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disneygalforlife
08-29-2003, 06:36 PM
Ok . . . I consider myself a DLR veteran (I have been 30+ times) but I am ashamed to admit I have never indulged in Character Dining or a nice dinner. I have heard from family that Goofy's Kitchen and the Blue Bayou are the way to go, but what does every one else think??

flippin_mermaid
08-29-2003, 07:05 PM
Yeah, I work at the Resort but don't always have the time or money to eat IN the park when I'm visiting as a guest....however, I've been to the Blue Bayou many times and I LOVE it there. VERY expensive but it's a gorgeous and fun atmosphere and the food is amazingly good. Try the crab cakes!

lisap
08-29-2003, 07:07 PM
Well, Blue Bayou is fun--even if you only go for dessert. The atmosphere is really enjoyable. I have not been to Goofy's Kitchen in years, but we do like Storyteller's breakfast buffet with Chip and Dale. I know others can speak to the "finer" dining at DCA--I have not tried them yet.

There are some really nice resturaunts in DTD as well if you don't have your heart set on eating *in* the park. My favorite is Catal, but I like the Jazz Kitchen as well.

It's nice to treat yourself sometimes with something other than counter service once in a while at the parks :).

MonorailMan
08-29-2003, 08:00 PM
I really like Ariel's Grotto in DCA. It's fairly cheap, and gives you a load of food.

And, let's just say, the Character experience we had well, was nothing to complain about. ;)

MammaSilva
08-29-2003, 08:32 PM
We've done Goofys Kitchen ( prime rib is YUMMYLICOUS!) .. Breakfast/Lunch & Dinner on different trips.... we've never had a bad experience since before the move from the old location!

Miss Minnies at the PPH.....good food.. 'ok' character interaction the couple times we've gone

Storytellers... breakfast... the BEST of the food ... most minimal of character interactions..

Plaza Inn Buffett breakfast.. ..decent food.. GREAT interaction but the times we've gone it's been limited to the 100 acre wood crew and a 'suprise' guest....I really liked the 'old' way when you never knew who was going to show up at meal times.. now it's only at breakfast. :( Plaza Inn for lunch/dinner... Air Conditioning and 'comfort foods' keep it high on our list.

Blue Bayou .. great atmosphere, good food.. not great if you have picky children to feed..

Carnation Cafe ... great sandwiches and nice sit down outdoor atmosphere.. service is terrific.


We haven't indulged in DTD yet... it would require leaving the park for too long ;) over in DCA we've only tried Taste Pilots .. good burgers.. and snacks.... I'm hoping to try Ariels when I'm down this fall.

TimBuk2
08-29-2003, 08:39 PM
Pizza Port is the best in the DL park. But my favorite is ESPN Zone in downtown. Great food and sports all around. (They are also open Sat and Sun for breakfast) - - oh, I make this statement as I hear the fireworks going off 12 miles away.

PS - My opinion on being a "DLR-veteran", you should have grown up there, and visited at least 100 times. There's still so much to learn, and always say "I never saw that before", which it's probably been there forever.

Captain Josh
08-30-2003, 08:08 AM
I guess I better recommend MY favorites too. The Adventureland Duo: Dole Juice Stand and the Bengal Barbeque, for when you're in a hurry.

Not Afraid
08-30-2003, 10:39 AM
For Character Dining, Ariels Grotto can't be beat (and it ain't just because of the nekemunks;) )

Favorite "nicer" dining establishments? I believe I've eaten at them all. To recommend one would depend on the style of food you like. Catal is a great standard. I never get tired of eating there. Brennan's is also wondrful. For the most wonderful (and expensive) try either Napa Rose or The Vinyard Room at DCA.


As for the Pizza Port. Eh. It's good for a quickie meal, but I wouldn't make a special trip to go there. Actually, most of the restaurants in the park - expect the Blue Bayou - would get the same response.

TimBuk2
08-30-2003, 06:07 PM
Originally posted by Not Afraid
As for the Pizza Port. Eh.

Sorry Not Afraid, I beg to differ. I don't usually get the pizza, just the pasta with chicken. We can split that into 2 meals.

If you're looking for the best place at the entire resort, then for me it's ESPN Zone. Great steaks and chicken and ribs. The Blue Bayou may be good (haven't been there in 15 years), but it's way overpriced.

Captain Josh
08-30-2003, 06:12 PM
Another great dinner is Plaza Inn's patio at around 9PM. From my own experience, the dinner rush is almost over, so the lines aren't so bad. I got two entree dishes, shared a side salad and a dessert, and half-way through our meal, the fireworks started, and the Patio is a wonderful place to watch them with a date/loved one.

Matterhorn Fan
08-30-2003, 06:38 PM
Originally posted by TimBuk2
Sorry Not Afraid, I beg to differ. I don't usually get the pizza, just the pasta with chicken. We can split that into 2 meals. Well, in the context of the OP, I have to agree with Not Afraid. You might get a good deal at the Pizza Port, but it's not fine dining. Nothing with scramble service could possibly fall under that category.

CarlieB
08-31-2003, 01:05 PM
I can recommend Ralph Brennan's (upstairs) as a good dining experience. Nice food, and the atmosphere is lovely too. I've heard good things about Catal & Napa Rose, and I'm hoping to try them both out soon:)

disneyfreak168
08-31-2003, 01:23 PM
Originally posted by CarlieB
I can recommend Ralph Brennan's (upstairs) as a good dining experience. Nice food, and the atmosphere is lovely too. I've heard good things about Catal & Napa Rose, and I'm hoping to try them both out soon:)

CarlieB? What do you recommend in Ralph Brennan's because I've never been there and I'm planning to go at the end of the year.:)

Captain Josh
08-31-2003, 01:26 PM
If anyone DOES go to Ralph Brennan's, I MUST recommend ordering the Bananas Foster for dessert. Whether it be for lunch or dinner, even if it isn't on the menu, ask for it, you MUST!

CarlieB
08-31-2003, 01:57 PM
CarlieB? What do you recommend in Ralph Brennan's because I've never been there and I'm planning to go at the end of the year.

We went there with the 2 friends we were travelling with for my boyfriend's birthday dinner last year. Since it was a special occassion we went all out:D

We started with a pre-dinner drink each (they make some nice cocktails there):) , and then everyone had a starter. I had the Gumbo Ya-ya, and it was very nice (and filling!) I think they bring you bread before the starter as well, so be careful not to get full too early! We all had mains, and this is terrible, but I can't remember what I had. It might have been fish. I remember I really enjoyed it though. 2 of our party had veal, and said it was amazing. For dessert we each ordered and shared: a Bread Pudding, a chocolate dessert, the Bananas Fosters (which is so cool) and something else). I think, including the tip, it came to nearly $400 (!) - you don't want to convert that to NZ dollars, believe me! But it was a really nice night out, and we all enjoyed it. If the weather is good, it's nice to sit on the balcony - you get a good view of DTD and it's fun to see what's going on:)

wenderella
08-31-2003, 04:39 PM
We are going to try our first Character Breakfast in October and I've yet to eat at the Blue Bayou. However our favorite place in the park to eat so far is Carnation Cafe on Main Street. It is so nice to actually sit and enjoy a great meal without feeling rushed. My kids and I usually stop and have breakfast there before the park opens. My son loves the Mickey Mouse waffle and my daughter always has scrambled eggs, fruit and we split the hash browns. A cup of coffee and a great blueberry muffin starts me off. Try it. We've never had to wait for more than a few minutes and the CM's are so nice and friendly. Have a great trip!

cstephens
09-01-2003, 09:28 PM
Originally posted by disneygalforlife
Ok . . . I consider myself a DLR veteran (I have been 30+ times) but I am ashamed to admit I have never indulged in Character Dining or a nice dinner. I have heard from family that Goofy's Kitchen and the Blue Bayou are the way to go, but what does every one else think??

For character dining, your breakfast choices are Goofy's Kitchen, Storyteller Cafe, PCH Grill and Plaza Inn. I haven't been to Goofy's Kitchen in a while, but the food is decent, and I think there are the most characters there. It's been even longer since I've been to PCH Grill for a regular character breakfast, and I remember not being too impressed with the characters. Storyteller has a wonderful breakfast but is light on characters (only Chip, Dale and Pluto), which can be good or bad, depending on your perspective, and they're much less intrusive as they pretty much stay in the lobby area instead of wandering around to the tables. Plaza Inn features the 100 Acre Woods characters (Pooh and company) and one extraneous friend, and the food selections are pretty good. For lunch and dinner, only Goofy's Kitchen and Ariel's Grotto has character dining. I enjoyed Ariel's the last time I was there.

As for a nice dinner, my highest recommendation is for Catal Restaurant in Downtown Disney. Great food, good service, nice atmosphere, good prices. I also like Napa Rose, but it's a little more spendy.

If you're interested, you can go to this link (http://www.colddeadfish.net/dlrdining.html), and I've got reviews and menus posted of some of the places mentioned above.