9 days of gluttony! A (no longer) *LIVE* dining report 8/31 - 9/8 ***COMPLETE 2/28, Lunch at The Plaza***

[dreamin'boutdis]

Just FYI - all of this will be done on my phone, so there will likely be lots of typos and autocorrects gone wrong. Now that we've got that disclaimer out of the way...

Greetings dining review readers! My name is Felishia, and you probably don't know me. I started a dining report here a few years ago, but never managed to finish it due to having two foster children (siblings) come into our home. We landed up adopting those children! This trip, though, isn't about them, we did that last year to celebrate their adoption. Here's a pic just because they're so stinking cute! Plus, no masks!



This trip is about US - my husband, Eric, and myself. The kids are with Grandma and we're here at Disney to celebrate our 20 year wedding anniversary! But you really don't care about that either... if you're like me, you're here for the food!



We landed at a very empty MCO around 5:30 this afternoon. A short bus ride and we arrived at our home for the night, Caribbean Beach Resort. After dropping off our luggage, we made our way to the SkyLiner and caught a ride to EPCOT. We made the peaceful walk over to Beaches and Cream and checked in for our 8:15 ADR.

After a completely unnecessary peek at the menu, we ordered exactly what we had planned to order since this trip was only a glimmer of hope on the horizon.

Eric started with the S'mores Shake: Chocolate and Vanilla ice cream, Amarula cream liqueur, creme de dark cacao, topped with marshmallow, chocolate sauce, and Graham crackers.



This was thick, creamy, sweet, just boozy enough, and delicious.

I went with boring Iced Tea, no real need for a pic of that.

For our entrees, I had the French Dip Sandwich with onion rings; and Eric had the Reuben Sandwich with fries. We also split an order of the Bacon, cheese tots. The food was all very fresh and tasty. My onion rings were slightly overdone, but not enough to stop me from eating them. The sandwich was very filling, so I landed up getting rid of the bread so that I could eat the meat. Hubby loved his Reuben, and I enjoyed the bite I was allowed. His fries were completely unremarkable. Okay that's not true, they desperately needed salt. The cheese tots were great, but I think they were missing the red onions and the garlic peppercorn sauce.







At this point we were already really, really full. But that didn't stop us from ordering dessert. What reasonable dining reviewer would let something like being full keep them from making a complete glutton of themselves?! Not this one!

For dessert, we opted to share the Minnie Skirt sundae: Vanilla, Chocolate, and Strawberry Ice Cream topped with Pineapple, Strawberry, Hot Fudge, Peanut Butter, Whipped Cream, Oreo Cookies, chewy Brownie, assortment of Sprinkles and Morsels and Cherries.



Holy Ice cream YUM! I managed to eat most of the scoop of Strawberry ice cream along with some of the toppings before I had to tap out. Eric used every bit of available stomach space to eat most of the rest. He finally admitted defeat, and we dumped the rest onto the plate that our server brought us - note: they are not allowed to clean the sink out for you anymore.



After paying our bill, we walked leisurely back to the SkyLiner to find that it was not accepting new passengers. We were told to catch a bus at The Boardwalk, so that's what we did.

All in all, a great first meal at Disney! Up next: Topolino's Terrace character breakfast before heading to EPCOT for the day.

 

[dreamin'boutdis]

Hmm, it appears that all of my pictures inserted into a weird spot in the review and they're all sideways. I need to see if I can figure out how to fix that...

**Edit** Fixed!

 

[erinch]

Im in! Going in 2 weeks!

 

[dreamin'boutdis]

Breakfast at Topolino's Terrace. Let me just say that I am NOT a breakfast person. I'd much rather wait until lunch than eat breakfast foods in general. I reluctantly made this reservation for my husband because he loves breakfast. I came in with very low expectations - and also sightly annoyed that we would be paying $42 each for breakfast, plus drinks of course. I guess there's a first time for everything, because I was wrong. In a word, Topolino's Terrace was... WOW!

I started with a fantastic Bloody Mary. It had the perfect amount of spice and came with a bacon/cheese/olive garnish.



Eric decided to have a mimosa and the press pot for 1 (I am allergic to coffee). The mimosa was DRY. Like peel wallpaper off the wall dry. He said the coffee was a good French press, but it was a touch too bold for him. Nothing a little cream and sugar couldn't fix.



For entrees, we both chose to go with the Onion quiche. It was perfectly cooked and incredibly tasty! The crust was flaky and buttery, really perfectly executed. It came with roasted potatoes that were also perfectly seasoned and cooked. The salad, provided a nice break from the richness of the quiche.



We also ordered a side of the Sour Cream waffles to share. These were pure waffle perfection - crispy and light, with a nice hint of sweetness.



To finish out the morning of gluttony, Eric also ordered the Smoked salmon bagel. I only had a small bite because it's really not my thing, but he really enjoyed this.



While we were eating, Mickey, Minnie, Donald, and Daisy came by several times and did their celebration dance. It was a really fun environment and everybody seemed to have a great time.

We settled our bill and headed out to the terrace to relax for a few minutes before we make our way to Epcot.



Up next... lunch at Biergarten. Maybe. It's planned, but we're both so full, I don't know how realistic it is to think we'll be there in 4 hours.

 

[ThreeBoyMama]

Loving your report so far! Everything looks delicious, from drinks to all the yummy food options. I like how you guys roll! Also congrats on your adoption (the kids are adorable!!!) and happy anniversary

 

[dreamin'boutdis]

You're probably wondering whether or not we actually made it to Biergarten for lunch after that ridiculously gluttonous breakfast... well wonder no more!



We checked in for lunch at 3:00 and after just a few minutes, we were escorted into the cool dark pleasantness that is Biergarten. We were seated in the second tier, over to the right of the stage. As soon as we were seated, our server appeared with delicious pretzel bread, butter, and mustard.



For drinks, Eric chose to have the German Beer Flight. I'll try to remember to post a picture of the detail card when I get it from him. He said he liked the dark one and the grapefruit one (sorry, I'm not really a beer person, so I'm not much of a reviewer for this one).



I had iced tea again, but I also ordered a half liter Schofferhofer. So refreshing and delicious! I don't know how they manage to take two things I don't care for, beer and grapefruit, and turn them into the perfect drink for a summer afternoon in EPCOT. Pure magic!



Trays of food started coming out, fast and furious. First was the cold salad selection. We had Beets, Pasta Salad, Cucumber Tomato vinegar salad, and potato salad. Eric loved the beets, and I loved the cucumber salad. It had a good zing to it!



Next was the hot food tray. I'm not really sure what specifically was on it, but it was a ton of food! There was schnitzel, meatballs, spaetzle, roasted chicken, roasted potatoes, two kinds of sausage, and sauerkraut. Everything was pretty good. The schnitzel was on the dry side, but decent. The sausages were plump and delicious, especially against the briney sauerkraut. The chicken was nicely seasoned, as were the potatoes. I think I was probably just too full from breakfast to fully enjoy this food.



Fun fact, my husband is 1/4 German, so he was celebrating his roots.

Along with the platter of food, we received a plate with some sort of noodles, hot dogs, and the best green beans ever. Seriously, those green beans were perfect - garlicy and salty and well cooked. They were literally the only item we managed to finish.



Our server cleared away the plates and returned with dessert. One was apple strudel, and the other had Bavarian Cheesecake topped with mixed berries, a Black Forest Roll Cake, and the oh so German: Chocolate chip cookies. We did what any self respecting gluttons would do.. we ate as much of it as we possibly could. My favorite was the cheesecake - creamy and delicious. Eric preferred the strudel. The cake and cookies were also good, but again, I think I was just too full to appreciate them fully.




We settled the check and headed back out into the September heat. With extremely full bellies, we decided to head toward the front of the park for an afternoon break at the Polynesian, our new home for the next 8 days.



We're scheduled to have dinner at one of our favorites this evening, Rose and Crown... but I honestly don't know if we're going to make it.

 

[hereforthechurros]

After reading other people’s reports I feel like I should just give up food reporting because we just don’t do it right in comparison! Four breakfast entrees then a buffet for lunch? I bow down to my Disney food overlords!

 

[wishicouldgomoreofte]

Just FYI - all of this will be done on my phone, so there will likely be lots of typos and autocorrect gone wrongs. Now that we've got that disclaimer out of the way...

Greetings dining review readers! My name is Felishia, and you probably don't know me. I started a dining report here a few years ago, but never managed to finish it due to having two foster children (siblings) come into our home. We landed up adopting those children! This trip, though, isn't about them, we did that last year to celebrate their adoption. Here's a pic just because they're so stinking cute! Plus, no masks!

View attachment 523065

This trip is about US - my husband, Eric, and myself. The kids are with Grandma and we're here at Disney to celebrate our 20 year wedding anniversary! But you really don't care about that either... if you're like me, you're here for the food!

View attachment 523052

We landed at a very empty MCO around 5:30 this afternoon. A short bus ride and we arrived at our home for the night, Caribbean Beach Resort. After dropping off our luggage, we made our way to the SkyLiner and caught a ride to EPCOT. We made the peaceful walk over to Beaches and Cream and checked in for our 8:15 ADR.

After a completely unnecessary peek at the menu, we ordered exactly what we had planned to order since this trip was only a glimmer of hope on the horizon.

Eric started with the S'mores Shake: Chocolate and Vanilla ice cream, Amarula cream liqueur, creme de dark cacao, topped with marshmallow, chocolate sauce, and Graham crackers.

View attachment 523053

This was thick, creamy, sweet, just boozy enough, and delicious.

I went with boring Iced Tea, no real need for a pic of that.

For our entrees, I had the French Dip Sandwich with onion rings; and Eric had the Reuben Sandwich with fries. We also split an order of the Bacon, cheese tots. The food was all very fresh and tasty. My onion rings were slightly overdone, but not enough to stop me from eating them. The sandwich was very filling, so I landed up getting rid of the bread so that I could eat the meat. Hubby loved his Reuben, and I enjoyed the bite I was allowed. His fries were completely unremarkable. Okay that's not true, they desperately needed salt. The cheese tots were great, but I think they were missing the red onions and the garlic peppercorn sauce.

View attachment 523054

View attachment 523055

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At this point we were already really, really full. But that didn't stop us from ordering dessert. What reasonable dining reviewer would let something like being full keep them from making a complete glutton of themselves?! Not this one!

For dessert, we opted to share the Minnie Skirt sundae: Vanilla, Chocolate, and Strawberry Ice Cream topped with Pineapple, Strawberry, Hot Fudge, Peanut Butter, Whipped Cream, Oreo Cookies, chewy Brownie, assortment of Sprinkles and Morsels and Cherries.

View attachment 523058

Holy Ice cream YUM! I managed to eat most of the scoop of Strawberry ice cream along with some of the toppings before I had to tap out. Eric used every bit of available stomach space to eat most of the rest. He finally admitted defeat, and we dumped the rest onto the plate that our server brought us - note: they are not allowed to clean the sink out for you anymore.

View attachment 523060

After paying our bill, we walked leisurely back to the SkyLiner to find that it was not accepting new passengers. We were told to catch a bus at The Boardwalk, so that's what we did.

All in all, a great first meal at Disney! Up next: Topolino's Terrace character breakfast before heading to EPCOT for the day.

YOur kids are really cute. I love those shirts--where did you get them? I can't find them on ShopDisney. Did they give you a bag of some kind to carry the Minnie skirt in, to not get mess all over yourselves transporting it? The milk shake sounds and looks really good too. I have been thinking about getting the reuben, but that picture makes it look really dry. Was it? I really like reubens. Congratulations on your 20th.

 

[dreamin'boutdis]

After reading other people’s reports I feel like I should just give up food reporting because we just don’t do it right in comparison! Four breakfast entrees then a buffet for lunch? I bow down to my Disney food overlords!

Trust me, we don't usually eat like this either! And we definitely won't be able to continue eating like this after today. We're both ready to just not eat for a while!

Thanks for joining in!

YOur kids are really cute. I love those shirts--where did you get them? I can't find them on ShopDisney. Did they give you a bag of some kind to carry the Minnie skirt in, to not get mess all over yourselves transporting it? The milk shake sounds and looks really good too. I have been thinking about getting the reuben, but that picture makes it look really dry. Was it? I really like reubens. Congratulations on your 20th.

Thank you! I actually make all of our matching Disney shirts. The vast majority of my cut files come from Etsy.

They did give us a large paper bag to carry the Minnie Skirt back in. After we had already received our sundae, we saw another family ask for the dessert to be served in a container and they had their Minnie Skirt delivered clean to their table when they were ready to leave.

The Reuben wasn't dry at all, it was actually really well balanced. Hubby and I both thought that the amount of dressing and sauerkraut worked perfectly so that it wasn't too messy and it wasn't dry.

Thanks for reading along!

 

[quandrea]

Enjoying the real time reviews. Topplino’s looks great! I miss Biergarten terribly.

 

[dreamin'boutdis]

If I knew how to do links/chapters on my phone, this one would be called: Rose and Crown... and how I never want to eat again.

Yup, we decided to keep our Rose and crown reservation tonight, even though we weren't hungry in the slightest. After a couple hours of unpacking and resting at our resort, we caught the bus back to EPCOT. By the time we made it to the UK, it was time to check in for our reservation.



Rose and Crown is our first park day tradition. In normal, pre-Covid circumstances, we would have been doing the Epcot Forever (RIP Illuminations ) dining package, sitting on the patio and having unlimited drinks. Sadly, all of that has been cancelled for this year. We were led to an indoor table, a wonderfully air conditioned indoor table.

Upon being seated, we immediately ordered drinks: an iced tea for me, coffee for hubby, and a Cider and Black currant for each of us.



My Cider and Black was great! Really well balanced with sweetness. Unfortunately, Eric's was terrible. It was very bitter and just didn't taste good. We thought that he just didn't feel like drinking, but as we were leaving, I offered to drink it for him (see what a good wife I am ), and it was gross.

We opted to share one Scotch Egg. Eric toyed with the idea of getting a cheese plate, but then he realized exactly how crazy that would be.



The Scotch eggs here are always seasoned really well an delicious. I appreciate how perfectly the eggs are cooked as well, no hint of ugly green/gray overcooked yolks here! We also both love the frisee salad and the mustard sauce really brings it all together.

We talked about sharing an entree, but we ultimately couldn't agree on one. I went traditional and had Fish and Chips.



Umm... the last time I had this, I received about 1/4 the amount of fish. Two HUGE pieces of fish and a mountain of fries were placed in front of me. Our server seemed a little amused at my wide eyed, disbelieving reaction. He proudly announced that they gave me a whole fish. Y'all, I couldn't manage to eat even 1/4 of that fish. It was truly delicious - the breading was hot and crisp, while the fish remained perfectly flakey and moist.

Eric decided that he wanted something light, and chose to order Shepard's Pie (yes, those were his actual words - "light" and "Shepard's Pie" together in the same sentence ).



He also only managed to eat less than 1/4 of his food. I had a bite and it was tasty, but to me, it was very, very heavy. His will reheat well, so he brought it back to the resort and he may have it for breakfast one of these days.

After his food was boxed, our server delivered a complimentary dessert for our anniversary.



We each took a couple bites of this English Trifle and it was fantastic. The cake was light, airy, and not overly sweet. The strawberry sauce was quite sweet, but when mixed with the cake and the pastry cream, balanced really well.

We paid our bill and practically rolled out of Rose and Crown.



On our way to the front of the park, we saw a frog that was desperately trying to get up a curb onto the grass, but couldn't. We stopped to help our new little friend.



After taking a couple more pictures, we finally arrived back at the Poly where we both agreed to cancel our breakfast reservation for tomorrow because there's no way we're eating again for at least 12 hours . Our next planned meal is late lunch at Mama Melrose.

 

[dreamin'boutdis]

Skipping breakfast was a very good call! I was still completely full when we got up this morning.

Around noon, we stopped to share a snack. Eric got a Creme Brulee iced coffee with pumpkin and caramel. He was expecting a sweet drink, but even with the extra pumps, he said it just wasn't. It did the job of delivering a cold shot of caffeine though.

We also got an enormous pink donut to share. Not much to say about these that hasn't already been said 100 times. Delicious!



I don't know how much either of our treats were, we just got a receipt for the total amount, not itemized.



Up next, lunch at Mama Melrose!! And we're READY to eat!

 

[mi*vida*loca]

Great reviews! Good call on skipping a breakfast ADR. Can’t wait to read more.

 

[ThreeBoyMama]

It makes me sad that you were too full for your fish and chips at R&C--it looked amazing! Looking forward to more reviews!

 

[dreamin'boutdis]

It makes me sad that you were too full for your fish and chips at R&C--it looked amazing! Looking forward to more reviews!

It made me sad, too! The few bites that I managed were great!

Great reviews! Good call on skipping a breakfast ADR. Can’t wait to read more.

Thank you!

 

[disneydreamer1980]

Those giant donuts are amazing! Everything you’ve posted looks great! It’s nice that you put in the receipts too. Good thing the food is good because Disney food sticker shock is real. My DH always says he should take a sedative before looking at our food bills for our family of 7 there, lol. Have fun!

 

[igrsod]

Really enjoying your report so far. It's fun to live vicariously through you.

 

[dreamin'boutdis]

Our one and only ADR today was for a 3:00 lunch at Mama Melrose's in Hollywood studios. After a very full morning that included Mickey's Railway, Tower of Terror, Rock'n Rollercoaster, a snack break to let my head stop spinning, Toy Story Mania, Slinky Dog, Alien Saucers, and Rise of the Resistance, we checked in at the restaurant almost exactly at 3:00. After a few minutes, we were led to the most awkwardly placed table in the entire restaurant. If felt like we were in the middle of a busy hallway. I should have taken a picture, but I think I was just surprised that they would even seat anybody there - especially in times of increased focus on physical distancing!

We decided to just roll with it and make the best of our lunch. Eric ordered a Cafe Mocha, and I went for Iced Tea with lemon. They arrived at our table along with warm rolls and dipping oil. The rolls were so hot and fresh that I actually burned my fingers a bit when I was tearing into the first one. Unfortunately, I forgot to take a pic until only one roll was left (did I mention that we were hungry?). The dipping oil was very tasty and well seasoned. But honestly, even if it wasn't, I probably would have loved it anyway. Bread and oil is a weakness for me!




We can never agree on an appetizer here either, so we ordered two. I selected the Crispy Calimari. This dish has changed a lot since the last time I ordered it, but it was still good. I do prefer the old version, with 3 different dipping sauces (especially the honey based sauce), however, this version was tasty as well. The calimari was nicely breaded and cooked, not rubbery at all. The sauce seemed to be a mayonnaise based sauce, not unlike tarter sauce. The briney pickles provided a nice contrast to the sauce. All in all, pretty good.



Eric ordered the Margherita Flathead. I had a bite and it was good, but I'm not a huge fan of margherita in general. I prefer pizza/flat bread/pretty much anything to have meat. Hubby enjoyed it, so that's what matters.



Then it was time for entrees! As I mentioned above, I'm a meat eater. It should come as no surprise that I opted for the Strip Steak served with 4 cheese macaroni and a red wine reduction. The steak came out cooked perfectly medium rare, but it was a little on the salty side. I found the macaroni to be incredibly rich and filling, so I only had a couple bites of that ( I'm taking the rest back to the resort for tonight).



Eric has coined this trip his Tour de Spaghetti and Meatballs, so anywhere that's available to order, that's what he's doing. He really enjoyed his dish, the meatballs were tender and the pasta was perfectly al dente.



We opted to share a dessert, the chocolate Cherry torte. This was really delicious, without being cloyingly sweet. The inside had an almost mousse/truffle texture. We really enjoyed this dessert a LOT!

Other than the super awkward table placement, our meal at Mama Melrose's fantastic! After paying our bill, we are off for a couple more rides, then back to the Poly to relax for the rest of the evening!



Our next planned meal is Kona Cafe for breakfast tomorrow morning

 

[mickey916]

I recently removed Mama Melrose from my list of possible ADRs for next May...now you're making me rethink that decision (especially with your meal choices)...

 

[wishicouldgomoreofte]

Our one and only ADR today was for a 3:00 lunch at Mama Melrose's in Hollywood studios. After a very full morning that included Mickey's Railway, Tower of Terror, Rock'n Rollercoaster, a snack break to let my head stop spinning, Toy Story Mania, Slinky Dog, Alien Saucers, and Rise of the Resistance, we checked in at the restaurant almost exactly at 3:00. After a few minutes, we were led to the most awkwardly placed table in the entire restaurant. If felt like we were in the middle of a busy hallway. I should have taken a picture, but I think I was just surprised that they would even seat anybody there - especially in times of increased focus on physical distancing!

We decided to just roll with it and make the best of our lunch. Eric ordered a Cafe Mocha, and I went for Iced Tea with lemon. They arrived at our table along with warm rolls and dipping oil. The rolls were so hot and fresh that I actually burned my fingers a bit when I was tearing into the first one. Unfortunately, I forgot to take a pic until only one roll was left (did I mention that we were hungry?). The dipping oil was very tasty and well seasoned. But honestly, even if it wasn't, I probably would have loved it anyway. Bread and oil is a weakness for me!
View attachment 523389

View attachment 523388

We can never agree on an appetizer here either, so we ordered two. I selected the Crispy Calimari. This dish has changed a lot since the last time I ordered it, but it was still good. I do prefer the old version, with 3 different dipping sauces (especially the honey based sauce), however, this version was tasty as well. The calimari was nicely breaded and cooked, not rubbery at all. The sauce seemed to be a mayonnaise based sauce, not unlike tarter sauce. The briney pickles provided a nice contrast to the sauce. All in all, pretty good.

View attachment 523390

Eric ordered the Margherita Flathead. I had a bite and it was good, but I'm not a huge fan of margherita in general. I prefer pizza/flat bread/pretty much anything to have meat. Hubby enjoyed it, so that's what matters.

View attachment 523391

Then it was time for entrees! As I mentioned above, I'm a meat eater. It should come as no surprise that I opted for the Strip Steak served with 4 cheese macaroni and a red wine reduction. The steak came out cooked perfectly medium rare, but it was a little on the salty side. I found the macaroni to be incredibly rich and filling, so I only had a couple bites of that ( I'm taking the rest back to the resort for tonight).

View attachment 523393

Eric has coined this trip his Tour de Spaghetti and Meatballs, so anywhere that's available to order, that's what he's doing. He really enjoyed his dish, the meatballs were tender and the pasta was perfectly al dente.

View attachment 523395

We opted to share a dessert, the chocolate Cherry torte. This was really delicious, without being cloyingly sweet. The inside had an almost mousse/truffle texture. We really enjoyed this dessert a LOT! View attachment 523396

Other than the super awkward table placement, our meal at Mama Melrose's fantastic! After paying our bill, we are off for a couple more rides, then back to the Poly to relax for the rest of the evening!

View attachment 523397

Our next planned meal is Kona Cafe for breakfast tomorrow morning

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That looks like 5 meatballs in the spag & meatballs, but I don't see a hint of spaghetti. Was it served on another plate? Yum-yum all the herbs in the oil for the bread, and yes that the bread was piping hot and fresh. Regarding your table being in a busy pathway/hallway--was it also too close to other tables? My husband, who is a cancer survivor, would most definately say no, but then he wouldn't come anyway. But I think I would have asked to be moved, even solo (who frequently get the worst tables anyway). I am guessing if the resort does not show an AP discount, it means it was not available at that restaurant rather than you forgot to ask, is that correct? I forget to ask most of the time. I am also DVC, and Disney Rewards Visa and AP holder, and mention to server when they first come, but forget to remind them later, or check the bill that discount was applied. I am really enjoying your dining review.