. Nothing horrible though. She brought us out their fabulous juice (which I can NOT remember what was in it!) and then took our drink order and explained the buffet.

Mom and I headed up to get food while she brought us the drinks. The selection of food was decent but I wasn't blown away, as you can see by my plate...



The ham was fresh and moist, and the waffle was the usual yummy Mickey waffle all over property. Potatoes were cooked well and crispy...The ham and cheese fritatta was just ok. The beef bobtie quiche was also good, but not great.

I also tried the bread pudding and it was a little too dry for me but I didnt want to put the vanilla sauce on it. Mom ate all the pecans and crunchy stuff on top and enjoyed it! She enjoyed breakfast here, I think mainly because she ate a million Mickey waffles and fruit!

Oh...the one thing that was really crappy about Tusker House? Their COFFEE!!! They serve the gross Nescafe stuff and I couldn't even drink it. Vile!

Tweet Update, 8:37 AM Sep 29th: Only problem with tusker house? Crappy nescafe coffee!

When the waitress came by once I asked her where in the park I can get real brewed coffee but I don't think she understood me well. She's the only CM we encountered that didn't joke and laugh about the crappy coffee that's sold around the parks!

So we had finished eating and still hadn't had any characters come around. I saw a few walking around but every time they came to our room, they would do a few tables and then walk out for their breaks.

Tweet Update, 9:02 AM Sep 29th: Tusker house was decent. Waiting for the characters...none came by yet..hmph! Donald was in the room and walked out!

While waiting I noticed the cool ceiling decorations

Finally The Mouse walked into the room! Score!



And Mr. Duck was right behind him...



Tweet Update, 9:07 AM Sep 29th: Yay just got mickey and donald...daisy and goofy are in the room

After waiting a few more minutes and making sure the bill was paid, Goofy made his way over to our table



Daisy was also there and of course right when she was supposed to come to our table, she went on a break. We decided not to wait anymore and headed out into the park.

So overall review? Tusker House was good, nothing amazing. Crystal Palace was much better by far. The character interaction was pretty much the same as CP, but a little more rushed. They would come and take a photo with me but some started walking away before my mom could get a pic with them. She wanted photos too! You have to somehow plan to be in their starting room if you have the first ADR of the day. We were towards the back of the restaurant so it took them a long time to get to us.

I would probably eat here again though. Definitely if I had kids with me. It was cute and I liked how the characters were all dressed for their safari. Service was friendly as well. Now if only they could fix that gross coffee!!

The Breakdown:
2 Adult Buffet: $41.98
OOP: tip