Restaurant Review: The Coral Reef

The Coral Reef is located in Epcot, to the right of the Finding Nemo seagull statues. It is tucked away in the corner, which is kind of nice. It is one of the more expensive restaurants, which is why we decided to do it while we were on the dining plan.

This is the decor inside the lobby area. I felt like we waiting a little while for our table. Maybe 30 minutes or so. There were a few groups that went in before us while we were still sitting around.

Our table was perfect! We were sitting in front of two windows to see into the tank. There is a card at your table that lists all of the fish in the tank. It also gives facts about the tank, which is huge!

For dinner, my brother and dad got steaks. My mom, sister and I got the lobster mac and cheese. The steaks had really good reviews. The lobster mac and cheese was amazing, but it was kind of a small portion size for the price. 

The desserts were amazing! The one bellow is a Baileys and Jack Daniels mousse. The Jack Daniels was kind of strong but really good. 

Below is the "Chocolate Wave". It was a molten lava cake and raspberry sorbet. Amazing! 

I tried a little bit ;-)

Here is the family. 

I really loved the Coral Reef. Everyone agreed that it was the best non-buffet place we ate at. I would only do it on the dining plan. I can't see myself walking in there and paying the full prices right out of pocket. Looking at the fish and the sharks while eating is really cool too. I really am happy that a card was left so that we could identify the animals. I would recommend this restaurant to everyone! The food is very good without being too fancy and the atmosphere has to be the most entertaining and interesting in all of Disney.

Here is the dinner menu that I found on allears.net

Coral Reef
Living Seas
Epcot
Dinner

Menu Date: March 2012

One of the most unique Disney Dining experiences, the Coral Reef restaurant allows you to dine with the fishes.  Among those you might see include:  Brown Shark, Stingray, Grouper, Tarpon, and the Green Sea Turtle.

Appetizers

Appetizer for Two - Crab Cakes with tropical fruit salsa, tequila aioli; Crispy-fried shrimp with Jicama slaw and spiced remoulade; and a taste of our Creamy Lobster Soup $16.99

Crispy-fried Shrimp - with Jicama slaw and spiced remoulade $11.99

Crab Cakes - with tropical fruit salsa and tequila aioli $11.99

Steamed Mussels - with cilantro sofrito, fennel, tomatoes, and toasted ciabatta $11.99

Creamy Lobster Soup - tarragon and brandy $7.99

Seasonal Soup - Chef Inspired creation $6.99

Caesar Salad - with shredded parmesan and croutons $7.49

Winter Green Salad - blue cheese, fresh pears, candied walnuts and blood orange vinaigrette $6.99

Fish Tostadas - with Napa Cabbage, avocado-cilantro cream and fresh lime $8.99

Entrées

Pan-seared Sustainable Seasonal Catch - on mushroom risotto with bay scallops and celery root nage and parsley-truffle oil Market Price

Lobster Ravioli - with Rock Shrimp, fresh Tarragon, and Lobster Cream $26.49

Seared Rainbow Trout - with warm salad of white beans, arugula, tomatoes, crispy bacon, aged balsamic vinegar and brown butter $19.99

Seared Chicken Breast - served over spaetzle finished with Applewood smoked bacon - chicken broth $21.99

Vegetable Potato Strudel - with a tomato compote and basil oil $18.99

Grilled New York Strip Steak - served with horseradish smashed potatoes, and marketfresh vegetables $31.99

Seared Scottish Salmon - with black rice, fennel, and Cardamom-Cashew Butter $22.99

Grilled Mahi Mahi - with rock shrimp, heats of palm, jasmine rice and a coconut lime sauce $24.99

Shiraz-braised Pork Shank - with rainbow chard and a spiced butternut squash puree $25.99

Desserts

The Chocolate Wave* - served with raspberries $7.99

Key-Lime Mousse - with roasted pineapple, mango glaze, and chocolate pearls $7.99

Cheesecake Napoleon - with berry compote (no sugar added) $7.99

Baileys and Jack Daniel's Mousse* - topped with caramel crisp $7.99

Classic Vanilla Cremé Brulée $7.99

*contains alcohol

Photo of the Day

This is my last photo ever of Snow White's Scary Adventures. I am am kind of sad that Disney is tearing this down for a princess meet and greet. The concept art looks really cool, but I am kind of past the age of meeting the princesses. 

I was happy that I got to ride it one last time in April. I waited probably 30 minutes for it, which I wouldn't normally, but that was my last chance to ride. 

Hotel Review: Saratoga Springs

Saratoga Springs is located in the Downtown Disney area. There is actually a boat available to transport guests to Downtown Disney. This resort is listed as a Deluxe Villa resort. When I stayed in April, I had a Disney Vacation Club room. It is not listed on the website, so I had no idea what to expect. I was thrilled with my room and its location. 

Saratoga Springs is themed around horses and horse racing. There are 6 sections of hotel rooms;

The Springs, The Paddock, Congress Park, The Carousel, The Grandstand and the Treehouse Villas. I stayed in the Paddock area. Every section has its own pool, which is really nice. The Grandstand is the general area, which seems to be the most crowded. It is also where the main pool is. I am pretty sure that my section was DVC only, so it was very quiet and there were very little people around. 

Saratoga also has a golf course on the property. I crossed the gold course on the way to my section of the hotel. There is a Hidden Mickey sand trap as you leave/enter the hotel on the buses. So keep your eyes open! Along with the golf course, Saratoga offers other amenities such as, The Spa and The Health Club. The Spa is advertised in all of the rooms and the brochures look very nice. 

There are also bike rentals, jogging trails and a play ground. The rentals are all located at Community Hall. If you are a DVC member you can rent movies for free. My room had a DVD player in it, but I could not rent any because I am not the registered DVC member. Only the people with the official DVC cards can access all of the DVC perks. Kind of a downside for the rest of the family members, but oh well. 

The Carriage House is the lobby area. It includes the check-in desks, a DVC meeting area, a gift shop and the quick-service restaurant: The Artist's Palette. 

The Artist's Palette is pretty fancy for a quick bite to eat. The one time I went there, the only thing that looked normal was the chicken tenders. 

There is also a sit-down restaurant called The Turf Club Bar and Grill.

The decorations are really well themed. There are statues right outside the Carriage House.

Below are all of the photos of my room. The first picture shows the seating area, the pull-out bed and the doors to the patio. 

Here is my bed. It was the standard Disney bed, nothing special.

The sink was located outside of the bathroom.

The small kitchen area. There was a microwave and fridge plus a coffee pot and toaster. There were plates in my cabinets but I'm not sure if they were left there since they were just paper plates. I also had dish soap, a towel and sponge but again not sure if those are always provided. 

Here is the shower, it had great water pressure so I was happy.

This was the pool that was right outside my room. The main pool is not pictured, what is pictured is out of order. It was themed like a derby race, so that was pretty nice. Even though the pool was so close, if there were people in it I couldn't hear.

I also could see the bus stop from my room. That was perfect! There is no bus stop at the main lobby, but one is located at every section. Depending on what section you are in, you could be on the bus for 10 minutes before you even leave Saratoga Springs. I had to leave early everyday to compensate for that, but once you learn the system its not a problem. I was lucky enough to be the first drop off spot every night though. 

I greatly enjoyed this hotel. I was in a secluded area due to my DVC status, so it was nice and quiet. There were never more than 5 people waiting for the bus with me. This could be because of the April crowd level or the hotel. I had an amazing room location and the room itself was perfect. 

The only thing that I did not like was the extra time on the buses and the food choices at the Artist's Palette. 

I would stay at this hotel again for sure!

A Disney Recipe

Ooey Gooey Toffee Cake from Liberty Tree Tavern

(credit for the photo and recipe goes to disneyfoodreport.com)

The Liberty Tree Tavern is a family style buffet. The servers bring all of the plates to the table and refills as needed. It is really good food and very simple. It is comfort food at its best.

The following recipe is for one of their desserts. It is only offered at lunch, so I was not able to try it since we went for dinner. I'm sure it was amazing because that is how it looks.

I hope you enjoy! This is on my recipe to do list for sure!

Cake Bottom:

Ingredients:

1 box yellow cake mix

1 large egg

1 stick butter

Method of Preparation:

Mix only these 3 ingredients and put in a greased baking pan 13″ x 9″.

Cake Filling:

Ingredients:

8 ounces cream cheese

3 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup butter

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 cup Heath bar pieces

1 pound powdered sugar

Method of Preparation:

1. Put cream cheese in mixer.

2. Slowly add eggs and vanilla.

3. Add butter and mix well.

4. Put in powdered sugar, then add chocolate chips and toffee pieces.

5. Just mix; do not over mix.

6. Put on top of Cake Bottom in pan.

7. Bake at 325 for 35 minutes, then check.

Photo of the Day

The Disney Electrical Parade is such an amazing show. I do like Spectromagic better, but this one is still really good.

The amount of lights is just spectacular and every person in the audience is in awe.

Disney never ceases to amaze me on the quality of their parades.

Legos in Downtown Disney

Downtown Disney finally refurbished the Lego Store this year. I loved all of the old statues but it was time for something new. The sea dragon in the water is still there. That one is a classic. It is featured in every Lego  store that I have personally been in. The new ones are themed to Sleeping Beauty, Snow White and Toy Story. All are amazingly well done and stunning. I don't know how the artists have the time or patience to build these creations. 

There are some other statues that I do not have photos of. Plus there is a statue of Woody inside the store. The store itself is pretty cool. I love the wall of Legos that you can mix in your own container. Its really cool photographically speaking too. Plus, the price is pretty reasonable ~ a small cup is $7.99 and a large is $14.99. Depending on how many bricks/accessories you can fit in there, it could be a huge deal!

Well, that's all for The Lego Store. The next time you are in Downtown Disney, at least go check out the statues outside!

A standard "wall of Legos"  http://stores.lego.com/en-US/default.aspx

Sleeping Beauty: Dragon

Sleeping Beauty: Prince Phillip

Snow White

Toy Story

Christmas Comes Early

I am so excited about the new line of Christmas ornaments that have arrived. There are a bunch of new ear hat themed ornaments on the Disney Store website. www.disneystore.com

The new ones are $19.95 and they are all double sided. The price is a little steep, so I am not certain that I will be buying any.

Here are some of my favorites! Belle, Tangled, Wall-E and Mater.