mare1203
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 4, 2005
Okay all, we are now back to our regularly scheduled programming. Our travels next take us to the oft-dreaded Downtown Disney for a lively dinner. We, like many others, had not been to Downtown Disney in some time. There has just been so much construction in that area it hasn’t been worth the nightmare of parking, etc. However, we had heard one of the garages was open, making getting in and out easier. The last time we ate at Raglan Road it was very good, and my dad still talks about the Dalkey Duo, so we decided to give it a whirl and made an ADR for 7pm.
We left for Downtown Disney between 4:30 and 5:00 to ensure we had plenty of time to make it for dinner. Plus, it would give us some time to look around at all the new additions. I am happy to report that the garage worked out very well and we were parked and in the shopping area less than 20 minutes after we left the Polynesian.
Since it was so quick getting there, we were left with plenty of time to explore the area.
Our first stop was Splitsville, which we had never been to before. Kathy and Jeff actually met through bowling while in college (nope, we’re not Midwestern at all...). We didn’t actually bowl, but we might sometime in the future, if we could ever fit it into the schedule of endless activities. It looks like fun!
As we continued making our way towards Raglan Road, we took the opportunity to slip into shops and check out the progress towards Disney Springs. I think this area is going to be awesome once it’s done. The theming and architecture of the newly imagined shops are right up my alley. One place high on my bucket list to visit is the Boathouse. This restaurant has “Mary” written all over it.
We got to see one of the amphicars take off while we were there. They look pretty cool, but there is no way I’m paying those outrageous prices for a boat ride. I’ll just watch.
Soon enough, it was time to check-in! Raglan Road is pretty much always busy, so we were given a pager and waited about 20 minutes for our table. The only unfortunate thing about this meal was that our table was in the corner to the left of the stage. We could see the middle stage where they sometimes do solos and such, but not the actual stage. It wasn’t a big deal as we weren’t there for the dancing, but it always sucks to get that corner table. Someone has to get it, though, right?
Our waitress came by to take our drink orders and mentioned they were running a bit slow that night. I appreciated her honesty.
Kathy and Jeff ordered ciders.
Bob got what I think was the Irish Amber. He thought this was a great one. It was from their proprietary draught rotation.
I went with a flight. I don’t remember what 4 I got, but I enjoyed each one, once it finally arrived. The 3 pints came out quickly, but the flight ended up taking until after the appetizers were even delivered to come out. The bar must have been backed up! I would just go with a pint next time.
For our appetizer we got 2 orders of the Dalky Duo. these are deep fried sausages with a dipping sauce. They are kind of heavy, but man are they good! There is a light batter and the sausages have a nice snap and flavor, just like they should. The dipping sauce adds that extra zing that makes them irresistible.
We had to ask for the Irish Soda Bread with Guiness reduction. Even though I don't need extra bread in my life, I wanted some of this stuff.
Kathy went with the shepherds pie for her entree. She ordered this last time and is a big fan of shepherds pie in general, so she enjoyed this immensely. It doesn’t look like much, but it’s filling and has good flavors.
Jeff chose the pie of the day: in this case it was a chicken pot pie. The crust looks perfectly buttery and flaky on this baby. He said it was super hot, but once it cooled down it was great.
My dad and I both chose the ham. It was a huge portion! We each got 3 slices of ham, along with the bacon. The ham is more like a pork loin than what we would traditionally think of as ham steak. Seeing as just one piece of ham was about my normal serving, I did not finish it, but I loved what I was able to eat. I thought the raisin cider jus was an interesting (in a good way!) and flavorful accompaniment. That could also be because I am generally a sucker for all things either au jus or side sauce… I think my dad finished his; he also enjoyed it.
Raglan Road actually has quite the dessert list. One of my favorite pastimes is watching whole tables each order their own bread pudding and then realize that just one would have been more than enough. I love their bread pudding, but we did not get dessert here this time around. We had something else in mind.
Our meal here was very good and I would not hesitate to continue recommending it to others despite the service being slow that night.
We had to walk off some of our dinner before we could get dessert. After checking out the co-op and a few other shops, we found ourselves at a brand new spot to end the evening.
Vivoli il Gelato is an Italian gelato shop out of Florence, Italy. I had heard of this well-known gelato shop and was very excited when Disney Food Blog revealed it would be opening a 2nd American location in Disney Springs. We did not go to the real one when we were actually in Florence last year, so I was pretty excited to walk by and find it open!
Vivoli wasn’t too busy when we walked by before dinner, but it was slammed on our way out! We waited in line and saw quite a few cast members and other Disney enthusiasts who had also heard the good news. They have about 16 different flavors to choose from. These are traditional flavors found at gelato shops all over Italy.
There is also display case with panini’s and other sweet treats if you so choose. We did not.
Ordering is similar to the ice cream shop in France. You place your basic order at the register (small cup, medium cone, etc.) and then actually choose your flavors down at the the gelato case where they will scoop it for you.
Each of us went with a small cup with 2 flavors. I picked my favorite gelato combo - Straciatella and pistachio. Somehow I ended up with 3 spoons, but I was definitely not sharing! The gelato was creamy and flavorful, just like it’s supposed to be. Other flavors sampled were the salted caramel (a favorite from the caramel brigade), strawberry, and coffee. All got high praise. I would recommend trying Vivoli out if you’re in the area and craving some gelato.
That’s all for now. We had to get some rest in anticipation of a big day of wedding planning!!
We left for Downtown Disney between 4:30 and 5:00 to ensure we had plenty of time to make it for dinner. Plus, it would give us some time to look around at all the new additions. I am happy to report that the garage worked out very well and we were parked and in the shopping area less than 20 minutes after we left the Polynesian.
Since it was so quick getting there, we were left with plenty of time to explore the area.
Our first stop was Splitsville, which we had never been to before. Kathy and Jeff actually met through bowling while in college (nope, we’re not Midwestern at all...). We didn’t actually bowl, but we might sometime in the future, if we could ever fit it into the schedule of endless activities. It looks like fun!
As we continued making our way towards Raglan Road, we took the opportunity to slip into shops and check out the progress towards Disney Springs. I think this area is going to be awesome once it’s done. The theming and architecture of the newly imagined shops are right up my alley. One place high on my bucket list to visit is the Boathouse. This restaurant has “Mary” written all over it.
We got to see one of the amphicars take off while we were there. They look pretty cool, but there is no way I’m paying those outrageous prices for a boat ride. I’ll just watch.
Soon enough, it was time to check-in! Raglan Road is pretty much always busy, so we were given a pager and waited about 20 minutes for our table. The only unfortunate thing about this meal was that our table was in the corner to the left of the stage. We could see the middle stage where they sometimes do solos and such, but not the actual stage. It wasn’t a big deal as we weren’t there for the dancing, but it always sucks to get that corner table. Someone has to get it, though, right?
Our waitress came by to take our drink orders and mentioned they were running a bit slow that night. I appreciated her honesty.
Kathy and Jeff ordered ciders.
Bob got what I think was the Irish Amber. He thought this was a great one. It was from their proprietary draught rotation.
I went with a flight. I don’t remember what 4 I got, but I enjoyed each one, once it finally arrived. The 3 pints came out quickly, but the flight ended up taking until after the appetizers were even delivered to come out. The bar must have been backed up! I would just go with a pint next time.
For our appetizer we got 2 orders of the Dalky Duo. these are deep fried sausages with a dipping sauce. They are kind of heavy, but man are they good! There is a light batter and the sausages have a nice snap and flavor, just like they should. The dipping sauce adds that extra zing that makes them irresistible.
We had to ask for the Irish Soda Bread with Guiness reduction. Even though I don't need extra bread in my life, I wanted some of this stuff.
Kathy went with the shepherds pie for her entree. She ordered this last time and is a big fan of shepherds pie in general, so she enjoyed this immensely. It doesn’t look like much, but it’s filling and has good flavors.
Jeff chose the pie of the day: in this case it was a chicken pot pie. The crust looks perfectly buttery and flaky on this baby. He said it was super hot, but once it cooled down it was great.
My dad and I both chose the ham. It was a huge portion! We each got 3 slices of ham, along with the bacon. The ham is more like a pork loin than what we would traditionally think of as ham steak. Seeing as just one piece of ham was about my normal serving, I did not finish it, but I loved what I was able to eat. I thought the raisin cider jus was an interesting (in a good way!) and flavorful accompaniment. That could also be because I am generally a sucker for all things either au jus or side sauce… I think my dad finished his; he also enjoyed it.
Raglan Road actually has quite the dessert list. One of my favorite pastimes is watching whole tables each order their own bread pudding and then realize that just one would have been more than enough. I love their bread pudding, but we did not get dessert here this time around. We had something else in mind.
Our meal here was very good and I would not hesitate to continue recommending it to others despite the service being slow that night.
We had to walk off some of our dinner before we could get dessert. After checking out the co-op and a few other shops, we found ourselves at a brand new spot to end the evening.
Vivoli il Gelato is an Italian gelato shop out of Florence, Italy. I had heard of this well-known gelato shop and was very excited when Disney Food Blog revealed it would be opening a 2nd American location in Disney Springs. We did not go to the real one when we were actually in Florence last year, so I was pretty excited to walk by and find it open!
Vivoli wasn’t too busy when we walked by before dinner, but it was slammed on our way out! We waited in line and saw quite a few cast members and other Disney enthusiasts who had also heard the good news. They have about 16 different flavors to choose from. These are traditional flavors found at gelato shops all over Italy.
There is also display case with panini’s and other sweet treats if you so choose. We did not.
Ordering is similar to the ice cream shop in France. You place your basic order at the register (small cup, medium cone, etc.) and then actually choose your flavors down at the the gelato case where they will scoop it for you.
Each of us went with a small cup with 2 flavors. I picked my favorite gelato combo - Straciatella and pistachio. Somehow I ended up with 3 spoons, but I was definitely not sharing! The gelato was creamy and flavorful, just like it’s supposed to be. Other flavors sampled were the salted caramel (a favorite from the caramel brigade), strawberry, and coffee. All got high praise. I would recommend trying Vivoli out if you’re in the area and craving some gelato.
That’s all for now. We had to get some rest in anticipation of a big day of wedding planning!!
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It'll be our first time at both so I'm totally loving all your Poly pics 
And I'll be getting gelato and some cookies 
