We Came, We Saw, We Ate...But Mostly We Ate! A January DxDDP Review! U/D Via Napoli!

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

Yachtsman looks like it was great! I love desserts with multiple items!

 

[disney_princess_85]

Great reviews!

 

[lovesdumbo]

Enjoying your reviews! Can't wait to see Flying Fish.

I am soooo glad you commented on the hat! I first saw it on our first full day of our December trip, which was 12/3. They were selling them at a cart outside Muppetvision. We left DHS that afternoon without it, but we went back later in the day for the Osborne lights, and I was determined to get it. Well, the cart was closed, but they still had them inside the main Muppet store there (can't remember the name of it). They also had Animal and Kermit hats. A few days later, there were none to be found. Come to find out that they are sold out, and they wouldn't be getting any new ones in until January.

DH really wanted an Animal hat, so we looked at DL when we got home. Turns out the Beaker hat was in-stock there, but the other hats were sold out! When we went back right before our trip, all of them were sold out. On this recent trip to WDW, CMs told us that they can't even keep them on the shelves, so they are always sold out.

I love the hat soooo much! It's really warm, but it also gets lots of attention. CMs are always asking about it, and it got me on the big screen at the Laugh Floor. So, I hope they get more in, and you get a chance to buy one

Love your Beaker hat!!! My DS(10) couldn't decided what he wanted to be for Halloween. He's not into anything scary. He then decided he wanted to be Beaker and I thought how am I going to make that. But it turned out awesome. Not too many kids knew who he was but all the adults loved it.

 

[Mrs. Sojourner]

Tagging along and enjoying the review.

 

[PittPantherfan]

Will be at EPCOT for the first time in May. Heard alot about the Grey Goose slushess. Where are they located at exactly??

 

[sophie832]

I had that trio of Valhrona chocolate when were there in Sept 2009, oh it was so good! I love the Yachtsman too, can't wait to go back but there are so many other places I have yet to try!

Have you ever been to the Napa Rose? I would imagine you have....we love that place.

Actually, we've never been. It's just soooo expensive, and DLR doesn't have a dining plan option I know a lot of people who have been there, and they all give it rave reviews. We'll make it there someday.

Yachtsman looks like it was great! I love desserts with multiple items!

I like those, too! Even if, by some odd chance, I don't like one item on the plate, there are more pieces of dessert-y goodness

Great reviews!

Thanks!

Enjoying your reviews! Can't wait to see Flying Fish.


Love your Beaker hat!!! My DS(10) couldn't decided what he wanted to be for Halloween. He's not into anything scary. He then decided he wanted to be Beaker and I thought how am I going to make that. But it turned out awesome. Not too many kids knew who he was but all the adults loved it.

Beaker is the best! That hat got me a ton of attention, and still does. I just bought it because I like knit cap sort of hats, it was freezing in Dec., and I love Beaker. I had no idea it would be so popular. Now it's my favorite hat to wear to the park on a cold night.

Tagging along and enjoying the review.

Glad to have you!

Will be at EPCOT for the first time in May. Heard alot about the Grey Goose slushess. Where are they located at exactly??

They are in a kiosk right across from Les Chefs de France. It's actually more of a wine-tasting kiosk, but they have two types of slushies. You have to try it!

 

[sophie832]

As usual, we got to our destination a little earlier than we thought. Our GF Cafe breakfast ADR was for 10:15am, and we got to the hotel around 9:45. With that much time to kill, we walked around a little.




I am posting not-so-great pictures of myself as penance for not posting a review in a while But, I refuse to post the ugly picture of myself in the hammock. We really enjoyed touring the GF before breakfast, even though we'd walked around the hotel several times during the week.

We checked in about 10 mins. early. They didn't hand us a buzzer, but told us we would be seated shortly. Around our actual reservation time, we were seated at a nice little half-booth. Don't know if I've mentioned it before, but DH never got to sit in any booth portion of a half-booth on this trip, and he never does at home, either. Men always sit in the chair

Our waitress was Gail. She was a tad slow at times, but very friendly. For our beverage, we both ordered the Sunshine Splash, a combo of orange juice and strawberries:

It was pretty good, but I the OJ wasn't exactly fresh-squeezed.

For breakfast, I had the American plate:

This comes with a bit of everything, as you can see, plus my choice of juice. So, I ended up getting some cranberry juice in addition to my original beverage. The bacon here was actually good! I was surprised at that. I wasn't a fan of the hash browns, but I think they had butter or cheese in them. The biscuits were kind of hard, and definitely not the best I've ever had, and the eggs/sausage were fine. It was a so-so breakfast. I kind of expected more from the GF Cafe, but I found that a really good sit-down breakfast wasn't really a WDW specialty.

DH had the maple vanilla french toast:

This was my second choice, since it's made with challah bread, and I was glad DH ordered it so I got to taste it. We both really liked this dish. However, it was definitely more of a sweet breakfast. It came with bacon or sausage, but DH didn't want either, so he got a side of fruit instead:

Nice looking, huh? That's the GF style for ya.

Got our check about an hour after we started, so I guess Gail wasn't that slow, although it just seemed like it sometimes.

Total OOP cost before tip? $41.53

Atmosphere? The dining room is really beautiful in the morning. Lots of glass windows to let in the sunlight, and mostly white decor. For a breakfast room, this is a 4.

Service? A 3...Gail was fine, but not great.

Food? This was a bit of a letdown, but maybe it's just the dish I ordered that was the problem. If either of us could've stomached more steak at that moment, we would've ordered the steak and eggs. So, this is a 3.

Overall rating? I'd be a little hesitant to come back for breakfast unless we were staying close by and/or on the DxDDP again. I know this restaurant has great potential, but we have yet to see it.

 

[sophie832]

I can't believe there aren't any snack pictures from our second trip to AK. I think DH got lazy. We stopped at a kiosk to get a shrimp eggroll and a vegetable eggroll. The shrimp was the better of the two. I thought the veggie tasted like any old eggroll...maybe like one at Panda Express. But, we wanted to use some snack credits. We also got a sugar cookie back at WL later. DH lounged by the pool, and I enjoyed my cookie. How can you go wrong with that?

I know this isn't food related, but here's a pic of my really awesome bag that we bought at AK:

I love it so much! I carry it all the time at the DLR now. Plus, I added a bunch of "Conservation Hero" buttons that we purchased all over the WDW resort.

 

[sophie832]

Ok, are you ready for the best meal of our trip??? I know I am! Wish I was there right now, about to start the meal all over again.

We barely made it to FF on-time, since we had to get to Epcot from WL, then walk through Epcot to the back entrance, then walk around the Boardwalk a little. We checked in right at our ADR time of 7:40pm. We were handed a buzzer, and then proceeded to watch the hilarious comedy-magic street performance while we waited. Sadly, we didn't see the whole performance because our buzzer went off after about 5 mins.

We had a nice 4-seater table towards the entrance portion of the main dining area. Our waiter, Bob, made a good impression on us immediately. He was friendly, but not fake. He joked with us, but explained all the menu items to perfection. Has anyone ever just known it was going to be a good meal right away? That's how we felt. So, I thought, why not order a drink?
I couldn't decide on one, so I had the Pinot Noir Flight:

The limes are for our bottle of San Pellegrino (I know, predictable). DH didn't have any alcohol, but he tasted mine. The three wines were: Central Otago Roaring Meg Mt. Difficulty 2008 - New Zealand, Yarra Valley Coldstream Hills 2007 - Australia, and Russian River Valley Deloach Barrel to Barrel 2008 - California. How do I remember? Bob let me keep the wine flight menu, of course! Here's a pic of it anyway:

He told us that the wine from New Zealand was his favorite, and I have to agree that it was the best of the three. Wonderful flavor, both during and after drinking it.

Bob also brought us some bread while we were waiting for our appetizers:

Standard sourdough, and I think we barely ate any because we wanted to have room for all 3 upcoming courses.

Seeing as this is a fish restaurant, and DH doesn't like most fish, he got the crab cake appetizer so that he could at least try something from the sea:

This was outstanding. It comes with vegetable slaw, roasted red pepper coulis, and ancho chile remoulade. DH ate the whole thing (I might have gotten a bite). It rates right up there with the Brown Derby crab cake in terms of fresh, plentiful crab.

Here's a shock, I ordered the cheese plate:

The way it is listed on the cheese menu (which I kept) is not the way it is arrange on this plate, so I'm not sure which is which. But, the cheeses are: Pave de Affnois, Fiscalini Farms Bandaged Wrapped Cheddar, Fiore Sardo, Humboldt Fog, and Caveman Blue. The accompaniments are: Bing Cherry, Pomegranate, Balsamico and Black Currant Chutney; Raisins on the Vine; Savannah Bee Company Honeycomb; and Spiced Cranberry, Sweet Onion, and Heirloom Apple Compote "Agrodulce." It all sounds very fancy, doesn't it? In the plate towards the back of the pic were some small toasted breads to go with it all. I think Humboldt Fog is a popular choice for WDW cheese plates. The bandaged wrapped cheddar and the fiore sardo were my two favorites, but once again it was all good. I just love the cheese with the accompaniments! And this time, I had wine! Perfect appetizer

For my main course, I had to try the Signature Flying Fish Cafe "Potato-wrapped Red Snapper":

Underneath is a leek fondue with a veal glace, and the small pitcher contains the red wine and cassis butter reduction. Of course, since I knew it was a butter sauce, I asked for it on the side. I wanted to at least taste it, but I couldn't bear to have a butter taste all over my potato-wrapped fish. This was an excellent dish. The potato really compliments the fish well. The leek part wasn't really my thing, but I guess that's a matter of taste. I ate the entire fish portion, though.

Being a non-fish guy, DH had Wattleseed, Porcini, and Pepperberry-scented Angus Beef Short Rib "Osso Bucco":

This was his second try at a short rib plate on this trip. It's sitting on a bed of mustard seed spatzle, bacon-laced rainbow swiss chard, and roasted fennel. It also has a port wine-mustard seed reduction with a horseradish-citrus gremolata. DH is not a fan of horseradish, but that must've been a very mild dose, since he was delighted with this dish. He ate as much as he could. The meat was tender and perfectly cooked. The sauce was not too rich, but very flavorful. Overall, he was very happy with his choice.

By dessert, we were really in a great mood. I ordered the trio of "sinful" chocolate indulgences:

White chocolate-almond creme brulee, flourless chocolate torta, and chocolate bread pudding! Let me tell you, there was nothing wrong with any of these I was in heaven. The best, for me, was the chocolate torta, but I tend to like a richer, less-sweet chocolate taste. Most flourless desserts are thick, rich, and delicious, and this was no exception. Next best was the chocolate bread pudding, and then the creme brulee. Sometimes I'm in the mood for brulee, and sometimes not. This time it was just part of the plate, but not something I would've specifically ordered.

DH had the carmelized banana napoleon:

This is layers of phyllo, banana mousse, creme caramel, exotic fruit coulis, and bitter chocolate. He loved it! It's tied with the banana dessert at Citrico's as far as tasty banana chocolate heaven.

We took our time, and signed the check at 9:40pm, a good two hours after we started.

Total OOP cost before tip? $159.73

Atmosphere? We were listening to a waiter at another table discussing what the restaurant used to be (candy store, I think), and how it almost became a Cheesecake Factory. You can kind of tell by the layout that it wasn't originally designed to be the Flying Fish. But, the decor is great since it works with the Boardwalk theme and the fish theme. Also, the lighting and table settings were perfect. It's a 4 for us.

Service? Totally a 5. Perfect.

Food? Can we say 4.9? I'm hesitant to give anything a 5 on food (maybe just the sweet potato pillow at R&C ), since there is always a little tiny part of something that isn't perfect, but this was close.

Overall Rating? We need to go back here as soon as possible!!!

 

[vinotinto]

Hi there I'm enjoying your reviews, since you tell it as it is. I'm excited to see your Flying Fish review. I've booked it for our adult meal in September (kiddos will be off to the Sandcastle Club!).

 

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

Great reviews! I'm sad I missed the sunshine juice at GFC - that looks like a fun treat! DBF and I really enjoyed the steak and eggs there (I know, SO much steak during a Disney trip, but this was too good to pass up!), it's a really really good dish. Hopefully you'll give GFC another shot, it's definitely worth it to try this!

Yay another dessert trio! Oh man, that chocolate trio looks fantastic!

That's kinda crazy that FF was going to be a Cheesecake Factory. I can't even imagine if that was on the Boardwalk, I feel like the atmosphere would be so different! Maybe I just wouldn't want that much of a reminder of home there...I'm glad that didn't come to be.

 

[lovesdumbo]

Loved your Flying Fish review! I've had Bob as my waiter 2 of the 3 times I've been there. He wasn't working the last time we were there. I'm hoping he's working when I go back in May. Can't wait!!!

 

[sophie832]

Hi there I'm enjoying your reviews, since you tell it as it is. I'm excited to see your Flying Fish review. I've booked it for our adult meal in September (kiddos will be off to the Sandcastle Club!).

I do try to be as honest as possible. I think you will have a great dinner at FF in September

Great reviews! I'm sad I missed the sunshine juice at GFC - that looks like a fun treat! DBF and I really enjoyed the steak and eggs there (I know, SO much steak during a Disney trip, but this was too good to pass up!), it's a really really good dish. Hopefully you'll give GFC another shot, it's definitely worth it to try this!

Yay another dessert trio! Oh man, that chocolate trio looks fantastic!

That's kinda crazy that FF was going to be a Cheesecake Factory. I can't even imagine if that was on the Boardwalk, I feel like the atmosphere would be so different! Maybe I just wouldn't want that much of a reminder of home there...I'm glad that didn't come to be.

I was thinking of you guys specifically when I wrote about the steak and eggs. I don't read very many GFC reviews, so I was really glad to see yours before DH and I ate there. I think we probably will return someday, but who knows how soon that will be.

I think ESPN Club is a good fit for the Boardwalk atmosphere, but I agree that chain restaurants just seem weird at WDW. I'd rather see unique restaurants. Besides, why would I go all the way to WDW to eat at a place I have right in my own backyard?

Loved your Flying Fish review! I've had Bob as my waiter 2 of the 3 times I've been there. He wasn't working the last time we were there. I'm hoping he's working when I go back in May. Can't wait!!!

When we go back someday, I hope we can request Bob. Good service really makes the entire meal much better.

 

[Tarheel Tink]

I'm really enjoying your reviews; we have a FF adr in about 6 weeks!

 

[sophie832]

I'm really enjoying your reviews; we have a FF adr in about 6 weeks!

I am so jealous! FF is awesome!

 

[sophie832]

After eating a banana for breakfast, I was starving by the time we got to Le Cellier for our 11:30am lunch ADR. We'd only been to Le Cellier once before, for dinner back in December, and DH wasn't as impressed as I was. I loved my mushroom filet, and I wanted to go back again to try lunch. We arrived about 5 mins early, and checked in at the podium before walking down the path to the actual restaurant. We didn't know that they sing "O Canada" when they open for lunch, so that was fun. Here's a pic:

We were seated as soon as the song was done at a half booth, but I'm not sure what Province we were in.

Quick menu shot:


Our waitress, Tanya, came by right away to get us some drinks. We both ordered iced teas. Tanya was great about explaining our choices for lunch. Turns out, the appetizer trio would count as only one of our appetizers! I wanted the cheddar cheese soup, but I also wanted to try something else, so guess what I got?

This was basically all mine (yes, I am a pig), and I ate most of it. I dipped some breadstick in the soup, chomped down on the tomato stack, and dived into the lump crab. Although I do enjoy the soup, I'm not as in-love with it as some people on the Dis are (in fact, DH doesn't really like it at all). So, my favorite part of the trio was actually the lump crab. It was kind of like crab pudding with corn, which sounds weird, but was pretty tasty.

DH got the lump crab by itself as his appetizer:

He thought it was ok, but not nearly as good as the other crab cakes he had on the trip. He felt that the different spices in it, plus the corn, overpowered the crab.

For my main course, there was no way I was getting anything other than the mushroom filet:

Back in December, I got it with the herb butter sauce on the side. I tried the sauce, but of course I hated it because I hate the taste of butter. This time, I just had them skip the sauce entirely. Frankly, I just wanted the divine taste of filet mignon combined with the mushroom risotto. DH and I both love the risotto. Salty or not, it's the best! The filet was cooked a little more than medium well, but not too well for my tastes. Was it the best steak of our trip? No, but it was pretty darn good.

DH had the Le Cellier house burger:

I was skeptical about getting a burger at Le Cellier, but DH liked it. He said the burger meat itself was delicious, and the combination of the bbq sauce and onion was the perfect compliment. He doesn't like pickles, so I got that...bonus! The fries were so-so...not as good as the "chips" in the UK.

I wanted to try something unique for dessert, so I ordered the Mont Blanc Semifreddo:

This was very strange. It had a kind of "bite" to it, and the taste was a little odd. It's supposed to be made with wine, so maybe that's why. I ate it all anyway, but I don't think I'd order it again.

DH went with the no-sugar added dessert:

Since it's been a while now, we think this was a raspberry sorbet with a chocolate cake. I guess the cake couldn't have been that great if we can't remember much of it, but DH loved the sorbet in December, and enjoyed it again at this meal. We were sooooooo full, so we ordered lighter desserts.

Total OOP cost before tip? $95.13

Atmosphere? I love the decor and intimacy of Le Cellier, and the fact that a lot of areas get bad cell phone reception. Pretty quiet during the early lunch, too. It definitely looks a lot like a cellar down there, so we give it a 4.

Service? Tanya was really friendly. We talked to her a lot about Canada and life, and that makes the meal better in our opinion. Sometimes the food took a little longer than we would've liked, but part of that could be due to my ordering the filet. This is a 3.5.

Food? Ups and downs, but a better experience for DH than the December dinner. I was feeling about the same as I did in December, still happy. We'll give it a 4.

Overall rating? We would still go back for lunch, since it seems the menu is unchanged. It's a good use of 1 credit, and there are certain foods that are uniquely delicious.

 

[Amy&Dan]

I have just spent a very pleasant couple of hours reading your December and January reviews! I love all your attention to detail and your photos and also love the way you organize your reviews.

Thanks so much, I don't get many evenings to just sit back and chill so its been a real pleasure!

What a nice couple you make.

 

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

Glad you were able to get the mushroom filet again! That sampler appetizer looks awesome, lots of fun choices. That semifreddo dessert does look a little different, but hey desserts are always worth a try!

 

[juliebug1997]

You didn't get the chocolate moose?

 

[sophie832]

I have just spent a very pleasant couple of hours reading your December and January reviews! I love all your attention to detail and your photos and also love the way you organize your reviews.

Thanks so much, I don't get many evenings to just sit back and chill so its been a real pleasure!

What a nice couple you make.

Thank you for all the compliments! So sweet of you to say. We had such a great time on both trips, and writing the reviews is a great way of reminiscing.

Glad you were able to get the mushroom filet again! That sampler appetizer looks awesome, lots of fun choices. That semifreddo dessert does look a little different, but hey desserts are always worth a try!

While I do love the memories, it is so friggin' hard to look at all these food pics again That sampler was really tasty! But, I guess the pics will have to do until we can be there again.

You didn't get the chocolate moose?

Two times at Le Cellier, and no moose yet...I keep thinking it's just a fun version of a common dessert, and that's what keeps me from it, but maybe next time.