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disguy
08-28-2002, 02:42 PM
I'm would like others opinions on Avalon Cove is it worth the $20 a head price. What type of food does it serve? Is it a character thing? Thanks for your info.

dorkdujour
08-28-2002, 11:53 PM
no. salad was eh. dressings were disgusting. soup was blah. entree was blah. so not worth it.

tlovesdis
08-29-2002, 06:49 AM
Dorkdujour do you like anything at the DLR? I noticed you had a very negative comment about Blue Bayou as well.

kranders
08-29-2002, 06:59 AM
Location is great, character interaction is great, service is great, food is lousy(IMHO)!
I had the hamburger (and a beer) and the meat was like it was cooked extra well and kept under a heat lamp for a few hours. My wife had the fish and chips and it was OK but not anything special. My daughter had the kids meal(mini corn dogs) and it came in a cute bucket and shovel that you can keep. Definitely not worth the $54.08 we spent.

dorkdujour
08-29-2002, 10:03 AM
Originally posted by tlovesdis
Dorkdujour do you like anything at the DLR? I noticed you had a very negative comment about Blue Bayou as well.

i used to like the soup in the bread bowl. now it's so so. pizza port is good. decent salads & pizza & pasta. i took my kid brother to DCA & went to Corn Dog Castle & those were good & filling. but so filling that we swore off of corn dogs for a good few months!

anyhow, i'm into the quality of the food not quantity. and when disneyland or anyone else expects you to pay for food that's poor quality (cold, over/under cooked, tasteless), i think i have a right to complain & inform other people of it.

x

lilblckrncloud
08-29-2002, 10:19 AM
This is my fave DCA restaurant! There are days when I find myself craving the house salad dressing (it's roasted red pepper or something like that) as well as the meatloaf and mashed potatoes. It is definitely a character thing. Every time I have gone we were approached by no less than 4 characters who hung out with us for a while. They play a song every 15 minutes or so during which the characters grab a bucket of cute sea shell shaped instruments and invite the kids do do a conga line around the restaurant with them, Also, often Ariel is sitting in the downstairs lobby area so kids can talk to her and get a picture.

I guess taste is relative - you will have to try it to see if you like it! I think it is well worth the price to have a nice place to sit down to eat, interact with the characters, get unlimited refills on bread and soft drinks and get good food.

tlovesdis
08-29-2002, 10:39 AM
lilblckrncloud - thanks for your positive post! We are headed to the DLR in December and I want to take my 3 1/2 year old niece there for dinner as she loves all Disney characters. Everyone seems so negative about the place. It was nice to see a favorable comment for once.

mandi2728
08-29-2002, 11:45 AM
Of all the reviews I have read, the only most have good to say is about the characters.

I honestly cant see paying what kranders did for what he got, I dont care how good the characters are!

Iceman
08-29-2002, 01:37 PM
I've never eaten there, but I will always lament the place. My wife and I had reservations there, but two days before our trip Wolfgang Puck pulled out. We have enjoyed other Puck restaurants and were really looking forward to this one, as the pictures make it look just lovely. But now, to this as-yet childless yuppie, it's just another overpriced character meal...

disguy
08-29-2002, 01:58 PM
I was about to say lets go for it but as soon as I saw they bring out instruments and sing songs...well that did it for me...no thank you! :) I thought it was a nice place I didn't know it was so child friendly..but it sounds nice if you have children...guess I'll keep searching for that "perfect" restruant in DCA

daannzzz
08-29-2002, 02:16 PM
I have eaten here 3 times and really like the food. The meatloaf is excellent and the fish and chips very tasty. Fies ane goo too. The desserts have been well done and flavorful. The character interaction was excellent as well. They do occaisionally breakout into a parad with music and such. I prefer to eat inside as the atmosphere is better. The patio is a bit plain and the view is resricted from some tables because of the awning. Whether it is worth the $$$ is a personal thing. I think it is!

CTB21
08-29-2002, 04:49 PM
I thought I could eat just about anything- untill I tried the chicken pot pie at Avolon cove ,it was so bad, I would not take it home and feed it to my dog.I would never eat at that place again!!

CTB21
08-29-2002, 05:06 PM
P.S. Do yourselves a favor and hop out of DCA and head over to the Rainforest Cafe at Downtown Disney. Great food, service and atmosphere!!! We love the volcanic cobb salad and chicken fried chicken. Cost is about $25 for two. Use the Paradise Pier exit and you will be at the Rainforest Cafe in 5 minutes. From Disneyland the monorail drops you right next door.

lilblckrncloud
08-29-2002, 05:42 PM
Originally posted by CTB21
P.S. Do yourselves a favor and hop out of DCA and head over to the Rainforest Cafe at Downtown Disney. Great food, service and atmosphere!!! You and I must live in parallel dimensions, because I love the chicken pot pie at Avalon Cove (it's more like chicken and dumplings) and I abhor the Rainforest Cafe with a passion. I have gone there twice and it was horrible both times. The first time the food and the service were both wretched. The only reasons I went a second time were (a) I thought it could have been a fluke when it was so bad the first time (b) we had kids from out of town with us so we wanted to do something for them. I will not even go into the whole mess, but we waited over an HOUR for all of our food to come. It came out at three different intervals - in fact, a manager came by and asked if we were ready to see a dessert menu when only one kid had been served! When all of the food did arrive it tasted like garbage. Everything was cold and wilty. I can forgive a restaurant having an off day on those levels, but the rudeness of the waitstaff on top of all that was unforgivable. The waitress avoided us like the plague and when she did acknowledge our existence she droned on like a robot who wanted to kill people rather than help them.
Next time you go there, let me tag along so I can experience it in your world! ;)

KarenW2
08-29-2002, 06:31 PM
My DH and I have been to Avalon Cove, both when Wolfie was running the show and after. We much preferred it when he was there, unfortunately.

We tried the price-fixed thing and found the food to be pretty mediocre. I ordered the pot pie and it was really gross and fatty. I only ate a few bites, then left it. My DH, on the other hand, enjoyed the meatloaf he ordered. The chocolate cake I had for dessert was really dried out and not very tasty.

We both did enjoy the pretzel stick things they had there tho. They were very yummy with the dipping sauces provided. I've heard recently that they did away with them and replaced them with sourdough bread.

I found the "character interaction" to be very annoying, especially when we were trying to eat and have a conversation. If they had a section of the restaurant that was "character-free", it would be better I think.

If you're looking for a better restaurant, that's definitely more worth the money, try Storyteller's Cafe, at the Grand Californian Hotel. They have great food for breakfast, lunch & dinner, great service and the best prices in DLR, in our opinion. They have a Character Breakfast thing with Chip 'n' Dale and others, if you're interested in that sort of thing.

If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask. Hope you have a great time, wherever you decide to eat.

CTB21
08-29-2002, 07:08 PM
The only thing I can tell you about the pot pie I got is if there was a spice called bitter and burnt they put the whole bottle in my pot pie. I thought it was me but I let my girlfried try it and she had to spit it out on a napkin. As far as for the Rainforest cafe we have been to the one at Downtown Disney here about 20 times, the one at DTD in Orlando 4 times and Animal Kingdom 3 times and have not had a bad meal yet.

cstephens
08-29-2002, 10:01 PM
I've only been to Avalon Cove once since it was converted into a character dining place. While the experience was nice and the character interaction was hysterical, and I'd be willing to go back, the food was less than stellar. Three of us ordered hamburgers, two of whom ordered theirs without the condiments. I did not order mine that way but received it that way as well, and it took a while to get them to bring me the lettuce and tomato that was supposed to have accompanied mine. Also, after a while, we all discovered that our hamburgers were entirely too overcooked, to the point of being inedible. I tried to eat around the charcoal bits on mine and then left the rest on the plate. I regret not having said something to them and asking for a replacement. I've very rarely sent a dish back at any restaurant, but this time, it really did call for it. Next time, I would certainly do so. While I'd recommend the place (and hopefully, I'll be able to go back sometime in the next few months), I would also recommend that if anyone runs into problems with the food itself, please be sure to speak up about it.

zapppop
08-30-2002, 05:11 AM
I will say one thing in defense of Avalon Cove:

The Cove Bar :cool: :cool: :cool:

kranders
08-30-2002, 06:23 AM
Originally posted by KarenW2

If you're looking for a better restaurant, that's definitely more worth the money, try Storyteller's Cafe, at the Grand Californian Hotel. They have great food for breakfast, lunch & dinner, great service and the best prices in DLR, in our opinion. They have a Character Breakfast thing with Chip 'n' Dale and others, if you're interested in that sort of thing.
I second this opinion. It's not far from DCA (use the entrance by GRR) and it is quite good. It might be just what you're looking for, disguy.

roberts1398
08-30-2002, 09:18 AM
And if you want a delicious (and cheaper) character dining experience, head over to DLH and Goofy's ... never read a bad review of their buffet! And wonderful character interaction, assuming you want that!

cstephens
08-30-2002, 10:01 AM
Originally posted by zapppop
I will say one thing in defense of Avalon Cove:

The Cove Bar :cool: :cool: :cool:

I like the new Cove Bar ok now, but I really miss the menu items from when it was still controlled by Wolfgang Puck's company.

julia
08-30-2002, 02:16 PM
Hi!

Just got back from several days at Disneyland earlier this week and I had good luck with the food.

I did the Breakfast with Chip n' Dale at the Storytellers Cafe in the Grand Californian. The breakfast buffet was excellent with lots of choices for everyone's tastes - made-to-order omelettes, lots of fresh fruit, eggs, biscuits and gravy, excellent sausage, crispy bacon. The characters are a bit more subdued at this Character Breakfast; they meet the children at the door and are available for pictures, but they allow you to eat peacefully. If you want the classic Character Breakfast, I would recommend Goofy's Kitchen at the Disneyland Hotel - the characters interact much more with the guests.

I also had dinner at the Storytellers Cafe one night. The food was excellent, the service was friendly and attentive and the atmosphere was a peaceful reprieve from the bustle of Disneyland. The portion sizes for dinner were quite large and I felt that I got my money's worth for the food. I would highly recommend it!

Enjoy!
Julia

disguy
08-30-2002, 02:33 PM
So after reading everyones posts it looks like I should go with StoryTellers Cafe. Sounds good to me. Any other places I should try? What about Vinyard Room?

KarenW2
08-30-2002, 02:45 PM
Definitely try Storyteller's Cafe - like I said before, it's our favorite! They also have a little parade thing with the kids, at certain times, during the breakfast time with Chip 'n' Dale that I forgot to mention.

About the Vineyard Room - it used to be our favorite place to go for dinner, when it was run by Mondavi. Sadly, it is no longer and is now run by Disney. The prices are MORE expensive now than they were before, their choices are different and the food isn't as good. We've been there once since they changed hands, when they had a discount for PAPs and found it lacking. I believe the cheapest you can get a meal for now is $45 per person, without wine. If memory serves, that's for only 3 courses. Under Mondavi, the cheapest was $35 for four courses and no wine.

We thought we might try it again sometime, just to see if it's gotten any better, but only during another PAP discount time.

Hope you have a great time!!

julia
08-30-2002, 03:44 PM
Hi!

Definitely try the Storytellers Cafe!

We also had an excellent dinner at the ground floor restaurant (I can't remember the exact name) at the Golden Vine Winery (right under Grrrr the Bear in California Adventure, almost directly the water across from the Maliboomer and the Sun Wheel) just this Monday night. It is a white building with arched walkways on the right.

We sat inside and it was a bit loud with the metal chair legs on the tile floor, so I would recommend sitting outside on the patio. The patio has nice trees and tables on it, and if you can coordinate times, having a late supper will allow you to have a very good seat in a prime location for the Electrical Parade! The parade goes by about 10 feet in front of you! I had a half Italian sandwich and a bowl of hearty minestrone soup - both were hearty portions and both were delicious, too. It was a reasonably priced, light, but satisfying meal. The service was a bit slow, but the wait staff was friendly and accommodating about a special request on our checks.

Enjoy!
Julia