A Very Dopey Dining Report

[gosalyn_mallard]

Hello DISboards! Welcome to my second Dining Report!

Who: me and DH. Our kids are very angry that they've, yet again, been left at home.

What: 7 nights of eating and drinking while at Disney for the RunDisney Dopey Challenge (48.6 miles of fun!)

When: January 2022

Where: AKL CL

Why: Because those RunDisney medals were so darn pretty!

Big questions for this trip:
- how many mimosas will we drink at CL?
- how much pain will we be in after running all those miles?
- how many fuzzy food pics will I take?

Can't wait to answer all those questions! Let's get started!

 

[gosalyn_mallard]

Restaurants we have planned are:
- Steakhouse 71 lunch
- Boma dinner
- Sanaa dinner
- Space 220 lounge dinner
- Polite Pig
- Gideons (if I'm patient enough)

Starting off with exiciting airport food!

Bloody Mary and a Screwdriver since it was too early for beers! Nice smoky, spicy bloody mary for DH. I can't remember the last time I had a screwdriver - it was fine.

DH order a sausage, egg, and cheese croissant. Flaky and warm - yummy, but nothing extraordinary.


Avocado Toast for me. I love avocado and this was so disappointing! There was just a thin smear of avocado on the toast - just enough to no longer see the toasted bread. They should call it toast with avocado spread. Oh well, it was enough to not make me hangry before arriving at Disney.


More to come as we arrive at AKL!

 

[gosalyn_mallard]

We enjoyed dinner at AKL CL. It was quite crowded in the first hour, but near-empty in the second.

Yummy crackers, cheeses, sausage, chickpea salad, hummus, and veggies. Got seconds.


Falafel was dry, but yogurt sauce made it tasty. Shrimp stew was so good. I could have eaten an entire bowl! Shrimp couscous with cilantro was fresh and delicious. Got seconds of all 3, restrained myself from getting thirds!


Dessert...

All were yummy standard Disney dessert buffet type options. Nothing bad, nothing knock your socks off. We had fun mixing and matching liquors... a Baileys-like, Grand Marnier, Kahlua, and Frangelico.

Stay tuned for Steakhouse 71 tomorrow!

 

[DLo]

Following along. Looking forward to reading more.

 

[2manypets]

Can't wait for the next installment. The food at CL looks really tasty.

 

[gosalyn_mallard]

We started the morning with breakfast at CL. It was more than enough for us.

Yummy pastries, smoked salmon, fruit, and egg casserole.


Sausage & gravy


Mimosas! One POG juice and one OJ. x2 cause we have to hydrate for Dopey


Lunch was at Steakhouse 71. I had read a lot of good reviews of this place and was preparing myself for it to not live up to the hype, but oh my goodness!!! It was amazing. One of the best meals we've had at Disney in a long time.



Cigar City Jai Alai IPA – Tampa, FL.

This beer is all over Disney and packs a punch! It's available at our grocery store at home and we buy it occasionally when we're missing Disney.

French Onion Soup
Rich Beef Broth, Crouton, Gratinée Cheese

This was a really good French onion soup. Lots of cheese melted over the edges. Yummy.

Bacon & Eggs
Maple-lacquered Pork Belly, Smoked Cheese Grits, Perfect Egg

This was so good! I was full after eating it. The dark sauce is so salty and rich and paired so well with the grits. Pieces of the pork belly were a bit stringy, but overall, a wonderful dish.

Onto entrées...

Gourmet Grilled Cheese
Toasted Brioche, Gruyère, Smoked Gouda, Shredded Pork Belly, Caramelized Onion Jam, Arugula. Petite Wedge Salad.

This was really good. Loved the combination of flavors. I couldn't finish all of the bread, but picked out the yummy pork and arugula. The wedge salad was also really good... perfect amount of dressing and blue cheese.

Prime Rib Sandwich
Shaved Prime Rib, Caramelized Onions, Herb Aïoli, Provolone Cheese, Arugula, Horseradish Cream. Served with Parmesan Fries.

This was amazing! The bread complemented the contents of the sandwich, instead of detracting. You know a sandwich is good when it oozes juice onto your hands when you pick it up. Totally exceeded expectations. I may have snuck multiple bites from DH. I would return to Steakhouse 71 just to eat this sandwich again.

That's it for now! More to come!

 

[purpliequeen]

Your Dining Reviews are starting out strong! Looking forward to following along.

 

[gosalyn_mallard]

Your Dining Reviews are starting out strong! Looking forward to following along.

Thanks for following along!

Following along. Looking forward to reading more.

Can't wait for the next installment. The food at CL looks really tasty.

Thanks! We'll be eating a lot of CL food to try and get our money's worth!

 

[2manypets]

Grilled cheese is my all time favorite comfort food. Adding Steakhouse 71 to my list for lunch in December.

 

[gosalyn_mallard]

Another CL dinner... I focused on getting new items.

Loved the arugula salad and the tabouleh. So fresh.


Lamb stew with a wonderful amount of spice and depth of flavor. Mini pork Rib was good with a crisp outer crust and slightly spicy tomatoes. These were really good! I liked them better than the previous night's selections.

Dessert... slightly different from the previous night, but somehow tasted practically the same, which I think is a problem with Disney's standard dessert buffets.


Onto the next day...

CL breakfast after the 5k...

The bread pudding French toast was amazing! I'm pretty sure its on the Boma breakfast buffet. It is super sweet and so so good.

Mimosas, of course!


We headed to Disney Springs for shopping and food.

Polite Pig for lunch...

The Ravenous Pig Beer Flight
Lone Golden Ale, Red Drum Amber Ale, Five Points IPA and Working Man Porter

I'm a sucker for flights, so I had to get this.

Southern Pig - pulled pork, fennel-apple slaw, tangy mustard bbq, duke's mayo
BBQ Cauliflower - paprika sour cream, candied pepitas

This was good, but so greasy. I know I said I like sandwiches that ooze juice, but this was too much. When it was delivered, the entire bottom of the bun was soaked in grease and very mushy. I wouldn't get it again. The cauliflower was cooked to a good firmness and the sauce was yummy, but it didn't impress me.

Low & Slow Brisket
prime brisket, pimento cheese, porter bbq, pickled jalapeños, onion straw
Burnt Ends Chili
burnt ends, sausage, beans, pork rinds, aioli

DH said these weren't super amazing, but good enough.

Overall, we liked Polite Pig, but didn't love it. We'd return, but make different choices next time.

Up next... first time at Gideons!

 

[ChrisParker]

Loving your report so far.

 

[4DisneyWVUfans]

Loving the pictures!

 

[gosalyn_mallard]

Onto Gideons...
We arrived at about 10:15 am and waited in line for 30 minutes.

Peanut butter and cookies & cream cold brew.

Oh my! I couldn't taste much coffee. It was like drinking creamy liquid peanut butter. I love peanut butter and thought this was amazing! DH liked the cookies & cream.

Peanut butter cookie. This was our least favorite. It tasted like a standard peanut butter cookie. Nothing special.


Coffee cake cookie. This was like a super dense Cinnamon roll crossed with a shortbread cookie. It was so good. It must have a whole stick of butter in 1 cookie. I would get this one again.


Banana bread cookie. It was good, but not amazing.


Pitaschio chocolate chip. This was my second favorite. It's a unique flavor combination for a cookie.


Overall, I liked Gideons alot and get why it's so popular. I'd go back but wouldn't want to wait as long.

For dinner, we ate at CL. The offerings weren't as good as previous nights...

Cauliflower salad was interesting, but just ok. One of those cheeses was infused with truffles, which is my favorite flavor, so I got seconds!


Tomato soup, butter chicken, and sliced beef on Tabouleh.


We skipped dessert in favor of sleep since we had a 2:15 am wake-up for the 10k.

CL breakfast after the race.

I didn't snap a picture of the mimosas, but they happened!


We still have many miles left of Dopey, so more to come!

 

[kastoney]

Sounds like you all are having a tremendous trip. Gotta love a vacation that starts with bloody marys and keeps the mimosa's flowing

AKL club level looks fantastic and it looks like you all are really getting your moneys worth. Love how they have so many things it looks like you could find at Sanaa.

Glad to hear you all enjoyed Steakhosue 71. We tried it last month but just had the burgers. They were good, but nothing crazy special. Now I'm wishing I'd ordered the grilled cheese.

The coffee cake cookie is my favorite at Gideon's too. Your description is spot on.

Good luck with the rest of your races!!!

 

[gosalyn_mallard]

AKL club level looks fantastic and it looks like you all are really getting your moneys worth. Love how they have so many things it looks like you could find at Sanaa.

We sure are taking advantage of it since we aren't doing any parks to save our feet for the races. The dinner apps definitely remind me of Sanaa and Boma, which is a great thing!

Good luck with the rest of your races!!!

Thank you! We're just trying to have fun, finish the race, and hope we can walk afterwards!

 

[WDW Lover]

I have always wanted to stay at Jambo and get the CL... but I always miss out when trying as a DVC member. I would definitely do as you guys are doing and eat as many meals as possible in the lounge. Looks super yummy and things that you can't find just around the corner back home! Definitely a unique spread for the CL and looks like it's well worth it!

 

[LifeTheDisneyWay14]

Onto Gideons...
We arrived at about 10:15 am and waited in line for 30 minutes.

Peanut butter and cookies & cream cold brew.
View attachment 636801
Oh my! I couldn't taste much coffee. It was like drinking creamy liquid peanut butter. I love peanut butter and thought this was amazing! DH liked the cookies & cream.

Peanut butter cookie. This was our least favorite. It tasted like a standard peanut butter cookie. Nothing special.
View attachment 636802

Coffee cake cookie. This was like a super dense Cinnamon roll crossed with a shortbread cookie. It was so good. It must have a whole stick of butter in 1 cookie. I would get this one again.
View attachment 636803

Banana bread cookie. It was good, but not amazing.
View attachment 636807

Pitaschio chocolate chip. This was my second favorite. It's a unique flavor combination for a cookie.
View attachment 636809

Overall, I liked Gideons alot and get why it's so popular. I'd go back but wouldn't want to wait as long.

For dinner, we ate at CL. The offerings weren't as good as previous nights...

Cauliflower salad was interesting, but just ok. One of those cheeses was infused with truffles, which is my favorite flavor, so I got seconds!
View attachment 636811

Tomato soup, butter chicken, and sliced beef on Tabouleh.
View attachment 636812

We skipped dessert in favor of sleep since we had a 2:15 am wake-up for the 10k.

CL breakfast after the race.

I didn't snap a picture of the mimosas, but they happened!
View attachment 636813

We still have many miles left of Dopey, so more to come!

We're staying at AKL next month and this is starting to make me rethink not going club level - the lounge offerings look way better than I would have expected, especially for covid times!

We have a Boma reservation and I'm just curious - are Disney buffets really back to operating as delightfully as pre-covid? How do they do that safely?

And, finally - oh. my. goodness. Do we need to go to Gideons! My husband and I love a good cookie.

 

[gosalyn_mallard]

I have always wanted to stay at Jambo and get the CL... but I always miss out when trying as a DVC member. I would definitely do as you guys are doing and eat as many meals as possible in the lounge. Looks super yummy and things that you can't find just around the corner back home! Definitely a unique spread for the CL and looks like it's well worth it!

AKL is the only CL we've stayed at, so I don't have anything to compare it to, but we love it! It was our 3rd time staying there. I couldn't justify the cost of it in my mind if we weren't using it as much.

And, finally - oh. my. goodness. Do we need to go to Gideons! My husband and I love a good cookie

You will love it! I feel like it's one of those places that you have to try at least once. Plus, the inside is so well themed - I love a good themed restaurant/store!

We have a Boma reservation and I'm just curious - are Disney buffets really back to operating as delightfully as pre-covid? How do they do that safely?

They added a plastic guard/shield to the buffet at Boma. Masks are required, of course. I observed 2 people who had masks below their noses and a cast member approached them and had them raise their masks. So they are trying to enforce it, though I'm sure its not 100%.

 

[2xcited2sleep]

Wow, what a great report! And WOW on doing the Dopey. That's amazing. I think you are probably running the marathon right now as I type. I am not generally one to feel guilty about eating well but there must not be ANY guilt when putting in that many miles! It's been a while since I stayed club level and you are really selling it. Everything looks and sounds fantastic and I just adore AKL overall. I just need Jiko to open up and I'm booking a weekend! Steakhouse 71 really is a gem ... beats any MK dining by a mile, in my opinion. Must try that coffee cake cookie!

 

[gosalyn_mallard]

Wow, what a great report! And WOW on doing the Dopey. That's amazing. I think you are probably running the marathon right now as I type. I am not generally one to feel guilty about eating well but there must not be ANY guilt when putting in that many miles! It's been a while since I stayed club level and you are really selling it. Everything looks and sounds fantastic and I just adore AKL overall. I just need Jiko to open up and I'm booking a weekend! Steakhouse 71 really is a gem ... beats any MK dining by a mile, in my opinion. Must try that coffee cake cookie!

Thank you! We are glad to be done with the marathon. Definitely in some pain tonight!

We miss Jiko too! Was hoping that it would be open by our trip, but it wasn't meant to be. Maybe next time!