Restaurant Review: Cape May Cafe - dinner

Now that the trip report for my Dec. 2008 trip is history, I wanted to delve into some reviews of restaurants, resorts and attractions. First up are the restaurants, and first up in that list is the Cape May Cafe (dinner).

The Cape May Cafe is located in the Beach Club resort and offers a character breakfast and a clam-bake-style lunch and dinner. Both are buffet-style. I had the opportunity to dine at the Cape May for dinner one evening with my family. This is a Disney Dining Plan restaurant, requiring one table service credit per person.

As I suggested in a previous Tip Tuesday post, I checked ahead on some WDW fan sites and found the menu for the Cape May. I noticed the kids portion of the buffet offered pretty standard kids fare, including chicken strips/nuggets - so I knew my special needs son would be fine. Lo and behold, when we entered the restaurant, the menu had changed. The chicken strips/nuggets had been replaced with baked chicken legs. This was not good. Fortunately, the salad bar offered fruit and a selection of breads, so my special needs son at least had something to eat.

Once I got past this little change in the game plan, I had a chance to check out the buffet itself. I knew this was a clambake, but I figured there would be some additional seafood options as well. Not quite. The seafood options pretty much are clams, mussels, clams, and did I mention clams? The only other type of seafood available was cold peel-and-eat shrimp (like in shrimp cocktails).

Now clams weren't the only options on the buffet, thankfully. There was a carving station with prime rib and roast turkey. These were expertly prepared and came with some delicious gravies or as jus. Additionally, there were a few options for side dishes (nothing I would expect at a clambake except corn on the cob) including asparagus, squash, zucchini and a type of mashed potato that had some kind of spice included that I couldn't identify. It wasn't bad, though.

As for the kids, the pickings were a bit slim. Cheese pizza, the aforementioned baked chicken legs and mac-n-cheese were the highlights. I was hoping for some fried shrimp or something else kid friendly.

The layout of the restaurant was a bit awkward. The buffet was in a large square in the middle of the restaurant with booths and tables situated around it. As you were in line at the buffet, the quarters were a little tight, nor was there a logical flow around the buffet. Two lines sort of overlapped each other as guests tried to figure out where to find what they were looking for.

The deserts offered were standard fare as well. Guests could choose from the standard selection of cake slices, small tarts, or ice cream.

Of all the restaurants we visited during our Dec. 2008 trip, this was the least favorite. This was partly my fault as I expected more out of the restaurant than I probably should have. Of course, I also had to contend with Disney healthy kick and probably should have anticipated the removal of fried foods.

That being said, I would recommend Cape May to anyone who is in the mood for clams and mussels (like my Dad who loves mussels). They had TONS of clams and mussels of different types (except fried). If, however, you're looking for a larger variety of seafood, Cape May might not be what you're looking for. If you're coming with kids, be forewarned, the kid's fare is limited.