Follow me to the Boardwalk! 10/23 - 11/7 UPDATED 4/13 BEACHES & CREAM

[Vernie822]

Il Mulino looks so delicious! I agree with the melon balls... a little different. I don't know if I'd enjoy honeydew and blackberries with my prosciutto. That is so nice that you can get 1/2 an order of the pasta.

$21.99 is definitely a great deal for the buffet! And Niki's lobster omelet looks delicious.

 

[ohiotinkerbell]

Hi I've been a lurker for years and this is the first time ever commenting. Your review is incredible. I feel like I was right there with you enjoying/or not each course. You've given me a lot to think about for my up coming trip in Oct. I'm a fan, can't wait for more!
.

 

[chocolateMinnie]

We love the buffet at CG. Got it booked twice for our upcoming trip. We tend to do EPCOT emh and then leave the park at about 10.30 and walk over for a late brunch can't wait.

 

[jabead]

Looks like Captains Grille was good for breakfast that's another one I've never done.

Captain's Grille is a good choice for a non-character breakfast buffet!

So great to see a review of the buffet at Captains Grill. We have breakfast planned there on our Epcot day in March and are looking forward to it. I had hoped for Cape May but was ruled out of a character breakfast by my three teenagers. Oh well, I will still get a very yummy breakfast!

I think you will be happy with your choice!

We will be taking a short, four night trip to the Beach Club starting on Saturday and we are looking forward to breakfast at Captain's Grille. Maybe I'll try an omelet with the buffet. It looks good.

Oh, you are probably at WDW right now?!?! I am soooo jealous! Enjoy!

Uh oh.. Your report looks like it might be starting to get expensive for me! Have wanted to try the S/D Food & Wine Classic for the last two years and always passed... Is 2016 the year for me? Hmm...

Man, Il Mulino looks amazing! My mom and sister went there once without me and said it was just ok... But I'm starting to question their judgment..

"Just ok" was actually my first impression of Il Mulino. It took a second visit there for me to appreciate it more. While it's still not on my list of favorite WDW restaurants, my opinion of it is definitely improved. As for the Swan & Dolphin Classic, that review is coming up soon so stay tuned. I took lots of photos!

Il Mulino looks so delicious! I agree with the melon balls... a little different. I don't know if I'd enjoy honeydew and blackberries with my prosciutto. That is so nice that you can get 1/2 an order of the pasta.

$21.99 is definitely a great deal for the buffet! And Niki's lobster omelet looks delicious.

While I think that Trail's End still has the cheapest breakfast buffet on Disney property (it was $15.99 when I was last there in Oct. 2014 but I'm guessing that the price has probably increased by a few dollars since then), Captain's Grille is not far behind. And when you throw in the ability to get made-to-order omelets, that definitely increases its value to me.

Hi I've been a lurker for years and this is the first time ever commenting. Your review is incredible. I feel like I was right there with you enjoying/or not each course. You've given me a lot to think about for my up coming trip in Oct. I'm a fan, can't wait for more!
.

Thank you so much for making your presence known. Glad to have you here!

We love the buffet at CG. Got it booked twice for our upcoming trip. We tend to do EPCOT emh and then leave the park at about 10.30 and walk over for a late brunch can't wait.

That sounds like a great plan!

 

[jabead]

After our breakfast with Niki and her DH, my husband and I headed to Epcot for the day. We had lunch at the F & W booths (the review for this visit to the booths was lumped together with all of my other visits into one F & W BOOTHS REVIEW), so I will move on to our dinner at Epcot's Rose & Crown.


Here was their menu as of October 30, 2015...




But before choosing our food, we first each ordered a pint. My husband enjoyed a Black & Tan and I went with my usual choice here, a Cider & Black...


Black & Tan (Half Bass Ale and Half Guinness) and Cider & Black (Hard Cider with a shot of Black Currant Juice)


Now I couldn't possibly visit the Rose & Crown Restaurant or the Rose & Crown Pub without having this...






Scotch Egg - Golden-fried Hard-boiled Egg wrapped in Sausage Meat served with Mustard Sauce

I love this! Egg, sausage and mustard...the combination of these three flavors is surprisingly delicious. I say surprisingly because I don't generally like mustard on anything.



As for our entrees, we both chose something that we had never before had at the Rose & Crown. My husband went with the...


Pork Two Ways with a Grilled Pork Chop topped with Pear Chutney and served with Mashed Potatoes
& Pear Cider-braised Pork Belly served with Roasted Brussel Sprouts


My DH said the pork belly was pretty good but he's not a fan of brussel sprouts...




However the star of this entree was the pork chop, which he really enjoyed...





As for me, I ordered one of the Rose & Crown Signature Favorites...and SURPRISE, it wasn't the Fish & Chips.





Bangers and Mash - Traditional English Sausage with Colcannon Potatoes, Roasted Mushrooms, Caramelized Onion Jam, and Red Wine Demi-Glace


I first tasted a "banger" during my May 2015 trip to the World. We had brunch at Raglan Road and the Full Irish platter which I had included a banger.



Since I really liked the flavor of the Irish version of the banger, I decided to give the English version a go. And I'm very glad that I did because I really enjoyed this dish. The sausage was again nicely seasoned and the roasted mushrooms and mashed potatoes were both tasty. But what brought this dish up a notch to "delicious" for me was the red wine sauce which covered everything. Soooo good!



Much to my surprise, I was actually able to talk my husband into ordering a dessert to share. Here is what we had to choose from...




There was a dessert at the Rose & Crown that I had always wanted to try and thankfully my husband agreed...​

Sticky Toffee Pudding - Steamed Pudding "Cake" served with warm Vanilla Custard and hot Butter-Rum Sauce


Holy Cow, why oh why did I wait so long to try this?!?! This was wonderful, we both loved it!


So overall our dinner at the Rose & Crown was a huge success! It was actually one of my favorite dinners of the trip. Now I'm sure that having this dinner with my husband might have had something to do with it being one of my favorites, but I really enjoyed all of the food and beverages that we had here, from start to finish. ​

Next up: Halloween at the Boardwalk and breakfast from the Belle Vue Lounge

 

[rteetz]

Looks like a great dinner. I really want to try Rose and Crown, at least for the fish and chips.

 

[disneyAndi14]

Love all your updates, I have had the sticky toffee pudding and I also loved it.

 

[auntfrannie]

It's been a while since I've been to Rose & Crown. The last time was for lunch and it was incredibly long...more than 2 hours for fish & chips. Maybe it's time to go back and give the Scotch Egg and Sticky Pudding a try!

 

[TeresaNJ]

Between yesterday & this morning I've read your entire review! I love your writing style. Very descriptive & to the point without being too wordy. Looking forward to the rest!

 

[vettegirl]

Rose and Crown looks so delicious. I too love Scotch Eggs, going to put this place on our must try next trip.

 

[jabead]

Looks like a great dinner. I really want to try Rose and Crown, at least for the fish and chips.

I usually have the Fish & Chips at the Rose & Crown. They are pretty good!

Love all your updates, I have had the sticky toffee pudding and I also loved it.

I should have known from the name. How could anything called "sticky toffee pudding" not be good?!?!

It's been a while since I've been to Rose & Crown. The last time was for lunch and it was incredibly long...more than 2 hours for fish & chips. Maybe it's time to go back and give the Scotch Egg and Sticky Pudding a try!

Wow, 2 hours!! I don't blame you for not being in a hurry to return. Hopefully things will go much better if you do decide to give it another try.

Between yesterday & this morning I've read your entire review! I love your writing style. Very descriptive & to the point without being too wordy. Looking forward to the rest!

Thanks for taking the time to read my report. Glad you are enjoying it so far!

Rose and Crown looks so delicious. I too love Scotch Eggs, going to put this place on our must try next trip.

Even if you can't fit in a full meal at the restaurant into your dining schedule, you can always stop in at the pub and get a drink and a scotch egg.

 

[jabead]

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!


Saturday, October 31st was the half-way point of my trip, but more importantly it was HALLOWEEN!! And Halloween at the Boardwalk Resort means a Castmember Pumpkin Decorating Contest...




Castmembers of the Boardwalk showed off their creative side by decorating pumpkins for a contest to be judged by the votes of the Boardwalk guests. Based on various themes, four winners were chosen...




But before I show you the Winners, let's take a look at some of the "Also-rans"...















And now for the Winners, starting with the Gumball Machine pumpkin voted as the Most Creative...





The Best Halloween Theme award went to the Nightmare Before Christmas pumpkin...





The Best Disney Theme pumpkin was Scarecrow Mickey Mouse...





And the pumpkin voted as the Best Overall was the Pirate Treasure...





So what do you think? Do you agree with the winners chosen by the Boardwalk Resort guests?



Anyway, after photographing the decorated pumpkins on display in the Boardwalk's lobby, I stopped by the Belle Vue Lounge for some breakfast to take back to our room. For those of you not familiar with the lounge, it's located down the hallway from the lobby, just before the elevators on the Inn side of the resort. By night it functions as a typical bar-type lounge, except I don't believe they serve food like many of the other Disney resort lounges. I've actually never stopped by in the evening for a drink, but it is something that is on my Disney bucket list to do sometime. As for now though, I'm going to tell you a little bit about the mornings at the Belle Vue Lounge. Many times over the years that I've stayed at the Boardwalk Resort, I've not felt like walking down to the bakery on the boardwalk. Instead I would stop in at the lounge, which always has some of the breakfast pastries from the Boardwalk Bakery available for purchase. On this morning, in addition to two cups of coffee I also chose a raspberry cheese danish for me...





And for my husband I got a cinnamon roll...





I took these up to our room where my husband and I enjoyed our quiet breakfast. The coffee was again great (I wish I could remember the special blend that they had at the lounge, as it was different than what was served at the bakery) but the pastries were just okay. Unfortunately we didn't have a microwave (since we were staying on the Inn side instead of the Villas this time), as I think they would have benefited immensely from being warmed. Next time I will probably stick to getting a muffin at the lounge. While the muffins are even better warm, they are usually pretty good at room temperature too.
​

Next up: Lunch at Captain's Grille

 

[GoofySon'sMom]

R0se & Crown has been a favorite of ours for years but our visit in August wasn't was good as previous visits. Because of that DS and I are not planning to eat there on our upcoming trip. Your review does make me think that DH and I will be giving it another try in October.

I have already told DH that I want to go to Captain's Grille for breakfast. I had wanted to try it with DS, but he is partial to the Tonga Toast at Kona so despite expecting the service to be REALLY slow, we are heading to Kona. Looking forward to giving CG a try in October.

 

[Redwitch]

Love the scotch eggs! (And maybe even better with a whiskey flight!)
We've also enjoyed pumpkin decorating contests, they seem to do them at all the deluxe resorts and we even stumbled upon on at DTD.

 

[TeresaNJ]

To tell you the truth, I like the first three pumpkin photos posted better than any of the winners!

 

[vettegirl]

Those are some amazing pumpkins! Love the Bellvue Lounge, it's a nice quiet treasure.

 

[momof3princes]

Love Rose and Crown, eating outside there is one of my favorite places...and the sticky toffee pudding is Yum too! The pumpkin contest...how fun! The gumball machine was my favorite

 

[Li Li]

How did the Space Mountain pumpkin not win anything?!

 

[kastoney]

Looks like you all had a pretty good meal at Il Mulino. Though I must say it didn't look all that different than Via Napoli or Tutto Gusto to me. Was the quality that much better to make it "signature"?

Captains Grill looks like a real hidden gem. I remember drooling over your lemon pancakes before and the buffet really looks good. And at less than $20, what a steal! Will have to get there next time we stay in the Boardwalk area.

I can't believe we've never been to Rose and Crown. That scotch egg alone looks like its worth the visit, then add in some bangers and mash and beer and I'm sold. Gonna have to see if I can work it in on our next trip.

 

[jabead]

R0se & Crown has been a favorite of ours for years but our visit in August wasn't was good as previous visits. Because of that DS and I are not planning to eat there on our upcoming trip. Your review does make me think that DH and I will be giving it another try in October.

I have already told DH that I want to go to Captain's Grille for breakfast. I had wanted to try it with DS, but he is partial to the Tonga Toast at Kona so despite expecting the service to be REALLY slow, we are heading to Kona. Looking forward to giving CG a try in October.

If forced to choose, I would have to agree with Andrew and pick Kona over Captain's Grille. But it would be for their pancakes rather than the Tonga Toast. However, Captain's Grille is a solid choice for breakfast. I would be happy to tag along with you and Jay if you end up going there in October.

Love the scotch eggs! (And maybe even better with a whiskey flight!)
We've also enjoyed pumpkin decorating contests, they seem to do them at all the deluxe resorts and we even stumbled upon on at DTD.

I didn't realize that the other deluxe resorts did the pumpkin decorating contest...I guess because I've only stayed at the Boardwalk at Halloween time. Thanks for sharing the info, it's good to know!

To tell you the truth, I like the first three pumpkin photos posted better than any of the winners!

I thought both the Space Mountain and Carousel pumpkins were great!

Those are some amazing pumpkins! Love the Bellvue Lounge, it's a nice quiet treasure.

The Belle Vue is great choice for a quick breakfast! I still need to stop by there in the evening sometime for a cocktail.

Love Rose and Crown, eating outside there is one of my favorite places...and the sticky toffee pudding is Yum too! The pumpkin contest...how fun! The gumball machine was my favorite

After this trip, I too would have to say that the Rose & Crown is one of my favorite restaurants at Epcot.

How did the Space Mountain pumpkin not win anything?!

I agree!

Looks like you all had a pretty good meal at Il Mulino. Though I must say it didn't look all that different than Via Napoli or Tutto Gusto to me. Was the quality that much better to make it "signature"?

Captains Grill looks like a real hidden gem. I remember drooling over your lemon pancakes before and the buffet really looks good. And at less than $20, what a steal! Will have to get there next time we stay in the Boardwalk area.

I can't believe we've never been to Rose and Crown. That scotch egg alone looks like its worth the visit, then add in some bangers and mash and beer and I'm sold. Gonna have to see if I can work it in on our next trip.

Based on the few things that I've tried there (which have all been pasta dishes), I can't really say that Il Mulino is that much better than the non-signature Epcot Italian restaurants. However, both their food and wine menus are far more extensive than at Tutto Italia or Via Napoli. So based on this, perhaps it does deserve its signature status??

And I definitely recommend that you try Captain's Grille for breakfast and the Rose & Crown sometime.