joeysmommy
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Apr 11, 2007
- Messages
- 656
That would be Storytellers Cafe. We used to love going there and it would be a must-do on every trip. Our March 2009 trip would be our last time going there due to our horrid experience there. We felt so bad recommending it so highly to our extended family (7 of us). Here's why:
1. The food was really bad there. The fish I ordered smelled fishy (indicator that it's not fresh), overdone on the outside but all raw on the inside. My DD's ravioli was supposed to be in a red sauce (as the waiter described it to her) but was actually in a clear broth. The other orders were just mediocre.
2. Our waiter pretty much ignored us the entire night. And the restaurant was not busy with many many empty tables. He took our orders, and only came back when I flagged him down to tell him my daughter's ravioli was not in a red sauce as he described and my fish was not cooked and smelled fishy. He was rude and told me that that didn't stop my daughter from eating half of it -- that's right, she was hungry and there was no other alternative since he didn't show up for us to tell him at the beginning of our meal!!! He disappeared with my plate, mumbling about something, and never returned with my meal. I basically didn't eat except for the first few bites.
3. I went to the host at the front of the register, and told him we haven't seen my waiter, he disappeared with my food for 20-25 minutes, can we see a manager and can we get the bill because my family is all finished and we wanted to go because we received no service. He told me the manager will come. Another 30 minutes, no manager, no bill. We all pack up and tell the host that nobody came and we received no bill, so we'll just leave. CA was closing soon, and we were running out of time (our last night at DL/CA). The host said OK because he understood we are having a bad experience.
4. We left the restaurant and hung outside feeling really gross about what went on in the restaurant because we are not the kind of people who would dine and dash. But we received no service, no bill, and I got no dinner as it was whisked away. Through the windowed doors, we saw the manager in his black suit come out to to talk with the host, and they were staring at us outside. My DH and DBIL went back in after 10 minutes of our pondering what to do. They had a long discussion with the manager who was just as rude, informing him of the poor service we received, then they paid the bill, minus my meal. And the kicker, the manager, even though he saw us through the doors, had called security to search for us and detain us -- kids and all.
We weren't looking for a free meal or anything, because we are able to afford this. We weren't looking for any discounts because we paid for our meal except for mine which was taken away nor did we ask for any discounts.
The whole experience left us with a bad taste in our mouth (literally and figuratively). But my DDs and my DNeice were all scared that they were coming to arrest us. Perhaps we were wrong in leaving the restaurant in the first place. It's not like we were rowdy; we were completely respectful restaurant patrons, lots of pleases and thank yous. We wanted the bill so I had to get up and go to the host to get it. We wanted to return to the parks. What was going to be a nice dinner turned into a 2.5-hour ordeal.
I have never eaten at Storytellers but my friend has tried it twice with her family. They all got food poisoning on the both tries.
Tortilla Joe's! They tend to get a bad rap on here, there is one poster who always tells the Food Poisoning story (could have been a flu bug, not even food poisoning, right?). The few times we have been - both at the take out window and inside - have been really, really good. So good that all 14 people in our party were happy with the meal. I know each place can have an off day or off shift, but we have been very happy with TJ's.
But this thread is fascinating to me because we literally have both sides of the coin on most of the places mentioned on here - some have had totally horrid experiences at a restaurant and others have had great meals and service at those same places! I find that so interesting!
Did you try the meatball sandwich? The enormous pizzetta salad? The orange sorbet?
. The pizzetta salad sounds yummy. We usually don't get dessert right away after we eat, so I've never tried the desserts at any of the Disney restaurants. This thread is making me rethink some things though! And we are planning on doing the kitchen sink thing just for the "wow" factor for the kids!
The orange sorbet comes served in an orange peel. It looks like it would be great on a hot summer day. And yes, that salad is huge.....though not as huge as the Kitchen Sink you are going to have at PCH Grill!! That thing is mind-bending. I have not had it yet because I have not had enough people with me to tackle it, but it looks awesome!!
Let us know if your group is able to walk after you all eat it!!
I am not the only one who made it out of Naples alive - AND enjoyed my meals and service there too! I honestly thought it was a nice little place to eat - especially at an outdoor table! I never knew Naples had inspired such disgust! I know there are more of you secret Naples fans out there!
