Sanwich
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- May 3, 2012
- Messages
- 88
Hello there, I’m not one for long trip reports, but wanted to share some experiences from our late April trip. Note that I have some special dietary needs (while not a pure allergy, I am extremely lactose intolerant and pills do nothing for me, so I have to avoid anything made with a significant amount of cheese, milk, or cream). I wanted to clarify this because it will come up in a few of the reviews, and I did order a few things that would not be safe for someone with a severe milk allergy.
- Contempo Cafe (breakfast and dinner): We ate here several times due to staying at BLT, loved the fact that we could get food “to go”. When I inquired about an allergy menu at breakfast, they just told me to pick something from the standard menu and they could make it without dairy. I went for simplicity and ordered scrambled eggs, which were fine (and thankfully not runny) along with some sausage and fruit. Other items we ordered (chicken tenders, turkey sandwich, breakfast sandwich) were all “fine” to “good”.
- Sanaa (breakfast): Ordering system had us a little confused, but once we figured it out, this was excellent. Again I was told to order from the standard menu and it would be made dairy free. I ordered the waffles and a side of scrambled eggs. Husband got a nice big fruit plate. My waffles were a little “gummy” (due to being allergy safe) but overall some of the better allergy waffles I’ve had. They added a little cup of blueberries/raspberries/blackberries, which I thought was a nice touch. Very relaxing to eat here in the morning.
- Sunshine Seasons (dinner): We come here mainly for the roasted chicken, which was good as usual. Options for sides were green beans, jasmine rice, black beans, some kind of seasoned rice, roasted potatoes, mashed potatoes, and corn on the cob. My husband really enjoyed a slice of their cheesecake as well.
- Caramel shop in Germany: I picked a snickerdoodle cookie due to the fact that it had minimal caramel (less likely to cause issues for me). I actually really liked it and got another later in the trip. Simple, but large, soft, and tasty.
- Jaleo: We were really excited to try. It was definitely expensive, and we were “upsold” on some things. The server seemed a little rough in terms of his opening “spiel” and answering our questions... it took multiple tries for him to find out the paella choices of the day, which I feel like he should have already known? In any event, the food overall was great. Select favorites were the cured ham, bacon-wrapped dates, and patatas bravas. I liked the paella as well, though I was hoping to try the rabbit version. Mine was chicken and mushrooms. The plate of paella was also WAY more food than the server let on (like almost enough for 2 people to have as an entree). They have a separate menu that indicates “safe” foods for common dietary needs.
- Columbia Harbor House: We mainly got chicken nuggets and fries, but they were hot and fresh. I ordered the “vegetable rice” which turned out to be rice with onions in it... that was kind of a disappointment (I try to avoid onions). Not sure what they were going for there.
- Satu’li Canteen: Again it was a little disappointing that so many of the bases feature chunks of onion. The beef was also a bit chewier than on previous visits, so the chicken was the winner that day. Aside from the onion issue, the beans and rice base tasted fine, and the creamy herb dressing was tasty as usual.
- Tiffins: Saved the best for last. They were very helpful regarding my dairy issue and subbed in veggies and rice for other sides. The sides are fine, but the entrees are the stars here. Husband got lobster tail (“good”) and wagyu beef (“so freaking great”). I got the braised short rib, which was excellent... no trace of gristle or fat chunks, just flavorful melt-in-your-mouth beef. Sometimes people complain about the portion sizes here, but it was fine for us... we think of ourselves as having pretty average appetites.
Overall it was a good trip, everything we ate was “pretty good” or better (in our humble opinion).
- Contempo Cafe (breakfast and dinner): We ate here several times due to staying at BLT, loved the fact that we could get food “to go”. When I inquired about an allergy menu at breakfast, they just told me to pick something from the standard menu and they could make it without dairy. I went for simplicity and ordered scrambled eggs, which were fine (and thankfully not runny) along with some sausage and fruit. Other items we ordered (chicken tenders, turkey sandwich, breakfast sandwich) were all “fine” to “good”.
- Sanaa (breakfast): Ordering system had us a little confused, but once we figured it out, this was excellent. Again I was told to order from the standard menu and it would be made dairy free. I ordered the waffles and a side of scrambled eggs. Husband got a nice big fruit plate. My waffles were a little “gummy” (due to being allergy safe) but overall some of the better allergy waffles I’ve had. They added a little cup of blueberries/raspberries/blackberries, which I thought was a nice touch. Very relaxing to eat here in the morning.
- Sunshine Seasons (dinner): We come here mainly for the roasted chicken, which was good as usual. Options for sides were green beans, jasmine rice, black beans, some kind of seasoned rice, roasted potatoes, mashed potatoes, and corn on the cob. My husband really enjoyed a slice of their cheesecake as well.
- Caramel shop in Germany: I picked a snickerdoodle cookie due to the fact that it had minimal caramel (less likely to cause issues for me). I actually really liked it and got another later in the trip. Simple, but large, soft, and tasty.
- Jaleo: We were really excited to try. It was definitely expensive, and we were “upsold” on some things. The server seemed a little rough in terms of his opening “spiel” and answering our questions... it took multiple tries for him to find out the paella choices of the day, which I feel like he should have already known? In any event, the food overall was great. Select favorites were the cured ham, bacon-wrapped dates, and patatas bravas. I liked the paella as well, though I was hoping to try the rabbit version. Mine was chicken and mushrooms. The plate of paella was also WAY more food than the server let on (like almost enough for 2 people to have as an entree). They have a separate menu that indicates “safe” foods for common dietary needs.
- Columbia Harbor House: We mainly got chicken nuggets and fries, but they were hot and fresh. I ordered the “vegetable rice” which turned out to be rice with onions in it... that was kind of a disappointment (I try to avoid onions). Not sure what they were going for there.
- Satu’li Canteen: Again it was a little disappointing that so many of the bases feature chunks of onion. The beef was also a bit chewier than on previous visits, so the chicken was the winner that day. Aside from the onion issue, the beans and rice base tasted fine, and the creamy herb dressing was tasty as usual.
- Tiffins: Saved the best for last. They were very helpful regarding my dairy issue and subbed in veggies and rice for other sides. The sides are fine, but the entrees are the stars here. Husband got lobster tail (“good”) and wagyu beef (“so freaking great”). I got the braised short rib, which was excellent... no trace of gristle or fat chunks, just flavorful melt-in-your-mouth beef. Sometimes people complain about the portion sizes here, but it was fine for us... we think of ourselves as having pretty average appetites.
Overall it was a good trip, everything we ate was “pretty good” or better (in our humble opinion).
