Vegetarian and Omnivorous family, five days of December dining!
- Thread starter Jennia
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Jennia
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Great reviews! We also enjoy getting a few things and splitting them at Boulangerie Patisserie. I'm not a big fan of CS at DHS. I prefer taking a boat to Epcot WS and eating there.
Thank you for posting!
Ack, wish we'd thought of that! I'm sure we would have been much happier with dinner that night.
Hope you find my reviews helpful! Garden Grill had a special vegetarian entree which I'll write about in a little bit.
Jennia
DIS Veteran
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- Jun 25, 2008
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This was our first time at the Garden Grill. It felt like the waiting area was set out of the way (a dead end hallway by some bathrooms) and it took quite a while for us to be seated (it was at least 20 minutes after our ADR time). However, we felt the wait was more than worth it for many reasons:
1. Wonderful service, possibly the best we had the entire trip. Unfortunately I don't remember our server's name, but she went above and beyond to make sure that we were comfortable and happy with our meal. She constantly refilled the drinks, was very chatty and helpful, and gave us a head's up everytime a character came our way, which leads to number two. . .
2. Character interaction! While at dinner, we saw Chip, Dale, Mickey and Pluto. Some of the characters actually stopped multiple times, which dd loved, and they also would drag other family members out of their chairs for photos. They played peek a boo with dd, admired her autograph book, and gave her lots of kisses and snuggles. Loved it!
3. Food was much better than expected, and I felt like I had a balanced meal. There wasn't anything that I'd deem inedible, and some of the foods were definite standouts. With that, on to the food review!
To start, you're given a large basket of bread with honey butter and a salad (which has bacon on it, I was given a vegetarian version that was the same, minus the bacon).
LOVED these rolls and the butter, it was almost a like a light dessert. You could taste the honey in the butter, which was so creamy and melted perfectly into the bread. The rolls were soft, tore apart with little effort, and were a perfect golden brown on top with a wonderful smooth interior. Delicious! Here's a bonus photo of our second (or third?) bowl of rolls:
After this, we were brought our main course. I was very pleasantly surprised with my dish. It was a very hearty couscous and vegetable stew that I wish I knew how to replicate!
Yes, I ate half of it before taking a photo, but my "lunch" of an apple tart earlier in the day hadn't exactly kept me full!
This was one of the best meals I had the entire trip. It was rich and hearty, and the broth almost tasted more like a thin gravy it was so filling. The couscous was a larger grain size than what's normally found in the grocery store, and was cooked perfectly. It was still chewy without feeling undercooked, and the vegetables (mushrooms, carrots, red bell peppers that I remember) were a great complement in flavors to those used in the stew.
My dd was given the children's version of the meal, and she seemed happy with this:
I took a bite of the mac and cheese, and it was nice and creamy but wasn't overly flavorful, a little bland.
The rest of my family ate from the standard menu and received flank steak, cornbread stuffing, mixed vegetables and fish:
No one really liked the stuffing, it was on the dry side and had more texture than taste. No comments on the fish (mahi mahi?), my mom doesn't even remember having any if that tells you how good it was.
The vegetables, however, were cooked well and my uncle was able to eat them, so they couldn't have been very hard. My brother's favorite was the flank steak, which he described as cooked well (no blood at all), tender, and very moist. This is the only part of the meal that stands out to him.
Finally, we were given dessert, blueberry "buckle" and ice cream for us and a gummy worm/"dirt"/pudding concoction for dd:
The cobbler felt like a good end to the meal, since it also evoked the feeling of home cooked, Thanksgiving style food (at least to me it did!). The pastry was well made and didn't taste doughy, and the berries tasted like they were fresh rather than frozen or canned. We'll definitely be coming here again on a future trip!
1. Wonderful service, possibly the best we had the entire trip. Unfortunately I don't remember our server's name, but she went above and beyond to make sure that we were comfortable and happy with our meal. She constantly refilled the drinks, was very chatty and helpful, and gave us a head's up everytime a character came our way, which leads to number two. . .
2. Character interaction! While at dinner, we saw Chip, Dale, Mickey and Pluto. Some of the characters actually stopped multiple times, which dd loved, and they also would drag other family members out of their chairs for photos. They played peek a boo with dd, admired her autograph book, and gave her lots of kisses and snuggles. Loved it!
3. Food was much better than expected, and I felt like I had a balanced meal. There wasn't anything that I'd deem inedible, and some of the foods were definite standouts. With that, on to the food review!
To start, you're given a large basket of bread with honey butter and a salad (which has bacon on it, I was given a vegetarian version that was the same, minus the bacon).
LOVED these rolls and the butter, it was almost a like a light dessert. You could taste the honey in the butter, which was so creamy and melted perfectly into the bread. The rolls were soft, tore apart with little effort, and were a perfect golden brown on top with a wonderful smooth interior. Delicious! Here's a bonus photo of our second (or third?) bowl of rolls:
After this, we were brought our main course. I was very pleasantly surprised with my dish. It was a very hearty couscous and vegetable stew that I wish I knew how to replicate!
Yes, I ate half of it before taking a photo, but my "lunch" of an apple tart earlier in the day hadn't exactly kept me full!
This was one of the best meals I had the entire trip. It was rich and hearty, and the broth almost tasted more like a thin gravy it was so filling. The couscous was a larger grain size than what's normally found in the grocery store, and was cooked perfectly. It was still chewy without feeling undercooked, and the vegetables (mushrooms, carrots, red bell peppers that I remember) were a great complement in flavors to those used in the stew.
My dd was given the children's version of the meal, and she seemed happy with this:
I took a bite of the mac and cheese, and it was nice and creamy but wasn't overly flavorful, a little bland.
The rest of my family ate from the standard menu and received flank steak, cornbread stuffing, mixed vegetables and fish:
No one really liked the stuffing, it was on the dry side and had more texture than taste. No comments on the fish (mahi mahi?), my mom doesn't even remember having any if that tells you how good it was.
The vegetables, however, were cooked well and my uncle was able to eat them, so they couldn't have been very hard. My brother's favorite was the flank steak, which he described as cooked well (no blood at all), tender, and very moist. This is the only part of the meal that stands out to him. Finally, we were given dessert, blueberry "buckle" and ice cream for us and a gummy worm/"dirt"/pudding concoction for dd:
The cobbler felt like a good end to the meal, since it also evoked the feeling of home cooked, Thanksgiving style food (at least to me it did!). The pastry was well made and didn't taste doughy, and the berries tasted like they were fresh rather than frozen or canned. We'll definitely be coming here again on a future trip!
Pooh&OurHunny
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- Jul 25, 2007
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Joining in. We love eating all types of desserts at Boulangerie Patisserie. This is my husband favorite place for sweets. Thanks for the review on Garden Grill...we never went there and added for our May trip.
Jennia
DIS Veteran
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- Jun 25, 2008
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I can see why! This was the first time my family had eaten there, but I *think* it was my third. Definitely a must do for each trip now!
Your vegetarian entree at the Garden Grill looks really great
It was, I only wish I knew how to cook it myself, lol!
The blueberry cobbler is making me hungry!
Lol, me too when I scroll back up and look at it. Not a good idea to do around lunchtime.
I'll get at least two reviews done today!
Jennia
DIS Veteran
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- Jun 25, 2008
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- 724
Crystal Palace!
I'd wanted to eat here for quite a while, and was thrilled to get a reservation for the December trip. When we arrived, it was super crowded and there was quite a wait to be seated. We were placed at an end table, right next to the bathroom, but we didn't mind so much since this gave us more space for taking photos with the characters. Unlike previous buffets, everything was fairly appetizing and was HOT (we'd had a bad experience at the Plaza at DLR in October where some of the food was cold when it shouldn't have been). Nothing stood out, though, and overall it was mediocre. However, I feel like the atmosphere and character interaction made up for it (because even though we saw Pooh, Tigger and Eeyore in many places, this was our only time seeing Piglet).
Above is a photo of my first plate. There did seem to be a nice variety of vegetarian friendly foods to choose from, and there was a good selection of breads. The mashed potatoes were creamy, and definitely homemade (they had little potato chunks left in, just the way I like) and weren't bland, unlike some I've had in other places. The pasta wasn't that great, maybe it had been sitting too long, but it was sort of clumped together. Vegetables were average, not too crunchy or too soft, but nothing outstanding, either. Same for the roll.
This was my mother's first plate-you can see she improvised a bit and made a sandwich. She doesn't remember anything as being super, but nothing disappointed her, either, except for the pickle (not enough crunch to it).
That would be my dd's plate! Must have been good, because she ate ALL of it (which rarely happens) and she'd already been picking off of the adults' plates.
Here's my dad with his first plate of food. He loved the potatoes, and also the salmon (it was very moist and well seasoned-my dd ate quite a bit of these, too).
This was my brother's plate. He said that the pizza was too greasy/oily for him and ended up not eating it. Also, that the meat was a little too red/undercooked for his taste (though he did finish it).
Here was my second plate. The rice was pretty blah, and it was too chewy for me. I also wasn't fond of the first two desserts. The brownie/cake piece wasn't soft enough for my liking, and the apple dish tasted too much like frozen apple pie filling (overly syrupy and sweet for me).
Ahhh the best part, my swirl ice cream! I shared this with dd, she was pretty impressed by it. Just your regular soft serve, but it tasted especially good that day! 
I'd wanted to eat here for quite a while, and was thrilled to get a reservation for the December trip. When we arrived, it was super crowded and there was quite a wait to be seated. We were placed at an end table, right next to the bathroom, but we didn't mind so much since this gave us more space for taking photos with the characters. Unlike previous buffets, everything was fairly appetizing and was HOT (we'd had a bad experience at the Plaza at DLR in October where some of the food was cold when it shouldn't have been). Nothing stood out, though, and overall it was mediocre. However, I feel like the atmosphere and character interaction made up for it (because even though we saw Pooh, Tigger and Eeyore in many places, this was our only time seeing Piglet).
Above is a photo of my first plate. There did seem to be a nice variety of vegetarian friendly foods to choose from, and there was a good selection of breads. The mashed potatoes were creamy, and definitely homemade (they had little potato chunks left in, just the way I like) and weren't bland, unlike some I've had in other places. The pasta wasn't that great, maybe it had been sitting too long, but it was sort of clumped together. Vegetables were average, not too crunchy or too soft, but nothing outstanding, either. Same for the roll.
This was my mother's first plate-you can see she improvised a bit and made a sandwich. She doesn't remember anything as being super, but nothing disappointed her, either, except for the pickle (not enough crunch to it).
That would be my dd's plate! Must have been good, because she ate ALL of it (which rarely happens) and she'd already been picking off of the adults' plates.
Here's my dad with his first plate of food. He loved the potatoes, and also the salmon (it was very moist and well seasoned-my dd ate quite a bit of these, too).
This was my brother's plate. He said that the pizza was too greasy/oily for him and ended up not eating it. Also, that the meat was a little too red/undercooked for his taste (though he did finish it).
Here was my second plate. The rice was pretty blah, and it was too chewy for me. I also wasn't fond of the first two desserts. The brownie/cake piece wasn't soft enough for my liking, and the apple dish tasted too much like frozen apple pie filling (overly syrupy and sweet for me).
Ahhh the best part, my swirl ice cream!
I shared this with dd, she was pretty impressed by it. Just your regular soft serve, but it tasted especially good that day! 
disney_princess_85
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Great reviews so far! I'm a vegetarian too so I'm looking forward to reading more.
Jennia
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Ooh, I want to eat this right now
That reminds me, quick note on the ice cream/desserts-they have two buffet areas set up, and each one has different offerings. For instance, the one side had strawberry and chocolate ice cream, and the other had the swirl, chocolate, and vanilla (swirl isn't marked, though).
Great reviews so far! I'm a vegetarian too so I'm looking forward to reading more.
Thanks! I'll be adding more today!
lilpnutmama
It's a small, small world
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Jennia - this is one of the only pictures of the vegetarian entree at Garden Grill I have been able to find!!! It looks great --- did you have to phone ahead or how did you let them know you were vegetarian??? Thanx!
riceflowers
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