Two first timers take on free dining...was it a success? 13-27 Sept 2011- Complete...

[TanzUnited99]

We started today by having breakfast at Tusker House. We were running a little late but still got seated. We felt rushed however and didn't enjoy our experience here as much as I thought we would. We only met Mickey and Goofy. I wanted to meet Daisy but the CM apologised and said we could meet her at Camp Mickey Minnie. We still got an autograph though.

The food was okay but this restaurant would probably be at the bottom of our list. We ate some eggs, Krispy Kreme doghnuts (the best part of the meal!), croissants and fruit.

Food A - Was plenty of variety.
Service A - Server was very good and made sure our drinks were filled and plates were cleared.
Atmosphere - C- We were rushed and it was very noisy.
Would we return? No, there were other buffets that we enjoyed more.

For our evening meal today I rested in the room and Zaheer went to get EoS as well as spend some time at Disney Quest! He bought back a Tuna Melt for himself and a Caprese sandwich for me. I loved it even if it was a bit cold by the time I got to eat it. He also bought a fruit cup for dessert (which I ate the next day) and a blueberry muffin.

 

[librarygeek]

Good to know about the Tusker breakfast. Next trip I think my parents are coming and I want to plan at least one big breakfast because my dad loves breakfast, so I'm trying to decide where to do that.

And I love EoS! The caprese is my favorite!

 

[Pinkocto]

What a bummer about breakfast. My friends came back a few years ago, and said that was the best meal they had their whole trip. One should never feel rushed when eating, it messes with the whole experience.

Too funny that you missed the waffles when you had the pancakes. Pancakes are my favorite, and I kept wondering if there were only waffles at Disney since everybody talks about the Mickey Waffles. I don't think I've even seen pancakes at Disney!


Librarygeek: Boma would be a really great place to take your parents. Allears.net has the menu if you wanted to check it out.

 

[Caretames1]

That's too bad you didn't enjoy Tusker House more. We really enjoyed it. Of course we had and ADR right when it opened and it wasn't too noisy and the characters all stopped at our table first.

EOS.....YUM!!!

 

[rachel09985]

thanks for the review on Tusker House! I booked this for my trip but now am second guessing myself! The main reason I booked it was for the characters but if the food isn't that great than I might have to rethink and do Boma or something.

 

[IheartDDuck]

That stinks that you didn't enjoy your Tusker House breakfast. Feeling rushed will definitely do that to you. I do agree, it is a little on the noisy side in there. It actually used to be my favorite counter service location, before they turned it into a table service.

 

[TanzUnited99]

Good to know about the Tusker breakfast. Next trip I think my parents are coming and I want to plan at least one big breakfast because my dad loves breakfast, so I'm trying to decide where to do that.

And I love EoS! The caprese is my favorite!

No worries - we may have just had a bad experience as I have read good reviews of the place as well. If you want a great breakfast our recommendation would be Crystal Palace. It was hands down a favourite and if you don't mind early starts than you can also wonder an empty Main Street. Hope this helps with your decision.

Oh, I love EoS as well! The caprese was very yummy.

What a bummer about breakfast. My friends came back a few years ago, and said that was the best meal they had their whole trip. One should never feel rushed when eating, it messes with the whole experience.

Too funny that you missed the waffles when you had the pancakes. Pancakes are my favorite, and I kept wondering if there were only waffles at Disney since everybody talks about the Mickey Waffles. I don't think I've even seen pancakes at Disney!


Librarygeek: Boma would be a really great place to take your parents. Allears.net has the menu if you wanted to check it out.

I know - not what I was expecting but at least we gave it a try. I have also heard good reviews of the place but think we just weren't that lucky. I agree in that we shouldn't have been rushed. I think it was because we had a late reservation and were a bit close to lunch time but still the restaurant should allow for these things.

Yeah, I'm definitely a waffles girl over pancakes. Oh, I hope you get to try some on your next trip as they were nice but I would take Mickey waffles any day!

Boma sure is a great choice - I want to try breakfast here on a future trip.

That's too bad you didn't enjoy Tusker House more. We really enjoyed it. Of course we had and ADR right when it opened and it wasn't too noisy and the characters all stopped at our table first.

EOS.....YUM!!!

Yeah, I'm guessing the early reservations do have an advantage here but we were late for our latish reservation so would never have made an early one! I'm glad you enjoyed it and look forward to your review.

EoS sure is YUM, even when it's cold!

thanks for the review on Tusker House! I booked this for my trip but now am second guessing myself! The main reason I booked it was for the characters but if the food isn't that great than I might have to rethink and do Boma or something.

No worries - there are good reviews of this place so I wouldn't cancel it on the basis of my review. That was just our experience. I would definitely choose Boma over Tusker House for food though. Look forward to finding out what you end up doing.

That stinks that you didn't enjoy your Tusker House breakfast. Feeling rushed will definitely do that to you. I do agree, it is a little on the noisy side in there. It actually used to be my favorite counter service location, before they turned it into a table service.

I know, right? We were stuck in the middle of two big families and heard 'are you done' quite a bit more than we wanted to I'm glad I'm not alone in thinking it was noisy. I would have liked to have experienced it as a counter service.

 

[KatMark]

I'm so sorry you were disappointed in Tusker House. We have never been, but I have read mostly rave reviews for it. In fact, on my trip in January, us four girls are going there for breakfast on our MK day.

DId you not love Earl of Sandwich? I am so glad we finally got there.

 

[TanzUnited99]

I'm so sorry you were disappointed in Tusker House. We have never been, but I have read mostly rave reviews for it. In fact, on my trip in January, us four girls are going there for breakfast on our MK day.

DId you not love Earl of Sandwich? I am so glad we finally got there.

Thanks Kathy - I had also heard rave reviews for this place so was a bit disappointed. However, I think we just had bad timing and needed to have an earlier reservation. Look forward to hearing how you find it in January.

Ooh I loved EoS! It was amazing!

 

[PixieMama]

Catching up...


Nice review of Captain's Grille... not sure it's one my family would want to try, though. But it would be cool to check out the YC!

Bummer about Tusker House. I've heard good things about that place, but we've always done breakfast at Crystal Palace, so that's kind of our tradition now.

Yay for EoS! I didn't know until recently that it's a chain... not just a WDW restaurant! Sadly, the one in WDW is the closest to me, and that's still 10 hours away!

 

[TanzUnited99]

Catching up...


Nice review of Captain's Grille... not sure it's one my family would want to try, though. But it would be cool to check out the YC!

Bummer about Tusker House. I've heard good things about that place, but we've always done breakfast at Crystal Palace, so that's kind of our tradition now.

Yay for EoS! I didn't know until recently that it's a chain... not just a WDW restaurant! Sadly, the one in WDW is the closest to me, and that's still 10 hours away!

Thanks for catching up Shannon.

It was cool to check out the Epcot resorts though have to agree in that we probably wouldn't try Captain's Grille in a hurry again.

I agree in that breakfast at Crystal Palace was soo much better...it will be coming up later on.

Yeah, I only recently realised that there is one in London as well. My next trip there will definitely incorporate an EoS visit! Oh no on WDW being the closest to you...oh well you'll just have to return more often!

 

[TanzUnited99]

Today I decided to go solo and had a great time touring Epcot on my own. I think I just ate the fruit from the night before for breakfast.

For lunch I decided to try Mexico (La Cantina de San Angel) and ordered the Nachos without the ground beef.

Boy was this a lot of food...the portion size was massive! I also had jalapenos on them which were very hot and I needed my drink to cool down. As you can imagine I didn't finish the portion but enjoyed what I did have. I think I would only order this again if I was not on my own.

I also tried the churros and did not like them at all. They were meh and so not my cup of tea.

However, I fell in love with a snack I got from the France bakery. Napoleon = This was AMAZING!!! One of my favourite treats of the trip.

After eating the Napoleon and touring some more I decided to head to Beach Club and explore this resort. I loved taking it in and after some directions found my way to Beaches and Cream.

I loved the theming of this place and saw a kitchen sink being delivered to a birthday girl. What did I order? The No Way Jose which was another great treat. I over indulged on this day and part of me wishes I had more room as this was delish. I ate most of it anyway and could happily have one of these treats on a regular basis!

Before pics:

And what it looked like after I had worked my way through it!

I made it back to Pop, met up with Zaheer and we got ready for our meal at Sanaa. We checked in and took some photos whilst waiting to be seated. We had a DIS meet at this place (which I will reveal over on my TR) so after we had caught up Zaheer and I sat down to our meal.

The chef had informed us of what we could choose from and I ordered Tandoori Lamb and Zaheer chose the Tandoori Chicken. Both dishes were served with Apple Raisan Chutney and a choice of Basmati Rice or Five-grain Pilaf. I think we both chose the Basmati rice. I had wanted to order the Indian Style Bread Service but after all the eating during the day we decided not to order this. I seem to only have a pic of my dish

The Chicken and Lamb were nice and both cooked perfectly. The portion sizes were a bit on the small side (compared to those in the UK and what we had been eating during our trip) however it was delicious food. This was another place that Zaheer would have happily returned to again during our trip. I think he would love to stay at AKL just because of the dining options available!

Zaheer drank the mango lassi (he liked it but said it had too much ice in it for his liking and he drinks this wherever it is available so knows what he's talking about) and I chose my much loved diet coke.

For dessert Zaheer chose the Orange Sesame Cake with Tropical Fruit Kulfi and I had the Warm Rice Pudding which was served with mango, pistachio tuile and cinnamon cream. I never tasted Zaheer's dessert however my dessert was divine I loved the different flavours and how light and fluffy the rice tasted.

Food A Was gorgeous. Our only minor issue was the portion size but the food was still delicious.
Service C Our server was a bit lacking. I think it was because we had a late reservation (again!) and were one of the last to leave. She was nowhere to be seen and we had to keep asking for her.
Atmosphere A This was one of the few places that acknowledged we were 'celebrating' something and came by with drums to play us some music.
Would we return? Yes but probably for lunch so we were able to see the animals from the restaurant. Also, I like the look of the Tandoori Shrimp on the menu.

Coming next: Crystal Palace and Artist Point

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

Mmmm, glad to see that the food at Sanaa was good. It's definitely growing on me, especially now that they've added spicier curries to the menu.

If you go back, I highly recommend the chai cream dessert.

 

[TanzUnited99]

Mmmm, glad to see that the food at Sanaa was good. It's definitely growing on me, especially now that they've added spicier curries to the menu.

If you go back, I highly recommend the chai cream dessert.

I was glad as well after reading the reviews on here. I would definitely recommend this restaurant.

We can't have the chai cream dessert as it contains gelatine but thanks for the recommendation. I would've chosen it if it was an option

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

I was glad as well after reading the reviews on here. I would definitely recommend this restaurant.

We can't have the chai cream dessert as it contains gelatine but thanks for the recommendation. I would've chosen it if it was an option

Aw I didn't know that about the chai cream. I guess part of me was hoping it was just chai spices mixed with cream. Oh well.

Sounds like I have to try the rice pudding though! It looks incredible

 

[rndmr2]

Great solo day! I'm glad you liked that Napoleon, I really wanted to try one on our trip but we were heading to dinner soon after we were in the France pavilion. I have had them before from a local bakery (that is sadly, closed) and the ones in Disney looked so good.

That No Way Jose looked yummy! Chocolate and Peanut Butter! An unbeatable combination

 

[Caretames1]

I am so going to Beaches and Cream on our next trip! That looks soooo good!

Kuddos on your solo touring of Epcot! I would love to do that.

 

[IheartDDuck]

I ate those nachos on our July trip, and I absolutely loved them! You're right though, the churros are lacking. I've never been a big churro fan myself.

Oh, Napoleon = heaven. Love them!

Girl, you tried to take on the No Way Jose by yourself?! Did you not learn any lessons that I taught you from my TR?

 

[dizneeat]

Wow! And yet another great review!

Those Nachos look mighty good. The churros can be hit or miss. The first time we had them they were all stale and dry, but last time we had some really wonderful fresh ones.
And I guess I am the odd one out who does not like the Napoleon. That is one of the cakes that is a staple here and ours is WAY better than what is sold in the French bakery.

 

[Linda67]

Thanks for the Sanaa review
We are going to try to get over there for lunch on our next trip