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Contempo Cafe
More than a week ago, the Contemporary Resort welcomed its fast-food
replacement, now on the fourth floor rather than the ground floor. It took
over the spot of the Concourse Steakhouse, with the idea being that this
floor will be Ground Zero soon for people traveling to and from the new Bay
Lake Tower DVC unit still rising from the ground next door, and connected to
the original structure via covered walkway. Which will connect on the fourth
floor, you see.
The former Concourse Steakhouse area is
now self-service.
We've had time to drop by here twice in the past week, just to get a feel
for the place, and we like some things quite a lot. The location is hard to
beat, especially when you've had the park food more times than you care to
admit and want something different. The ordering system is super convenient,
courtesy of numerous touch kiosks in the style you may have seen at Capt.
Cook's over in the Polynesian. And the prices are not too astronomical.
Touch kiosks, my favorite. Now about that
sign...
That said, there is always room for "growth," shall we say, in the form
of tweaks to the menu. We were excited by the honey-lime chicken sandwich,
covered with pepper jack cheese and slathered with salsa, served on a
multigrain roll. What we got was almost completely bland to the point of
flavorlessness, which seemed not only improbable given the ingredients list,
but impossible. Honestly, we tasted none of the five listed ingredients.
Perhaps they cancelled each other out?
A minor gripe: do they have to try to "upsell"
after I finished my order?
Things were slightly better for the marinated beef flatbread (it was
uninspired and not savory, but serviceable) and the chicken Caesar salad
(just OK). And we hit gold with the vegetable bake, a dinner-only item that
was tasty indeed, but take heed that you don't expect to fill up on this.
Even at $7, it's not entree-sized, but more like a portion you'd split
between two people as an appetizer.
The dinner pasta (an Alfredo sauce, if memory serves) came in a TV dinner
type of tray, which was disappointing, but appearances deceive. This one
packed the biggest wallop in terms of flavor. It was tasty and filling, and
my recommendation should you venture here yourself.
I like the small touches, such as the
Mickeys on the chairs.
One last tweak I wish to see the next time they open one of these
kiosk-service locations: please put the stations in a more logical order. At
present, you order by kiosk and are funneled to the pickup window, which you
are supposed to bypass, then go to the refrigerator for drinks, then the
cashier to pay (your order won't actually "start" until you pay). Why not
re-order things so that you go to the fridge right after the kiosk, and then
the cashier, and put the pickup window somewhere off to the side, where it
won't get in the way. I watched for a while, and just about every Guest here
was confused about what to do next. It must be maddening for those poor
folks working at this location.
American Idol: Start the Clock
The construction walls are down at the Superstar Television Theater (so
named for its original inhabitant) and the big glowing sign proclaims that
the American Idol Experience will start on February 14. Out front, costumed
CMs (sporting the new two-toned jumpsuit for the upcoming attraction)
cheerfully answer any question, but it boils down to, come back on February
14.
The walls are down! I'm just geeky enough
to be excited by this.
The queue area looks familiar to my eyes: video screens above, entry
doors to one side.
This is the same, right? Though the
monitors weren't flat-screen before, were they?
But what's this area also labeled for American Idol over by the Sci-Fi
Diner? It looks like it might be a tryout area, but it's got signs
proclaiming it to be something about the winner, like a winner's circle for
photographs. Time will tell, I suppose.
The satellite location, at night. |
