No Planes, but trains and automobiles – Table Service Dining Review 3

[Mickey'sGirl]

Cast:
DH – Brian (CanadianWDWFan) Turning 45 on this trip
DS14 – Harry – Celebrating graduating from Grade 8 (High School already?!?!?)
DS8 ½ – Euan – Celebrating his Half-Birthday because we can’t go down in January
Me – Jennifer – Just happy to be making the trip with my guys!

Part 1 Can be found here

Part 2 Can be found here

7. Grand Floridian Café – Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa

Atmosphere: While this restaurant is clean and bright, it is nothing spectacular. It reminds me of many fine hotel “cafés” that I have eaten at over the years. Tables are not crowded together, and the large pane windows are lovely to look out from. 3/5

Food: Euan had a shrimp cocktail to start. The shrimp were large and cold and moist. He really enjoyed it and asked me to order another. I denied his request at $13 a pop. He just had fries as his main. Harry started with a crabcake , which he let me taste. It was light and full of crabmeat, and served with a slaw. Brian started with French Onion Soup. He LOVES French Onion soup, and said this one was very good. I had a fabulous salad of mixed greens red and gold beets, heirloom apples, bleu cheese (incredible bleu cheese) in raspberry vinaigrette. There were to have been candied walnuts as well, but the chef made me a special salad due to my tree nut allergies. It was a very very good salad (have I said how awesome the bleu cheese was?). For the main course, Brian had the Grand Sandwich - Open-faced hot Turkey, Ham, Bacon and Tomato, with a rich Boursin Cheese Sauce and Fried Onion Straws … almost a Panini. He said it was a really great sandwich. Harry and I FINALLY had our Grand Floridian Burgers - Angus Chuck Burger, Butter-poached Lobster with red onion marmalade, crispy prosciutto and arugula on a brioche bun with chips. Can I tell you? It was every bit as wonderful as I hoped. Euan shared the lobster and chips with me. Afterwards I asked Harry if a burger was STILL just a burger, and he told me “Not always.” 5/5

Service: Service was very good, but I am sure the waitress had to walk over to the Poly to retrieve our cold drinks! Our waitress brought both the boys cupcakes for Brian’s birthday, and when I had to go back to find her for the receipt (I forgot to take it with me to present to the valet for Tables in Wonderland parking perks), she got it for me right away. 4/5

We really enjoyed our lunch at the Grand Floridian Café. The food is stellar, and it is a nice place to go if you are planning on wandering about the hotel a bit. We will surely return (especially for the burger!) Overall rating - 4.5/5

8. Rose and Crown – UK Pavillion - Epcot

Atmosphere: I think the inside seating at the Rose and Crown is pretty accurate. We enjoyed reading the cartoons framed on the walls! 4/5

Food: Brian had the Fish and Chips, where were good and not greasy. Harry had the Pub Burger (without the shallots), but didn’t eat the fries (Harry is not fond of fries), Euan had the kid’s beef slider and I had the Ploughman’s lunch - carved ham, cheese, roast chicken, egg, branston pickle, radishes and salad greens, not really the traditional lunch I have had at pubs in Europe, but it was very good. Harry and Brian ate my ham, and Harry ate my cheese and Euan ate my roll, but there was plenty left for me to enjoy! Brian had the beer sampler with his meal, and I had a pint of Strongbow (drink of champions!). 3/5

Service: We had a very nice server from Gosport, England (birthplace of my evil ex-brother-in-law), who was prompt with our drinks, and very pleasant to talk to. Tables were cleaned and turned over well. 4/5

We periodically go to the Rose and Crown. The experience is not so different from experiences we have at home, and when we travel to Europe, so we will often go elsewhere when at Epcot. We enjoyed our lunch, and love the bar offerings, so we will likely return again. Overall rating - 3.5/5.

9. Kouzzina’s – The BoardWalk

Atmosphere: I really like the “hominess” of Kouzzina, and the open kitchen. They have removed the large feature dining table from the middle of the restaurant, but otherwise it looks like a Mediterranean style restaurant. Some narrow panels have been added at a couple of points in the main section, which has helped with the noise. 3/5

Food: Harry LOVES the food at Kouzzina, but was not overly impressed last year, so we chose to forgo it this year. Plans are made to change though, and at the last moment, Brian was able to obtain a late dinner seating on our last day at the BoardWalk. Harry had Sauteed Shrimp with Garlic and Herbs served over Warm Spiced Hummus and Peppadew relish. Although he would not share the shrimp, we did have some of the Hummus and relish on some bread, and it was incredible. I could have sat there eating it like an idiot all night long! But, I had my own appetizer to deal with. Brian and I both had Goat Cheese Sto Fourno - Baked Goat Cheese, Pequillo Peppers, Kalamata Olives, Artichoke Hearts, and Greek Olive Oil. The warm cheese was fabulous (we probably should have split one, it was very rich, and quite a large serving in my opinion). Euan had his old standby, Calamari. He liked the Kouzzina Calamari best due to its saltiness.

For our mains, Euan had the kids Grilled Chicken Strips - served with macaroni topped with marinara sauce and mozzarella served with green beans and fruit salad. He loved the chicken, but uncharacteristically left the pasta (Euan is a man who LOVES his carbs). Harry had the Fisherman's Stew - Scallops, seasonal Fish, Shellfish, Fennel, Grilled Bread, and Ouzo Butter. He loved the mussels, and the flavour of the broth. He feels he has found his new Kouzzina favourite. Brian and I both had the Kouzzina Trio - Tasting size portions of Pastitsio, Char-grilled Lamb Burger, and Cinnamon-stewed Chicken with Orzo. I think this is a good way of trying several items without becoming overwhelmed by them. I think the Pastitsio is very rich, and a full portion would be too much for me, and the Cinnamon-stewed Chicken is very tasty, but the taste can get tiresome. I like the small servings, and so did Brian. 4/5

Service: As horrible as it sounds, we pre-judged our server. He was very young and seemed rather disorganized upon his first visit. Well, we were wrong. He was a very attentive server, who knew the menu and recognized that our children were also “dining”. I really appreciate it when my kids are treated as patrons, and when their opinions about their meals are sought. He was good. 5/5

Kouzzina’s has redeemed itself, so I am really glad Brian made that last minute reservation. We were there for well over an hour, and never felt rushed. Overall rating – 4/5

[ibelieveindisneymagic]

Kouzzina’s service sounds great! I hate it when servers ignore or talk down to the kids at the table.

[Tri Minnie]

Although my children are still young, they really enjoy eating and are often more adventurous than I. Last time we were in Disney they were eating clams and mussels. My husband captured quite the photo of what I thought when I tried the clam. So, I love reading about your boys' experiences and hearing their opinions.

[Kairi_7378]

Thank you for posting these detailed reviews! I'm especially thankful that you reviewed the Grand Floridian Cafe. We are eating there in September and there isn't a lot of chatter about it here, or in general.

[yourmagicalguide]

Thank you for reviewing three more restaurants I have never ate at

I wish there was a section on INTERCOT just for Dining reviews (like trip reports). I very much enjoyed reading your reviews and have decided to add some new restaurants to our ADRs next time we travel to WDW

[Gator]

You've got me tempted to change my Chefs de France to Rose&Crown. I'd like to try this place out.

[ElenitaB]

Okay... you've done it now! I have GFC as back-up if we can't get 'Ohana for our last night of our upcoming trip. Now I'm looking to see if I can fit it in another night. For the record, we would have made a good pair for the salad: you could have had my cheese and I your walnuts. Clearly, we need to dine together more often.

We really enjoy R&C, mainly for the sentimental value but after our last visit, for the food as well. The restaurant has really upped its game.

I had a pint of Strongbow (drink of champions!)

Champions AND galactic heroes!

We share your appreciation of Kouzzina ... I think that the fisherman's stew is awesome. And we've never had bad service there. And not only have they accommodated my dietary requests, they've fed me really great meals. Looking forward to breakfasts there this coming trip (alas, no dinner). Next time you stay at BWV, you owe it to yourself to have breakfast there.

[darthmacho]

You did not eat at/review even one restaurant at which I'll be eating on my upcoming trip. Nevertheless, I really enjoyed the reviews and if you don't mind, I will use the same format when I review the restaurants in my trip report.

[Mickey'sGirl]

You did not eat at/review even one restaurant at which I'll be eating on my upcoming trip. Nevertheless, I really enjoyed the reviews and if you don't mind, I will use the same format when I review the restaurants in my trip report.

I love setting trends! Looking forward to reading them Darthmacho!

[January-2007]

Thanks for the reviews!

[faline]

Although we didn't do it on our last trip, it is close to a tradition of ours to eat lunch at the Grand Floridian Cafe on our departure day. It's a nice, relaxed meal to end our trip and we truly enjoy the meal at this location. At times, we've had less than stellar service but, fortunately, that's a rare occasion.

On our last trip, we did a tour one morning and decided to see if Rose and Crown could take us for a late lunch as a walk up. They did and we had a lovely lunch on the patio area that is to the left of the restaurant. The food was satisfying (I think we both had the fish and chips) though not what I would consider "fine" dining. Our server was also quite good.

We've never dined at Kouzzina's though I would like to try it at some point.