TommyTutone
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Aug 23, 2005
Just got back from my best Disney vacation yet (staying at Beach Club and our first trip with our son helped)! Here's a quick breakdown of where we ate and what to consider/skip:
Hollywood & Vine (2nd visit, thumbs up) - done as part of the Fantasmic Package. It is a buffet, but a better quality buffet. The carving station featured an okay flank steak, but there were other good entrees and veggies (and this being our first day, I apologize for more details).
Boma (1st visit, thumbs WAY up) - the best surprise of the trip. Based on the recommendations here, we decided to give it a shot, and it was fantastic. Besides making sure to get to the hotel early to allow time to walk around and admire the art and the animal paths, the food was unique and delicious. I was not a big fan of the zebra domes (basically a crunchy chocolate mousse), but I can see why others love them.
Biergarten (2nd visit, thumbs up) - we stopped here for lunch and it was great. A good mix of cold salads as well as two types of sausage, schnitzel, and some good desserts. Being a fan of sausage, I would have liked to seen more varieties, but I was not disappointed.
Morocco (3rd visit, thumbs down) - one of our disappointments of the trip. The 'feast' was simplified into a three course meal with the entrees all served individually, rather than the family style it used to be. In addition, beef was used for the kebab (rather than lamb), and the meat was dry and tough. In addition, for the hour + that we were there, while we had music twice, there were no belly dancers. I think we are done with this place for quite some time.
Rose & Crown (1st visit, thumbs up) - lunch for our final day was Fish & Chips. I did not have the beers since I overindulged the night before, but between the huge piece of fish, the decent (not great, but they at least had malt vinegar) chips, and a comfortingly creamy bowl of potato and leek soup, I look forward to returning in the near future.
Cape May (1st dinner visit, thumb slightly up) - I wanted to end the trip with seafood so we ate our last dinner at the hotel we stayed at. There were several entrees offered like sausage and peppers, beef tips, and a carving station, but my main attraction was the clam bake. In that regard, while I was thrilled to see clams, shrimp, corn on the cob, and red potatos, I was let down that they did not have crab as shown on some of their ads, nor any other seafood. The clams were terrific though since it is tough to find good ones in Atlanta.
Spoodles (1st visit, thumbs up) - We popped over after an early day at the Magic Kingdom and it was a pleasant surprise. The menu, like most at the Boardwalk, was limited in choices, but it delivered them well. My mother had rigatoni that had a non-marinara sauce and she described as delicious and filling. The wife and I had the Portugese seafood stew which was great! Bits of calamari, white fish, mussels, clams, shrimp, and crab in a bowl tossed with crisp onions and thinly sliced potatos. We look forward to returning, specifically for this dish.
Big River Grill Brew Pub (1st Orlando visit, thumbs WAY down) - Whenever we travel to Chattanooga, we visit this restaurant for their fantastic pizzas, shrimp and grits, and good beers. Because of this, it was only natural to check out their only other location, Orlando. What a mistake! They took a four-page menu and collapsed it down to one page, with perhaps five entrees. I tried their 'meaty, tender fall-off-the-bone ribs' which were neither meaty nor tender. The sauce was adequate, but the mashed potatos and veggies were bland. Likewise, their meager beer selection failed to deliver. I tried both the pale ale and the wheat and I must say that I prefer the new wheat beer Anheuser-Busch offered at Sea World (and I am normally a huge fan of Blue Moon). We will return to their Chattanooga location, but avoid the Orlando one at all costs!
Hollywood & Vine (2nd visit, thumbs up) - done as part of the Fantasmic Package. It is a buffet, but a better quality buffet. The carving station featured an okay flank steak, but there were other good entrees and veggies (and this being our first day, I apologize for more details).
Boma (1st visit, thumbs WAY up) - the best surprise of the trip. Based on the recommendations here, we decided to give it a shot, and it was fantastic. Besides making sure to get to the hotel early to allow time to walk around and admire the art and the animal paths, the food was unique and delicious. I was not a big fan of the zebra domes (basically a crunchy chocolate mousse), but I can see why others love them.
Biergarten (2nd visit, thumbs up) - we stopped here for lunch and it was great. A good mix of cold salads as well as two types of sausage, schnitzel, and some good desserts. Being a fan of sausage, I would have liked to seen more varieties, but I was not disappointed.
Morocco (3rd visit, thumbs down) - one of our disappointments of the trip. The 'feast' was simplified into a three course meal with the entrees all served individually, rather than the family style it used to be. In addition, beef was used for the kebab (rather than lamb), and the meat was dry and tough. In addition, for the hour + that we were there, while we had music twice, there were no belly dancers. I think we are done with this place for quite some time.
Rose & Crown (1st visit, thumbs up) - lunch for our final day was Fish & Chips. I did not have the beers since I overindulged the night before, but between the huge piece of fish, the decent (not great, but they at least had malt vinegar) chips, and a comfortingly creamy bowl of potato and leek soup, I look forward to returning in the near future.
Cape May (1st dinner visit, thumb slightly up) - I wanted to end the trip with seafood so we ate our last dinner at the hotel we stayed at. There were several entrees offered like sausage and peppers, beef tips, and a carving station, but my main attraction was the clam bake. In that regard, while I was thrilled to see clams, shrimp, corn on the cob, and red potatos, I was let down that they did not have crab as shown on some of their ads, nor any other seafood. The clams were terrific though since it is tough to find good ones in Atlanta.
Spoodles (1st visit, thumbs up) - We popped over after an early day at the Magic Kingdom and it was a pleasant surprise. The menu, like most at the Boardwalk, was limited in choices, but it delivered them well. My mother had rigatoni that had a non-marinara sauce and she described as delicious and filling. The wife and I had the Portugese seafood stew which was great! Bits of calamari, white fish, mussels, clams, shrimp, and crab in a bowl tossed with crisp onions and thinly sliced potatos. We look forward to returning, specifically for this dish.
Big River Grill Brew Pub (1st Orlando visit, thumbs WAY down) - Whenever we travel to Chattanooga, we visit this restaurant for their fantastic pizzas, shrimp and grits, and good beers. Because of this, it was only natural to check out their only other location, Orlando. What a mistake! They took a four-page menu and collapsed it down to one page, with perhaps five entrees. I tried their 'meaty, tender fall-off-the-bone ribs' which were neither meaty nor tender. The sauce was adequate, but the mashed potatos and veggies were bland. Likewise, their meager beer selection failed to deliver. I tried both the pale ale and the wheat and I must say that I prefer the new wheat beer Anheuser-Busch offered at Sea World (and I am normally a huge fan of Blue Moon). We will return to their Chattanooga location, but avoid the Orlando one at all costs!
