There is no WAY we could have eaten it all-FINISHED!!!!

[AwfullyBigAdventures]

Yum. We're back and we're stuffed. I'll try to tell you all about it- as much as I can remember that is! It seems like such a blur now. Yes we did take pictures and I'll be putting some online, unfortunately somehow the memory card was degraded and I lost hundreds of pictures (including some of the food pictures- sorry!)

Here's the outline:

Day 1- Riverside Mill
Day 2- Wolfgang Puck Express,Whispering Canyon Cafe
Day 3- Tangerine Cafe, Garden Grill
Day 4- La Cantina de San Angel, Chefs de France
Day 5- Crystal Palace, Columbia Harbour House, Grand Floridian Cafe
Day 6- Liberty Tree Tavern, Pinocchio Village Haus
Day 7- 50's Prime Time, Pizza Planet, Riverside Mill
Day 8- Pizzafari, Yak and Yeti, Boma
Day 9- Riverside Mill

 

[AwfullyBigAdventures]

Well this night is one of the nights where we lost most of the pictures. In fact I lost nearly every picture we took on day one, and there were a ton since it was our first time ever at WDW, we took pictures of everything.

Sigh. Oh well, as my daughter says "We still went, even if there isn't any proof! And now on with the show.

Overall thoughts on the Riverside Mill: This first meal had several things I didn't like and I would not have returned here if I wasn't staying at this resort. However I was and we did and the other two meals we had here were great. It might have been an off night. The service was good, I thought the people who waited on us were friendly and helpful. This was our first time to buy a meal with the dinning plan and they explained everything to us patiently.

1&2: We ordered 2 Create Your Own Pastas- one with chicken, pesto and articoke hearts and one with alfredo sauce, chicken, peas and broccoli. Here is a picture (not mine) of the pasta

This was an awful lot of pasta, we didn't come close to finishing off either one. You could easily share this dish. The alfredo was much more popular with the kids, however in both dishes, we ended up picking around the chicken. To be honest, it really wasn't that good. To me it tasted like chicken that was cooked and then later warmed back up in the microwave if you know what I mean. This must have been an off night because most people seem to like this. The monkeys ate all the broccoli and peas and most of the noodles, my daughter really liked the alfredo sauce.
5 out of 10 (but a 8 or 9 out of 10 if not for the chicken)

3: From the carving station we got a freshly sliced turkey meal. This was overly seasoned with something. (Taragon?) And would have been good if not for that. It was very moist and tender turkey, it just had so much seasoning it overwhelmed the meat. The side dishes for this were very tasty though.
6 out of 10

4: We also got a freshly tossed salad. I really don't remember what we got on it, but I do remember it was very good. Everything was fresh and full of flavor, this is the only dish we polished off that night. Here are the options for the salad-
Customize your salad by choosing from a variety of ingredients, including beef or chicken $9.99
Greens: Romaine or European Mix
Toppings: bacon, blue cheese, broccoli, carrots, corn, chow mein noodles, cucumbers, dried cranberries, feta cheese, peas, garbanzo beans, grape tomatoes, Kalamata Olives, mushrooms, parmesan cheese, roasted red peppers.
Dressings: Caesar, Lite Italian, Ranch, Mandarin Orange Sesame.
9 out of 10

For desserts we got
1: Carrot cake- It was good, perhaps just a touch dry. I think we ate half that night and half for breakfast the next morning. (I'm hoping my mom doesn't find out I was feeding her grandkids cake for breakfast)
7 out of 10

2: Chocolate cake- This was good as well and moister than the carrot cake. We had a couple bites that night and the rest for breakfast. (shhhhhh)
8 out of 10

3: Sugar Cookie- I have no idea how this tasted, my daughter didn't let me have a bite. However she said it was "Yummy, almost as good as yours." I don't know what that means because I don't make sugar cookies....however, she didn't even leave a crumb behind and it came with Mickey sprinkles, so I'm going to have to give it a high review.
9 out of 10

4: Magic Cookie Bar- well I have to say this seems to be a hit and miss treat. DS1 had one bite and had to wash it down with soda, he was not a fan. However DS2 loved the dang frickin' thing and had to get another later in the week. In his opinion, it is the 'very best cookie in the world!!!!' (Yes, he said that multiple exclaimation points.) I had some and thought it was good, but maybe a bit too sweet. (DD was too busy eating her sugar cookie to try this.) If you are like DS1 and don't like coconut, this isn't for you.

From DS1- 3 out of 10, from me-8 out of 10, from DD2 10 1/2 out of 10

 

[AwfullyBigAdventures]

Day two- Wolfgang Puck Express for lunch

Overall thoughts- I thought this was an incredible use of credits, what a great deal. This was also the BEST tasting quick service place we ate. We would definetly go back. The food was better than some of the table service places we ate at. I highly recommend this place for those on the dinning plan. If you aren't on the dinning plan- this might be a little on the pricey side, but dang it's good. I believe she rang this up at almost $120 for four people. Not exactly 'fast food' pricing.

1: Spaghetti with meatballs- My youngest sucked this down like he hadn't eaten in days. He loved every single bite of it.
10 out of 10

2:Half Rotisserie Chicken- Now this is what chicken is supposed to taste like! So much better than what we had the night before. My daughters only complaint was that it didn't come with vegetables. (Not kidding, my kids are weird.) But her older brother shared some of his salad and all was good.
9 out of 10

3:Oven Roasted Salmon- This was tasty and a much bigger portion in person than it looks like in this picture. I know we didn't finish it all. My son didn't like the horseradish sauce, but as you can see, it was served on the side so it wasn't a problem. He also thought there was too much salad and not enough potatoes. (The taters are under the salad)
9 out of 10

4:Bacon wrapped meatloaf- This looks like a little portion in this photo, but I promise you it wasn't. I think it's just the way they serve it, it's all stacked up. On top are the onion rings- they were very crispy and not greasy at all. Next is the meatloaf sitting on a pile of mashed potatoes. All of this is covered in a wine sauce. The kids did not enjoy the wine sauce very much, but I thought it was very good. The meatloaf it self was excellent.
9 out of 10 from me, 7 from the kids.

For dessert we had 2 creme brulee and 2 cheesecakes- I was too full to eat any.
The cheesecake must have been amazing because there wasn't much left of it. All three kids also tried the creme brulee and while they said they liked it, they didn't eat much. I think it was just too rich after such a big meal.
The monkeys told me to give the cheesecake a 10 and the creme brulee a 9

 

[nutz2notz]

Great start on your reviews. I like that you are giving ratings by your kids as well.

My kids and I love WPE for a counter service. The chicken and mashed potatoes is one of our favorite dishes there.

Looking forward to more.

 

[SusieBea]

More please!

 

[AwfullyBigAdventures]

Day 2 Dinner was at Whispering Canyon Cafe

Before I start in on the dinner, allow me to say 'WOW' to the resort.

I love all the little details Disney throws in. Walking up from the parking lot my animal loving son was so excited to see hoof-prints in the sidewalk and all the animal decorations outside. He loved the buffalo right out front and the Christmas tree in the lobby blew us all away. My kids decided then and there they wanted to stay at the resort just so they could try and watch them put a tree that big up.


Over all impressions of WCC- This is a restaurant is a place to cut loose and have fun. They get a little loud, they get a little rowdy and if that is what you're looking for, you'll have a good time. They don't serve the best food IMO, but it's tasty. Going once just to try was enough for me, but the kids all really want to go back- they really loved it.

1: Our first meal was my DD's, she got the Chicken and Penne pasta. It was a huge serving and she didn't even make it through half, but that wasn't for lack of trying. She really liked it and I did too.
9 out of 10

2: My oldest got the Grilled New York Steak Strip. I thought this was too tough and I did not enjoy it, however the monkey had ordered it well done and he said he liked it.
This came with 'Canyon steak fries' and vegetables. He didn't really like either of those sides. He thought the steak fries were over cooked (I agree- they tasted burnt) and the veggies weren't his thing. It was carrots, red pepers, peas and mushrooms. He loves carrots and pepper raw, but he wont eat them cooked. (?)
He gives it a 7 out of 10 since he didn't like his two sides. I'd give it a 5

3: The youngest monkey got the Meatloaf. This was a tasty dish. Like my daughter, he ate as much as he could but ended up getting through half of it. The meatloaf was moist and full of flavor and he thought the mushroom gravy was perfect with it.
he gave this a 9 out of 10

4: I got the Canyon Skillet. It was enough food for 3 people!

And here I'm going to be perfectly frank- I really only ordered it because it was the most expensive thing on the menu. (Feel free to mock me now) I ate it and enjoyed it, but I thought both the meatloaf and pasta were better and I wished I had ordered one of them instead. This dish would be better suited to someone who is a huge fan of BBQ. While I like BBQ, it isn't my favorite thing in the world. Nothing on the menu really 'grabed' my attention, so I simply ordered the dish that was the best 'value' since I was on the dinning plan. I learned my lesson, this was the first and last time I ordered based on that. Please understand I'm not saying this wasn't a good dish, it just wasn't the best choice for me. I think you should order what appeals to you most and not pay any attention to the price tag. In my mind, one of the advantages of being on the dinning plan is that you can relax and not have to worry about money (other than tips.)

I'm giving the ribs and the corn a 7/10, the chicken (a bit dry) and the pulled pork (a bit greasy) get a 5/10, the beef brisket and potatoes get a 9/10

Now I had researched this place before hand and gotten some tips for things to try at this restaurant. I was feeding these tips to my kids but after the third one our waitress wagged her finger at us and said "Wait a minute! You've been reading some list online, haven't you?" We laughed and fessed up to it and while it didn't make her any rowdier, she sent some one else to the table to 'punish' us for trying to rile her up. It was my oldest son who was picked on the most and he loved it. The others loved watching.

All of my kids were too shy to try the horse races or other games they did except for the hokey pokey, which we got to stay at our table to do. There were several calls for ketchup that night and the cast members were quite entertaining during these.



The oldest monkey did get the jumbo sized drink.

Now, this was his refill. He drank a regular sized glass of root beer first and then was brought this because he finished his first drink off so quickly. I told him he didn't need to drink it all, but he seemed to take it as a personal challenge.

Dang kid got up four times that night to pee....

Shakes and desserts next.

 

[Jaybird6]

I'm loving your reviews - too cute! It is so fun hearing the kids' point-of-view, as well. Can't wait to read more

 

[AwfullyBigAdventures]

WCC continued

Before I left I read about the pomegranate lemonade- I saw several people give it very high reviews and so I gave it a try at WCC, unfortunately I did not like it. It's a diet drink and has a heavy after taste to it from the artificial sweetener. I suppose if you usually order diet drinks that wouldn't be a problem, but I was not a fan.

DD got a sheriff shake for her drink. She thought that was lots of fun, she tried the caramel shake first and then got cotton candy for a refill.

You already saw the massive root beer the first born drank, and the youngest got a smoothie. I believe it was the mega berry smoothie, but I can't be sure, I can't seem to find the pictures we took. I do know he didn't drink much of it, he preferred his sisters shake and was 'helping' her with that.

For dessert we got-
1- Cheesecake with Berries: This was DD, after the TWO shakes she had she didn't have any room for dessert. She had a couple berries off of this and then asked for a to go box. It was breakfast a couple days later. She said "It was really good mom, but not as good as yours." That's the same thing she said about that sugar cookie, makes me wonder if she's buttering me up for something.....
I had a bite for breakfast and give it a 8. Might have been better if I had some that day.

2- Whispering Canyon S'mores: This is what the littlest monkey got. In the bowl there is marshmallow flavored ice cream underneath the marshmallows. It was tasty, but he was so full that he only had a few bites before he was ready to pop. He asked the waitress for a to go box for his graham crackers. (Seriously.)
He gave it a 8/10

3- Apple Caramel Pie: This is what the oldest monkey got. Shockingly he was too full from his steak and massive root beer. I think he had three or four bites, but he love them.
He gave it a 7/10 but said it would have been a 9 if they gave him ice cream with it.

4- I got the White Chocolate Bread Pudding. I was soooo full of hope for this dish! But, ummmm, disappointingly dry. I'm just giving it a 5.

 

[phoebezoemamma]

We are taking our first family trip 1/20/12 and this food looks amazing! Can't wait~

 

[kelleigh1]

Great report so far!!

 

[dizkrazkate]

Great report! Great photos! Sorry you lost some of them. And by the way, your kid isn't weird for wanting vegetables, that just means you're doing a great job!

 

[archdandy]

Great reviews! I didn't know whispering canyon had such yummy looking dishes (the pasta, the meatloaf) because most people get the BBQ stuff. I can't wait to see the rest of your reviews.

 

[AwfullyBigAdventures]

Day 3- Tangerine Cafe

After spending all morning exploring Future World, the monkeys started getting hungry and so we headed to World Showcase since we wanted to go to Morocco for lunch. On the way the way to the boat dock however, DD spots a pin trader and stops to check things out. The rest of us, in our hurry to get to the boat, did not see where she went. We back tracked, but I guess we must have gone right by her with out noticing and so by the time we found I was getting frantic, she was getting scared and her brothers were cranky.

But find her we did. By now all three monkeys were hungry and more than ready to eat. The boat takes you straight to Morocco so we jumped on and were there in no time.

Please excuse the half eaten photos, as I mentioned earlier, they were starving by now.

First up- The Shawarma Platters. I ordered one chicken and lamb combo platter and one lamb platter. Unfortunatly I didn't get what I ordered. They gave us two combos, but I didn't notice until I was setting the trays on the table and the kids were starved so I didn't do anything about it.

These platters were my favorite. I liked to take a bite with a little bit of everything. The chicken was good, the lamb was better. (Hmmm...maybe I should have ordered a lamb only platter...*sarcasim*) Youngest DS loved it too. The oldest two ate the meat and the couscous, but weren't fans of the hummus or the tabouoleh.

8/10, I would certainly order this again.

Next we got the Mediterranean Sliders Combo since all three kids love sliders. The lamb slider was the favorite, followed by the chicken. No one really liked the falafel. In my opinion, it was just a little bit too dry.

7/10

Finally there was the Morrocan Kefta Sandwich. This comes with fries and the oldest two ate all of them since they didn't like the other sides. The sandwich description made me think it would be like a hamburger. It wasn't. I don't remember much, except the meat was way smaller than the bun it was on and the bun or bread was too dry.

5/10- I doubt we'd get it again.

There is only one dessert option if you are on the dinning plan, so baklava it was for all of us! Since my youngest and I ate so much food, we both just had one bite. The other two who picked at their food had more, my daughter loved them.

I gave them a 6/10 and DD gave them a 9/10

 

[AwfullyBigAdventures]

Oh dear. I totally neglected my report. Let me see if I can hurry and add the rest of the photos before I forget how everything tasted.

This was our night at the Garden Grill, but before we made it there, a couple of the monkeys had a brief meltdown.

We were wandering through Japan and my daughter got separated from the rest of us. The same child who got herself lost right before lunch. Sigh. When we finally found her, I jumped on soap box and gave her quite a lecture. (Yes, I over reacted and no, I'm not proud of that.) She lost it- found a bench near the water and started sniffling about how she was so tired of walking, I was being mean, there was 'nothing to see' and she'd rather go back to the hotel and swim. Then my youngest sat down next to her and started up too. He was actually crying and I was trying to figure out what to say and about ready to leave for the day when suddenly he noticed this:

The stand was nearby, he pointed and asked if he could have one and the second I said yes, the tears shut right off and he made a beeline for the Kaki Gori. By the time he had one in his hands he was grinning ear to ear and asking what ride we were going on next.

My daughter had a couple bites as we walked along and that cheered her up as well until she caught sight of the mini gingerbread store in America. It was love at first sight! She got herself a gingerbread man and my oldest son (and apparently only emotionally stable member of the family this day) got an eggnog. They were incredibly excited about ordering something from a kiosk made of gingerbread!

All three snacks got a 9/10 from the monkeys. And even better- peace was restored for the next few hours so for that I'm voting a 10/10....

 

[AwfullyBigAdventures]

As I mentioned in my last post, my kids were feeling tired and really just wanted to relax, nap and swim. Around 3pm we went back to Port Orleans Riverside for some and down time.

Both boys were fully recharged by the time we needed to return to Epcot for dinner, but my daughter wanted to stay in the room and watch a movie. That's fine, she's old enough to stay home alone so I left her in the hotel with instructions to bolt the door after we left. My cousin, who works in the Magic Kingdom, had the night off and was more than happy to take the extra spot on our reservation.

The Garden Grill is a fun restaurant. Yes, it does rotate- we almost made a full rotation while we were there. It was fun, and no, it does not rotate fast enough to make anyone feel sick. I loved seeing parts of the Living with the Land ride while we dined.

The food was a good old fashioned home style meal. Nothing fancy, but it was comforting.

The rolls came first:

Soft, fluffy, just like mom makes them. The maple butter that came with them was tasty too. 8/10

They were closely followed by the salad:

I'm afraid I don't remember much about this, I do know everyone ate some, I assume we liked it.

We got both the adult platter and the kids platter. I don't seem to have pictures of those, but I think that's because by this time the characters were stopping by.

The adult platter came with the following (there are stars by what we ate the most of):
Char-grilled Filet of Beef with Red Wine Butter*
Roasted All Natural Turkey Breast with Lemon Caper Sauce**
Sustainable Fish of the Day with Roasted Tomato and Pepper Compote
Garden Fresh Vegetables*
Buttermilk Smashed Potatoes**

The kids platter came with:
Oven Roasted Chicken Drumstick
Baked Macaroni and Cheese*
Broccoli*
Crispy Sweet Potato Sticks
(note- my oldest was very underwhelmed with the fries)

We also got both desserts. Here is the adult dessert:

And here is the kids:

Both were tasty. A little basic, but good old fashioned comfort foods. They reminded me of something my grandma would make.
8/10


However, I think the real star at this dinner was the characters. We LOVED having them come to our table and they spent some good quality time once they got there. Dale was first and right as he was approaching our table, a woman in a wheelchair who was obviously physically and mentally challenged went by. He ran after her and grabbed her in a very long hug. He rubbed his face against hers and patted her arm- she was BEAMING and I was tearing up like an old softy. It was really quite a sweet and tender moment. Go Dale!
Pluto was next, he was quite funny. We got Mickey after that and he spent tons of time at our table and repeatedly gave me kisses. When Chip came he was also quite flirty with me and teased my oldest til we were all laughing.

Don't go here if you are a foodie looking from something innovative and interesting. Do go here if you love family style fun and traditional comfort food. We would certainly go back.

 

[AwfullyBigAdventures]

From here we wandered over to Norway to go on the boat ride and then to Germany to see the trains. Side note- my cousin had been working in WDW for months and spent a good deal of her free time in the parks. She was able to show us lots to interesting often missed parts of Epcot. However when I told her I wanted to go see the trains she told me I was mistaken and there weren't any. I saw them discussed on disboards, so I insisted and we looked anyway. She was pretty surprised when we found it. Funny how you can go some place time and time again and not notice things like that, isn't it? I've done that myself so many times!

Anyway, since we were in Germany and I felt bad for snapping at my lost daughter, I went to Karamell-Küche to get some treats for the little monkey.

Her brothers picked this:

and this:

The rice crispy was covered in chocolate and drizzled with fresh made caramel and it was huge!! I don't know how anyone could open their mouth wide enough to take a bite, it really has to be cut into pieces. The cookie was dark chocolate with a chewy caramel center.

I didn't get any of either treat, but the monkeys tell me they were both "a six, seven or eight" Terribly specific, I know! To be fair though, they didn't eat those treats for several days. I think they had the cookie 2 days later and the rice crispy 4 or 5 days later. I'm sure they both tasted better fresh!

 

[AwfullyBigAdventures]

Right after we left Epcot, my daughter called to say she was getting hungry and asked me to get her something. I dropped the boys off at the hotel room and walked over to the food court at Riverside. I got her a traditional meal- hamburger and french fries. I lost the picture I took of this meal, but it pretty much looked like this:

The only difference was she got orange juice to drink instead of a cola and they packaged it to go for me. She only ate about a third of the burger and 5 of the fries. The cake and orange juice went straight into the mini fridge.

She said it didn't taste good at all- 4/10 from her. But it smelled good, so I tried it and the bite I had was quite tasty. I would give the burger an 8/10 and the fries a 7/10.

 

[Ro Z]

Great reviews but why don't you start a new one each time. The old one looks great but sometimes the food is no longer offered! it is a tease!!! Lol

 

[AwfullyBigAdventures]

Day 4-
I was determined to learn from my mistakes the day before. No more pressuring the kids into a fast passed, see everything vacation and no more loosing anyone! I decided to let everyone sleep in on day four.

Unfortunately, me and my OMERGOSH!-am-I-really-finally-at-Disney-World?! mind couldn't sleep in. I was wide awake by 6 am with nothing to do. Those darn hotel rooms are cute, (we got a Princess and the Frog room) but they are tiny. You can't even brush your teeth without bothering someone. So I grabbed a book and walked over to the pool to read while the kids slept. By now my feet were starting to hurt so I soaked them in the hot tub until they turned wrinkly- such a nice way to start a morning. It was only a little after 8 by the time I got back to the room, but the monkeys were already starting to wake up and were feasting on the left over desserts from Whispering Canyon Cafe. Cheesecake for breakfast? Why not, we're on vacation.

After breakfast, the boys took a quick swim and then it was back to Epcot. We spent most of the morning riding the thrill rides over and over again. Shockingly, my daughter who is normally very timid loved both test track and mission space. Because we were having so much fun, we ended up eating lunch a little late. By the time we ordered, my youngest solemnly told me he would "do his best not to faint from hunger" and that "it would be hard for me to carry both him and the tray of food if he did." My monkeys are seriously entertaining!

We hit La Cantina de San Angel in search of a little spice!

This is the Tacos de Pollo. It was a little on the bland side for me and DS2, but the older two monkeys thought it was perfect. After a bite or two I noticed the lime wedge and I gave that a squeeze over the chicken- much better. I'm voting a 6/10 and the monkeys vote a 8/10.

We also got the Tacos de Carne- this is smoked beef brisket. I know it looks a little nasty in the photo, but I found it very flavorful and moist. It had some cilantro in there as well which meant the boys and I loved it and my daughter hated it. (Cilantro is just one of those flavors- you love it or you hate it...) 8/10

I'd tell you how these Empanadas were if I had gotten any, but the monkeys sucked them down too fast. They were clearly pleased. My daughter said "The outside part tastes like corn, and the inside part tastes like yum." (corn masa on the outside, cheese on the inside)They are voting a 9/10

These had the standard canned cheese sauce that people insist on putting on amusement park nachos. But the meat was the same yummy meat that was in the tacos and the jalapenos were the kick in the pants I was looking for. 7/10

I didn't get a picture of our drinks, but they were quite a hit. The monkeys had these drinks downed in no time. We got Jarritos - traditional Mexican soda and Sidral - Mexican apple flavored soda. (Yum!!) They sell the Jarritos in a store near us, I've never noticed before, but even since our trip my youngest always points it out and says "Look! It's what we drank in Disney World!!!!"

For dessert we got Churritos and Paletas (Fruit Popsicles)

Here's a little tip- When you place your order, you can ask to get the any frozen dessert later. That way you don't have to worry about your popsicle or ice cream melting while you eat. They just made a note of it on my receipt and I went back later. It worked great for us.

And a second bonus tip (aren't you lucky!)- The meals here are easily big enough to share. This is a good place to go if you are paying OOP or just trying to stretch your dinning points further. We hand more than enough to eat and there was plenty left over. The meals are also idea for sharing because you get multiple small items instead of one big one. IE- Three tacos instead of one hamburger.

It was great for a quick service meal, we'd go back!

 

[AwfullyBigAdventures]

Great reviews but why don't you start a new one each time. The old one looks great but sometimes the food is no longer offered! it is a tease!!! Lol

This is the same trip, I just never finished my review. But I checked the menus on this site and they still have all the items I'm putting pictures of today. (other than the seasonal items) Do you not want to see pictures if they aren't recent?