pennyplanner
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 25, 1999
- Messages
- 1,554
Thanksgiving Week Trip
Cast includes me, Disney Nut and two teen DSs. Dad stayed home!
We were on the dining plan.
Wolfgang Puck's Cafe
Our reservation was for 3 p.m. and we had a leisurely, if unconventional Thanksgiving dinner. We had tickets to see the 6:30 p.m. show of Cirque du Soleil's La Nouba. My kids were wide eyed through the whole show and that's saying something for teens!
We were seated in the dining room (kind of noisy but certainly lively!) when the light bulb went off that someone here on the DIS boards recommended sitting outside for a quieter dining experience. A quick request and we were seated outside on a covered patio overlooking a body of water with Saratoga Springs on the other side.
We started with the crusty/chewy bread and olive oil/balsamic vinegar dipping sauce. My boys dove in! Our appetizers included an order of calamari that was just heavenly. Light and not oily, it was delicious. The caesar salad was huge and dressed with a delicate tasting dressing. My frequent complaint about caesar salad is the heavy dowsing of dressing that overwhelms the Romaine. Not here! The only disappointing appetizer was the vegetable egg rolls. The quality of the filling was bland and the texture too mushy for my taste. The mustard and plum dipping sauces were very good however.
Onto entrees! DS #1 had the Grandma Puck's Bolognese which was pronounced very good. These were all very generous portions. The boys did not finish their meals to save room for dessert! DS#2 had the Wolfgang's Meatball which included 2 HUGE meatballs that were delicious. (I got a taste of this entree!
) The meatballs were as big as baseballs and were a great texture, not too hard and very tasty. My choice was the pumpkin ravioli and I added a side of shrimp. It rivaled the quality of a California Grill entree. The brown butter sauce with fried sage, port wine glaze, pine nuts and aged parmesan was out of this world. A wonderful combination of flavors and textures that seem to melt in my mouth. Yum!
We ordered dessert of course. Our choices included carrot cake, white chocolate cheesecake with raspberry coulis(puree to me!) and a special of pumpkin cheesecake. They were all worth every calorie! High quality but quite as exceptional as the California Grill's desserts. CG has become my new yardstick for comparison.
Our server was a student from Maryland who was attentive but not solicitous. My kids drink copious amounts of water and whatever beverage they order. Their glasses were never empty. The lemonade was the best. I also ordered a couple of glasses of wine that was the only thing not covered by the dining plan. We added a generous tip to the one included with the dining plan. Excellent service adds an extra element of pleasure to a fine meal!
Our afternoon dinner was a leisurely two hour affair. It was a warm sunny day with a bright blue sky and soft breeze so the outdoor venue was perfect. It was the kind of weather that is so not like a New England Thanksgiving. And I was looking for a very different kind of holiday since it was the first Thanksgiving since my Mom had passed away. The only downer was missing Disney Dad who couldn't come with us.
Food
A-
Service
A
Atmosphere
A
We would definitely return to dine here. I liked it better than the upstairs dining experience!
Next up a character breakfast at the GF's 1900 Park Faire.
Cast includes me, Disney Nut and two teen DSs. Dad stayed home!
We were on the dining plan.
Wolfgang Puck's Cafe
Our reservation was for 3 p.m. and we had a leisurely, if unconventional Thanksgiving dinner. We had tickets to see the 6:30 p.m. show of Cirque du Soleil's La Nouba. My kids were wide eyed through the whole show and that's saying something for teens!
We were seated in the dining room (kind of noisy but certainly lively!) when the light bulb went off that someone here on the DIS boards recommended sitting outside for a quieter dining experience. A quick request and we were seated outside on a covered patio overlooking a body of water with Saratoga Springs on the other side.
We started with the crusty/chewy bread and olive oil/balsamic vinegar dipping sauce. My boys dove in! Our appetizers included an order of calamari that was just heavenly. Light and not oily, it was delicious. The caesar salad was huge and dressed with a delicate tasting dressing. My frequent complaint about caesar salad is the heavy dowsing of dressing that overwhelms the Romaine. Not here! The only disappointing appetizer was the vegetable egg rolls. The quality of the filling was bland and the texture too mushy for my taste. The mustard and plum dipping sauces were very good however.
Onto entrees! DS #1 had the Grandma Puck's Bolognese which was pronounced very good. These were all very generous portions. The boys did not finish their meals to save room for dessert! DS#2 had the Wolfgang's Meatball which included 2 HUGE meatballs that were delicious. (I got a taste of this entree!
) The meatballs were as big as baseballs and were a great texture, not too hard and very tasty. My choice was the pumpkin ravioli and I added a side of shrimp. It rivaled the quality of a California Grill entree. The brown butter sauce with fried sage, port wine glaze, pine nuts and aged parmesan was out of this world. A wonderful combination of flavors and textures that seem to melt in my mouth. Yum!We ordered dessert of course. Our choices included carrot cake, white chocolate cheesecake with raspberry coulis(puree to me!) and a special of pumpkin cheesecake. They were all worth every calorie! High quality but quite as exceptional as the California Grill's desserts. CG has become my new yardstick for comparison.
Our server was a student from Maryland who was attentive but not solicitous. My kids drink copious amounts of water and whatever beverage they order. Their glasses were never empty. The lemonade was the best. I also ordered a couple of glasses of wine that was the only thing not covered by the dining plan. We added a generous tip to the one included with the dining plan. Excellent service adds an extra element of pleasure to a fine meal!
Our afternoon dinner was a leisurely two hour affair. It was a warm sunny day with a bright blue sky and soft breeze so the outdoor venue was perfect. It was the kind of weather that is so not like a New England Thanksgiving. And I was looking for a very different kind of holiday since it was the first Thanksgiving since my Mom had passed away. The only downer was missing Disney Dad who couldn't come with us.
Food
A-
Service
A
Atmosphere
A
We would definitely return to dine here. I liked it better than the upstairs dining experience!
Next up a character breakfast at the GF's 1900 Park Faire.
