23 Nights, 40 ADRS, too many food pics to count!! COMPLETED 01/22!

[kmedina]

Loving the trip's food posts so far. That dessert plate was making me salivate.

 

[iluvpluto27]

Just joining in. Looks like you have a great trip planned!

Thanks for joining in.

Yum!! Thanks for the Wave review and preview. We're planning on a MK lunch break there on our October visit. Glad to see you thought it was worth leaving the park for.

Aunt Bee

Hope you enjoy the wave as much as we did. For us it was definitely worth leaving MK for.

We did a 7am chef mickey adr and agree it was a great time to go - have booked same time for this october trip.

If we were to return I'd try to get a 7am ADR again, it was worth getting up early for.

I want to try the No Way Jose. It looks so yummy!!

Chef Mickeys gets such mixed reviews. I've never done it because I don't like buffets. But it's on my list of things to do, especially for my son.

The scallops look amazing! YUM!! And your salad looks so fresh and colorful. Beautiful presentation.

The No Way Jose was as good as it looks. We went into Chef Mickeys with really low expectations because of all the mixed reviews, but to me it was just fine for breakfast.

Loving your reviews- three weeks at WDW is bliss. We stay at Beach Club next year if all goes to plan so looking forward to your meals there. Have an amazing trip.

Thank you, 3 weeks here is amazing but it still goes by so fast. I can't believe we've been here over a week already.

All caught up! Your food porn really makes me drool.... I want to be at Disney at this instant. Still two weeks away yet.

Thank you, your trip must be just round the corner now! Hope you have a great time.

Great reviews so far! The Wave looks delicious....might have to put it on the list for our next trip.

Thank you. We really enjoyed it, hope you end up giving it a try.

 

[iluvpluto27]

Hope you are enjoying your trip, I am so jealous!! Loving following your trip on the dis.

Thank you, we're having a fantastic time.

That No Way Jose sundae looks fabulous! I hope you are having a great trip.

From what I've been reading you are having a wonderful week as far as (non-existant) crowds.

Thank you. The crowds last week were amazingly low. We were at MK today though and it seems to be picking up a little as it was much busier than last friday.

This is a great report. Can't wait to read more.

Thank you very much.

Oh wow, what an amazing trip you have lined up and so much yummy food

Great start to your reviews

Lunch at the Wave looks delicious

Can't wait to hear about the rest of your trip

Thank you. The wave was really good.

Loving the trip's food posts so far. That dessert plate was making me salivate.

Thank you, the dessert was very good.

 

[iluvpluto27]

We had a 7:30pm La Hacienda reservation. This was a new restaurant for us, we both enjoy Mexican food and I’d read mostly positive reviews so decided to give it a try.

We walked to Epcot via the International Gateway entrance and arrived at the restaurant 10 minutes early. There were a ton of people waiting to be seated, we were given a pager and told it would work anywhere in the Mexico pavillion. I figured they were running a little behind so we wandered round Mexico and rode El rio de Tempo while we were waiting. We headed back to the restaurant and were buzzed around 7:50, so around a 30 minute wait.

We were given a booth at the back of the restaurant. This was a nice table as although there were 3-4 tables in front of us, ours was raised up meaning we had a good view of the lagoon.

The place was packed, and our waiter was very friendly but was rushed off his feet. The servers were struggling to bus the dirty tables, while providing service to all their tables. This meant there were lots of empty tables while there were loads of people waiting to be seated, and patrons who'd been seated were waiting for service while servers were setting tables.
When our waiter finally took our drinks order around 20 minutes after we were seated, I ordered a Mango Blueberry Basil margerita. This was a very good cocktail, you could taste the tequila but it wasn’t too strong, the mango and blueberry meant it was quite a sweet drink, which worked well with the hisbiscus salt rim.

For my appetiser I ordered the Trio of tacos. These were served just lukewarm, the pork was really tasty and the chicken was good, the beef was a little chewy for me, but the corn tacos were fresh and soft.

DH had the tortilla soup. This was poured tableside and was really full of flavour. Very thick soup topped with peppers, cheese and crunchy pieces of tortilla chip.

We were also served chips and salsa at the same time. The chips were thick and fresh, the red salsa was too spicy for us, but the green one had just a little heat to it.

For our entree we shared the Del Mar. This is a huge platter of fresh seafood and vegetables. The scallops were delicious and perfectly cooked, the snapper was also well cooked and the herb topping added plenty of flavour. The shrimp were a little too spicy for me but were cooked well, and the sweetcorn had the same spice as the shrimp so were also too hot for me.

This was served with rice, refried beans (these were delicious and probably my favourite part of the whole platter) and tortilla wraps. This was a huge portion for two people and we left quite a lot uneaten.

I was pretty full but illuminations was about to start and we had a really good view, so decided to share a dessert. DH chose the Empanada, which was a turnover filled with apples (crispy, flaky pastry filled with little chunks of apple), served with Dulce de Leche icecream which was perfectly creamy and had a nice caramel flavour.

We watched illuminations from our table which was the perfect end to our meal. Here’s the view of the globe coming out onto the lagoon:

Overall we really enjoyed our dinner here, I wasn’t too impressed with the lukewarm tacos but the rest of the food was very good. Our server was friendly, reasonaly efficient but just too busy to provide excellent service, we still tipped him 20% as he did the best job he could given the amount of work he had to do. I think things would flow much more smoothly if they employed a couple of busboys, but other than that we have no complaints and would return.

 

[iluvpluto27]

We were heading to Animal Kingdom today, so used two snack credits for breakfast at the Beachclub market place. This is a small cs place, but they have a decent selection. I chose the Yogurt parfait, which included raspberries, blueberries, strawberry, granola and natural yogurt. It was very good and the fruit was all fresh and ripe.

DH chose the cinnamon coffee crumb cake. This was huge, very soft, moist cake crunchy top but only a very mild coffee taste, mostly cinnamon.

 

[iluvpluto27]

We had 11:30 reservation at Yak and Yeti and arrived about ten minutes early. They appear to seat in waves here as lots of people were waiting to be seated, then all the servers came out at the same time.

We were seated at a four top upstairs, which was a nice quiet area.

I ordered the Yak Attack to drink, and DH ordered a Kirin which he enjoyed.

For an appetiser I ordered the wok fried green beans which I shared with DH. These were as good as ever, crispy coating, soft beans and sweet chili dipping sauce. It was hard to stop eating them they were so good!

DH ordered the Ahi tuna, served with wasabi cream and shredded vegetables. The tuna was served rare, and paired well with the soy based dipping sauce. The wasabi cream gave the dish a little kick.

For my entree I ordered the Mahi Mahi in panko breadcrumbs, served with sweet and sour sauce and jasmine steamed rice. This was a huge piece of fish, cooked well, the breadcrumbs provided a crunchy texture and helped keep the fish moist. The sauce was thick, and a little less sweet than typical chinese sweet and sour. The rice was perfectly cooked, and the vegetables were still crunchy. This was another huge portion, and after eating the green beans managed less than half.

DH order the maylasian seafood curry, with clams, mussels, shrimp, scallops and mahi mahi. This was another huge portion! The seafood was all well cooked, with the scallops and mussels being DH’s favourite. The curry sauce was incredibly flavourful, and tasted similar in flavour to a red thai curry we get in England. It wasn’t very spicy, but after eating most of it the heat did start to build slightly. Overall this was a very tasty dish and something we’d order again.

I was totally stuffed by this point but DH ordered the cream cheese wontons to share. These very very nice, but too rich for me at this point in the meal. The pineapple was fresh, and the wonton pastry crispy, filled with soft cream cheese, topped with honey vanilla sauce and served with vanilla icecream and strawberries. I managed a couple of pieces and DH finished the rest.

Although we were both stuffed at this point we really enjoyed lunch here. It was very busy by the time we left, but it the atmosphere was reasonably quiet, we enjoyed all the food and service was good too.

 

[SmallWorld71]

Great reviews!

 

[Krissalee]

More great reviews! Thank you!

La Hacienda - I have never been there, but it is on the top of MY list - DH doesn't like Mexican food away from home, but I am hoing he can correct his issue!

Yak and Yeti - loved your review. I am not a fan of Yak and Yeti, but by reading reviews I hope I find a way to change my perspective.

 

[nutz2notz]

I'm really enjoying your reviews, thanks for sharing.

Hope you continue to have a great trip.

 

[kmedina]

Not that the main courses do not look good (I am not a seafood fan), but I am the most envious again over all of those yummy looking desserts. I do not really eat much dessert at home, but love eating it at WDW on the dining plan. Sorry the tacos were upsetting, but the food at La Hacienda looks good. It makes me want to eat there.

I am not a coffee fan, but I love coffee cake. To my knowledge, they never contain any actual coffee. It looked good!

 

[Linda67]

Great updates

La Hacienda and Yak & Yeti look excellent, I'd really love to try both the tuna from Y&Y and the Seafood dish at La Hacienda looks amazing

 

[HomeSweetDisney]

I am loving the reviews so far! So glad to hear you guys enjoyed Yak and Yeti. I got an ADR for lunch and it'll be our first time trying it. Sounds like it's gonna be a yummy meal

And that's great that you got such a great room at Beach Club!

Can't wait to read more

 

[mossyflossy]

More great reviews, thanks for sharing You've reminded me that we forgot to order the tuna app at YnY this year

 

[iluvpluto27]

Great reviews!

Thank you very much.

More great reviews! Thank you!

La Hacienda - I have never been there, but it is on the top of MY list - DH doesn't like Mexican food away from home, but I am hoing he can correct his issue!

Yak and Yeti - loved your review. I am not a fan of Yak and Yeti, but by reading reviews I hope I find a way to change my perspective.

Thanks. Hope you get to give La Hacienda a try.

We've always enjoyed the food at Yak and Yeti, service has sometimes been very rushed but we've never left hungry!

I'm really enjoying your reviews, thanks for sharing.

Hope you continue to have a great trip.

Thank you very much.

Not that the main courses do not look good (I am not a seafood fan), but I am the most envious again over all of those yummy looking desserts. I do not really eat much dessert at home, but love eating it at WDW on the dining plan. Sorry the tacos were upsetting, but the food at La Hacienda looks good. It makes me want to eat there.

I am not a coffee fan, but I love coffee cake. To my knowledge, they never contain any actual coffee. It looked good!

Thanks, the desserts have been fab. It's great to splurge at WDW with great desserts.

And thanks for the tip about the coffee cake, that must be a difference between the US and UK. In England if we ordered coffee cake it would be made with coffee and have a strong coffee flavour, I was expecting the same over here but obviously not.

 

[iluvpluto27]

Great updates

La Hacienda and Yak & Yeti look excellent, I'd really love to try both the tuna from Y&Y and the Seafood dish at La Hacienda looks amazing

Thank you, both those dishes were really good.

I am loving the reviews so far! So glad to hear you guys enjoyed Yak and Yeti. I got an ADR for lunch and it'll be our first time trying it. Sounds like it's gonna be a yummy meal

And that's great that you got such a great room at Beach Club!

Can't wait to read more

Thank you. I really hope you enjoy Yak and Yeti as much as we have.

More great reviews, thanks for sharing You've reminded me that we forgot to order the tuna app at YnY this year

Thank you. There's always next year, I'm assuming you'll be visiting again in 2012?

 

[iluvpluto27]

Tonight it was time for our first signature of the trip, Artist Point. We’ve always had enjoyable meals here in the past so were looking forward to dining here again.

We arrived around 25 minutes early for our 7:30 reservation, but they had no problem seating us early. The restaurant was only around half full, and had a very quiet, adult atmosphere.

Our server once again was excellent, she was chatty, constantly kept our water glasses topped up, was happy to answer any questions about the menu and even though she had four tables to look after by the time we finished our meal, was constantly there when needed and paced the meal well.

We ordered a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc to drink, which was very nice and went well with the fish entrees we chose.

For my appetiser I chose the smoky portobello soup, I love this so much I couldn’t bring myself to order anything else. This was fantastic as usual, a deep smoky mushroom flavour, creamy in texture with croutons and dried mushrooms to add a bit of crunchy texture. Delicious!

DH ordered the Dungeness crab cake served with asian slaw. This was a very nice crab cake, very little filler, nice hint of spice to it and was complemented well by the crunchy asian slaw.

For my entree I ordered the Cedar Plank Salmon served with baby carrots, petit zucchini and bacon-egg vinaigrette. This was the only disappointing dish of the night. The salmon was slightly overcooked, being well and truly medium, rather than a juicy medium rare. The baby courgettes were lovely, the carrots had an nice orange glaze but were underdone for my tastes, being nearly raw, as you could barely cut into them with your knife. I just didn’t get the bacon-egg vinaigrette, the egg was little pieces of yolk, and crunchy pieces of bacon, but I wasn’t sure it worked that well with the salmon.

DH chose the Alaskan Halibut, served with shallot-fennel ragout, confit lobster mushrooms and asparagus. The fish was perfectly cooked, it was served with white and green asparagus, the white was slightly undercooked but green was perfect. The fennel salad added a lovely freshness to the dish.

For my dessert I chose the strawberries and cream. This was a fantastic, light dessert. The vanilla panna cotta, had a strong vanilla flavour and was wonderfully smooth and creamy. The sponge on top was light and moist, and combined with the strawberry jus and panna cotta was a wonderful combination.

DH chose the chocolate indulgence this was amazing but it was one of the richest desserts I’ve ever tasted and I’ve no idea how he managed to eat the whole thing. This was a thick, incredibly rich, chocolate fudge type base, topped with cherries and cherry sauce, shavings of chocolate and a salted caramel ice cream. The ice cream was wonderful and was the perfect accompaniment to the terrine, a truly amazing dessert.

If you’re wondering what the lights on the dessert are, they were a complimentary light up tinkerbell and buzz for our anniversary. I’m such a child, but these made my night!

Overall, I was disappointed with my salmon, but the rest of the meal was amazing and we’ll be back.

On the way out we stopped at Roaring Forks, I'd heard they had Magic Cookie Bars which were similar to a snack we loved when we stayed at Port Orleans a few years ok. This was lovely, buttery biscuit, coconut, chocolate chips,mickey sprinkles and butterscotch chips. We kept this in the fridge and nibbled on it for the next few days.

 

[kmedina]

Once again, the desserts look amazing. The chocolate one made me wish I could reach through the computer for a bite. It was nice of them to give you Buzz and Tinkerbell. That was a really nice touch.

 

[Linda67]

Glad you enjoyed Artist Point and loved the glowing desserts

 

[butiflfeet]

The light up Buzz and Tinkerbell with your desserts was so cute! I can't wait for our ADR at Artist Point, the food looks so yummy!

 

[iluvpluto27]

Once again, the desserts look amazing. The chocolate one made me wish I could reach through the computer for a bite. It was nice of them to give you Buzz and Tinkerbell. That was a really nice touch.

That chocolate dessert was DH's favourite, it hasn't been beaten by any restaurant yet this trip. I loved the Buzz and Tink, it made my night.

Glad you enjoyed Artist Point and loved the glowing desserts

Thanks, the desserts were so cute.

The light up Buzz and Tinkerbell with your desserts was so cute! I can't wait for our ADR at Artist Point, the food looks so yummy!

They were cute, hope you enjoy your meal there.


We've now left the Beach Club mad and are staying at Royal Pacific Resort for the next few nights. We've been to HHN twice, and apart from the rain it was very good. Saw Harry Potter yesterday and it was amazing, the Forbidden Journey ride is so good, and the theming is just jaw-dropping.

We've finished our days on the DxDDP, and are now having to pay for food. We managed to use up all our credits even though we had 23 snacks left with only two days to go (lots of bottles of water and treats for work colleagues!).

I'm sorry I haven't been able to do as many updates as I'd like, we now have internet access for the next three days so hopefully I may get a couple more updates in now.