An Aussie Perspective on Disney Dining - updated 3/9 - Citricos FINALLY!

[eurasian81]

Hi All

I have just returned from 10 nights at Disney (my third trip overall). After about 36 hours of travel time I have arrived home and thought that it's time that I post some reviews (and pictures!). These boards were an invaluable resource in planning our trip so hopefully I can provide some guidance to others.

The places that I will be reviewing are:

Kona Cafe (dinner)
Les Chefs de France (dinner- Candlelight Processional package)
Crystal Palace (breakfast)
Boma (dinner)
Hollywood Brown Derby (lunch)
Whispering Canyon Cafe (breakfast)
Le Cellier (lunch to go)
Artist Point (dinner)
Citricos (dinner)

together with various counter service and snack options along the way including:

Everything Pop (lunch)
Everything Pop (breakfast)
Kringla
Cosmic Rays
Flame Tree BBQ
Dole Whips
Starring Rolls
Earl of Sandwich (first time)

Myself: celebrated my 28th birthday at Disney - diehard foodie
Dad: 62 year old, also a diehard foodie
Goal: Our motto for this trip was "quality and portion control" - we preferred to have fewer meals but at signature restaurants and both of us aimed to limit the weight gain!!

Before I start, I think it best to advise some key differences that exist between the Australian and US (or Disney) culinary scene as what some posters may see as a benefit, an Aussie may view as a negative (and vice versa):

- In Australia, tipping is only provided for exception service and the bill is simply rounded up. For example, a $67 dinner may receive a $3 tip. We would never never tip at a buffet. The reasons: our minimum wage in food service if over 18 years old is about $15-$20/hr, and we don't turn tables over at the speed you do in the States. Accordingly, a meal is usually server at a slower pace and will be the entire evenings activity, rather than the in-and-out turnover. On the flip side, because US waiters work for tips, on a generalisation, the service is usually better.
- Portions in Australia are enough for one (not an entire family with leftovers to take home).
- We have a much stronger asian influence in our cooking
- Food is much more expensive in Australia

That being said, hope you enjoy the reviews......

 

[eurasian81]

Folks, please bear with me....

Encountering some slight technical difficulties as I am unable to post images (maybe due to the fact that I am a new member). Will be back up with the first post once I have resolved the issue.

 

[msce2]

Wow! You have some really good places on your list. Can't wait to hear how everything was. Thank you for the info on the differences in dining. Did you find that you preferred one over the other?

 

[oybolshoi]

Looking forward to reading your reviews and getting a different perspective on Disney Dining.

Happy belated birthday!

BTW, once you hit ten posts then you should be able to post pictures here - unless they've changed the guidelines. It looks like you have 12 now, so you should be good to go.

 

[GoofySon'sMom]

I can't wait for this one! The differences you posted are interesting ... I have never travelled out of the US so it is nice to hear how things are different in other countries. Looking forward to your perspective!

 

[natalielongstaff]

count me in

 

[eurasian81]

Wow! Thank you for the info on the differences in dining. Did you find that you preferred one over the other?

I found that both have their positives.

Before I visited the States this time I had quite low expectations of the food (not only for Disney but for the whole trip based on some previous visits). I was gladly proved very wrong this trip. A large contributor was $. We were on the free DDP which helped a lot otherwise I don't think I would have eaten at all those restaurants. The other contributor was the Australian dollar which is usually worth around 50c-70c US was now around 90c which made eating out (and shopping) much more affordable for us.

My view (no offense intended) is that restaurant food in the States is great but the counter service/food court type food both at Disney and at malls is of a lower standard than home. Two small examples:

1. Cheese sauce - I don't see the appeal of orange liquid cheese at all and why it covers some many items. Where is the real cheese????
2. I found that we really had to search to find healthier options at food courts whereas they are more abundant here (salad bars, vietnamese food etc).

I really do prefer the service in the US as it is very attentive but some of our meals felt rushed. For us, going out for dinner is often times the main event of the night and to be in and out of Artist Point and Hollywood Brown Derby in 1 hour with three courses was too quick for my preference.

Price - food is so so much cheaper in the States - both restaurants and groceries. Even when you add in tax and tip and convert to $A, you food is still cheaper. I shocked my cousins when I told them that one Krispy Kreme donut here is $3!

So there are advantages to both.

 

[eurasian81]

BTW, once you hit ten posts then you should be able to post pictures here - unless they've changed the guidelines. It looks like you have 12 now, so you should be good to go.

I thought so too but my "Posting Rules" still read "You may not post attachments". It's probably something really obvious that I'm missing so I've emailed the helpdesk to figure it out.

 

[eurasian81]

OK, I think I'm up and running.

Our first dinner was at the Kona Cafe at the Polynesian. Overall a very enjoyable meal.

The sweet bread and macadamia nut butter was moorish and I needed a lot of self control to not fill up on it.

The waitress talked me into trying a pomergranate lemonade as my drink which I found to be sickly sweet (we weren't charged for it).

For mains, Dad had the Ahi Tuna Oscar which he said was great.

I had the Teriyaki Steak with Sticky Rice, Broccollini and Pineapple Salsa. I picked this for the sole reason as it is very similar to the food I eat daily back home and I was missing rice, veggies and something grilled. It was perfect but I could only eat half the steak.

For dessert, we split the banana white chocolate creme Brulee and the Kilauea torte.

The Brulee was great but I found the Torte to be a little ordinary. It was very dense and rich, there was nothing wrong with it but I was expecting something different (something a little lighter). If you are in the mood for rich dense chocolate, then it is the dessert for you!!

A photo of the satisfied foodies:

 

[KatMark]

Great start and looking forward to more.

 

[eurasian81]

Day 2 started with breakfast at Everything Pop. Dad and I split a breakfast pizza and got two bottles of water (using one counter service credit).

The pizza was surprisingly very tasty and not greasy at all. It had a sausage gravy on the bottom, topped with scrambled eggs, bacon and cheese.

We hit Epcot before rope drop and for morning tea, we split one "Orange Bavarian" from Sunshine Seasons (one snack credit). It was very light and had an intense orange flavour. For a food court, this dessert was fantastic!!!

For Lunch, we headed to Kringla Bakeri Og Kafe and split an egg and smoked salmon open faced sandwich, school bread, "salad" and a "regular diet coke" (one counter service credit).

I'd call the "salad" more a collection of iceberg lettuce and tomatoes in a container rather than a "salad" and the "regular diet coke" in Australia would be considered a "super jumbo" (actually in all likelihood, you'd struggle to find a cup that big).

Overall, the meal was highly enjoyable. The bread of the sandwich had a very appealing nutty taste, the salmon was fresh, and I now see what all the fuss around school bread is all about - I'm a fan!

Along the way, we stopped at China to try the Green Plum cocktail which I had read about on these boards - I think it was called the "Green Tea Plum Wine Bao Bing". I can't remember exactly but I think it was about $7.50. I would describe it as drinking corn syrup. It had no taste other than super sweet. We tried to dilute it with water and it made no difference. Needless to say, it was $7.50 wasted.

Next stop, Les Chefs de France and the Candlelight Processional Dinner Package.

 

[mom2ee]

wonderful start!

 

[mom2ee]

sorry i forgot to sub and now im posting again

 

[disneyfav4ever]

1. Cheese sauce - I don't see the appeal of orange liquid cheese at all and why it covers some many items. Where is the real cheese????
2. I found that we really had to search to find healthier options at food courts whereas they are more abundant here (salad bars, vietnamese food etc).

It's really interesting to hear a different perspective on American dining.

I like cheese sauce when I want something junky, I don't count it as real cheese either though, and I do love me some good cheese. As far as health options, I think that's why America has such a large obesity problem. I think you can find healthy options at Disney, if you know where to look, but I don't really count calories on vacation. Also, and it seems you noticed this, portions are huge. I was at Applebee's a few nights ago, had an appetizer for my meal, and wasn't able to eat the whole thing.

 

[eurasian81]

It's really interesting to hear a different perspective on American dining.

.... Also, and it seems you noticed this, portions are huge. I was at Applebee's a few nights ago, had an appetizer for my meal, and wasn't able to eat the whole thing.

I have family in the States and when they visit us, we find that we need to manage their expectations about the amount of food they will be getting at a restaurant (in order to avoid the shocked panic look in public!!).

If a meal is great and memorable, sometimes I'd love to have leftovers to take home and enjoy some more. However, if that was the case for every meal I ordered, it would be nearly impossible (for me) to maintain a healthy weight as I love to eat and have always tried to "clean my plate".

For this trip, Dad and I agreed upfront that we would split all our counter service meals and snacks and that worked really well for us as we were able to eat eat at many more places and we weren't constantly full.

 

[disneyfav4ever]

I have family in the States and when they visit us, we find that we need to manage their expectations about the amount of food they will be getting at a restaurant (in order to avoid the shocked panic look in public!!).

If a meal is great and memorable, sometimes I'd love to have leftovers to take home and enjoy some more. However, if that was the case for every meal I ordered, it would be nearly impossible (for me) to maintain a healthy weight as I love to eat and have always tried to "clean my plate".

For this trip, Dad and I agreed upfront that we would split all our counter service meals and snacks and that worked really well for us as we were able to eat eat at many more places and we weren't constantly full.

When I went with my mom we split CS meals too. I usually go solo, and can rarely finish a whole meal.

 

[Linda67]

Hi there,
Great reviews - joining in now

 

[fleurbie]

Love the report

 

[cam&phoebsmom]

- In Australia, tipping is only provided for exception service and the bill is simply rounded up. For example, a $67 dinner may receive a $3 tip. We would never never tip at a buffet. The reasons: our minimum wage in food service if over 18 years old is about $15-$20/hr, and we don't turn tables over at the speed you do in the States. Accordingly, a meal is usually server at a slower pace and will be the entire evenings activity, rather than the in-and-out turnover. On the flip side, because US waiters work for tips, on a generalisation, the service is usually better.
......

we lived in Germany for a few years and the tipping was very similar to what you wrote. ^

It was difficult for us at first because I am so used to tipping well (both my husband and I were in food service in high school/college) and we felt kind of cheap since it was the exact opposite of what we were accustomed to here.

Is it difficult for you all to make the mental transition when you see a menu and know you will be tipping 15-20% on top of that, or is that just kind of a given when you travel to the U.S.? also is it common knowledge that in the U.S. tips differently? I know we found out only because my husband and I took a kind of "Welcome to Germany" class when we first moved there, but had we not i am sure we would have tipped as we usually do here.

 

[eurasian81]

Before dinner, we stopped at the gift shop in France and ordered a wine flight. The three wines were: Pinot Noir (6/10), Chateaux Neuf du Pape (10/10) and Puilly Femue (6/10)

Our next dinner was at Chefs de France.

I had booked in for the Candlelight Processional Package (using 2 credits per person). Our dinner was Nov 29 so we were pretty confident that we could get to see the show without the package, but the combination of an included appetizer and guaranteeing that we would have Isabella Rossellini as our narrator sealed the deal.

For appetizers, we ordered the Cheese Plate (Gruyere, Brie, Goats and St Clair) and the Assiette Campagnarde. As soon as the food arrived we started eating so I forgot to take pictures.

The Assiette was fantastic - it included a couple of pates, terrines, cruton with confit onions, cornichons, cold meats and a very nicely dressed salad. Suffice it to say that between the cheese plate and the meat plate we also filled up on way too much bread!!

For mains, I had my heart set on the " Filet de saumon, crepe de pommes de terre coulis de poivrons rouge - Grilled salmon on a potato pancake with red pepper sauce". However, to my horror the menu had been updated and the salmon was now served with tomato bernaise and Ratatouille. I subbed the Ratatouille for potato gratin which was heavenly and the salmon was cooked perfectly. As usual however, only got through half of the plate.

Dad had the "Canard au miel, haricots vert et pommes de terre douce - Roasted breast of duck and leg confit, French green beans and sweet potato, spiced honey sauce." Again, top marks for taste.

For desserts, Dad had the creme brulee but I was very full at this point so simply ordered to sorbets (mango, strawberry and kiwi). The mango was great, strawberry OK and I didn't care for the kiwi even though they are one of my favourite fruits (it was a textural issue as the kiwi pump wasn't strained so the sorbet wasn't smooth).

Whilst the package wasn't "required" it did afford us more free time as we didn't need to line up for the show, guaranteed us getting in on the night we wanted to go, and now comes with a preferred viewing area for Illuminations (between the two gift shops in front of the Christmas tree on the "Future World" side of the lake.

All in all, a great meal and I would recommend eating here.

BTW, another difference worth pointing out: Americans say "Appetizer and Entree" and we say "Entree and Main". My father grew up in a french speaking household and has concluded that the American use of "Entree" is the correct one (something to remember if you ever visit Australia).