Let's see some of your dining review entries!

[calypso*a*go-go]

First of all, congratulations to the winners of the dining review contest!

With that being said, I thought it would be fun to see some of the submissions. So feel free to post yours on this thread. I'll start with my attempt at a humorous dining review:

I wanted to provide a dining review of a recent visit to a local eatery called: La Cuisine de Maman. This is a cozy little restaurant, one of those that once you walk in you feel as though you've been there before. We were fortunate to get the best table in the house, with place settings that were well appointed and gave a country-kitchen ambience. The nightly special was "Pain de Viande et Puree de Pommes de Terre". Although this sounded a bit too exotic for our taste, we decided to go out on a limb and give it a try! I have to say, it could not have been better had I made it myself...the beef was moist and tender, veiled with a delicate tomato sauce that was savory, yet tangy at the same time. The side dish was just as good -- just like mom used to make! Along with the entree came delicious seasonal vegetables that were the perfect accompaniment and appeared to be hand-picked. The dessert selection was a bit limited, however my family seemed happy with the selection. All in all it was a wonderful experience and I think I could eat at this restaurant every night and never grow tired of it!

Now, in case you haven't figured it out yet...this was a review of mom's kitchen, with me being the mom! (Hence the reason no critique was included of the waitstaff.) Yes, last night's dinner consisted of meatloaf with mashed potatoes that my kids squirted their usual half a bottle of ketchup on. Oh, and the seasonal, hand-picked vegetables were frozen green beans (well it is winter...and I did reach into the freezer to grab them!). And, we had ice cream for dessert (in keeping with the winter theme). I should probably mention that the best table is also the only table...but there's always room for one more, so come on by!

 

[aprince&princess]

That was really cute. I never submitted a review, but am curious to see them.

My husband wanted me to write one for the southwestern restaurant that we eat in every Friday night. We sometimes eat there twice a week, but I just didn't know what to write and thought it would be biased since it is everyone's favorite.

 

[Madi100]

First of all, congratulations to the winners of the dining review contest!

With that being said, I thought it would be fun to see some of the submissions. So feel free to post yours on this thread. I'll start with my attempt at a humorous dining review:

I wanted to provide a dining review of a recent visit to a local eatery called: La Cuisine de Maman. This is a cozy little restaurant, one of those that once you walk in you feel as though you've been there before. We were fortunate to get the best table in the house, with place settings that were well appointed and gave a country-kitchen ambience. The nightly special was "Pain de Viande et Puree de Pommes de Terre". Although this sounded a bit too exotic for our taste, we decided to go out on a limb and give it a try! I have to say, it could not have been better had I made it myself...the beef was moist and tender, veiled with a delicate tomato sauce that was savory, yet tangy at the same time. The side dish was just as good -- just like mom used to make! Along with the entree came delicious seasonal vegetables that were the perfect accompaniment and appeared to be hand-picked. The dessert selection was a bit limited, however my family seemed happy with the selection. All in all it was a wonderful experience and I think I could eat at this restaurant every night and never grow tired of it!

Now, in case you haven't figured it out yet...this was a review of mom's kitchen, with me being the mom! (Hence the reason no critique was included of the waitstaff.) Yes, last night's dinner consisted of meatloaf with mashed potatoes that my kids squirted their usual half a bottle of ketchup on. Oh, and the seasonal, hand-picked vegetables were frozen green beans (well it is winter...and I did reach into the freezer to grab them!). And, we had ice cream for dessert (in keeping with the winter theme). I should probably mention that the best table is also the only table...but there's always room for one more, so come on by!

Great review! I didn't do one otherwise I'd share.

 

[MenashaCorp]

What time to come by? I dont want to be tardy.


Those who are tardy do not get fruit cup...

 

[DebºoºS]

mmmmmm sounds delic as RR would say and a very good review too

I didn't write a review for the contest. Am looking forward to others posting.

 

[calypso*a*go-go]

What time to come by? I dont want to be tardy.


Those who are tardy do not get fruit cup...

That's right -- you screw up my fruit cup distribution and there's going to be big trouble!!!

PS: You've never tried my cooking...believe me when I tell you there'd probably be better offerings lowered down with a bucket/rope to the cistern!

 

[IHeartTink04]

I thought they said they were going to post the winner's entries? Did I overlook them somewhere?

 

[Minnie Lor]

Very, very cute. You had me going.

Here's mine: (not cute but it was my best effort)

For years, I have heard nothing but positive reviews of Boma’s at the Animal Kingdom Lodge. I had never experienced it for myself so I put it on my ‘must-do’ list for this past December. I was traveling solo on this trip and so I made arrangements ahead of time to meet a friend for dinner there.


We both arrived early for our 7:20 ADR and decided to see if they could seat us any earlier.


I happened to see a sign that said that the check-in hostess station for Boma’s was upstairs in the lobby instead of downstairs in front of the restaurant. I’m sure that can sometimes confuse people if they miss the sign. The hostess said that it would be 20-30 minute wait and gave us a buzzer. She also told us that when the buzzer went off to go to the hostess station downstairs in front of the restaurant and they would seat us.


It wasn’t long before the buzzer went off and our hostess seated us. I found the restaurant décor to be casual but warm and inviting. Our waiter came by quickly to take our drink orders and gave us a brief run down on where everything was at the buffet.


Since this was my first time trying African food, I wanted to sample a little bit of everything. We set off for the soup and salad area and we found plenty of wonderful foods to try. I had a small bowl of Chicken Corn Chowder that was creamy but had a tiny bit of kick to it. It made with chunks of potatoes, diced chicken, red peppers, and corn. I could’ve made a meal just on the soup alone because it was fabulous.


I tried various salads but the stand-outs for me were the potato salad and the couscous salad. The potato salad tasted like regular American potato salad but with something extra added in. I’ve since looked up the recipe and it has yucca, sweet potatoes, and regular potatoes in it. So it wasn’t as ordinary as I thought but still it was wonderful without being too ‘foreign’ for me. I believe the couscous salad had some fruit in it but I’m not sure.


Next, we tried the hot food stations and there was alot to choose from. They had a carving station along with serving trays of various foods. I sampled a bit of almost everything. The dishes that stood out for me were the wood roasted carved beef, the traditional African Bobotie, the mashed white and sweet potatoes, roasted vegetables, potatoes with Afritude, and Falafel’s. Everything was really delicious and a couple of dishes were outstanding.


After we finished our samples of entrees and sides we headed over to the dessert buffet. There were several interesting desserts to choose from. I had read so many rave reviews of the Zebra Domes that I knew that it was a ‘must’ for me. Oh ~ the reviews aren’t wrong. I agree with them. Zebra Domes are fantastic! They are one of, if not the best dessert that I’ve ever had. A Zebra Dome is small mound of Kahlua, espresso, and chocolate mousse covered in a white ganache and drizzled with chocolate on top so that it looks like the black stripes of a zebra. They were awesome!


Our waiter was great especially when it came time to pay our bills. I had the Disney Dining Experience but my friend did not. The waiter still applied the 20% discount to her check as well as mine. We both gave him a good tip because he did a great job. He took care of us without being intrusive.


Some people may be nervous about trying Boma’s for the first time because they’re afraid that they won’t like it or that the flavors will be too different. I think that if you go with an open mind and plan to sample everything that you will find new things that you’ll like. For the truly unadventurous eater there was still plenty to eat.


I thoroughly enjoyed my dinner at Boma’s and am hoping to share it with my husband on our next trip.

 

[calypso*a*go-go]

I enjoyed your review Lorie! I've always wanted to try Boma but never seem to make it there. However, DH and I did explore AKL for an hour or so during our last stay and managed to find some Zebra Domes in the food court. I agree -- they were delish!!!

 

[Minnie Lor]

I enjoyed your review Lorie! I've always wanted to try Boma but never seem to make it there. However, DH and I did explore AKL for an hour or so during our last stay and managed to find some Zebra Domes in the food court. I agree -- they were delish!!!

There's Zebra Domes in the food court? Holy moly! Stop the presses! I got to work AKL into my next two trips.

 

[calypso*a*go-go]

There's Zebra Domes in the food court? Holy moly! Stop the presses! I got to work AKL into my next two trips.

Yep -- they're in the refrigerated section.

 

[Mouse Skywalker]

First of all, congratulations to the winners of the dining review contest!

With that being said, I thought it would be fun to see some of the submissions. So feel free to post yours on this thread. I'll start with my attempt at a humorous dining review:

I wanted to provide a dining review of a recent visit to a local eatery called: La Cuisine de Maman. This is a cozy little restaurant, one of those that once you walk in you feel as though you've been there before. We were fortunate to get the best table in the house, with place settings that were well appointed and gave a country-kitchen ambience. The nightly special was "Pain de Viande et Puree de Pommes de Terre". Although this sounded a bit too exotic for our taste, we decided to go out on a limb and give it a try! I have to say, it could not have been better had I made it myself...the beef was moist and tender, veiled with a delicate tomato sauce that was savory, yet tangy at the same time. The side dish was just as good -- just like mom used to make! Along with the entree came delicious seasonal vegetables that were the perfect accompaniment and appeared to be hand-picked. The dessert selection was a bit limited, however my family seemed happy with the selection. All in all it was a wonderful experience and I think I could eat at this restaurant every night and never grow tired of it!

Now, in case you haven't figured it out yet...this was a review of mom's kitchen, with me being the mom! (Hence the reason no critique was included of the waitstaff.) Yes, last night's dinner consisted of meatloaf with mashed potatoes that my kids squirted their usual half a bottle of ketchup on. Oh, and the seasonal, hand-picked vegetables were frozen green beans (well it is winter...and I did reach into the freezer to grab them!). And, we had ice cream for dessert (in keeping with the winter theme). I should probably mention that the best table is also the only table...but there's always room for one more, so come on by!

Very clever and cute review. Great job! I loved the description of meatloaf with mashed potatoes. My DD7 would be in heaven. She's a "mashed-potato-tarian" (her word).

 

[Mouse Skywalker]

Very, very cute. You had me going.

Here's mine: (not cute but it was my best effort)

For years, I have heard nothing but positive reviews of Boma’s at the Animal Kingdom Lodge. I had never experienced it for myself so I put it on my ‘must-do’ list for this past December. I was traveling solo on this trip and so I made arrangements ahead of time to meet a friend for dinner there.


We both arrived early for our 7:20 ADR and decided to see if they could seat us any earlier.


I happened to see a sign that said that the check-in hostess station for Boma’s was upstairs in the lobby instead of downstairs in front of the restaurant. I’m sure that can sometimes confuse people if they miss the sign. The hostess said that it would be 20-30 minute wait and gave us a buzzer. She also told us that when the buzzer went off to go to the hostess station downstairs in front of the restaurant and they would seat us.


It wasn’t long before the buzzer went off and our hostess seated us. I found the restaurant décor to be casual but warm and inviting. Our waiter came by quickly to take our drink orders and gave us a brief run down on where everything was at the buffet.


Since this was my first time trying African food, I wanted to sample a little bit of everything. We set off for the soup and salad area and we found plenty of wonderful foods to try. I had a small bowl of Chicken Corn Chowder that was creamy but had a tiny bit of kick to it. It made with chunks of potatoes, diced chicken, red peppers, and corn. I could’ve made a meal just on the soup alone because it was fabulous.


I tried various salads but the stand-outs for me were the potato salad and the couscous salad. The potato salad tasted like regular American potato salad but with something extra added in. I’ve since looked up the recipe and it has yucca, sweet potatoes, and regular potatoes in it. So it wasn’t as ordinary as I thought but still it was wonderful without being too ‘foreign’ for me. I believe the couscous salad had some fruit in it but I’m not sure.


Next, we tried the hot food stations and there was alot to choose from. They had a carving station along with serving trays of various foods. I sampled a bit of almost everything. The dishes that stood out for me were the wood roasted carved beef, the traditional African Bobotie, the mashed white and sweet potatoes, roasted vegetables, potatoes with Afritude, and Falafel’s. Everything was really delicious and a couple of dishes were outstanding.


After we finished our samples of entrees and sides we headed over to the dessert buffet. There were several interesting desserts to choose from. I had read so many rave reviews of the Zebra Domes that I knew that it was a ‘must’ for me. Oh ~ the reviews aren’t wrong. I agree with them. Zebra Domes are fantastic! They are one of, if not the best dessert that I’ve ever had. A Zebra Dome is small mound of Kahlua, espresso, and chocolate mousse covered in a white ganache and drizzled with chocolate on top so that it looks like the black stripes of a zebra. They were awesome!


Our waiter was great especially when it came time to pay our bills. I had the Disney Dining Experience but my friend did not. The waiter still applied the 20% discount to her check as well as mine. We both gave him a good tip because he did a great job. He took care of us without being intrusive.


Some people may be nervous about trying Boma’s for the first time because they’re afraid that they won’t like it or that the flavors will be too different. I think that if you go with an open mind and plan to sample everything that you will find new things that you’ll like. For the truly unadventurous eater there was still plenty to eat.


I thoroughly enjoyed my dinner at Boma’s and am hoping to share it with my husband on our next trip.

Lorie- Thanks for sharing your review. I've never been to Boma, and I really want to try it. I've heard so much about the Zebra domes, and your description makes them sound delicious...

 

[Mouse Skywalker]

OK, everyone, I didn't want to step on the PodSquad's toes at all by posting my review before they could, but since people are asking for it I thought I would post it here. I also am a little embarassed to post it because I certainly don't want people to think I am flaunting it. I don't think it is that creative. I guess it tickled Kevin and Pete someway. Here it is. I'm also curious to read what the other winner and finalists had too.

Śi Śi Monsieur – An international dining experience complete with Princesses…

Princess Storybook Dining at Akershus Royal Banquet Hall in the Norway Pavilion at EPCoT you ask? Le Cellier in Canada? Bistro de Paris in France? It couldn’t be the Biergarten Restaurant in Germany? Why no, we’re talking about the International House of Pancakes (IHOP) in Rochester, NY, a world wide culinary experience that whisks you around the globe through the power of pancakes all under a single roof. Note - the princesses came in the form of my two daughters, Marguerite Age 10 and Evelyn Age 6 who joined me on this expedition.

This dining experience started when my wife had a Friday evening book group with her friends. That left me to scramble for dinner with my two Princesses. I saw a commercial on TV for “All You Can Eat Pancakes” and being adventurous we decided to try it on a Friday evening with no ADR! Our party of three walked into the restaurant around 5:45 pm. The ambiance and lighting resembled your local operating theater – bright and sterile. However, with the flags of Norway, Germany, and the United States around I think they were aiming for more of a travel theme. Therefore, I liken the ambiance to that of a travel port – perhaps a bus depot in Berlin (or maybe the cruise port in Tampa?). Once my eyes adjust to the bright lights I spot our hostess. I ask if it’s possible to be seated without an ADR and this request entitles me to one complementary blank stare. Apparently I mystified the hostess so she abandoned our party to attend to the efflux of people prior to seating us. After a five minute wait we’re escorted to an innovative type of seating unit I will attempt to describe. There’s a large flat plank in the middle, with two lower elongated plastic seats on either side. It seems to be some sort of international eating pod called a booth. I believe it must be European.

We peruse the menu while waiting for our server. Reading the menu my mind drifts to EPCoT’s World Showcase. The international menu includes T-Bone Steak and Eggs that reminds one of Le Cellier, Italian Cheese Straws and Shrimp Caesar Salad (contributed by the Roman empire I presume), Vive La French Toast, Belgian Waffles, Swedish Crepes, and Cheese Blintzes. The only thing missing from the EPCoT experience is “Eliminations”, but I can only guess that will come after our dining experience. One could also get the complete around the world experience by ordering the “International Passport” described as two eggs, two bacon strips, two pork sausage links and two French, Swedish, or German crepes.

German crepes? Possibly they’re made from some sort of cabbage leaves.

We order drinks while taking in the rest of the menu – two hot chocolates (Swiss?) for the Princesses and ice water for myself.

When our server returns we place our order. I go with the house special – “All You can Eat Pancakes with Two Eggs and Hashbrowns”. The Princesses both order something befitting their demure, royal status… the “Funny Face” Pancake made with chocolate batter and filled with chocolate chips.

Dinner arrives, and in all honesty I am pleasantly surprised. All and all the food was quite tasty. My dinner included the eggs and hashbrowns, which were, well, eggs and hashbrowns. The eggs were fine if unremarkable and maybe a little bland (they needed some salt), and the hashbrowns tilted towards the greasy side. However, the stack of pancakes was absolutely delicious. You received two pancakes the size of a small dessert plate, and the thickness of a pat of butter, that were very light and fluffy. Our table did not have maple syrup, but came stocked with butter pecan, strawberry, blueberry, and boysenberry syrups on it. So while we waited for the maple syrup we tried all the other syrups on the pancakes. The butter pecan syrup was reminiscent of an extra buttery “Mrs. Butterworth’s”. The blueberry syrup also had a nice fruit taste, and was not overly sweet, but the strawberry and boysenberry syrups had an artificial “chemical” taste to them, and were much too overpowering and sweet. The maple syrup eventually arrived, and that was the perfect topping for the pancakes. Good maple flavor that complemented the light pancakes nicely.

The “Funny Face” meal had by both Princesses was a big hit. It was one large, dinner plate sized chocolate brown pancake filled with chocolate chips. On top were whipped cream eyes with cherries for pupils and a whipped cream smile sprinkled with chocolate chips. The 6 year old Princess exclaimed, “It was so GOOD! I can’t believe this is dinner!” Our 10 year old Princess ate the Funny Face sans syrup, but the 6 year old Princess tried some of the various toppings. Although the blueberry syrup was described as “yeeeeeech…”, the maple syrup was quite popular and the entire pancake was devoured. I tried the chocolate Funny Face pancake and would describe it as eating a light chocolate cake with melted chocolate inside and covered with a sweet syrup. [Maybe we shouldn’t tell Mom what we had for dinner.]

Our server was attentive throughout the meal, continuing to refill our water, and continuing to bring more of the all you can eat pancakes without being prompted. In fact, he probably brought one plate too many, and the last stack of three pancakes was not eaten at all (although he did offer to wrap them to go).

We all finish our dinners, receive our bill, and take it to the front counter. At this point we receive the best surprise. Unbeknownst to us, Friday is “Kids Eat Free” night at this local IHOP. So the cost for myself and my two Princesses to fill ourselves to the brim with pancakes was less than $10. Truly a bargain, and a fun evening with my daughters. OK, so we weren’t eating around the world at EPCoT, and there was no “Eliminations” fireworks show afterwards, but it was a great family evening with good food at a good price and the best company.

 

[MenashaCorp]

No dessert?

Good review. Nice job.

 

[calypso*a*go-go]

Dave ~

I absolutely loved it!!! Pete and Kevin definitely picked a winner...

 

[UrsulasShadow]

Oh, DAVE.........


Great review! BAAAAAAD dinner....hope you were duly chastised and punished (if the DW needs lessons on how this is done, PM me).

 

[Tonya2426]

Great review Dave!!

But I think you need to go back and review the Rooty Tooty Fresh N' Fruity for us. I can't figure out what country this is from and need your help. (And, I just like saying Rooty Tooty Fresh N' Fruity. )

 

[ADP]

Thanks for starting this thread Calypso.

I went back to find my final draft of the review, but was unable to locate it. My PC has crashed since I submitted it back in January so all I have to post is the pre-final draft. It's pretty close to the final draft though. So here it goes. I hope you enjoy it!

Hi All,

We just returned from Orlando on Sunday, Oct 28th. We attended Dine with Shamu on 10/19 at Sea World. We were seated at table 25 which was a great location. You're table is assigned to you based on when you booked your meal through Sea World's dining reservation hotline. The sooner you book your reservation the better table you will receive. Our particular dinner was sold out for that day.

At 4:00PM we headed for the backstage entrance at Believe stadium. We were greeted by a hostess who asked for our last name. She found our name on a list and gave us each a lanyard with a VIP backstage pass inserted in the sleeve that we wore around our necks. We were then taken to our table by another hostess who asked us a few questions about our day at Sea World. Once we were seated she kindly told us who our server would be and how the experience would work. I call this meal an experience because to us it was more than just a dinner.

The restaurant or seating area was C-shaped around the backstage pool where Shamu and friends practice between performances at Believe Stadium. The layout provides a good viewing location of the pool throughout the restaurant; however, some seats would require you to turn your head for optimal viewing of Shamu.

Our servers name was Mark. He immediately came over to our table and asked us what we would like to drink and told us we could go to the buffet at anytime. The buffet was located in a room called the "Green Room" just behind the dining area. The room was rather small and the line seemed unorganized because of the way the food was presented. Food items included seafood creole, oven roasted turkey breast, roasted chicken, pasta and several sides including mashed potatoes and gravy, and a vegetable medoly. The buffet has a child's area with food just for them. There were also several desserts including cakes, pies, cookies, and bananas foster flambe. The food was fresh, well prepared, and absolutely delicious.

The cost of the meal was $39.00 for adults and $19.00 for children ages 3 - 9 + tax. Budweiser products were included with this price. A 10% AAA discount is available for members.

Once we finished our food a trainer introduced himself and told everyone how trainers interact with the killer whales at Sea World. They use a series of under water tones which tell the whales what to do. The trainer gave the audience a few examples. We could actually hear the same tones and watch how Shamu reacted. There were a few tricks and then Shamu actually paid us a visit near our table. It was really incredible watching how Shamu reacted to the audible tones and how close he got to us. Another trainer explained to us how they develop a relationship with the killer whales at Sea World. She also explained the importance of rewarding the whales after they successfully perform a task.

Next we received a visit from one of the trainers at our table. We were able to ask the trainer questions. She told us some of her job duties and what she experiences in a typical days work. The interaction was terrific. At this point I realized how educational this experience was becoming. This just wasn't a typical dinner, but it included an educational component I wasn't expecting. If you've ever wanted to know how Sea World interacts with its marine life you will want to make it a point to attend this experience.

My personal view of this event is it is well worth it. It is an educational experience as well as an opportunity to see Shamu up close. This food was delicious and well worth the price in my opinion. The buffet room did get a bit tight at times and seemed unorganized. Beyond that everything was perfect. I would suggest this meal to anyone!

Here are a few pictures from the event:

Beverages available included with your meal

Banannas foster table outside the main buffet room

Our Daughter Anna with the trainer that visited our table

Our server Mark. He was fantastic! He lowered the shade for us as he saw the sun was bothering us.

These badges were given to us in a lanyard we could keep and wear around our necks. It made us feel special.

Our visit from Shamu. This was simply spectacular and one of the highlights of the meal.

The wall along the dining area sports graphics and information about killer whales and the Believe stadium.

The dessert table inside the "Green Room" or buffet room. Very delicious!

A trainer had Shamu perform tricks for the dining audience.

 

[calypso*a*go-go]

Yea...another review of something I've always wanted to do -- but never have!!! Geez, I'd probably have made it a priority to book Dining w/Shamu a lot sooner if I'd seen those pictures of the dessert table.

Keep 'em coming folks!