"What exactly is a schnitzel!?" March 2015 DR - November Trip Plans 9/2

[kastoney]

Great CHH review. It's become our go to MK counter service meal, as its always fast and good. Oddly the fish n chips has been replaced in my belly with my new fav the lighthouse sandwich. Definitely try it sometime, yummy!

 

[Vernie822]

PLAZA ICE CREAM PARLOR (SNACK)

We stopped at The Plaza Ice Cream Parlor on Main Street later that day.

The line was long, but it moved quickly.

I could not decide on what to get! The sundaes and waffle bowls looked so good, but I didn't want anything too big. Even a double scoop looked huge. They had a lot of great items here that you could purchase with a snack credit.

We decided on something small. My mom and I both had mint chocolate chip kids cones, complete with Mickey ears! My cousin had birthday cake, I think. My aunt just had a scoop of ice cream with caramel syrup.

The ice cream cones were delicious. I think it's just Edy's ice cream, but it was still good and hit the spot on this hot day. We sat outside at the tables and enjoyed our ice cream before hitting some more rides.

For $2.99, you get a lot of ice cream. We'll definitely be back here. I feel like this is a great pre-parade treat.

 

[Vernie822]

TH is our favorite breakfast buffet and all the world. My only complaint is the picture at the front used to have Donald in it and now it doesn't

We loved it. I can't wait to go back! Although next time I think we might try Boma just to mix things up since we'll be staying at AKL anyways.. but seriously TH was sooooo good. I wish I had some of that jungle juice right now!

 

[Vernie822]

Great CHH review. It's become our go to MK counter service meal, as its always fast and good. Oddly the fish n chips has been replaced in my belly with my new fav the lighthouse sandwich. Definitely try it sometime, yummy!

Ooh, I've heard that one is really good! Definitely on my must try list for next time. I was thinking about it this time but for some reason the Disney nuggets were calling my name.

 

[Vernie822]

'OHANA (DINNER)

For dinner that night, we were headed to 'Ohana. We had a 9:35 PM reservation, just in time to see Wishes, after a looooooong day at Magic Kingdom.

We had all been really excited to a) take the monorail and b) eat at Ohana. Justin and I loved this meal on our last trip.

I might have mentioned this before, but we originally had an Ohana reservation for our first night. Only, my mom found out the band’s schedule just weeks before the trip (grr) so I had to switch some things around. 9:30 on our MK day was the best I could do, which originally I kind of scoffed at because it seemed really late.

We had been going for 12 HOURS at this point without a break, but I was impressed.. we had accomplished a ton at MK that day.

We took a few pictures at the new and improved Poly lobby upon arriving.

We checked into Ohana at 9 for our 9:35 reservation. We had wanted to explore the lobby and get a drink beforehand, so we wanted to be early. I also wanted to request a table near the windows, so that we could see Wishes. We were willing to wait for that.

K and I each ordered a Lapu Lapu.

I shared mine with my mom since I knew they were going to be strong. Strong and DELICIOUS! These were sooo good.

We were seated at our ADR time, 9:35, and we were soo hungry. We had a great server, Kalani, and he had an assistant, Cliff. Cliff was from our hometown. Cool!

We were seated at a table near the windows. Only one couple was at a table in front of us, they were directly against the window. Minus a massive tree, we could see the fireworks. We were also right next to the huge grill where they cook the meat.

First came the bread, which I just love. I only had one piece because I didn’t want to fill up – I knew there was greatness to come.

Next up was the salad. Last time I was here, they served us lettuce wraps. I didn’t really care for them, they were a little spicy. And Lord knows Justin wasn’t going to willingly eat a lettuce/bean sprout taco knowing there was potstickers and wings coming his way.

The salad was good, but I don’t think it was the same salad as before. I’ve never had the previous salad, so correct me if I’m wrong, but I am pretty sure this salad had a pomegranate vinaigrette. My aunt really liked it. I wasn’t wasting precious stomach space on salad, so I just had a few bites.

Next up, potstickers and wings, woo hoo! I just love these.

Last time our potstickers were more fried, this time they seemed steamed and soft. The wings were delicious, as always. The potstickers were good, of course.


Noodles and veggies followed, and my family just became more shocked as the meal went on – “we get to eat all of this? As much as we want!?” Oh yes, but you MUST leave room for dessert!

My mom loved the veggies and noodles. The noodles are also one of my favorite parts.


Right about then, the fireworks started at MK. They piped in the music from Wishes.

The girls loved being able to see the fireworks from the restaurant, and hear the music as well. Pure magic! Pat on the back to their travel agent.. er, me.

A late dinner ended up working out really nicely. We enjoyed lots and lots of meat on a skewer next.

The steak was pretty good. I like my steak medium-well, so this was a little rare for my taste but it was still good overall.

If you’re an Ohana nut like myself, you might know that they replaced the pork with the chicken. Praise Jesus, halleluia! The chicken was soooooo good. I personally didn’t enjoy the pork on our last visit – it was really dry (I generally prefer chicken to pork though). The chicken was great. Unfortunately I didn't grab a picture.

The real hit at our table was the shrimp. Everyone couldn’t get enough of these! My cousin and my mom went to town on some shrimp. Mmm mmm mmm!!

We ate.. and ate.. and ate.


I tried to save room for the dessert, and I did! I was proud of myself, last time I was here I was full to the point of uncomfortableness. So I was pacing myself this time.

And, out it came…

The fabulous Ohana bread pudding!

I would seriously eat here just for this dessert.

They also brought us out some kids brownies.. I’m not sure if they thought we were 12 or what, but we didn’t mind. Kalani was a real sweetie and he kept calling us “baby love” and “Sweetheart”.. ha!

My family really enjoyed this meal. By 10:30 we were finished, exhausted, and stuffed.

Total for this meal was, I think, around $160. It's close to $40 per person - well worth it, in my opinion, for all of the delicious food you get!

 

[dvc at last !]

Love 'Ohana, too !
We were there last month and also did breakfast at Boma - it was great !

 

[ChrissyLady]

Yes! I'm in!! Reviews are looking awesome so far!!!!!

 

[kastoney]

Lapu Lapu, potstickers, shrimp, bread pudding, and wishes. Looks like a perfect night to me.

 

[ariane37]

I LOVE the Lapu Lapu! I *may* have fallen over a lounge chair or two on the Poly beach after the last time I had a couple.......Yeah, they're strong

Hmm, I don't know that I'm really liking the new Poly lobby . I've seen other pictures but I think yours capture it the best for me so far and it just doesn't look as inviting as the old one. We haven't been there since the redo - I guess a trip there will be necessary in Nov to check it out Maybe 'Ohana again for us, too. I was not happy when they took away the chicken. I don't eat shrimp and never usually like the steak there, so I always ate a lot of the chicken (and the dumplings, noodles.....dessert). Glad it's back!

 

[vettegirl]

Yummy yummy yummy love Ohana. Those shrimp, poststickers, dessert, etc just amazing along with Wishes. It's Disney dining magic at it's finest

 

[Vernie822]

50's PRIME TIME CAFE (LUNCH)

We had a 12:10 reservation for 50’s Prime Time. I was really excited to eat here. We contemplated going to an attraction first, after getting off of our previous one, but didn’t think we’d make it, so we headed that way.

I had never been here, but my mom ate here with my dad and siblings the last time they came. I knew my aunt would get a kick out of the décor and the sassy waitresses.

We approached 50’s around 11:40, a half hour before our ADR. They seated us not too long after that and had no problem with us being early. We took a couple pictures of the perfectly themed lobby and waited for maybe 10-15 minutes.

This area reminded my mom and aunt of my great grandma's house!

Tune-In Lounge:

Phil, a boisterous old fellow from Massachusetts, led us to our table. Alicia would be our server.

Alicia was a great waitress, but didn’t serve up any sass like we thought she would! I was kind of hoping for it because I knew my mom and aunt would get a kick out of it.


We had no idea what to order. My bucket list included the fried chicken. We had a dinner ADR that night, but had just done granola bars in the room at breakfast, so we were hungry, but didn’t want to fill ourselves too much.


My mom wanted to try the chicken too. Then I thought, well maybe I’ll get the pot roast.. My cousin and aunt thought the same thing.

So we did what we had done the day before – split meals!

Mom and I shared a sampler, and Aunt D and K shared one too. We decided that since we only got 2 entrees, we could totally get 2 appetizers as well. We chose the herb fried cheese, and the battered onion rings.

Our food came out, entrees with appetizers, which was fine with us because we were splitting everything.

Our appetizers:

Fried herb and garlic cheese - served with warm Raspberry Sauce and toasted French Bread $8.99

We cut the fried cheese wedge into 4 pieces and split it. No one really ate the fruit – come on, we are on a vacation here – but the fried cheese was delicious. I think K said she thought it was boursin? Not sure. I love cheese, I don’t discriminate. I’ll eat it, whatever it is.

Battered onion rings - served with horseradish sauce $6.99

The onion rings were hot and crispy. Not something I would generally order, but the horseradish sauce complemented them really well. The wedge salad also looked great, but that would’ve been hard to share.


Now for the samplers.. here’s ours before my mom and I cut into it. It wasn’t painfully difficult to split, except the chicken.

A Sampling of Mom's Favorite Recipes - Crispy-fried Chicken, Fork Tender Pot Roast, and Traditional Meatloaf with all the fixings $21.99

I hate meatloaf. Like really hate it. I despise it. Probably because when we were younger, my mom would make it pretty often. Except she often overcooked things, so it would come out like a brick with ketchup on top. Love ya mom, but I still dislike meatloaf.

Except this meatloaf – it was great! It was moist, not dry and overcooked. The ketchup was a nice accompaniment. Still my least favorite thing on the plate, since I’m a meatloaf hater, but it was good.

The pot roast was delicious. I had been wanting to try it, so I’m glad I did. This is something I try to cook at home but it never comes out just right. So I was happy to try this!

We also received fried chicken, which.. omg, was amazing. I rarely eat fried chicken, but this stuff was delicious! Not like regular fried chicken where you get the grease all over your fingers. I can’t explain it, it was greaseless perfection. I would go again and just order the fried chicken.

The mashed potatoes that accompanied the fried chicken were great. They were creamy with a delicious gravy. Mmmmm!

We also got green beans, which I think came alongside the pot roast. These were good – nothing to write home about but still a good part of the meal.

The collard greens were something I’ve never tried before. So I was hesitant at first but I ate them. We pretty much cleaned our plates!

Overall, this was a delicious meal. Since counter service meals at DHS are lacking (in my opinion!) I didn’t mind taking an hour break and getting something good to eat. I definitely think Justin and I will have to come back on our next trip.

The price wasn't too bad for all of our food. Our bill, for 1 sampler, onion rings, and 2 waters, was only about $30. So $15+ tip per person for a sit down meal including one entree and one appetizer is pretty decent! I think my aunt and cousin's might have been more like $35 since I think they each had a soft drink.

A picture of us outside on the lake after our meal:

 

[LindseyJo22]

Glad to hear you had such a good time at 50s Prime Time! I don't know if it's one I'll check out in the near future, because the shenanigans make me nervous But the food looks amazing

 

[Emme]

Loving all your reviews!! Great pictures and perfect descriptions! Thanks for taking the time

 

[Vernie822]

Glad to hear you had such a good time at 50s Prime Time! I don't know if it's one I'll check out in the near future, because the shenanigans make me nervous But the food looks amazing

We really enjoyed the food! Our server brought zero antics with her.. which I was nervous about too. My fiance is much more shy than I am, and if it was the two of us, I probably would have been nervous about the antics. But since I was with my mom and aunt, who are really goofy, I knew if anything happened that they'd play along. So it worked out well, even if it did make me a little nervous at first.

Loving all your reviews!! Great pictures and perfect descriptions! Thanks for taking the time

Thank you! I love writing these and reading them too!

 

[kastoney]

I haven't been to 50s in years, but that fried chicken is making me contemplate a trip next time. And those onion rings looks. Mmmmm. Both look like pure fried perfection

 

[Vernie822]

WRITER'S STOP

This will be a short review. Short but oh so sweet!

I had been eyeing up the infamous carrot cake cookie from the Writer’s Stop at Hollywood Studios ever since I started researching our first trip last September. I had my sights set on it, but with a rainy day and not much time spent at DHS, I skipped it.

I would not let that happen on this trip. We kind of had the motto of trying everything this trip. At least if we split it, someone would like it if the others didn’t. We were quite busy on our DHS day with trying to fit in shows and rides, plus Fastpasses.


I didn’t want to make any of my family trek across the park with me, so I let them know that I wanted one, and asked if anyone else did. They all said “UM THERE IS A CARROT CAKE COOKIE SANDWICH HERE AND YOU DIDN’T TELL US TIL NOW!? WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU!?”


So off we went to Writer’s Stop..

It's really cute inside. Perfect place to stop and rest and get an iced coffee and dessert.

There were lots of delicious looking treats!

Mom and I decided to split, since we were still full from lunch. And these babies are huge.

Come to mama!

K and D also split one.

Ok, so maybe I split mine 60/40 with my mom. It was an accident, I swear..


The verdict: this was amazing. Omg. Cookies, cream cheese icing.. to die for. On my bucket list, that I failed to add for this trip, not knowing how long we’d spend at DHS and knowing a Carrot Cake Cookie was my top priority, is a chocolate peanut butter cupcake. Yum. Ok, next time.

I'll definitely be back here next trip. And every trip after that. I think I'm going to attempt to re-create these for Easter, in a much smaller version.

 

[IrishNYC]

Great reviews! Thanks! You've helped me convince DH to do less ADRs and more evenings roaming around Epcot!

 

[vettegirl]

Love PT 50s! I always get the sampler and I never ever eat fried chicken except here! Also the theme is awesome!

 

[Vernie822]

I haven't been to 50s in years, but that fried chicken is making me contemplate a trip next time. And those onion rings looks. Mmmmm. Both look like pure fried perfection

I definitely think I need to go back for that fried chicken. Definitely fried perfection.

Great reviews! Thanks! You've helped me convince DH to do less ADRs and more evenings roaming around Epcot!

Thank you! I enjoy writing them. We definitely enjoy roaming around Epcot and trying new things. Of course there are so many great restaurants to try as well. I was definitely pleasantly surprised with the fish and chips in the UK - a new go to for sure.

Love PT 50s! I always get the sampler and I never ever eat fried chicken except here! Also the theme is awesome!

The theming was so great! I wish we would've had a little more sass from our waitress, but the food was delicious. My new favorite fried chicken for sure.

 

[Vernie822]

RAGLAN ROAD (DINNER)

I had been wanting to try Raglan Road for a while now. Everyone raves about it, especially on a Facebook group I’m in, Disney Foodies. So I was really excited to eat here. My aunt (not the aunt that came with us) had been here last November and raved about the Braised Be. Beef, as well as the awesome Irish dancers.

My cousin is Irish (on her Dad's side) so she was really excited to try this place.

We had taken a boat to Downtown Disney from our resort.

Since it was dark and there were construction walls everywhere, I had positively zero idea where I was going. Thanks to the trusty My Disney Experience app, K and I navigated our way there using the map.


Our reservation was for 8 PM, and we checked in at 7:55.


I always, always, always see openings for this place on the MDE app. It was fairly simple to change times if needed. But when we walked up, the crowds were massive! It’s close to St. Patty’s day, but on a Tuesday? This place was packed. I wonder if it’s because locals like to go to DTD, since there’s no park admission required? Whatever it is, it was really busy that night.


We looked around in the gift shop but our buzzer went off within 10 minutes and we were seated.. right in front of the stage! Awesome.

Excuse my awful photos - it's really dark in there.

I sat next to the secondary stage. It was right behind me.

Within a few minutes of sitting down, a male dancer had gotten up onto the small stage in the middle. I nearly fell off my chair when he started his routine. Seriously, I thought it was a gunshot or something. BOOM BOOM BOOM right into my right ear, haha!

He was amazing though – I have no clue how he did it. He was awesome and very talented.


Our waiter, Kevin, arrived to take our drink orders. K ordered a beer flight (I know Harp and Guinness were involved, I have no idea what the other two were).

I ordered a Magner’s Pear Cider. My aunt had a soda and my mom had water.

It took him what felt like forever to come back to our table to bring us bread and drinks. 10-15 minutes, at least. Then it took him awhile to get back to take our orders.


In the meantime, what would I order? I don’t typically eat pork, ham, or beef (except on vacation.. and well, I was on vacation), and none of the Irish dishes were really intriguing me.

Things that jumped out at me: the Burger R Way, It’s Not Bleedin Chowder, Fish and Chips, and the Schnitzel (do not ask why, I thought it sounded interesting).

Immediately I ruled out the burger – I felt like I could get that anywhere, although I have seen a few reviews saying it was great.

The ‘It’s not Bleedin Chowder’ sounded good as well.. "It's the Freshest cuts of seafood and potatoes in a white wine infused cream broth. But it's not chowder, Ok?" $26.00

We'd already had Fish and Chips in the UK earlier that week, although Kevin assured us that they were great.

When it came time to order, my cousin went first. She would have the Bangers and Booz, something she’s had before from other places, that seemed like a traditional Irish dish.

My aunt ordered the salmon. Not really too Irish, it seemed, but that’s what she was in the mood for.

My mom was stumped like me. She went for the Fish & Chips, because Kevin said they were known for them.

Then it came down to me. Mom had ordered the fish and chips, so I didn’t want to get the same. The chowder sounded good, but what was a schnitzel, anyways?! I’m nearly ¾ German, so why I didn’t know already was beyond me.


“What exactly is a schnitzel!?” I asked Kevin.


“A schnitzel is typically pork, but we use ham. It is pounded flat, breaded and fried, and topped with arugula and a fried egg.”


FRIED EGG – SIGN ME UP FOR THE SCHNITZEL!


“It’s topped with baked beans with bacon, and there are chips on the side.”


“Ooh, I’ll take the schnitzel,” I said. “With the baked beans on the side.” (I don’t like baked beans).



We enjoyed the bread and Guinness reduction dipping sauce as we waited. (No picture of the bread - I have no idea why). The bread was heavy, but the bread and dipping sauce paired perfectly.

The table near us had ordered the Scallop Forest appetizer, and I was salivating. Gosh, why didn’t I just get that instead?! (Foreshadowing here..)


The bread was good. A little heavy, so only one piece was enough for me. The reduction that accompanied it was delicious.


Soon after, our food arrived.


When mine arrived, I kind of just stared at it. My mom asked why I hadn’t yet eaten.. What the heck did I even order!? I asked.

This is what I had ordered:

And the baked beans and chips that accompanied it..

Schnitzel Savvy - breaded pan-seared ham schnitzel with smoked bacon baked beans, a fried egg and chips $22.00


I have no idea what I expected, or ordered, like you know when the waiter comes and you’re between a few choices, and you blurt out “I’ll have ____” and that’s not what you meant? Yep, that’s what I did.


I don’t even like ham.


I maybe ate 1/3 of this just for the sake of eating it. It’s not that it was bad. I’m sure many people eat it and love it. But it wasn’t good to me. I like to try things outside of my “usual” eating habits so I thought this would be a good choice.. Well, it wasn’t!


My mom said to me “You don’t even like ham, or fried food usually!”


And for the rest of the night, my family teased me about my “What exactly is a schnitzel!?” question.. It never got old, haha!


I ate most of my ‘chips’, tasted the beans a little, ate a fried egg, and a few bites of ham schnitzel. The baked beans (with bacon) were usually served on top of the schnitzel. Maybe that would have made it better.

My cousin really enjoyed her entree:

Bangers and Booz - Guinness and onion bangers on mash, topped with caramelized onions and beef stew $20.00

I tasted a bit of the stew and mashed potatoes and they were good.

My aunt liked hers, but thought maybe she could have ordered differently. Excuse this picture, as it's downright awful.

Saucy Salmon - Pan roasted Atlantic salmon filet with champ potato, wilted spinach and caper and pea sauce $27.00

And lastly, my mom, who had ordered the fish and chips.

Fish and Chips - Our famous beer battered fish & chips served with our fresh tartar sauce. (tip-sprinkle some vinegar on both -- tasty!) Gluten-free option available $20.00

My mom wasn't thrilled with her choice. We all agreed that the fish and chips from Yorkshire County Fish Shop (which I think were $11) in the UK were way better. They also gave you two pieces of fish. The portion, I think, was larger at YC. I think my mom was similar to me here - picked something we thought we'd like, didn't end up loving it, but nothing else on the menu really interested us.

We decided we had to have dessert. I'm obsessed with Ohana bread pudding. We were all full and Kevin suggested that we try their bread pudding, but that we could easily all split it.

Ger’s Bread and Butter Pudding - Like no other pudding you have ever tried. Believe us $8.50


We all split it and it was plenty. MMMM, was this good! It was the perfect ending to our meal.


I still think I like ‘Ohana’s better.


The Irish dancers were lots of fun to watch!


One complaint, although somewhat trivial, is that there’s a bar inside the restaurant. Like, throughout the restaurant. I get it, it's a restaurant and pub. At least where we were seated, bar patrons were free to kind of roam as they pleased. Which meant they were standing in front of us to watch the Irish dancers, and crowding around our table drinking.

I get that it’s an Irish pub, so there are going to be plenty of people enjoying beverages and hanging out but not sitting down to eat.

It got to the point where my cousin had absolutely no room and was pretty much elbowing people just to eat. So she politely asked the bar-goers near her if they’d mind moving forward so that she had a little more room. They laughed at her and didn't move.

I guess maybe it’s a poor set up, or maybe it was a bad night because lots of people were just there drinking.


It was 9:45 PM by the time we left. The waiter was pretty slow in getting our checks to us. It was a nearly TWO HOUR meal.


Overall, I unfortunately don’t know that I’ll be back any time soon. So many people hyped up this restaurant for me and I was really excited about it. I knew it wasn’t something Justin would be interested in, so I was hoping for success with it on our girls trip. My cousin really enjoyed her meal. My aunt said hers was good, but she wished she’d ordered something else other than salmon. My mom was disappointed in the fish and chips and said the ones in the UK at Epcot are way better. And of course, my schnitzel and I didn’t get along too well.


I know this isn’t a Disney owned restaurant, but I don’t think it had a very ‘Disney-esque’-ness to it, if you know what I mean. I just couldn’t place it, but it was probably the worst meal I had during our trip.


For the rest of the night, we joked that I was going to have to ‘schitzel’ after eating the schnitzel.


We walked around World of Disney for at least 45 minutes, then went into Goofy’s Candy Kitchen. No one else got anything, but I had to have a chocolate rice krispy treat for Justin and I to “share”. Let’s be real, I ate the whole thing even after telling him I had brought it home for us to “share”. Whoops!