14 Days of Gluttony AKA Doing Free Dining Again! COMPLETE!

[MrsB1228]

I am chiming in. I love your review and we are eating at a lot of the same places you did. Glad you are all better now.

Thanks so much and I'm glad you're enjoying the reviews! More coming soon.

 

[MrsB1228]

Finally ... an update!

Let's try to get this DR back on track and wrapped up, shall we? When I last left you, we had just completed our amazing and magical lunch at LTT in the Magic Kingdom. We did a few more things in the MK, but then decided it was time to escape the oppressive heat and humidity and head back to our resort for a little pool time.

After cooling off, our plan was to head over to Epcot for dinner "around the world" at the Food and Wine Festival booths.

We decided to start in Australia.

"Shrimp on the Barbie with Pepper Berry Citrus Glaze" $4.75
"Rosemount Estate Traminer Riesling" $3.00

While these were tasty enough, they were very small and there were only 5 of them. The wine was good, crisp and clean, but again, a very small pour. We shared everything and the selections from Oz didn't last long, LOL.

Moving in a clockwise direction, we wandered and checked the menu boards along the way until we came on something else that appealed to both of us.

"Roast Bratwurst in a Pretzel Roll" $4.75

This was delicious and surprisingly filling! Both DH and I enjoyed it and briefly considered getting some beer or wine (we love German wines) to accompany it but the lines were just too long so we decided to pass.

A little further along, we came to the Japan booth:

"Karaage Hand Roll (crispy chicken breast with sushi rice and spicy mayonnaise)" $4.25

This was the clear winner of the evening! Juicy, perfectly cooked chicken breast in a crispy coating, surrounded by very tasty sushi rice and served with a sauce that actually had a kick of heat. Delicious!! We ended up getting two because they were just too good to share.

Believe it or not, we were actually getting rather full by this point. We weren't terribly hungry to start with after our big lunch at LTT so we were about ready to call it a night, food-wise. We decided to finish with dessert in Belgium:

"Belgian Waffle with Berry Compote and Whipped Cream" $3.00
"Stella Artois in a Souvenir Stein" $12.00

We both really enjoyed this and it was a great choice for dessert as it wasn't too heavy or too large. It was another hot, humid night so the Stella went down especially well. There were some lovely umbrella tables beside the Belgium booth where we sat to enjoy our waffle and just after we started, it began to rain. The umbrella came in very handy!

Once we were finished, we put on our ponchos and continued around the world showcase. Unfortunately the rain started to get heavier and we decided to call it a night and head back to FQ. Although we didn't get to sample as many items as we would have liked, we still thoroughly enjoyed our evening.

Up next: Yak & Yeti for lunch and dinner at POFQ.

 

[MrsB1228]

More please! You've reviewed some of the places and exact meals that I've already eaten, so I have a feeling that I'm going to agree with you on the places I haven't tried. I too was unable to remember to take pics before I ate my food. Once I started I couldn't be bothered to stop for one. Oh well...maybe next time.

Hi Julie, I hope you'll continue to find my reviews helpful, so sorry for the long delay between posts!

I'm always amazed by the fact that I go into a WDW restaurant with every intention of taking pictures of the entire meal, I get my camera out and sit it on the table beside me. But something happens to me the moment my food arrives, my eyes glaze over and I dive right in. Must be the pixie dust clouding my judgement!

 

[MrsB1228]

Wednesday, October 3 marked the half-way point of our vacation. We were up bright and early and were soon on the way to Animal Kingdom.

Lunch was at Yak & Yeti and we arrived a few minutes before our noon ADR time. Check-in was quick and painless and we were soon escorted to our table upstairs. This time we were seated at a two-top next to the staircase railing, this display was directly across from our table.

Our server was quick to check on us and we ordered our beverages. They arrived very quickly.

"Berry Cherry Limeade" Cherry and lime juice with Sprite. This was Frank's choice. He said it was very refreshing.

I believe this was a Yak Attack? I failed to make note of this so I'm not really sure. I remember it was delicious though! You had to be careful drinking it lest you experience the dreaded "brain freeze".

On to the entrees:

"Baby Back Ribs" slow roasted ribs, hoisin BBQ sauce, chicken fried rice, sweet chili slaw. This was Frank's choice (again) and he enjoyed it just as much as he did the first time. He requested extra slaw this time around. There was an extra charge for this, which surprised us as our server never mentioned it when we ordered. We didn't say anything about it since Frank would still have ordered the extra slaw even had he known it would cost extra. He really enjoys it. 4/5

"Crispy Mahi Mahi" fillet of mahi mahi, Japanese bread crumbs, Cantonese sweet and sour sauce, jasmine rice, stir fried vegetables. This was my choice and was very enjoyable. The fish was well cooked and the crumb coating was delicate but added a nice crunch to the tender fish. The sweet and sour sauce was very nice, it wasn't overly sweet, which I was very thankful for. I don't enjoy overly sweet sauces with my protein. I enjoyed the jasmine rice much more than the chicken fried rice I had with the ribs and the stir-fried vegetables still had a "bite" to them, which is how I prefer my veggies to be cooked. It wasn't over the top exciting, but it was a solid choice and I enjoyed it. 4/5

Dessert consisted of chocolate cake with raspberry sauce for DH and those amazing Cream Cheese & Pineapple Wontons for me. I can't seem to find any dessert pictures from this meal, but I maybe skipped taking any because I'd already taken pics of the wontons on our previous visit and the chocolate cake here looks like the chocolate cake everywhere else, LOL. My wontons deserve another 5/5 rating and Frank gives his cake 3/5 because he said it was a bit dry.

We both enjoyed our lunch and Yak & Yeti will remain on our must-do list for now.

This meal used 2 table service credits and would have been $58.54 before tip. My drink was $8.51 OOP.

 

[MrsB1228]

The plan tonight was to head to the MK for dinner at Cosmic Rays and then stay for the Main St. Electrical Parade and Wishes. Unfortunately DH was really feeling under the weather with a very nasty headache so we decided to stay at the resort for a quiet evening so he could rest and feel better.

We had dinner at Sassagoula Floatworks & Food Factory at POFQ, our first time having dinner at our resort this trip. We each chose:

Chicken Parmesan with spaghetti and marinara sauce. This was really, really good! The chicken was juicy and tender and was a very large serving. The spaghetti was served al dente and the sauce was very flavourful. It was served with a garlic breadstick, which was surprisingly soft and delicious. For counter service food, we both thought it was exceptional. 4.5/5

We also chose the same thing for our beverage and dessert:

I've discovered I much prefer my Crispy Treats without chocolate on them. Shocking, I know but I just find it too sickly sweet. Frank likes it though, so he ate the ears and I had the rest.

This meal used two counter service credits and would have cost $37.15 OOP.

Up next: Lunch at POFQ and dinner at Tutto Italia, stay tuned!

 

[MrsB1228]

The next morning DH was feeling a bit better but still not 100% so we decided to have an easy morning and play the rest of the day by ear. By noon he was feeling totally himself again so we decided to have lunch at Sassagoula Floatworks and then head to Epcot around 3 in the afternoon.

We chose the same thing once again:

Chicken Nuggets with French Fries. These were really delicious, solid pieces of juicy chicken breast coated with a flavourful, crispy coating. They give you a lot of pieces! I believe we each had 8 nuggets, and they're not tiny! I couldn't eat all mine so hubby helped me out. The fries were also very good, crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. We each decided to have ice cream for dessert, although I failed to get a picture. Frank had chocolate and I had cookies and cream.

After a fun afternoon in Epcot, we checked in at Tutto Italia for our 7 o'clock ADR. We were seated right away at a two-top in the main dining room. While we were perusing the menu, they brought out a bowl of olives and the bread service.

In case you're thinking that Tutto Italia is getting very skimpy with its bread, I must confess that we'd already put a good dent in it before I remembered to take a picture. It came with a few different selections of bread, along with some delicious bread sticks. Obviously we enjoyed it.

We also ordered a pitcher of Sangria.

This was heavenly! We both loved it.

After much discussion and after conferring with our server, we decided on the "Polenta Valsugana" - Traditional Northern Italian creamy polenta, melted fontina, served with braised short ribs, meatballs, sweet and piccante pork sausages. This meal serves a minimum of two people.

Polenta with melted fontina.

Meatballs and short ribs.

My plate with a short rib, polenta and some of that amazing sauce.

This was delicious! We especially enjoyed the ribs and the meatballs, I honestly don't remember much about the sausages so they obviously didn't make much of an impression. But the rest was amazing! Our server was from a small town in northern Italy and he said this was a meal that would often be served on a Sunday night back home. He said the polenta served at Tutto is almost as good as his Mom's, LOL! DH and I both give it 4/5.

Dessert time! DH went the traditional route:

"Mocha Tiramisu" - mascarpone cheese, espresso coffee, savoiardi biscuits and chocolate. DH enjoyed this. It always amazes me how much Frank enjoys coffee flavoured desserts since he isn't a big fan of coffee. Mind you, I don't like coffee flavoured desserts but I'm a coffee fiend, LOL. I guess they don't necessarily go hand-in-hand. He gave his tiramisu 4/5 because although it was very good, he says he's had better here at home.

I was seriously considering the cannoli, but decided on this instead:

"Torte di Nocciole Cortiemilia" - hazelnut polenta cake, nutella, sweet cream cheese.

Here's a closer look from a different angle:

Looks amazing, doesn't it? It was meh. I found it to be rather dry and somewhat tasteless. It was also very cold, so maybe if allowed to come to room temperature it would be better? In any case, I wasn't a fan and only give it 2/5.

Just a side note here; because we'd enjoyed the Sangria with dinner, I was wanting to use my beverage entitlement for a cup of coffee with dessert. At every other restaurant we dined at, this was not a problem, but at Tutto Italia, it was not allowed. I was told if I wanted coffee, it would be a separate charge. I could certainly understand that if I was ordering a cappuccino or espresso, but a regular cup of Nescafe? I thought it was a ridiculous policy. I waited and filled my mug with coffee when we got back to our resort.

This meal used two table-service credits and would have been $56.45 before tip OOP. I can't find the receipt for our pitcher of Sangria, but I believe it was around $20 before tax.

Next up: Lunch with the Earl of Sandwich, Dinner at La Hacienda de San Angel

 

[SusieBea]

Well, I'm late to the party --- again! But I've caught up and am enjoying your reviews. We were at WDW during the part of the time you were there and ate at Boatwright's our first night (Sept. 29, I think). We hadn't eaten there in years, but I'd been reading some very good reviews. So we gave it a shot. Unfortunately our experience was not as exceptional. There were 8 of us with a variety of tastes, but the only item that any of us said we would order again was the French onion soup. The service, however, was very good.

Looking forward to more ...

 

[MrsB1228]

Well, I'm late to the party --- again! But I've caught up and am enjoying your reviews. We were at WDW during the part of the time you were there and ate at Boatwright's our first night (Sept. 29, I think). We hadn't eaten there in years, but I'd been reading some very good reviews. So we gave it a shot. Unfortunately our experience was not as exceptional. There were 8 of us with a variety of tastes, but the only item that any of us said we would order again was the French onion soup. The service, however, was very good.

Looking forward to more ...

It's never too late to join the party, welcome!

So sorry you had a less than stellar experience at Boatwright's. We've always had good meals there but I know other people who have not been as lucky. I guess we always manage to visit when they're having a good night, LOL.

I'll have more posted soon, stay tuned.

 

[MrsB1228]

Day 9 found us in Downtown Disney again, we were purchasing gifts for family back home and I wanted to get a little early Christmas shopping done. We were up early this morning and decided to grab some breakfast at the food court to fuel our shopping expedition.

Mickey Waffle with Strawberries and Sausage.

I'm not really a huge waffle fan, but I have to have one of these little beauties every trip.

Malty, mouse-shaped carb-y goodness. Resistance is futile.

After a morning spent handing even more of our money over to the Disney corp. we were ready for some lunch. It's time to visit the Earl!

I'm always amazed by how long the lines are here, no matter what time you arrive. The good news is they have the whole thing down to a science and the line moves at a fast pace.

DH chose:

(I apologize for the blurry pictures, the settings were messed up and I didn't realize it until later. )

"The Earl's Club" - roast turkey, smoked bacon, swiss cheese, lettuce, roma tomato and sandwich sauce.

Inside:

DH chose potato salad in lieu of dessert:

I selected:

"Italian" - salami, capicola, roasted ham, mortadella, mozzarella cheese, roma tomato and zesty Italian dressing.

Inside:

Up close and personal:

For my dessert, I chose a Cupcake Coronet:

Cross section close-up:

We LOVE Earl of Sandwich! The bread is always warm and fresh, lettuce is crisp, tomatoes are ripe and the combination makes it one of the best sandwiches you'll ever eat. I absolutely love the Italian, it's my new favourite! We each give our sandwiches a perfect 5/5. It's not gourmet fare, but for what it is, it can't be beat. DH said the potato salad was only so-so, and gives it 3/5. The cupcake coronet was ok, the cake was nice and moist but I didn't really care for the icing as it was super-sweet and the chocolate had a very chalky, artificial taste. I give it 3/5.

Coming up next: Dinner at La Hacienda de San Angel.

 

[MrsB1228]

Forgot to mention that I had the Earl's Grey Lemonade for my beverage and it was delish! Not too sweet and really, really refreshing. DH had his usual Coke.

This meal used 2 counter service credits and would have cost $21.24 OOP. For Disney, that's a bargain basement price! We'll be back for sure!

 

[la_la]

I'm subscribing to this report! This is one of the best DR's I've read! Too the point with awesome pictures, ratings and suggestions for your readers. Thank you! I can't wait to read the rest

 

[MrsB1228]

I'm subscribing to this report! This is one of the best DR's I've read! Too the point with awesome pictures, ratings and suggestions for your readers. Thank you! I can't wait to read the rest

Thank you for your very kind comments and for reading along! I'll be posting an update shortly and I hope you continue to find it helpful.

 

[VillianDiva]

I loved reading your reviews!

I cannot wait to go back and eat at Yak and Yeti again!

 

[iloveeeyore]

All caught up! GREAT report!

 

[MrsB1228]

I loved reading your reviews!

I cannot wait to go back and eat at Yak and Yeti again!

Yak and Yeti is awesome, and home to one of the best desserts on property! Those cream cheese wontons are incredible, wish I had some right now, LOL. Thanks for reading along!

All caught up! GREAT report!

Thanks so much, I'm really enjoying your report too!

 

[MrsB1228]

We headed back to Epcot that evening for our 7:45 pm reservation at La Hacienda de San Angel. Remember earlier in my report I mentioned that I was always careful about having our ADR confirmation numbers with me after Kona Cafe lost our breakfast ADR and I was afraid we weren't going to be seated? Well, it came in very handy tonight as the same thing happened again! We checked in at 7:30 and the hostess couldn't find our reservation. She asked if I had my confirmation number and I was able to say "absolutely, here it is" ... BAM! She still couldn't pull it up, even with the confirmation number, but as I had a printout that clearly showed the reservation time/date and confirmation, they had no choice but to honour it. Epcot was incredibly busy tonight (it was a Friday evening) and the restaurant was packed! We had a seat and had to wait about 20 minutes before we were called, but we amused ourselves by taking a few photos of the inside of the restaurant, which I think is quite lovely.

This one was taken from our table at the end of our meal. The restaurant had finally started to clear out a bit. Epcot was open until midnight on this night so we didn't get to see Illuminations from inside the restaurant. My sister and I saw them from here in 2011 and it was spectacular!

After we were seated, our waiter appeared and took our beverage order (soda for DH, ice water for me). When he came back with them, he also brought the house-made tortilla chips and salsas, a mild green tomatillo and the red was a spicy ancho chili. Both were delicious.

For our entree, we decided to share one of the Parrilladas (which I think means "grill" or "barbeque"?) We chose the "La Hacienda".

La Hacienda: Mixed grill offering New York strip, chicken al pastor, chorizo and vegetables. Served with beans and rice.

Here's a picture with the sides, there was also a covered plate of warm soft tortillas (not pictured). They'll bring more rice, tortillas and/or beans if you want, just ask. We didn't as we couldn't even get through the first serving, LOL.

This was absolutely DELICIOUS!! We had asked for the steak to be cooked medium, and it arrived perfectly pink in the centre. The chicken was moist and flavourful and had been marinated in a mixture of spices and lime juice before being grilled. The chorizo was delicious, perfectly spiced and slightly addictive. The vegetables were gorgeous! The corn was especially tasty with the addition of the sauce, which had a cheese base and was slightly spicy. The rice was fine, not particularly memorable, but the black beans were wonderful! This is a huge serving for two people, but we more than did it justice. DH said this was tied as his favourite entree of the trip. Now my hubby is not an adventurous eater at all, so when he told me this, I was very surprised.

Our entree rates a perfect 5/5 from both of us, it was that good!

For dessert, we each had the chocolate mousse, which was lovely. Creamy, rich and the chocolate had a real depth to it but it was still light enough to be enjoyed after such a large meal. It was served decorated with some house-made brittle (I believe it was almond), which was rock hard and not good at all. We both left it but totally enjoyed the mousse. Dessert rates a solid 4/5.

Since I had water with my meal, I was able to enjoy a coffee with my dessert using my DDP beverage entitlement. (Unlike my experience at Tutto Italia ... ) Ok, I'll quit grumbling about that now, LOL.

This meal used 2 table service credits and would have cost $74.81 before tip OOP. La Hacienda de San Angel rates as one of our favourite restaurants in World Showcase.

Up next: Lunch at Capt. Cook's, dinner at The Wave.

 

[emmysmommy]

Hi Carol! I'm caught up with your reviews now! The chicken parm does look very good from the resort. I could definitely eat that!

I agree with you that I prefer my Mickey krispy treats without the chocolate. However, I do like them with the sprinkles. Oh, and the cupcake coronet from EoS is another must have for me. I figure it's only 1/2 a cupcake technically so how bad can that be for me?

Wow! Such high ratings for La Hacienda. Glad to see it delivered!

I can't wait to read your The Wave dinner review. That is a definitely a possibility for future trips since we typically stay at BLT.

Glad to see such great reviews!

 

[MrsB1228]

Hi Carol! I'm caught up with your reviews now! The chicken parm does look very good from the resort. I could definitely eat that!

I agree with you that I prefer my Mickey krispy treats without the chocolate. However, I do like them with the sprinkles. Oh, and the cupcake coronet from EoS is another must have for me. I figure it's only 1/2 a cupcake technically so how bad can that be for me?

Wow! Such high ratings for La Hacienda. Glad to see it delivered!

I can't wait to read your The Wave dinner review. That is a definitely a possibility for future trips since we typically stay at BLT.

Glad to see such great reviews!

Hi Brenda! It sounds like we have a lot in common regarding our food preferences, LOL! I like my Mickey krispy treats with sprinkles too. After I scraped the chocolate icing off, I really enjoyed the cupcake coronet. I may try one of the brownie "sandwiches" next time, the chocolate peanut butter is supposed to be pretty awesome. I think some research is indicated.

La Hacienda was incredible. It was fabulous when my sister and I ate there in 2011 and equally memorable in 2012. Nancy and I will probably return when we go this year and I'm hoping lightning will strike 3 times.

The Wave review will be coming up soon, thanks for reading!

 

[partyof2]

Oh wow that sharing platter looks so yummy! I love that kind of thing. The corn looks gorgeous.

I love that you guys have eaten at some restaurants that we don't often see reviews of. It's always great to be introduced to some hidden gems.

 

[MrsB1228]

Oh wow that sharing platter looks so yummy! I love that kind of thing. The corn looks gorgeous.

I love that you guys have eaten at some restaurants that we don't often see reviews of. It's always great to be introduced to some hidden gems.

The platter was incredible, and just as delicious as it was the year before. The vegetables were all really tasty, but that corn was just amazing! There wasn't one kernel left when we were done.

I love finding new places to try too! Reading dining reviews posted by others is how we discovered some of our favourites and I'd be delighted to think my reviews may help others with their planning. Thanks so much for reading!