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Walt Disney World Restaurant Report Last Post 05-17-2007 09:57 AM by juggernt. 50 Replies. | Sort: |
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juggernt  
Tampa, FL, USA
Wine Bottler
Posts: 3464
 | | 12-20-2004 01:19 PM |
| We had some surprisingly good meals while at Disney World. We ate park food for the most part during the days, and opted for nicer places in the evenings.
Artist Point @ The Wilderness Lodge: The buffalo steak was done perfectly, although the sweet potato au gratin with sesame left me cold (which is more a matter of taste than quality). The Rocket Scientist raved about the house specialty, Cedar Plank Grilled Salmon. Ridiculously good service. When we didn't order appetizers, the waitress, a Korean woman named Pok, brought us both some of the portabello soup--creamy and outstanding. Coffee Two Ways for dessert (cappuchino bread pudding and vanilla latte creme brulee) made an excellent finish. Returned with the rest of the family a few days later for a repeat performance that was every bit as good as the first.
L'Originale di Alfredo @ EPCOT's World Showcase-Italy: I expected mediocre Italian food and was pleasantly surprised. My bistecca cacciatore with capers was nearly perfect in every way. The mozzarella, freshly imported, may have been the best I have ever had. The Rocket Scientist had a most excellen shrimp alla vodka. The wine was remarkable (see Italy TNs). The cannoli was the only so-so part of the meal. Big thumbs up.
Wolfgang Puck's @ Downtown Disney: Wasabi crusted rack of lamb with wasabi mashed potatoes--incredible! The Rocket Scientist's chicken with mushroom sauce was good but nothing special.
Coral Seas @ EPCOT: Chosen on Friday night because we couldn't get in anywhere else. Pleasantly suprisingly good, though paled in comparison to the other meals. I was almost tempted by the lobster, but instead went for Tilapia Oscar, and was rewarded with a very nice meal. Her mahi was again good but nothing to write home about.
Citrico's @ The Grand Floridian: Very loosely Mediterranean. I had a filet with olive oil crushed potatoes. Quite serviceable if nothing special, though I enjoyed the EVOO in the taters. She had salmon that was quite good.
Fulton's @ Downtown Disney: Went for lunch. She had triple tail that was very good. I had the fried seafood combo platter that I enjoyed because the batter was light and the seafood wasn't overdone--a mistake that many make while frying.
Artist Point was clearly the winner in a string of decent meals, combining outstanding food and top-notch service. The wine list features only wines of the Pacific Northwest, but as you all know, there is excellent juice to be found there. | | | Visit The Butcher Block at http://www.butcherblocktampa.com/ |
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David Walker
Barrel Sampler
Posts: 2284
| | 12-20-2004 01:30 PM |
| | I enjoyed the cassoulet I had at Citrico's a few years ago. They also had '90 d"Yquem by the glass on the wine list. | | | |
| whiner
Second star to the right, and straight on till morning
Wine Thief
Posts: 2875
| | 12-20-2004 02:00 PM |
| Good to hear you can get some decent food down there. The last time I was there I really liked the Moroccan place at EPCOT -- but that was AGES ago, I wasn't close to being legal.
a | | I can't listen to that much Wagner. I start getting the urge to conquer Poland.
-- Woody Allen | |
| Rothko
Palm Beach
Wine Connoisseur
Posts: 5711
| | 12-20-2004 02:55 PM |
| I was at Disney World last weekend, and echo your thoughts about the Italian restaurant in Italy. The food was surprisingly good. The fettucine alfredo (obviously the specialty of the place) was some of the best I've had. The gnocchi was also excellent. The wine list was good, but a bit overpriced (I tried a bottle of the Lucente). The restaurant was packed and loud, but fun. At one point they played a classic Italian song (I don't know the name, but I am sure everyone would recognize it if they heard it) and the entire restaurant (waiters, staff, guests) start waving their napkins around in the air.
A hidden gem was Palio's in the Swan Hotel, right outside of EPCOT. I thought it was better than the Italian restaurant in the World Showcase. Great food, a very strong (and reasonably priced) wine list, excellent service, and a strolling violinist. Getting a table there is no problem at all, so if you can't get a reservation in EPCOT, just walk over to the Swan Hotel and have a meal at Palio's.
We ate lunch at the Sci-Fi theater at the MGM studios. What a blast! You sit in cars at a "drive-in" theater (all of this is inside) and watch clips of really cheesy 1950's movies like Plan 9 from Outer Space and Devil Woman from Mars. The food was basic American, but the experience was really fun.
Another lunch was in Cinderella's Castle at the Magic Kingdom. Cinderella was taking photos at the entrance (she was hot. Much better than Princess Jasmine, who couldn't wear her bikini outfit because it was too cold) with the kids. Upstairs, the restaurant was an oasis of calm in an otherwise busy park. The food was surprisingly good as well. It is difficult to get a reservation here, but if you can, get one. Also, see the Philarmagic movie nearby. The 3D effects are amazing.
My biggest disappointment is that the English Pub in EPCOT no longer serves their drinks in glasses. They now give you plastic cups, like you were at a keg party. It completely ruined the ambiance of having a pint of Guinness at the pub, something I've always enjoyed doing. It didn't stop the college kids from pounding down a few brews at the bar, but I think that my days of stopping in for a pint are over.
Thank goodness for annual passes for Florida residents! | | | |
| ChangeMe
Grape Sorter
Posts: 307
| | 12-23-2004 12:44 AM |
| | one thing i can say about disney is that if i ever get dragged back to that god forsaken place i will try my hardest to eat my nice meals outside of the park. | | | |
| Budman
Philly Suburbs
VinoCellar.com Extraordinaire
Posts: 23638
| | 12-23-2004 09:47 AM |
| Oh, don't worry. Eventually you will be dragged back!    | | | |
| ChangeMe
Grape Sorter
Posts: 307
| | 12-24-2004 04:43 AM |
| Quote:
Oh, don't worry. Eventually you will be dragged back!
one thing i can't understand....they have all this land down there and not one crap table in sight  | | | |
| davidandrose
Aurora, CO
Barrel Racker
Posts: 1677
| | 04-10-2005 02:18 PM |
| Thanks to the above we were steered to some nice restaurants to entertain ourselves after entertaining our 7 year old the rest of the day. Here's our version:
First - BYO is permitteed in ALL Disney restaurants outside the park for $20 corkage. Shula's steakhouse has a requirement that the bottle is not on thier list. Otherwise, open game. All the restaurants we visited had either Schott Zweisel cabernet or upgraded Reidel cab restaurant stems brought to the table without our asking, though some very cheap burg/pinot glasses are automatically set at each place setting
Artist Point at the Wilderness Lodge - Outstanding. Wife loved her portobello mushroom soup. My tuna w/escarole and shallots was done perfectly, and my the pork chop got raves from my wife and daughter. All paired well with an '03 Loring Rosella's we brought in. A berry cobbler dessert had perfectly ripe fruit and was also very well prepared. Service was very good. Hotel is also a great replica of the Old Faithful Lodge. Our child thought the hotel was as cool as anything since she remembered seeing the original version of the hotel, but wondered if we short-changed her on rides during last year's Yellowstone-Jackson Hole trip.
Palios at the Swan - Hotel is managed by Hilton, as is the adjacent Dolphin. No room charges to other Disney properties. My wife enjoyed her fish stew, and my breadcrumb-encrusted snapper with an olive tapenade was also quite good. Focaccia brought with other breads and roasted garlic and oils was also good. Nice selection of wines, including some reserve and aged wines, for about 2x retail. Our waitress was very attentive and friendly, and the travelling mandolin player did a nice combo of traditional italian songs along with pop and Disney tunes.
Yachtsmans Steakhouse at the Yacht and Beach Club - Stayed in this hotel and with tired feet, cancelled our reservation at Shulas (a 10 min walk away) to remain on property. Cut the steaks in view which the kids liked. Steaks and sides were well prepared in a comfortable atmosphere a little brighter than the typical steakhouse dungeon. Brought in a bottle of '01 Behrens Oakville Cab, Beckstoffer. Service was still very good, but probably the less attentive of the four restaurants.
Citrico's at the Grand Floridian - After a day a the park, a few hours at the pool, and the Magic Kingdom open till midnite, this was our choice for dinner as it would allow us to take the monorail into the magic kingdom for the evening fireworks and yet more rides. The 5 star Victoria and Albert's restaurant is adjacent, and we ordered a bottle of '01 Merry Edwards Russian River off thier list for $70. My crabcake appetizer could have had bigger lump crabmeat, but the ladies gobbled up the lobster bisque with rock shrimp, and asked for the recipe to boot (they said they'll email it in a few weeks, and told us that a cookbook of high-end disney fare is due to be published in the near future). The swordfish with a red pepper coulis and pearl pasta was outstanding, the tuna was not quite as good. Both paired very well with the wine. Service was excellent.
Artist Point, Citrico's, Palio's and Yachtsman in that order, though all were very good. | | | |
| ChangeMe
Barrel Filler
Posts: 1371
| | 04-11-2005 12:59 PM |
| | Happy to hear the trip went well. | | | |
| Rothko
Palm Beach
Wine Connoisseur
Posts: 5711
| | 04-11-2005 01:30 PM |
| Thanks for the information.
I am going to a CLE at the Grand Floridian in June, so I am anticipating a couple of dinners at the restaurants at that hotel. | | | |
| JimmyV
Central Connecticut
Wine Connoisseur
Posts: 5168
| | 04-11-2005 03:06 PM |
| | Not that it matters, but the Swan and Dolphin are owned by Starwood (Westin and Sheraton Brands), not Hilton. Flight leaves on Friday for Mouse-land. Thanks for the heads-up on the corkage. Guess I'll be packing more than the 4 bottles I anticipated bringing. | | | Beta testing a new signature. | |
| Pool Boy
Laurl, MD (DC suburb)
Master of Wine
Posts: 13767
| | 04-23-2005 03:04 AM |
| Quote:
BYO is permitteed in ALL Disney restaurants outside the park for $20 corkage.
Tres Kewl. Who knew Mickey liked the wine? | | | www.roguefood.com -- www.cellartracker.com | |
| wineismylife 
Arlington, TX
Master of Wine
Posts: 12435
| | 04-23-2005 03:08 AM |
| Well that stupid rat doesn't provide very good wine thus requiring you to BYOB. | | | Joe-----Wine is like potato chips around me...if it's open, it's gone. | |
| juggernt
Tampa, FL, USA
Wine Bottler
Posts: 3464
| | 04-25-2005 01:08 PM |
| Quote:
Well that stupid rat doesn't provide very good wine thus requiring you to BYOB.
WIML, I was pleasantly surprised by the lists at both Artist Pointe and inside the Grand Floridian. Granted, the markup is stupid, but it's still there. | | | Visit The Butcher Block at http://www.butcherblocktampa.com/ | |
| JimmyV
Central Connecticut
Wine Connoisseur
Posts: 5168
| | 04-25-2005 06:08 PM |
| Quote:
Well that stupid rat doesn't provide very good wine thus requiring you to BYOB.
Not sure I agree. There are several very nice wine lists at WDW. Pricey. But good stuff nonetheless.
Quick report:
Breakfast : We dined out twice. The rest of the time we ate in the room. My first stop on any vacation is to a local grocery store to buy a $5 styrofoam cooler, a bag of ice, water, soda, milk, OJ, and breakfast staples. The cooler serves as a fridge, and keeps my wine cool.
Our first restaurant breakfast was at Akershus at the Norway pavillion at EPCOT. This is a "Princess Character Breakfast". Good pastry, and family style bisquits, eggs, hash browns, sausages, bacon and fruit. Much easier to get into than the Castle breakfast, and the food was better.
Our second restaurant breakfast was at the Castle. Food was OK, but that is not why you go.
Lunch: Ate counter servise food at Moroccan pavillion. Nice change of pace from usual park food. Not bad.
Ate at the 50's Prime Time Cafe in MGM Studios. Good fried chicken, a great shake, and lots of attitude from the waiter. (The "attitude" is part of the performance, and is expected. Even desired.)
Tried the Flame Tree BBQ at Animal Kingdom. Huge portions. 4 people can dine on 2 orders. Surprisingly decent ribs and pulled pork.
Dinner: Ate twice at the California Grill. Unfortunately this is one spot at WDW that does not permit corkage. But the food is excellent. And the wine lists (regular and Reserve) offer nice options.
Dined at Alfredo's in EPCOT. As noted above, a pleasant surprise. I expected Olive Garden quality food, and it is clearly better than that. The only complaint was that we were served almost immediately after ordering. At least pretend that you are preparing my meal to order instead of plating it from a huge vat in the back. Nevertheless, my pork shank "osso buco" was really good. Wine list was OK. And as Rothko notes, the signature dish is the best I've had.
Tried "Nine Dragons", the sit-down restaurant in the China Pavillion. I had been advised that this is no more authentic Chinese cuisine than any American Chinese restaurant. That is true, but it is very good American Chinese food. My wife and I had the Bejing Duck for two, served as two courses--crispy skin on pancakes, and shreeded meat with vegetables. No wine list to speak of. Stick to Tsing-Tao beer.
Ended at Narcoossee's at the Grand Floridian. $20 corkage. Excellent waitstaff. A small, seafood heavy menu. Food was good, but not up to the price. Our entrees were more than at the California Grill, or at my last visit to Citricos. A fine meal, but I wouldn't go back. Decent wine list with ample options by the glass as well. | | | Beta testing a new signature. | |
| davidandrose
Aurora, CO
Barrel Racker
Posts: 1677
| | 04-28-2005 03:27 AM |
| | We also had a lunch a Flame Tree BBQ in Animal Kingdom. My wife and I repeatedly commented that it was the best (and VERY REASONABLY priced) food we'd ever had in any amusement park. Healthy Boston Mkt type fare options with fresh veggie sides for $2 more than a Big Mac combo meal. I'd argue that Animal Kingdom wouldn't be on my short list for a 3 day visit to Disney, but a good meal if you find yourself there. | | | |
| stemor
Collierville, TN
Wine Connoisseur
Posts: 5564
| | 04-28-2005 05:13 AM |
| | I believe we ate at the Flame Tree as well -- I recall reasonably priced and decent quality roasted chicken, enjoyed by most all of our horde. | | | Cheers, y'all | |
| juggernt
Tampa, FL, USA
Wine Bottler
Posts: 3464
| | 04-29-2005 12:26 PM |
| | Agreed. Best counter service food on the property. | | | Visit The Butcher Block at http://www.butcherblocktampa.com/ | |
| Rothko
Palm Beach
Wine Connoisseur
Posts: 5711
| | 05-03-2005 07:55 PM |
| For my trip in June I will be having dinners at:
Artist's Pointe
Victoria & Alberts
California Grill
The Luau at the Polynesian
Teppanyaki Grill in Japan at Epcot. | | | |
| stemor
Collierville, TN
Wine Connoisseur
Posts: 5564
| | 05-03-2005 09:34 PM |
| The wine at the Luau is free -- but not worth it.  | | | Cheers, y'all | |
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