Burning the Candle at Both Ends - A Holiday Dining Report

[DisneyJo]

'Ohana looked delicious, I don't like bananas so have always avoided the dessert but yours looked really yummy

 

[kastoney]

I can't believe how bad CHH was. It's usually one of our go to's in MK and pretty consistent. Perhaps with the crazy crowds they were just pumping it out too fast and not focusing on the quality.

Your oHana meal looks great. I could devour all of it right about now. It's been forever since I've been, but staying at poly next trip so hopefully we can remedy that

 

[SmallWorld71]

'Ohana looked delicious, I don't like bananas so have always avoided the dessert but yours looked really yummy

I do love that dessert! Banana is not the dominate flavor to me, but I bet it would be one of those things where if you don't like it, it's all you can taste.

I can't believe how bad CHH was. It's usually one of our go to's in MK and pretty consistent. Perhaps with the crazy crowds they were just pumping it out too fast and not focusing on the quality.

Your oHana meal looks great. I could devour all of it right about now. It's been forever since I've been, but staying at poly next trip so hopefully we can remedy that

This thought did cross my mind. MK is insanely busy over the holiday week. 7am to 1am every day with some days closing at 3 am! We also ate there pretty late in the day - it had to be 9 pm when we were finishing as Wishes was starting. I suspect my tuna sandwich was made long before it ever came to me. The reviews for CHH are so consistently positive, that I'm sure we'll give it another chance. I'd like to try the salmon or the lighthouse sandwich.

Have fun at the Poly! I love the food choices there!

 

[SmallWorld71]

December 29th - Magic Kingdom
'breakfast'

It was back to MK today and once again we were up long before the sun and at the bus stop by 6am. We had generated a list of all the things we hadn't done on our first MK day that we really wanted to; we started on Main Street then headed to Tomorrowland and circled the park counter clockwise. Once again, things were walk-on or near walk-on for the first couple of hours. It pays to get up early!
A couple morning pictures:
Marie was up before the sun, too!


Ron's pal...


One of my favorite rides...


We finished our list in Adventureland and decided some breakfast was in order. One of the big advantages of going at such a busy time, is that everything is open extended hours. So, even though it was morning (9:11 am, according to my receipt), Harry and Ron knew just what they wanted for 'breakfast.' A Dole Whip float!



You can see Harry is even wearing a shirt with his favorite WDW snack on it that he got from the Poly after our 'Ohana dinner! Only in WDW do we match our food to our shirts, LOL!

Hermione and I also decided we wanted ice cream for breakfast so the kids and I headed to the Plaza Ice Cream Parlor. When we got there, they were serving breakfast (muffins and other pastries) so Hermione and I thought we were out of luck. But, the CM assured us that we could get ice cream. Boy, oh boy! You should have seen the looks people were giving us when they saw what we were getting. Don't judge, people! We've been up for hours! Plus, it's Disney. Ice cream for breakfast is OK at Disney!
I chose the All American Sundae:Old-fashioned Vanilla and Chocolate Ice Cream with Hot Fudge, Peanut Butter Drizzle, Whipped Cream, and a Cherry



Delicious!

Hermione got the same, hold the peanut butter, hold the chocolate ice cream. So, basically she had a hot fudge sundae with vanilla ice cream. They had no problem with her special request.



Meanwhile, Arthur decided he wanted something more traditional for breakfast so he headed into Casey's and got a breakfast croissant sandwich which he said was OK, pretty standard. Should have gotten the ice cream, honey! It was delicious!



We met back at Casey's and sat outside enjoying our meals while watching the frightening number of people entering the park. After we ate, we headed back into the crowds. We still had a few things to accomplish....

 

[Misha72683]

I love the idea of ice cream for breakfast. It is definitely an option while you're on vacation.

 

[SmallWorld71]

I love the idea of ice cream for breakfast. It is definitely an option while you're on vacation.

 

[michael's mom]

AH...YUMMMMMM!!!! I want that sundae (hold the vanilla for me). Such great updates. LOVE the throwback pic of Ron and Harry....(aaahhh, memories). Hermione looks quite relaxed on that hammock

 

[SmallWorld71]

AH...YUMMMMMM!!!! I want that sundae (hold the vanilla for me). Such great updates. LOVE the throwback pic of Ron and Harry....(aaahhh, memories). Hermione looks quite relaxed on that hammock

I could really go for some ice cream right now....
And, where did the time go? I am so glad they still like Disney as much as they did when they were little!
A hammock in the sunshine - sounds so much nicer than the snow we're having, doesn't it?

 

[michael's mom]

I could really go for some ice cream right now....
And, where did the time go? I am so glad they still like Disney as much as they did when they were little!
A hammock in the sunshine - sounds so much nicer than the snow we're having, doesn't it?

So much nicer! I hope mine still love Disney when they are Harry's and Hermione's ages.

 

[kastoney]

Dole whips and ice cream for breakfast'!!!!!!!! There are Christmas miracles. Is it too late for me to join the family ; )

 

[SmallWorld71]

So much nicer! I hope mine still love Disney when they are Harry's and Hermione's ages.

They will! They will have no choice.

Dole whips and ice cream for breakfast'!!!!!!!! There are Christmas miracles. Is it too late for me to join the family ; )

LOL! I am declaring you honorary members. You are now free to have ice cream for breakfast whenever the need should arise.

 

[SmallWorld71]

December 29th - Pepper Market lunch

After our yummy ice cream breakfast, we headed back into the park. We had another FP+ for 7DMT. And then we headed to meet the Tremaine family where Drizella declared Harry her future prince. You can see her and Lady Tremaine holding on to him, LOL.


The park was PACKED so we decided to do a bunch of souvenir shopping for everyone back home.
TIP * Check the back of your CS receipts. When you travel on school vacation weeks, there is often a coupon worth 20% off your merchandise total if you shop before 1pm. It is good at the main store in each park: Emporium, Mouse Gear, etc... We saved a bundle this way.

After shopping, DH decided to head back to the resort and brought all our purchases with him. We still had 2 more FP+ to use, though, and I had stayed up until midnight for one of them. There was no way I was leaving without using it!

Since we were on Main St. and had time to kill, the kids and I decided to ride the WDW Railroad. While waiting, we went online and found that MK had reached the first closure phase. We weren't surprised. If you are wondering how this translates into real touring, we had to wait for the 3rd train to come before we were able to board. And, even then, we had to split into 2 and 2.
After our train ride, we used our 2 FP+:



I think Harry's got the Flynn Rider smolder going...


We were getting hungry, but there was no way we wanted to brave the CS crowds at MK, so we texted Arthur and all agreed that the Pepper Market sounded good for lunch. So, we headed on out...

Harry had the: Italian Sandwich - Salami, Ham, Mortadella, Provolone Cheese, Basil Aioli, Lettuce, Tomato, Italian Dressing, Banana Peppers on Focaccia Bread.


Ron had the: Bacon Cheeseburger - ½ pound, crisp Bacon and your choice of Cheese served with Fries


Arthur had the: Azteca Burger
1/2 lb Burger, Fried Onions, Fried Jalapeños, Guacamole, Chipotle Aïoli and Pepper Jack Cheese served with Garlic Parmesan Fries


I had the: Build Your Own Chef Salad
*Unattractive picture alert.


Harry had a brownie for dessert, Arthur and I had red velvet cake and I think Ron had soft serve ice cream, but I don't have a picture.




*Hermione had opted to stay back in the room as she wanted to play with her new souvenirs. At her request, we brought her back another cheese flatbread. I also brought her a chocolate chip cookie for dessert.

Ratings:
Me: Entree 8/10 - a good option, but they could use a few more toppings, Dessert 8/10
Harry: Entree 9/10, Dessert 8/10
Hermione: Entree 9/10, Dessert 7/10

Another solid meal from Pepper Market!

Coming up: A Tale as Old as Time - We head back to MK for my dinner choice.

 

[michael's mom]

Harry definitely has the smolder going! Your day already seems so busy it's hard to believe you were only now eating lunch!

 

[jesswindsor]

Great Reviews so far!!!

 

[kastoney]

Loved he pick of Harry and the tremains, guess at this point they gotta try and get their claws in them early ; )

Your pepper mill lunch looks great. Especially that Italian sandwich, could totally down one of those right about now

 

[smga1]

December 27th - Magic Kingdom
Lunch - Part 2
Crystal Palace - The characters

As I'm sure you know, Crystal Palace is a character meal. While the characters at character meals are always subject to change, this was our fifth time and the characters have always been the same: Pooh, Tigger, Piglet and Eeyore.

We've always had decent character interaction at Crystal Palace. Tigger and Piglet have been the most consistently friendly for us and Eeyore shows very little emotion (which I assume is part of his character!)

This year, Hermione decided she was going to try Disneybounding as Piglet this year. Piglet recognized this right away and was very excited! I highly encourage you to wear something representing the characters or a character t-shirt or bring something with you to show them such as a small stuffed animal. It usually gets great reactions from the characters.
This year's reunion:

Piglet has lots of love to go around:



A few other character pics:







Coming up next: The food - I promise!

Love the Disney bounding. What a perfect outfit!

 

[SmallWorld71]

Harry definitely has the smolder going! Your day already seems so busy it's hard to believe you were only now eating lunch!

He cracks me up! Those were some looong MK days!

Great Reviews so far!!!

Loved he pick of Harry and the tremains, guess at this point they gotta try and get their claws in them early ; )

Your pepper mill lunch looks great. Especially that Italian sandwich, could totally down one of those right about now

That's just what Harry was saying as we were doing the review.

Love the Disney bounding. What a perfect outfit!

Hermione says thanks!

 

[SmallWorld71]

December 29th - Magic Kingdom
Be Our Guest Dinner - my choice!

After some down time at the resort, we headed back to MK for dinner. We were having dinner at Be Our Guest. I had gotten up early to book this one and I was very excited! Beauty and the Beast in my favorite Disney animated movie. Back in 2013, Harry, Hermione and I were fortunate enough to be able to take a quick look around during lunchtime, but this would be our first time eating there.

When we got to the MK, it was mobbed! We entered on the left to avoid having to use the bypass, and spent our time browsing the shops on Main St.


After that, we headed out to Main St. only to realize that it was time for the castle lighting with the Frozen gang. We stopped to watch (couldn't have gone anywhere if we'd wanted to.) Hermione and I could only see the castle, not the show itself, as we were too short to see over the crowds. But, we enjoyed it just the same.
The CM's were out in full force and after the show they were directing traffic. We had exactly two choices: exit the park or head into Adventureland. It was way too crowded to try and keep 5 people together. So, I kept Hermione with me and left Harry in charge of getting Arthur there. (Seriously, he had no idea where the restaurant was...) Hermione and I were able to cut through the bathroom area in Adventureland, so we reached BOG first and got in line to check in. After that, we headed over to the bridge to wait for the boys and for our name to be called.
**Gripe alert - BOG does not have a waiting area. It was a gorgeous night when we were there, so we didn't mind waiting on the bridge. It was actually a great spot to safely people watch in the massive crowds. But, I'd imagine it would be pretty awful during inclement weather.



When our buzzer went off we headed in. It is such a beautiful restaurant! I had not made any special requests, but I think we were all secretly hoping to be sat in a certain room. So, we were delighted when our host led us through the ballroom and into the West Wing! Yay! This is the smallest of all the rooms, so I figured the odds were against us. We did not have any little ones with us and I think that helped. The West Wing can be a bit spooky and I noticed they hadn't sat parties with anyone under about 7 or 8 in there. *It's very dark so some of these pictures aren't the best.






Arthur ordered a beer and Harry ordered Odwalla® All-Natural Fruit Punch: sweetened with Organic Cane Juice and Wildberry Extract topped with Lemon-Lime Foam. They were happy with their choices. Ron had soda, Hermione had lemonade and I decided I was in the mood for milk, LOL.






As far as food and dessert go, our reviews are very mixed. In fact, out of all the places we visited this trip, we found that the quality and our food enjoyment varied the most at BOG. Most places, we all loved our food and a couple it was very mediocre. But at BOG, we really had a wide range. I think I'll go from the most disappointing to the best to end on a happy note.

Hermione decided to go with the Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup from the kids' menu. She was feeling quite tired and tomato soup is one of her favorite foods. Whether it's from a can of Campbell's, from Panera Bread, or homemade from fresh tomatoes in our kitchen, this girl has never met a tomato soup she didn't enjoy. So, it seemed like a safe choice. How wrong we were! This was awful! The worst tomato soup we've ever tasted! I'm not even sure it was soup; it tasted more like canned tomato sauce! The grilled cheese was awful, too. Ice cold and the cheese was the icky processed stuff and not melted at all. We should have learned our lesson from Coral Reef and stayed far away from the kids' menu. On a happy note, our server was very gracious and when he saw that she wasn't eating, he asked if she would like some grilled chicken and fries instead. Unfortunately, I don't have a picture, but this was a much better choice.


Arthur had the Herb-crusted Lamb with Stone-ground Mustard Demi-glace serve with Buttered Celery Root and Seasonal Vegetables. He actually enjoyed the lamb very much. The problem was the buttered celery root. It tasted funny and not a good way. He had me taste it just to see what I thought. Ick! Between Arthur and I, we eat every vegetable out there but we both did not like this.


I had the Sautéed Shrimp and Scallops with Seasonal Vegetables and Mushrooms served in Puff Pastry with a Creamy Lobster Sauce. This was....fine. The scallops were well cooked, though the shrimp were a bit overdone. The sauce was fine too; it just wasn't a very exciting dish. It looks a lot more interesting than it tasted to me. I would not get it again, but I have no problem recommending it if that makes sense.


Once again, Ron and Harry out-ordered the rest of us.
Ron got the Braised Pork (Coq au Vin Style): Eight Hour Slow-cooked Pork with Mushrooms, Onions, Carrots and Bacon served with Puréed Cauliflower and Seasonal Vegetables. A safe, and yummy, choice. He enjoyed this one very much.


Harry got the Grilled Strip Steak with Garlic-Herb Butter and Pommes Frites. Another safe, but yummy, choice. Harry loved this and counts it among his favorite entrees of the week!

 

[SmallWorld71]

December 29th, Magic Kingdom
Be Our Guest dinner - Part 2

Onto dessert:
Hermione had the Strawberry Cream Cheese Cupcake: Vanilla Sponge Cake, Strawberry Mousse Filling, and Cream Cheese Icing. Poor Hermione! This just wasn't her night. I've seen lots of good reviews, but we did not like this cupcake. It was too sweet! If you are someone who can go the fair and eat an entire bag of cotton candy yourself, then this is the cupcake for you! It wasn't for us though, and ended up in the trash.

I had the Triple Chocolate Cupcake: Chocolate Sponge Cake, Chocolate Mousse Filling, and Chocolate Ganache. Continuing with my theme of the night, this was fine, but boring! Tasted like any old cupcake you could make at home with a box of Duncan Hines. I was disappointed.


Arthur and Ron went with our server's recommendation and had the Éclair à l’Orange: Custard filling with zested Orange and then finished with Chocolate Ganache. They loved this, but the portions were pretty tiny and they didn't share.


Once again, Harry chose the winner of the night! The "Grey Stuff" : Chocolate Shell, Cookie Crème topped with Lumiere’s special “Grey Stuff” He let me have a taste and I wished it was what I'd ordered.


After dinner, we met the master of the castle; he was very gracious!


After this, Hermione and Arthur headed out of the park, but the boys and I walked around the restaurant and took pictures, taking care not to disturb any diners. All 3 rooms were open.






Ratings:
Me: Entree 7/10, Dessert 5/10, Atmosphere 10/10
Harry: Entree 9/10, Dessert 9/10, Atmosphere 10/10
Hermione: 1st Entree 2/10, 2nd Entree 6/10, Dessert 4/10, Atmosphere 10/10

Coming up: we return to Epcot.

 

[Derb]

The grilled cheese and tomato soup reminds me of the same I ordered at the Holly Jolly Bakery in Disneyland. It is their "specialty" and not on a kid's menu. I loved it though. The tomato soup was kinda orange and thick and perfect for dipping the grilled cheese, which was cut the same as at BOG. Sorry Hermione didn't like it.