A Little Sour, but a Lot of Fun: Spring Break 2019 DR *Updated 11/17 Complete!

[Hettie]

A Little Sour, but a Lot of Fun:
Spring Break 2019 Dining Report​

Hello everyone! We returned from our spring break trip a couple of weeks ago and I’ve been struggling to begin my dining report. I had a minor surgery the week we returned and dealing with the recovery and pain from that has gotten me down a little. I have caught up on all the other great dining reports going on right now for some inspiration though and I think I’m finally ready to get started…

Here we are:

Chad and I are pretty much the same. The winter has been long and dreary though and Asher brings home every imaginable preschool cold and virus, so we were ready to get our vitamin D on in the Florida sun for a week. Asher is still obsessed with pirates and will be turning four soon. He hit the 40 inch mark and I showed him videos of the various attractions he could now ride. He agreed to 7DMT and Soarin’, Test Track received a hard pass.



The Trip:

We spent 7 nights at the Holiday Inn- Disney Springs, which was a first for us. Chad accrued a pile of IHG points last year and we decided to give our DVC points a break from perpetual borrowing and stay somewhere with the IHG points. We chose the Holiday Inn for the close proximity to Disney Springs and the 60 FP+ and EMH benefits that were extended through this year. I thought it would be a good opportunity to try several of the DS restaurants that we’ve been neglecting, although I wasn’t excited about the hotel like I always am when we stay at Disney resorts.

We only did three park days because I was a little afraid of spring break crowds and we wanted a relaxing trip. We spent the rest of the time hanging out at various resorts, eating/drinking (of course), and doing some fun non-park activities. The weather ended up being a little too cool most days for pool time, which isn’t so bad because pool time with a 3 year old is really only fun in theory. We did fit in several new-to-us restaurants along with some old favorites, an assortment of cocktails and wine and a few snacks. So let’s just get this report going before I lose my motivation- LOL!

(I’m going to lead with brief reviews of Flower and Garden booth items since the shelf life is getting short on those.)


Table of Contents:

*Quick Flower & Garden Reviews

Day 1
Olivia's Cafe

Day 2
Liberty Tree Tavern
Jock Lindsey's Hangar Bar

Day 3
Boma Breakfast
Sanaa

Day 4
Yak & Yeti
Nomad Lounge

Day 5
Sofrito Latin Cafe
The Boathouse

Day 6
Spice Road Table

Day 7
The Wave Breakfast
Geyser Point Bar & Grill

Day 8
Morimoto Asia

 

[Hettie]

Quick Flower & Garden Reviews​

Joffrey’s- Future World East


Pedal to the Meadow: Frozen Cappuccino with Vodka and Kahlua Liqueur - $9.99

This is Joffrey’s special boozy drink for the festival, but I think you could probably get it year-round since they always have vodka and kahlua. It was tasty and strong since they are typically generous with the pours at Joffrey’s. The cappuccino could have been more frozen, but it was still cold and refreshing.


Arbor


Fried Green Tomatoes with Blue Crab-fennel Salad, Remoulade, and Smoked Paprika Oil – $6

These were creative and I loved the combination of flavors. Unfortunately, my fried green tomatoes had been sitting too long and were cold, so maybe visit this location when they’re busier. It was dead when I stopped by. It also took forever to get my food because they had one chef plating everything for the few people in line.


Smoked Salmon Stack with Avocados, Tomatoes, Sour Cream, Caviar and Focaccia Crostino – $5.50

This was also delicious and tasted like something you would get at a table service restaurant. The presentation was creative. I could have used more caviar on my portion. This is a must-do for smoked salmon fans.


Shipyard Brewing Company Grind the Rind Watermelon IPA – $4.50

This beer wasn’t on my list and I got it on impulse, but I should have trusted my list because it wasn’t very good. It was bitter and lacked flavor except for the hint of watermelon, which didn’t really work.


Citrus Blossom

I stopped here to get an orange wine slushy and forgot to take a photo. It was way too sweet for me and I couldn’t taste the wine at all. Not to my taste.

I made the mistake of saying the words “orange slushy” out loud and Asher demanded a slushy for himself. I didn’t intend to buy one of these, but here we are:


Orange Cream Slushy in a Souvenir Orange Bird Sipper Cup — $14

I have to admit the cup is adorable. The orange cream slushy was also delicious and VERY sweet. I made Chad drink most of it because Asher certainly doesn’t need that much sugar. I thought just the head portion of orange bird would be the “cup” but the body is open and also full of slushy, making for a very large portion. Definitely shareable.


Northern Bloom


Unibroue Flight with Éphémère Apple Wheat Ale, Blanche de Chambly Belgian White Ale, and Lune de Miel Amber Ale – $11

I enjoy beer, but it doesn’t really agree with me, so I like to get a beer flight to taste a few without much suffering. I’ve had the Blanche de Chambly before and always enjoy it. The apple wheat ale was new to me and was the favorite for both Chad and me. Surprisingly, neither of us cared for the Lune de Miel. It may have been the contrast with the other two, but I didn’t like the flavors present.


Taste of Marrakesh


Fried Cauliflower with Capers, Garlic Parsley and Chili Ranch Sauce – $6

This was my favorite booth item last year and it was great again this year. They do a good job of keeping everything hot and fresh at this booth, even when it’s not busy. This is already the third booth item for me that contained capers, which is odd, but I love capers.


Florida “Fresh”


Spicy Blackened Shrimp and Stone-ground Cheddar Cheese Grits with Brown Gravy and Local Sweet Corn Relish – $7

This dish didn’t look very appealing and didn’t taste so great either. It had been sitting and the gravy was congealed, which was the first strike. The shrimp had gotten tough from sitting under the heat lamp, strike two. Overall, I found the flavors too heavy and there wasn’t anything to contrast or brighten up the smoky and sweet flavors. You may have better luck with a fresh portion, but this one wasn’t for me.

 

[chocolateMinnie]

Great start. Hopefully you are feeling brighter now after your surgery. So hard to be ill when you are parent to a pre-schooler.

 

[Newsies]

Hi, Heather! I'm here for the report and excited to read more! Wishing you a speedy recovery from your surgery!

Great F&W pics to start off with! I love Joffrey's, that cappuccino looks to die for I'm not normally one for cauliflower, but your Taste of Marrakesh pic looks amazing.

Definitely ready for the next update!

 

[cammie810]

Great start!! I felt the same about the snacks from the Arbor. I really wanted to love both but the smoked salmon far surpassed the fried green tomatoes! So delicious and fresh tasting! I also really enjoyed the fried cauliflower. Not only was it yummy but it was piping hot!

 

[jacksmom]

Great reviews

 

[Avery&Todd]

Wahooo!! You've started!! I read your solo report and was ready for this one!!!

 

[lauraleh]

Joining in!

 

[Dis_Yoda]

Joining in!

Lune de Meil is a honey beer which could be why it was off putting. My husband hated it (unibroue did a beer tasting at his work last year) I loved it so I’m happy to have a beer in the fridge he won’t drink on me. Glad you liked the others though!

Offsite by Disney springs is a nice way to give your points a break! We fixed our borrowing problem by adding on more points but that also means dues are more so yeah...

Can’t wait for more booze and food! Hope you recover quickly from hour surgery.

 

[ThreeBoyMama]

Yay, glad to see you started a report! Hope you are feeling better. That Orange Bird slushy cup is ridiculously cute. Keep the report coming!

 

[DisDreaming4116]

The fried cauliflower look awesome and a nice portion!

 

[Kleese]

The cauliflower looks delicious. Was it spicy spicy?

 

[tinkerbell87512]

Joining in!! Great start to your report, hope your recovering well from surgery! Looking forward to more of your report

 

[ariane37]

Joining and hope you're feeling better

 

[Candycane83]

Joining in!

 

[DLo]

Following along. Looking forward to reading more

 

[Hettie]

Great start. Hopefully you are feeling brighter now after your surgery. So hard to be ill when you are parent to a pre-schooler.

Thanks! I am feeling much better now. Luckily, Chad was around and was able to shuttle the boy back and forth to school the first few days so that I could nap under the influence of pain medication. That definitely helped!

Hi, Heather! I'm here for the report and excited to read more! Wishing you a speedy recovery from your surgery!

Great F&W pics to start off with! I love Joffrey's, that cappuccino looks to die for I'm not normally one for cauliflower, but your Taste of Marrakesh pic looks amazing.

Definitely ready for the next update!

Hi! Thanks for joining in! I'm feeling much better this week, almost back to normal. The cappuccino was great, I'll definitely try their boozy drinks again in the future or maybe even the frozen cappuccino without booze.

Great start!! I felt the same about the snacks from the Arbor. I really wanted to love both but the smoked salmon far surpassed the fried green tomatoes! So delicious and fresh tasting! I also really enjoyed the fried cauliflower. Not only was it yummy but it was piping hot!

Thanks! That cauliflower is so hot, one has to be careful and not just bite into one right away. That's my PSA for today.

Great reviews

Thank you!

Wahooo!! You've started!! I read your solo report and was ready for this one!!!

Thanks for following along!

Joining in!

Welcome!

Joining in!

Lune de Meil is a honey beer which could be why it was off putting. My husband hated it (unibroue did a beer tasting at his work last year) I loved it so I’m happy to have a beer in the fridge he won’t drink on me. Glad you liked the others though!

Offsite by Disney springs is a nice way to give your points a break! We fixed our borrowing problem by adding on more points but that also means dues are more so yeah...

Can’t wait for more booze and food! Hope you recover quickly from hour surgery.

Hi! I think we may need to start alternating using DVC points one year and cash reservation the next. I liked Pop Century and would stay there again or at one of the moderates. Although I suppose we could go somewhere else on the off years...

Yay, glad to see you started a report! Hope you are feeling better. That Orange Bird slushy cup is ridiculously cute. Keep the report coming!

Hi! I'm feeling much better this week, thank you!

The fried cauliflower look awesome and a nice portion!

I'll get it every year if they have it. It's large enough to be very filling and definitely shareable.

The cauliflower looks delicious. Was it spicy spicy?

To me, it was a little spicy but I have a very high tolerance for spicy food, so to normal people, it might be SPICY, or maybe even SPICY SPICY. LOL! I have found that the Morocco restaurants and booth tend to really go for it with the heat.

Joining in!! Great start to your report, hope your recovering well from surgery! Looking forward to more of your report

Thank you! Feeling much better this week!

Joining and hope you're feeling better

Welcome and thank you!

Joining in!

Hi! Glad you're here!

Following along. Looking forward to reading more

Thanks for joining in!

 

[kastoney]

Wouldn't miss this one for anything!

had a minor surgery the week we returned and dealing with the recovery and pain from that has gotten me down a little.

Hope you are feeling better!

Who is that young man? That cannot be Asher. He is a toddler. That is a clear pre-schooler right there.

Fried Green Tomatoes with Blue Crab-fennel Salad, Remoulade, and Smoked Paprika Oil – $6

These were creative and I loved the combination of flavors. Unfortunately, my fried green tomatoes had been sitting too long and were cold, so maybe visit this location when they’re busier. It was dead when I stopped by. It also took forever to get my food because they had one chef plating everything for the few people in line.

I don't think I've seen this one before and now I MUST have it. I'm headed there next weekend and have done zero research so you've officially given me one item to eat!

Orange Cream Slushy in a Souvenir Orange Bird Sipper Cup — $14

I have to admit the cup is adorable. The orange cream slushy was also delicious and VERY sweet. I made Chad drink most of it because Asher certainly doesn’t need that much sugar. I thought just the head portion of orange bird would be the “cup” but the body is open and also full of slushy, making for a very large portion. Definitely shareable.

I must come home with this for Casey. Any idea if you can buy it without the slushy?

Fried Cauliflower with Capers, Garlic Parsley and Chili Ranch Sauce – $6

This was my favorite booth item last year and it was great again this year. They do a good job of keeping everything hot and fresh at this booth, even when it’s not busy. This is already the third booth item for me that contained capers, which is odd, but I love capers.

Yum this looks and sounds awesome too! We ended up having some cauliflower on our last trip at Nomads that became one of our favorite things of the whole trip (so good we ate it twice!)

 

[Hettie]

Travel Day​

Even though we swore we would not do this drive again, here we were driving. The deciding factor had been staying at a Disney Springs hotel, which meant we would need a car as we didn’t want to deal with the long bus rides, so if we needed a car, may as well drive and save money on both the flight and car rental. Asher was able to experience his first Waffle House waffle as a result.




We tried to make it through Atlanta before 3:00 and were a few minutes behind which really messed us up and we sat in gridlocks from downtown Atlanta through all the suburbs. We were late getting to Warner Robins, ate at the restaurant in Hilton Garden Inn and crashed. The restaurant there is still quite good considering the venue, I’m impressed with their food. I always get their trout and you would never know that it’s been frozen.

Day 1 – March 30​

Our late night made for a later than planned start the next morning after breakfast at the hotel. This doesn’t look like a kid headed to WDW…




So much sass…what a threenager. I am so glad he is almost 4.

We were making good time until Ocala and then it all fell apart—stop and go traffic all the way from Ocala to the turnpike, then of course on I-4 as well. This made us arrive much later than I had anticipated and I rushed to take a quick shower so that we could make an ADR that I had made back at the Turkey Lake plaza on the turnpike for the new Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill.

The room at the Holiday Inn was large and clean, but severely lacked adequate storage or furniture. They really wasted a lot of space when they renovated this hotel. There is just a teeny, tiny little desk with barely enough room to place anything. There isn’t a shelf or cabinet over the fridge and microwave, so nowhere to put snacks or anything. We just left those in grocery bags the whole time. The room was very quiet though and the service from hotel staff was excellent. I probably wouldn’t stay there again unless it was free, but that’s just because I prefer the rooms and theming at Disney resort hotels.

By the time I took the quickest shower ever and got dressed, we were cutting it close and decided to drive over to Disney Springs and park in the lime garage. This was an abysmal idea because it was Saturday evening and all the garages were full. We drove around the West side parking lot for a few minutes before giving up and canceling the ADR. We didn’t really want to be at Disney Springs when it’s that packed anyway. I quickly scanned for ADRs at resorts and found availability at Olivia’s Café at Old Key West Resort. Perfect! That sounded much more relaxing for our first evening.

We drove over the OKW and leisurely parked our car in the quiet parking lot with tons of parking spaces…so much better. I think the ADR I made wasn’t until 7-something and we were very hungry, so I stopped by to see if they had any tables available now and they were able to fit us in. Chad and Asher were checking out the pool and just look at their unplanned matching outfits:



They are the same person, it is uncanny.



We were ready for food and DRINKS after that drive.

Our server quickly brought out waters and Olivia’s yummy coconut rolls with butter.



Warm and satisfying, these were scarfed down by all of us.

But you know we were anxiously awaiting our booze to take the edge off and ease us into vacation mode.



I had a glass of prosecco, which was Amor di Amanti. It was nice and full and bubbly and alcohol. I was pleased. The prosecco on the menu now is a different brand, but this one was $10.

I recommended the signature Turtle Krawl cocktail to Chad since he is an avid rum drinker.


Turtle Krawl
Coconut Rum, Spiced Rum, and White Rum with Pineapple, Orange, and Key Lime Juices --$11.50

He liked this, it’s a little sweeter than he prefers, but nice and boozy and quite fun.

After getting our drinks, we were able to relax a bit and look around the restaurant. This was our first visit here after hearing rave reviews for years. We were in the back room by the patio. The patio looked really nice and quiet and would have been a great place to sit if it weren’t in full sun at that time of day. The main dining room was loud and the back room got louder the longer we were there, but it was within my tolerance range. It’s a nice space with old school Disney feels, I enjoy it.

As for the food, Chad and I started with the conch fritters.


Conch Fritters
served with Key Lime-Mustard and Roasted Red Pepper Rémoulade --$12.00

These were piping hot and had a good amount of conch in each fritter. We both preferred the remoulade sauce and scarfed these down as well.

Before long, our entrees arrived. Asher went with a basic choice:


Cheeseburger
served with French fries and choice of one (1) Beverage and one (1) Dessert --$11.00

He liked this and gobbled it up. We always lose out when a beverage is included in the price for a kid’s meal because he doesn’t drink anything but water. He did get a dessert later, which was a cup of plain vanilla ice cream, by our request.

For my entrée, I chose:


Seven Mile Sea Scallops
Pan-seared Scallops over soft Polenta topped with an Edamame-Pancetta Succotash and Tomato Vinaigrette --$27.00

I had to stop eating pork due to a sensitivity I’ve developed, so I asked about substituting for the succotash since it contained pancetta. I chose broccolini from the options I was given and I liked having a nice vegetable. The scallops were cooked perfectly, as almost all Disney scallops are. I loved the tomato vinaigrette with the scallops. The polenta was very rich, I was only able to eat half because it was full of butter and cheese.

At photo limit, continued next post...

 

[Hettie]

Day 1 continued...

Chad went with a couple of appetizers as his meal:



Conch Chowder - Olivia's Own Recipe
Manhattan-style served with Oyster Crackers --$9.25

Crab Cake
Pan-seared and served with Jalapeño Aïoli Sauce, Grilled Pineapple Salsa, and Chayote Slaw --$13.00

I thought this was a great combo to make a meal. The chowder was delicious and full of conch. I didn’t try the crab cake, but Chad thoroughly enjoyed it and the accompaniments.

I noticed the servers carrying trays with wine glasses that were nice and full, so I decided to order a glass of pinot grigio to go with my meal. I didn’t get a photo, but the bartender that night was generous with the pours.

Torre di Luna Pinot Grigio, Delle Venezie
Refreshing, slightly sweet-tasting wine offers notes of grapefruit, citrus, grass, green apple and lime Glass --$11.00

It was a greal meal overall, the service was friendly and efficient. We will definitely be back.

After dinner, I wanted to walk around and see the pool area myself and Asher wanted to play on the playground. I picked up a Turtle Krawl for myself from Gurgling Suitcase because playgrounds are much more enjoyable with a cocktail. The playground is cute and the whole resort area is just lovely. It’s on our list to stay there, we’ll get around to it eventually.

It was getting late though and time to get back to our hotel and to bed so that we could be up early for rope drop at Magic Kingdom the next day…