Tusker House, Nine Dragons, Daily Poutine, California Grill and more

KellyHonos

DisneyDivaxo
Joined
Feb 27, 2018
Messages
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Good morning, DISers!:flower:

Originally I was going to post a trip report, but as I was writing, the details of everything became blurry, I found myself rambling, and all-in-all I ended up scrapping the post. I figured people are probably more interested in dining experiences (since we spend so much $/time/energy on these experiences) so I wanted to share some of my thoughts on where we dined during our week in Disney.

Pepper Market:
The food court at Coronado Springs, Pepper Market, was pretty decent. Breakfast offerings were plentiful (omelettes, breakfast bowls, breakfast sandwiches, waffles, pancakes, etc), lunch and dinner offerings were pretty decent. During breakfast, I'd usually order a veggie omelette and it came with home fries. One day my sister and I shared this meal for breakfast, so it's definitely a generous portion. For lunch, I tried the empinadas (forgive me if I spelled this incorrectly). They came with rice and beans with toppings if so desired. I'll include a picture of this meal below. Then of course, they carried the run-of-the-mill snacks such as pastries, bagels, muffins, cakes, etc. I believe the snack that was unique to the resort were churros. They looked and tasted just like the ones in the Mexico area of Epcot's world showcase. They were yummy! My one complaint here is with the nachos. The ones I ordered out near the pool were much better. The toppings were different and the chips were fresher. Not sure if that was a flook or if this is a recurring trend at CS. I'd definitely reccommend this resort to those who enjoy texmex food. It's not the top-of-the-line mexican food by any stretch of the imagination, but Pepper Market does do a decent job at delivering a texmex inspired menu, and the servings are very generous.

Daily Poutine:
Being the poutine-lover that I am, naturally I had to give this place a try during our visit to Disney Springs. I had recently watched the review the DIS did on this place, and was in complete denial when the verdict was that it wasn't so good. I was optimistic and figured the place was having a bad day, but surely by the time I got there they'd have their ducks in row. WELL....*sigh* I had to agree with the DIS, this place really didn't deliver. I ordered the french version of poutine. The fries kinda sucked, the gravy was not flavorful, and the mushrooms were rubbery. Don't get me wrong, I still consumed 80% of them, and if I was able to consume over half of the fries, they clearly couldn't have been that bad, and they weren't, they just definitely weren't as good as I had hoped they'd be. I'd probably skip this place and save the credit/$ for something else next time.

Tusker House:
The name speaks for itself, honestly. This is one of my FAVORITE places to dine on WDW property. We booked this place based off our positive experience last time, and our experience this time was just as equally pleasant. I didn't snap a photo (a goal of mine this visit was to be as present as possible and not snap photos of everything), but I assure you that this place does not disappoint. I know for my personally, I had some salmon, rice, mac and cheese, a taste of the curry chicken, the corn dogs (I never eat pork but man oh man I couldn't resist these little things, lol!). I also ordered a mojito. I wasn't too fond of it. As always, the character experiences are lovely here. I have every intention of making a stop here for every future visit.

Nine Dragons:
Sadly, I can't say I enjoyed my meal very much. We kept this restaurant on our radar because during our 2016 visit, we had a phenomenal meal, and an equally impressive service experience. This time around, both the service and the food fell flat. Now I will say that my last visit, I was still eating poultry regularly, whereas now I am trying to be strictly pescatarian, allowing myself to stray off that every once in a while. My reason for mentioning that is because last time I know I ordered the honey chicken, which was delicious. The batter, the size of the chicken, the sauce, was all very satisfactory. This time, I asked the server if instead of chicken, I could substitute shrimp instead, and he said that would be no problem. It's quite possible that Nine Dragons changed their batter recipe, or they used a different batter for the shrimp, but either way, whatever my shrimp was battered in was honestly very repulsive. It was starchy and gritty and I only consumed about half of my meal because after a while the texture just became too much to stomach. My sister ordered veggie lomein, which she said was just okay. She said the sauce left something to be desired, but it was edible. Our server didn't have that disney charm that our server had last visit. I really don't know how to put it into words. I'd be willing to give this place another try down the line, perhaps opting for something on the menu versus trying to modify a dish, but I didn't think they'd completely change which type of batter they'd use just for subbing in shrimp. Or, they completely changed the batter altogether. But if that said experience also fell flat, I'd probably skip it permanently for future visits.

Crystal Palace:
This place falls right in the middle for me. I could really take it or leave it. If someone told me, "we're going to Crystal Palace to eat", I'd be okay with it, but if we didn't make it there our next trip I wouldn't lose sleep over it. Their offerings were okay, I just think if you're going to a buffet, Tusker House has more appealing options, but that's just me. Again, nothing was bad, per se, but nothing was exceptionally great either. If I could highlight anything, it would be the pierogi and the kids mac and cheese lol. But of course, this is where you can meet Winnie the Pooh, Eeyore, Piglet and Tigger, so at the very least, it's worth the visit just to see them (if you're a Winnie the Pooh fan, obviously).

Morimoto Asia:
SOOOOO GOOOD!!!! OMG, I can't say enough good things about this place!!! YUM! If you enjoy Asian food, I'd skip Nine Dragons and come straight here. First of all, this place is decorated beautifully. Second, their menu was very large and offered tons of different dishes that could cater to many different appetites and tastes. My sister and I split the california roll as a starter. Coming from a sushi-lover, HANDS DOWN the best california roll I've ever had. We gobbled that roll up in under a minute, seriously. Then I ordered vegetable lomein (they offered beef lomein on the menu, but I don't eat beef, so I asked how much a shrimp substitute would be, and it was $8, so I skipped protein altogether and just had veggies). I ate every single bite of my meal. The lomein saice was perfect, the noodle/vegetable ratio was perfect, ugh, it was soooo good. Then we finished off with the churro dessert. This dessert came with 3 decent sized churros, a vanilla bean sauce and squeeze tube of nutella. It was SOOO good. We ate every bite. The downside to this place is it is 2 TS credits. Depending on what you order, this could be a good or bad thing. Since my sister and I don't eat meat, it wouldn't have been worth it to use the 2 TS on it when my entree was $18, when there are entrees on the menu for $40. I just paid OOP and the bill wasn't too bad. I'd DEFINITELY come here again!

California Grill:
Wow. Wow. Wow. WOW! No wonder this place has the reputation it does. My gosh, the view, the food, I am really honored to have been able to finally experience this place. My sister oredered the california roll, which she said Morimoto Asia's roll was better, but still good. I ordered the ramp spaghetti. When I mean to tell you, this was probably one of the best meals I've ever had, I'm not kidding. The pasta was made with spinach, I believe? There was lump crab, a lovely sauce, some ingredient containing bone marrow (my server tried explaining but I still don't get it, lol). OMG, just to die for. For dessert, my sister ordered something containing matcha, I didn't try it, but she liked it. I ordered the chocolate cake with a scoop of ice cream. I was stuffed silly from dinner and bread, but it was okay. Nothing to write home about, but good. Gosh, this view is so beautiful, though. So happy I finally got to see this in person. I'd definitely go back, and I'd arrange it so I can see the fireworks.

Cinderella's Royal Table:
I hate to say this, I really do, but this place was NOT worth 2 credits in my opinion. Now don't get me wrong, it was lovely meeting the princesses, the food wasn't awful, but....for 2 credits, I want to be able to speak much more highly of this place than that. First, the salads we ordered were clearly prepped earlier and sitting somewhere in the kitchen. The parmesan crisp that came on top of the salad was limp, leading me to believe it had been sitting on the bed of lettuce for a while. The salad wasn't good, either way. Our main courses were good. I ordered the catch of the day, which is some white flakey fish I can't pronounce, and my sister ordered the couscous. We both consumed over half, and then we became stuffed. Dessert was pretty nasty. I ordered the amaretto cheese cake, and it was just not as great as it sounded. I can't recall what my sister ordered. Of course the princess interactions were very lovely, but, being 24 and my sister being 12, it wasn't the most magical thing we had ever experienced. I can see how for a 5 year old girl this place would be a dream come true, but I was more so looking forward to the meal versus the interaction, and since I wasn't so impressed, I'd honestly skip this place next time. California Grill and Morimoto asia are much more worth the 2 TS, among many other signature places.

Well there you have it guys, that's my take on all the places we visited during our visit last week. Unfortunately my email won't deliver the photos to me at this time, so as soon as that happens, I'll edit this post to include photos. Also, if you guys have any questions, comments, concerns, I'd sincerely love to know your opinions and thoughts on any of these places!



 
Daily Poutine:
As a Canadian, i'd be quite nervous trying a poutine in the USA (sorry :laughing:). So i cant say im surprised that it wasnt that good. To be honest though, if you do a poutine, its best to stick to the original (cheese curds and gravy). In my opinion, mushrooms dont belong in a poutine. :teeth: Those fancy poutines boggle my mind...chicken curry poutine, loaded nacho poutine, yuck! That aint right. :crazy2:


California Grill:
im glad you like it here! I've been a few times after their refurb and its been nothing but disappointment. HUGE disappointment. However, I havent written this place off just yet because I heard the chef from Artist Point (my fave restaurant) recently moved to Cali Grill. So naturally i'll be visiting again on my next trip. :) Im quite excited actually!

Cinderella's Royal Table:
Agreed. Its not worth 2 credits. However, youre pretty much paying for the characters and the castle itself. Its nice to say you ate at the castle though. I've been for dinner twice, but most likely wont return unless something amazing happens.

Thanks for the review!

 
Daily Poutine:
As a Canadian, i'd be quite nervous trying a poutine in the USA (sorry :laughing:). So i cant say im surprised that it wasnt that good. To be honest though, if you do a poutine, its best to stick to the original (cheese curds and gravy). In my opinion, mushrooms dont belong in a poutine. :teeth: Those fancy poutines boggle my mind...chicken curry poutine, loaded nacho poutine, yuck! That aint right. :crazy2:


California Grill:
im glad you like it here! I've been a few times after their refurb and its been nothing but disappointment. HUGE disappointment. However, I havent written this place off just yet because I heard the chef from Artist Point (my fave restaurant) recently moved to Cali Grill. So naturally i'll be visiting again on my next trip. :) Im quite excited actually!

Cinderella's Royal Table:
Agreed. Its not worth 2 credits. However, youre pretty much paying for the characters and the castle itself. Its nice to say you ate at the castle though. I've been for dinner twice, but most likely wont return unless something amazing happens.

Thanks for the review!

LOL! I agree, maybe sticking to the traditional poutine might have been a safer route, but I LOVE MUSHROOMS!!! lol. But no matter what you put on top, the fries were still blech :scared: no salt, kinda soft, didnt absorb any of the gravy....the entire thing was just not so great. Edible, but I expected better.

Wow, so sorry to hear you've been disappointed the last few times you went to CG. Lucky for you, you'll probably have a better experience your next time. The dish I had was seriously outstanding.

Yeah, it's nice to say I went and cross it off my to-do list, but it would be more satisfying if I could actually say the experience was better. But, such is life. Now I know to skip it!
 
Very nice review, what meal did you have at Crystal Palace. The girls have selected this place for our next trip but they are arguing about breakfast or lunch so any input would be greatly appreciated. I was also interested in your review of CRT. We are not going back until 2021 but the 8 year old has already asked for a CRT table and a very expensive trip to BBB before. I am interested because she will turn 11 on that trip.
 

Very nice review, what meal did you have at Crystal Palace. The girls have selected this place for our next trip but they are arguing about breakfast or lunch so any input would be greatly appreciated. I was also interested in your review of CRT. We are not going back until 2021 but the 8 year old has already asked for a CRT table and a very expensive trip to BBB before. I am interested because she will turn 11 on that trip.

We did crystal palace for dinner! I believe lunch and dinner offers the same things at the buffet, but I may be wrong.

The menu at CRT was just okay. Again, I'm not a meat eater, so keep that in mind. If your little girl is interested in meeting the princesses, maybe opt for a place with better food, that way you can also enjoy it. I believe Akershus and 1900 Parkfare (??? is that what it's called) also offers a princess interaction.
 
We did crystal palace for dinner! I believe lunch and dinner offers the same things at the buffet, but I may be wrong.

The menu at CRT was just okay. Again, I'm not a meat eater, so keep that in mind. If your little girl is interested in meeting the princesses, maybe opt for a place with better food, that way you can also enjoy it. I believe Akershus and 1900 Parkfare (??? is that what it's called) also offers a princess interaction.
Sigh good ideas but she already put 1900 Park Fare for dinner and Akershus for breakfast on the list. But both girls are major carnivores her 17 year old sister wants the deluxe plan again so that we can do Yachtsman and Le Cellier.
 
Sigh good ideas but she already put 1900 Park Fare for dinner and Akershus for breakfast on the list. But both girls are major carnivores her 17 year old sister wants the deluxe plan again so that we can do Yachtsman and Le Cellier.

Well, give CRT a try and let us know what you think. In my eyes, it's skippable.
 
Well, give CRT a try and let us know what you think. In my eyes, it's skippable.
Much thanks for your input and suggestions. I am walking a fine wire between a 17 year old and an 8 year old and both are very opinionated on what they want. The fast that they teamed up to request the Poly scared me to no end.
 
Much thanks for your input and suggestions. I am walking a fine wire between a 17 year old and an 8 year old and both are very opinionated on what they want. The fast that they teamed up to request the Poly scared me to no end.
Hey, who can blame them?
 
Thank you for your review. We are going to try Crystal Palace for breakfast on our next trip. We've never been there before. We are also going to try CRT for dinner. Our first visit there as well. We have been to Tusker House a few times and love the buffet there.
 
Very nice review, what meal did you have at Crystal Palace. The girls have selected this place for our next trip but they are arguing about breakfast or lunch so any input would be greatly appreciated. I was also interested in your review of CRT. We are not going back until 2021 but the 8 year old has already asked for a CRT table and a very expensive trip to BBB before. I am interested because she will turn 11 on that trip.

We loved breakfast at Crystal Palace.
 
Very nice review, what meal did you have at Crystal Palace. The girls have selected this place for our next trip but they are arguing about breakfast or lunch so any input would be greatly appreciated. I was also interested in your review of CRT. We are not going back until 2021 but the 8 year old has already asked for a CRT table and a very expensive trip to BBB before. I am interested because she will turn 11 on that trip.
In my opinion, i'd do breakfast at CPalace. I've always liked the food better at breakfast (the breakfast lasgna and pooh's puffed french toast are both outstanding). Its really tasty and my fave. :) Lunch/dinner are good too, dont get me wrong. But breakfast is my fave.
 
In my opinion, i'd do breakfast at CPalace. I've always liked the food better at breakfast (the breakfast lasgna and pooh's puffed french toast are both outstanding). Its really tasty and my fave. :) Lunch/dinner are good too, dont get me wrong. But breakfast is my fave.
Thank You we have eaten there since 2012 by my notes and I could not remember how they enjoyed it.
 
Thank You we have eaten there since 2012 by my notes and I could not remember how they enjoyed it.
The characters are beyond adorable. I always have a good time here. And the breakfast is quite good. I like to get an 8am ADR if I can. That way im done before the parks open. :) As for CRT, if you've never been, its nice to do at least once just to say you ate at the castle. I'd pick the cheapest option (im assuming breakfast?).

Ok, I just took a look at prices and OMG! The price went up from a couple years ago. lol. $65 per adult for breakfast???? :eek: I dunno. That's a boat load of money. Since you're doing Akershus, i'd pass on CRT. Or if you must do CRT, i'd cancel Akershus.

bfast . . . 07/01/2018 Adult: $65.44, Child: $40.85
 
The characters are beyond adorable. I always have a good time here. And the breakfast is quite good. I like to get an 8am ADR if I can. That way im done before the parks open. :) As for CRT, if you've never been, its nice to do at least once just to say you ate at the castle. I'd pick the cheapest option (im assuming breakfast?).

Ok, I just took a look at prices and OMG! The price went up from a couple years ago. lol. $65 per adult for breakfast???? :eek: I dunno. That's a boat load of money. Since you're doing Akershus, i'd pass on CRT. Or if you must do CRT, i'd cancel Akershus.

bfast . . . 07/01/2018 Adult: $65.44, Child: $40.85
Thanks Again I appreciate your ideas but I am sort of stuck we are going in Feb for the little one's 11th birthday and I am letting her check pick more meals than her older half sister and they both want the deluze plan and Crystal Palace (breakfast or lunch, CRT for dinner and Akershsus for breakfast). And sadly my ability to say no to these little demons is low. Never start parenthood at 40 Sigh.
 
Thanks Again I appreciate your ideas but I am sort of stuck we are going in Feb for the little one's 11th birthday and I am letting her check pick more meals than her older half sister and they both want the deluze plan and Crystal Palace (breakfast or lunch, CRT for dinner and Akershsus for breakfast). And sadly my ability to say no to these little demons is low. Never start parenthood at 40 Sigh.
:lmao: I feel you, trust me. Its hard to say no sometimes, esp since its her bday! You want to make it special. :) The Deluxe plan sounds like fun, i've always wanted to try it. Im sure you'll have a great time no matter what you/they choose.
 
Thanks Again I appreciate your ideas but I am sort of stuck we are going in Feb for the little one's 11th birthday and I am letting her check pick more meals than her older half sister and they both want the deluze plan and Crystal Palace (breakfast or lunch, CRT for dinner and Akershsus for breakfast). And sadly my ability to say no to these little demons is low. Never start parenthood at 40 Sigh.

CRT is actually a pretty good value on the deluxe plan, especially at lunch or dinner. We go every trip that we can swing getting a reservation, because my kids love it so much. They literally jumped up and down when I managed to snag a rezzie for our upcoming trip last month (also doing the deluxe plan). The castle is so beautiful, they have a very "magical" wishing star ceremony. I totally agree the food is nothing special, but we honestly feel that way about most character meals--you don't go there for the food, and the experience blows the other character meals out of the water!
 
Thank you for your reviews! Morimoto Asia and CG are both at the top of the list of restaurants we've haven't been to yet, and your review just pushed us a little closer to eating there on our upcoming trip!
 








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