Short Trip, Quick Reviews Dec-2010 - Complete 1/11

[onelilspark]

Hi there I'm back from the World (okay...I've been back for a while now ) with a few new dining reports!

Let's get things started...first, the who:
I'll start with me. Hi, I'm Kelly, your host for this dining adventure.

I'm a Disney Fanatic & Foodie. I'll try *most* anything once. I'm 25, engaged, and in Sales. My fiancé did not come with me on this trip...he's not really a Disney fan, more of an enabler, but it works for us

Supporting cast includes my Mom, my Dad, my cousin (we'll call her Ariel), and her brother-my other cousin (we'll call him Goofy.) Ariel did the College Program a few years ago, so needless to say, my whole family is kind of Disney Nuts.

The when: December 1-5.

The why:The initial plan was to participate in the Reunion Events (WDW Today Podcast), but we never actually made it to any events. Whoops.

The how: Not on the DDP, I do have a TiW card that we used for any meal that we could.

The where:
Via Napoli - Lunch
All Star Movies Food Court - Lunch
Bluezoo - Dinner
All Star Movies Food Court - Breakfast
Biergarten - Lunch
Cosmic Ray's/MVMCP - Dinner
Starring Rolls - Breakfast
Via Napoli - Lunch
ESPN Club/Jellyrolls - Dinner
All Star Movies Food Court - Breakfast
**I'll be updating this with links to the reports as I go.

Now that everyone is neat & pretty...on with the show!

 

[onelilspark]

My Mom picked me up from the airport and we headed over to Epcot to spend a few hours. I had heard great things about Via Napoli and we decided to try our luck with a walk-up. We waited about 5 minutes and were seated

I started with a Blood Orange Aqua Fresca

I loved this, not too sweet and very refreshing.

My Mom went with the Italian Margarita

I've had this before, it's quite delicious!

We decided to split everything. We started off with Arrancini

(Fried Risotto Balls)
These were pretty good. Nothing spectacular, but I loved the sauce.

We also split the Quatro Fromaggio Individual Pizza

Mmmm, I love cheese, so this was right up my ally. My Mom was disappointed there wasn't any sauce, but I knew it was a white pizza. Solution: dip the pizza into the sauce from the Risotto

We didn't get dessert as we wanted to stop at the Caramel Store in Germany for some treats.

Overall, service was fantastic, and I think Via Napoli is a great addition to the World Showcase. I'd definitely return...and we did

 

[onelilspark]

Skip ahead to the next day (I stayed with my parents the first night.) My Mom & I met my cousin at All Star Movies to Check-in and do lunch. After the fiasco that was check-in, we finally were able to head over to the food court for lunch.

My cousin (Ariel) had the Taco Salad and my Mom had Chicken Nuggets. We were all starving as check-in took more than an hour, so we all dug in quickly, leaving time to only take a picture of my food...

I went with the Chicken Alfredo

I liked this version better than the one at Pop. It wasn't blow my mind amazing, but it did the trick, was hot, and the chicken was moist. I was happy with my decision.

The overall opinion was that the food was decent, but nothing to write home about. I was able to use my TiW discount here, which was pretty nice. I'd grab lunch here if I stayed at All Star Movies again (hah!) but I wouldn't go out of my way for it.

 

[loveysbydesign]

looks yummy so far!

 

[onelilspark]

This was the major dinner of our trip. We spent some time exploring the Christmas decorations at the Epcot area resorts, and then headed over to the Dolphin. We were early for our reservation, so we stayed in the lobby and listened to the carolers they had sing to the guests. It was very pretty in the lobby and I loved the added touch of the carolers.

Pointsetta tree in the Lobby

My Dad & other cousin (Goofy) were meeting us for dinner, so we had a total of 5 people for dinner. I had made the reservation for 4 as Goofy lives in Miami and decided at the last minute to join us. I didn't have a problem anywhere adding him to our reservations. (And before I get flamed, he stayed at a room off property, not with his sister & I.)

We all started with cocktails. I can't find the cocktail menu online and can't remember the names...sorry!

This one was mine:

It was basically a mulled cider. The pieces floating on top are frozen pieces of apple, frozen with liquid nitrogen. This drink was delicious, I would have had two, but I was driving

My Mom had the ZooBerry (I think...)

This one was fruitier, very very good. If I had it, it would have gone down very easily...

Finally, my cousin (Ariel) had this concoction:

The ice was a ball that the waitress had to crack. We spent most of the dinner trying to figure out if the liquid was inside of it when she cracked it as we weren't paying enough attention.

My other cousin (Goofy) had just a basic gin cocktail and my Dad had a glass of wine. They had a lot on their menu that looked good, it'd be a fun place just to grab cocktails!

For an appetizer, my cousin Goofy & I both had their clam chowder

I'm a sucker for a good review, and after all the good ones about the soup, I had to try it. Prior to ordering it I couldn't remember if I even liked clam chowder It was a success though! Absolutely delicious

My Mom & cousin Ariel got the Beet Salad

They both cleaned their plates. I wish I had gotten a bite!

My Dad went with a flatbread...yawn

He enjoyed it very much.

I had the pork dish:

If my memory is correct, it was a tenderloin with apple potatoes & pork belly. It was soooo delicious. The tenderloin was a bit on the dry side, but the pork belly more than made up for it.

This was my cousin Ariel's swordfish:

She loves swordfish and was really excited to see it on the menu. It didn't disappoint.

My Mom had the tuna

Her's was probably the biggest disappointment in the meal. It was just a bad piece, very fatty. So she picked at our dishes.

My cousin Goofy & my Dad both had the simply fish courses. My Dad had grouper and Goofy had a fish I'd never heard of before. Both absolutely loved their fish and accompaniments.

I think that's the grouper...

It was a huge meal, there was no way we were going to be able to fit dessert in too.

Some comments on the ambiance/atmosphere...Bluezoo is very trendy. I live in Rochester, NY...we're not so trendy here. So it was a little odd for me and I felt a little self conscience. I loosened up during dinner, but I do prefer cozier location. The food more than made up for it. My cousin Ariel on the other hand still lives outside Philly (where we grew up) and loves those kind of places. But just an FYI...

Overall, the food was excellent and I'm glad we gave it a try. I'm not sure it cracks my top restaurants at WDW list, but some of that is the atmosphere. I'd definitely return in a heartbeat though

Oh...and one more comment: if you drive over to the Dolphin, the restaurant will validate your receipt for parking, so parking winds up being free.

 

[onelilspark]

looks yummy so far!

Thanks for joining in!

 

[onelilspark]

I was still on work time, so I woke up super early that morning. As my cousin was taking longer to get ready than I was, I ran down to the food court to grab some good breakfast. I wasn't terribly hungry, so I just got the kids waffle dish and brought it back to the room.

My cousin thought it was ingenious to get a kids meal. I felt pretty proud of myself She had some granola bars with her for breakfast, so she took my grapes and I had the healthy part of the meal...waffles & sausage!

It's not a complete trip for me without Mickey Waffles, and I was pleased to see that the All Stars had the "good" sausage!

 

[glennbo123]

Signing on Kelly.

 

[flamom]

I'm in. I'm really enjoying your reviews and pictures,thanks for sharing.

 

[onelilspark]

Signing on Kelly.

I'm in. I'm really enjoying your reviews and pictures,thanks for sharing.

Welcome to both of you! Thanks for joining!

 

[onelilspark]

Happy New Year everyone!!

My Mom's side of the family is German, more specifically, PA Dutch. The cousins that joined me were her brother's kids. So when we were trying to decide where to have lunch, Biergarten seemed like a no brainer...we love German food! (Anyone having Pork & Sauerkraut tonight?!)

I can't really drink beer, so I had a glass of Riesling. I don't know what I had, I just asked the waiter to bring me a glass of their driest Riesling. It was good

My cousins each got a mug of beer:

The line for the buffet was crazy long every time we looked, so eventually we just got in line (note: the lunch was pretty long, it could have been a lot shorter if it weren't for the lines at the buffet.)

My first plate:

There's some speatzle, potatoes, potato salad, pork, sausages... the usual I went back up for some more of the roasted potatoes, they were delicious!

My dessert plate...which I got when I went up for my second helping of the potatoes

There's pudding, apple strudel, and a Bavarian Cheesecake. I loved the cheesecake.

Overall, I love the atmosphere of Biergarten. You're seated at a table with other people...we had non-US citizens with us (I don't know what country they were from...) so there wasn't a lot of social interaction. But the entertainment is always fun. I'm not a huge fan of buffets because I think most people have rather disgusting habits. I like Biergarten because I'm a fan of German food & they seem to replenish the food quick enough that it stays up to temperature. It's a good staple for me, not anything mind blowing, but definitely hits the spot.

 

[onelilspark]

That evening we had tickets for MY very first, Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party.

As you can imagine, we weren't terribly hungry after our huge lunch at Biergarten. Eventually we decided we should probably have *something* for dinner. Once again, I went with my kids meal strategy and got the kids meal Chicken Nuggets. It was the perfect amount of food...and I got apple slices to throw in my bag for later.

Of course, no Christmas Party would be complete with hot chocolate and sugar cookies!

It was a freezing night (literally 37 degrees when we were on the way back to All Star that evening...) so it was nice to see that the hot chocolate was actually hot and not luke warm. The cookies were delicious too. I was pleased

 

[glennbo123]

(Anyone having Pork & Sauerkraut tonight?!)

Jawohl! A big roaster full of pork, kielbasa, and sauerkraut is in the oven right now!

I loved the cheesecake.

That cheesecake is the best!

 

[All7OfUs]

HI Kelly!! I haven't been on the Dining Boards in FOREVER!! Glad to have found someone I "know". Great reviews so far. Via Napoli looked fantastic!!

As did the Dolphin. Your drink choices looked so nommy-nommy!!!

 

[All7OfUs]

Jawohl! A big roaster full of pork, kielbasa, and sauerkraut is in the oven right now!



That cheesecake is the best!

REALLY?!! And I"m stuck with hamburger cassarole. Clearly you are the winner tonight!

 

[brookelizabeth]

I had no idea the TiW worked at the All Star food court! I wonder if that's the only Food Court? Hmmm

Biergarten. That cheesecake is from heaven!

Great reviews-lookin' forward to more! Sorry to hear check-in took an hour.

 

[brookelizabeth]

The DIS ate my post! Very weird. Let's see if I can remember what I said...

I had no idea the All Star Food Court took the TiW! That is very nice. I wonder if it's the only food court that does?

Biergarten...yum. That cheesecake is from heaven!

Sorry to hear that check-in took an hour. That's annoying.

Looking forward to more!

 

[brookelizabeth]

Oooookay. So I posted the second response and now both appear.

Weird.

All well!

 

[Flossbolna]

Great review! I totally understand what you say about bluezoo, I am not really sure wether I would feel comfortable there, it looks far too trendy to me... And then I am not a seafood lover.

I enjoyed your perspective on Biergarten! Being German I have never tried it so far since it just feels wrong eating German food while being on vacation in a foreign country, but I really want to try it on my next trip. And I think a Riesling is a pretty good choice as a drink in a German restaurant. I loved it that you actually spelled it the correct way as well!

 

[glennbo123]

I loved it that you actually spelled it the correct way as well!

Yeah, you don't see that everyday!