Tag Archives: Disney Dining Reviews

Disney Dining – Shula’s Steakhouse

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Shula's-Place-SettingSo many restaurants, so little time!  At Walt Disney World, steak-lovers have no shortage of options.  Three popular choices include Le Cellier (Epcot, World Showcase Canada Pavilion), Yachtsman’s Steakhouse (Yacht Club Resort),  and Shula’s Steakhouse (Dolphin Resort).  We’d tried two of the three and on our most recent trip to the World made dining at Shula’s for the first time a top priority.  And we were so happy we did!

Disney Dining – Shula’s Steakhouse

If you’re not a football fan, brace yourself for the décor when you walk through the door (you’ll get used to it once you taste the first bite of food).  If you ARE a football fan, you are going to love Shula’s theme.  Shula's-Orlando Shula's-Dining-Room-OrlandoThe original Shula’s Steakhouse opened in 1989 (Miami Lakes, Florida) and, according to our hostess, the first menus were printed on footballs.  This explained why she escorted us to our table carrying a football (one of the menu-bearing ones) – which she left on our table for us to examine at our leisure.Shula's-Football

The wait-staff (dressed formally in black and white) is very serious about making dining in Shula’s an excellent, worth-the-splurge experience.  They are professional yet friendly and informative – a team working together to achieve the goal (see what I did there?) of scoring a return visit from first-time guests.  In our case, it was a big victory.Shula's-Wine Shula's-Bread

We started with an appetizer to share – the BBQ Shrimp – recommended by our server, Kyle.  The unique sauce and preparation made this dish a big hit with us.  Sweet, tangy, smoky and with a lovely crunch of bacon!Shula's-BBQ-Shrimp

We also shared a salad – the Chopped tomato and mozzarella, which was also delicious, but in hindsight, we should not have ordered because we could not finish the most important course of the evening.Shula's-Salad

It really is all about the steak.  Raymond and I each ordered a filet.  According to Shula’s website, the “Shula Cut” is key to how these (insert adjective of your choice here.  Ours include amazing, incredible, indescribably delicious, ridiculously tender, and unbelievably tasty) steaks achieve their well-earned reputation.  Shula's-Filet-Two Shula's-Filet-OneSeriously – if you love steak, you will be ecstatic.  Kyle stepped in with another recommendation on a side dish – the corn.  Corn?  Seriously?  OMG!!!  This was not like any corn we’d had before.Shula's-CornLike Kyle, we highly recommend the corn!  We also ordered a side of sautéed spinach.  (If you’re old enough to be a Quick Draw McGraw fan like me, we were like Snuffles the dog with our dinner!)Shula's-Plate-Before

Without a doubt, we loved our experience at Shula’s and wouldn’t change a single thing – except maybe skipping the salad so we could have finished our steaks and eaten more corn!  We skipped dessert and made our way back to our room at the Polynesian with joyful taste buds and full bellies.  Shula’s is now, without a doubt, our favorite steakhouse on Disney property.  Note:  Shula’s is not on the Disney Dining Plan, but does accept Tables In Wonderland.

Have you been to Shula’s?  What did you order?  Did your experience match ours?

Disney Dining – Lunch at Morimoto Asia

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Morimoto-Asia-EntranceNew restaurants are so tempting – especially when we love the cuisine and are fans of the owner, Chef Masaharu Morimoto!  (We were always huge Iron Chef geeks back in the day.)  By the time Morimoto Asia opened, we’d already booked all our ADRs (Advance Dining Reservations) for our end-of-the-year vacation and this created quite a conundrum.  What could we cancel in order to make room for at least one meal at Disney Springs?  In the end, Biergarten in Epcot’s Germany pavilion, lost our reservation and we booked Morimoto Asia through Open Table (it wasn’t set up through Disney’s site yet).

I’ve never eaten at Biergarten, so I can’t truly say if this was the right decision or not.  What I can tell you is that Morimoto Asia was fantastic and we cannot wait to go back!  Here are the top five things we loved most about our experience –

  1. The Dining Area – Atmosphere…ambiance…whatever you want to call it, the restaurant is all clean lines and open spaces.  The open kitchen was interesting to watch – lots of serious game faces at work.  Red accents give everything a warm glow, which softens what might otherwise be too modern or austere for some tastes.Morimoto-Asia-Interior Morimoto-Asia-Dining-RoomMorimoto-Asia-Place-Setting
  2. The Sake Flight – What a pleasant surprise!  We enjoy a glass of sake now and again, but don’t know much about different types and haven’t tried many options.  When we spied the sake flight we both knew we wanted to splurge and give it a try (it was the most expensive part of our meal).  Morimoto-Asia-Sake-FlightOur server was nice enough to explain more than just the basics and when we asked for the names of the different servings to be written down, she was happy to oblige.Morimoto-Asia-Sake-Flight-Notes
  3. The Service – We arrived exactly on time and were seated right away.  Our server, Sonia, was attentive without hovering, helpful with suggestions, and generally treated us as if we were the only customers dining. (You should definitely ask for Sonia.)  Morimoto-Asia-Server-SoniaPacing is important and as one might expect with a new place, there was a bit of a lull between our appetizers and entrees, but not long enough to detract from the overall great impression.  Morimoto-Asia-Ducks (The ducks though…kinda felt like they were always watching…watching.)
  4. The Menu – We love choices!  For us, when we get a restaurant menu and have a hard time deciding what to order, we feel like we’re having a better experience.  Morimoto-Asia-Menu1 Morimoto-Asia-Menu2We also tend to return quicker because we leave things behind that we really wanted to taste.  We ended up ordering four items to share, which is exactly what everyone should do at Morimoto Asia!  (Check out the menu here.)
  5. The Flavors – Before I tell you exactly what we ate, let me emphatically say that we would recommend every item we ordered.  Based on a tip we received from Howdy (excellent barmaid at Jock Lindsey’s), we ordered the Kakuni Pork Bao (“steamed buns, braised pork belly, lettuce, spicy mayo“).  Morimoto-Kakuni-Pork-Bao Morimoto-Asia-Kakuni-Pork-BaoOf course “pork belly” was all it took.  These were perfect!  Texture, seasoning, temperature – all just right.  Next we wanted to try the Morimoto Spare Ribs Appetizer (“3 pork ribs, cilantro, hoisin sweet chili glaze“).  These babies were absolutely delicious!  Morimoto-Asia-Spare-RibsCrunchy on the outside, but tender on the inside, so we were easily able to divide that last rib in two.  Next we had to have a sushi roll and agreed on the Spicy Tuna.  Morimoto-Asia-Spicy-Tuna-SushiI don’t know about where you live, but we are not used to so generous a serving of tuna in our sushi – fantastic!  Finally we decided on a basic favorite, Pad Thai with chicken (“stir-fried flat rice noodles, egg, bean sprouts, scallions, fried tofu, pickled turnip, sweet tamarind sauce.”)  Morimoto-Asia-Pad-ThaiTurned out to be another excellent choice.  We tried our best to finish it, but we’d reached maximum capacity about halfway through.

We could not have enjoyed our lunch at Morimoto Asia more.  Everyone there seemed devoted to giving the best dining experience possible and we thought all the components – food, service, atmosphere – worked perfectly together to make for an excellent meal.Raymond-at-Morimoto-AsiaYour turn – Have you eaten at Morimoto Asia?  What was your first impression?  If you’re considering trying this place, I’d be happy to answer any questions if I can.

Why Breakfast is BEST at Be Our Guest

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Be-our-Guest-WindowThinking about dining at Be Our Guest?  Can’t decide which meal to choose?  Here are FIVE reasons why…

Breakfast is BEST at Be Our Guest

  1. The Perfect way to start the day in Magic Kingdom – You’re fresh, wide awake, looking your best, AND you can get into Magic Kingdom early!  Think of the possibilities for great pictures!  You can eat before getting a jump on the day with your favorite rides and attractions.Beast's-Castle
  2. Experience the incredible atmosphere at your leisure – Early breakfast not only means a less-crowded Magic Kingdom, you can also tour Beast’s Castle on your own while waiting for your food to arrive (or after you finish eating).  Be-our-Guest-CeilingThe details and theming are well-worth at least one visit to this very unique and magical restaurant.  Feeling rushed would certainly diminish the overall experience.Be-our-Guest-Tapestry
  3. The Food is good!  Compared to lunch and dinner, we enjoyed breakfast the most.    Raymond ordered the Croque Madame “Open-faced Ham Sandwich topped with a Fried Egg, Gruyere Cheese, and Béchamel served with Fresh Fruit and a selection of pastries.”  Be-our-Guest-BreakfastI opted for the Scrambled Egg Whites “Scrambled Egg Whites with Roasted Tomatoes, Chicken Apple Sausage, Fresh Fruit, and a selection of pastries”   Be-our-Guest-EggsThe flavor, preparation, serving sizes along with the “selection of pastries” was very filling and tasty! (We felt obligated to try some of each pastry selection for research purposes.)Be-our-Guest-Breakfast-Pastries
  4. Relatively reasonable price for two adults – Breakfast for two totaled about $44 before tax.  Be-our-Guest-ReceiptOur lunch was about $50 for the two of us (one soup, two entrees and two desserts plus soft drinks).  Dinner was WAY more expensive (we added a bottle of wine) and dinner involves adding a gratuity.  Preview the menu here.
  5. Convenience – We booked our ADR and took advantage of the option to pre-order our food.  Be-Our-Guest-Check-inUpon arrival, we checked in outside and were directed right on in.  Once inside, we checked in again, paid for breakfast and received our “rose” (looks like a yellow hockey puck).  Then we grabbed our drinks at the self-service beverage station and were free to sit in whichever room we liked.  That magical hockey puck rose directed a Cast Member right to our table with our food when our order was ready.   Be-our-Guest-Grand-BallroomOn this visit we chose the Grand Ballroom having already dined in the other two rooms (the Castle Gallery and the West Wing, both shown in the next two pictures).  Be-our-Guest-Dining Be-Our-Guest-West-WingFYI – that West Wing is kinda creepy and very dark for an entire meal.  You’re welcome to roam the rooms and take pictures, so don’t worry about missing out on all the cool details.

Yes, you should definitely eat at Be Our Guest!  It’s pricy but the experience is fantastic.  Which meal you choose will depend on your plans and the amount of time you have available, but now that we’ve tried all three meal options, we both unanimously recommend breakfast as the best option.Be-our-Guest-Gargoyle

Have you eaten at Be Our Guest?  What did you think about it?

Disney Dining – Adventureland’s Skipper Canteen

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“Magic Kingdom’s newest themed table service eatery boasts both excellent service and uniquely delicious fare – in an exotic setting full of humor and whimsy.” – Me (my inner restaurant critic)

We found ourselves in Magic Kingdom with the huge post-Christmas crowds on a gorgeous Monday morning.  While we didn’t arrive for the 7:00 am park opening, we had managed to ride Big Thunder Mountain by FastPass, eat breakfast at Be Our Guest, tour Haunted Mansion on standby (less than 30 minutes), and FastPass Seven Dwarfs Mine Train – all by about 10:45…why not wander over to Adventureland?  Maybe, by some miracle, we could lunch at the new Jungle Navigation Co. Ltd. Skipper Canteen before our last FastPass of the day (Enchanted Tales With Belle)?Skipper-Canteen-Courtyard-Ceiling

Disney Dining – Adventureland’s Skipper Canteen

Once we located the entrance, it was about 11 o’clock.  Two Cast Members were working the podium outside and just a couple of other parties were already waiting in the courtyard.  I was quickly told that our wait would be about 20 minutes and if I provided my cell phone number, I’d receive a text when our table was ready.  We may have just eaten breakfast about an-hour-and-a-half earlier, but I was not missing this opportunity!  Raymond’s pretty flexible and was happy to go along.Skipper-Canteen-Waiting-Area

While we waited, I wandered around taking pictures and, exactly on time, I got the text to tell us our table was ready.  The next step is to go inside to another waiting area.  Skipper-Canteen-interiorOur name was called right away and the hostess escorted us to our table in the large main dining room called “The Mess Hall”.  There are a couple of smaller dining rooms off of the main one – The Falls Family Parlor and the S.E.A. (Society of Explorers and Adventurers) Room.Skipper-Canteen-Mess-Hall Skipper-Canteen-ArtifactsAs one would expect, and similar to the much larger layout of Be Our Guest, each room is fantastically themed.  There are too many details and Jungle Cruise artifacts to take in during a single visit…very clever!  (More on the Canteen’s back story here.)

Bobby was our server and he was excellent!  Passionate about his new Skipper position, he delivered our food and those famous Skipper puns with equal skill.  That’s where this restaurant sets itself apart – the food and service are much better than typical theme-park fare and the theming and back story are so well done – the overall experience is wonderful!  (Seriously – every tiny detail made me happy!)Skipper-Canteen-Menu-ArtSkipper-Canteen-Menu

Bread arrived while we were looking over the menu.  The round loaf of Ambasha bread is accompanied by honey seasoned with a healthy dose of Fenugreek (herb with a maple-like flavor commonly used in Middle Eastern cuisine) which made this starter taste exotic and delicious!Skipper-Canteen-Bread

Since we had just eaten breakfast, Raymond and I decided to share three courses so we could taste a whole meal without stuffing ourselves or wasting food.  We started with the S.E.A. Shu Mai (A legendary blend of Pork, Shrimp, Mung Beans, and Spices wrapped in Gyoza Skin then steamed) $10.  This was perfect!  The dipping sauce was exactly right – a little spicy and salty and the perfect complement to the dumplings.Skipper-Canteen-Appetizer

Our entrée selection was the Rice Noodle Bowl with Chicken (Pho Broth served with Jalapeños with mix of fresh Herbs) $22. This sounds plain but was spicy and delicious!  Everything prepared on site from scratch makes this experience extra special.  The flavors and presentation of the food, combined with the atmosphere and service, truly make you forget you’re eating in a theme park.Skipper-Canteen-Noodle-Bowl

We wrapped up our little culinary adventure with the Sugar Crusted Congee Pudding (Caramelized Custard with Millet, Almonds, Apricot, Dates, and Honey-Almond Tuile) $8.  Normally, we aren’t big on dessert, but this sounded unique and interesting and was absolutely delicious.  The combination of flavors and textures was perfect.Skipper-Canteen-Pudding

We did not take advantage of the specialty (non-alcoholic) drink menu on this visit, but opted for iced tea and water.  Our total bill was very reasonable and we walked away completely satisfied.  If Skipper Canteen represents the future of in-park dining at Walt Disney World, we cannot WAIT to see what’s next!Skipper-Canteen-Display Skipper-Canteen-Jungle-Cruise-Sign Skipper-Canteen-Collection Skipper-Canteen-Barrel

Are you adventurous enough to try the new Jungle Cruise Navigation Co. Ltd. Skipper Canteen?  What would keep you from dining there?