First a Little Pomp & Circumstance,then a Whole Lot of Disney Dining! COMPLETE

[jedijill]

Fantastic reviews. Congrats to your daughter on her graduation.

Jill in CO

 

[emmysmommy]

mmmmmmm..... another wonderful Le Cellier review!! Yeah, what's with only 2breadsticks and 1 roll???? I should follow your advice and try something other than the filet next time. However, I think I'm in luck because DD wants to try something else next time since she feels the filet is too salty - she is good about sharing.

BTW: Thank you so much for the helpful hints on alternate BW locations for a pastry/bakery item in lieu of the main bakery. I will eat almost anything danish/pastry wise so I'd be happy just having about anything.

 

[Tracerr00]

Luckily I've never had a bad experience with steak at LC (and hopefully we won't!) so we can't bring ourselves to order anything else! So in the meantime I will have to live vicariously through you. Perhaps I can talk DD into sharing with me so one of us can finally try something different. And I completely agree with you - those cream cheese mashed potatoes are to die for!

 

[vettegirl]

Great Le Cellier review. I would love to try their burger, but I always get the filet. I am hoping to get a ressie there for end of Sept but have had not luck yet.

 

[jabead]

Great reviews so far! Can't wait to read more!!

Thanks for reading, Sarah! The next review is a shorter one so I should have it done soon.

Hmm, I have no idea what the raspberry air is - I think the raspberry air is only included at dinner (the lunch dessert menu doesn't mention it, but the dinner menu does). I hope it's as interesting as it sounds, since the cheesecake looks kind of boring to me.

Glad to see that Le Cellier was very good overall - the burger looks delicious. And I'm happy to see the Nanaimo bar make a cameo appearance!

Raspberry air? LOL!! I had to read that one twice. Great meal at Le Cellier. I can't wait to read more! The pictures have me hungry now!! LOL!!

Well, I guess the Raspberry air will remain a mystery. When I did a google search for raspberry air all I came up with was raspberry air freshener. And I don't think they spray their cheesecake with air freshener...I hope not anyway!

Great reviews so far! This is going to be great!

Fantastic reviews. Congrats to your daughter on her graduation.

Jill in CO

Thanks for joining in Paco and Jill! I hope my reviews will do justice to all the great food that we had.

mmmmmmm..... another wonderful Le Cellier review!! Yeah, what's with only 2breadsticks and 1 roll???? I should follow your advice and try something other than the filet next time. However, I think I'm in luck because DD wants to try something else next time since she feels the filet is too salty - she is good about sharing.

BTW: Thank you so much for the helpful hints on alternate BW locations for a pastry/bakery item in lieu of the main bakery. I will eat almost anything danish/pastry wise so I'd be happy just having about anything.

Yeah, I guess they thought we needed to cut back on our carbs! But anyway, your plan for Le Cellier sounds like a good one. I can personally recommend to her both the salmon and burger, and the taste of the pork chop I had was very good too!

Luckily I've never had a bad experience with steak at LC (and hopefully we won't!) so we can't bring ourselves to order anything else! So in the meantime I will have to live vicariously through you. Perhaps I can talk DD into sharing with me so one of us can finally try something different. And I completely agree with you - those cream cheese mashed potatoes are to die for!

You know, I just remembered that I have the recipe for the Le Cellier mashed potatoes somewhere. I need to find it and make some of that creamy, cheesy potato goodness soon...very soon!

Great Le Cellier review. I would love to try their burger, but I always get the filet. I am hoping to get a ressie there for end of Sept but have had not luck yet.

I will definitely keep my fingers crossed for you!

 

[jabead]

After walking around World Showcase in the hot afternoon sun, we were all ready for something cold and refreshing. DD2 chose strawberry flavored kakigori (shaved ice topped with fruit syrup) from a kiosk in the Japanese pavilion. Sorry we forgot to take a picture, but she ate it quickly so that it wouldn't melt. I thought about getting a rainbow one with three flavors, but then DD1 and I decided to share this adult slushie from the France kiosk instead...

Grand Marnier Orange Slush


I just found a recipe for this online:

Ingredients

1 part Grand Marnier
1 part Grey Goose Vodka
2 parts sweet and sour mix
1 part simple syrup

Blend with ice.
Add orange food coloring if you want it orange just like at EPCOT.

That sounds about right...has anybody tried to make this at home?


So anyway, we took our delicious slushie with us to the UK to catch a performance of King Arthur & the Holy Grail by the World Showcase Players.

As always, the show was pure RUBBISH!!! No matter how many times I see this, it always cracks me up!


It started to get really cloudy just as their performance ended and we just so happened to be very close to one of my favorite places at Epcot to pass the time on a rainy day...

Rose & Crown Pub


We only had to wait about 5 minutes before we got lucky and snagged the best table in the bar. And which is the best table??? The one closest to the piano where the Hat Lady performs.

The very first song she sang was one she made up about the three of us. It was very clever and funny! If you have never seen her, I highly recommend that you catch one of her performances.

But this is a dining review, so I really should be telling you about what we had to eat and drink here. I think DD1 had a Black and Tan - Half Bass Ale and Half Guinness. I'm not a big fan of beer, so I got a Strongbow Cider, which is something I discovered that I liked on a previous trip to the Rose & Crown. The three of us also shared this...

Trio of United Kingdom Cheese with accompaniments (Cheese Plate #1 of the Trip)

This was our first of many cheese plates on this trip and the best value, as we got three cheeses for around $10 I believe. The three cheeses and their accompaniments were (shown in the picture from left to right): Cotswald Cheddar with radishes, Aged Irish Cheddar with cold fruit chutney, and my favorite...Stilton Blue cheese covered with honey and accompanied by a mixture of craisins and walnuts. I loved the blue cheese and lucky for me got to have it all to myself because neither of the girls will touch moldy cheese! Oh, and we really liked the toasted raisin baguette slices that were served with the cheese.


And so while it poured down rain outside, we were very dry and content inside the Rose & Crown Pub...enjoying the entertainment, the food, the drinks, and most of all, each other's company. A great time was had by all!


NEXT UP: Dinner at bluezoo

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

That cheese plate looks great...although I think the blue cheese would've been too strong for me. Oh well. Your review definitely made me miss Rose & Crown - I'd love to give it another try sometime soon.

 

[emmysmommy]

What a nice place for a little break! I love cheese plates and likely I would have to fight anyone who wanted some of that Stilton bleu cheese! I had never heard of the hat lady - she sounds like a hoot!

 

[Krissalee]

Rose & Crown Pub
And so while it poured down rain outside, we were very dry and content inside the Rose & Crown Pub...enjoying the entertainment, the food, the drinks, and most of all, each other's company. A great time was had by all!

I have to agree - the Rose and Crown Pub is wonderful, but there is something really special about it when it is rainy, and you a holed up in the pub with people you love!

You look like you are having such a great time with your girls! What fun!

 

[Linda67]

Whoo Hoo, a new review to catch up on

Great pictures and descriptions as always, looking forward to reading more

 

[jabead]

That cheese plate looks great...although I think the blue cheese would've been too strong for me. Oh well. Your review definitely made me miss Rose & Crown - I'd love to give it another try sometime soon.

What a nice place for a little break! I love cheese plates and likely I would have to fight anyone who wanted some of that Stilton bleu cheese! I had never heard of the hat lady - she sounds like a hoot!

Well, if you like cheese plates then be sure to stay tuned, as there are many more to come...and most include a cheese of the moldy variety. (Sorry Donald, but at least I think Brenda would enjoy them. I know I sure did! ) And I recommend that you both stop by the Rose & Crown some time to catch a performance of the Hat Lady. She is definitely a hoot!

I have to agree - the Rose and Crown Pub is wonderful, but there is something really special about it when it is rainy, and you a holed up in the pub with people you love!

You look like you are having such a great time with your girls! What fun!

Yes, you expressed that feeling so well, Krissy! We had many special mother/daughter(s) bonding moments on this trip, but our time at the Rose & Crown was one of the best.

Whoo Hoo, a new review to catch up on

Great pictures and descriptions as always, looking forward to reading more

Thanks for reading Linda! I'm really enjoying your reviews as well.

 

[jabead]

We were enjoying ourselves so much at the Rose & Crown that we stayed a little longer than we should have and had to really rush to get back to our room to change clothes and then walk over to the Dolphin in time for our 7:30...


Dinner at Todd English's bluezoo



BACKGROUND: This would be our first visit to bluezoo and I was really looking forward to it. On our last trip we tried Shula's (the other signature restaurant at the Dolphin) for the first time and although I was disappointed with my steak, the rest of the food was very good and I would definitely rate it higher than our meal at Il Mulino at the Swan. So where would bluezoo fall in my rankings of the Swan and Dolphin Resort signature restaurants??? Please continue reading to find out.



First of all I must say that I found this restaurant to be visually stunning! Like the Coral Reef restaurant at Epcot it has an aquatic theme, but bluezoo is more upscale. Here are a few pictures that might give you an idea of our surroundings (although they do not do it justice since most were taken with my camera phone).

This picture shows a table setting and also the rippled wave design can be seen on the back wall.

This picture shows the silvery-blue curtain sheers which hung from the tall windows of the restaurant and you can also see a little of the carpet, which has a pattern that looks like swirling water.

Completing the affect, are light fixtures that look like bubbles floating in the air/water.



I was so busy looking around and taking pictures of this beautiful restaurant that I forgot to take any of the menu. Although many of the bluezoo menus that I found online do not seem to be completely up to date, I think this is the one we were presented that evening...

http://www.swandolphinmeetings.com/menus/restaurant_menus/bluezoo/



Although many of their cocktails sounded quite interesting, I decided against having one. DD1 on the other hand took our server's recommendation and ordered this...

The Zooberry (bluezoo's signature cocktail)


This was described as being berry-infused Ketel One vodka with a splash of fresh lemon. Surprisingly she didn't care for it, saying that the sweetness/tartness of the berry flavor was just too intense.



Next came the bread basket.

This was a much more generous size than the bread basket we had received at lunch, so I guess it was just at Le Cellier that they thought we needed to cut back on our carbs. Anyway, the basket contained at least two different breads. One was a ciabatta and the other a crispy lavosh that was cheesy flavored (perhaps parmesan cheese?). There may have been a third kind of bread in the basket, but I don't really remember it if there was and you can't see it in the picture.


Now I really wanted to try one of their appetizers here (the classico flatbread and the low country shrimp sounded especially tempting), but after having the cheese plate at the Rose & Crown we just weren't hungry enough for a three course meal...and I was still holding out hope for dessert. But in lieu of an appetizer, we did get this side dish to share...

Shake & Bake Fries


These were sprinkled with parmesan cheese and rosemary. They were also supposed to have crushed garlic but I could taste very little garlic, if any. The fries were a tad bit greasy and weren't as flavorful as we thought they would be, so we all agreed that they rated only an "Okay".




For my entree, I chose one of the "Simply Fish" options...

Grilled Florida Grouper with warm crabmeat and dijon mustard sauce

And moving in for a Close-up Shot


I really enjoyed this! The fish was very mild tasting and was nicely complemented by the very rich and creamy taste of the sauce. I'm sure this sauce contains loads of butter and heavy cream in addition to the crabmeat and dijon mustard, but I also think it probably had some white wine and maybe even a hint of lemon juice??? Mmmmm...so good. The fish was served on top of a thin layer of potato puree and then a small amount of the crabmeat sauce was served on top of them both. But then you also received a small pot of the sauce on the side, which you could add to the fish yourself. So of course I found myself ladling the extra sauce on several times...Calories be D@#$ed! At first I thought the salad which was served with my fish was spinach, but it tasted sweeter than spinach. After doing a little research, I think it may have been mache (aka lamb's lettuce). Also on my plate were a heart of palm and a small amount of olive tepanade. Sorry I can't remember anything about either of these, but they were probably good.




DD1 also chose one of the "Simply Fish" options...

Grilled Salmon with the crabmeat sauce


When we were told that salmon was one of the three "Simply Fish" options available that night, I encouraged her to order it since she had missed out on the salmon at lunch. Although she didn't like this as much as the Walnut-crusted salmon that she had at Le Cellier on her last trip, she did enjoy it. As you can see from the pictures, her side items were exactly the same as mine. So it seems that the sides you are served are the same regardless of which of the "Simply Fish" options you choose.

One More Pic of DD1's Drink and Meal



Now DD2 will not eat any kind of seafood, which of course is what bluezoo is known for. But during my pre-trip research, I had seen that their menu also included a few non-seafood options...one beef, one pork, and one chicken. She chose...

Milkfed Chicken with eggplant parmesan puree, farro verde, charred scallions, and english peas


To be honest, I didn't know what farro verde was. I thought it might be the sauce, since verde means green in some languages. But when I looked this up, I found that it is actually a wheat grain. So I'm guessing that farro verde is the stuff that looks like risotto underneath the chicken. Anyway, her opinion of this dish was that the chicken itself was okay but everything else served with it (including the green sauce) was pretty bland and didn't really add anything to the flavor of the chicken. Therefore, her overall opinion of this was that it was rather boring.



However, although she was unimpressed by her entree, bluezoo made up for it with the dessert...

Warm Chocolate Raspberry Molten Cake with chocolate cream pudding, raspberry sauce, and raspberry ice cream

DD2 loves chocolate. She also loves raspberry. Put the two together and she is in heaven! So she of course gave this an "Excellent" rating, and it ended up being her favorite dessert of the trip. We actually all shared this dessert, and although I wouldn't say it was my favorite of this trip, it would definitely be in my top three so I agreed with her "Excellent" rating. Our one dissenting vote came from DD1, who only rated this as "Good", however she is generally not a big fan of chocolate desserts. But with two against one, I gave this an overall score of "Excellent".



I just have one more thing to add. We found the service at bluezoo to be very good, up until the end when we ran into a bit of a problem. After we received our final bill, I noticed that although they had added in the mandatory 18% TIW tip, the 20% TIW discount had not been deducted. Luckily, I caught the mistake and although it took quite awhile to get it straightened out, the discount was finally acknowledged in the amount of our "final" final bill. I'm sure this doesn't happen often (in the many times I've used my TIW card, this was the first for me), but apparently it can happen so I just wanted to give everyone here a heads up. The 20% discount can end up being a significant amount (for this meal it was more than $25), so I wouldn't want anyone to not receive the discount to which they are entitled due to a glitch in the system.



So our overall rating for this meal was:

Good


However please note that if the rating was dependent on my opinion alone, it would have been "Very Good". In comparing it to my experiences at both Shula's and Il Mulino, it would definitely come out on top. That being said, it was not quite good enough to overtake any of my current top 3 favorite Signature restaurants. But it has, however, taken a place in my top 5! And I'm looking forward to returning sometime to try out some of the appetizers and perhaps another one of their many seafood entrees. Assuming a good outcome, bluezoo definitely has the potential to move up in my ranks.



NEXT UP: Breakfast at Wolfgang Puck Express

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

Interesting review of bluezoo - the one time we went there, the appetizers and dessert were all great, while the entrees and sides disappointed. At least the "highs" still beat Il Mulino.

I'm happy that at least one other person feels similarly about the Swan/Dolphin restaurants. I've never tried Shula's, but it's pretty clear from the menu that the food is basic steakhouse fare (not what we're interested in). But Il Mulino and bluezoo didn't blow away all of the WDW signatures IMO, in spite of the frequent commentary suggesting that on-site (or DDP-accepting) restaurants are inferior.

 

[jabead]

Breakfast at Wolfgang Puck Express


Today we actually got up early (well, early for the girls anyway ) and were ready and out of our room at around 8:30. We didn't have to wait long for a bus to Downtown Disney and since the Boardwalk is the last stop on this route, we made it to Downtown Disney Marketplace and in the door at Wolfgang Puck Express not long after it opened for breakfast (from what I've read they only serve breakfast for two hours in the morning, from 9:00 - 11:00). Though I had never been here for breakfast (only once for lunch a couple of years ago), I already knew exactly what I wanted to order based on the reviews I'd read and the pictures I had drooled over, ummm I mean seen here. Wait, that's not exactly true. Actually I knew what all three of us were going to order, because there were three things that I really wanted to try. So with only a quick glance at the menu, I confidently walked up to the counter and began to place our order. "We will have the Crispy Cornflake French Toast and...(quickly interrupted by girl taking our order, who says)..."I'm sorry but we aren't serving the Cornflake French Toast right now, but we do have French Toast made with bagels." I think to myself, Bagel French Toast...really??? With all my confidence lost now, I'm standing at the counter "waffling" over whether or not to try the Bagel French Toast. But I finally pulled myself together and made the decision to skip the french toast and just get this...

Smoked Bacon Pizza with scrambled eggs, tomatoes, mozzarella and cheddar cheese and Ranch Dressing


And also this...

Wolfgang's Breakfast Pocket - Scrambled eggs, peppers, Niman Ranch Bacon, onions, mushrooms, mozzarella and cheddar cheese baked into Wolfgang's pizza dough served with Potato Wedges



Both of these were very good, but I preferred the breakfast pocket while they both preferred the pizza. I think this had to do with the fact that they both hate mushrooms. So once they discovered that the pocket had mushrooms, then the rest of it was all mine. Which was perfectly fine by me! And by the way, the potato wedges were also delicious.

Oh, and in case you were wondering, the pizza and the pocket were more than enough food for the three of us to eat for breakfast. But even though I know we wouldn't have been able to eat all three, it sure would have been fun to try. And my apologies to any Bagel French Toast fans out there. Although I'm sure it would have been quite good, I just couldn't settle for bagels when my heart was set on... cornflakes???


So our overall rating for this meal was: -

Very Good

I definitely plan to return to Wolfgang Puck Express sometime, and I hope to finally get to try the Cornflake French Toast. I'm pretty sure that its absence was only temporary. I guess maybe there was a Cornflake Shortage in Florida last month that I hadn't heard about???


NEXT UP: Lunch at the AMC Movie Theatre - Fork & Screen

 

[Linda67]

Bluezoo looks really good, I love seafood so it would be perfect for me

We finally got round to having breakfast at WPE on our last trip and loved it

 

[wilma-bride]

Great reviews. I'm all caught up but loving them so far.

 

[leeliani]

I've had the Crispy Cornflake French Toast, and all it is is bagel french toast covered in cornflakes and cinnamon and sugar. Don't get me wrong, the thinner pieces of bagel were yummy and crispy, but the thicker pieces of bagel french toast pretty much taste like a chewy bagel with cornflakes on it. I think you made the right choice for breakfast.

 

[jabead]

I've had the Crispy Cornflake French Toast, and all it is is bagel french toast covered in cornflakes and cinnamon and sugar. Don't get me wrong, the thinner pieces of bagel were yummy and crispy, but the thicker pieces of bagel french toast pretty much taste like a chewy bagel with cornflakes on it. I think you made the right choice for breakfast.

Thank you so much for explaining this to me! I never realized from looking at the pictures and descriptions of the cornflake french toast that it was made from bagels. So basically what they were telling me was that they were out of cornflakes that day.

 

[jerseytinkerbell]

Loving all your reviews so far! Thanks for the bluezoo review. I have been curious to check that place out and I think I might have to add that one to the list. It looks really cool in there!

The Breakfast Pizza at WPE is my absolute fav! Yum! The bagel french toast sounds very odd. I definitely think you made the right choice.

Can't wait to hear about Fork & Screen! We go to AMC a few times every trip, but we have yet to try the dine-in theaters there, so I'm interested to hear about your experience there.

 

[iloveeeyore]

King Arthur and the Holy Grail by the World Showcase Players!!??? How is it that my family never knew about this? Is it always at the UK Pavilion? How many times per day?