Hi,
We will be staying at the Gaylord Palm hotel for a long weekend at the end of August. Travelling with two 16 yr. old boys. They do have manners, but we don't want to have to dress up beyond business casual.

Has anyone been to Pebbles lately? The last post I saw referring to this restaurant is three years old. We are adventerous eaters and love food. We will go to Ran Getsu for sushi one night. Any thoughts on: Pebbles, Seasons 52, California Grill, Hemingway's , Artist Point, Flying Fish and Wolfgang Pucks. What else might my husband, myself and the two boys like?

Thanks for your help.

Cali. Grill, Artist's Point and Flying Fish are all very good-it just depends on what type of food you like. You might want to check Giko in the Animal Kingdom Lodge as well as it is very good.

Here's some more clarity. My husband and the guys would lean toward steak or seafood as the main course with an interesting side dish, appetizers, desserts. I'm open to anything. We want a fun, not stuffy atmosphere, but not too little kiddish, as the guys are 16.

Given your clarification, I would say Giko, Artists Point or Ca. Grill. Flying Fish is excellent but all fish and the "stuffiest" of all in my opinion. Don't get me wrong, I loved it but I couldn't see a 16 yr old really enjoying it. AP is a Pa. NW. motif with a good selection of fish (excellent salmon) and steak (and some game as I recall). Giko is African with good meat and fish selections. Ca. Grill is great - good sushi, steaks. Make reservations during the Magic Kingdom fireworks for a great view.

AP is our favorite of the WDW restaurants mentioned. Although, we haven't eaten at Jiko yet. Our 13 yo. son enjoys all of them, but for the food. I wouldn't say that any of them have a "fun" environment. FF has a more lively atmosphere. For good (not great) food & a fun atmosphere, I would suggest House of Blues at Disney's West Side. Personally, we though WGP's Cafe was too loud & the food was below our expectations. If you go there, make a reservation for upstairs. Don't forget that the Swan & Dolpin also have some great restaurants. Do you plan to go to WDW? If not, there's also some great restaurants at Universal Orlando that I could recommend. There's the combination of fun & fine dining there. We usually eat on property at one of the 2 resorts, so I'm not a lot of help on off property restaurants. Of the ones we have eaten at, The Crab House in LBV is good.

Thanks so much for the suggestions. I really am curious about how Pebbles is these days. Has anyone eaten there recently? I just want to know if we should eliminate it or not. We've had great meals there in the past, but it has been 3 or 4 years.

No one has mentioned Hemingway's, which has been one of my favorite restaurants in the area. It's been a couple of years, but the food and service were always great and I think the guys would love the atmosphere.

Our teens liked Boma's at the Animal Kingdom lodge. You can check out the menu in the dining section on either wdwinfo.com or allearsnet.com.

My son went with his grandparents to some place in Orlando called (I think) Chuck's Steakhouse. He raved about it.

Get your priority seating to coordinate with the evening fireworks display at Magic Kingdom (407-WDW-DINE). They have a viewing deck and they pipe the music in from the fireworks. That's pretty neat.