Two Delicious Birthdays - 8 Days DxDDP/CL - UPDATE 7/12 Sci Fi!!

[LuvLuvLuv]

Let me start by saying we were out of control this day with food. Seriously, I'm not sure where we put it all.

After breakfast at Kona we took the monorail to Epcot because we had yet to venture to the front of the park. We just walked thru the showcase from the Yacht Club. We rode pretty much everything and were done by 11:30 so we thought we'd go over to Nine Dragons and see if possibly they could get us in before our 1:15 reservation. Even though we were getting ready to eat... we stopped thru France at Boulangerie Patisserie.

I got a Strawberry Tart and he got a Creamhorn looking thing:

Soooooo Good. We'll be back here a million +1 times


We made most of our reservations between 1 and 2 and were starving by 12 every day. Lesson Learned. We walked by Lotus Blossom and it was packed. Uh oh, we're gonna have to wait We walked in, and Nine Dragons was empty and quiet. Maybe five tables were seated. I couldn't believe my eyes-it was a ghost town. I went to the podium and asked if it was okay that we were early, and they of course seated us right away. It was so nice to go into a restaurant and be relaxed and quiet. I don't even know that I saw a child in there. I saw a few couples and a few golfers. On to the meal:

For the appetizer, Dave wanted the General Tso's Chicking Dumplings, but they were for (2) and I didn't want that. They said they couldn't split it. He was disappointed, but got the cold app Spicy Beef --and he said it was good, not great but good. I think he really wanted the other... looking back I feel bad I disappointed him, lol. I got the Shrimp and Chicken Egg Rolls and they were 100% amazing. I've never had an egg roll that had all solid pieces of meat and vegetables and not stuffed with 85% cabbage. They were huge!! MMMM!!! Okay, maybe I don't feel bad about the dumplings. The sauce was pretty good too. A little spicy (and I can't do spicy) but not too spicy.

For the entree he got Kung Pao Chicken. From someone who likes spicy (him) he said it had the right amount of kick to it. I dunno what that means because it all burns my mouth off. I was torn between Sweet and Sour Pork and the Nine Dragons Fried Rice. It was so hot and miserable out, the rice sounded great and light. It had a skewer of pretty big shrimp which was good In the rice was more shrimp, big chicken and ham pieces. The portion was huge!! It was very good and refreshing. I was pleased. I couldn't understand why this place was so empty!?!!?!

Here's where this place loses a point with me: Dessert.
There were no options that remotely sounded good to me, so I figured I'd just try the Ginger Cake... eh, didn't like it. I knew I wouldn't--but give me credit--I tried it! Dave was perfectly happy with the Caramel Ginger ice cream.

End Result: We did enjoy this. It was quiet, relaxing, good food, good service, very pretty decor. I wasn't even upset over the dessert options because I was soooooooo full! Plus, you have an entire walk thru the showcase past a million other yummy desserts. So I call it a win.

... I obviously don't skip dessert I stopped at Kaki-Gori and got a cherry flavored ice. A trip wouldn't be complete without 1 or 2 of these It was swimming time so we went back to the resort to change

Next Up: Beaches and Cream

 

[LuvLuvLuv]

So we went back to the resort, changed and swam for about two hours or so at Storm-a-Long Bay. How amazing is that pool? Amazing and Fun!! When we were done we were just walking around and thought we would check out Beaches and Cream. I swear that swimming works your appetite!! Plus we love love love ice cream!!

We were seated right away and I knew I wanted the Strawberry Shortcake made with Chocolate Ice Cream (don't judge, I'm weird, lol). He got the infamous No Way Jose and made it disappear in no time!!

I thought it was very good It's hard to mess up ice cream I guess. It was very cute inside too We finished our ice cream, went back up to the room, nipped on a few appies in the lounge (we are piggies today!) and took a nap before dinner. We got extra time since dinner was just downstairs

Little did we know we were in for the best meal we've ever had at WDW.
Stay Tuned

 

[handinpocket]

I don't know why 9 Dragons is always empty either. We love it! The portions are huge and the food is just down right awesome, can't wait to get back!

 

[klacey1]

We also adore 9 Dragons! We had a fantastic dinner there-- we skip dessert though. Nothing appeals to us, either.

 

[Linda67]

Oh boy your ice cream looks good
Great reviews so far, you are doing a great job

 

[princessallegra]

Omgggg No Way Jose is my absolute favorite ice cream in all of WDW!!!! YUM!!!

 

[chocolateMinnie]

Wow that ice-cream is making me so hungry......................

 

[MrsB1228]

Another vote for Nine Dragons! We love the place and have an ADR all set for our upcoming trip in September. Enjoying your reviews!

 

[LuvLuvLuv]

After napping and getting ready, we made our way downstairs to the Yachtsman Steakhouse. They acknowledged all of our celebrations (both birthdays and his college graduation). This was a first. We were given a buzzer and sat down for a few minutes until the table was prepared. We were seated by the manager, who again told us both Happy Birthday and him congratulations. We sat in the little alcove-ish part that looks out by Storm a Long Bay. I liked the lights

Oscar was our server--we love Oscar. We had personalized menus for our celebrations (a first!) which I forgot to take pix of... but we thought they were great! Dave ordered his iced tea, and I switched it up with a coke. My throat was bothering me and I wanted carbination. Something I ate within the past day or so must have had an almond mixed up in it because my throat felt as if it was almost closed. This is a common occurance for me, lol---super annoying, but nothing new. Anyway, he was ready to take our order. Keep in mind when my throat is like this, I'm a bit cranky. I don't mean to be, but it just happens. I couldn't find an appetizer that I was interested in--or even interested in trying. So I asked Oscar, "what would a little kid order for an appetizer?" He said that they would get chicken noodle soup and I was so happy to hear those words, lol. One of my favorite things when I don't feel great!! This place is already a win and I just have a coke so far!! We finished ordering--he said we made great choices and in no time he was back with our bread and butter with Hawaiian sea salt. Oscar was asking about our celebrations and we told him how our birthdays are so close to each other, and how he graduated from college the week before. We genuinely felt like he cared and was interested in him. He was just great. Our drinks never were empty either

Regular Rolls and Onion Rolls. I went the the regular... he went with the Onion.

Appies arrive!

Caeser Salad with Crouton. Very fancy looking! It was a giant piece of lettuce and a giant crouton. Nice presentation... a little work to eat it, but he liked it!

This is probably the most delicious Chicken Noodle Soup I've had in a while. Oscar says he has a cup of this almost every night. I see why! If you go here, request this! It is no where on the adult menu.

Oscar made sure we loved everything and assured us dinner would be delivered shortly.

Well if you've figured out my man by now... you would know he would order the 24oz Porterhouse cooked medium. It came with fries and I believe I ate most of them because whatever they were cooked in was so good I couldn't stop. His steak was cooked perfectly and he started to work on it. I ordered the filet with mashed potatoes and no red wine sauce. I ordered my steak between medium and medium well (because I have to be difficult, lol) and most places do not get this right---but they did! It was so so so good. Tender, flavorful and no need whatsoever for a sauce or enhancer. This officially ranked as the best filet I've ever had, and filet is what I order when I'm out. Best Steak Ever is what we both said about our meals. Oscar continued to check on us, kept drinks filled, being social and friendly at the right times (not when our mouths were full, lol). We were pleased. (Obviously, lol... just look at this)

When it was time for dessert ordering, Oscar brought us a little special treat. Apricot and Chocolate candies. Honestly, if I could have bought a bag of these I would because they were so good.

I ordered the Yachtsman Sundae (Oscar's favorite!) which was 3 flavors of gelato, and Dave got the Signature Banana Napoleon.

MMMM luv luv luv. He liked his very much, but was obviously jealous on how amazing mine was He still talks about it and can't wait to get it next time!! Which will be November when we do a reeeeeepeat!!

I really liked how much this place cared about its customers. There were a few birthdays and a couple who were having their anniversary behind us. They seemed to have an awesome meal too--they left as we were having dessert. They were all recognized and treated so well. This place is true class.

Oscar came back to us after we were done with dessert. He told us that the couple celebrating their anniversary behind us offered to buy our meal because of our celebrations. We were floored. Our bill was around $135 I think!?!? We were on the Deluxe Dining Plan and the credits needed to be used, so they were graciously declined by Oscar--but it almost brought me to tears that it was even offered. How nice. Really, how nice. We were in such shock about this it was just crazy! Oscar told us that we had touched him and he would remember us--we will remember him too! We assured him we would be back. Just when we were finishing up signing/tipping/etc... he brought us out 2 champagne glasses with Cinderella's castle on them. So pretty, so amazing, what a surprise!! The menus, the service, the chicken noodle soup, lol, the candies, the anniversary couple, the flutes--WOW! This place will always have a place in our hearts. No matter what reviews might say... we had the absolute perfect meal here and nothing could ever change our opinion.

We took on the saying "Best Steak Ever" when talking about this place. We said it about a million times. He talks about the Yachtsman sundae at least once a day, and I'm sitting here wanting a bowl of soup

The only bad thing was that we involuntarily compared all of our other meals after this to our experience here. We kind of wished we had this as our last meal because of this!! But then again, we not have had the amazing night that we did either. We booked this for November on our last night. We can not wait to go back!! If you have any questions about this place, please ask me!! Well that's all I have for now. Enjoy!!

Next Up:
We switched our Marrakesh ressie for Mama Melrose.
I was having trouble with my throat, and most of Marrakesh involved almonds. I know I could pull the allergy card, but the menu just looked like a big risk that we weren't interested in dealing with. I was hungry for Italian anyway... and I hadn't booked one this time. So Mama Melrose it is!! Stay Tuned!

 

[klacey1]

Awww, I'm so glad you had such an incredible experience there! That was incredibly sweet of the couple behind you-- something about Disney brings out the best in people!
I LOVE the fries that come with the porterhouse-- so yummy. The onion rolls are probably the best bread I've ever had, too.

 

[Pooh's-Honey-Pot]

Really good reviews! I cannot wait to try Yachtsman Steakhouse in October!! So glad you liked Nine Dragons - its one of our favourites and never seems to get many reviews!

 

[pezaddict231]

great reviews! Liberty Tree Tavern is our favorite for lunch in MK. We went to Le Cellier a few years ago and were really disappointed. Our meal wasn't as bad as yours but it was just eh. Oh man, I really want a No Way Jose right now! The Yachtsman is one of our favorites, I'm glad you had a great time there!

 

[LuvLuvLuv]

We had started our morning munching at some club level goods and took the boat over to Hollywood Studios. We weren't there very long and we realized... we were hungry, really hungry. We were debating back and forth about eating at Marrakesh. Like I said earlier... my throat was bothering me and I know Disney is great about allergies, but I don't like going through all that stuff. Most of Marrakesh's menu involves almonds. Since I was already irritated and sore, the best option was to switch it up. There was no way we would be able to wait till 2pm either. It was 11am and we were ready to eat our arms off. Italian sounded great to us, so we called our IPO and had them switch us from Marrakesh 2pm to Mama Melrose at 12pm. We did some riding, checked out some shops and we were ready to eat!!

We were seated pretty quickly. All the surrounding and decorations were pretty neat!! I liked the relaxed feel to it--it really fit our current mood. It was really quiet till midway through our meal with the Tupperware convention of about 150+ were seated in our area and the next area over. They were really loud and kind of disrespectful of others. Like they owned the place. This was our second encounter with them. The first being them chanting for about 5-7 minutes thru the Polynesian lobby while we were eating breakfast at Kona. We couldn't hear each other talk it was so loud and lasting so long. It may have been that I didn't have all my coffee yet, but really? People are eating and don't want to hear your chanting, clapping and stomping.

Anywho... back to business.

Iced Teas Please!!

None of the appies really appealed to me so I said I was going to pass, but asked if he could just bring me some crostini without the brushetta. Our waiter insist that I try something and that he would bring crostini with it. He recommended the Antipasto plate. Yeah, whatever, we'll see, lol. Dave went with the Mozzerella and Tomatoes.

Dave immediately dug into his plate--he doesn't complain much. I looked at my "recommendation" and was like... haha this guy is funny. I did take a few nips at some safe looking options, but everything had a funny taste to me. Give me a few points--I tried stuff, chewed it up and swallowed it. I just ate more bread Yum!!!

I was ready for my entree I got Pepperoni Flatbread with no peppers or onions. I almost ordered the Chicken Parm, but I didn't know what to do. Dave was ordering it so I went with the flatbread so we didn't duplicate.

I ate a piece of my flatbread and found it to be very yummy. Dave's Chicken Parm looked amazing so I asked for a bite. Then I asked for another. Then I asked if he wanted some of my flatbread--then I finally came out with it.... (with puppy eyes) and asked him to switch me, lol!! The Chicken Parm and Spaghetti was FANTASTIC!!! I am very picky and for me to say something is fantastic... is rare, lol. The sauce wasn't overpowering, but good flavor, pasta was great, and the chicken was just mmm mmm good I want this again. Dave finished up my flatbread--he would have liked the peppers and onions but oh well, lol. He thought it was fresh and flavorful. So far we are happy We are trying to pretend the Tupperware people aren't so loud, lol.

This was one of few meals that I cleaned my plate completely. I couldn't stop eating. When I got to the last bite, I was sad--but knew there was chocolate gelato around the corner Dave got the Tiramisu.

I pretty much licked the glass on this too, lol. Wherever there is chocolate gelato--I'm there. Dave's Tiramisu was melting rapidly but he seemed to enjoy it. He said it was a good topper to the meal. When he came up for air, I asked him how he liked it and he said he was really enjoying it

We would really like to come back here. This wasn't on our list of places to try right away because of some not so swell reviews--but italian sounded good that day, we were right there, and we are so glad we gave it a try. Sometimes it's nice to switch it up to your current mood. It's hard to tell what you'll be hungry for 6 months in advance!!

We ventured over to the Magic Kingdom for a bit, took the boat over to GF so I could load up at Basin White, then returned back for CL appies, a lil nap, and showers to get ready for Narcoossee's!!

I was predicting Narcoossee's would be our best meal. Stay tuned and see what happens

 

[Sazzo'sMommy]

I love your reviews and pictures...keep them coming! You feel the exact same way about Le Cellier, Yachtsman, and Mama Melrose's Chicken Parm, as I do! That is awesome!

 

[LuvLuvLuv]

We went into this evening with high expectations of the food, the service and the restaurant all together. Being that this was the day after our "best meal ever" I knew I would be comparing everything.

We left the Yacht Club a little early, took the Magic Kingdom bus, took the little boat over to the Grand Floridian and got to the restaurant in time enough to look around and put our name in about 15 minutes early. We were seated within 5 minutes of checking in. We had requested a window seat, and I thought--just maybe since we're celebrating both birthdays and his graduation... but no. We were up top by the bar. Here is our view:

At the front desk they tell you that the meal is two table credits. I can appreciate this for people who don't know, but their delivery with the information comes across a little rash. "You know this will take two credits on your dining plan right?" Add a little attitude, and I already felt as if this place was a bit stuffy. Oh well Deena, don't be crabby, you're going to eat surf and turf. So I looked past it.

He got a Happy Birthday menu, I got nuttin, lol. Whatever right? We didn't get a server for a few minutes, when she came she took our drink order. I went with a virgin strawberry daiquiri (included in dining plan) and also ordered a coke--he got... Iced tea She wasn't exactly the most pleasant of the waitstaff there. I was observing the other servers and some were very friendly, we just got the cranky pants of them, lol. Just not friendly and we didn't see her much. Drinks left unfilled, very dry, not very magical considering we were looking straight on to the Magic Kingdom

Also soon after we arrived one of the servers dropped an entire tray of entrees on the floor in the dining room. From every angle, managers with earpieces came out of the wood work like the mafia and shot the poor server a nasty look and made demands from cleaning staff to get it cleaned up. The orders were abrupt and militant. I got a very cold feeling from this situation. Sure, it sucks to have your food dropped, but I'm sure she felt bad enough. I'm sure she wanted to clean it up in an orderly fashion and get them new food quickly, but the management handled it poorly IMO. I wish I could have video taped the looks on their faces and the way they just came from every angle speaking into their earpieces. I felt bad for the server

Our waitress brought us the bread which was yummy, and shortly after our appies arrived. We both got the crab cakes:

We both thought they were meh.... nothing compared to the Captain's Grille. Seriously. Captain's Grille has amazing crab cakes and these didn't compare at all. But it was a crab cake, so I ate most of it as did he.

After our appies were done the lights went down in prep for fireworks. We thought it was super cool how they dim the lights and play the Wishes music. We didn't go outside, though I thought about it--I didn't feel like moving Our dinner was served during the fireworks so please excuse the awful picture:

We both had the Surf and Turf (mine was sans Choron Sauce).

I'm not the biggest lobster fan (I'm a crab leg fan, shrimp, scallops and clam fan) but it was okay--actually it was good. My steak was meh--good for a steak, not great for a filet--and nothing compared to the filet at Yachtsman. He said the same--I knew I had too high of expectations The potatoes were odd, they were in a stack, but I nibbled at them, and I ate some more bread. I think he cleaned his plate. We waited a while for our server to come back for dessert. She was a little busy or something?

I had the chocolate mousse dome and he had the gelato sampler with a candle

My dessert was meh. I wanted a signature chocolate explosion in my mouth, lol.... and it was pretty much the same mediocre mousse sold around WDW. I regretted my decision against gelato--you can never go wrong with gelato.

We waited longer than we should have for the check, and for her to bring it back, drinks were empty and I just kind of wanted out of there. There was no magic, no one was nice to us, dinner was mearly substance and I was in a beautiful restaurant that I wanted to experience so much out of! I go to my share of "stuffy" restaurants at home and when I travel and never have I felt like I was so out of place. We were dressed well, (way better than some in there) we tipped well, we're not needy or out of control--and it was our birthdays!! This is making us not want to try Citricos if it is supposedly more "fancy/stuffy" than Narcoossee's. It almost left a bad taste in my mouth for the entire Grand Floridian. I was disappointed, but it may have been an off night. It happens. Let's just make one thing clear, lol--- it was better than LeCellier

Next Up: Tusker House Breakfast (with $31.95+tax for a picture I thought I liked then didn't so I cut myself out and now it's just of Dave and Donald, lol)

 

[klacey1]

That's too bad :-( I've always wanted to try Narcossee's. It just shows you how different a waitress can make a restaurant and the different impressions people can get of the same place. We didn't like Yatchsman at all!

 

[luvmarypoppins]

Well thanks for your honest review about Narcooses. We were there May 21st to celebrate our anniv. I was really looking forward to it. We had almost the same EXACT experience as yours.

We were greeted with a comment, like oh are you staying at the Grand? Hmm, why does it matter, we said no Polynesian. Our table was the upper deck next to the bar. Bad view for wishes. Our female server practically disappeared like yours and our glasses were not refilled all that quickly etc.

I know what you mean about the potatos too. My dh got them and he got sick later from them.

Our anniv. was really not acknowledged except for a obligatory spoken word twice.

All I can say was I am glad we had the $750 gift card to pay for it or I would have been upset abot what a waste of money it was.

Sorry you had a bad experience too.

Love reading your report.

 

[accountingbabe08]

Great dining report! Looking forward to Yachtsmen steakhouse during our next stay

 

[PiperGirlInWondrland]

Thanks for your reviews! We have a ressie for Narcoossee's in August, I hope we don't get your server!

 

[LuvLuvLuv]

Since our dinner was late on Wednesday night, it was too late to do anything afterwards. We turned in early and were refreshed when we got up early for our Tusker House breakfast Today was Dave's 30th birthday!! We hopped the bus to Animal Kingdom, went thru the Tusker House Safari Breakfast entrance line, and were guided toward the Tusker House. It was nice to walk thru with everything so empty. It felt like we had the park to ourselves!! When we arrived they told us both happy birthday and acknowledged it was his "actual" birthday. The hostess noticed he wasn't wearing a button, and we advised we didn't get them. She made him a "Feliz Cumpleanos" button which we thought was cute I once again failed on character breakfast planning. We were headed to Blizzard Beach after this and I didn't have my makeup face on--and my hair... well thats another story, lol. I was not what anyone would consider photo-ready. So we got our picture with Donald before going in to be seated. We were seated and our waiter got me a coffee and him an iced tea. He also poured us 2 glasses of Jambo Juice. Dave liked this, I forget what all was in it, but I was allergic to something in it so he drank mine, plus more. Everyone made sure to tell us happy birthday What I liked about the tables here is that they weren't terribly cramped like some. All the waitstaff was super friendly. The character interaction was simply amazing here. They were all great with everyone, and seemed to have a lot of fun in the little parades.

We ventured up to the buffet. Lots of different options to try!! Of course I was interested in one thing: MINI MICKEY WAFFLES!! I swear I live for these:

This was his plate:

he loves biscuits and gravy!

Our waiter continued to check on us, made sure drinks were filled and made sure we were taken care of. We got photos with the characters... well I got pics of him and the characters and I deleted all the ones of me, lol. I paid 31.95+tax for the pictures of Donald and us because Donald and David looked pretty good, and I could be cut out, lol. It was his birthday and he loves Donald, so I sucked it up and bought it, lol. I had them delievered to us at the Yacht Club so we didnt have to take them with us.

At the end of the meal, our waiter brought us both out cupcakes with candles in them for our birthdays and he got a birthday card signed by the characters He really thought it was neat

I think this was the best character interaction I've been at so far. I've been to Chef Mickey's, Crystal Palace, Akershus, Cape May... and this was just fun!! I liked being in the park already too, so for opening you can be right in the middle!! Because I'm picky and traditional... if I were to make the "ultimate" breakfast... I'd implant Cape May's food into the Tusker House! A girl can dream can't she? I like the strawberry topping for the waffles and I crave it all the time. We will be back here for sure!!