Trying new restaurants

[HauntedGabe]

I personally found Kona Cafe to be the superior of the two.

Actually, I think Kona is one of the finest offerings amongst resort restaurants.

Shhhh....or they will make it a signature restaurant like LeCellier which was great as a TS but certainly isn't a signature restaurant. Kona is excellent for both breakfast and dinner the Steak is superior which I've had several times, this year the fish was meh. The service, one of the best.

[Mo Noyz]

Oh, their lunch is spectacular as well. I had the seared ahi sandwich when we stayed there in 2010. Can't recall what my wife and son had, but it was also outstanding.

BTW, I wasn't aware of the signature designation. What restaurants have they given that to, and what does it mean?

I haven't eaten at Le Cellier since it was the old cafeteria style restaurant. That was the first time my wife and I had ever had tourtiere. And it was outstanding! I wish they'd bring it back.

[Mo Noyz]

Also, can't wait to try Yak & Yeti for the first time this Sunday. I'm bigtime into Asian cuisine, and the menu looks really good. Hope it lives up to the hype.

[HauntedGabe]

Oh, their lunch is spectacular as well. I had the seared ahi sandwich when we stayed there in 2010. Can't recall what my wife and son had, but it was also outstanding.

BTW, I wasn't aware of the signature designation. What restaurants have they given that to, and what does it mean?

I haven't eaten at Le Cellier since it was the old cafeteria style restaurant. That was the first time my wife and I had ever had tourtiere. And it was outstanding! I wish they'd bring it back.

LeCellier was a hidden gem when it was reinvented as a table service, my family became attached. Another victim of the dining plan. It was generally booked out 180 days for lunch and dinner. It went Signature around a year ago for dinner and frankly it was just a money grab. They brought in a partially new menu but the food ranges from very good to very poor, there isn't consistency. There are much better steaks to be had on property than LeCellier now a days.

Signature restaurants have a much higher price point on their menus. Some are really, really worth it. Others not so much. I would not doubt if BoG remains popular for dinner it will go signature especially selling liquor. On the dining plan you fork over 2 table service credits for 1 meal at a signature restaurant. Not debating if the food is worth trading 2 dinners for one but if you cypher out the dollars spent on buying the dining plan and paying for cash/out of pocket for a signature experience it is always cheaper to pay out of pocket for the signature restaurant. But many guests don't do the math.

Here is a list of this years signature restaurants, some of them are my favorites on property.

• Artist Point – Disney’s Wilderness Lodge: Pacific Northwest specials including fish, steak, and game.
• Bistro de Paris – Epcot, France Pavilion: Formal romantic French restaurant with elegant décor and innovative menu
• California Grill – Disney’s Contemporary Resort: Amazing views of the Magic Kingdom paired with gourmet meals make for a great combination
• Chef’s Domain at Citrico’s – Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa: Both sophisticated and down to earth at the same time, pair your meal with a selection from the award winning wine list for a truly great evening
• Il Mulino New York Trattoria – Walk Disney World Swan Resort – Traditional Italian meals in an upscale and modern environment
• Jiko The Cooking Place – Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge – Seasonally varied menu of African and Indian food together with an extensive wine list make for a fine dining experience
• Le Cellier Steak House – Epcot, Canada Pavilion – A fine steakhouse, great wine, and famous Cheddar Cheese Soup combine for a terrific taste of Canada
• Shula’s Steak House – Walt Disney World Dolphin Resort – The best quality beef combine with a highly trained wait staff in a formal and elegant steakhouse
• Todd English’s bluezoo – Walt Disney World Dolphin Resort – The Celebrity Chef combined with famous architect Jeffrey Beers to create a very unique upscale seafood house
• Yachtsman Steak House – Disney’s Yacht Club Resort – Fine family dining with a New England flair, everything from fine steak to seafood is wonderful
• Victoria and Albert's – Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa – The ultimate in luxurious surroundings and gourmet experiences, this award winning, formal flagship restaurant is perfect for celebrating any very special occasion

Also requiring 2 dining credits is the shows:

• Disney’s Spirit of Aloha Show – A hugely popular show, you will be treated to an authentic luau at the Polynesian Resort while watching hula and fire dancers perform.
• Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue – Country style fun with a menu of American favorites.
• Mickey’s Backyard BBQ – You can sing and dance along to western favorites with Mickey and his friends while enjoying a full buffet.

Also Cinderella's Royal Table is 2 dining credits. I was never impressed with the food. To me, it is also popular 'cause it is the castle after all, so they can charge as if it was signature quality.

I'm have a bit of an issue with Mickey's BBQ, like LeCellier being a signature restaurant. Like I said these are not all created equal as far as quality and service.

[HauntedGabe]

Also, can't wait to try Yak & Yeti for the first time this Sunday. I'm bigtime into Asian cuisine, and the menu looks really good. Hope it lives up to the hype.

I ate at Yak & Yeti for its soft opening in 2007, dang it was good but I'm a big fan of Asian Food. We have ate there several time, lunch and dinner once, I am a bigger fan of their off beat offerings, they are flavorful and something you won't get elsewhere. Their QS gets mixed reviews. I find it better than Epcots and at least as good as most of our local offerings and a great break over burgers or chicken for QS and portions are very large for QS.
Drawback, outside. But I usually defer to Flame for their ribs or ribs and chicken, their ribs are so freak'n good.

[Mo Noyz]

Eh, living in the heart of BBQ country I can't see going to Flame Tree. Though it usually receives high marks.

It would be akin to a Japanese guest going to California Grill for sushi...

Which is also why I'd never eat steak down there.

[ohiodisneydad]

As a Mom of young adults now, dinner without characters is a bonus for me. Does breakfast at Ohana's still have Characters? We did Christmas morning there one year and they did back then.

Breakfast at 'Ohana is still a character meal. We've never done that one. There is entertainment for dinner but it involves the cast members interacting with the children. They have small little activities and songs. FOdd is pretty good. We are hoping to take the girls on our next trip.

[ohiodisneydad]

Eh, living in the heart of BBQ country I can't see going to Flame Tree. Though it usually receives high marks.

It would be akin to a Japanese guest going to California Grill for sushi...

Which is also why I'd never eat steak down there.

Never had Flame Tree but I've always wanted to until I tried Cosmic Rays BBQ offering. That was some of the worst BBQ I've ever eaten and it's ruined my desire to give Flame Tree a shot.

[HauntedGabe]

Never had Flame Tree but I've always wanted to until I tried Cosmic Rays BBQ offering. That was some of the worst BBQ I've ever eaten and it's ruined my desire to give Flame Tree a shot.

Ohhhh, all the difference in the world. Me>>>>>>drool. So honk'n good.

[Hurricaneduke77]

Flame Tree is sooooo good!

[bethinthesun]

MK: The Plaza Restaurant
EP: It's all delish!
HS: Brown Derby, Prime Time Cafe
AK: Flame Tree or hop bus to Sanaa when leaving the park.
DTD: Wolfgang Puck's

Resorts:
MK area: The Wave, Kona
EP area: Yachtsman Steakhouse (and I'm a vegetarian!), Captain's Grill
AK area: Sanaa, Boma
HS area: Flying Fish, Kouzzina

[2tinners]

The Flame Tree BBQ is great. We have made it one of our faves every time we go. The best is Liberty Tree Tavern.

[HauntedGabe]

Time to re-add Cali Grill, new menu, new decor, new windows for fireworks viewing.

Disney is now estimating that it will be open somewhere around beginning to mid September 2013. This week windows are replaced and now it bone empty inside aside from ladders and construction lights, demo complete!

[the7thAve]

MK: Liberty Tree Tavern (already eaten at Plaza and Royal Table, but we're also considering Tony's Town Square)

Do not go to Tony's Town Square. We really like Liberty Tree Tavern, and it's probably our favorite place in MK, outside of CRT. TTS was advertised as being the Tony's in the movie "Lady & the Tramp". What we found was mediocre "Italian" food for expensive prices, with a few pictures of Lady and the Tramp hung up on the walls.

Epcot: Les Chefs de France (or Biergarten? Coral Reef?)--side note: which mealtimes are character meals at Les Chefs? Or are they all?

French food is too rich for me. Too much cream and butter does not sit well on my stomach. Les Chefs de France is no exception. It made my stomach "feel kinda funny". The choice between Biergarten and Coral Reef seems a bit complex, to me. Would you prefer a loud and rowdy German Oktoberfest, or a tranquil, dimly-lit, evening spent under the sea? We love both, but it's just a question of what you are looking for.

DHS: Brown Derby (we've done it before, but it's my absolute favorite!)

No arguments here. One of our favorites, period.

Resorts: we were thinking of trying the Garden Grove Cafe at the Swan, or the Grand Floridian Cafe. Garden Grove was a place we'd never heard of, but we fell in love with the photo and description on the Disney website. Grand Floridian Cafe sounds very elegant and fun for one of our "out-of-parks" days, but we really haven't made any final choices yet.

Boma or Jiko have been two of our favorite Resort spots. Both are at AKL, of course. For a character meal, Chef Mickey's is famous for a reason (probably one of the best character meals on property, imo). There's a lot of resort spots we haven't tried, though.

At DTD, we will probably just do our regular meal at Wolfgang Puck Express. My sit-down meal experience at Epcot is pretty pathetic compared to most people's, but my family always just ends up snacking throughout World Showcase, and we end up filling up on snacks before we want a full meal!

The only place we've eaten at in DTD is Planet Hollywood, and it was terrible. I'd like to check out the dinosaur place, though. I've loved dinosaurs since I was a kid.

Animal Kingdom is another place I'm sadly inexperienced in. We love eating in the Airstream RV at Restaurantosaurus, or Flame Tree BBQ. We've always talked about trying Tusker House or Yak & Yeti, but we just haven't done it!

The Tusker House breakfast is really fun, and features my personal favorite character to interact with: Donald Duck. Yak & Yeti is just plain awesome. We've never had a bad meal there.
And as has already been mentioned, Flame Tree is definitely the best QS at AK.

[HauntedGabe]

Boma or Jiko have been two of our favorite Resort spots. Both are at AKL, of course. For a character meal, Chef Mickey's is famous for a reason (probably one of the best character meals on property, imo). There's a lot of resort spots we haven't tried, though.

Well I was all in until this paragraph. I use to love Boma both for breakfast and dinner. I have found it to slip over the years, victim of its own success and the dumbing of the DDP. Now Jiko, that place is fabulous. Chef Mickey's IMO doesn't hold a candle to the Original Chef Mickey's at DTD and other than Characters, the food at all Character venues is just OK. Gotta be there for the Characters or be elsewhere.