Autumn '15 started 2/4/16 Better Late Than ... - BOG Yak Yeti Via Napoli Plaza Complete

[tinkerbellmagic]

Hi there!

Welcome to my dining report!
Dining report started: Feb 4, 2016
Here's my foodie dining report for our end of Sept/early Oct trip to Disney World.
Who: me (Tink) and my 20 something year old DD (Belle the vegetarian)
This was a mother/daughter Halloween trip!



I intended on getting this report up much sooner but Halloween, fall family birthdays, Thanksgiving, and Christmas ... all the usual excuses ... bla bla bla ... you've heard it all before, took their toll. So I hope it's better to have a late dining report, than no dining report at all. I've been missing Disney and I couldn't let these food pics go to waste. DISers need them and I always appreciate reading everyone else's trip and food reports, so here goes.

Oh, just so ya know... DD and I can get a little over the top with our food ratings so bear with us. We rate our food items from 1 to 5, with 5 being the best, most delicious taste treat ever! And, then, for some reason we can't just rate a food item something like 3, 4, or 5. It might end up being a 3.75 or a 4.25, etc. I hope this doesn't drive people nuts.

DD was in charge of securing all of our ADR's and FP+ for this trip. It was such a relief to me to not have to do all that this time. Luckily, she enjoyed it. My passion lies in choosing our resort. I love every part of that agony, but I was more than happy to hand over the food and rides torches to DD.

For this trip, we stayed at Port Orleans Riverside (POR). It was something of a nostalgic trip for us. Our first on site stay was at Dixie Landings in 1997 and it was fun to see what DD remembered since she was just a kid the last time she stayed here. *sniff sniff*



We paid out of pocket for food, no dining plan.

Day 1 - Sunday Arrival day - check in at POR and off to MK
Lunch - Pinocchios
Dinner - Plaza

Day 2 - Monday Hollywood Studios and Epcot
Breakfast - Riverside Mill (Port Orleans Riverside Food Court)
Lunch - Hollywood Brown Derby
Dinner - Via Napoli

Day 3 - Tuesday MK
Breakfast - BOG
Lunch - BOG (yes, twice in one day)
Dinner - Food and Wine

Day 4 - Wednesday Animal Kingdom and MK
Lunch - Yak and Yeti
Dinner - Food and Wine

Day 5 - Thursday Disney Springs and Halloween Party
Lunch - Earl of Sandwich
Dinner - Plaza (yes, again)

I will throw in a few snack photos as we go along. Also DD has a few food/wine pics and ratings, nothing extensive. So grab your napkin and fork and let's dive in.

Tink and Belle

 

[tinkerbellmagic]

Day 1 - Sunday Arrival day - check in at POR and off to MK

Lunch - Pinocchios

We started out with an extremely early flight out of Chicago and knew we wouldn't eat til lunchtime, so we grabbed a couple quick items at the airport Let Them Eat Cake bakery before take-off, to tide us over. DD had a chocolate croissant and I had a cranberry muffin. Both were delicious! My cranberry muffin tasted like it also may have had orange in it too - truly a match made in heaven. But who cares, it's not Disney food!

Once in Orlando, we caught the ME to POR. Ah, we were in Orlando! We were seeing palm trees. You couldn't slap the smiles off our faces if you tried. Once we arrived at POR we checked into the 'already checked in' line and were taken care of almost immediately. Our room wasn't ready, we didn't expect it to be (though you always secretly hope it is), so by 11:45 am, we were already on the bus to MK.

I suppose I would have been happy to have lunch at POR's food court, but DD was anxious to hit MK right away. Our plan was to stop for lunch at either Pinocchios or Columbia Harbor House. I think DD secretly wanted to stop at Columbia Harbor House and I not so secretly wanted to stop at Pinocchios (I'm a sucker for IASW) and by golly, Pinocchios was the first place we ran into. We were starving by the time we got there.

The line at Pinocchio's was as long as his nose and slow moving to boot, but we kept smiling, even knowing this was just the first of many long and slow moving lines we'd endure, because our Disney vacation had officially begun. We were at the MK and we were just ready for some foodie fun. I know. And speaking of cheesy...

At Pinocchio's, DD, the vegetarian, had the Caprese Flatbread and a Sprite. I had the Pepperoni Flatbread and a root beer. We took our food and cold drinks and sat upstairs in Pinocchios, away from the hustle bustle below, just thrilled to be at Disney World. I thought we were going upstairs to the area that over looks Small World, but we must have taken the wrong flight of stairs because we ended up someplace else, overlooking the food lines. This was good though. We still had a view of Fantasyland.

Here is DD's Caprese Flatbread. She rates it a 4.25 out of 5. She says she would order it again.




DD is also a Halloween freak so was thrilled to see these soda cups:



I don't know if it was because I was so hungry, but my Pepperoni Flatbread tasted so much better than the one I had last year at Pinocchios. I give my Pepperoni Flatbread a 4 out of 5 as far as flatbreads go. Sorry, by the time I remembered to take a photo, I had taken a few bites and it looked rather unphotogenic at that point, but I would definitely order that Pepperoni Flatbread again.

Our two flatbreads with the two drinks totalled $26.37 including tax.
We both agreed Pinocchio's was fine and dandy and a nice way to start our trip!

 

[tinkerbellmagic]

Day 1 - Dinner - THE PLAZA in MK

We had an ADR at the Plaza for dinner. This was our first time eating there, though I have always wanted to try it. On a previous trip, getting stuck on Splash Mountain prevented us from keeping our ADR at the Plaza, so I wanted to be sure we would be able to keep the ADR this year. I just love the looks of the Plaza. It reminds me of a mini Crystal Palace.

While waiting for our names to be called, we were able to sit on the short brick wall lined with plants that surround the Plaza. Yes, we had a view of the restrooms, but we were starting to drag after our early flight, so appreciated taking a load off, no matter what the scenery offered. Actually we had lots of fun watching the people just arriving in costume for the MNNSHP that night, so that was very entertaining. We couldn't have waited more than ten minutes before our pager went off. Yey!

We were seated at a table for two in the bright and lovely gazebo room. We were still able to see the party goers coming and going from inside the restaurant. Of course it's pretty tight seating in there, the tables are very close together. Our server was John, who was beyond awesome! He was very friendly, super efficient, and an all around nice guy.

DD had the Veggie Burger and water. I had the Plaza Club sandwich and a pomegranite lemonade.

This is DD's Vegetable Burger below - served on a flour-dusted Kaiser roll with lettuce, tomato, and onion and a choice of toppings. She liked it very much and rates it a 4.25 out of 5. She also had the broccoli slaw which she did not like so much because it was bland and rates the brocolli slaw a 2.75 out of 5 . She thought the broccoli slaw was going to be similar to one she had and liked at the Columbia Harbor House in 2012, but since the slaw at the Harbor House was tucked inside the Lighthouse sandwich and it seemed to be mixed with hummus, it was pretty good. By itself though at the Plaza, it was bland. I felt sorry for her and gave her some of my fries. Sorry, this dish was gotten into before the photo. ;-)



Below is a photo of my Plaza Club Sandwich and fries - smoked ham, turkey, bacon, lettuce, tomato and mayonnaise layered on toasted sourdough bread which I rate 4.25 out of 5 . It was delicious and so were the fries. In my case I thought the sandwich was really skimpy on the bacon, otherwise it would have gotten a higher mark. In fact, they're pretty skimpy on the fries as well. The pomegranite lemonade was cool and refreshing. I don't know if I would order it again, but it hit the spot that day. Again, sorry, my meal looked and tasted so good that I started eating it before I took the photo. :-O



We enjoyed this meal so much that the Plaza quickly made our list of must-do restaurants for future trips. The Plaza is a bit cramped and noisy, though, so if you're looking for a peaceful place to dine, this isn't it, lol. We'll be back at the Plaza for our MNNSHP dinner later this week!

There was a Halloween party going on that night, so we left the MK since we weren't attending the party that night and headed back to POR in the pouring rain. It was a deluge! I felt so bad for the party goers in their costumes getting drenched.
Our plan was to hit the food court at POR some time that evening after our "nap." Turns out we collapsed on the beds when we got to our room, never even unpacked or settled in, and didn't wake up til early morning. I don't think I've ever done that at Disney before, lol.

 

[tinkerbellmagic]

Day 2 - Breakfast - Riverside Mill (POR food court)

I was up bright and early, got ready for the day, and told DD, who was still asleep, that I was on my way to the POR foodcourt to pick up some breakfast for us. What I really wanted to do was get her out of bed and tell her, "Come on! This is our old Dixie Landings! You have childhood memories to relive here! Now get up!" But I didn't. I guess remembering the smile on her face as we walked into the POR lobby to check in and seeing the way she looked all around saying, "Oh, I remember this place," was going to have to tide me over.

So my plan was to bring food back to the room. It was such a nice walk along the river. I have always loved the lush grounds and bridges at POR. Ah, our first morning at Disney! There's something special about mornings on vacation, isn't there? But it was also hot outside, even that early. I crossed one bridge, then another. Oh, look, there's the old mill, I thought with a smile, remembering us trekking on over there back in 1997 when I didn't know what the heck I was doing and couldn't believe how big the resort was. I actually went back to POR with my grandson after that first visit, but DD was not on that trip.

It's so pretty here. We plan to come back to POR again soon. We might even try POFQ for the first time. It's the only mod I haven't stayed at.



Once at the food court, I grabbed my tray and ordered the pancakes with fresh fruit topping, bacon and sausage for myself, a croissant for DD, coffee, orange juice, a couple bottles of water, and a couple pieces of fruit for later. That should do it!

After I paid, the hardest part was trying to balance the tray and grab the utensils at the same time. There was no place to set the tray down. I swear I felt like a comedy act trying to do all this... it definitely pays to have two people go to the food court, lol. Then I couldn't find the syrup. I looked all over, certain it must be there somewhere. That was because the area where they kept it was empty and the CM had to fetch more, (she was really nice). So finally just gathering other things like napkins and butter while holding this tray with the coffee and dodging people, lol, and putting things in 'to-go' containers, mission accomplished. I also knew I had to lug all this back to the room and the food would be cold by then, but that was OK. I knew I at least wouldn't get lost because I left bread crumbs along the path on the way there, just joking... but I did take mental notes so that I'd know how to get back to the room. So by the time I got back to the room with the food in tow, I was sweating bullets (I don't do well in the heat, lol). I practically kicked the door open. "Food's here!!!"

And by the time I did get back to the room, DD was up, ready to hit the parks, and wondered how fast we could be out the door to make it in time for our FP+, so we ate quickly.
The pancakes were good, would have tasted better hot, but I love pancakes and sometimes have a difficult time finding them at Disney World, so I would definitely order these again. DD says the croissant was good, which they usually are. Sorry, no photos of our unhealthy breakfast.

 

[TeresaNJ]

Great start! Looking forward to the rest of your report!

 

[tinkerbellmagic]

Day 2 - Lunch - Hollywood Brown Derby at Hollywood Studios

I was looking forward to eating at the Brown Derby again. We ate there in 2012 and we had a great time and a wonderful meal. Back then I had their infamous Cobb Salad and Grapefruit Cake. I liked those items so much that I wanted to try those again.

We didn't wait long for a table. We were seated on the upper ledge at a table for two overlooking the rest of the restaurant. I loved the location.
Drinks:
DD ordered a white sangria (she rates it a 4 out of 5) and I ordered a blue glowing drink. I don't know what it's called, but I have a thing for blue drinks on vacation and this one glowed! :-D

Our server was ok, maybe on the verge of being slightly indifferent? DD's word for him was aloof. And thinking back, it all started when he asked us if we would like to order some wine and we said no and instead, ordered separate drinks. He briskly collected the wine glasses that were already upsidedown on our table and whisked them away in a way that let us know maybe that was the wrong answer so I guess things could have been a little better in that area.

It was at this point I spied another server in the area below us who seemed so friendly. He seemed to really enjoy his job and even the people he was serving. I stared longingly for a few seconds, wishing we could have sat at one of his tables for an absolutely wonderful dining experience, and even mentioned this to DD, but then I got over it and moved on. Such is life. And anyway, sometimes it was actually funny. I will say that even with the servers slight snootiness, he did the serving part of his job very well. I just don't know if he thought at the end of it all, that we'd be cheapskates or what.

Anyhow, the dinner rolls that arrived after our drinks were VERY good and so was the butter. I definitely remember those from our previous visit.

DD did not order an appetizer (smart move leaving room for dessert).
I ordered the Cobb Salad as an appetizer.
Cobb Salad: finely chopped greens, turkey breast, egg, bacon, tomatoes, crumbled bleu cheese, avocado, chives and Cobb dressing.

Back in 2012, the Cobb Salad arrived at our table and the server mixed it up in front of us. This time, the Cobb Salad arrived somewhat sectioned off on the plate and there wasn't any mixing up by anyone, including me. I actually preferred the unmixed sections because I don't particularly like a lot of eggs and bleu cheese in my salad (maybe I'm weird), so this way I could avoid some of them, lol. I liked the Cobb Salad well enough. Next time I come here, I don't think I'd order an appetizer and an entree again because I was just too full to enjoy the dessert to its fullest and I love dessert! Next time maybe I would just have the Cobb Salad appetizer and dessert.

Entrees
Noodle Bowl: with Wok-fried Coconut Tofu, Soy Beans, Sugar Snap Peas, Bok Choy, and Shiitake Mushrooms in a Red Curry Broth. DD ordered the Noodle Bowl - this is the same dish she ordered in 2012 and is the only entree she can order for lunch at the Brown Derby, being a vegetarian who doesn't eat fish. DD rates this dish a 3.75 out of 5. In this Noodle Bowl she really liked the coconut crusted tofu. There was an overwhelming amount of noodles and snap peas, though. She thought it could have had a better variety of veggies.

I ordered the Andouille crusted Chicken Breast - with smoked bacon, white cheddar, and tossed arugula on a onion kaiser roll served with vegetable slaw. This is only available on Brown Derby's lunch menu. I don't eat fish and I don't eat mushrooms (which Disney seems to put on EVERYTHING) and I don't eat horse radish and a few other things, lol, so pickins are many times slim for me and my quirks. I remember, though, when I was ordering the Andouille crusted Chicken Breast , unless it was my imagination, the server made a slightly distasteful face as he said, "You mean... the sandwich?" "Yes," I said, "the sandwich." I would rate the Andouille crusted Chicken Breast 4 out of 5. As a side note, I got a real kick out of the way my sandwich was served with a rather sharp knife stabbed right through the center, lol! (see photo) It seemed to fit everything else that was going on with our dining experience, so for him to place it on the table in front of me like this, it was the icing on the cake, as far as entertainment purposes. LOL! Also fitting for a Halloween trip.

And now it's time for DESSERT!
After our entrees, we were pretty full, but I didn't want to miss out on the Brown Derby grapefruit cake. We were a little disappointed to learn months ago that instead of a normal slice of the infamous grapefruit cake, we would be receiving a mini sized version of it. We decided this was ok because it meant we could enjoy three different mini desserts! Yey!

DD ordered the Creme Brulee, the mini Grapefruit Cake, and the Chocolate Sphere.
I ordered the warm berry cobbler, the mini Grapefruit Cake, and the Chocolate Sphere.

Double Vanilla Bean Creme Brulee: DD rates the Creme Brulee 3.75 out of 5. She says the best Creme Brulee EVER was on the Disney Cruise way back in 2003. That was the Creme Brulee that got her hooked on Creme Brulee. The Creme Brulee she had at this year's food and wine was also a little better than the Brown Derby Creme Brulee. She would either have this dessert again or switch it out for another if we go back.

Brown Derby Original! Mini Grapefruit Cake: DD and I both felt that the mini Grapefruit Cake was not as good of a taste experience as it was in the larger regular sized piece we had in 2012. It seemed like there was too much grapefruit flavoring in the mini cake and the cake was a little too soggy as well. Definitely not enough frosting. With the larger pieces of our 2012 trip there was enough frosting and more dry areas of cake to balance this out. It's sort of like when the Reese's Butter Cup company gets the ratio of chocolate vs peanut butter wrong when they make Reeses peanut butter Christmas trees and Easter eggs, if you know what I mean. There's just nothing quite as perfect as the original butter cup.

We would rate the mini grapefruit cake a 4 out of 5 while the larger cake pieces of 2012 we would have rated a 4.75 out of 5. DD said she would probably order this dessert again. I think DD liked this mini version more than I did. It's different tasting, I liked the tartness, but I'm not sure I would order the mini version if we go back again. I will include a photo of the full sized piece of cake from 2012. Wow, I really sound obsessed with this cake.

Chocolate Sphere with hazelnut praline chocolate and orange white chocolate mousse: DD rates the Chocolate Sphere 4.0 out of 5. She says it took a few bites to get used to the texture. She said it was a little different... sort of like an ice cream product or frozen pudding. She did enjoy it but might switch it out for another dessert next time. I would also rate the Chocolate Sphere a 4.0 out of 5. I liked it enough, but would probably use the next opportunity to try something different.

A cute little white chocolate Brown Derby hat topped this Chocolate dessert.

Warm Berry Cobbler - with creme fraiche and orange blossom honey: I rate the Warm Berry Cobbler a 4.75 out of 5 . It was warm and delicious and I would definitely order it again. A teeny tiny scoop of vanilla ice cream would have rocked it.

We enjoyed our Brown Derby lunch experience. I think we just love the restaurant itself. It sure doesn't feel like you are at a theme park. It's cool and relaxing, especially for an early lunch when it wasn't so crowded.

I'm not sure we will go back to Brown Derby on our next trip because DD will still be stuck ordering the Noodle Bowl again since that was the only vegetarian choice and because I don't eat fish or mushrooms or horse radish or beets, I'd be stuck with the Chicken Sandwich again. We would have to ask ourselves if the experience was really worth the price if we have to order the same things each time we go.

On a side note, when it came time to pay and our server found out we weren't cheapskates after all, he became quite a bit nicer and even told us about the discount we get for paying with the Disney Visa card there. I was aware of the 10% discount, but he told us we should make a point of telling the Disney servers about the discount before paying because it is not always automatically deducted. This was good to know. I usually do that, but sometimes I forget. I don't want to sound like I'm complaining about our server, if I had him again, it would be fine. I kind of like to think that if Hercule Poirot was serving us, he would have behaved exactly like this guy did, hehe, so I kind of got a chuckle out of the situation.

By the time we managed to eat what we could of the dessert I felt like I had never been that full in my life. Please get the crane so I can be removed from my chair. This is where DD was smart not ordering an appetizer. And what's worse is that we have dinner reservations at Via Napoli and no way will we give that up! We were really looking forward to that dinner, but didn't know how we would find the room. There's only one thing left to do. Walk our tails off! In the World Showcase, that's not hard to do.

And now for the Brown Derby photos! Sorry about the blurry photos. I have a terrible camera. It's a Nikon Coolpix. Don't buy one! If it's anything like mine, you'll be sorry! note: I swapped out some of my blurry pics for some of DD's pics. I guess her camera is better.



















I'll put the dessert pics up next.

 

[tinkerbellmagic]

Day 2 Dessert - Hollywood Brown Derby

As promised... the Hollywood Brown Derby desserts! You order a trio of mini desserts rather than just one full size dessert.





DD's White Chocolate Brown Derby! (below)





Below is the Brown Derby Grapefruit Cake in its full size from 2012. This is the slice that made us fall in love with the dessert. Look at that frosting! See what I mean?



Again, below is the slice from 2012. Yum!



Here is a pic of the rolls that I could not fit in the post above. These were so good! I'm not even sure why. Maybe they were warm and we were hungry, I can't remember.

 

[DaisyNY]

Following along...We leave in four days and reading these reports are getting me geared up for our vacation!

 

[tinkerbellmagic]

Great start! Looking forward to the rest of your report!

Thanks for reading along!

Following along...We leave in four days and reading these reports are getting me geared up for our vacation!

What a fun time to go to Disney! Goodbye ice and snow and hello sunshine and palm trees!

 

[tinkerbellmagic]

Day 2 Snacks at Sweet Spells Hollywood Studios

DD wanted to try the Carrot Cookie Cake she heard about. She found it at Sweet Spells / Villain Shop

Sweet Spells:











DD rates the Carrot Cookie Cake a 4 out of 5. She said she thought it would be better. She didn't eat much of it and unfortunately it sat in our mini fridge til I tossed it when we checked out. DD did say it would be better if eaten right away. In the carrot cookie cake's defense I will say this photo was taken after it had spent the entire day in DD's Baggalini. Things started sticking together inside the wrapper and it was a bit of a mess at the end of the day. The ones in the display counter look a LOT nicer (see display case photos above).




DD tried a new snack at the ice cream parlor in France called Croque Glace. Here is her note from this rather odd item "bun: briocche bun.. cut in half, put in a press .. scoop of ice cream, drizzle a sauce choc ice cream with choc sauce".... You can't tell from the photo, she says, but she got chocolate ice cream with chocolate sauce. She rates it 3 out of 5. She says it was good but could have been better if the bread was sweet.



**********
One afternoon we headed over to Sunshine Seasons in The Land. I needed a dessert fix, but DD wanted to save her appetite for Food and Wine goodies. I LOVE key lime pie. It is one of my great weaknesses. I ordered the Key Lime Tart at Sunshine Seasons and enjoyed it so very much!!! Sorry I forgot to take pics of it. I would definitely enjoy that dessert again!

DD and I love the bakery in France. One of my regrets from this trip is that I never made it over there for my Napolean. Next time, for sure.

 

[tinkerbellmagic]

Day 2 - Dinner - Via Napoli

This was our first visit to Via Napoli. DD and I were dying to try it.

I was still full from our Brown Derby lunch, (though the walking helped). DD was in much better shape because she skipped the appetizer at Brown Derby. The plan was that I would take a few bites of the pizza and when it was time to leave, I would have the rest wrapped up. Yes, that was the plan.

When we arrived at Via Napoli, the waiting area was pretty crowded. It was also the busy dinner hour. Eventually, I found a seat but DD stood while we waited to be called. It wasn't more than 10 minutes before our pager beeped. We were lead to a table for two in a very high traffic area which was incredibly close to the table for two next to us. The restaurant is pretty noisy, so it wasn't as if we could hear everything the couple next to us said, or visa versa, but almost. It didn't bother us or them, though. While I wasn't thrilled with the location of the table, the restaurant itself is a very busy, fast moving kind of place, so there's almost no escaping it. Don't count on any quiet dinner here.

DD ordered the Carciofi Signature Pie while I ordered the Pepperoni Signature Pie. Remember, I was only going to take a few bites and have it wrapped up to take back to the resort. Let me say that coming from Chicago, we have had some of the best pizzas. I grew up on all kinds of Chicago pizza, thin crust, thick crust, deep dish, stuffed, you name it, practically any Chicagoan has had it. Experience has taught me not to order pizza when I venture out of the windy city, but we heard Via Napoli pizza was supposed to be pretty good.

I took one bite of this hot flavorful Pepperoni Signature Pie and holy canoli, it knocked my socks off! This pizza was amazing, delicious, heavenly, the angels were singing, and I was certainly not expecting it to go down in history as one of the best pizzas I have ever had, but it did. And it wasn't because of all the handsome servers, either (though the eye candy was certainly not lost on us )! To me, this pizza was incredible! I took more than a couple bites and ended up eating more of it than I ever expected. I rate this pizza a 5 out of 5.

DD loved her Carciofi Signature Pie as well! She rates it a 4.75 out of 5. She says she would either order this again, or choose another vegetarian option.
We both boxed up the leftovers to enjoy back at the room later. I love how they give you handled doggie bags now, making it easier than ever to transport your foodie treasures back to your room. The following day, the leftover Via Napoli pizza in our mini fridge, didn't rate so high as a cold pizza snack, but it was still tasty. It just would have been tastier from a quick zapping in the microwave is all.

Our server, who could not have been sweeter, kept checking on us to make sure everything was ok during our meal. We couldn't have asked for a nicer guy.

Via Napoli is on our must do list and we will definitely be back for more.






Up next, a double BOG day! Breakfast AND Lunch at Be Our Guest!

 

[tinkerbellmagic]

Day 3 Breakfast - Be Our Guest! Be Our Guest! Be Our Guest!

Ah yes, DD said the most difficult ADRs to snag were BOG. It took her several weeks of checking and tweaking over a period of a few months, but we ended up with a BOG breakfast and a BOG lunch on the same day. Would we have preferred to dine there on two different days instead of on the same day? Maybe at first, but it all worked out, and it's something that we'll always remember. At one point we even had a BOG dinner reservation, but we gave it up about a week before we left on vacation. I thought the breakfast and lunch would suit us better plus we'd save a little money. Maybe I am a cheapskate after all.

When making the ADR for BOG breakfast, we wanted an early as possible time slot. Our first BOG breakfast ADR was set for 8:25 am. We were really hoping to do better than that, but hey, we're in! How exciting!
We preordered our meals weeks in advance.

DD preordered the Eggs Florentine - Puff Pastry Shell with Scrambled Eggs, Cheese, Roasted Plum Tomatoes, and fresh Spinach served with Country Ham, (she gave the ham to me).

I preordered the Croissant Doughnut - topped with Banana-Caramel Sauce, Pastry Creme, and Chocolate Ganache.

Just when we had given up all hope of snagging an earlier time slot, the day before we left on vacation, DD managed to score an 8:05 am breakfast at BOG. Yippie! DD mentioned that she preordered the same foods all over again. Great. Good. I could almost see that Croissant Doughnut dangling in front of my face with the promise of being mine in just a few short days. Three, to be exact.

TRANSPORTATION TO BOG: We were staying at POR. As many years as I've been going to Disney World, I realized I didn't know what the best possible way was, to getting to early morning ADRs from our resort. Did the buses run that early? I'll have to check. I remembered, in the past, we were usually staying close to the location or our early morning ADRs. For Cape May, we were in the Beach Club, for CRT, we were at BLT or the Polynesian, and for Chef Mickey's we were at BLT. A piece of cake each time. But now we were at a bus resort.

I was a little worried about getting to MK in time for an early breakfast since we were using Disney bus transportation for our special ADR at BOG. I originally planned to take a cab, (in retrospect that is probably what we should have done), but decided to stop in the lobby at POR's front desk the day before our ADR and ask about the buses. We were assured that there would be buses running early from POR to MK for early ADRs. Sure, I thought. There would have to be early buses. So many people have early ADRs. My Disney sense apparently hadn't kicked in...you know .... the thing that reminds you that there are no sure things when it comes to Disney transportation, ADRs, room requests, and all that? I decided to throw caution to the wind and plan to take the bus from POR to MK the following morning.

Our magical BOG day finally arrived and it was raining pretty steadily. Even so, I wanted to make the trek to the main (South Depot) bus stop, rather than wait at the East Depot, which is closet to our room at Magnolia.

We got to the main (South Depot) bus stop around 7 am for our 8:05 ARD at MK. As we waited and waited and waited, I noticed many little princesses and pirates getting sprinkled on while walking to the bus stop where we were all waiting for the buses. The numbers of guests were growing too. I wasn't the only one who was starting to get a little worried as time ticked on and no MK buses were coming. Buses to all the other parks showed up on this rainy morning, but only a small number of people were getting on them. Everyone else was waiting for the MK bus for early ADRs.
I thought about all the people standing there who snagged CRT breakfasts long ago. Were they worried they might miss it? Little girls with their glittered hair in buns dressed as Anna, Elsa, and Cinderella, knowing this was the day they would eat in a castle or with Winnie the Pooh. And our BOG ADR.... would they still let us in if we're late?

It was probably around 7:40 - 45 am or so, when a Disney Cruiseline bus pulled up. The doors opened and a friendly driver was waving us all in, ready to take us to MK!!!! You know the feeling, Wow! Many of the worried looks changed to smiles, as we waited to board the bus and lickity split, we were on our way in style, in those comfy cruiseline seats, but not before making stops at the other depots to pick up other guests, before we were really on our way.

The rainy roads were still pretty empty as our bus cruised along. I kept checking the time wondering if we'd make it. I guess deep down I figured that what ever happened, Disney would make sure we got into BOG for breakfast since it wasn't our fault the buses were late (but it WAS my fault for not taking a cab, lol). We got through the pre check in area outside the MK gates and ran through the drizzle to BOG with CMs standing along the path here and there directing folks to their destinations.




AT BOG: We were about 10 minutes late as we hoofed it over to the Beast's castle in the rain. We got to the first BOG's check in area outside where there were two CMS waiting to check people in. We gave our names and our ADR time. Yes, we are late and I'm detecting an attitude already from the CM. She looks at her screen, *tap tap tap* and says she doesn't see our ADR. 'Huh? What?' I thought. Then after a few more taps on her screen, she looks at us above her glasses and in a somewhat stern voice she says, "I see you cancelled." I think a roll of thunder at this point would have been fitting. Seeing the words come out of her mouth, I felt the wet ground underneath my soaked shoes feel like it would disappear into nothingness as I managed to choke out, "No, *gasp* we rescheduled three days ago for an earlier time slot."
After it got straightened out and we were walking away, I said to DD, "Wow, I felt like we were being scolded in the principal's office." We laughed it off and went inside. Our special made to order most sought after amazing meal was about to become a reality. WE WERE IN THE BEAST'S CASTLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And it's beautiful!

I know DD had her heart set on dining in the West Wing. We also knew the chances were slim of getting in and we were right. We checked the ballroom (I'm not sure if there was even a table available, can't remember, but it was pretty noisy so we kept going), checked the West Wing and there was nothing available, and settled into the beautiful Rose Gallery which had plenty of seating available. I wondered if it had just opened up because it was pretty empty and peaceful.

The only downside at this point was sitting in a cold restaurant after being drizzled on. We really need to get better ponchos. The Disney ones have always been good, but we've been relying on the cheap ones for the past few years. Note to self: buy Disney ponchos.

We took turns getting our drinks and utensils. It took a little longer for our food cart to arrive, compared to nearby guests, but not a long wait at all. Yippie, breakfast is served!!!

The photo below was taken after our lunch when the lunch crowd left and before the dinner crowd arrived.



TO BE CONTINUED with BOG breakfast photos below........

 

[pumba]

great start ..thanks for reviewing and photos...love them of course

 

[chocolateMinnie]

I hate that when you have a breakfast adr and the heat is on for the bus to arrive early enough OKW were the best they gave us a 'free' cab voucher to use if the bus didn't arrive on time. Lucky for us it did and we returned it to the lovely manager so that another guest could be pixie dusted if they needed it.
Can't wait to here about your breakfast and lunch as we have made BOG ADRs for both :

 

[tinkerbellmagic]

great start ..thanks for reviewing and photos...love them of course

You're welcome, it's a labor of love.

I hate that when you have a breakfast adr and the heat is on for the bus to arrive early enough OKW were the best they gave us a 'free' cab voucher to use if the bus didn't arrive on time. Lucky for us it did and we returned it to the lovely manager so that another guest could be pixie dusted if they needed it.
Can't wait to here about your breakfast and lunch as we have made BOG ADRs for both :

Wow, that was so nice of them AND YOU about those cab vouchers!
Have fun at BOG! I'm really glad we were able to enjoy breakfast and lunch there.

 

[tinkerbellmagic]

Day 3 Be Our Guest Breakfast Photos



We absolutely loved the breakfast pastry tray. Our tray had six pastries for two people -there were four larger rolls (cinnamon roll, cheese danish, a croissant, a chocolate pastry) and two tiny muffins. I now wonder how many pastries they give for let's say 1 person, 2 people, 5 people... I know...what a strange thing to wonder about.

When I started writing out this dining review, I noticed there were times I didn't have anything written down for breakfast (DD doesn't eat much breakfast). I asked DD what the heck I was eating in the morning and she reminded me about the zip lock bags I took to our BOG breakfast to store the morning sweet rolls from that pastry tray. (a tip I heard about on the DIS no less). Yep, those sweet rolls from BOG were my breakfast for the next two mornings. And boy oh boy, were they delicious, even on day #3!

This is why I get worried whenever I hear people say they left the pastries there on the table at BOG because they didn't have room for them. I keep thinking that Disney will eliminate the pastry tray if lots of people keep doing this or gasp, charge extra for it! I would really miss it if that happened. So bring your zip locks to BOG and store those morning pastries in it. Sure, they might be a little smashed by the time you get back to your room, but they were so yummy and store well in the mini fridge! Wow, I'm feeling cheaper by the minute!

On that note, I guess I was surprised at how helpful the rest of the leftovers were from the trip and how many snacks I had planned on enjoying pre-trip, (funnel cakes, dole whips, ice cream cones, etc) but never got around to eating because it seemed like I was full enough with leftovers tiding me over. And wow, I really do love so many of those Disney desserts).

So here is our pastry tray! DD rates the cheese danish a 4.75 out of 5. And I rate the ones I ate, 4.25 - 4.75 out of 5.


DD rates her Eggs Florentine 4.0. She says she would order it again.



Below is my much anticipated Croissant Doughnut. I rate it 4.0 and would order it again. I'm not really an egg eater so my options here were limited. I was worried this would be too sweet for breakfast. I didn't have any problems with that, lol. The fresh fruit was refreshing. With my meal I had coffee.



We thoroughly enjoyed our breakfast at BOG. The atmosphere is amazing. Everyone working inside was super nice. The way in which you are served with those carts, to me, is special. We loved it!

And for a different experience, we hope to dine in another room come lunch time.





Coming up next, BOG LUNCH

 

[tinkerbellmagic]

Day 3 Be Our Guest Lunch

It rained on and off in our time at MK today but we did get to ride Mine Train using our FP+.

If you've been following along you will know we just had breakfast at BOG and now we are having a late lunch there too. Yey! We sat in the Rose Gallery for breakfast. We're hoping to sit in a different dining area this time. *fingers crossed*

We preordered lunch at BOG. I can't tell you the length at which I agonized over choosing just one dessert, lol. Why put myself through all this, I wondered, so I finally gave up and ordered two, haha. I figured DD and I could share one.

*****
DD preordered the French Onion Soup, Quinoa Salad, and the Lemon Meringue Cupcake (definitions below)

1. "French Onion Soup: Also available without cheese and crouton."
2. "Quinoa Salad: with chilled green beans, potatoes, olives, roasted bell peppers, golden beets and tomatoes."
3. "Lemon Meringue Cupcake: Vanilla sponge cake, lemon custard filling, flamed meringue icing"
********

I preordered the French Onion Soup, Croque Monsieur, Chocolate Cream Puff, and Eclaire a l'Orange (definitions below)

1. "Croque Monsieur: Grilled sandwich of carved ham, Gruyere cheese, and bechamel with Pommes Frites"
2. "Eclaire a l'Orange: custard filling with zested Orange and then finished with Chocolate Ganache"
3. "Chocolate Cream Puff - filled with chocolate mousse topped with whipped cream"
*********

Time to check into BOG at the outdoor kiosk (or so we thought). They were very strict on making sure no one checked in a minute too early which was a bit uncomfortable for all of us standing out there in the rain, but that's the way it is. They can't have too many people in the building at once. I get it. We know this because we tried to check in 5 minutes early, but the CM wouldn't let us in. I understand that, but she could have been a little nicer about it (and it wasn't even the same stern CM from the morning). There was another slightly snippy CM at the inside check in area as well. It almost seemed to me like a couple of the CMs know how badly people want to dine in BOG and how anxious or excited guests may be and like to lord it over us. Or maybe they're just snippy in general. I dunno...that was just my experience... Four minutes later, when it was time to really check in at the outdoor kiosk, I made sure I checked in with a different CM (the one standing right next to her).... well, moving on here.

At some point during our check in, they said they didn't have our preorders in the computer, so once inside, we had to wait for a kiosk to open. It was pretty crowded, and after a few taps on the screen, everything was all set. We actually had a CM help us with this and it turns out they actually did have our preorders in the computer afterall.

Time to find a table. Aw, wouldn't you know it, the Ballroom and West Wing are full again. We must eat in the Rose Gallery for the second time today. Not that we're complaining because it's a nice, pretty, and peaceful dining room. We just hoped we'd be able to try something different.

Each time we ate in the Rose Gallery, we sat all the way in the back against the wall. For breakfast we sat on the right side of the Gallery. It was a nice spot. We made a bad decision for lunch and sat at the opposite end, on the left side of the gallery. This put us right next to the huge doors that the clean up crew uses. There was a lot of back and forth in front of us during our meal, with clean up carts as they cleaned up tables, hauled the stuff back through the doors, and also got ready for the dinner crowd. Not the kind of ambience that we were looking for, but we chose that table, lol. Oh well, lesson learned, and it wasn't too bad.

DD LOVED the onion soup. She rates it a 5 out of 5. I thought it was really good too, but have had better in my life, so a 4.25 out of 5.

DD was not impressed with the Quinoa Salad. She rates it a 2.5 out of 5. She said the Quinoa was bland and was nothing special, but the salad dressing was good. She said she would not order this again.

DD really liked the Lemon Meringue Cupcake. She rates it a 4.25 out of 5. She was very impressed with this cupcake and thought it was delicious. All three parts of it - the cake, the meringue, and the filling, were all really good.
********

I did not like the Croque Monsieur. The ham was slippery like rubber and didn't taste good. I didn't eat much of it. The bread and fries weren't very good either. I would rate this a 1 out of 5 and I would never order this again. It was the worst tasting meal of the trip.

I would rate the Chocolate Cream Puff a 4.50 out of 5. It was delicious and I would order it again at some point, but am also interested in trying other desserts at BOG.

I would rate the Eclaire a l'Orange a 4.75 out of 5. I loved it! I love eclairs, custard, and orange, and wanted to try this so badly. I was a bit reluctant because someone mentioned in a review that they thought the orange flavor was too strong, too citrusy. I thought it was perfect, so I'm glad I tried it. I will definitely order this again next time we go.

DD and I decided that if the lunch menu stays the same, that the next time we go to BOG, we will just order the onion soup and dessert, no entree. We like the restaurant enough to go back there no matter what. I remember reading posts from folks who wondered what the big deal was about BOG, especially with some of the mixed reviews they read. One DISer put it so beautifully when she said that the atmosphere has been known to reduce some guests to tears. Yep, that's it in a nutshell. It's a beautiful place.

I am really hoping that some time DD and I can experience the thunder and darkness of the West Wing and the gentle falling snow in the Ballroom. Maybe next time. *fingers crossed*

Love BOG, even though our lunch entrees were pretty bad.
We did, however, get to go inside those dining rooms when they were practically empty after our late lunch, while the CMs were setting up for the dinner hour. They were really nice about letting us take pictures. This is where my horrible Nikon "UNCoolpix" camera really failed me. I could have had some beautiful shots. Oh well, we have the memories. We're so glad we dined at BOG.

 

[phabric]

Enjoyed your reviews and looking for more. I will be going to some of the same restaurants.

 

[tinkerbellmagic]

Day 3 - Evening - FOOD AND WINE

DD did a small report rating her Food and Wine selections. The items below were from a couple different afternoons/ evenings at the Food and Wine. Reading her notes, she says she was very impressed with the freshness of all the foods she had there. She was also impressed with the portion sizes. She thought they would be smaller. The Food and Wine was a wonderful experience and she'd love to go back.

sweet corn cheesecake from mexico 4.5 out of 5 (photo below)




vegan korean bbq from south korea 4.5 out of 5 (photo below)





frozen szarlotka bison grass vodka from poland 4.25 out of 5 (photo below)



-souffle de yuca from the dominican republic 4.8 out of 5 (photo below). The Souffle De Yuca from the Dominican Republic was DD's absolute most favorite item at the Food and Wine. Unfortunately her camera was steamed up when she took this photo (sorry for the blurry shot)
*THE WINNER*


Sorry, no photos of the items below, but they are rated.

vegan moussaka from greece 4.75 out of 5

spanakopita from greece 4.75 out of 5

creme brulee from france 4.25 out of 5

cheese bread from brazil 3.5 out of 5

**************
For you solo travelers, DD (in her 20s) said she felt fine being alone at the F&W during the afternoon with all the families about, but felt a little more awkward being there in the evening when the crowds consisted of lots of people her own age with their friends. This wouldn't stop her from doing this again though. I wasn't always with DD on her F&W adventures because two parks a day is all my feet can handle. If I push it, I will be sorry the next day. So I stayed back at the resort either resting in the room with the AC on high or strolling around our beautiful resort.

Coming up next Yak and Yeti

 

[tinkerbellmagic]

Day 4 - Yak and Yeti - Animal Kingdom Park



Oh, what a gem is this Yak and Yeti! I love you! I never knew! I'm so glad it was DD making all the ADRs for this trip, because I may have missed it otherwise.

This was our first time dining at Yak and Yeti. We had an early lunch ADR here..... so early that we had to wait for the restaurant to open. While waiting outside, I already liked the look of the place. Cool.

When they opened the doors, folks that were waiting outside with us, all piled into the waiting area. The decor is awesome. I was glad we had an early ADR here because more and more guests were coming in, filling the waiting area. DD and I waited a short time, maybe 5-10 minutes before we were taken to our little table upstairs. We were seated next to the window with a nice view below (once the condensation disappeared from the glass, that is ).



Let me back up a second though, if it helps others. Some time prior to our ADR, we made the unwise decision to ride Kali River Rapids. I absolutely love this ride, and much like Splash Mountain, I believe I could ride it all day long without getting off. Our first time around on Kali, DD and I (and no one else on our ride) got completely DRENCHED, even while wearing our ponchos. Well, we'll dry off, I thought. So since it wasn't crowded, after we we went around once on Kali, the CMs asked us if we wanted to go around again. Yes! I was beyond thrilled! "Come on," I told DD, "We're already wet, what difference does it make now?"She reluctantly agreed. I didn't think she was as ecstatic about it as I was though. This second time around, I thought surely we wouldn't be the only ones to be completely saturated while everyone else stayed dry, but we were! Twice drenched to the gills on Kali. The dry people got an even bigger kick out of this the second time around.

I suppose we thought we'd be dry (or drier) before our ADR at Yak and Yeti. Didn't happen. So we sat there in Yak and Yeti frozen in the AC in our damp clothes. DD was doing a little better than I was, for some reason, but freezing to death was the only downfall to our Y&Y experience. So let's order some cold drinks and freeze some more!

DRINKS: I have two photos showing our drinks. According to my notes, DD ordered the Everest Refresher. She had a choice of flavors and chose Desert Pear. This would be the pink drink. DD rates the Everest Refresher 4 out of 5. She liked the color, it was refreshing and she would get it again. I liked my drink a lot, but I can't remember the name of it, just that it was really good.... sort of like a fruity creamsicle shake.





DD did her homework on this place, I could tell. We started out with the Wok-Fried Green Beans - "battered green beans, sweet Thai chili dipping sauce." These things are to die for! 5 out of 5 rating from both of us. Sorry, we ate them so fast we forgot to snap a pic. Will definitely be ordering them again.

DD's ENTREE: Vegetable Lo Mein - "Lo Mein noodles, carrots, cabbage, green onions, bean sprouts". She really liked this dish. Good flavor and had lots of different veggies. Rates 4.5 out of 5. Photo is below.



My ENTREE: Kobe Beef Burger - "10 oz grilled American Kobe beef burger, sesame-soy sauce, mayonnaise, crispy shoestring fries; topped with choice of shiitake mushroom & scallion compote or Asian slaw (I chose Asian slaw - I don't eat mushrooms)." Well, I really like burgers, I just wasn't expecting this one to go down in history as one of the BEST burgers I ever had in my life, but it DID! Deeeeeelicious! Amazingly good, wow, I loved it! Rate 5 out of 5 and will definitely order it again. In fact I still think about it now and then Photo is below.



DD knew weeks ago that she wanted to try the Fried Wontons - "Skewers of fresh pineapple and cream cheese wontons, vanilla ice cream, honey vanilla drizzle." She loved them! She rated them 4.75 out of 5 and would definitely order them again. Aces! Photo is below.
I was so full that dessert was out of the question, even though I saw four desserts any one of which sounded yummy.



We loved everything about Yak and Yeti. Everyone there was so nice. Our server was wonderful. Yak and Yeti is now on our list of must-dos for every trip. I hope it always stays as wonderful as it is now.

Coming up next ... Earl of Sandwich