billsfan
Lets Go BUFF-A-LO
- Joined
- Nov 28, 2004
After a week of catching up I finally got some time to write a dining review for our 5 day trip to WDW.
We paid cash for all our meals and we decided that it would be somewhat of a cheep vacation so we didnt eat at too many TS restaurants.
Thursday 10-19-06
Arrived at ASMu at 11:00 am and were told our room was ready.
Took our bags to the room, unpacked and then we returned to the Intermission Food Court. This menu has changed a bit as to what is on allearsnet.com. I had the Beef & Blue sandwich and DFi had the Turkey Wrap. Both lunches came with potato chips. The Beef & Blue sandwich was pretty good. The Beef was a little bit dry but it had real blue cheese and a Caesar salad on it which helped it a bit. DFi said the turkey wrap was OK also.
Dinner was at Pecos Bill Café. I had the Bacon Double Cheeseburger w/ Fries and DFI had the Chicken Wrap w/ Fries. The place was empty when we arrived. I think because there was a MNSSHP that night and it was 6:00 pm. When our tray was given to me there were 4 things of fries on it. I looked at our receipt and we were not charged for extra fries. I said something to the person behind the counter and he said You got yourself some free fries. The cheeseburger was really quite good. It was juicy yet not too greasy. I liked being able to put sautéed onions and mushrooms from the fixin bar on it. DFi said her chicken wrap was quite tasty. There were too many fries too eat, but what we ate were good.
Later this evening we stopped by Aloha Isle so I could get a Pineapple Dole Whip. These are still great and they are still refreshing. We needed something refreshing since it was so HOT! DFi got a Root Beer Float w/ Vanilla Dole Whip. I never had the Vanilla Dole Whip so I tried her float and it doesnt come across as good when it is not pineapple flavored. The vanilla also has a slight texture to like the pineapple and maybe Im just used to a smooth vanilla soft serve.
Friday 10-20-06
Lunch was at Pizzafari in the Animal Kingdom. I had the Hot Italian Style Sandwich and DFi had the Pepperoni Pizza. The sandwich was the best counter service meal I had all vacation. I think what made the sandwich extra special was the pesto marinated tomatoes. They were excellent. DFi also said this was her favorite counter service meal. She actually said the next day when we were at Epcot that she wanted to go back to Pizzafari and get another pizza.
We left the Animal Kingdom around 3:00 pm, went back to our room for a little nap and them went to DTD and ate at Earl of Sandwich. We arrived at Earl of Sandwich around 7:00 pm. This place was packed. There were probably around 35 to 40 people ahead of us in line. The line did move quite fast and we had our sandwiches about 20 minutes after we arrived. We sat outside and ate. I got The Original 1762 and a side of Chunky Slaw. DFi got The All American without cranberries and a side of Potato Salad. Just to let anyone know that is wondering, Earl of Sandwich serves subs and not sandwiches. With that out of the way the sub rolls were great. This was actually the best part of the sub. DFi also enjoyed the sub roll more than the actual filling to the sandwich. The subs reminded us of what we can get at our local Quiznos. (Maybe a little better because of the sub roll) The side dishes were quite interesting. When they say Chunky Slaw they mean it. The cabbage was cut into around 1 square chunks. The slaw was good but I think Im just used to shredded cabbage in my coleslaw. The potato salad was also a bit different. It was a little bit spicy. I read the ingredient list and it hade horseradish in it. Once again it was different but not sure if in a good or bad way.
After dinner we walked over to Ghirardelli. It was also quite busy here. I think it was so busy here because it was so HOT! DFi got the Warm Brownie Sundae and I got the Foghorn. Everything was great from Ghirardelli. I especially liked the Foghorn sundae. Chocolate ice cream with dark chocolate hot fudge & raspberry toppings, whipped cream and chocolate chips sprinkled on top. We then waddled through the rest of DTD.
Saturday 10-21-06
We spent our day at Epcot. Lunch was at Cantina de San Angel. I had the Plato Combinacion & DFi had the Wet Burrito. We both agreed that it was nothing to write home about. It was just OK, better than Taco Bell (but what isnt) but not as good as our local Mexican restaurant.
Dinner is where our cheep vacation went out the window. Since the Food & Wine Festival was going on it was time to eat and drink around the world. DFi and I spent just under $125 total for dinner and drinks & DFi doesnt drink alcohol. Dont get me wrong we enjoyed every minute of it but it was quite expensive. We pretty much got something to eat at each country and it seamed I got something to drink at about every other country. I drank a lot more than I planned but it was so HOT! We started about 3:30 pm and got done around 8:30 pm. We didnt see any attractions in the World Showcase except I got my picture taken with Beast and DFi got her picture taken with Pooh and Friends. We also watched the 7:15 performance of Three Dog Night.
Since there was so much eaten and drank I listed where we ate, what we ate and rated it on a scale of one to five stars. If there are any specific questions Ill try to answer them.
We started before Canada and worked our way around World Showcase counter-clockwise.
Florida Shrimp - Chilled Rock Shrimp w/ Mango Salsa - 3* (I can make better at home)
Greece - Walnut & Honey Baklava - 4*
Canada - Maple Glazed Salmon - 3* (Salmon a bit dry)
Canada - Labatt Blue Beer- 5* (My favorite Beer of all time)
Poland - Cabbage Roll - 4*
Poland - Kielbasa w/ Pierogies - 4*
Ireland - Potato & Leek Soup - 3* (Needed more flavor)
Ireland - Guinness Draft - 3* (Too dark for my taste)
France - Escargots Provencal - 2* (Ive had good Escargot & this wasnt even close)
Turkey - Vine Leaves w/ Rice - 4*
Spain - A Taste of Spain - 3* (The olives and almonds were nothing special)
Morocco - Chicken Bastilla - 4*
India - Curried Butternut Squash Soup w/ Naan Bread - 2* (Not my cup of tea, bread quite dry)
Japan - Spicy Tuna Roll - 3* (Ive had much better)
Japan - Kirin Ichiban Draft - 4*
USA - Maine Lobster Roll - 5* (YUM!)
Hops & Barley Market - New England Crab Cake - 4*
Hops & Barley Market - Sam Adams Cherry Wheat - 5* (My new second favorite Beer)
Italy - Pizza alla Salsiccia - 4*
Italy - Peroni Beer - 4*
Oktoberfest - Debrizing Sausage and Sauerkraut in a Pretzel Roll - 5* (My favorite thing we ate)
Oktoberfest - Apple Strudel w/ Vanilla Sauce - 4*
Australia - Shrimp on the Barbie - 3* (quite dry)
Australia - Grilled Lamb Chop w/ Caramelized Onion - 4* (The size of this prevented it from getting 5*. It was way too small for $4.50)
South Africa - Bobotie w/ Mango Chutney - 3* (Once again a bit dry)
Thailand - Mango & Tapioca Dessert Soup - 3* (Different)
China - Pork Pot Stickers - 4*
Scandinavia - Traditional Kjottkaker - 5* (The mashed potatoes were incredible)
Scandinavia - Lingonberry Mouse - 4*
Scandinavia - Carlsberg Beer - 4*
Chile - Sautéed Corvina - 5* (Fish was nice & moist and the salsa was very flavorful)
Mexico - Quesadilla con Chorizo y Pollo - 4*
Mexico - Dos Equis Beer - 4*
Argentina - Spicy Beef Empanadas - 2* (I think we got a bad batch - extremely dry and void of all flavor)
New Zealand - Bay Scallop Salad & Seafood Medley - 4*
Sunday 10-22-06
We arrived at Disney Studios and decided to see if we could get in to eat at 50s Prime Time Café since all counter service at DS is bad in our opinion. We arrived at 11:50 am and were seated right away. I believe there are only two tables for a party of two since this was the third time weve eaten here and we been given the same table every time. Both tables for two are in the front room in the far right hand side of the restaurant in the corner. I forget our waitress name but she was a hoot. Since we were back in the corner the space to get to our table was quite narrow. Our waitress was Pooh sized just like me and every time she needed to get to our table she bumped into the other table and announced Attitude Coming Through! She did make a little girl tear up though. I know she didnt mean to make her cry and she felt so bad about it when she came back and saw that she had tears in her eyes. But I thought it was a bit funny also. A Family of 5 was sitting next to us and the little girl (about 5 or 6) said to her mother I want to go eat with the Princesses. Our waitress over heard this and stated You dont need to go eat with those Skinny Minnys; you have this big and beautiful Princess to eat with. No sooner did our waitress walk away the little girl started to tear up and told her mother. I dont want to eat with this Princess; I want to go eat with the good Princesses. Her mother then calmed her down and everything was OK after that.
Now to the food. I ordered the Golden Fried Chicken and DFi ordered the Fish Sandwich. Both meals were great. The chicken was very moist and had just the right amount of seasoning to it. The mashed potatoes with gravy were slightly lumpy just like I like them. Just a word to the wise for everyone out there, the fried chicken does not come with green beans anymore, it now comes with collard greens. This didnt bother me because I like collard greens but our waitress was surprised I finished them because she told me they seem to throw away the collard green a lot or people request another vegetable. DFi enjoyed her fish sandwich. It was quite large and she said it had a nice mild taste. We skipped dessert because we thought it would be a good chance to recoup some of our expenditures from the previous night.
We met my sister at the Boardwalk for dinner. She lives in Sanford, FL. We arrived there around 6:00 pm and checked Spoodles to see if there were any tables available. The place was half empty but we were told it would be about an hours wait. Off to Big River Grille & Brew Works we went. I checked in at the podium and requested a seat inside because it was so HOT. I was told about a 15 minute wait. Three minutes later they called us and said our table was ready. Our waiter Tim was very good but a little green at waiting tables. He seamed too over attentive. I guess this is better than never checking back with the table. We ordered drinks & an appetizer first. For drinks, I ordered the Beer Sampler. I believe it is one of the best values at WDW. I received 6-4oz. glasses of 6 different micro brewed bears for $4.99. I thought it was such a great value and all the beers were good that I ordered another Beer Sampler after my first one was gone instead of a glass of any one of the beers. My sister ordered a Mohito. It was in a 12 oz glass and it was quite strong. I dont know how much they charged for it but if it would have been too much I know my sister would have told me. We ordered the Jalapeño Spinach Cheese Dip for an appetizer. It came out quick. It was very good but a bit on the small side for $7.99. The tortilla chips tasted like they were freshly fried and the dip had just the right amount of kick to it. About 5 minutes after we finished our appetizer our entrees came out. DFI ordered the Chicken Quesadilla off the appetizer menu as her entrée. I heard no complaints from her and she finished it all. My sister ordered the Blackened Mahi Mahi Sandwich. She told me it was very good. I tried some of the fish and thought it was just OK but I have never eaten Mahi Mahi before. I ordered the special of the night which was a Boneless BBQ Chicken Breast + ½ Slab of BBQ ribs with Garlic Mashed Potatoes & Vegetable of the Day (Zucchini & Yellow Squash). All this for only $16.99. I thought this was also a very good deal. The chicken and ribs were very moist and the potatoes were also good. I have read many negative reviews on the Dis boards about Big River Grille and this was our third time eating here and we have had a great experience everytime. Granted, Spoodles & Flying Fish are much better but they also cost more.
Overall our dining experience at WDW was a great experience this time. We spent more money than we planned (Damn you Food & Wine Festival) but I dont think I would of changed anything we did.
We paid cash for all our meals and we decided that it would be somewhat of a cheep vacation so we didnt eat at too many TS restaurants.
Thursday 10-19-06
Arrived at ASMu at 11:00 am and were told our room was ready.
Took our bags to the room, unpacked and then we returned to the Intermission Food Court. This menu has changed a bit as to what is on allearsnet.com. I had the Beef & Blue sandwich and DFi had the Turkey Wrap. Both lunches came with potato chips. The Beef & Blue sandwich was pretty good. The Beef was a little bit dry but it had real blue cheese and a Caesar salad on it which helped it a bit. DFi said the turkey wrap was OK also. Dinner was at Pecos Bill Café. I had the Bacon Double Cheeseburger w/ Fries and DFI had the Chicken Wrap w/ Fries. The place was empty when we arrived. I think because there was a MNSSHP that night and it was 6:00 pm. When our tray was given to me there were 4 things of fries on it. I looked at our receipt and we were not charged for extra fries. I said something to the person behind the counter and he said You got yourself some free fries. The cheeseburger was really quite good. It was juicy yet not too greasy. I liked being able to put sautéed onions and mushrooms from the fixin bar on it. DFi said her chicken wrap was quite tasty. There were too many fries too eat, but what we ate were good.
Later this evening we stopped by Aloha Isle so I could get a Pineapple Dole Whip. These are still great and they are still refreshing. We needed something refreshing since it was so HOT! DFi got a Root Beer Float w/ Vanilla Dole Whip. I never had the Vanilla Dole Whip so I tried her float and it doesnt come across as good when it is not pineapple flavored. The vanilla also has a slight texture to like the pineapple and maybe Im just used to a smooth vanilla soft serve.
Friday 10-20-06
Lunch was at Pizzafari in the Animal Kingdom. I had the Hot Italian Style Sandwich and DFi had the Pepperoni Pizza. The sandwich was the best counter service meal I had all vacation. I think what made the sandwich extra special was the pesto marinated tomatoes. They were excellent. DFi also said this was her favorite counter service meal. She actually said the next day when we were at Epcot that she wanted to go back to Pizzafari and get another pizza.
We left the Animal Kingdom around 3:00 pm, went back to our room for a little nap and them went to DTD and ate at Earl of Sandwich. We arrived at Earl of Sandwich around 7:00 pm. This place was packed. There were probably around 35 to 40 people ahead of us in line. The line did move quite fast and we had our sandwiches about 20 minutes after we arrived. We sat outside and ate. I got The Original 1762 and a side of Chunky Slaw. DFi got The All American without cranberries and a side of Potato Salad. Just to let anyone know that is wondering, Earl of Sandwich serves subs and not sandwiches. With that out of the way the sub rolls were great. This was actually the best part of the sub. DFi also enjoyed the sub roll more than the actual filling to the sandwich. The subs reminded us of what we can get at our local Quiznos. (Maybe a little better because of the sub roll) The side dishes were quite interesting. When they say Chunky Slaw they mean it. The cabbage was cut into around 1 square chunks. The slaw was good but I think Im just used to shredded cabbage in my coleslaw. The potato salad was also a bit different. It was a little bit spicy. I read the ingredient list and it hade horseradish in it. Once again it was different but not sure if in a good or bad way.
After dinner we walked over to Ghirardelli. It was also quite busy here. I think it was so busy here because it was so HOT! DFi got the Warm Brownie Sundae and I got the Foghorn. Everything was great from Ghirardelli. I especially liked the Foghorn sundae. Chocolate ice cream with dark chocolate hot fudge & raspberry toppings, whipped cream and chocolate chips sprinkled on top. We then waddled through the rest of DTD.
Saturday 10-21-06
We spent our day at Epcot. Lunch was at Cantina de San Angel. I had the Plato Combinacion & DFi had the Wet Burrito. We both agreed that it was nothing to write home about. It was just OK, better than Taco Bell (but what isnt) but not as good as our local Mexican restaurant.
Dinner is where our cheep vacation went out the window. Since the Food & Wine Festival was going on it was time to eat and drink around the world. DFi and I spent just under $125 total for dinner and drinks & DFi doesnt drink alcohol. Dont get me wrong we enjoyed every minute of it but it was quite expensive. We pretty much got something to eat at each country and it seamed I got something to drink at about every other country. I drank a lot more than I planned but it was so HOT! We started about 3:30 pm and got done around 8:30 pm. We didnt see any attractions in the World Showcase except I got my picture taken with Beast and DFi got her picture taken with Pooh and Friends. We also watched the 7:15 performance of Three Dog Night.
Since there was so much eaten and drank I listed where we ate, what we ate and rated it on a scale of one to five stars. If there are any specific questions Ill try to answer them.
We started before Canada and worked our way around World Showcase counter-clockwise.
Florida Shrimp - Chilled Rock Shrimp w/ Mango Salsa - 3* (I can make better at home)
Greece - Walnut & Honey Baklava - 4*
Canada - Maple Glazed Salmon - 3* (Salmon a bit dry)
Canada - Labatt Blue Beer- 5* (My favorite Beer of all time)
Poland - Cabbage Roll - 4*
Poland - Kielbasa w/ Pierogies - 4*
Ireland - Potato & Leek Soup - 3* (Needed more flavor)
Ireland - Guinness Draft - 3* (Too dark for my taste)
France - Escargots Provencal - 2* (Ive had good Escargot & this wasnt even close)
Turkey - Vine Leaves w/ Rice - 4*
Spain - A Taste of Spain - 3* (The olives and almonds were nothing special)
Morocco - Chicken Bastilla - 4*
India - Curried Butternut Squash Soup w/ Naan Bread - 2* (Not my cup of tea, bread quite dry)
Japan - Spicy Tuna Roll - 3* (Ive had much better)
Japan - Kirin Ichiban Draft - 4*
USA - Maine Lobster Roll - 5* (YUM!)
Hops & Barley Market - New England Crab Cake - 4*
Hops & Barley Market - Sam Adams Cherry Wheat - 5* (My new second favorite Beer)
Italy - Pizza alla Salsiccia - 4*
Italy - Peroni Beer - 4*
Oktoberfest - Debrizing Sausage and Sauerkraut in a Pretzel Roll - 5* (My favorite thing we ate)
Oktoberfest - Apple Strudel w/ Vanilla Sauce - 4*
Australia - Shrimp on the Barbie - 3* (quite dry)
Australia - Grilled Lamb Chop w/ Caramelized Onion - 4* (The size of this prevented it from getting 5*. It was way too small for $4.50)
South Africa - Bobotie w/ Mango Chutney - 3* (Once again a bit dry)
Thailand - Mango & Tapioca Dessert Soup - 3* (Different)
China - Pork Pot Stickers - 4*
Scandinavia - Traditional Kjottkaker - 5* (The mashed potatoes were incredible)
Scandinavia - Lingonberry Mouse - 4*
Scandinavia - Carlsberg Beer - 4*
Chile - Sautéed Corvina - 5* (Fish was nice & moist and the salsa was very flavorful)
Mexico - Quesadilla con Chorizo y Pollo - 4*
Mexico - Dos Equis Beer - 4*
Argentina - Spicy Beef Empanadas - 2* (I think we got a bad batch - extremely dry and void of all flavor)
New Zealand - Bay Scallop Salad & Seafood Medley - 4*
Sunday 10-22-06
We arrived at Disney Studios and decided to see if we could get in to eat at 50s Prime Time Café since all counter service at DS is bad in our opinion. We arrived at 11:50 am and were seated right away. I believe there are only two tables for a party of two since this was the third time weve eaten here and we been given the same table every time. Both tables for two are in the front room in the far right hand side of the restaurant in the corner. I forget our waitress name but she was a hoot. Since we were back in the corner the space to get to our table was quite narrow. Our waitress was Pooh sized just like me and every time she needed to get to our table she bumped into the other table and announced Attitude Coming Through! She did make a little girl tear up though. I know she didnt mean to make her cry and she felt so bad about it when she came back and saw that she had tears in her eyes. But I thought it was a bit funny also. A Family of 5 was sitting next to us and the little girl (about 5 or 6) said to her mother I want to go eat with the Princesses. Our waitress over heard this and stated You dont need to go eat with those Skinny Minnys; you have this big and beautiful Princess to eat with. No sooner did our waitress walk away the little girl started to tear up and told her mother. I dont want to eat with this Princess; I want to go eat with the good Princesses. Her mother then calmed her down and everything was OK after that.
Now to the food. I ordered the Golden Fried Chicken and DFi ordered the Fish Sandwich. Both meals were great. The chicken was very moist and had just the right amount of seasoning to it. The mashed potatoes with gravy were slightly lumpy just like I like them. Just a word to the wise for everyone out there, the fried chicken does not come with green beans anymore, it now comes with collard greens. This didnt bother me because I like collard greens but our waitress was surprised I finished them because she told me they seem to throw away the collard green a lot or people request another vegetable. DFi enjoyed her fish sandwich. It was quite large and she said it had a nice mild taste. We skipped dessert because we thought it would be a good chance to recoup some of our expenditures from the previous night.
We met my sister at the Boardwalk for dinner. She lives in Sanford, FL. We arrived there around 6:00 pm and checked Spoodles to see if there were any tables available. The place was half empty but we were told it would be about an hours wait. Off to Big River Grille & Brew Works we went. I checked in at the podium and requested a seat inside because it was so HOT. I was told about a 15 minute wait. Three minutes later they called us and said our table was ready. Our waiter Tim was very good but a little green at waiting tables. He seamed too over attentive. I guess this is better than never checking back with the table. We ordered drinks & an appetizer first. For drinks, I ordered the Beer Sampler. I believe it is one of the best values at WDW. I received 6-4oz. glasses of 6 different micro brewed bears for $4.99. I thought it was such a great value and all the beers were good that I ordered another Beer Sampler after my first one was gone instead of a glass of any one of the beers. My sister ordered a Mohito. It was in a 12 oz glass and it was quite strong. I dont know how much they charged for it but if it would have been too much I know my sister would have told me. We ordered the Jalapeño Spinach Cheese Dip for an appetizer. It came out quick. It was very good but a bit on the small side for $7.99. The tortilla chips tasted like they were freshly fried and the dip had just the right amount of kick to it. About 5 minutes after we finished our appetizer our entrees came out. DFI ordered the Chicken Quesadilla off the appetizer menu as her entrée. I heard no complaints from her and she finished it all. My sister ordered the Blackened Mahi Mahi Sandwich. She told me it was very good. I tried some of the fish and thought it was just OK but I have never eaten Mahi Mahi before. I ordered the special of the night which was a Boneless BBQ Chicken Breast + ½ Slab of BBQ ribs with Garlic Mashed Potatoes & Vegetable of the Day (Zucchini & Yellow Squash). All this for only $16.99. I thought this was also a very good deal. The chicken and ribs were very moist and the potatoes were also good. I have read many negative reviews on the Dis boards about Big River Grille and this was our third time eating here and we have had a great experience everytime. Granted, Spoodles & Flying Fish are much better but they also cost more.
Overall our dining experience at WDW was a great experience this time. We spent more money than we planned (Damn you Food & Wine Festival) but I dont think I would of changed anything we did.
It looks like you guys did it right, trying everything. Probably more enjoyable than a sit-down dinner with bad service too 
