We're back & better than ever - Complete!

[MickeyNicki]

Great review of CG, I booked it for our next trip and skipped Cape May this time...have not been to CG in years so its time to give it another try

 

[deenbrad]

I have to stop reading your reviews. Every time I do I change another ADR!

Your pics just made me want to try Captain's Grille for breakfast!

 

[Tracerr00]

I swear that I can read and re-read your reviews and see something different each time! And I love that you're adventurous and try something like escargot but you're not above trying out a dish with a hot dog! It really makes your reviews interesting and fun!

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

Wow! The cheesy tomato and breakfast bread pudding look delicious! This is the second review I have seen on here lately for the Captain's Grille breakfast buffet and now I'm totally sold. This is going to be a must on my next trip. Thanks for the pics!

I hope you like Captain's Grille! I'm always quite pleased with the buffet since it includes a good mix of classics and more interesting breakfast items (plus, it only costs about $17 or $18 per person, so the price doesn't sting as much as it does at character meals with less food variety).

I admit when I read you were under 21 my first thought was I'm old enough to be your mother (plus some) and then I was quite impressed that your palate is so sophisticated. You have an awesome perspective for someone so young.

As for Captain's Grille, your plate of food looks awesome! We went there in Feb and I ate breakfast off of the menu and not the buffet since I wasn't that hungry. I'm excited to go back in August! Thanks for continuing to share!

Thanks so much for the kind words - I really enjoy writing food reviews and am happy that you appreciate my descriptions of the food.

If you end up trying the breakfast buffet at Captain's Grille, I hope you like it! I honestly don't think you can go wrong there - the breakfast menu looks great.

booked in for Captains grille breakfast in October so thanks for the great photos

I hope you have a great meal at Captain's Grille - it'll be nice to eat somewhere that's somewhat quiet and offers more options than the standard breakfast location.

Great review of CG, I booked it for our next trip and skipped Cape May this time...have not been to CG in years so its time to give it another try

I really hope you like Captain's Grille! Just in case you (or anyone else) would like to see the most recent breakfast menu, here it is. Between the buffet and the unique à la carte dishes (citrus-scented french toast with lavender-infused strawberry compote; lemon-ricotta hotcakes with blueberry compote and citrus pudding; etc.), I wish you the best of luck in deciding what to get.

I have to stop reading your reviews. Every time I do I change another ADR!

Your pics just made me want to try Captain's Grille for breakfast!

Changing ADR's is part of the fun! If you do try Captain's Grille, I hope you like it - it's become one of my favorite breakfast TS options (along with Kona).

I swear that I can read and re-read your reviews and see something different each time! And I love that you're adventurous and try something like escargot but you're not above trying out a dish with a hot dog! It really makes your reviews interesting and fun!

I'm glad that you enjoy seeing the more unique options! On some trips, I'll stick mainly to fish dishes, but this trip it was really fun branching out and ordering dishes I previously wouldn't have (like the memorable lamb at Yachtsman). And speaking of hot dogs, I still can't really explain why I liked the mac and cheese hot dog at Fairfax Fare so much.

 

[Quin]

Darn it, Donald. Now I want to have breakfast at Captain's Grille TWICE. Once because several items on your buffet plates looked good (like that grilled tomato) and once because those lemon ricotta hotcakes sound heavenly! I don't suppose there's any chance that those lovely things are on the buffet?

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

Darn it, Donald. Now I want to have breakfast at Captain's Grille TWICE. Once because several items on your buffet plates looked good (like that grilled tomato) and once because those lemon ricotta hotcakes sound heavenly! I don't suppose there's any chance that those lovely things are on the buffet?

I don't think the hotcakes are part of the buffet (although that would be lovely)! So I guess I'd recommend trying Captain's Grille twice - it would probably be worth it.

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

I was in AK during lunch time, and after a few rides on Expedition Everest, I made my way over to Africa. I had heard of a new menu item at Tamu Tamu Refreshments that sounded exciting. But first, some background info on Tamu Tamu Refreshments...

In Animal Kingdom's early days, this was one of my family's favorite places for a drink. The menu didn't really offer 'food', but it had soft serve ice cream and a seasonal fruit smoothie. The smoothie was delicious and unique - it had blueberry, banana, and pineapple, and was so incredibly refreshing. To make things even better, you could choose if you wanted it with or without vanilla ice cream mixed in. That smoothie was one of my favorite things in Animal Kingdom (along with the chicken sandwich at Tusker House when it was a quick service restaurant).

Soon after the current Disney Dining Plan started gaining prominence, the menu at Tamu Tamu began to change. Eventually, the offerings had been reduced to vanilla or chocolate soft serve and Coca-Cola products. When they began serving up savory food, I was disappointed to see hamburgers on the menu - Tamu Tamu's menu had lost its uniqueness (which was also happening at other WDW quick service locations, like Sunshine Tree Terrace).

While my beloved smoothie is unlikely to return, Tamu Tamu has made some strides in the food department. The cheeseburger basket is off the menu, and in its place is an intriguing pulled beef sandwich. I ordered my beef sandwich with apple slices.

The pita bread was at room temperature, and I think it would've been better if served warm (but it wasn't a huge deal, as I planned on skipping the bread anyway). As for the beef, it was very tender and had a slight heat to it (but the heat wasn't overwhelming). The addition of some cool lettuce and creamy, tangy mint yogurt cucumber sauce (like raita) provided a counterpoint to the spice - the finished bite was nicely balanced, and I really enjoyed it.

While I was eating, plenty of ducks were walking by, begging for food. Fortunately, none of them were too aggressive (unlike the birds at Flame Tree ).

Overall, it's great that Tamu Tamu Refreshments now offers a menu item that's unique and thematically appropriate to Africa. Now if only they would reintroduce the blueberry-banana-pineapple smoothie.

 

[Pinkgirl]

oooh that is a nice looking pita sandwich.

 

[mousegear]

All caught up! Life got hold of me so couldn't visit the board for awhile... Now the things are starting to get straight, I plan on reading other's dining review to get hyped up for our upcoming trip.

It's nice to see that some QS restaurants are coming up with more interesting menu aside from chicken nuggets and burgers.

I'm so looking foward to trying something from Sunshine Tree Terrace and Tamu Tamu's menu looks interesting as well.

 

[Dizneydaz]

Thanks for the Tamu Tamu review. That pita sandwich does look good! I too miss the smoothies there.

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

oooh that is a nice looking pita sandwich.

I hope it sticks around on the menu for a while - it's a nice change from a cheeseburger!

All caught up! Life got hold of me so couldn't visit the board for awhile... Now the things are starting to get straight, I plan on reading other's dining review to get hyped up for our upcoming trip.

It's nice to see that some QS restaurants are coming up with more interesting menu aside from chicken nuggets and burgers.

I'm so looking foward to trying something from Sunshine Tree Terrace and Tamu Tamu's menu looks interesting as well.

I'm glad things are calming down so you have the time to read dining reviews and get excited for your trip. Having a WDW trip on the horizon is such a great feeling.

And I agree on the QS places - they don't all need to serve hamburgers, pizza, and fries.

Thanks for the Tamu Tamu review. That pita sandwich does look good! I too miss the smoothies there.

I'm so excited to hear that someone else remembers the smoothies! They seem to be largely forgotten (unlike the beaver tail, handwich, figaro fries, or the recently-revived citrus swirl), but they were wonderful.

 

[MrsB1228]

Really enjoying your reviews and your pictures are wonderful! It's making me even more excited for our trip this fall, thanks so much for sharing your experiences!

 

[cbg1027]

The Captain's Grille has never really been on my radar, but that breakfast looks good! Depending on what Food and Wine events I reserve, I may have to have breakfast there one day in November since I'll be staying at BCV.

That beef pita looks delish!

 

[franandaj]

That pita sandwich looks pretty good. I might put that place on the list for our trip in January! Thanks for sharing.

 

[emmysmommy]

First, I really like that option of the pulled beef pita at Tamu Tamu but.... is it really worth $8.99? I think I'm getting cheap which makes no sense when I'm willing for fork over $50+ for breakfast at CRT! Glad to know there are good kiosk options at AK.

 

[maiziezoe]

Thank you for the wonderful compliments! Honestly, I think it would be awesome to be a food critic, writer, or photographer. If I could get a job doing that, I'd definitely consider it. But even if it's not my job (which it probably won't be), it'll certainly remain a strong interest of mine. I'm glad that you enjoy my writing style and photos.

I used to write restaurant reviews for a newspaper.... you would be great at it.

 

[megan511]

I have really enjoyed your reviews and pictures!

I totally agree with the previous posters that you would be a great food critic/photographer

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

Really enjoying your reviews and your pictures are wonderful! It's making me even more excited for our trip this fall, thanks so much for sharing your experiences!

Thanks so much for reading! I'm glad you're enjoying my reviews - dining reports certainly help pass the time when I'm waiting to go back.

The Captain's Grille has never really been on my radar, but that breakfast looks good! Depending on what Food and Wine events I reserve, I may have to have breakfast there one day in November since I'll be staying at BCV.

That beef pita looks delish!

I hope you get to try Captain's Grille breakfast! I can honestly say I'm surprised by how much it's grown on me, and now it's a must do (if we're staying in the Epcot area).

That pita sandwich looks pretty good. I might put that place on the list for our trip in January! Thanks for sharing.

I definitely recommend the pita sandwich - it's a great change from the more typical burgers and hot dog offerings.

First, I really like that option of the pulled beef pita at Tamu Tamu but.... is it really worth $8.99? I think I'm getting cheap which makes no sense when I'm willing for fork over $50+ for breakfast at CRT! Glad to know there are good kiosk options at AK.

Honestly, I don't know whether it's worth the price or not - Disney has shattered my illusions of sensible pricing. I guess for me, the price is worth it when I compare it to other Disney quick service locations - a Pecos Bill cheeseburger (also with apple slices or fries) would be $8.69, so for $0.30 more, I can get something more unique (albeit slightly less filling). Either way, it's overpriced, but I've already embraced that.

I used to write restaurant reviews for a newspaper.... you would be great at it.

Wow, I really appreciate that compliment! Thanks so much - I'll definitely do my best to be descriptive and analytical in the reviews for our next trip.

I have really enjoyed your reviews and pictures!

I totally agree with the previous posters that you would be a great food critic/photographer

Thanks so much for the kind words - I really enjoy writing these reviews, and I'm happy to hear that my reviews are actually enjoyable to people.

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

This is it - the last review of our May trip. Since we had a late flight (at around 8pm), we were able to enjoy a few items from the concierge lounge before leaving.

There were three cheeses to try - I'm pretty sure that (from left to right) they were cheddar, manchego, and midnight moon goat cheese.

There were also apple slices, lobster salad, olives, and assorted dips (and after I took this picture, they brought out PB&J and caramel sauce in cute little cups).

Close-up of the lobster salad

Here's more antipasti, crackers, and wheat bread.

In addition, there were two warm offerings - the dish on the right was crab rangoon, while the left was phyllo filled with red pepper and goat cheese.

Here's my plate. The lobster salad had noticeable chunks of sweet, tender lobster, and it was creamy without being overloaded with mayo. I liked all three of the cheeses - midnight moon (on the far right) is my favorite goat cheese ever since it reminds me more of gouda than a tangy, pungent goat cheese. I also grabbed a fig from the manchego plate and enjoyed combining its sweetness with the cheeses. The apple slice was also delicious - crunchy and with the sourness that I love from granny smith apples (my favorite apple for as long as I can remember).

Here's my mom's plate - someone had already started making amends for the wonderful food we tasted on this trip.

Once again, it was a great trip overall, with some wonderful food. The amazing highs (such as Yachtsman, my courses at Brown Derby, and Tutto Gusto's cheese plates) easily overshadowed the minor disappointments. This trip left us eager to return. And when might that be?

Hopefully in early July. We've already booked accommodation at the Contemporary (got a great AP rate for a garden wing standard view room), and we're excited about staying in the MK area again. As for the dining, our plans are still largely TBD (as usual). It's highly likely that we'll be dining at Artist Point (a true favorite) and Narcoossee's (they've made some exciting changes to the menu). Other likely restaurants are California Grill (we keep pushing it off since we're worried about being disappointed again, but I think it's time!) and San Angel Inn. We should be back from our July trip in less than a month, and I'm already looking forward to sharing my thoughts on the food.

 

[MrsB1228]

What a great review! Insightful, informative and thoroughly enjoyable! Thanks so much for taking the time to post this and I hope you and your mom have a wonderful trip in July. I can't wait to read all about your next round of Disney dining!