Reader's Choice Review: Sanaa

First off, a special thanks to all of you who voted. I was very happy with the response and Sanaa just narrowly edged out Kona Cafe. Look for another Reader's Choice review in the future.

In terms of theming and detail, Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge is one of my favorite resorts. With its traditional African architecture and works of art, not to mention its sprawling savannah, the Animal Kingdom Lodge has a level of authenticity unmatched by the other Disney resorts. A stay at this resort offers guests not only rest and relaxation, but also the opportunity to be immersed in African culture. A major part of this culture is the uniqueness of African cuisine. The Animal Kingdom Lodge opened with two highly popular restaurants, Boma and Jiko. With the addition of the Disney Vacation Club units at Kidani Village came another dining option, Sanaa. While Sanaa may not receive the same notoriety as Boma or Jiko, it offers a truly unique dining experience. In Swahili Sanaa means “work of art,” and once you have dined here you will see why that name is so appropriate.



Overview:
As soon as you enter the lobby of Kidani Village your eyes are greeted with a spectacular sight. Although not as grand as the Jambo House, the lobby of Kidani Village sets the tone for the rest of the resort. From its high-vaulted thatched roof ceiling and huge window overlooking the savannah to its colorful light fixtures, intricately carved furniture, and traditional works of African art, the level of detail is astounding.



This detail does not stop here, however, but continues throughout the resort into the individual guestrooms and into its restaurants. Sanaa is located just down the stairs from the main lobby and overlooks the resort’s African savannah. Surprisingly, while the savannah view is impressive and adds to the unique quality of the restaurant, it is really not the main allure of Sanaa. The Animal Kingdom Lodge itself has a certain adventurous and exotic quality about it, as though you are journeying into a wild and unknown land. Likewise, Sanaa offers a culinary adventure and one that is certainly not for the faint of heart. It is also a restaurant that offers something for all the senses, with its sights, sounds, smells, and tastes all contributing to immerse you into African culture.

Atmosphere:
As soon as you enter Sanaa you feel as though you have stepped into a work of art. The décor is what I would consider to be “modern African,” combining more abstract elements with traditional, ethnic works of African art. The restaurant has a very natural, organic feel and a color scheme that relies heavily on earth tones. This is enhanced by columns designed to look like the trunks of trees and a ceiling covered with large leaves. All this helps to bring elements from outside into the restaurant, but it does so in an abstract way.



Other columns are meant to look like colorful beads featuring different patterns and designs and still others feature more intricate wood carvings.





Meanwhile the walls of the restaurant are covered with various works of African art, ranging from more ethnic pieces such as ceramic jars, woven baskets, and cooking utensils to more elaborate works including carefully detailed animals made of colorful beads. Even the light fixtures are works of art, some larger ones made from ceramic pots and baskets while others have a more modern touch and feature beads and colored glass. The level of detail continues even to the chairs and tables, which feature various painted designs.





Also, be sure to listen carefully. While the music playing may not be loud (and some might not even notice it at all), the traditional African sounds add to the authenticity of the restaurant. The overall impact of the décor is one of awe and wonder at the unique beauty and craftsmanship of African art.

With so much to look at and absorb inside the restaurant, you almost forget that there is a savannah with wild animals sitting just outside the windows. In fact, the savannah is not the main attraction of the restaurant, but rather serves as a way of enhancing the décor and adding to the authentic feel. Seeing as you are so highly immersed in African culture inside the restaurant, you can easily take it for granted that there is the savannah just outside. I would go as far as to say that Sanaa would be just as appealing even if it did not have any windows looking out onto the savannah. While it greatly adds to the experience to see giraffes and zebras walking by, even if you were not to see them it does not take away from the restaurant’s atmosphere. There are not even as many windows as I thought there would be. Unless you have a table right by one of the windows, the view onto the savannah is just another part of the décor rather than the essential aspect of the restaurant.



The Menu:
Sanaa’s menu highlights “the art of African cooking with Indian flavors,” and thus the offerings present a different spin on African cuisine compared with that of Boma or Jiko. The menu features many non-traditional items and is definitely for people who are more daring and like to try new things. One thing that struck me most about my meal at Sanaa was the wide variety of flavors. While the dishes I had were not necessarily spicy, they were extremely strong in flavor. Dining at Sanaa offers an adventure for your taste buds and if you are someone who has more simple tastes this may not be the restaurant for you. However, if you are looking for a truly unique culinary experience, the menu offers a chance to experience flavors that contrast and compliment each other in ways that you would not usually encounter.

I was impressed with the vast array of different offerings found on the lunch menu. My server noted that one of the more popular items on the menu was the Indian-style bread service, which allows you to select three breads from a choice of naan, onion kulcha, and paneer paratha as well as three accompaniments ranging in flavors from a sweet mango chutney to a more spicy red chili sambal. In all there are eight different accompaniments that you can choose from. Among the appetizer selections are Potato and Pea Samosas, Roasted Cauliflower, and a Salad Sampler. The sampler allows you to select three from a list of five that includes chickpeas with cucumber and tomato, roasted potato with corn and spinach, roasted beets, carrots with orange and mint, and watermelon with lime and radish.

The entrée choices feature a couple of open-faced sandwiches, Tandoori Chicken and Tandoori Shrimp, served on naan bread with minted greens with tomato, onion, and a cucumber-yogurt raita (a popular Indian sauce). My server noted that the Sustainable Fish was one of the more popular entrée selections. While the type of fish is constantly changing it always comes served with seasonal vegetables in a light curry broth. Even menu items which at first glance may appear to be more traditional, such as the Grilled Pork Chop and Grilled Angus Chuck Burger, feature their own unique spin. The Pork Chop is glazed with a ginger and pickle lime sauce and the Burger is served on naan bread with minted greens, tomato, onion, and a cucumber-yogurt raita.

For my meal I chose to start with the Lamb Kefta appetizer, which I can best describe as lamb meatballs. The lamb itself had a fairly mild flavor and had a texture that was more firm than your typical beef meatballs. What truly made the dish was the Tamarind and Dried Papaya Sauce that it was served with. While the sauce was very flavorful, it was more sweet and citrusy rather than spicy. That being said, the sauce had just the right amount of kick to it, but not so much as to be overpowering. The sauce definitely dominated the lamb in terms of flavor but the two complimented each other extremely well, the fruitiness of the sauce providing a nice contrast to the flavor of the lamb.



For my entrée I decided on the Slow Cooked and Well Seasoned. I chose this because I love menu items that allow you to sample a variety of different offerings, which I think affords you a more complete dining experience. With this selection you have a choice of two items from a list of three: chicken with a red curry sauce, beef short ribs, and shrimp with a green curry sauce. The meal also comes with your choice of basmati rice or five grain rice pilaf. I went with the Beef Short Ribs and the Shrimp with Green Curry Sauce along with the Five Grain Rice Pilaf. Because these items are slow-cooked, they are infused with tremendous flavor.



The beef was extremely tender and it was not fatty at all. The sauce had a slightly sweet flavor with a hint of cinnamon, but it served to compliment rather than overpower the beef. The shrimp came with a green curry sauce, but it was not spicy at all. Rather it had the very distinct flavor of coconut. I thought the combination of the shrimp and sauce was fantastic. It was like eating coconut shrimp only in a sauce rather than being coated with coconut. The only real disappointment with the entrée was the rice. While the five different grains certainly offered a variety of textures, the rice was dry and did not have much flavor to it. What I ended up doing was taking some of the sauce left over from my lamb appetizer and mixing it with the rice to give it some flavor.

The dessert menu features a good assortment of options ranging from Mango Pudding and Vanilla-Coconut Rice Pudding to Chocolate Cake. I decided to go with the Dessert Sampler to try a couple of different things. The menu lists the sampler as coming with Chocolate Cake, Chai Cream, and Passion Fruit Kulfi (a type of ice cream), but I chose to substitute the Vanilla-Coconut Rice Pudding for the Kulfi.



My favorite dessert of the three was the Chai Cream. While it was thick in consistency, it was light and creamy in taste. My server described it as “creme brulee without the brulee.” Its flavor had a slight hint of tea, but mostly tasted of cinnamon. Next time I would just get this for dessert. The chocolate cake was very rich and heavy. The sampler-sized portion was just enough because getting the chocolate cake alone for dessert would have been too much after such a big meal. The cake came with a raspberry sauce, its light flavor pairing very well with the chocolate. I was most disappointed with the rice pudding. While the rest of my meal had so much flavor, the rice pudding had very little taste and only the slightest hint of coconut and vanilla.

Service:
I was very impressed by the service at Sanaa. With a menu that has so many unfamiliar and unconventional items, my server was extremely helpful in going through and providing descriptions of almost every dish, even explaining which selections were more spicy and which were more mild in flavor. My server also assisted my by pointing out some of her favorite items as well as the restaurant’s more popular choices. I found all the servers in the restaurant to be very friendly and conversational. Even though the restaurant was a little crowded, the servers still took their time with the guests. I could tell that they all truly cared about the guests and wanted to provide them with the best service possible.

Dining on a Budget:
Overall, I found the prices on the menu to be fairly reasonable. One possible option for saving a little money would be to only order appetizers. The menu features a wide assortment of different appetizers and, from what I saw, the portion sizes were very good. You could order the Salad Sampler (which gives you three different salads), pair that with the Lamb Kefta appetizer, get a dessert, and have a very affordable meal and still leave completely satisfied. If you are going for lunch, the various sandwiches also offer an affordable alternative. The Tandoori Chicken is $14.99 and the menu also features a Grilled Lamb open-faced sandwich on naan bread for just $12.49. If you wanted to go with the Angus Chuck Burger, that is also a very economical choice at just $10.99. These sandwich options are just a little bit more expensive than what you would pay at a counter service restaurant, a price that is more than made up for by the tremendous atmosphere of the restaurant.

The Overall Experience:
I am someone who likes to experiment with new and different dining experiences, trying different types of food I would not normally eat. For this reason, I was extremely happy with Sanaa because it opened my eyes to a completely new type of cuisine and all sorts of new flavors to which I am not accustomed. However, it is for this same reason that I would caution anyone who wants to try this restaurant. If you are not the type of person who likes strong flavors and has more simple tastes, this is definitely not the restaurant for you. But, if you are like me and have an adventurous spirit when it comes to dining, you will definitely be rewarded. Sanaa is another one of Disney’s hidden gems. Because it is located at a resort rather than at one of the theme parks it is typically going to be less crowded and less well-known, but do not let this fool you. Sanaa offers a dining experience that is totally unique and unlike anything else in Disney World, combining the beauty of African art, the majesty of an open savannah complete with wild animals, and the exotic flavors of African cuisine. All of this helps to make Sanaa live up to its namesake. It is truly a work of art.

Next Review: Reader's Choice

For my next review I want to try something a little different and let you decide what restaurant I will eat at. Listed below are five Disney restaurants that I have been wanting to try. The restaurant that receives the most votes by Sunday, June 27th will be featured as my next review. Here are the options:

Sanaa at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge

Portobello at Downtown Disney

House of Blues at Downtown Disney

Kona Cafe at Disney's Polynesian Resort

Beaches and Cream at Disney's Beach Club Resort

Restaurant Marrakesh

Even though the Moroccan pavilion in World Showcase has no attractions like some of the other countries, the pavilion is really an attraction unto itself. It is one of my favorite pavilions to walk through because it so completely immerses you into the sights, sounds, and culture of Morocco. With its winding back alleys and little shops, the pavilion is very successful in making you feel as though you have been transported to Morocco itself. The level of detail is what makes the pavilion so captivating to me. Although I have walked through it many times, I always seem to notice some new little detail whenever I go. This high level of detail and theming, creating a completely immersive experience, is continued into Restaurant Marrakesh.





Overview:
Dining at Restaurant Marrakesh is about more than just the meal itself, but rather the complete experience. Having eaten at many of the restaurants around World Showcase I can say that Restaurant Marrakesh provides possibly the most immersive dining experience. The art and architecture, the music, and of course the food all contribute to give guests a small taste of Moroccan culture. The back of the menu provides a short overview of the country’s culture and traditions and notes that Morocco is a country of “timeless wonders” which has been developed and refined over centuries. Indeed, dining at Restaurant Marrakesh makes you feel as though you have been transported to a time and place very far away and everything that you see, hear, and taste during your meal all contributes to this experience.

Atmosphere:
While the dining room at Restaurant Marrakesh is not very large, it feels much bigger than it actually is. Its high ceilings give the restaurant a very open feel, which is enhanced by the fact that the dining room is just one large space. The restaurant has a casual yet elegant feel, almost as if you were dining in the banquet hall of a grand Moroccan palace.





One of the things I enjoyed most about the restaurant was the level of detail in its art and architectural elements, all of which gives you plenty to look at as you are dining. The elaborate wall mosaics, painted ceilings, decorative carpets, and beautiful light fixtures all help to create an exotic feel of a faraway land.



Adding to this atmosphere is the lighting, or lack thereof. The dining room has no windows and thus no natural light. What light there is comes from the intricate light fixtures hanging from the ceiling, including some with pink lightbulbs, giving the dining room a dark, somewhat mysterious feel.

Another major element of the atmosphere is the live entertainment. As I said earlier, dining at Restaurant Marrakesh is about having a complete experience. The immersion into Moroccan culture does not stop with the art, architecture, and detailed theming, but continues with music and dancing performed periodically in the center of the restaurant. While the live music is not continuous (the performances last about a half an hour), there is a good chance that you will see them perform at some point during your meal. The music, unlike anything I have ever heard before, adds to the exotic feel of the restaurant but at the same time is not too overpowering. While it is loud enough to be heard from all parts of the restaurant, it is not so loud that you cannot have a conversation with others sitting at your table. After playing a couple of songs, the musicians are joined by a belly dancer performing some traditional Moroccan dances. I thought it was a nice touch that the dancer invited some of the children to the dance floor in the center of the room to teach them some different moves.





Overall, the music and dancing create a festive atmosphere and combine with the food and the restaurant’s architectural elements to completely transport you to Morocco. The restaurant has a completely different feel from anywhere else I have dined at Disney World and a large part of this is because it is a complete sensory experience; its sights, sounds, and tastes all combine to completely immerse you into Moroccan culture.

The Menu:
This was my first-ever experience with Moroccan food and the menu at Restaurant Marrakesh definitely includes some different and exotic items for the more adventurous diners. One thing that I can say about Moroccan cuisine after my meal is that it is all about flavor. Just in my meal alone I noticed a wide assortment of spices and flavors that both complimented and contrasted each other in a level of complexity that went beyond food that I am typically used to eating. That being said, the food was actually not as spicy as I expected, but still full of flavor.

The menu offers a fairly wide assortment of Moroccan dishes. Appetizers are generally on the lighter side, including both chicken and seafood Bastilla. Bastillas are thin, flaky pastries, the chicken one stuffed with chicken and almonds and the seafood one filled with grouper, shrimp, mushrooms, onions, and egg. Another appetizer choice is Harira Soup flavored with tomatoes, lentils, and lamb. There are a plethora of entrée choices featuring different styles of Moroccan cuisine. One of the more popular menu items is the Roast Lamb Meshoui, a lamb shank braised in natural juices served with roasted eggplant, zucchini, and tomatoes. Morocco is very well-known for its couscous, so it is not surprising that the menu also offers several to choose from, including beef, chicken, vegetable, and lamb shank couscous. From the grill, the menu features Shish Kabobs and Chicken Kabobs marinated in herbs and spices. With all these different choices it may be difficult to pick just one thing to get. Fortunately the menu offers a couple of ways to sample several of the different dishes. One of these options is the Berber Feast, which comes with a Chicken Kabob, Roast Lamb Meshoui, Vegetable Couscous, and a fresh fruit salad. The dessert menu offers a variety of Moroccan pastries, such as Baklava and Bastilla, as well as Marrakesh Delight, a fresh fruit salad topped with mint ice cream and toasted almonds.

For my meal I decided to try the Chef’s Lunch special, which included an appetizer, entrée, and a dessert. I felt this was the best way to get the most complete sampling of different Moroccan dishes. Unlike the lunch special at Chefs de France or at Le Cellier, where you have a choice of different dishes, the lunch special at Marrakesh is prix fixe with no substitutions.

The appetizer was a Beef Brewat Roll, a thin pastry filled with minced beef and then topped with cinnamon and powdered sugar and accompanied by a small salad. I was a little hesitant about this dish because I was not sure how the combination of beef with cinnamon and powdered sugar would taste. I turned out to be pleasantly surprised. The pastry roll itself was delicious. Crispy and flaky, it tasted very much like a pastry you would have for dessert. The beef was not too heavily season and, in fact, the roll would not have had much flavor if it had not been for the cinnamon and powdered sugar. I was shocked at how well the cinnamon complimented and enhanced the flavor of the beef. These are not too flavors that I would typically associate with each other, but they contrasted and yet complimented each other very well. The salad that came with the beef roll was very light and refreshing and was topped with a mayonnaise-based salad dressing that was very creamy.



The entrée on the lunch special was Chicken Kabobs, a dish that I have had before at other restaurants but never matching the flavors of the ones here at Marrakesh. The chicken was seasoned with Moroccan herbs and spices, which definitely gave it a little kick but was far from being overwhelming. There was also a slightly spicy sauce served over the kabobs, which enhanced the flavor of the chicken and added more complexity and depth to the flavor of the meal as a whole. My only complaint was that there could have been more sauce because, although the chicken was very tender, it was a little dry. Accompanying the chicken on the kabobs were mushrooms seasoned with the same spices. Although the mushrooms paired very well with the chicken, I felt they could have been cooked a little longer because they were a bit hard. The kabobs also came with rice. Surprisingly, for all the flavor found in the rest of the dish, the rice was pretty plain. This is another reason why it would have been nice to have more sauce because mixing it with the rice would have given it much more flavor.



The dessert was Baklava, a Moroccan specialty. Although the portion was not too big, it was just right size after a large meal. The pastries were light, flaky, and very sweet, which offered a nice contrast to the spiciness of the chicken kabobs. The Baklava was also topped with almonds which added more flavor and texture to the dessert.



Service:
The service was really the only disappointing part of my experience at Restaurant Marrakesh. I hardly ever saw my server at all throughout the entire meal and when I did see him there was very little interaction between us. After I was seated, the server brought me a menu but did not even explain or describe any of the items for me, which I found a bit surprising because not too many Americans are familiar with Moroccan food. After taking my order the only times I saw my server were when he was bringing out my appetizer, entrée, and dessert. The server did not even stop by to make sure I was enjoying everything, which has never happened to me at a Disney restaurant. That being said, I thought the pace of the meal was very good. Sometimes when you order off of a prix fixe menu the appetizer, entrée, and dessert are brought out in rapid succession, but here the meal progressed at a leisurely pace giving you time to enjoy the entertainment and digest between courses.

Dining on a Budget:
As with most restaurants at Disney World, I highly recommend going to Restaurant Marrakesh for lunch rather than dinner because you are getting almost the same menu but at a cheaper price. For example, the Roast Lamb Meshoui will cost you $18.95 for lunch but then goes up to $27.95 for dinner. I am sure the dinner portions are larger than the lunch portions, but I left lunch feeling completely full and did not even finish all of my chicken kabobs. The best value on the menu is definitely the Chef’s Lunch Special because you get a complete meal with appetizer, entrée, and dessert for just $19.95. Another good option if you are looking for a sampling of different menu items is the Sultan’s Sampler, which includes a Grilled Brochette of either beef or chicken, a Beef Brewat Roll, Chicken Bastilla, and Vegetable Couscous all for $21.95. The Berber Feast, which I mentioned earlier, is another way to taste a variety of different dishes but at $27.95 is a little more expensive than the other two options. Still, all these options come out cheaper than if you were to order an appetizer, entree, and dessert separately off the menu.

The Overall Experience:
This was my first time dining at Restaurant Marrakesh and I can say without a doubt that I will definitely be going back again. Nearly every aspect of the restaurant exceeded my expectations. The level of detail and theming in the restaurant’s décor, the authentic Moroccan music and dancing, and the extremely flavorful food all contributed to create a completely immersive atmosphere. I think this has to be one of the more exotic dining locations that I have been to at Disney World. More so than many of the dining locations at Disney, Restaurant Marrakesh transports you to another time and another place, a faraway land very different from our own, and gives you a little taste of Moroccan culture. I would highly recommend this restaurant for anyone looking for a meal that is both different and unique. It is definitely a restaurant for the more adventurous, people who like to try different dishes and different flavors. The best part of Restaurant Marrakesh is that it is more than just a meal, but rather an experience that is aptly described on the restaurant’s menu as “a cultural feast.”

Min & Bill's Dockside Diner

When it comes to counter service restaurants, Disney’s Hollywood Studios is somewhat lacking when compared with the other Disney parks. Magic Kingdom offers a variety of different options ranging from Pecos Bill’s burgers to fish and chips at Columbia Harbor House to Casey’s Corner and its corn dog nuggets (a personal favorite of mine). Epcot allows guests to dine around the world with counter service restaurants that are, in some cases, just as good as the sit down restaurants found in the different countries of World Showcase. Finally, Animal Kingdom may have my favorite counter service restaurant of them all, the Flame Tree Barbecue. But Hollywood Studios has always been a disappointment for me when it comes to finding a quick meal. I have tried the ABC Commissary, Backlot Express, and Studio Catering Company, but have yet to find a quick service restaurant that matches some of the counter service dining locations found in the other parks. Looking to try something different, I decided to give Min & Bill’s Dockside Diner a try. Although it offers a limited menu, it was probably one of the better counter service meals I have had at the Hollywood Studios.



Overview:
It is nearly impossible to miss Min & Bill’s Dockside Diner when you walk through the Hollywood Studios. Located within the S.S. Down the Hatch, Min & Bill’s dominates Echo Lake and helps enhance the classic Hollywood theme of the park.



You might be wondering what this little tramp steamer has anything to do with Hollywood, but there are several connections that can be made. The steamer itself and the name of the Diner pay tribute to an old MGM film, a comedy-drama entitled Min & Bill. The film starred Wallace Beery and Marie Dressler, who would go on to win the 1931 Academy Award for Best Actress for her role as Min.



The architectural style of the S.S. Down the Hatch is actually something known as “California Crazy,” a building design which became popular in the 1930s. Buildings constructed in this style were meant to catch a customer’s eye and leave a lasting impression (Dinosaur Gertie’s just across the lake would be another example of this). While Min & Bill’s Dockside Diner certainly catches people’s attention as they walk through the park, it is definitely lesser known as a dining location.





While for a long time the Min & Bill’s was just a place to grab a quick snack, changes in the menu not too long ago have turned it into another dining option for a quick lunch or dinner.

Atmosphere:
One thing about Min & Bill’s is that it only offers outdoor seating. This can be a good or bad thing depending on the weather. As is usually the case when dining al fresco, the weather will have a tremendous impact on your dining experience. This is definitely a dining location that you would want to avoid if it is raining because there is no indoor seating anywhere close. While all the tables do have umbrellas, they would not offer enough protection in the rain. Likewise, although the umbrellas do afford some shade, it can still get very hot sitting in this area, especially during the summer months.



A couple of other factors to take into account are the Diner’s location to some of the Studios’ other attractions and entertainment. If you are a fan of the American Idol Experience, Min & Bill’s offers a great spot to enjoy the finale show on the big screen while you eat. For this reason, it can be far more crowded at this time and definitely more difficult to find a table. For this reason, if you do not really care about seeing American Idol you may want to eat prior to the start of the finale show. Min & Bill’s is also in close proximity to the location where High School Musical takes place. If you are not a fan of High School Musical you may want to check your time guide for performance times so you are not eating while the show is going on because the music is very loud (I personally made this mistake). Otherwise, despite being in a fairly high traffic area with a lot of guests walking by, the seating area is relatively quiet and offers a nice spot to sit, relax, and do some people watching.

The Menu:
While the menu is limited to three entrée selections, each appealed to me and I was torn as to which one I wanted to try. The main items found on the menu are a Frankfurter on a Pretzel Roll, a Chicken Caesar Sandwich, and an Italian Sausage Sandwich. The menu also includes several snack items such as Vanilla or Chocolate Shakes, Frozen Lemonade, Chocolate Chip Cookies, and a standard assortment of soft drinks. I finally decided on the Frankfurter, mostly because I really wanted to try the pretzel roll. I also ordered a chocolate shake to accompany my meal.

While the Frankfurter was good, in hindsight I probably would have enjoyed the Chicken Caesar or Italian Sausage sandwiches more. I ordered the Frankfurter largely because of the pretzel roll, and that certainly did not disappoint. While not as good as the pretzel bread served at Le Cellier, it was better than a standard pretzel that you would buy at one of the concession stands in the park. The pretzel roll was nice and soft and was also served warm, definitely helping to put a new spin on a classic favorite. If it had not been served on the pretzel roll, there would have been nothing special about the Frankfurter. The Frankfurter was also served with Dijon mustard, which gave it a nice little extra kick. If you do not really care for Dijon mustard then I would chose something else from the menu because there was a lot of it. I happen to like Dijon and felt it complimented the Frankfurter and pretzel roll very well.



The chocolate shake was probably the highlight of the meal and it was so big that it really could almost have been a meal unto itself. Not only was it big, but it was also extremely thick and filling. I had to use a spoon when I started and was not able to use a straw until the heat had melted it a little. The shake had a rich chocolate flavor and was extremely refreshing on a very hot day. I will certainly be adding this to my list of favorite snack items in Disney World.



Service:
At a counter service restaurant efficiency is always extremely important. This often means that Cast Members serving the food may not have time to interact with the guests to the same extent as servers in a sit down restaurant. I have experiences many situations where cast members at quick service locations care only about taking your order and getting you your food quickly and thus sometimes come across as being cold and uncaring. This was not the case at Min & Bill’s. Not only was the service speedy and efficient, but the Cast Member who took my order also was very personable. Although our interaction was brief, he was still able to strike up a quick conversation and even threw in a couple of jokes as well. I thought that this was very refreshing because it showed that having quick service does not necessarily need to come at the expense of good guest interaction.

Dining on a Budget:
If you are looking for a snack, the chocolate and vanilla shakes at Min & Bill’s are probably one of the better values in all of the Disney parks. The size of the shake is absolutely huge and the price is only $3.99 (it is also a snack credit on the Disney Dining Plan). When you consider that a Mickey’s Premium Bar now costs $3.50, you are getting so much more for your money if you get a shake at Min & Bill’s. The shakes are so big that you were looking for a quick lunch for two people you could each get a shake, split a sandwich, and still leave feeling full. Other than the shakes, the sandwich prices are basically on par with the prices found at other quick service locations.

The Overall Experience:
While my meal at Min & Bill’s Dockside Diner was one of the better counter service meals I have had at the Hollywood Studios, it still does not match the level of some of the quick service dining options found at the other parks. I will probably go back again to try the other sandwich choices, but I am more likely to go back just to have a chocolate shake as a snack. I think that Min & Bill’s actually has more value for a quick snack than it has as being a counter service dining location for a quick lunch or dinner. While my meal was not bad, there was nothing about it other than the shake that really made me say “wow.” However, given the choice of any of the counter service restaurants at the Hollywood Studios, I would probably choose Min & Bill’s as my first option.

Captain's Grille

Sometimes you just need to take a little break from the parks, especially during those hot Florida summer afternoons. Returning to your resort to swim in the pool is a great way to beat the heat, get away from the crowds for a while, and freshen up for the remainder of the day. Just because you are at your resort does not mean that you have to miss out on great Disney dining opportunities. On the contrary, some of the more popular restaurants across Disney property are actually found in the resorts, including Ohana at the Polynesian and Chef Mickey’s at the Contemporary just to name a few. There are also many “hidden gems” to be found, restaurants that tend to be overlooked and are thus far less crowded than the various dining locations in the parks. One of these restaurants is the Captain’s Grille at the Yacht Club Resort.



Overview:
Disney’s Yacht Club Resort offers a little taste of New England in central Florida. The nautical theme is evident as soon as you walk into the lobby. From its polished hardwood floors to the model sailboats located behind the check-in counter and the giant globe sitting in the center of the lobby, guests are greeted with an elegant feel similar to that of a high-end resort one might find on Martha’s Vineyard. These nautical touches are carried throughout the resort and into the Captain’s Grille restaurant which is located just off the main lobby.

What makes the Captain’s Grille interesting is depending on the time of day you eat there you can have a different dining experience. In the morning the restaurant features a buffet of standard breakfast fare as well as an al a carte menu. The lunch menu offers a selection of various salads, soups, and sandwiches. Dinner brings a completely different menu and more elaborate dishes such as a Grilled New York Strip, Snow Crab Legs, and a Grilled Rib-Eye. Although the Yacht Club Resort’s best known dining location is the Yachtsman Steakhouse, lunch at the Captain’s Grille should not be overlooked.

Atmosphere:
While the nautical touches of the main lobby continue into the restaurant, the overall atmosphere is very subdued and restrained. When dealing with this type of theme it is very easy to go over-the-top. The Captain’s Grille, however, has just the right amount of nautical touches to give the restaurant a cohesive feel and tie it in with the rest of the resort, but at the same time it is far from being tacky. While there are some model sailboats, both hanging on the walls and in glass cases, they are not present everywhere you look.



The walls are also adorned with smaller items such as framed signal flags and various brass navigation devices, but these touches serve mainly to enhance the dining atmosphere rather than dominate it.





One of the things I liked most about the themeing of the restaurant was the wallpaper. When looked at from a distance the wallpaper appears to be beige with blue, red, and gold stripes. Upon closer look, the beige sections turn out to actually be nautical maps, but you can not even see this detail unless you are standing right next to the wall.



The restaurant itself has a casual and relaxing feel, but depending on where you are sitting the atmosphere is slightly different. Along the outer edge of the restaurant there are large windows overlooking the pool area, providing plenty of light and giving this section of the restaurant a more open and airy feel.



As you move away from the windows towards the center and back by the main entrance, the lighting becomes dimmer, giving this part of the restaurant a slightly more formal feel.



The Menu:
The lunch choices at the Captain’s Grille feature many traditional New England favorites. Among the appetizer selections are a Lump Crab Cake and New England Clam Chowder, but my waiter explained that the Spinach-Cheese Dip for Two was his personal favorite. The entrée section largely features sandwiches and salads. Sandwich options include the New England Lobster Roll, a Tomato and Mozzarella Sandwich, and a Grilled Chicken Sandwich with ham and cheddar. Also among the entrée selections are a Caesar Salad with Chicken as well as Fish and Chips. Surprisingly, considering the menu is made up largely of seafood items, my waiter commented that the Angus Chuck Cheeseburger was probably their most popular item. My waiter also recommended the Grilled Sirloin Steak Salad topped with a roasted red pepper ranch dressing, which he said was fantastic.

I selected the Soup and Sandwich combo, which came with the choice of either a tuna or shrimp salad croissant and a cup of New England Clam Chowder or the soup of the day (which in this case was chicken noodle). I chose to go with the tuna salad croissant and the New England clam chowder.



The first thing I noticed about the food when it arrived was the large portion size. I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of tuna in the croissant and the sandwich was so big that I was not even able to finish the whole thing. The tuna itself was pretty standard but the croissant was what made the sandwich special, flaky on the outside but soft on the inside. The sandwich also came with tomato, lettuce, and red onion. I thought the red onion paired very well with the tuna and gave the sandwich a little extra kick.

The best part of the entree was the chowder. I am originally from New England and have sampled many different types of chowder and I can say without question that the Captain’s Grille has one of the best New England Clam Chowders I have ever had. I like my chowder thick and not too watery, and this chowder was just the right consistency. Sometimes you get chowder that is all broth and has hardly any clams or potatoes, but that was hardly the case here. This was what I would call a “chunky” chowder, with good-sized pieces of both clams and potatoes. In many chowders I have tried the clams are overwhelmed by the potatoes, but in this case the opposite was true; there were probably more clams than there were potatoes. This is exactly how chowder should be. Also, I usually add a decent amount of black pepper to add flavor to my chowder, but in this instance there was no need. The chowder is very flavorful with just the right hint of pepper, but not so much as to overwhelm the dish. It was so good that I would go back to the restaurant again just to have the chowder.

For dessert I selected the Double Chocolate Cheesecake, which came topped with fresh berries and whipped cream. The presentation of the dessert was visually impressive and the taste was just as good. The cheesecake itself was light in texture but rich in flavor, but the crust was the best part. The crust was extremely moist and tasted similar to an Oreo cookie. The cheesecake was accompanied by two sauces, one vanilla and the other raspberry. I felt that the raspberry sauce paired far better with the cheesecake, but the vanilla sauce went along well with the fruit. While all the fruit was good and very fresh, I would have liked it if there were more strawberries. One of the things that impressed me the most with the cheesecake was the whipped cream, which was extremely smooth and creamy and complimented the cheesecake and fruit very well.



Service:
My waiter was very efficient and did his job well, but he was not the most personable server I have ever had. When I told him that it was my first time ever dining at Captain’s Grille he explained the menu and pointed out some of the more popular items and his personal favorites. After I ordered, my food was brought out in a timely manner and my waiter checked on me multiple times to make sure everything was to my liking. All that being said, he was not the type of waiter with whom you would be able to strike up a conversation. He was good at doing his job, but there was not much interaction beyond what there needed to be to get his job done. However, one thing I saw my waiter do made me very impressed. There was a guest at the next table over who did not speak very good English and she had a question about the pricing on her bill. My waiter actually took a menu, sat next to her at the table, and explained line-by-line how everything on the bill was priced. It was a great example of how all waiters should go about their jobs.

Dining on a Budget:
If you are looking for a fairly inexpensive lunch, then the Captain’s Grille is a good choice. All of the sandwiches on the menu are around twelve dollars (with exception of the Lobster Roll) and you get a lot of food for your money. Sandwiches come served with a pickle and your choice of vegetable orzo salad or fries. I think the best value on the menu is the soup and salad combination which I ordered. An appetizer chowder alone costs $6.99, so it is almost like you are getting the croissant sandwich for just five dollars. If you are looking for a quick bite to eat without crowds or long lines, the Captain’s Grille can give you a nice, calm sit-down lunch for just a little more than what it would cost you to eat at a counter service restaurant.

The Overall Experience:
As my experience at the Captain’s Grille shows, there are many lesser known restaurants to be found all across Disney property at many of the resorts. Just because these restaurants are not crowded all the time does not mean that their food, atmosphere, and service is not of the same quality as the more popular restaurants inside the parks. If you find that you need a mid-day break from the hustle and bustle of the theme parks, lunch at the Captain’s Grille provides a calm, quiet, laid-back dining option with good food at an affordable price. I would definitely recommend the Captain’s Grille and its location makes it very easy to get to. Although it is just a short walk from Epcot or a quick boat ride from the Hollywood Studios, lunch at the Captain’s Grille can easily make one forget about the Florida heat and the crowds as well as providing a much needed break in the middle of the day.