And I only gained 2 lbs! 4 days of DDP 1/6-1/10

[i_heart_disney85]

This is my first time ever doing dining reviews, but they were so helpful & fun to read when planning my trip that I just had to return the favor! I have to start by saying that we had such an awesome time at Disney! Neither of us had been there in over 10 years or ever stayed in an actual Disney resort. This year my Christmas present from my boyfriend was a 5 day 4 night trip to where dreams come true! Let me introduce our Disney-goers:

Handsome- 25, culinary school graduate, loves meat & potatos and anything fine dining, a bit of a food snob

Me- 22, loves food in general, willing to try anything (thanks to Handsome!), can be a little picky

We stayed at the Animal Kingdom Lodge, which was amazing all in itself! I highly recommend staying there to anyone! Since we are both good eatters, we decided to add the Deluxe DDP to our MYW package, and we are sure glad that we did! Not only was it much less stressful having everything already paid for (besides alcohol & gratuties), but in only 5 days the DDP saved us about $250! We didn't want to waste any of our meals on QS or CS, so all of my reviews will be of TS restaurants. The places being reviewed will be:

50s Prime Time Cafe
Citricos
Planet Hollywood
Jiko
Coral Reef
Chefs de France
Yak & Yeti
California Grill
Sci-Fi Dine-In

Every restaurant is rated from 1-10 on atmosphere, service, food quality, & overall. There wasn't enough room on my memory card, so sorry, no pics! There also isn't any breakfast reviews since we skipped that meal & ate mostly 2 credit dinners. First up, 50s Prime Time Cafe!

 

[i_heart_disney85]

Our first day at Disney & we are so excited! I had researched menus & read reviews for months, so every meal we had planned ADRs. We arrived right on time for our first meal of our 2:30 ADR, but ended up having to wait about 20 mins for our table. The restaurant was very busy, but there were plenty of authntic 50s things to walk around and look at & the tvs to watch. Aunt Ellen was our server. She was the best server that we had on our entire trip, and the only one that we remembered her name without having to think back. Aunt Ellen fit her role perfectly! She even made Handsome remove his baseball cap at the table!

Appitizer
I got the Fried Herb Cheese with fresh fruit. It was very good! I was expecting something similar to Mozerella Sticks, but it was actually round and cream cheese. Very filling, but also very yummy! Handsome got the Shrimp Cocktail. It was your basic shrimp cocktail, nothing special. He said it was good and ate every shrimp.

Entree
I ordered the Pot Roast. All the reviews had convinced me to. It was wonderful! The veggies were good, there could have been more though, I love veggies. I actually cleaned my plate. Handsome had the Fried Chicken with mashed potatos and southern greens. This was also very good home cookin' type food. He usually loves collards, but these were not very good. Handsome tried to hide them under his chicken bones but Aunt Ellen caught him and made him eat some more!

Dessert
I already knew that I was getting the S'mores. They were very good too, just like I remember smores, and a huge serving! Handsome had the brownie sundae which was also gigantic! It was a very good brownie sundae, even for someone that doesn't really love dessert.

Atmosphere: 8
Service: 10
Food Quality: 7
Overall: 8

We really enjoyed our lunch at 50s Prime Time Cafe! It was a very fun meal and we will return there!!!

Next up, Citricos!

 

[Disney_Angel]

I could not agree more about the pot roast.....delish! We will do 50's Prime Time Cafe again. A little kitchie but a fun atmosphere. My five year old loved it.... my 60 year old father reminisced about days gone by.....my husband, not easily impressed, cannot wait to go back......my mother was yelled at by big sister Emily (that was worth it's weight in gold)....myself, I just enjoyed the whole experience....just like walking into "Leave it to Beaver".

 

[Lawyer Man]

Enjoyed reading your reviews.

 

[swankybeth]

Great start, looking forward to more!

 

[phabric]

Enjoyed your review. Looking for more.

 

[TigerKat]

Count me in.......

 

[Minniespal]

Brillant

 

[i_heart_disney85]

We were running about 15 minutes late for our ADR. This was actually a trend on our trip. We had been between Citricos & Flying Fish Cafe, and had chosen Citricos because of its location in the Grand Floridian, a resort that we definatly wanted to check out during our stay. Being late wasn't a problem & we were seated immeadiatly. The restaurant was decorated very nicely, but it was not really separated so it almost felt like dining in the resort lobby. The view of the resort pool was great, though. I don't remember our servers name, but he was one of the best that we had.

Appetizer
I ordered the Arancini - Crispy risotto with Italian sausage, Quattro Formaggi, and white truffle aioli. It was good, but I have had better risotto. The plate presentation was very nice. Handsome's first course put mine to shame. He ordered one of the app specials of the night, a chesnut potato gnocchi. It was fabulous! Best dish of the night hands down, and one of the best the whole trip! It was cooked & seasoned perfectly. Handsome gave this one the wow factor, and he's tough to truely impress.

Entree
I had the Braised Veal Shank with carrot-potato puree and roasted veggies. I had been between this dish & the duck dish on their menu. I probably should have gone with the duck. Don't get me wrong, the dish was tasty, but nothing special. I blame this on how similar it was to the pot roast that I'd had for lunch. I think otherwise I would have really enjoyed the veal shank. Handsome got Citrico's Filet Sicilian - Oak grilled filet of beef with wood roasted Spanish onions, Quattro Formaggi crushed potatoes and veal glace. Now this dish would have been very nice had his steak been properly cooked. He ordered it medium rare, but it came out medium and completely charred on one side, to the point where it almost tasted burnt. The sides were good.

Dessert
I chose the tiramisu for my last course. It was a good one! Very moist, not too coffee-overwelming, and pretty! The Citricos logo was actually written in chocolate on the plate! Nice touch, we loved it! Handsome had the Seasonal Berry Gratin with champagne Grand Marnier sabayon. So yummy! It was a good light dessert that seemed almost healthy because of the fruit, but tasted like champagne!

Atmosphere: 8
Service: 8
Food Quality: 7
Overall: 8

Citricos was a nice restaurant with good food & pretty decor, but it wasn't phenominal. We will eat here again, but not until after trying some other places! Up next, Planet Hollywood!

 

[Busymom85]

Thanks for posting.

 

[ILoveMK2008]

We were there at the same time you guys were! And we loved the Brownie Sundae at 50's too!

 

[i_heart_disney85]

This was a meal we weren't planning on. We had ADRs at Wolfgang Puck but hadn't been thrilled with what we had heard about it, so we cancelled to avoid being disappointed. Handsome had never been to a Planet Hollywood, so that it was since the options are so limited at DTD on the DDP. The restaurant itself looks so cool from the outside, and the inside doesn't really let you down. Its huge and it is rock and pop music themed. Our server looked just like Rachel Ray. We were there for lunch & she said we were the 3rd table today to tell so. The menu has everything from salads to Mexican to Chinese to burgers.

Appetizer:
I ordered the zucchini chips. They were so good! We ate every single one and have made them at home since. Best part of the meal. Handsome ordered the tostadas. These weren't bad but nothing special. Kinda soggy, lots of BBQ sauce & cheese. He liked them more than I did, but kept tryint to get me to eat more, so it must not have been too much.

Entree:
I ordered the garlic shrimp and angelhair pasta. It was spicy with lots crunchy veggies, but it was not very good. The shrimp were not even deviened, which always makes them less appetizing. Handsome had the St. Louis Style Ribs with french fries, and they were pretty good! Very tender and meaty, especially for not being babyback.

Dessert:
Neither of us wanted dessert.

Atmosphere: 7
Server: 7
Food Quality: 6
Overall: 6

Planet Hollywood was ok, but not impressive. We will most likely never eat here again. There are so many good restaurants at DTD that I wish were part of the DDP. Coming up, Jiko!

 

[TigerKat]

Can't wait for JIKO!!!!!

 

[my3disneygirls]

Can't wait for more.

 

[i_heart_disney85]

We were super excited for our dinner at Jiko, mostly because neither of us is very familiar with African cuisine. We arrived on time for our ADR (since the restaurant was literally directly below our room!). We loved them place immeadiatly. The restuarant is decorated very modern, and the open kitchen is really cool. After we were seated, we were offered towels moistened with some kind of scented water to freshen up. Fancy touch! We had a few questions about what things were on the menu, but our server, Leslie, was very helpful in explaining and suggesting wines.

Appetizer:
I ordered the Lamb "Patis" - Pulled lamb rolled in phyllo with mint-cilantro chutney. A little spicy, which I love, and very,very good! Handsome tried to order the Foie Gras special of the evening, but it was sold out, leaving him pretty disappointed. Instead he had the Fire Roasted Sambal Shrimp - with chick pea & peppadew bhajia. This was also very good! The shrimp were huge and the flavor was great!

Entree:
I got the Pan-roasted Jumbo Scallops - Served with golden brown mealie "Pap", and spicy tomato-onion "Chaka-Laka." I decided on it because it seemed pretty authentic African. What a good call! The scallops were cooked perfectly! The "pap" seemed a lot like cornbread, and the "chaka-laka" sauce was wonderful! Handsome ordered the Kenya Coffe BBQ-Braised Beef Short Ribs - Served with crushed Idaho and sweet potatoes and onion-garlic sauce. Oh My God! This was phenominal! The short ribs were not fatty at all, fall of the bone tender, and had amazing flavor. There was not a drop of anything left on plate. Wow! This was one of the single best dishes of the trip.

Dessert:
I had the Pistachio Creme Brulee - With a Chocolate Layered Bottom for dessert. It was also wonderful! 2nd best dessert of the trip. Handsome didn't order dessert, he was already full, but managed to find room to help clean my plate!

Atmosphere: 9
Service: 9
Food Quality: 9
Overall: 9

Jiko was a very different dining experience filled with amazing food! We absolutley loved it and will dine there again on our next visit! Next up, Coral Reef!

 

[TigerKat]

DH & I had the same entrees as you did!! I thought the short rib dish was amazing and I'm not a big short rib fan. We enjoyed the scallops as well!!!

 

[wilma-bride]

Great reviews

 

[poohluvrs]

Thanks for the reviews so far! Were the appetizers included in the DDP then or were you paying OOP for them?

 

[i_heart_disney85]

Thanks for the reviews so far! Were the appetizers included in the DDP then or were you paying OOP for them?

All 3 courses were included on every meal with the deluxe DDP. We only paid OOP for drinks & tips. I completely recommend the DDP, especially if you are a good eater or like trying lots of things!

 

[i_heart_disney85]

For our day at Epcot we decided on the Coral Reef for lunch because we both love aquariums! The restaurant is beautiful! We sat on the second floor and had a great view of the aquarium & all of its fish. I don't think there is a bad seat in the house. For a seafood restaurant, the menu was extremely dissappointing. There wasn't much seafood at all, especially in the entree category. No shrimp, no crabcakes, no mussels, just a few fish dishes. Our server was so-so. Nothing special. But the restaurant was gorgeous.

Appetizer:
I ordered the Creamy Lobster Soup - Made with Chervil and Brandy. It was fine. Definately more creamy that lobstery. Actually not even that creamy, kinda wattery, with a tiny bit of old lobster. It was ok. Handsome got the New England Cod Cake - Served with Remoulade and topped with micro greens. They really should call it a cod croquette. It is much more similar in texture to a salmon croquette than a crabcake. It was ok, too. Not impressive in the slightest.

Entree:
I had the Blackened Catfish - Served over pepperjack cheese grits, topped with a smoked tomato compote, and drizzled with a balsamic glaze. IT sounded flawless, seeing as how I love pepperjack cheese & grits, & like catfish. It was not good at all. The fish was terrible. An awful cut, very fishy with lots of bloodlines. Ewww!!! The grits & the sauce were all that I could eat, and I can make them sooooo much better at home, the instant kind of grits even. I do not recommend ordering this dish to anyone! It is a waste of money! Handsome got the Grilled Pork Chop - Served with roasted veggies and peppercorn-brandy sauce. It was not bad at all. The pork was cooked perfectly, and he enjoyed it very much. It was a lot better than what I ordered, which you would not think seeing as how this was supposed to me a seafood restaurant.

Dessert:
Now this is the only course that even began to compare to the atmosphere. I had the Baileys and Jack Daniel's Mousse - Topped with a ganache and chocolate cigar. Wow! Yummy!!! The only thing I actually enjoyed of the entire meal. It was awesome. One of the best, if not the best, desserts of the trip. Handsome ordered the Key Lime Tart. It was your basic key lime pie. Not bad, but nothing on mine.

Atmosphere: 9
Service: 6
Food Quality: 6
Overall: 7

The atmosphere is about all this place has going for it. The menu selection & food itself was a huge dissappointment, but the views are one of a kind. What a waste of a beautiful restaurant. If we ever go back, it will only be for the mousse for dessert and the atmosphere.