Quick Recap of our DDP TS Restaurants

[jsfein]

Just returned from an 8/28 to 9/5 visit. I plan on reviewing our meals more fully in my trip report (when I get around to it), but for those who are in the planning stages and want some info on where we ate, here's our list of TS restaurants. By the way, we were on the DDP and had 3 kids in our party, ages 8, 6 & 4.

Ohana -- have eaten here many times. We prefer the appetizers over the smoked meats. Love the bread pudding dessert. Service on this visit was poor. Our table was in the hinderlands which also led to a less than great experience. May skip Ohana next time around.

Spoodles -- first time visit. Really liked the look of the dining room. Good, not great meal. Good service. Would return on DDP, but probably not if paying OOP.

Coral Reef -- first time visit. Longest wait for table of trip (around 40 minutes). Food was okay. IMO, you don't eat here for the quality of the food, but for the novelty of the aquarium which the kids loved. Had best dessert of vacation here -- Chocolate Wave. Will probably return to, but not a must-do.

Whispering Canyon Cafe -- have eaten here many times. You either love it or hate it and we love it. To my surprise, had the best service of all the restaurants (usually service is lacking). Ask for Kate, she's great. Although the antics may have been toned down since our visit last year, still plenty entertaining. Ate more food here than anywhere else -- bottomless milk shakes, all you can eat platter, huge desserts. Remains a must do for us.

1900 Park Fare -- first time visit. Ate here for DD4 who loved every minute of it. Standard buffet fare. Not too crowded or crazy like Chef Mickey's. Good bread pudding dessert. Not a must repeat, except for the characters.

Le Cellier -- second visit and best meal of trip, despite spotty service. I love the cellar-like space. Had a 15 minute wait for a table, but the CMs at the host stand kept the kids entertained with Canada trivia questions. Love the breads, soup, filet mushroom risotto, ice wine, etc. Will definitely continue to return to.

Kona Kafe -- first time visit and most anticipated. Had read such great things on the DIS boards and menu looked so interesting. Unfortunatley, the food just did nothing for us and it was the biggest disappointment of our trip. Service, however, was very good. I really, really wanted to love this place and have it as my Poly replacement for Ohana. Won't be returning too soon.

Wolfgang Puck Cafe -- first time visit. This was a spur of the moment decision and a very pleasant one. Interesting space, excellent service, and good food. Will return.

We did have one standout CS meal worth mentioning -- Tangerine Cafe. This has got to be the best CS value and IMO the best counter service food in WDW. Will be an absolute must do on next trip.

I'd be happy to provide details as to what we ate for anyone interested or answer any questions.

 

[sandybobandy]

Great reviews!

Can I ask did you have breakfast or dinner at Spoodles?

 

[jsfein]

Dinner at Spoodles and at all the restaurants mentioned.

 

[Simba's Mom]

What did you have to eat at Spoodles and at Coral Reef?

 

[jsfein]

What did you have to eat at Spoodles and at Coral Reef?

At Spoodles, DW & I had identical meals (which is very unusual for us). We both ordered based upon our server's recommendations of the Garlic Shrimp appetizer and the New York Strip Steak entree. Incidentally, these were the two most expensive appetizers and entrees on the menu and resulted in the maximum fixed tip to the server on the DDP. However, I don't think this is why the server suggested these appetizers and entrees, but rather it was my impression that these are the restaurant's signature dishes. The Garlic Shrimp was very good, served butterflied and with sufficient garlic. If I recall, the temperature was a little close to room temperature and could have been warmer. DW enjoyed the steak more than I did ... she's more than a steak person than I am. This was one of our earlier meals of the trip and had I realized that most restaurant menus are limited to 5-6 entrees with at least one steak option on each menu, I would probably have chosen something different. (We ate more steak than we normally do over our week of DDP.) The kids started with the flatbread pizzas ... quite good. Their entrees were standard fare -- pasta and burgers. For dessert, DW had gelato. I forget the flavors, but I recall them being very good. I had the white chocolate orange cake which was not particularly memorable. The kids make your own ice cream sundaes served on artist palletes were a lot of fun. Service here was above average in comparison to other TS restaurants we dined ate.

At Coral Reef, DW and the kids started off with the lobster bisque. I thought the bisque was quite good, DW thought it was okay. I had the shrimp cocktail which was attractively served in a martini glass, but the shrimp were on the small side. For entrees, DW had the crab cakes which were more filler than lump crab. I had the mahi mahi which was perhaps my worst entree of the trip. It was way oversalted. The kids also thought it was gross that I was eating fish at this restaurant (but didn't have a problem with DW's crab cakes ... go figure). The Israeli cous cous was a nice change of pace. Once again, pasta and burgers for the kids. The Chocolate Wave was amazing ... decidedly the best dessert of the trip for me. DW had the cheesecake which she said was good. Make your own sundaes again for the kids. Having the aquarium was entertaining, especially since a scuba dive was going on during our dinner and the divers were very playful with the kids on the other side of the glass. Service here was so-so. Difficult to get soda refills and bread and not very friendly.

 

[swankybeth]

Thanks for sharing your reviews. Dh and I are trying Coral Reef for the first time on our next trip, and I cannot wait to try the chocolate wave!

 

[bicker]

However, I don't think this is why the server suggested these appetizers and entrees, but rather it was my impression that these are the restaurant's signature dishes.

I don't believe so. While the Garlic Shrimp is one of the restaurant's signature appetizers, the steak is really just on there to satisfy folks who want a steak. I believe the Lemon Chicken and the [font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Portuguese Seafood Stew[/font] are the signature entrees at Spoodles -- items you cannot find anywhere else.

 

[Minniespal]

Enjoyed reading your reviews ~ Thanx for sharing.

 

[llqool]

Thanks for the reviews. I am interested to know what you had at Kona that disappointed you so much? we are trying it for the first time on our next trip.

 

[jsfein]

Thanks for the reviews. I am interested to know what you had at Kona that disappointed you so much? we are trying it for the first time on our next trip.

We had an early ADR (around 5:15) and arrived 10 minutes early to a nearly empty restaurant. Despite plenty of available wait staff and empty tables, we were given a pager and were forced to wait at least 20 minutes before given a table. We waited at the hostess stand the entire time with 3 antsy kids. This was a bad start to the meal.

I started off with the sticky wings and DW had the crab cakes. The crab cakes came out kind of oily and a bit too crisp as if they had been fried for too long. The sticky wings were good and probably the best part of the meal, but I preferred the honey flavored wings offered at Ohana more. My entree was pan asian pasta and I substituted shrimp for chicken. I really enjoy asian/fusion inspired dishes, but this dish was tasteless and full of hard, uninteresting vegetables. I ate very little. DW had the filet mignon which was okay, but not as good as other steaks we had during our trip (Le Cellier and Wolfgang Puck Cafe were much better). For desserts, DW had the caramel-banana creme brulee. She's not a huge creme brulee person and needed a change of pace from cake desserts we had been eating all week. I tasted the creme brulee and found it to be okay. Nothing jumped out at me for dessert so I told the server to bring me her favorite dessert which turned out to be white chocolate cheesecake. I'm pretty sure I finished it all, but don't recall it as being particularly memorable. Our server at Kona was very good.

Overall, not the experience I had hoped for.

 

[NMW]

Thanks for the reviews!

We are doing Wolfgang Puck for the first time in Oct. I know you wrote that your wife had the steak and enjoyed it, what did the rest of the family get?

 

[jsfein]

Actually, at Wolfgang Puck Cafe I had the steak. We started off with the spinach dip. This was a huge serving and could have easily been shared by several people. After the first few bites, DW and I weren't sure if we liked the taste, but it quickly grew on us and we went on to devour the plate. We also had the crab cakes which were full of lump crab and had a nice relish/tartar sauce accompanying it. DW had the shrimp fettucine (minus the scallops). I was so full from the appetizers and the daunting steak in front of me that I didn't taste this, but DW enjoyed it. I couldn't decide between the filet and the Wolf's steak and asked our server for his preference which was the Wolf's steak. I asked for it medium rare and it came out closer to rare, but IMO cooked perfectly and very tender. I'm a sucker for crispy onion strings so this dish was a homerun for me. For dessert, DW had the chocolate fondue. Again, plenty to share but I was so full that I didn't taste hers. I had the carrot cake ... a huge serving which was really good but I just couldn't finish. The kids ordered their standby's -- pasta and burgers. They also really enjoyed the make your own sundaes. Service here was better than at most of the park/resort restaurants we ate at. We will return here again.

 

[dawgfan]

Thanks for the review.