Sometimes I got so excited that I forgot to take pictures! 7 days of great eats!

[Nebula]

Hi all! I was at WDW for the 2nd time from March 20-27 (but my first trip in 12 years). I knew going into the trip that I wanted to do a trip report, but for the first couple of days I forgot to take pictures! Whoops! Hopefully you'll all forgive me

Here are the restaurants where we ate:


Columbia Harbour House(MK) page 1
Casey's Corner (MK) page 1
Roaring Fork (WL) pages 1, 2 and 3
Earl of Sandwich (DTD) page 1
Hoop-dee-Doo Revue at Pioneer Hall (FW) page 1
Backlot Express (DHS) page 2
Mama Melrose's (DHS) <--- pictures start here! page 2
Tangierine Cafe (Epcot) - page 2
Margarita Stand (Epcot) - page 2
Rose and Crown (Epcot) - page 2
Flame Tree Barbecue (AK) page 2
Cape May Cafe (Beach Club) page 2
Crystal Palace breakfast (MK) page 2
Aloha Isle (MK) page 2
Fairfax Fare (DHS) page 2
Sunshine Seasons (Epcot) page 3
Le Cellier (Epcot) page 3
Aero candy bar in UK (Epcot) page 3
Kaki Gori (Epcot) page 3
Kringla Bakeri og Cafe (Epcot) page 3

BTW, "we" will most often be myself (aged 28, will try anything once) and my mother (55, who has some dietary restrictions due to allergies and diabetes):

I'm the gal in the too long (but quite fetching nonetheless) capris. Mom's rocking the fanny pack.

Also joining us for table service meals were my two aunts, my uncle and my 11-year-old cousin. The one thing we all agreed on is seafood and steak! We love it!

 

[TigerKat]

Count me in!

 

[dizneeat]

I am in too! Great line up of restaurants!

 

[weswife]

Count me in too!!!!! I have a few of the same places picked out!!! I will be waiting for you to get back!

 

[Cookie Princess]

Me too!!

 

[jacksmom]

I'm in!

 

[KatMark]

I'm in.

 

[PiperGirlInWondrland]

I'm in!

 

[bluejasmine]

Im here bring on reviews!!!

 

[Nebula]

Day 1 - March 20, 2010 - Columbia Harbour House and Casey's Corner

My vacation actually started on March 19, as my mother and I traveled from PA to my aunt's house in NJ. From there, we left her house at 5AM on Saturday, March 20th to catch our plane in Atlantic City. We arrived at the airport around 7, and our flight didn't leave until 11:20! Now I'm always early as a rule, but this was a little TOO early! We were unsure how long it would take us to get through security, but since AC is fairly small, it was a breeze.

We arrived in Orlando around 1:30 to find that the Orlando airport is nowhere near as easy to get through as Atlantic City! And the lines for the Disney Magical Express were huge! But I have to hand it to Disney, they made the process as smooth as possible. After a quick trip to Wilderness Lodge to drop off our luggage, we were off to meet the rest of our family in the Magic Kingdom!

By this time, we were STARVING. All I had eaten was a bagel and a banana that day - I needed food, STAT! So it was off to Columbia Harbour House to use a counter service credit.

Unfortunately, as I mentioned before, I forgot to take pictures for the first couple of days, so you'll have to make do with my amazing descriptions Mom and I each ordered the Fried Fish Basket and Apple Crisp (Mom, a diabetic, was cheating on her diet...). My Aunt also joined us, and she ordered the Fried Shrimp Basket.

I was surprised at just how large the portions were! Along with the fish, we also got a rather large side of fries. The fish and fries were excellent - nice and crisp, not too greasy. The apple crisp was, well... not very crisp at all. It was a bit soggy, but it still tasted pretty good. All in all, we were stuffed and satisfied!

As the 20th was an Extra Magic Hours night, we were staying in the park until closing at 1AM. By the time Spectromagic and Wishes was over, I was pooped - and hungry again! So my Mom and I, joined by the whole family - 2 aunts, uncle and cousin - decided we needed hot dogs at Casey's.

My Uncle really likes Casey's hot dogs, and he bought me one OOP - how sweet of him! : I have to say, it was a very good hot dog - although I don't think it was worth $4.79 But at this point I was so exhausted and so thankful for a chance to sit, that hot dog was like a big, juicy steak. It gave me the energy to stumble over to Tomorrowland (after almost 20 hours on my feet, those dogs were barkin'!), where we stayed until park closing. "There's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow" is STILL running through my head!

 

[goldielocksraj]

Yummy review, looking forward to more!!!!

I totally understand about forgetting the pictures, I've done the same thing because I was so excited to get my food!!!

 

[Nebula]

Day 2 - Sunday, March 21, 2010 - Roaring Fork, Earl of Sandwich and Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue

Day 2 started very early, with only a few hours sleep after getting in so late from the Magic Kingdom the night before. I staggered down to Roaring Fork for some much needed coffee and sugar. In my uncaffienated haze, I chose the most ooey, gooey, nutty, cinnamon-y pastry available. I really wish I remembered my camera, because you had to see this thing to believe it. I tried eating it with my fingers, but it was so messy with glaze that it was falling apart. But boy, was it delicious!! And I had a sugar rush to get me through the morning.

We had planned to stay in the Magic Kingdom all day, but early in the afternoon, the rain hit. Now, my mother and I were prepared with those cheap "emergency" ponchos from K-Mart, and they were fine for the morning, when it just showered on and off. But then the sky just opened up and the rain would not stop. We did decide to go on Splash Mountain because we had fastpassed it, but really, we could've gotten on it right away without them. One cast member called us crazy, but I figured we couldn't get any wetter!

After Splash Mountain, though, it became apparent that the rain was not going to let up. Our K-Mart ponchos were ripped, and the rest of our party had no ponchos and were soaked. So we decided to head back to the Wilderness Lodge to change, and then head to Downtown Disney.

We had a very late lunch at Earl of Sandwich, which was pretty crowded. I guess a lot of people had the same idea as us! I had the "Best BLT," which lived up to its name - it was amazing! I'm not sure if it was the seasoned mayo, the bread, or a combination of both, but it was sooooo good!

Mom had the Tuna Melt, and instead of dessert, they allowed her to get potato salad instead. She loved the sandwich, but thought the potato salad was just OK. For dessert, I ordered some sort of brownie whoopie pie concoction. I was stuffed from the sandwich so I decided to save it for breakfast the next morning. It was entirely too sweet, which is saying something coming from the person who had that cinnamon-nut sticky bun for breakfast! I only ate half of it and then threw the rest out. It tasted good, but was way too rich.

That night, we had reservations for the 9:30 show at Hoop-Dee-Doo. We had seats right up front next to the stage. We were so close that I could see Six Bit's fillings! Since Mom is allergic to strawberries, she couldn't have the strawberry shortcake, so we asked our server if there was a substitute she could have. The next thing we knew, the chef was at our table, going over the menu with Mom, who had also let slip that she was diabetic. This really impressed us! He was very kind and understanding. Turns out Mom could eat everything except the strawberry shortcake.

And boy, did she - and the rest of us - eat everything!!

For those of you who have never been to Hoop-Dee-Doo, they have ribs, fried chicken, mashed potatoes, baked beans (all slammed onto your table in buckets) and cornbread. Also, a big plus (for me anyway) is that beer and wine are included with the meal at no extra charge! I jumped on the sangria right away, yessirree!

As for the actual meal, I really enjoyed it. The cornbread was some of the best I've ever had, hands down. I had three pieces and had to stop or else that's all I would have eaten! I also really enjoyed the ribs, even though they were a little dry. It's hard to explain, but they were both dry and tender at the same time, and the sauce was delicious. The fried chicken was awesome as well.

I also liked the potatoes, but the baked beans weren't for me. They tasted fine, but I'm really not a fan of baked beans in general. I only had a small bite of them to try and then went back to the meat.

After a corny - but still hilarious - show, we were served some amazing strawberry shortcake. I was left with a huge portion, because they give you pieces to share, and Mom couldn't eat her half. It was a valiant effort on my part, but alas, I couldn't finish it all Believe me, I tried! Mom had some sugar-free ice cream, which she said was good, but nothing special. She was just happy that she got some dessert at all

All in all, the six of us loved the meal and the show. I definite must-do IMHO.

And so ends Day 2. When we head into Day 3, there will be... wait for it... yes, pictures! Finally!

 

[TigerKat]

I think we're the only ones to have never been to Earl of Sandwich! We must do something about that. Enjoying your reviews!

 

[KarBear]

I think we're the only ones to have never been to Earl of Sandwich! We must do something about that. Enjoying your reviews!

We never have either!

Also enjoying your review and can't wait for the pics!

 

[jessrose18]

signing on..interested in cape may dinner

 

[Nebula]

Day 3 - Monday, March 22, 2010 - Backlot Express and Mama Melrose's

Day 3 started out beautifully. Mr. Sun was back - finally! - and the temperature was perfect. I was SO ready for DHS! This visit included my first-ever ride on Tower of Terror - and a few more rides on it after that!

For lunch that day, my mother, aunt and I ate at Backlot Express. I ordered the Double Cheeseburger with fries, which does not mention bacon, but I swear bacon was on it. Whatever. The important thing is this: It was as big as my head. Seriously. I couldn't finish it. It was alright as far as burgers go. Nothing special, but tasty nonetheless. The fries were good as well, nice and crisp. For dessert I had the Marble Cheesecake. This was surprisingly good. I managed to find room to finish it - and then wondered if I'd regret it after riding Tower of Terror, as I had yet to take my inaugural ride.

Don't worry, the cheesecake stayed where it belonged, in my stomach

Mom had a hot dog with fries and carrot sticks to replace her dessert. Again, nothing special. She said the bun was a little stale and her fries were too greasy. Apparently she wasn't impressed.

My aunt had a chicken Caesar salad. I think. That's what it looked like, although for all of the menus I've seen for Backlot Express, that's not listed, and it didn't look like the Southwest Salad with Chicken. My memory is terrible. Whatever it was, she ate most of it, and then devoured the cheesecake. The salad was also as big as my head.

After we ate, my mother turned to me and said,"Hey, weren't you going to take pictures of our food for some sort of review?" Oh yeah... :

That night, we ate at Mama Melrose's with the whole family. I've seen some not-so-positive reviews of this place, so I was a little nervous. Well, I'm happy to say that for the most part, it was delicious!

First off, the rolls:

These were AMAZING. Nice and warm. I ate 2 of them, and would have eaten more, but I had to be a good example for my cousin, who was told she couldn't have more or she'd spoil her supper. She wasn't thrilled. Kid, I feel your pain. I wish I could have made a meal out of those rolls.

And now the entrees:

My uncle and I each ordered the Spaghetti Fra Diavolo, with clams, calamari, mussels and shrimp, tossed in a spicy Marinara sauce:

What made this dish for me was the sauce. It was a little thin, but the flavor was intense. Nice and spicy! In fact, my one aunt was stealing some out of my bowl for her chicken parm!

And speaking of the Oven-Baked Chicken alla Parmigiana:

Aunt #1 and my cousin ordered this. My cousin liked it OK, and my aunt thought it was pretty good. I think she liked my sauce better though!

Aunt #2 ordered the Shrimp Pipette, shrimp tossed with Pipette pasta with artichokes, peas, roasted red peppers in a basil and four cheese cream sauce:

She enjoyed it. She couldn't finish it, it was a pretty big portion.

Lastly, Mom ordered the Charred Sirloin Steak - with gorgonzola butter on roasted red pepper polenta, grilled asparagus and red wine reduction:

She ordered it well-done, but they served it medium. Now I would've said something, but Mom doesn't like to stir the pot, as it were. That said, apparently she enjoyed it anyway, because she ate the whole thing! She said "it was nice and tender, although a little spicy, but it had a nice flavor. A little too juicy though." These are her exact words, as she's looking over my shoulder as I type this

And now for my favorite part of any meal, dessert!

Aunt #1 and I ordered Mama's Tiramisu:

Our server made sure that we knew that it wasn't a traditional tiramisu, but instead it was tiramisu-flavored gelato over espresso. It was topped with Ameretto Zablagione - whatever that is - and a lady finger. I figured, hey, gelato is like ice cream - I like ice cream. If it tastes like tiramisu, all the better.

I am sad to say that I was not impressed.

The gelato was one big melted mess, since it was served over freshly brewed espresso. Some may like to drink their dessert, but not me. My lady finger was also stale. The only saving grace was the espresso. A big thumbs down

My uncle and Aunt #2 ordered the Chocolate Cannoli Cake, which is cake with a cannoli filling and Nutella (!!) served with a Chianti red wine sauce and garnished with a hazlenut florentine. Fancy.

They had no complaints. As it had chocolate AND Nutella, I'm wishing I ordered this. Ah well, live and learn.

My cousin ordered the gelato, but I didn't get a picture. Hey, she's 11 and it's ice cream. She was happy!

Lastly, Mom ordered the Crema Limone, which is no-sugar-added lemon custard over berries. We asked what berries were included? No strawberries for her! I'm not sure if strawberries are usually included, but hers came back with raspberries:

She really enjoyed it! She loved that there was no aftertaste, which is common with sugarless desserts. They explained that they don't use artificial sweeteners, which is great! And holy moley, look at the size of those raspberries!

All in all, we were happy with Mama Melrose's. If I ever get to eat there again, I'll know not to order the "tiramisu." Other than that, I was stuffed and happy!

 

[Linda67]

Great reviews, we were there at the same time !!

 

[momof2minnies]

WOW the portions are so small- I would still be hungry.I am glad I saw this so now I won't book it.

We are not big people but very big eaters.

Linda

 

[dizneeat]

Wow! We have not been to Mama Melrose in about a year and those desserts are all new to me!
Thanks for the reviews, can't wait to eat there again in August!

 

[danalee]

Glad you liked Mama's, one of our fave's!