We're STILL full!!! 9/22/07 - 9/29/07 Free Dining report W/ pics! COMPLETE 11/14

[Prinny27]

Hello, food lovers! This is my first dining report, and after reading so many on these boards, I just knew that I had to write one for this trip. Hubby and I were in the World 9/22 - 9/29 and had such a great time! We stayed at POR, and it was so HOT. Let me tell you, free dining is a fabulous thing! Not only did we get to eat at really great restaurants and didn't feel too badly if we couldn't finish it or didn't like it.

But now, let me introduce the cast:

Me - 26, and starting to become less picky with food. I love pasta (especially in creamy sauces) and really good steaks. I do NOT like vegetables, and I'm allergic to broccoli, so I can't have anything cooked with that.

DH - 25, and loves food. Really, he's like a garbage disposal. He will eat anything and everything, and even when he says he is full and couldn't possibly eat another bite, if you give it about 3 minutes, he'll be eating some more. I don't know where he puts it all. Also, you'll notice that he's a man of very few words. Not the best help when you're trying to write a dining review, so you'll be seeing a lot of 'it was good' from him.

My mother and stepfather joined us on our first two days there. They're lucky and only live a few hours away, so drove up to spend the weekend with us. So you lucky readers will have two extra dishes to read about for the first two days!

Here are the restaurants I will be reviewing:

Table Service
Raglan Road Pg. 1
Boatwright's Pg. 1
Biergarten Pg. 2
California Grill Pg. 3
Wolfgang Puck Cafe Pg. 4
Kona Cafe Pg. 4
Jiko Pg. 5
Whispering Canyon Cafe Pg. 6

Counter Service
Riverside Mill (lunch three times, breakfast once ) Pg. 1, Pg. 2, Pg. 4, Pg. 5
Main Street Bakery Pg. 2
Auntie Gravity's Pg. 3
Pecos Bill's Tall Tale Inn & Cafe Pg. 3
Sassagoula Floatworks & Food Factory Pg. 4
Yakitori House Pg. 4
Pizzafari Pg. 5

Food & Wine Festival Booths
Wonder Bar Pg. 6
China Pg. 6
Italy Pg. 6
Poland Pg. 6
Morrocco Pg. 6
France Pg. 6
Greece Pg. 6
Turkey Pg. 6
Germany Pg. 6
Canada Pg. 6

Random Snacks
Turkey Leg Pg. 6
Ice Cream from the Main Street Ice Cream Parlour Pg. 6
Scuttle's Landing Pg. 6
Goofy's Candy Company Pg. 4

Hope you enjoy, because we definitely loved eating it all!

 

[princesslily]

Can't wait!

 

[TigerKat]

I'm in!!!!!!!

 

[Prinny27]

We arrived at MCO a little before 12:00 pm, and were greeted with MASSIVE lines at the Magical Express check-in counter. I have never seen it this busy! The line did move quickly, though, and then we were sent on to another line to wait for our ME bus. This line was so long that we wound up waiting 40 minutes to get on a bus. INSANE! Happily, that was the longest, by far, we had to wait in line all week.

By the time we arrived at POR, we were starving! So we checked in, found out our room was ready, and went to unpack our carryons while we waited for my parents to arrive. We knew we'd be eating a big dinner at Raglan Road later that night,so the four of us decided on Riverside Mill.

My Mom got the 'Make Your Own Salad'

She loved this - she stood there for about five minutes telling the lady what she wanted on the salad (luckily, there was no one behind her). She put in carrots, broccoli, peas, chicken, sunflower seeds, parmesan cheese, and who knows what else. I think she put almost every option available on her salad. She said everything was really fresh and the chicken was nice and moist.


My step father had the fish & chips basket

He said these weren't bad, the fish wasn't too greasy. But he did say that although the fries were crispy, they were very greasy.


DH got the Beef & Blue Cheese on Ciabatta

He claims this was just alright, and it didn't have enough flavor. It came with BBQ chips as the side, and I tried a few and they were a little greasy, but VERY flavorful.

I had the Turkey Sandwich

This was a good sandwich - nothing outstanding, but there wasn't anything to complain about, either. The turkey had a smokey flavor to it, which was nice, because I'm used to eating honey turkey. My side was the pasta salad. I did not like this at all. My mom tried it, too, and she didn't care for it, either. It had way too much onion in it, to the point where that was almost all you could taste. It did have a minty after taste, though. DH and I both had sugar cookies w/ Mickey sprinkles for dessert. We LOVE these! They are so soft and chewy. DH even got them 'to go' right before we left for the airport to come home, and he forgot to give them to me, and I didn't find them until three days later packed in his carry on, and it was STILL soft and chewy. You're going to see them turn up a lot in this report.

My mom and step-dad weren't on the dining plan, so they used their Disney Visa Rewards points for this.
Bottled Water: $2.00
Fish Basket: $7.99
Salad Your Way: $ 7.99
Total: $19.02

Total for DH & I:
Beef and Blue Cheese: $7.99
Turkey Sandwich: $6.79
Two Sugar Cookies: $3.78
Bottled Water: $2.00
Soda: $???
Total - $22.00, used 2 CS credits

 

[Ciciwoowoo]

Oohh...I like it so far! Am anxiously waiting to read more!

 

[butterfly8]

bring it on

 

[MadiMouse]

Okay, bring on more food porn!!!

 

[Prinny27]

We were really looking forward to this dinner - we had never eaten here, and we just love Irish food. I grew up eating corned beef & cabbage (which is really more Irish-American, but hey!) and soda bread (which they bring to your table before your meal to munch on, but I didn't take a picture of it. But I do remember it being more brown in color and it was more dense and not sweet. I'm used to soda bread being white with raisins and on the sweet side, like my grandma always made. This was served with olive oil for dipping, which was odd to me).

We checked in about a half hour early, and the foyer and gift shop were PACKED! People were standing around everywhere waiting. It took about a half hour for them to call us for our table, so we actually got seated right at our ADR time. We were led to a table that was in the very center of the restaurant, right next to where the dancer performs (our ADR was at 6:35, so unfortunately we weren't there to see the band and dancer perform). I didn't notice it being overly loud, but it was very dark in there.

Our server, Danny, came over to introduce herself and take our drink orders. I ordered a Strongbow Cider (which I LOVE and cannot get up here in Jersey), DH got a League of Nations Flight (which I can't remember what beers were in it, but it was four little sized glasses to taste), and my step-dad got a Guiness.

Now on to the appetizers! DH got the goat cheese salad

I didn't get to try this, but he said it was alright, and that he liked it. Yeah, I'm not sure what that means, either. I did eat the raspberries off the top, and liked those! They were big, juicy, ripe and fresh.

Step-dad and I had the Colpuccino

The menu described this as a creamy potato, bacon and cabbage soup, so we were thinking we were going to get a thick, white, creamy soup. As you can see, it wasn't. I thought it was very bland, and my step-dad said it was just okay. I only took a few spoonfuls of this. The breadstick that came with it was very light and cheesy. When it was dipped in the soup, it was pretty good, and gave the soup some much-needed flavor.

For entrees, DH and I both go the Serious Sirloin Steak

I ordered mine medium well, while DH ordered his medium. Well, mine came out absolutely dry with not a hint of pink to it - well done. DH's came out blood red - rare. I didn't enjoy this at all, and I've had much better steaks at the Outback here at home. DH ate most of his, and even gave me a bite after I complained how dry mine was, and his was definitely a lot jucier, but way too red for my taste. The mashed potatoes that came with it, though, were really yummy. But I have to say this is my fault for ordering a steak at an Irish restaurant! What was I thinking!?!

My mom got the Pie in the Sky

She said this was okay. She really wanted the shepard's pie, but they used lamb meat, which she doesn't care for, so she got this instead. It had chicken and mushrooms inside of it, and she said the chicken was on the dry side. She also mentioned that the dish was a little over-done because the crust part was burnt.

My SD had the Paddy's Pork

This was pork loin stuffed with sausage meat, and drizzled with a honey-soy glaze. He loved this! He said it was excellent, and that if you love pork, you have to go to RR and get this dish. He couldn't rave about it enough.

DESSERT!!!

Mom had the Bailey's Creme Brulee

Now, you may be thinking, is this the creme brulee? Yes, readers, it is. My mom was so confused, as she had seen someone at the table next to us with a dessert in a little dish that she really wanted and thought it was the creme brulee. But as you can see, the creme brulee is really more like a pie here. But she said it was very good, even though there was no burnt sugar, and she really like the vanilla sauce they give you to pour over it.

DH had the Dunbrody Kiss

He said he liked it a lot. Guess he did, b/c he ate the whole thing. I didn't try it, though, because believe it or not, I hate chocolate. That's right, I can't stand it. So we will have to take DH's word for it that the Dunbrody Kiss is a great dessert.

I had the Dondon's Delight

This was just amazing. I loved it! It was vanilla ice cream with strawberries, and on top there was this cream, that was hardened and tasted a bit like a marshmallow. That sugary flavor made this dish just pop, and when you had all three flavors in your mouth at the same time, it was just excellent. And the mint sprigs gave it a really 'fresh' kick.

SD had Ger's Bread & Butter Pudding

He said this was excellent. And then proclaimed he was full, but three minutes later he picked up his spoon and started eating it again

Overall this restaurant is good, but not as great as I was hoping for. We'll probably try it again at some point in the future, but I definitely won't be getting the steak! Our server Danny was great. She was so friendly and would spend minutes at a time explaining the menu and answering questions for us, and just chatting about anything. She was also on top of everything and our food and drinks came out and were refilled almost immediately.

Because mom and SD weren't on the dining plan, they put their meals and the drinks on the Rewards card.
2 Strongbows: $13.50
1 Nations Flight: $8.50
2 Guiness: $13.50
1 Colpuccino: $6.00
1 Chicken Pie: $16.95
1 Paddy Pork: $19.95
1 Boddington Draft: $6.75
1 Pudding: $7.99
1 Creme Brulee: $7.99
Tip: 18.20
Total: $123.16

For DH and I on the DDP:
1 Colpuccino: $6.00
1 Goats Town: $9.95
2 Sirloin: $47.90
1 Dunbrody: $8.99
1 Dondon: $6.99
Tip: $14.37
Total: $94.20

 

[my3disneygirls]

Can't wait for more!

 

[Minniespal]

Brillant

 

[DLo]

Great pics and reviews. Thanks for the cost breakdown. We aren't on the DP this trip because of a great room discount .

 

[Prinny27]

Great pics and reviews. Thanks for the cost breakdown. We aren't on the DP this trip because of a great room discount .

I'm glad it helps! We most likely won't be on the DDP plan when it changes next year, but the cost break downs will be what helps us decide when the time comes, so I thought I would throw it in here.

Brillant

Thanks!

Oohh...I like it so far! Am anxiously waiting to read more!

Thank you!

 

[Prinny27]

This was the last meal we'd be having with my parents this trip, as they were going to be driving home that morning. They checked out of the Swan and drove over to our hotel around 8:30 am. DH and I had eaten at Boatwright's for dinner about a year and a half earlier, and thought it was absolutely terrible, but after reading reviews on this board about how good their breakfast was, we thought we'd give it a shot. Besides, we were staying at POR and it would make for an easy breakfast location.

When we checked in we were told it would be no problem to fit us in, even though we didn't have an ADR, and that it would be just a few minutes. Well, no sooner had a walked two paces to a bench in the hallway and sat down, did they call our name. We were led to a table in the main room, right underneath the huge boat hull. I don't remember our waitress's name (Sue, maybe?) but she came over after a few minutes and took our drink order. After taking our food orders, it took only ten minutes for the dishes to come out.

DH got Boatwright's Breakfast and a side of Biscuits & Gravy

This was two eggs any style, toast or biscuits, sausage or bacon, and potatoes. He didn't like this at all. He actually didn't eat much of it, which is very telling since he'll usually eat anything. He said the eggs were runny, the potatoes tasted 'weird' and didn't like any of it. The biscuits and gravy he said were good, although I tasted them and something was just 'off' to me. They were very salty, and I much prefer the biscuits and gravy at Whispering Canyon Cafe.

Mom had the Eggs Benedict

As you can see - these things are SMOTHERED in the sauce. She said Boatwright's has no clue how to make eggs benedict, and there was way too much mayo on top of them. She advised everyone to wipe off as much of the sauce as you can, which she did, basically wiping all of it off. She could hardly taste the eggs or the ham, and she said the potatoes tasted sweet and that they were hard on the outside and mushy on the inside. Needless to say, she did not enjoy this meal.

Step-dad got the Omelet

This is listed on the menu as a three-egg omelet with your choice of fillings, breakfast potatoes, and either toast or biscuits. SD got a ham and cheese omelet. He said it was excellent, and the Swiss cheese melted perfectly and 'sweated' just like cheese is supposed to. He also said that the potatoes were sweet, though, and didn't like them either.

I got the Sweet Potato Cakes

I thought these were great! The taste reminded me of gingerbread, and the honey-pecan butter complimented the pancakes perfectly, adding just a tiny bit of a sweetness. My mom took a bite and made a face, and I had to explain to her that they weren't 'normal' pancakes, but sweet potato and she said, 'oh' so I guess she didn't like them very much. But I thought they were a pleasant change from typical pancakes. The bacon, though, was too soft and mushy for me because I like my bacon very well-done, so I did not enjoy that. I also had a fruit cup that I didn't take a picture of, and it was your typical fruit salad (just grapes, honeydew and cantaloupe), and good, although nothing outstanding.

We most likely won't be returning here. Even though I enjoyed my pancakes and SD liked his breakfast, it's really not all that great to warrant a return trip, unless everyone would be getting those pancakes.

My parents were nice enough to pay for this meal, so it was paid for out of pocket.
Boatwright's Breakfast: $7.99
Biscuits & Gravy: $3.99
Omelet: $8.99
Eggs Benedict:$8.59
Sweet Potato Cakes: $7.29
Fruit cup: $2.99
Coffee(3): $6.57
Tip: $9.28
Total: $55.69

 

[lisaj]

Great reviews and fantastic pictures, thank you.

 

[mom2fivecs]

Looking forward to more reviews...thanks a bunch

 

[lizzyb]

Great review soo far!

 

[AnninIowa]

Subscribing!!

 

[mzliza3]

Subscribing! I just love these reports! Great photos from Raglan Road!

 

[Melisa1]

great so far!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Prinny27]

Thanks everyone! I'm glad you're all enjoying my reviews, because I'm loving writing them. It's definitely helping me relive the vacation, instead of moping around because it's over.