Sistah Twistah - A January Dining Review- Updated- 6/25 - COMPLETE!!!

[Jerusalem Gal]

Great start! I absolutely love your writing style...Very fun!

Thank you so much. Glad you're here!

Following along

Yay! Welcome!

I've only read two posts from you so far, but it's fair to say I love you. You are hilarious. I can honestly say I don't think I've ever ready any sort of trip report by someone from Israel, so interesting! I'm assuming you've spent plenty of time in the states since your father is American?
I'm really looking forward to reading more, this should be a super fun report!

Aww.. I love you too! (I'm blushing!) Thanks for joining the ride!
I lived in the US growing up. New York for a few years when I was tiny and then LA for another few years when I was in grade school. And I've got lots of family in NY so I've spent lots of time there.
When we lived in LA we actually had an AP to Disneyland for one year. It was pretty awesome! But nothing beats WDW for me

Following!!

Great start, you are so entertaining!

I can't even. It is 2 hours from Pittsburgh to Orlando and by the time the plane lands I am so over it!

Not me either! Love the flexibility of being able to split something on the DDP.

OH MY! This was definitely not there last time we stayed.. YUM.

HAHA.. Why was this so difficult?! That's so cool that you can switch a snack to replace your drink... I'll have to remember that, especially when splitting. Can never have too much dessert!

I don't usually mind the long flights, but I also don't usually fly all the way to Orlando in one day! Up until now I've always stopped in NY first and then flew the rest of the way a few days later. It makes a big difference!
Ooh, definitely try that burger next time your'e there!!! And switch out the drinks if you've got a mug! And even if you don't have a mug you can always split one drink and get an extra dessert! Or drink ice cold tap water and entirely forget about drinks! Just get desserts!

you are to cute...thanks again

Lots of good places on your list! Keep the reviews coming!

Thank God for the weekend! I'll update soon! Thanks for being here!

 

[Jerusalem Gal]

So it's Friday afternoon. The weekend is here full force. (We get Fridays off, not Sundays.)
And I'm here with an update on...


Cosmic Ray's Starlight Café!



Let me start by saying this: I loooove Sonny Eclipse! I'd go eat at Ray's just to see his show!
I think he reminds me a little of Alf. And his puns are Jungle Cruise-style which means they're totally not funny and yet manage to crack you up. (And by 'you' I mean me.)

Also, I mean, he's a huge animatronic alien who plays the organ, tells jokes and sings. What's not to love??

-"Hi, my name is DeeDee and I'm a Sonny Eclipse groupie."
-"We love you, DeeDee!"

So remember I mentioned that gastric banding thingie? Well, on my last trip two years ago, I spent so long in there trying to get my burger down, I heard Sonny's entire show- 3 times! This time it was twice.
"Graviteeee..... you got a hold on meee yes you doooo...."
And my favorite- "Hello space angellllls... so nice to hear ya... Though I can't see ya nowww it's niiiice to be near ya...."

Anyway, getting back to the story. I think another reason why I always gravitate (Ba dum tss!) towards Cosmic Ray's is because I'm used to it.

Here's a little fact for y'all on this lovely Friday:
Cosmic Ray's is the only eatery in the Magic Kingdom with kosher food ready to order on the spot.

Each park has one place that always has kosher food on hand.
Magic Kingdom- Cosmic Ray's
Epcot- Liberty Inn
Hollywood Studios- ABC Commissary
Animal Kingdom- Pizzafari

Keep that in mind in case you ever bump into someone who needs to know.

So Cosmic Ray's has always been our go-to place in the MK.
Only this time- hellllloooo ribs!!!!




1/2 Chicken and Rib Combo - $16.19
"with Mashed Potatoes and Green Beans"

Ah yes, hello sweet meat. Ribs were going to be a thing for me on this trip. I could feel it!
(Did I mention I was a carnivore?)

So the day is still Tuesday, the day we landed. We were dead on our feet but I just HAD to get to the park because we had just flown 6,603.12 miles, dammit! And I needed me some magic!!

Being so tired after the fireworks (sigh ), we figured we'd find some nice place to sit and have a late dinner.
We tried Tony's but of course that was a no go at that hour. They were already closing up and practically laughed in our faces when we asked if there was a table available.

So off to Cosmic Ray's we went. (I believe I checked the 'My Disney Experience' app for closing times and it was very helpful!)
Both Shira and I ordered the chicken/rib combo. (I mentioned I have a problem choosing one thing, yes?)
We both took drinks this time and Shira had a side of fries instead of her dessert. I needed me some chocolate cake. (Which ended up getting shoved in my pocket and saved for the next day. Though I don't remember ever eating it.)

The chicken was great. Moist and yummy. And ummm... I started eating it before I took a picture. Sorry.
(Who can think of any dining reviews at this point? But I do get better as the days pass.)
Green beans were pretty good. Mashed potatoes were excellent although I'm sure at that hour nothing was too fresh.
The ribs let me down a little bit. They were kind of dry. I enjoyed the sauce and they were certainly edible, but still. Dry.
Also, this is a HUGE portion. Half a chicken is a lot of food! Plus ribs plus sides... We could have split.
Neither of us finished everything but I blame that on being too tired- not on the food

Oh, I forgot to mention how much I love all the little dressings and sauces they give you at these QS places!
The honey mustard, the BBQ sauce, the relish. They're nothing special but for me (or us) it's always a new and different experience than what we're used to.

All in all, through our haze and glassy eyes, I think it was a pretty ok experience. And being awake certainly would have helped so keep that in mind if you're ever there

"Outer space angelllls.... my heavenly chorus... whenever you sing with meeee my faaans all adore us...."


Next up- Be Our Guest!

 

[DisneyJo]

Loving your reviews

 

[pumba]

Cosmic Rays half chicken with mashed taters and green beans is my most favorite counter service meal at MK...and you are right..it is a lot of food on that plate...I can hardly wait for May..well April and may..thanks again

 

[Saphire5742]

Joining in!

This is us!

​

Love this photo. So cute.

We both live in Jerusalem, Israel

Don't think I've mentioned this before but I actually lived in J'lem for 2.5 years after my Aliyah. Which reminds me, haven't visited there is AGES!

And well...... We're talking a 12 hour flight to NY or Boston and then another 3 hours to Orlando. From the time we left home for the airport until we got to our rooms at Pop- over 24 hours!!!

I am so glad that I'm sandwiching my trip during my NY visit. Don't know if I could handle straight to Florida and back. Even the flights to NY, I find that the older I get the more I find the flight unbearable (even though it means that I'm on my way to vacation)

Well, as I mentioned earlier, Shira preferred not to mix dairy and meat and so I asked the cheese be put on the side. I got a few stares and it seemed like it was really complicated for them (really. They kept talking among themselves and coming back to ask me if I really wanted it on the side and switched from a bowl to a plate to just standing and staring at it), but they ended up putting the slice of cheese on a plate for me to enjoy

That is just so weird. I mean, what exactly is the big deal??????

Let me start by saying this: I loooove Sonny Eclipse! I'd go eat at Ray's just to see his show!
I think he reminds me a little of Alf. And his puns are Jungle Cruise-style which means they're totally not funny and yet manage to crack you up. (And by 'you' I mean me.)

Also, I mean, he's a huge animatronic alien who plays the organ, tells jokes and sings. What's not to love??

Sounds adorable. Don't have plans to eat here myself but maybe if I have time I'll drop by for a bit just for him.

Here's a little fact for y'all on this lovely Friday:
Cosmic Ray's is the only eatery in the Magic Kingdom with kosher food ready to order on the spot.

Each park has one place that always has kosher food on hand.
Magic Kingdom- Cosmic Ray's
Epcot- Liberty Inn
Hollywood Studios- ABC Commissary
Animal Kingdom- Pizzafari

I wish my family would have known that way back when. Then again we went with no plans whatsoever other than what park we would be on a given day.

Looking forward to reading future installments.

 

[Jerusalem Gal]

Loving your reviews

Thank you! So glad you're here!

Cosmic Rays half chicken with mashed taters and green beans is my most favorite counter service meal at MK...and you are right..it is a lot of food on that plate...I can hardly wait for May..well April and may..thanks again

Awesome! This was my first time trying the chicken. In the past I'd just gotten the burger.
You're going in April?? Lucky you!!! I'm SO jealous!

Love this photo. So cute.

Yay! You're here!

Don't think I've mentioned this before but I actually lived in J'lem for 2.5 years after my Aliyah. Which reminds me, haven't visited there is AGES!

Really! Well, next time you visit drop me a line! I'd love to say hi

I am so glad that I'm sandwiching my trip during my NY visit. Don't know if I could handle straight to Florida and back. Even the flights to NY, I find that the older I get the more I find the flight unbearable (even though it means that I'm on my way to vacation)

I've started feeling that way too. And I think next time I'll have to stay two whole weeks so I can give myself a day to rest when I arrive. (Yeah right )

That is just so weird. I mean, what exactly is the big deal??????

I think they're just not used to requests like that or something. It was really strange.

Sounds adorable. Don't have plans to eat here myself but maybe if I have time I'll drop by for a bit just for him.

Yeah, check him out! And send him my love

I wish my family would have known that way back when. Then again we went with no plans whatsoever other than what park we would be on a given day.

Looking forward to reading future installments.

My family didn't really know about the rest of the parks. Only MK. (And they've never even been to Animal Kingdom!)
Thanks for being here! I'll probably update later this evening (if I can survive another Sunday at work..)

 

[TeresaNJ]

You're hilarious! Loving your report!

 

[LindseyJo22]

Loving this so far! Can't wait to read more

 

[momtoARQ]

Loving your dining report so far!

 

[Jerusalem Gal]

You're hilarious! Loving your report!

Thank you so much! I'm channeling my inner Dave Barry

Loving this so far! Can't wait to read more

Thanks for joining! Another update coming up soon!

Loving your dining report so far!

Thank you and welcome!!

 

[Jerusalem Gal]

Be Our Guest!
(Or: "Thanks, I'd love to be your guest!!!")



It was a lovely Wednesday morning and the font here keeps changing on me. Or maybe it's the font size. This is so confusing!
Well, even though the font changed it was still a lovely Wednesday morning and here we are, at the first ADR I ever had. EVER. Yay!
I say morning because our official ADR time was 11:55 am but we were there to have ourselves a nice early lunch.
(Breakfasts normally consisted of oxygen for me and coffee + granola bar for Shira.)

We got there a few minutes early and were almost immediately ushered in to order. "Yay!", we thought to ourselves naively. "That was easy!"
Little did we know what awaited us inside....

Now, I'd like to take a moment to say something important: When other DISers tell you, "Pre-order! It'll save you time! Just do it!" - make sure to listen to them.
Be smarter than I was. Take my mistake and the mistakes of all the other dozens of people waiting in line ahead of us, and learn from them.
And if one single person learns from my mistake and saves themselves time and energy by pre-ordering, it'll all be worth it. The entire half an hour we waited in line just to order our lunch- it won't have been in vain.

So it went like this:
Walked in, received menus, got on line, waited with SO many other people to reach the point where you order, scanned your magic bands, chose what you wanted to eat (either with a CM or on your own with a screen, as far as I could see. We got a CM.) Then moved on in to one of the dining rooms, took some silverware and drinks if you ordered them and found yourself a table.
This part was a bit complicated for us. We swooshed right by all the stuff we were supposed to take, too excited to be out of that line, and just sat down in the main ballroom. Eventually one of us noticed that our table was bare and everything we needed was at the other end of the room. So off I went in search of... everything...

Since we were on the dining plan, we had asked the CM to switch some stuff around in our meals. We only ordered one drink and one dessert and the two others we exchanged for soups. Our CM found this a little difficult at first, but she figured out how to do it in the end. Or not. Apparently she had ordered us one water instead of one of the soups. Not good. Waste of credit. Soup please!
When someone came around to check our receipt, we mentioned the error and he said it should be no problem and we should just ask the server to bring out another soup.
When our food did come rolling out (love that food cart!!) they did indeed bring one soup and one water but had no problem just rolling out another soup for us a few minutes later.

The one drink we ordered we just got up and took ourselves, cup and all, which made me wonder how things work there. Anyone can just get up and take what they want. Our receipt was checked but we had one cup of orange soda (I think) and one cup of water- how could he tell that they weren't both soda?
Well, I suppose that's their problem.
Onto the food!




French Onion Soup - $5.69

Ok, I'm pretty sure this is the last time I started eating before taking a picture. Sorry.
But on the upside, now you can see what the soup looks like underneath all that melted cheese! (Mushy bread, some onions and soup. That's about it.)

We both ordered the onion soup. Anything with melted cheese on or in it is gonna be something I order. The other option was potato leek soup, I believe. But that doesn't come with any cheese so the choice was obvious.
We both enjoyed the soup though the bread was a little too soggy for me. And my sister commented "Imma's is better" (imma, pronounced eema= mom)
Since I'm a slow eater, or maybe just because that's how the soup was, the cheese was a bit congealed and it was hard to grab the bread out of the bowl and the cheese really needed to be cut instead of scooped up. Oh, and I forgot to mention that for some reason all they had were teaspoons (albeit pretty large ones, but still..). The table next to us had tablespoons but all I found were teaspoons. So that made the soup task even more difficult.
Still, all in all I'd probably order this again instead of a drink. Definitely more credit-worthy.

Next up-



Carved Prime Chuck Roast Beef Sandwich - $13.99
"Served warm on a Baguette with Horseradish Sour Cream and Pommes Frites."

(Apparently Pommes Frites literally means fried apples. I looked it up. And I don't get why the French aren't patriotic enough to call their fries after their own country and instead leave the job to us. )

So Shira ordered the roast beef sandwich. No horseradish sour cream because sour cream is dairy and we're still trying to stick to the rules.
I have to say (the font size just changed on me again)- I loved it! Both the sandwich and the fried apples (ha ha) were delicious!
Hey, y'know what? Come to think of it, potatoes are called "ground apples" in Hebrew. 'Ground' as in dirt, land, things that come from the floor. I guess we're not that far off from the French then!
The meat and the baguette were both surprisingly flavorful. I'd order this in the future.

My turn:



Braised Pork (Coq Au Vin Style) - $14.99
"Eight Hour Slow-cooked Pork with Mushrooms, Onions, Carrots and Bacon served with Mashed Potatoes and Green Beans Jardiniere."

Hello yummy food! How I miss thee! (Or "tu me manques, yummy food!")
Gotta tell ya right now- I'm not a vegetable person. Any type of pot roast or other meats that come cooked with veggies- not for me. But this was delicious.
The pork was a bit salty (too salty?) but very soft and full of flavor. I even ate the vegetables! See that big chunk of carrot right there? I think I ate it!
The mashed potatoes were soooo yummy. Tasted dairy which I'm not used to. And even the green beans, though a bit tough, ("al dente". Oops, wrong language) were still good.

According to my notes, I DID NOT FINISH THE PORK. *gasp*
I guess I just wasn't thinking of future me, sitting at home across the globe, cold and miserable, missing my Disney food and wondering how the heck I didn't finish it when I had the chance.
Ah well, next time.

And now, time for dessert!



The Master's Cupcake - $4.59
"Chocolate Sponge Cake topped with Lumiere’s special 'Grey Stuff' "

I think my only regret is that we got a drink and split a dessert instead of getting two desserts.
Oh. Wow.
Apparently "the grey stuff" is like an Oreo frosting. Oreo + frosting =
The cupcake itself was just meh. But together with the frosting... Or just the frosting on its own..! Wow.
Try the grey stuff, it's delicious! Don't believe me? Ask DeeDee and Shira because they were just blown away!

Next time I'm getting me another one of these and also a strawberry cream cheese cupcake because it was pink and it looked unreal!
And you better believe I'm not sharing!

Now one of me with all this yummy food:



And how about a few shots of the interior?



And look at the ceiling!



One last one of the west wing. It was dark so I'm glad we didn't sit there, but it is so awesome!


Hello random people! I'm just taking pictures- don't mind me!


Folks, this is a QS meal! Unbelievable value and such a beautiful setting to sit in!
I highly recommend it!
We had originally meant to eat dinner there, not lunch. But the lunch menu spoke to us more and the QS credit was a huge plus.
An awesome first lunch at the parks!



Next up- Casey's Corner and my first ever encounter with a Dole Whip!!!!

 

[Saphire5742]

I am sooooo looking forward to my meal there. Thanks for the explanation of how it all works. Now I'll know. Pretty much set on the roast beef sandwich myself, also without the sour cream (but that's because I don't like horseradish).
Great review!

 

[LinderInWonderland]

Just a little French factoid, potatoes in French is "pommes de terre", or more literally "apples of the earth". So even more similar to Hebrew!

And thank you for your description of The Grey Stuff! It just triggered a memory of a previous article I'd read describing the flavor. I love Oreos as just that, Oreos. I don't like Oreos in ice cream or in any other format (I know I am far in the minority on this opinion). So this solidifies that I will be getting the eclair with orange when we go.

 

[LindseyJo22]

I love Be Our Guest! Last time I got the roast beef sandwich and absolutely loved it. But now I'm torn on dessert - I got the strawberry cupcake when we went last, and it was amazing. So definitely get that when you go back But now I want to try the Grey Stuff too - and two desserts is too many for me. Maybe I can talk my husband into splitting half and half so we each get a bit?

Looks like a pretty good meal overall - and I definitely agree with pre-ordering. We didn't have to stand in line, and our food appeared quite quickly actually.

 

[buteraa]

Hi following along! Great report so far.

 

[phabric]

When can you pre order for BOG we have a dinner reservation?

 

[mkla2015]

Following along and LOVING your review!!! I have a BOG lunch ADR in March and am so torn on what to order- I thought I wanted the turkey sandwich but the pork looks amazing!

 

[Jerusalem Gal]

Hey everyone, first off I wanted to say that Shira (who's silently following along- Hi Shira! ) would like to add that her roast beef sandwich was a little dry without the sour cream.
She suggests you replace it with ketchup or mayo if you leave it off.

I am sooooo looking forward to my meal there. Thanks for the explanation of how it all works. Now I'll know. Pretty much set on the roast beef sandwich myself, also without the sour cream (but that's because I don't like horseradish).
Great review!

Thanks! Note my above comment on the dressing
I can't wait to read your reviews!

Just a little French factoid, potatoes in French is "pommes de terre", or more literally "apples of the earth". So even more similar to Hebrew!

And thank you for your description of The Grey Stuff! It just triggered a memory of a previous article I'd read describing the flavor. I love Oreos as just that, Oreos. I don't like Oreos in ice cream or in any other format (I know I am far in the minority on this opinion). So this solidifies that I will be getting the eclair with orange when we go.

Thank you for the French lesson! I don't speak a word, just Googled everything.. So it's nice to speak to someone who actually knows what they're talking about
Also, so glad I could help with what not to choose as dessert! Definitely a distinct Oreo flavor, although I've read other's reports and not everyone connects it to Oreos. That's strange to me because we both immediately tasted them.

I love Be Our Guest! Last time I got the roast beef sandwich and absolutely loved it. But now I'm torn on dessert - I got the strawberry cupcake when we went last, and it was amazing. So definitely get that when you go back But now I want to try the Grey Stuff too - and two desserts is too many for me. Maybe I can talk my husband into splitting half and half so we each get a bit?

Looks like a pretty good meal overall - and I definitely agree with pre-ordering. We didn't have to stand in line, and our food appeared quite quickly actually.

Yeah, you should get your husband to split! That's a great idea!! Or take one as a snack for later if he doesn't want to split.
Next time- pre-ordering for sure. Even the morning of or the night before. (It's hard to choose so long in advance what you'll want to eat!)

Hi following along! Great report so far.

Thank you so much!

When can you pre order for BOG we have a dinner reservation?

For dinner I don't think you need to pre-order because it's table service. I hope someone here has some experience and can answer your question but I'm almost 100% sure it works differently for dinner.
Enjoy!

Following along and LOVING your review!!! I have a BOG lunch ADR in March and am so torn on what to order- I thought I wanted the turkey sandwich but the pork looks amazing!

Thanks for joining!! I think you'll have to decide as you get closer to your ADR date. The sandwich and the pork are very different meals. If it's still cool, maybe you'll feel like a nice hot pot roast. If it's cooler, the sandwich?
The pork for me felt like a more substantial meal and something you wouldn't find at any other QS (although that might not be true). The sandwich, as good as it was, is still a sandwich. The fries are still fries.
Decisions decisions
Either way I'm sure you'll have a good time!

 

[striker3636]

I love your reviews...a great idea to do it as you go! Looking forward to your next funny instalment. Thanks for all the tips too- definitely need to figure out how to pre-order for BOG!

 

[ArielSRL]

Jumping on from another BOG thread! I definitely need to figure out how to pre-order but I'm wondering if I can if I substitute. Planning to sub the drink for the soup and possibly get one of the specialty drinks (or water if I decide against the extra cost of the specialty drink).