We weren't staying on property this year, but my parents are conveniently located about 1/2 hour from WDW so we ended up spending quite a bit of time there. We ate several meals at various locations. Happily, we didn't run into any lost PS's, lousy servers or rude Guests. Unless otherwise indicated, the meals were attended by me, DW, DS (6) and DD (4).
Chef Mickey's (dinner): My Mom and Dad, my brother and nephew joined us for our annual meal at Chef Mickey's. The dinner was a pretty decent buffet. I tried out the salad, the beef tips, some kind of chicken, medium well prime rib, carrots and the parmasean mashed potatoes. Everything was tasty, and I've always been a big fan of the mashed potatoes. The kids enjoyed the chicken fingers and Mickey-shaped mac & cheese. Desert was ice cream from the make-your-own sundae bar. The kids skipped the ice cream and went right for the candy toppings.
Character interaction was good; we saw all the characters (Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Chip & Dale, plus Donald greeting in the lobby) at least once and most of them twice. Our server was friendly and attentive. Total cost of the meal for the eight of us, including an 18% automatic gratuity for the large party, was $200.
Rainforest Cafe - Downtown Disney (lunch): We stopped here for the first time after discovering there was no wait at lunch time. We hadn't been to any Rainforest Cafe in a couple of years. On our last visit to the Burlington, MA location DD was a bit overwhelmed by the animals and the thunder and lightning. She was still a bit bothered by the thunder, but recovered nicely. I had the China Island Chicken Salad and DW had the Big Islander Chicken Cesar. Both were huge and tasty; we'd get them again on a subsequent visit. The kids both got the dinosaur shaped chicken nuggets. They ate them all, so I guess they were good. The server was very attentive and refilled our drinks frequently, brought extra napkins when asked and was very good overall. Including tip, lunch was about $50.
Ghirardelli's (snack): We didn't go for anything fancy here. The kids and DW had ice cream cones and I had a frappe/milk shake/cabinet (depending on what part of the country you're from). The shake was pretty good; it's amazing how few people know how to make a decent one these days. The ice cream was rich and very tasty. Service was a bit on the slow side, but they were pretty mobbed in mid-afternoon on a warm, sunny day.
House of Blues (dinner): Our only "grown-ups" meal of the week, we went here afther seeing "Cheaper by the Dozen" while Mom & Dad watched the kids. We were quoted a 40 minute wait, which actually turned out to be about 20. It's a good thing the beeper range reached the Virgin Megastore, or we might have missed out! I had the jambalaya and DW had the baby back ribs. The jambalaya was nicely spicy without being overwhelming (although our server did warn me not to eat the red pepper!) and had plenty of chicken, sausage and shrimp. A cold Sam Adams lager was the perfect chaser. The ribs were very meaty and tasty. The service was excellent and everything was brought out quickly. Total cost was about $65.
Le Cellier (dinner): This was easily our best meal of the week. The legendary cheddar cheese soup and pretzel bread lived up to expectations, which was saying something given how people have talked them up on this board. DW and I both had the New York Strip steak. This was one of the best steaks I've ever had, including high-end steakhouses like Morton's and the Capital Grille in Boston. It was cooked exactly the way I asked for it (medium well). Our server, Ellissa, was outstanding. She was very attentive and came by several times during the meal. She also establised a great rapport with the kids, which really added to their enjoyment of the meal. Total cost, including a very generous tip, was about $100.
That's it. Please feel free to ask any questions.
Chef Mickey's (dinner): My Mom and Dad, my brother and nephew joined us for our annual meal at Chef Mickey's. The dinner was a pretty decent buffet. I tried out the salad, the beef tips, some kind of chicken, medium well prime rib, carrots and the parmasean mashed potatoes. Everything was tasty, and I've always been a big fan of the mashed potatoes. The kids enjoyed the chicken fingers and Mickey-shaped mac & cheese. Desert was ice cream from the make-your-own sundae bar. The kids skipped the ice cream and went right for the candy toppings.
Character interaction was good; we saw all the characters (Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Chip & Dale, plus Donald greeting in the lobby) at least once and most of them twice. Our server was friendly and attentive. Total cost of the meal for the eight of us, including an 18% automatic gratuity for the large party, was $200.Rainforest Cafe - Downtown Disney (lunch): We stopped here for the first time after discovering there was no wait at lunch time. We hadn't been to any Rainforest Cafe in a couple of years. On our last visit to the Burlington, MA location DD was a bit overwhelmed by the animals and the thunder and lightning. She was still a bit bothered by the thunder, but recovered nicely. I had the China Island Chicken Salad and DW had the Big Islander Chicken Cesar. Both were huge and tasty; we'd get them again on a subsequent visit. The kids both got the dinosaur shaped chicken nuggets. They ate them all, so I guess they were good. The server was very attentive and refilled our drinks frequently, brought extra napkins when asked and was very good overall. Including tip, lunch was about $50.
Ghirardelli's (snack): We didn't go for anything fancy here. The kids and DW had ice cream cones and I had a frappe/milk shake/cabinet (depending on what part of the country you're from). The shake was pretty good; it's amazing how few people know how to make a decent one these days. The ice cream was rich and very tasty. Service was a bit on the slow side, but they were pretty mobbed in mid-afternoon on a warm, sunny day.
House of Blues (dinner): Our only "grown-ups" meal of the week, we went here afther seeing "Cheaper by the Dozen" while Mom & Dad watched the kids. We were quoted a 40 minute wait, which actually turned out to be about 20. It's a good thing the beeper range reached the Virgin Megastore, or we might have missed out! I had the jambalaya and DW had the baby back ribs. The jambalaya was nicely spicy without being overwhelming (although our server did warn me not to eat the red pepper!) and had plenty of chicken, sausage and shrimp. A cold Sam Adams lager was the perfect chaser. The ribs were very meaty and tasty. The service was excellent and everything was brought out quickly. Total cost was about $65.
Le Cellier (dinner): This was easily our best meal of the week. The legendary cheddar cheese soup and pretzel bread lived up to expectations, which was saying something given how people have talked them up on this board. DW and I both had the New York Strip steak. This was one of the best steaks I've ever had, including high-end steakhouses like Morton's and the Capital Grille in Boston. It was cooked exactly the way I asked for it (medium well). Our server, Ellissa, was outstanding. She was very attentive and came by several times during the meal. She also establised a great rapport with the kids, which really added to their enjoyment of the meal. Total cost, including a very generous tip, was about $100.
That's it. Please feel free to ask any questions.
