BriarRose0708
10-29-2009, 02:18 PM
Hey friends! Just got back from five days of eating at the World. We participated in the free dining promotion (stayed at Value but paid the difference to upgrade to basic dining) and had some good, bad, and ugly experiences. Here they are...
Saturday October 24th
We landed early this day and grabbed a snack and refillable mug at Pop Century food court. I got chips and hummus. The hummus was pretty oily but that's why it was so good!
Pinocchio Village Haus- I haven't been here in two years but noticed the menu changes right away. No more panini or cannoli. We all got pizza or salad and chocolate cake. I like the personal pizzas at WDW so this was a pretty good lunch for me! We were there around 2:30 p.m. so it was pretty empty and we watched the small world boats go by.
Tony's Town Square- believe it or not, this was my favorite meal and dining experience of the trip! I had read mixed reviews online and was a little skeptical going into it, but we loved eating here! I had the mushroom ravioli. There were 8 ot 10 good size ravioli in a thick, cheesy cream sauce. YUM! My friends got shrimp scampi, spaghetti and meatballs and chicken. They all had great things to report as well. We got a variety of desserts but I enjoyed the tiramisu a lot! The other offerings were pistachio creme brulee, pumplin cheesecake, and gelato. We had a great server who had lots of energy and was very attentive. We requested to sit outside so we could watch SpectoMagic. We ended up on the enclosed part of the porch so even though we weren't on the patio we could still see everything! I had a great time and will absolutely come back again.
Sunday October 25th
Yak and Yeti- we ate a late lunch here with our Cast Member friend. We loved the atmosphere and our server was again very energetic and friendly. We have different tastes and some are picky eaters, but we all found something on this menu to enjoy. I can't remember what everyone else had because I was diving into my crispy mahi-mahi that was out of this world. It was a big piece breaded in panco and fried to perfection that came with a sweet and spicy sauce, veggies and rice. We also sampled some of the drinks, and recommend the Yak Attack! We all got either cream cheese and pineapple won tons or mango pie for dessert and loved both. This was a fantastic and meal and is going on the "to do" list for next trip!
Cantina de San Angel- This one regrettably gets a thumbs down from me. They have reduced their menu to four unappetizing choices- a burrito with pulled pork and other meats, a chicken dish that looks like slop, a nacho plate or guacamole and chips. No tacos, no enchilada, no rice or beans as a side. The churro I got as dessert was stone cold and hard. I had happily eaten here last year and was very disappointed this go around. If it weren't for the fact we had a spot behind the Cantina for IllumiNations I would have left. The frozen margaritas we enjoyed during the fireworks made up for it a little, I suppose.
Monday October 26th
Kona Cafe- We ate breakfast here this morning and I couldn't wait! My friend and I split a Kona press pot and were in heaven. We got french toast and our other friend got the macadamia nut pancakes. We loved this meal and it was a fabulous way to begin our day! I will continue to come here for breakfast every trip.
SciFi Drive In- we ate dinner here around 5:30 p.m. and it was pretty deserted in the dining room. We were seated near the front and to the right at a table car (not the rows for two people) so that skewed our line of vision to the screen. Our server was just ok- he kind of had an attitude that he hated his life, so we didn't have a lot of energy happening. We all got burgers and fries, which I suppose we could have eaten anywhere. One upgrade is they have a new dessert! The downgrade is that it isn't very good. It's a peanutbutter chocolate cake, which in thinking about it is pretty hard to do poorly, but actually was fairly bad. It's a small round cake with a scoop of ice cream on top and the peanutbutter is hidden in the middle of the cake. It's supposed to be warm (I think) but the peanutbutter was hard and grainy. My friend and I agreed we have had better Reese's Pie at Denny's before. Our other friends did like their desserts, so at least we know the sundae and apple crisp were a hit.
Tuesday October 27th
Coral Reef- What a let down. I usually give this restaurant a rave because the last few times I've eaten here it has been fantastic. First off, I was very confused when I didn't see my favorite dish on the menu anymore. I LOVE the blackened catfish with cheesy polenta. It's the only thing I go there to eat because the other offerings on the menu do not appeal to me. I love seafood, but not how they do it at coral reef (give me a fried clam basket and I am a happy girl) except for the catfish. I can't believe they took it off the menu! I settled for the lobster ravioli, partly because it was $30 itself and I wanted to get something super expensive since I had paid $10 a day for the dining plan, and partly because I also love lobster. Needless to say it was only so-so. There were 5 small raviolis stuffed with cheese and lobster meat and then claw meat mixed in with the dumplings. I was picturing a smooth sauce to go with it, but it was a chunky tomato raguit and I hate tomato. The one small bright side was that the catfish with polenta was heavy and I was never able to finish dessert, but this time I ate the entire chocolate wave and was still hungry. Hungry enough to go to the Canada kiosk at Food and Wine Fest and get some cheddar cheese soup. I am sorry to say that until the catfish comes back on the menu I won't be returning to Coral Reef. It's a nice place and a cool atmosphere but not worth it for me.
Starlight Cafe- we ate dinner during the Not So Scary Halloween party this night. It was really good! I had grilled chicken and fries and my friends got burgers and chicken strips. It was most likely the best counter service I had this trip. I like that the choices are different from the typical fare. We also sat next to Sonny Eclipse and enjoyed his show! We got carrot cake for dessert (my favorite) and ate every crumb. I've never been here before because I usually prefer Colombia Harbor House, but I will be back!
Wednesday October 28th
Random burger joint in Animal Kingdom- I have no idea where we ate yesterday. The plan was Flame Tree BBQ, but after seeing their reduced menu (no more corn bread or frozen lemonade option!) we decided to just try our chances elsewhere. We were sick of pizza, so no Pizzafari obviously. We had already eaten at Yak and Yeti earlier in the week and didn't want to repeat. So we found this place in Africa across from Tusker House that had burgers and a turkey sandwich. We got milkshakes on the dining plan, which was nice. It was just your so-so counter service meal, nothing spectacular.
And that is that! There were some ups, but a few too many downs for me. Although it still seemed that whether the food was good or not-so-great we still ate a lot of it.
Saturday October 24th
We landed early this day and grabbed a snack and refillable mug at Pop Century food court. I got chips and hummus. The hummus was pretty oily but that's why it was so good!
Pinocchio Village Haus- I haven't been here in two years but noticed the menu changes right away. No more panini or cannoli. We all got pizza or salad and chocolate cake. I like the personal pizzas at WDW so this was a pretty good lunch for me! We were there around 2:30 p.m. so it was pretty empty and we watched the small world boats go by.
Tony's Town Square- believe it or not, this was my favorite meal and dining experience of the trip! I had read mixed reviews online and was a little skeptical going into it, but we loved eating here! I had the mushroom ravioli. There were 8 ot 10 good size ravioli in a thick, cheesy cream sauce. YUM! My friends got shrimp scampi, spaghetti and meatballs and chicken. They all had great things to report as well. We got a variety of desserts but I enjoyed the tiramisu a lot! The other offerings were pistachio creme brulee, pumplin cheesecake, and gelato. We had a great server who had lots of energy and was very attentive. We requested to sit outside so we could watch SpectoMagic. We ended up on the enclosed part of the porch so even though we weren't on the patio we could still see everything! I had a great time and will absolutely come back again.
Sunday October 25th
Yak and Yeti- we ate a late lunch here with our Cast Member friend. We loved the atmosphere and our server was again very energetic and friendly. We have different tastes and some are picky eaters, but we all found something on this menu to enjoy. I can't remember what everyone else had because I was diving into my crispy mahi-mahi that was out of this world. It was a big piece breaded in panco and fried to perfection that came with a sweet and spicy sauce, veggies and rice. We also sampled some of the drinks, and recommend the Yak Attack! We all got either cream cheese and pineapple won tons or mango pie for dessert and loved both. This was a fantastic and meal and is going on the "to do" list for next trip!
Cantina de San Angel- This one regrettably gets a thumbs down from me. They have reduced their menu to four unappetizing choices- a burrito with pulled pork and other meats, a chicken dish that looks like slop, a nacho plate or guacamole and chips. No tacos, no enchilada, no rice or beans as a side. The churro I got as dessert was stone cold and hard. I had happily eaten here last year and was very disappointed this go around. If it weren't for the fact we had a spot behind the Cantina for IllumiNations I would have left. The frozen margaritas we enjoyed during the fireworks made up for it a little, I suppose.
Monday October 26th
Kona Cafe- We ate breakfast here this morning and I couldn't wait! My friend and I split a Kona press pot and were in heaven. We got french toast and our other friend got the macadamia nut pancakes. We loved this meal and it was a fabulous way to begin our day! I will continue to come here for breakfast every trip.
SciFi Drive In- we ate dinner here around 5:30 p.m. and it was pretty deserted in the dining room. We were seated near the front and to the right at a table car (not the rows for two people) so that skewed our line of vision to the screen. Our server was just ok- he kind of had an attitude that he hated his life, so we didn't have a lot of energy happening. We all got burgers and fries, which I suppose we could have eaten anywhere. One upgrade is they have a new dessert! The downgrade is that it isn't very good. It's a peanutbutter chocolate cake, which in thinking about it is pretty hard to do poorly, but actually was fairly bad. It's a small round cake with a scoop of ice cream on top and the peanutbutter is hidden in the middle of the cake. It's supposed to be warm (I think) but the peanutbutter was hard and grainy. My friend and I agreed we have had better Reese's Pie at Denny's before. Our other friends did like their desserts, so at least we know the sundae and apple crisp were a hit.
Tuesday October 27th
Coral Reef- What a let down. I usually give this restaurant a rave because the last few times I've eaten here it has been fantastic. First off, I was very confused when I didn't see my favorite dish on the menu anymore. I LOVE the blackened catfish with cheesy polenta. It's the only thing I go there to eat because the other offerings on the menu do not appeal to me. I love seafood, but not how they do it at coral reef (give me a fried clam basket and I am a happy girl) except for the catfish. I can't believe they took it off the menu! I settled for the lobster ravioli, partly because it was $30 itself and I wanted to get something super expensive since I had paid $10 a day for the dining plan, and partly because I also love lobster. Needless to say it was only so-so. There were 5 small raviolis stuffed with cheese and lobster meat and then claw meat mixed in with the dumplings. I was picturing a smooth sauce to go with it, but it was a chunky tomato raguit and I hate tomato. The one small bright side was that the catfish with polenta was heavy and I was never able to finish dessert, but this time I ate the entire chocolate wave and was still hungry. Hungry enough to go to the Canada kiosk at Food and Wine Fest and get some cheddar cheese soup. I am sorry to say that until the catfish comes back on the menu I won't be returning to Coral Reef. It's a nice place and a cool atmosphere but not worth it for me.
Starlight Cafe- we ate dinner during the Not So Scary Halloween party this night. It was really good! I had grilled chicken and fries and my friends got burgers and chicken strips. It was most likely the best counter service I had this trip. I like that the choices are different from the typical fare. We also sat next to Sonny Eclipse and enjoyed his show! We got carrot cake for dessert (my favorite) and ate every crumb. I've never been here before because I usually prefer Colombia Harbor House, but I will be back!
Wednesday October 28th
Random burger joint in Animal Kingdom- I have no idea where we ate yesterday. The plan was Flame Tree BBQ, but after seeing their reduced menu (no more corn bread or frozen lemonade option!) we decided to just try our chances elsewhere. We were sick of pizza, so no Pizzafari obviously. We had already eaten at Yak and Yeti earlier in the week and didn't want to repeat. So we found this place in Africa across from Tusker House that had burgers and a turkey sandwich. We got milkshakes on the dining plan, which was nice. It was just your so-so counter service meal, nothing spectacular.
And that is that! There were some ups, but a few too many downs for me. Although it still seemed that whether the food was good or not-so-great we still ate a lot of it.