Just a quick review of a few character meals that we hit during the past week:
Hollywood and Vine- I took dd4 and dd2 to this one by myself while dh was at a conference. They couldn't find our reservation, but quickly gave us a pager and seated us within 10 minutes anyway. We were seated near the center and the CM's sang Playhouse Disney songs every 15 minutes or so. The kids were invited up to dance with them.
The buffet was about the same as the one we had for the Fantasmic Dinner package. They did have some nice greens on the salad bar along with a good chicken salad. There were also a variety of cold lunch meats. I enjoyed the sundried tomato polenta, roast beef, and the chicken skewers with peanut sauce. They did have mash potatoes, rice, green beans, two kinds of pasta, and some sort of fish. I thought the children's selection was very good. It included corn, meatballs, and chicken nuggets.
For dessert, the kids had ice cream and I had a mini-cheescake (a bit dry) and a chocolate mousse tart (very good).
June, Leo, Quincy, Jo Jo, and Goliath made the rounds and we were happy with the singing, noise, and "newness" of the characters.
We would do this again!
LTT-
Last time we went here, I didn't give it great reviews. I thought it was too "processed out of a box". We had dinner here before P&P and I really enjoyed it this time. They served turkey, roast beef, pork, mash potatoes, stuffing. All was fresh and very good. There was ice cream and apple cobbler for dessert, but honestly, we couldn't eat much of it. We were really full.
They did bring a cupcake for our dd2's birthday and sang to her.
Garden Grill-
This one was a last minute meal. It was raining and I was looking for ways to entertain dd2 and dd4 on my own again. We were supposed to head over to the Boneyard at AK, but diverted ourselves to Epcot in search of dry, indoor attractions. I stopped at the Concierge and they found us a table at the Garden Grille.
This turned out to be a wonderful meal! I liked the fact that it was served rather than a buffet. They brought one meal for me and a kids platter for the girls. My meal included beef, turkey, fresh vegetables, rolls with a very good orange butter, mashed potatoes, and fried fish. It was all very good and I asked for seconds on the beef and turkey.
My dd's had a platter with french fries, friend chicken strips, and mac and cheese. They ate a bit of that and some of my food as well.
The best part was dessert. The girls each had a "decorate your own cupcake" and I had a fabulous bread pudding with hard bailey's cream sauce. Excellent!
Also, they only charged me for dd4 and me...not dd2, but they brought her her own cupcake. I thought this was really nice!
The restaurant rotated while we ate, but we were on the inside table and my dd's didn't really focus on that. I was just glad they were happy and quiet. The characters circulated around several times and Farmer Mickey came back at least three times to talk to dd4.
Maybe others knew about this meal, but it was a "hidden gem" to us. I had just brushed it off before because the "farmer" theme didn't much interest me.
1900 Park Fare-
This is always a favorite because it is just such a nice setting and the food is very good. We went here for the Cinderella dinner and enjoyed it. The characters made their rounds and we enjoyed good food. I had the strawberry soup and cream of mushroom soup. Both were very tasty. They also had peel your own shrimp that I thought were a bit mushy. I enjoyed the chicken marsala and dh enjoyed lots of sausage and peppers. They gave me a HUGE piece of prime rib, but it was a bit red for my taste.
There was a separate food bar for the kids and they even had uncrustables...which dd4 enjoyed. Overall, it was very nice.
Characters included Prince Charming, Suzy, Perla, and Cinderella. Sleeping Beauty was greeting in the lobby of the restaurant.
Cape May Cafe-
This one was just average. The food was fine, but the waitress was very grumpy! We enjoyed the fresh berries on the yogurt bar, but the biscuits (for sausage and biscuits) were hard and the waffles were limp. Also, the sausages were the thin kind (not big links like at Chrystal Palace). I did enjoy the cheese blintzes, though. Character interaction was fast....they only came around once, and the pouty waitress didn't show up much either. Also, they seated us in a booth..which I find inconvenient for buffets. Overall, it was fine...but I woudn't rush back.
Hollywood and Vine- I took dd4 and dd2 to this one by myself while dh was at a conference. They couldn't find our reservation, but quickly gave us a pager and seated us within 10 minutes anyway. We were seated near the center and the CM's sang Playhouse Disney songs every 15 minutes or so. The kids were invited up to dance with them.
The buffet was about the same as the one we had for the Fantasmic Dinner package. They did have some nice greens on the salad bar along with a good chicken salad. There were also a variety of cold lunch meats. I enjoyed the sundried tomato polenta, roast beef, and the chicken skewers with peanut sauce. They did have mash potatoes, rice, green beans, two kinds of pasta, and some sort of fish. I thought the children's selection was very good. It included corn, meatballs, and chicken nuggets.
For dessert, the kids had ice cream and I had a mini-cheescake (a bit dry) and a chocolate mousse tart (very good).
June, Leo, Quincy, Jo Jo, and Goliath made the rounds and we were happy with the singing, noise, and "newness" of the characters.
We would do this again!
LTT-
Last time we went here, I didn't give it great reviews. I thought it was too "processed out of a box". We had dinner here before P&P and I really enjoyed it this time. They served turkey, roast beef, pork, mash potatoes, stuffing. All was fresh and very good. There was ice cream and apple cobbler for dessert, but honestly, we couldn't eat much of it. We were really full.
They did bring a cupcake for our dd2's birthday and sang to her.
Garden Grill-
This one was a last minute meal. It was raining and I was looking for ways to entertain dd2 and dd4 on my own again. We were supposed to head over to the Boneyard at AK, but diverted ourselves to Epcot in search of dry, indoor attractions. I stopped at the Concierge and they found us a table at the Garden Grille.
This turned out to be a wonderful meal! I liked the fact that it was served rather than a buffet. They brought one meal for me and a kids platter for the girls. My meal included beef, turkey, fresh vegetables, rolls with a very good orange butter, mashed potatoes, and fried fish. It was all very good and I asked for seconds on the beef and turkey.
My dd's had a platter with french fries, friend chicken strips, and mac and cheese. They ate a bit of that and some of my food as well.
The best part was dessert. The girls each had a "decorate your own cupcake" and I had a fabulous bread pudding with hard bailey's cream sauce. Excellent!
Also, they only charged me for dd4 and me...not dd2, but they brought her her own cupcake. I thought this was really nice!
The restaurant rotated while we ate, but we were on the inside table and my dd's didn't really focus on that. I was just glad they were happy and quiet. The characters circulated around several times and Farmer Mickey came back at least three times to talk to dd4.
Maybe others knew about this meal, but it was a "hidden gem" to us. I had just brushed it off before because the "farmer" theme didn't much interest me.
1900 Park Fare-
This is always a favorite because it is just such a nice setting and the food is very good. We went here for the Cinderella dinner and enjoyed it. The characters made their rounds and we enjoyed good food. I had the strawberry soup and cream of mushroom soup. Both were very tasty. They also had peel your own shrimp that I thought were a bit mushy. I enjoyed the chicken marsala and dh enjoyed lots of sausage and peppers. They gave me a HUGE piece of prime rib, but it was a bit red for my taste.
There was a separate food bar for the kids and they even had uncrustables...which dd4 enjoyed. Overall, it was very nice.
Characters included Prince Charming, Suzy, Perla, and Cinderella. Sleeping Beauty was greeting in the lobby of the restaurant.
Cape May Cafe-
This one was just average. The food was fine, but the waitress was very grumpy! We enjoyed the fresh berries on the yogurt bar, but the biscuits (for sausage and biscuits) were hard and the waffles were limp. Also, the sausages were the thin kind (not big links like at Chrystal Palace). I did enjoy the cheese blintzes, though. Character interaction was fast....they only came around once, and the pouty waitress didn't show up much either. Also, they seated us in a booth..which I find inconvenient for buffets. Overall, it was fine...but I woudn't rush back.
on a couple of toss ups our family are dealing with. The more info is always a big plus.
