Just got back this week from 10 days at VWL... we had 4 adults, 4 kids in our group for most of trip, then added 2 more adults and 2 teens towards the end, so bear with me! Also -- we're DVC and did a fair amount of cookin' in our villa. I'll limit this report to only those times we dined out...
SUnday: dined in.
Monday: Dined in.
Tuesday: Dinner at Coral Reef. I ordered the Catch of Day (tuna), as did my SIL, but for some reason, they gave me blackened catfish... oh well, it was delicious anyway! DH got the mahi-mahi with a teriyaki-type sauce; I thought his was the best of all our dishes (BIL got shrimp... didn't seem like anything to write home about). THe soup (lobster bisque) was delicious (my 2 yr old ate half my bowl!!) but seemed steep at $6 per cup. Kids really enjoyed seeing the fishies, but SIL had a crummy view... basically, a blank wall! We rotated during the meal (much, I'm sure to frustration of the waiter...) THe pinot gris wine we ordered was excellent -- crisp, cool, fruity, great paired with the fish (like the tuna I didn't get?!?) Kid's pizza looked kinda gross. Kid's pasta looked better, frankly. After dinner, they brought us a small cake in honor of our 12 yr wedding anniversary. BTW, our entrees averaged at about $23 per peice, not including tax.
Wednesday: Dinner @ Chef Mickey's. My DH loved this meal. Smoked ham, prime rib, and the pasta, I swear, had the same $6 per cup bisque soup on it that we had the night before at the restaurant!! 2 yr old again in hog heaven. Kids thoroughly enjoyed the dessert bar, and characters were very accessible and visited us several times. Older kids (age 7) liked being able to "help themselves" (and as a parent, I kinda liked that, too!) For dessert, SIL/BIL milked our anniversary again, and we received a cupcake (and I got a kiss from Donald).
Thursday: Dinner at Sci-Fi, MGM. We mainly went here for the ambiance (and to escape the heat!!) DH got salmon, SIL ordered a shrimp pasta -- both looked pretty good, they had no complaints. BIL ordered rib plate. I ordered spring rolls and a house salad. Salad was very generous, I thought, although you had better like blue cheese! Lots of chunks. We all enjoyed the salads. Spring rolls very crisp and good. Our small ones ordered Mickey pasta and seemed to enjoy it (although it was waaayyy too much food... they should have split an order.) Older ones got hot dog or chicken fingers. I ordered a milkshake for dessert -- to me, it wan't much different from a Wendy's frosty. Not that I don't like a good frosty -- but I guess I just expected more, maybe?? Anyhoo... bill for 4 adults, 4 kids came to about $100, not including tip.
Friday: Our 2 yr old dd (the soup thief!) and I went to Epcot for Storybook breakfast. Very good, not crowded at all at 9 am -- seated immediately, many empty tables, even! Our waiter (Bjorn) took good care of us, and dd was thrilled by the characters present (Mary Poppins, Belle, Sleeping Beauty, Jasmine, and Snow White). Food was pretty good -- potatoes with cheese, sausage, bacon, french toast sticks, fruit, pastries, muffins, etc. For lunch, she and I shared a turkey leg in MK Frontierland and some cold grapes and carrots I had packed, topped off with a frozen Coke. Later we had ice cream. Dinner back at villa.
Saturday: DIned in. Ice Cream at Boardwalk -- seemed like a very limited selection to me, but the day was hot and the ice cream was cold, so I won't complain!
Sunday: Dinner in Epcot, Garden Grille. Mixed reviews from our group of 12, depending upon who you ask! I could be wrong, but my BIL and SIL seemed disenchanted (SIL's favorite meal was Coral Reef, if that's an indicator... I don't think the "skillet at your table" approach appealed to her, nor did the yellow corn cobs, which I must agree left a lot to be desired). The catfish was surpringly good -- very fresh, almost not even a fish at all! Kids liked their mac-n-c and the dirt desserts were well received, too. THe lemon upside down pie was an odd choice, to me, for the adult dessert. I guess I expected something more in theme, like apple pie or cobbler. Still, it was good.
Monday: Dinner at Whispering Canyon. THis was excellent. Granted, it was loud and rowdy; son asked why it was called Whispering Canyon, when it should be "Hollerin' Canyon". Our waiter was very "quirky" and corny, and at one point tied our 6 yr old to his chair (something I've long threatened to do at home!!) Ryan thought this was hysterical. ANd of course, when one son wanted mustard, I encouraged him to go right ahead and ask for some
... he thought the ensuing attention was great fun. Only bummer was that they didn't get to participate in the horse race while we were there... As for the food -- I ordered the ribs -- for 1$19, it was a LOT of food! 2 racks of ribs, and just the way I like them -- meaty, but not sloppy, sauce on the side. YUM. DH ordered the pork chops -- he could only finish one, took the other back to villa. Very good! Only downer was the return of those nasty little yellow corn cobs. Yuck. I'd rather have canned corn or no corn at all!! Too starchy and smooshy. Kids had either hot dogs or chicken -- no complaints.
Tuesday: Travelin' home. Ate at Gooney Birds in Spartanburg, S.C. Very good homemade potato chips!
Overall meal rating:
DH says Chef mickey, then Whispering Canyon, then garden Grille, then SciFi, then Coral Reef. His parting sentiment was that Chef Mickey was a bargain and Coral Reef was overpriced. He said Chef mickey is a must for our next trip,Whispering Canyon he would gladly do again, but he could live with or without the others. (I think he's ready for a change at MGM... me too.)
I vote Whispering Canyon, Coral Reef, Chef Mickey, and SciFi and Garden Grille are a toss up. No meal was a disaster -- and I'm ranking these in the order of what I thought of the meal I got, food, service, ambiance, etc. Even tho' I ranked Coral Reef 2nd... I'm content to never go there again. Been there, done that, movin' on. So many restaurants, so little time! And to be totally honest... the BEST meal I had at WDW was NOT in a restaurant anyway! On Monday, I threw 2 eye of round roasts in a crock pot with a can of beef broth, a can of condensed French onion soup and a bottle of beer and set it on low. When we got back from AK that day at 6 pm, we had the most awesome french dip sandwiches on crusty french rolls with cheese! That, with some cold fruit I'd tossed in the fridge that am, and an ice cold beer to drink, in the leisure of our villa with its incredible view of the pool and bay.... my friends, it didn't get any better than that!
Cindy
SUnday: dined in.
Monday: Dined in.
Tuesday: Dinner at Coral Reef. I ordered the Catch of Day (tuna), as did my SIL, but for some reason, they gave me blackened catfish... oh well, it was delicious anyway! DH got the mahi-mahi with a teriyaki-type sauce; I thought his was the best of all our dishes (BIL got shrimp... didn't seem like anything to write home about). THe soup (lobster bisque) was delicious (my 2 yr old ate half my bowl!!) but seemed steep at $6 per cup. Kids really enjoyed seeing the fishies, but SIL had a crummy view... basically, a blank wall! We rotated during the meal (much, I'm sure to frustration of the waiter...) THe pinot gris wine we ordered was excellent -- crisp, cool, fruity, great paired with the fish (like the tuna I didn't get?!?) Kid's pizza looked kinda gross. Kid's pasta looked better, frankly. After dinner, they brought us a small cake in honor of our 12 yr wedding anniversary. BTW, our entrees averaged at about $23 per peice, not including tax.
Wednesday: Dinner @ Chef Mickey's. My DH loved this meal. Smoked ham, prime rib, and the pasta, I swear, had the same $6 per cup bisque soup on it that we had the night before at the restaurant!! 2 yr old again in hog heaven. Kids thoroughly enjoyed the dessert bar, and characters were very accessible and visited us several times. Older kids (age 7) liked being able to "help themselves" (and as a parent, I kinda liked that, too!) For dessert, SIL/BIL milked our anniversary again, and we received a cupcake (and I got a kiss from Donald).
Thursday: Dinner at Sci-Fi, MGM. We mainly went here for the ambiance (and to escape the heat!!) DH got salmon, SIL ordered a shrimp pasta -- both looked pretty good, they had no complaints. BIL ordered rib plate. I ordered spring rolls and a house salad. Salad was very generous, I thought, although you had better like blue cheese! Lots of chunks. We all enjoyed the salads. Spring rolls very crisp and good. Our small ones ordered Mickey pasta and seemed to enjoy it (although it was waaayyy too much food... they should have split an order.) Older ones got hot dog or chicken fingers. I ordered a milkshake for dessert -- to me, it wan't much different from a Wendy's frosty. Not that I don't like a good frosty -- but I guess I just expected more, maybe?? Anyhoo... bill for 4 adults, 4 kids came to about $100, not including tip.
Friday: Our 2 yr old dd (the soup thief!) and I went to Epcot for Storybook breakfast. Very good, not crowded at all at 9 am -- seated immediately, many empty tables, even! Our waiter (Bjorn) took good care of us, and dd was thrilled by the characters present (Mary Poppins, Belle, Sleeping Beauty, Jasmine, and Snow White). Food was pretty good -- potatoes with cheese, sausage, bacon, french toast sticks, fruit, pastries, muffins, etc. For lunch, she and I shared a turkey leg in MK Frontierland and some cold grapes and carrots I had packed, topped off with a frozen Coke. Later we had ice cream. Dinner back at villa.
Saturday: DIned in. Ice Cream at Boardwalk -- seemed like a very limited selection to me, but the day was hot and the ice cream was cold, so I won't complain!
Sunday: Dinner in Epcot, Garden Grille. Mixed reviews from our group of 12, depending upon who you ask! I could be wrong, but my BIL and SIL seemed disenchanted (SIL's favorite meal was Coral Reef, if that's an indicator... I don't think the "skillet at your table" approach appealed to her, nor did the yellow corn cobs, which I must agree left a lot to be desired). The catfish was surpringly good -- very fresh, almost not even a fish at all! Kids liked their mac-n-c and the dirt desserts were well received, too. THe lemon upside down pie was an odd choice, to me, for the adult dessert. I guess I expected something more in theme, like apple pie or cobbler. Still, it was good.
Monday: Dinner at Whispering Canyon. THis was excellent. Granted, it was loud and rowdy; son asked why it was called Whispering Canyon, when it should be "Hollerin' Canyon". Our waiter was very "quirky" and corny, and at one point tied our 6 yr old to his chair (something I've long threatened to do at home!!) Ryan thought this was hysterical. ANd of course, when one son wanted mustard, I encouraged him to go right ahead and ask for some
... he thought the ensuing attention was great fun. Only bummer was that they didn't get to participate in the horse race while we were there... As for the food -- I ordered the ribs -- for 1$19, it was a LOT of food! 2 racks of ribs, and just the way I like them -- meaty, but not sloppy, sauce on the side. YUM. DH ordered the pork chops -- he could only finish one, took the other back to villa. Very good! Only downer was the return of those nasty little yellow corn cobs. Yuck. I'd rather have canned corn or no corn at all!! Too starchy and smooshy. Kids had either hot dogs or chicken -- no complaints.Tuesday: Travelin' home. Ate at Gooney Birds in Spartanburg, S.C. Very good homemade potato chips!
Overall meal rating:
DH says Chef mickey, then Whispering Canyon, then garden Grille, then SciFi, then Coral Reef. His parting sentiment was that Chef Mickey was a bargain and Coral Reef was overpriced. He said Chef mickey is a must for our next trip,Whispering Canyon he would gladly do again, but he could live with or without the others. (I think he's ready for a change at MGM... me too.)
I vote Whispering Canyon, Coral Reef, Chef Mickey, and SciFi and Garden Grille are a toss up. No meal was a disaster -- and I'm ranking these in the order of what I thought of the meal I got, food, service, ambiance, etc. Even tho' I ranked Coral Reef 2nd... I'm content to never go there again. Been there, done that, movin' on. So many restaurants, so little time! And to be totally honest... the BEST meal I had at WDW was NOT in a restaurant anyway! On Monday, I threw 2 eye of round roasts in a crock pot with a can of beef broth, a can of condensed French onion soup and a bottle of beer and set it on low. When we got back from AK that day at 6 pm, we had the most awesome french dip sandwiches on crusty french rolls with cheese! That, with some cold fruit I'd tossed in the fridge that am, and an ice cold beer to drink, in the leisure of our villa with its incredible view of the pool and bay.... my friends, it didn't get any better than that!
Cindy
Krissy
