fa mulan
And I think to myself, "What a Wonderful World."
- Joined
- Oct 13, 2002
We are just back from 7 nights @ YC in WDW. We were NOT on the dining plan, but I had the DDE card, which easily paid for itself. We're a family of foodies. Here are some reviews based on my impromptu 5* rating system:
* poor; not recommended
** fair; would not return
*** liked it but didn't love it; probably won't return
****very good; recommend and would return
***** out of this world:
3/28: EP -cs: for our 1st night, we decided to walk to EP from the YC, maybe catch a ride and "eat around the world" before our 8 pm Illuminations cruise. B/c it was crowded, it took more time than anticipated to do CS at more than one place - I had tried to fit too much in to our 1st night. We ate Nachos in Mexico (*) and a sandwich in Norway (*). The chips were ok but it was just a so-so ensemble of nachos (a plop of ground meat, beans, a squirt of sour cream, some melted cheese whiz and a couple pickled jalepenos; not as good as a Fridays or other typical nachos place. Same w/ the sandwich. Just so-so. After Illuminations, we were still hungry so went to Beaches & Cream (**) where DH and I shared a hot roast beef sandwich w/ fries, DD11 got a side of onion rings and DD7 got a hot dog. I wouldn't let DDs get ice cream b/c it was almost 10 pm. The onion rings there were VERY greasy.
Would not recommend. The sandwich was good b/c I was starving - but not memorable. This was our worst eating day.
3/29: EP
breakfast - in room (cereal/milk, coffee & scones from home)
lunch- Sunshine Seasons food court in the Land (****). We shared Beef Chimichurri (marinated flank steak sliced on baby greens served on a sort of grilled flat bread); a kids mac & cheese; kids drum stick meal (w/ apple sauce); salad w/ grilled ahi tuna; & 2 slices of watermelon. All was delicious. This was a very satisfying meal.
dinner- Coral Reef was great (****). I was concerned after reading lots of mixed reviews, but was very happy I kept this ADR. Starting us off was fantastic, warm sourdough bread. Crusty outside, soft inside. DH ordered cajun catfish (which our waitress explained was farmed on Disney property & therefore not only very fresh but therefore much "cleaner" than the usual bottom feeding, mud-mucking fish); I had grilled salmon - I think it was served w/ a ratatouille - whatever it was it was perfectly seasoned and a nice accompaniment to the fish. We both loved our entrees. DD11 had lobster soup and a Cod Cake. The lobster soup was tasty but almost too thick & rich; it seemed to have a cheese base to it. She ate all of the cod cake, which the waitress recommended since they didn't have crab cakes, which DD had wanted. DD7 had the kids pizza meal. The pizza looked very good and she ate most all of it.
3/30 - MK
breakfast - in room - yogurts w/ muesli; poptarts
lunch - I was planning on Columbia Harbor House, but it was too crowded by 11:45. Instead we ate at the carts outside: 2 hotdogs; 2 turkey legs; watermelon. It hit the spot. (**)
dinner - CRT (***) DD11, DH and I all ordered prime rib. DD7 had chicken strips kids meal w/ mashed potatoes & green beans. The chicken strips were very crunchy w/ too much breading/batter. DD ate 1/2; she wasn't crazy about the cheesy mashed potatoes either. For appetizers, DH and DD chose the corn crab soup. I chose the BLT salad. The soup was excellent with large chunks of crab and delicous seafood flavor, and rich but not heavy or too thick. I liked it better than the Coral Reef lobster soup. My salad, in contrast was pretty sad & skimpy. Iceberg lettuce w/ tiny cubes of obviously restaurant-pre-packaged hardboiled egg bits, some specks of bacon and pale tomato, and a seemingly bottled dressing. The prime rib, however, was done to a perfect medium rare and was very tasty; the accompanying au gratin potatoes were more greasy than cheesy. The bread here was pretzel rolls served w/ a honey mustard butter and regular butter. It was warm & fresh, but I found I don't care for pretzel bread. For dessert, I had preordered "slipper" desserts to celebrate DDs birthdays (one had past in Jan; the other is in mid-April). They loved these desserts (choc. mousse in the white chocolate slippers) and felt special that their plates said Happy Bday w/ their names in chocolate. We also got the other desserts that came w/ the meal. The chocolate raspberry cake was nothing special; the blueberry buckle (ordered by both DH and I) was like a blueberry muffin w/ struesel topping. OK if you love blueberry muffins, but for dessert? Overall we thought this meal was ok but nothing great. In hindsight & in the future, I would choose Akershus for the food and character interaction. The mice dance and fairy godmother dance around, and the mice even stop for an instant for a photo op., but it's very fast. As far as castle ambiance, I should've heeded the DIS advice that it's nice to do once. We had already done it in 2003. Based on food & value, I will not likely return here.
3/31 - non-park day
breakfast: yogurts; cereal; poptarts
lunch: Wolfgang Puck Express in DD (****). I ordered Chicken Caesar sandwich on panini style bread; DH had Salmon Cobb Salad on a wonderful crisp bread w/ awesome caesar-like dressing; DD11 had mac & cheese & fruit cup- the mac & cheese was like homemade & she loved it (no Kraft here!); DD7 had kids quesadilla, which was hot & cheesy. DDs shared creme brulee, which was very good w/ the crisp carmelized sugar top. We enjoyed this place. The food was fresh & reasonably priced; and gives 10% discount w/ DDE.
dinner: DDs ate at Neverland while DH and I wined and dined at Victoria & Albert's(*****). We loved V&A and thought it worth every penny. We each did the wine-pairings and thought them perfectly paired to the courses. This deserves a review of its own, but I'll quickly summarize: DH had: Seared Colorado Buffalo Tenderloin; Minnesota Elk w/ Elephant Garlic Spaetzle; Tuna Tempura & Gulf Shrimp w/ Hijiki Salad & Carrot Ginger Coulis; Poulet Rouge w/ Wild Mushroom Ragout & Truffled Egg; Cheese course; and Kona Chocolate Souffle. I ordered: Dungeness & Peekytoe Crab; Pan Roasted Foie Gras w/ Fuji Apple Tart; Washington State Salmon; Veal; Cheese course and Pyramid of Tanzanie Dark Chocolate Mousse. Each course was divine, but the one that stands out most in my mind is the foie gras. It was amazing: seared to a delicate crispness outside, and buttery on the inside, perfectly complemented by the slight sweetness of the fuji apple tart. If you do this dinner, you MUST try the foie gras! We loved this dinner.
The wine-pairings were a bit much for me (a lightweight), and I fell asleep before my DDs that night.
4/1 - MGM a.m./AK p.m.
breakfast: in room
lunch: Prime Time Cafe (***)
DH & I shared pot roast, which was excellent, fork tender and flavorful, and a mixed green salad, which was lightly, refreshingly tossed w/ simple balsamic dressing. The potroast was definitely as good (or better!) than homemade. DD11 had onion rings plus a shrimp cocktail. DD7 had chicken nuggets, chicken noodle soup as app. Both DDs had kids make your own sundaes. The onion rings here were about the same greasiness (slightly better) as B&C. The chicken nuggets were pretty bad - about the same or worse than McDonalds; I tried one and looked for real chicken, but found it to be rubbery, processed "chicken-like" fake stuff. I give this restaurant 3* b/c of the potroast and sundaes. Plus the CMs are entertaining (I almost had to stand in the corner b/c I left the table w/o permission! DDs were tickled). The chicken nuggets were just awful and should be pulled from the kids menu.
dinner: Flame Tree BBQ (**) -Wanted to try Tusker House, but it was closed by 6:30 that night even tho the park was open til 8). DDs and I shared a chicken meal and a rib meal and DH ordered a fresh fruit plate. The sides here are awful - Baked beans were way too sweet; corn on the cob was mushy and tasted like it has been boiling all day.
But the chicken and ribs were smoky and pretty good.
4/2 EP
breakfast: in room
lunch: Akershus Princess Storybook Buffet in Norway (****) - This was one of our family's favorite meals of the week. In terms of value, it was probably the best. In addition to seeing 4 princesses (Cinderella, Belle, Snow White and Ariel), you get an appetizer buffet, plus a lunch entree, dessert & beverage. The buffet had fresh breads, smoked salmon (which DDs love) & other smoked fish; marinated mushrooms, cheeses and fresh salads & fruits - we thought it was great and would've been fine w/ just this for lunch. But more came. For entrees, DH, DD11 and I had pan-seared trout had DD7 had grilled salmon. The trout was perfect. Desserts were shared by the table (light cheesecakes topped w/ sweet/tart ligonberries; a chocolate cake dessert and a rice-pudding type of dessert). We were all stuffed.
dinner: Tangierine Cafe & Yakitori House (CS) (****):
DH and I had veggie platters w/ hummus, tabbouleh, lentils and pita. It was the perfect amount following our large lunches. DD7 loves hummus and shared. DD11 had california roll sushi from Yakitori house (we ate together at Tangierine Cafe). DDs and I had 3 baklavas - skimpy on the walnuts, but still flaky, buttery & sweet - very satisfying.
4/3: AK a.m./ MGM p.m.
breakfast: room
lunch: It was so hot in AK that we weren't very hungry and got by w/ icecream/frozen bananas as our snacks. We waited til we got back to our room to have yogurt/muesli for lunch.
dinner: Brown Derby (****): DH ordered the Cobb Salad for his meal - he thought it was an excellent Cobb and liked the dressing; I chose Field Greens salad and Salmon w/ creamy polenta. The salmon and polenta were delicious - the polenta had roquefort cheese melted throughout. DD11 ordered the crabcake and seared scallop appetizers for her meal, and DD7 had crabcake and potato leek soup for hers. The crabcake had a crisply breaded exterior, thicker than normal crabcakes- DD7 didn't like it, but DD11 ate all of hers. The soup was excellent. Brown Derby also had wonderfully warm dinner rolls, like delicate mini baguettes.
4/4 checkout day (on to US/IoA):
brunch: Cape May Beach Character Breakfast - great buffet w/ everything from fresh berries & yogurt bar & fresh fruit; eggs; grits; potatoes, bacon, sausage, sausage & biscuits and pastries. DH loved the sausage gravy - it was very sagey and had a slight kick. Goofey, Minnie, Chip & Dale came to the table multiple times for photos, hugs and interaction w/ DDs. Dale admired DD11's doodles and posed so that she could draw him. It was very sweet and DDs enjoyed it alot. Perfect way to end our trip.
That's it folks! I hope some of this helps as you are planning, the way that DIS reviews helped me w/ mine.
We had some wonderful meals, and overall loved most of our dining experiences at Disney! Until next time. . .
* poor; not recommended
** fair; would not return
*** liked it but didn't love it; probably won't return
****very good; recommend and would return
***** out of this world:
3/28: EP -cs: for our 1st night, we decided to walk to EP from the YC, maybe catch a ride and "eat around the world" before our 8 pm Illuminations cruise. B/c it was crowded, it took more time than anticipated to do CS at more than one place - I had tried to fit too much in to our 1st night. We ate Nachos in Mexico (*) and a sandwich in Norway (*). The chips were ok but it was just a so-so ensemble of nachos (a plop of ground meat, beans, a squirt of sour cream, some melted cheese whiz and a couple pickled jalepenos; not as good as a Fridays or other typical nachos place. Same w/ the sandwich. Just so-so. After Illuminations, we were still hungry so went to Beaches & Cream (**) where DH and I shared a hot roast beef sandwich w/ fries, DD11 got a side of onion rings and DD7 got a hot dog. I wouldn't let DDs get ice cream b/c it was almost 10 pm. The onion rings there were VERY greasy.
Would not recommend. The sandwich was good b/c I was starving - but not memorable. This was our worst eating day. 3/29: EP
breakfast - in room (cereal/milk, coffee & scones from home)
lunch- Sunshine Seasons food court in the Land (****). We shared Beef Chimichurri (marinated flank steak sliced on baby greens served on a sort of grilled flat bread); a kids mac & cheese; kids drum stick meal (w/ apple sauce); salad w/ grilled ahi tuna; & 2 slices of watermelon. All was delicious. This was a very satisfying meal.
dinner- Coral Reef was great (****). I was concerned after reading lots of mixed reviews, but was very happy I kept this ADR. Starting us off was fantastic, warm sourdough bread. Crusty outside, soft inside. DH ordered cajun catfish (which our waitress explained was farmed on Disney property & therefore not only very fresh but therefore much "cleaner" than the usual bottom feeding, mud-mucking fish); I had grilled salmon - I think it was served w/ a ratatouille - whatever it was it was perfectly seasoned and a nice accompaniment to the fish. We both loved our entrees. DD11 had lobster soup and a Cod Cake. The lobster soup was tasty but almost too thick & rich; it seemed to have a cheese base to it. She ate all of the cod cake, which the waitress recommended since they didn't have crab cakes, which DD had wanted. DD7 had the kids pizza meal. The pizza looked very good and she ate most all of it.
3/30 - MK
breakfast - in room - yogurts w/ muesli; poptarts
lunch - I was planning on Columbia Harbor House, but it was too crowded by 11:45. Instead we ate at the carts outside: 2 hotdogs; 2 turkey legs; watermelon. It hit the spot. (**)
dinner - CRT (***) DD11, DH and I all ordered prime rib. DD7 had chicken strips kids meal w/ mashed potatoes & green beans. The chicken strips were very crunchy w/ too much breading/batter. DD ate 1/2; she wasn't crazy about the cheesy mashed potatoes either. For appetizers, DH and DD chose the corn crab soup. I chose the BLT salad. The soup was excellent with large chunks of crab and delicous seafood flavor, and rich but not heavy or too thick. I liked it better than the Coral Reef lobster soup. My salad, in contrast was pretty sad & skimpy. Iceberg lettuce w/ tiny cubes of obviously restaurant-pre-packaged hardboiled egg bits, some specks of bacon and pale tomato, and a seemingly bottled dressing. The prime rib, however, was done to a perfect medium rare and was very tasty; the accompanying au gratin potatoes were more greasy than cheesy. The bread here was pretzel rolls served w/ a honey mustard butter and regular butter. It was warm & fresh, but I found I don't care for pretzel bread. For dessert, I had preordered "slipper" desserts to celebrate DDs birthdays (one had past in Jan; the other is in mid-April). They loved these desserts (choc. mousse in the white chocolate slippers) and felt special that their plates said Happy Bday w/ their names in chocolate. We also got the other desserts that came w/ the meal. The chocolate raspberry cake was nothing special; the blueberry buckle (ordered by both DH and I) was like a blueberry muffin w/ struesel topping. OK if you love blueberry muffins, but for dessert? Overall we thought this meal was ok but nothing great. In hindsight & in the future, I would choose Akershus for the food and character interaction. The mice dance and fairy godmother dance around, and the mice even stop for an instant for a photo op., but it's very fast. As far as castle ambiance, I should've heeded the DIS advice that it's nice to do once. We had already done it in 2003. Based on food & value, I will not likely return here.
3/31 - non-park day
breakfast: yogurts; cereal; poptarts
lunch: Wolfgang Puck Express in DD (****). I ordered Chicken Caesar sandwich on panini style bread; DH had Salmon Cobb Salad on a wonderful crisp bread w/ awesome caesar-like dressing; DD11 had mac & cheese & fruit cup- the mac & cheese was like homemade & she loved it (no Kraft here!); DD7 had kids quesadilla, which was hot & cheesy. DDs shared creme brulee, which was very good w/ the crisp carmelized sugar top. We enjoyed this place. The food was fresh & reasonably priced; and gives 10% discount w/ DDE.
dinner: DDs ate at Neverland while DH and I wined and dined at Victoria & Albert's(*****). We loved V&A and thought it worth every penny. We each did the wine-pairings and thought them perfectly paired to the courses. This deserves a review of its own, but I'll quickly summarize: DH had: Seared Colorado Buffalo Tenderloin; Minnesota Elk w/ Elephant Garlic Spaetzle; Tuna Tempura & Gulf Shrimp w/ Hijiki Salad & Carrot Ginger Coulis; Poulet Rouge w/ Wild Mushroom Ragout & Truffled Egg; Cheese course; and Kona Chocolate Souffle. I ordered: Dungeness & Peekytoe Crab; Pan Roasted Foie Gras w/ Fuji Apple Tart; Washington State Salmon; Veal; Cheese course and Pyramid of Tanzanie Dark Chocolate Mousse. Each course was divine, but the one that stands out most in my mind is the foie gras. It was amazing: seared to a delicate crispness outside, and buttery on the inside, perfectly complemented by the slight sweetness of the fuji apple tart. If you do this dinner, you MUST try the foie gras! We loved this dinner.
The wine-pairings were a bit much for me (a lightweight), and I fell asleep before my DDs that night.4/1 - MGM a.m./AK p.m.
breakfast: in room
lunch: Prime Time Cafe (***)
DH & I shared pot roast, which was excellent, fork tender and flavorful, and a mixed green salad, which was lightly, refreshingly tossed w/ simple balsamic dressing. The potroast was definitely as good (or better!) than homemade. DD11 had onion rings plus a shrimp cocktail. DD7 had chicken nuggets, chicken noodle soup as app. Both DDs had kids make your own sundaes. The onion rings here were about the same greasiness (slightly better) as B&C. The chicken nuggets were pretty bad - about the same or worse than McDonalds; I tried one and looked for real chicken, but found it to be rubbery, processed "chicken-like" fake stuff. I give this restaurant 3* b/c of the potroast and sundaes. Plus the CMs are entertaining (I almost had to stand in the corner b/c I left the table w/o permission! DDs were tickled). The chicken nuggets were just awful and should be pulled from the kids menu.
dinner: Flame Tree BBQ (**) -Wanted to try Tusker House, but it was closed by 6:30 that night even tho the park was open til 8). DDs and I shared a chicken meal and a rib meal and DH ordered a fresh fruit plate. The sides here are awful - Baked beans were way too sweet; corn on the cob was mushy and tasted like it has been boiling all day.
But the chicken and ribs were smoky and pretty good.4/2 EP
breakfast: in room
lunch: Akershus Princess Storybook Buffet in Norway (****) - This was one of our family's favorite meals of the week. In terms of value, it was probably the best. In addition to seeing 4 princesses (Cinderella, Belle, Snow White and Ariel), you get an appetizer buffet, plus a lunch entree, dessert & beverage. The buffet had fresh breads, smoked salmon (which DDs love) & other smoked fish; marinated mushrooms, cheeses and fresh salads & fruits - we thought it was great and would've been fine w/ just this for lunch. But more came. For entrees, DH, DD11 and I had pan-seared trout had DD7 had grilled salmon. The trout was perfect. Desserts were shared by the table (light cheesecakes topped w/ sweet/tart ligonberries; a chocolate cake dessert and a rice-pudding type of dessert). We were all stuffed.
dinner: Tangierine Cafe & Yakitori House (CS) (****):
DH and I had veggie platters w/ hummus, tabbouleh, lentils and pita. It was the perfect amount following our large lunches. DD7 loves hummus and shared. DD11 had california roll sushi from Yakitori house (we ate together at Tangierine Cafe). DDs and I had 3 baklavas - skimpy on the walnuts, but still flaky, buttery & sweet - very satisfying.
4/3: AK a.m./ MGM p.m.
breakfast: room
lunch: It was so hot in AK that we weren't very hungry and got by w/ icecream/frozen bananas as our snacks. We waited til we got back to our room to have yogurt/muesli for lunch.
dinner: Brown Derby (****): DH ordered the Cobb Salad for his meal - he thought it was an excellent Cobb and liked the dressing; I chose Field Greens salad and Salmon w/ creamy polenta. The salmon and polenta were delicious - the polenta had roquefort cheese melted throughout. DD11 ordered the crabcake and seared scallop appetizers for her meal, and DD7 had crabcake and potato leek soup for hers. The crabcake had a crisply breaded exterior, thicker than normal crabcakes- DD7 didn't like it, but DD11 ate all of hers. The soup was excellent. Brown Derby also had wonderfully warm dinner rolls, like delicate mini baguettes.
4/4 checkout day (on to US/IoA):
brunch: Cape May Beach Character Breakfast - great buffet w/ everything from fresh berries & yogurt bar & fresh fruit; eggs; grits; potatoes, bacon, sausage, sausage & biscuits and pastries. DH loved the sausage gravy - it was very sagey and had a slight kick. Goofey, Minnie, Chip & Dale came to the table multiple times for photos, hugs and interaction w/ DDs. Dale admired DD11's doodles and posed so that she could draw him. It was very sweet and DDs enjoyed it alot. Perfect way to end our trip.
That's it folks! I hope some of this helps as you are planning, the way that DIS reviews helped me w/ mine.
We had some wonderful meals, and overall loved most of our dining experiences at Disney! Until next time. . .
EP family of the day that day) and got gelatos from a cart.
