XXX Food Porn or Photographer’s view of DxDP-Updated 8/27

[GoofyontheHiSeas]

Just returned from 10 days of DxDP at the World. I am an amateur photographer who likes to eat. I did some reports two years ago and have gotten a little better at photography since then. My family consists of me, DW, DD16 & DD10. Therefore we had the potential for 80 adult meals. I will not post any pictures of buffets with a couple of exceptions. Equipment used Nikon D90, Nikon SB900 flash, 24-70 f/2.8 (used most of the time) and one dinner with my 70-200 f/2.8 (because I forgot the 24-70). My photography technique for this trip was editorial, meaning I was going for a specific feel to the shot. That means that I used a very narrow depth of field and are not meant to be commercial shots with everything in focus. Most of you won’t care about what I used or how I shot these but others will ask. I unfortunately started shooting with natural light, no flash, because my DW did not want to be embarrassed. I eventually got her to go along so the lighting gets better as time goes on. Overall we were very pleased with the food we got with only a few disappointments. I will comment on some but there are many reviews of all of the restaurants we visited in other reviews. We are not overly picky but are an adventurous family that likes to try many different types of food. We found that ten days may have been too much for the DxDP as we started running out of gas by day 7. The title is derived from a few comments that I received on the Picture of the Day thread.

****WARNING***​

JUST BECAUSE SOMETHING LOOKS GOOD DOES NOT MEAN THAT IT TASTES GOOD


Whispering Canyon Dinner
Lunch Biergarten
Coral Reef
Yak & Yetti Lunch
Yachtsman Steakhouse
Plaza Lunch
Teppan Edo Dinner
Whispering Canyon Breakfast
Restaurant Marrakesh Lunch
Artist Point
Tutto Italia Ristorante Dinner
Le Cellier Lunch
California Grill
Mama Melrose Lunch
Boma Dinner
Via Napoli Lunch
Les Chefs de France Dinner
Tony’s Town Square Lunch
Kona Cafe Dinner
Roaring Fork Breakfast
The Cupcakes
Karamelle-Kuche
Goofy's Candy Company Part I
Goofy's Candy Company Part II
Assorted Snacks (will expand later)

 

[gregrmike1]

Looking forward to your reviews. We have a trip scheduled soon and will be eating at many of the same places!

 

[GoofyontheHiSeas]

We arrived at Wilderness Lodge about 6pm after a long plane ride. With not knowing exactly we would arrive I decided to book WCC for our first night. We had a very nice waitress that kept the antics to a minimum. DW and DD16 decided to challenge the skillet since nothing else was appealing to them on the menu. They were served a very nice Mixed Greens Salad with Apple Vinaigrette.

Along with some cornbread that was tasty.

Our waitress recommended that we get a couple of orders of the Slow-smoked Pulled Pork Spring Rolls with Barbecue-Mayonnaise and Sweet Chili Dipping Sauce. These were the best part of our dinner besides the desserts.

My oldest DD ordered the Smokey Sweet Corn Chowder which was good with a strong taste of bacon.

I decided to get something different and ordered the Warm Spinach and Artichoke Dip
with Sourdough Crostini which was good as well.

I did not get a good shot of the skillet since I was not using my flash so I will not post one. I ordered the Grilled Espresso-Chipotle Marinated Pork Loin with Chorizo-Tillamook Grits and
Buttered Chard. The pork was a bit dry but did have a nice taste.

We had a contest most meals to determine who had the best appetizers, entree and dessert. My DD10 definitely won the entree with the Grilled New York Strip Steak with mashed potatoes and Garden-fresh Vegetables.

On to desserts! DD10 had the S’mores Cheesecake which was wonderful.

I ordered the Apple-Caramel Pie Fresh Granny Smith Apples, Sugar Cookie Crust, Streusel Topping, and Caramel Drizzle. Very good.

My other DD ordered the Kahlúa-flavored Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Mousse Filling and Fudge Icing.

DW ordered the Chocolate Caramel Bread Pudding with Fig and Cherry Sauce. She loves bread pudding but this was very disappointing.

Thank for stopping by!

 

[tortoni]

I'm in. We were just there on the regular DDP and we lost steam after a while too. And I agree that sometimes things looked good, but the taste did not match. Looking forward to your unique photos.

 

[mama03]

I'm in . Is wine included with every meal on your plan? Do you feel that your available wine choices on the dxdp were worth the extra cost? Cant wait to see your review of Yachtsman steakhouse. Eating there for the first time in November.

 

[GoofyontheHiSeas]

We were off to our favorite park Epcot for dinner our first official day in the parks. We ate here two years ago and everyone enjoyed their meal enough to go again.

DD10 started off with a Caesar Salad which she loved.

Crispy-fried Shrimp with a Jícama Slaw and Spiced Rémoulade. They were fried shrimp, enough said.

DW ordered Crab Cakes with Tropical Fruit Salsa and Tequila Aïoli. They were good but a bit small. We had better ones later in the trip. Sorry not the best picture.

DD10 again ordered the Grilled New York Strip Steak served with Horseradish Smashed Potatoes and Market Fresh Vegetables. It was a good steak and the potatoes had a distinct taste of horseradish.

DD16 ordered the Lobster Ravioli. Good but nothing special.

DW ordered the Grilled Mahi Mahi with Rock Shrimp, Hearts of Palm, Jasmine Rice, Cilantro, and a Coconut-Lime Sauce. I had this last time and it was again good.

I won the evening with the fish of the day Pan-seared Wreck Fish on Lemon and Pea Risotto with Bay Scallops and Citrus Oil.

On to desserts! Everything was delicious.
Cheesecake Napoleon with Berry Compote

The Chocolate Wave

Baileys and Jack Daniel’s Mousse with a Caramel Crisp

Key Lime Mousse with Roasted Pineapple, Mango Glaze, and Chocolate Pearls

 

[GoofyontheHiSeas]

I'm in . Is wine included with every meal on your plan? Do you feel that your available wine choices on the dxdp were worth the extra cost? Cant wait to see your review of Yachtsman steakhouse. Eating there for the first time in November.

No, our plan did not include wine. DW had a glass on several occasions though.

 

[tortoni]

Coral Reef looks great-will have to hit this on the next trip. Pics are terrific.

 

[razzzbere]

Great pics! looking forward to the rest of your review

 

[debrapagliasotti]

Cant wait for more

 

[rachel09985]

I can't wait for the rest! I love beautiful photos! My next big purchase will be a DSLR camera.

 

[GoofySon'sMom]

Wonderful pictures! Can't wait for the rest of the reviews as we are eating at many of the same places in less than two weeks!

 

[donaldtutter]

Great pictures!! Can't wait for the rest!!

 

[MegSmethurst]

looks amazing! mmmmmm!!

 

[GoofyontheHiSeas]

Thank you all for the kind comments. I spent many an hour looking through others pictures to determine what looked good where.

 

[GoofyontheHiSeas]

This was our first experience with signature dining. In our opinions it was well worth 2 meal credits to dine here. The atmosphere was what you would come to expect from a real steakhouse. We had a wonderful waitress Yun who made the night extra fun. We started with a very nice selection of bread.

I started with Lobster Bisque Maine Lobster, Herbes de Provence Bescuit, and Roe Chantilly. It was wonderful.

DW got the Tomato Salad Red Beefsteak Tomatoes, Lemon-Basil Emulsion, Nicoise Olive Tapenade, Goat Brie Cheese. Her and my daughters love tomatoes and all said they were incredibly fresh.

DD16 got the Pan Seared Diver Scallops Roasted Bell Pepper Hummus, Olive Chermoula, Panisse, and Summer Radish. She said they were among the best she had during the trip.

DD10 once again got her Caesar Salad.

Dinner was simple for three of us, Filet Mignon. They were incredibly tender and melted in your mouth. The only variety was what kind of potato to choose. DW got the Sweet Potato Beignets.

I had the Carmody Potato Gratin.

DD16 decided to have the Deconstructed Beef Wellington. She thought it was very tasty as well.

For dessert I ordered the Trio of Valrhona Chocolate Peanut, Espresso, and Salted Caramel. Very chocolaty and the ice cream was excellent.

DW ordered the dessert special of the day, Seasonal Peach Stack with champagne foam. It was extremely good.

DD16, our connoisseur of Crème Brûlée, had the Cherries Jubilee Crème Brûlée.

DD10 was not partial to any of the adult desserts so she opted for the Mickey Puzzle with cupcake,brownie and white chocolate off the kids menu.

 

[skygirltkw]

Great pictures, keep them coming!

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

Glad you see you liked Yachtsman so much, it's one of our favorite signature restaurants. Plus, your pictures are like works of art.

Also, was there chicken liver on the beef wellington dish? When we ordered it, the plate was covered with chicken liver even though there was no mention of liver on the menu. It was rich and heavy and ruined the dish for my mom (who actually likes chicken liver). Your pic looks slightly different, so I'm curious now.

 

[sjs314]

Excellent pics and reviews so far, can not wait to see and read more. The desserts at WCC look like they are to die for DD strip steak with mashed pototoes and veggies did look good.
We are staying at WL and we have enjoyed the food at WCC just at times could have done with a lil less of the antics and noise but will be eating there again in October, arrival day lunch and dinner before MNSSHP.

 

[lizzyb]

Amazing pictures! Can't wait for more.