We don't need a belt no more... 6 days of Disney Dining :)

[marivaid]

Coming up :

TS
Boma Dinner #1
Chef Mickey's Dinner
Boma Dinner #2
Boma Breakfast
Liberty Tree Tavern Dinner
Kona Lunch

CS
Mara
Pizzafari
Flame Tree BBQ
Sunshine Seasons

This was just DM (58) and me (28). We used the DDE card whenever possible.

 

[marivaid]

October 29th

We'd just checked in AKL and it was around 10pm so the easiest choice was Mara. It's a small food court type of CS, smaller than the POFQ food court but with better choices IMO. Sorry, didn't have my camera with me for this one.

DM had the pepperoni pizza, which was much better than the usual Disney pizza, more like a flatbread with a ton of cheese and pepperoni.

I had the chicken strips. A tip : unless you are VERY hungry, go for the kids portion. The only difference is that the adult size has 3 chicken strips while the kids' only has 2. Those strips are big, I could barely finish one, so it was definitely a waste for me to order the adult portion.

We also got a box of Zebra Domes that we brought back to the room & ate a couple days later. I just LOVED them but DM was turned off by the fact that they are very mushy - she expected the top part to be crunchy. I couldn't taste any alcohol in there, just coffee and chocolatey goodness.

(They are sold by box of 5.)

 

[marivaid]

October 30th

Pizzafari was our choice since 1/we were just coming out of Festival of the Lion King and 2/we could use our DDE card there.
Knowing that we had a dinner ADR at Boma that night we decided to split a verryyyy light lunch... pizza and breadsticks!

The pepperoni pizza was good, though not as good as last night at Mara. The breadsticks were cheesy and good, they came with marinara sauce. We were very full after this !

Pepperoni Pizza : $6.09
Breadsticks : $3.99
Fanta : $2.09
DDE discount : $2.43
Total w/tax : $10.38


That night was our first ADR, at Boma. First, the restaurant is beautiful. It's also very dark, which sometimes doesn't make it very easy for you to see what you're eating.

For drinks I got ginger ale and DM got the red wine flight :

DM started by the coconut seafood soup which she loved.

She then had several items from the buffet, mostly hummus with several types of breads, Kole Slai (spicier than regular coleslaw), salads... She loved everything she ate that night, with the exception of the prime rib which was very fatty.

My first plate aka No,I'm not on Atkins

Cinnamon & raisin rice (I LOVED this), mac'n'cheese, potatoes with afritude, and fallafels.

2nd plate : potato salad, pasta salad, field greens with balsamic dressing and kole slai.

After this, we both had a plate of fruits including pineapple, cantaloupe, watermelon and strawberries. This felt really good. I tried a few of the desserts, but besides the zebra domes they were not really interesting. They had little tarts with strawberries, chocolate mousse, flourless chocolate cake and several types of cookies.

We absolutely loved Boma. I knew my mom would, that's exactly her type of food. But I expected to eat solely off the kids' buffet. We liked Boma so much that we came back 2 nights later!

Red Sampler : $12.50
2 Adult Dinners : $51.98
DDE discount : $12.90
Total w/tax : $54.94

 

[ChelleinNC]

Now I'm craving zebra domes!!! And I've got to wait till December to get mine

 

[Ciciwoowoo]

It looks so yummy!

Thank you for taking so many nice pictures!

 

[marivaid]

October 31st

We were supposed to have lunch at Le Cellier today. Problem was, when we woke up we looked at the weather channel and they said 95% humidity. Not good for Illuminations.
We got very lucky and got a Chef Mickey's ADR for that night instead, and canceled Le Cellier.

Breakfast was at Mara. Again because I expected it'd rain all day I didn't even bring my camera.
We shared a Mickey waffle and a cup of fresh fruit. Good and fast. This food court never seemed to be busy, especially compared to the POP food court we tried to have breakfast at last July.

We made a mistake and had lunch at Sunshine Seasons around noon. I got a chicken caesar salad, and DM got what she thought was BEEF and goat cheese salad. She hates beets, so she asked for no beets at all in her salad which got us a strange look from the guy serving us. We figured out later that it was BEET and goat cheese salad, so basically DM ordered a beet salad with no beet.
We also got a fruit tulip.

The chicken caesar was very good, it was also very big and I left most of it uneaten. There was a little too much dressing on it. The chicken was good and cooked just right. DM liked her beet-salad-with-no-beet, mostly because of the goat cheese and walnuts.
The fruit tulip was very good also.

I finally got the pics out of my cell phone !!!

Caesar salad

Beet salad

Fruit tulip

Why was it a mistake ? It was just way too much for us to have breakfast, lunch AND a Chef Mickey's ADR on the same day. By the time we came out of CM we were stuffed like turkeys on Thanksgiving.

Speaking of Chef Mickey's...
We had an ADR for 6PM. It was an ADR for 3, but we explained that one person couldn't make it. The truth is, CM only has a few tables for 2 which makes it very hard to score a reservation.
It was no problem at all and we were seated within a few minutes. The hostess told us that they usually seat parties of 2 at tables for 4 anyway, so it really didn't make any difference.

My mom got a Grand Margarita

First plate for me :

Broccoli with mushrooms, rice with mushrooms, parmesan mashed potatoes and Mickey-shaped ravioli. Everything was really good, the ravioli was a little cold by the time I started eating.

One of DM's plates (sorry, she'd already started eating) : salmon, rice with mushrooms, and broccoli.

My second plate, everything but the carrotts is from the kid's buffet. Mickey shaped mac'n'cheese, chicken nuggets, pizza, peas and carrots. The mac-n-cheese was rather tasteless, but the rest was good.

Dessert plate that we shared

Oreo bonbon, brownie, carrot cake, and fruit tartlet.

I'd never tasted carrot cake before and didn't care for it at all. The oreo bonbon was overly sweet, brownie and tartlet were good.
We also had a bowl of gummy bears and M&Ms

So, I'd read a lot of bad reviews from CM before I left, some of which actually got me to cancel my original reservation there. Although the food is nowhere near fancy, it was good, in a cafeteria/school lunch sort of way.

It was Halloween night, and there were many families all dressed up, we were the only adult-only table in our section so the characters didn't spend a lot of time with us, which we were OK with since it was our 3rd time at CM. I just asked them to pose for a picture and didn't bother trying to actually interact with them.

This was way,way,way too much food in one day for us and we rolled out of Chef Mickey's.

By the way.. it didn't rain once that day.

Margarita : $9.50
2 Adult Dinners : $59.98
DDE Discount : $13.85
Total : $58.98

 

[jennynoel]

Great reviews! I can't believe you skipped Le Cellier, though

Would your husband recommend the wine flight at Boma?

Thanks!

 

[marivaid]

Great reviews! I can't believe you skipped Le Cellier, though

Would your husband recommend the wine flight at Boma?

Thanks!

I know, I thought it was nuts too at the time.. who skips Le Cellier ??? But we didn't really miss it (already done lunch there).

It's my mom not my husband lol.. she did like the red wine flight, it went very well with the food she chose from the buffet.

 

[marivaid]

November 1st

Lunch was at Flame Tree BBQ. DM loves ribs. I don't like meat much, so I got a side of coleslaw and some onion rings.
The ribs come with a side of bbq beans and a big corn muffin.
We also got a Bud Light and Sprite.

Everything was really good. DM really liked the ribs, but she said that the ones at WCC were better (I should hope so, considering they cost twice as much!!).

The seating area at Flame Tree is actually behind the restaurant. It's very nice, quiet, and the birds didn't bother us.

Best part IMO, this view :

Rib Meal $8.99
Onion Rings $3.79
Cole Slaw $1.69
Bud Light $5.25
Sprite $2.09
DDE Discount : $4.36
Total w/tax : $18.59

That night we went back to Boma for dinner. It was a last minute decision and I could only get an ADR for 9.30pm. I don't have any pics for that dinner, it was very very dark in here. I ate pretty much exactly the same things I had on the first night. DM tried the chicken, which she said was good, the bobotie which tasted a little funny but good, and fufu which she liked.

And guess where we're going tomorrow morning ? Yup. Boma.

 

[Busymom85]

Great reviews and pictures. Looking forward to the rest. Thanks for posting.

 

[jennynoel]

I know, I thought it was nuts too at the time.. who skips Le Cellier ??? But we didn't really miss it (already done lunch there).

It's my mom not my husband lol.. she did like the red wine flight, it went very well with the food she chose from the buffet.

Geez... I'm doubly unobservant today. Can you tell I mostly look at the pretty pictures?

 

[John's Mom]

Thanks for the great reviews and pictures.

 

[TigerKat]

Subscribing....

 

[wilma-bride]

Great reviews so far - I am so torn over whether to book Boma - just not sure the in-laws will like it

 

[marivaid]

Great reviews so far - I am so torn over whether to book Boma - just not sure the in-laws will like it

Go for it !! I'd say about 80% of the buffet is "normal food" - chicken or prime rib, vegetables, salads, fruit & desserts. I'm a plain food kind of person, but even I was overwhelmed with the choices.

 

[marivaid]

November 2nd

Breakfast at Boma ! I modified our ADR to get the latest time available, since we were still quite full from our late Boma dinner the night before.

There were so many things to choose from. We got scrambled eggs (they can make you any kind of egg you want on the spot), potatoes, bacon, waffles, pancakes... My mom tried the roasted ham and said it was delicious.
At the far end of the buffet I found the mini pastries. These were soooo good. Cinnamon rolls, chocolate croissants, pecan rolls... DM had their french toast which she thought was OK but too thick for her taste. She did like that it had raisins in it though.

For drinks, DM got coffee and orange juice. I got ginger ale then remembered about the Jungle Juice and asked for a glass of it. SO good and different.
We weren't charged extra for the 2nd beverages which I thought was nice.

Our server was great, very friendly and professional. There was a kid running wild and he was incredibly patient with him and his folks - much more patient than I would have been.

We topped off our breakfast with a big plate of fruits each, the same kind they have for dinner. The pineapple and watermelon were very good and felt great after the gooey sugary goodness we'd just eaten.

Dinner at Liberty Tree Tavern

This was our third time at LTT, and it was just okay. The last two times, it was our favorite meal of the trip. I think it had a lot to do with us dining later on those previous times. Plus, it was on MNSSHP.
We got seated almost right away, tucked in a little corner next to a window. Unfortunately it was a small corner and we could barely move our chairs.

Our server never introduced himself, just brought the dishes and cleared our salad plates. That was weird, because the servers at LTT were so nice before.

I don't have pics of the food, it's always the same though. For starters, salads with rolls. I thought the dressing tasted a little different than usual, less strawberry-ish.
Then, a plate of flank steak, turkey and ham. A bowl of mashed potatoes. A bowl of mac'n'cheese. A dish of green beans. Apple crumbler for dessert with vanilla ice cream.

Since it was MNSSHP the characters were dressed up for Halloween. The best character this time was Pluto.. I actually got down on the floor with him & started doing the dog It was so funny. Chip & Dale were great too, and Minnie was okay. Goofy was a big disappointment, as he's our favorite character and first, it took almost an hour for him to come to our table, and when he did come he didn't even stop, I snapped a pic as he walked by and poof he was gone.

(DM went for typecasting & dressed as the devil).

The food was good as always. DM liked the ham this time, and I thought the turkey tasted great. We asked for cranberry sauce and it went very well with the turkey. I think I ate the whole bowl of mashed potatoes and most of the mac'n'cheese all by myself

All in all it was an OK dinner, but a good way to start MNSSHP.

 

[Desnik]

Thanks so much for these great reviews! I have been looking for a good review of the food at Mara, thanks so much for posting it! We will be there tomorrow and we will have a late dinner. Also good to hear you liked CM. We haven't been there for a few years and have an ADR next week, can't wait!!

 

[marivaid]

November 3rd

Breakfast was ice-cream shaped rice crispies treat from the POP food court. Nothing to write home about but nice for a quick breakfast.

Lunch at Kona - our favorite lunch on property. We usually try to follow LTT by Kona because we need something fresh and light for a change. We got almost the exact same thing we got in July.

My mom got the teriyaki steak salad. This comes in a wonton bowl and she says the dressing is great, plus as you can see there is plenty of steak on this.

I got the Kona Club. It's turkey, turkey bacon, tomatoes and avocado. I just love this. The avocado makes it really different from the usual club sandwich. It is served with your choice of asian slaw or chips, and a small bowl of pickle. The pickle was good and tasted sweet. The asian slaw I wasn't a big fan of, too much of a kick for my taste.

For dessert, DM went with her favorite from last trip, the chocolate macadamia nut tart. It comes with ice cream too. Very gooey and extremely sweet, she loved it again and ate the whole thing !

I had something I didn't see the last time so it may be new. It's chocolate fondue with fruits. Also comes with 2 very fine cookies and 2 little coconut cake things. I don't like coconut so I didn't eat those, but the rest was incredibly good. The chocolate sauce was to die for.

Dinner was a pack of somewhat stale peanut butter crackers and chips from the vending machine in our building. We had to wait a while for a bus at MK, and by the time we got back to POP the food court had already closed.

 

[marivaid]

Thanks so much for these great reviews! I have been looking for a good review of the food at Mara, thanks so much for posting it! We will be there tomorrow and we will have a late dinner. Also good to hear you liked CM. We haven't been there for a few years and have an ADR next week, can't wait!!

You're welcome ! I'd read some not-so-good reviews about Mara, but we found it to be a nice, small food court with good options. And the best part is that it's never busy.
Have a great time at AKV !!

 

[marivaid]

November 4th

We were leaving that day Originally had planned a breakfast ADR at Crystal Palace but we slept right through it.

Instead, breakfast was chocolate croissants from the POP food court.

This was pretty good.

Later, we had an hour to kill before our DME pickup time so we got lunch at the food court.

DM had been dying for pizza since the night before, so that's what she got. Pepperoni pizza.
I got a cheeseburger with fries which was decent enough. We also shared a slice of chocolate cake which was good as usual (they sell that same cake at pretty much all the food courts).
The DDE card is accepted at POP which is a plus for us. Otherwise we probably wouldn't bother with the food court. They do have a lot of selections, and it was rather empty for lunch.

Well, that's all folks.. for now.. because we'll be back in WDW in one month, one week and 5 days, with a dozen ADRs planned!!