Burning the Candle at Both Ends - A Holiday Dining Report

[vettegirl]

Yay for snacks!! Love the family photo

 

[DisneyJo]

Loving your reviews, thank you

 

[Adgie128]

Whoa, your treats all look yummy! Great choices all around.

 

[SmallWorld71]

Yay for snacks!! Love the family photo

Thanks! And, gotta love Disney snacks! Sometimes you're better off with those than a meal. I lesson I may learn later in the trip.....

Loving your reviews, thank you

Thanks!

Whoa, your treats all look yummy! Great choices all around.

I could go for one right now!

 

[SmallWorld71]

So, we had just left DHS after 12+ jam packed hours and we were tired and hungry. When we got back to our resort (Coronado) we headed straight for the resort quick service - Pepper Market. We decided to get the food to go and bring it back to our room.

The boys all opted for burgers.
Arthur had the Aztec Burger. '1/2 lb Burger, Fried Onions, Fried Jalapeños, Guacamole, Chipotle Aïoli and Pepper Jack Cheese served with Garlic Parmesan Fries'


Harry and Ron had the Texas BBQ Burger. '1/2 lb Burger, Candied Bacon, Chipotle Bacon, Bacon Aïoli, BBQ Sauce, and Cheddar Cheese served with Garlic Parmesan Fries'




The burgers were huge! They were all happy with their choices; these were easily the best CS burgers we've ever had on property. The fries that came with them were very good too. These portions were so big, that even the teen boys had a hard time finishing.

I went back and forth on what to get, but ended up getting the Empanadas. 'Crisp Tortilla filled with Monterey Jack Cheese, topped with Queso Fresco and Salsa Verde' Again, this was another large portion. I ended up really liking these and they were probably my best CS meal of the week.


Hermione had the cheese flatbread. *She had forgotten to ask for a to go container, so I asked for one at my station. The flatbread was way to big for the box so half of it is actually underneath and not visible in the photo. If you ask for a to go container at the flatbread station, they will give you a pizza box that it fits in. This was very basic, but not everyone is looking for adventurous! She enjoyed it.


For dessert Arthur had the Red Velvet Cake (yummy!) and Harry had a Brownie. Unfortunately, I don't have a picture of the other 3 desserts. Hermione and I opted for soft serve ice cream and Ron had churros. Not wanting our ice cream to melt, Hermione and I ate dessert first before heading back to the room and Ron joined us. Without Harry and Arthur (our food photographers) we three gluttons just dug right in!




We all got bottled juice for the next morning except Harry who got a Silk very vanilla milk box.

Ratings:
Me: Entree 8/10 Dessert 7/10
Harry: Entree 9/10 Dessert 8/10
Hermione Entree 9/10 Dessert 9/10

We ended up loving Pepper Market! The CM's there were great, the food was cooked to order, and the portions were huge. My only complaint is the somewhat limited selection, particularly the desserts. There is actually a separate place (Rix Cafe) that has the grab 'n' go stuff like fruit, yogurt etc.... and I usually prefer those as dessert options.

Coming Up: MK (Finally!), are we really getting up at this hour?, Hermione's pick, and will our great food luck run out?

 

[Vernie822]

YUMMMM. We loved Pepper Market on our last trip. I wish we would have seen those burgers, wow! They look awesome. I can't show my fiance that he missed those.. haha. We had the tacos served with the rice and beans that you have - I swear those black beans were so delicious.. ah. We noticed the lack of dessert options as well, but we did find that we liked those in comparison to what's offered at most QS places in the parks.

 

[vettegirl]

We love the PM and their garlic fries are amazing! Much better than most CS places. That brownie is my husbands favorite dessert. He had 3 of them back in May! Not all at the same time

 

[DisneyJo]

Wow those burgers look huge and delicious, I can remember being totally overwhelmed with the choice at PM

 

[SmallWorld71]

YUMMMM. We loved Pepper Market on our last trip. I wish we would have seen those burgers, wow! They look awesome. I can't show my fiance that he missed those.. haha. We had the tacos served with the rice and beans that you have - I swear those black beans were so delicious.. ah. We noticed the lack of dessert options as well, but we did find that we liked those in comparison to what's offered at most QS places in the parks.

Glad you liked Pepper Market, too! I was surprised at how good those beans were. The CS desserts in the park are so bad, as we will sadly continue to see in this report.....

We love the PM and their garlic fries are amazing! Much better than most CS places. That brownie is my husbands favorite dessert. He had 3 of them back in May! Not all at the same time

LOL! 3 at once might be too much, they are very rich! Those were great fries!

Wow those burgers look huge and delicious, I can remember being totally overwhelmed with the choice at PM

My last couple trips have been at Pop, so the Pepper Market seemed small and tame in comparison to Everything Pop, LOL. Tons more choices at Pop, but better food at PM!

 

[SmallWorld71]

December 27th - Magic Kingdom
A snack update plus other stuff just because

You may or may not know, but over the busy holiday weeks, MK has EMH at 7 am every day. This is what it looks like when you head to the bus stop at 6am!


It was so worth it! 99.9% of people headed straight for the Mine Train or Anna and Elsa and we virtually walked on ride after ride until 9am! A few morning pics:






We were in New Fantasyland when we began to get a rumbly in our tumbly so we headed to Gaston's Tavern for some breakfast.


We shared a few cinnamon buns and a LeFou's Brew. We all agree the cinnamon buns are delicious, and huge! The LeFou's Brew is just OK. This was my second time trying it and I just don't love it. Fine to share with a group, but I wouldn't want my own. I recommend everyone try it once, but it just doesn't hold a candle to the special drinks over at Universal. (butterbeer, pumpkin juice, and Harry's favorite - pear juice)

After our yummy snack we used some fast passes:




We had a fast pass for the parade and were starting to get hungry. Our lunch ADR was a ways away, so we decided to get a snack to tide us over. Harry and Hermione had dole whip floats. (Don't have a photo of these; will have one later in the report.) Arthur and I decided to try a new to us snack - potatoes! I got the sweet potato and Arthur got a regular baked potato. They were from the Liberty Square Market. These were delicious! And, inexpensive (less than $3.50) Highly recommend! We ate them from the FP+ section while waiting for the parade.






After the parade, Ron wanted to go on Stitch. I told them to make a beeline for it as hundreds of people would be streaming into Tomorrowland from Main Street looking for something to do. They did, and were able to walk right on. I am not a fan, so I took a seat on a low wall by the Lunching Pad to people watch. Sure enough, about 5 minutes after they got in line, the queue was full and they needed the CM with the sign to show people where the line began! For Stitch!



While people watching, I was witness to a sad food situation.
A mom was sitting next to me holding a baby while a little boy of about 4 sat in a stroller. Dad came back with a tray of food from the Lunching Pad. Apparently he'd been in line for well over 30 min. for this rather pitiful looking tray of hot dogs and beverages. It was so packed that there were no tables to be had anywhere, so he rested the tray on the back of the stroller. The little boy, happy for food at last, jumped up excitedly. Without his weight, the carriage tipped and the food was airborne! It went everywhere; including on my sneaker! So much for their pitiful lunch; I hope they found some sustenance somewhere!

Coming up: Hermione's choice

 

[vettegirl]

So glad to see the original Cinnamon Buns from the MS bakery over there now. I was so sad that DL got rid of them all together but glad the MK still has that delicious little treat!

 

[SmallWorld71]

So glad to see the original Cinnamon Buns from the MS bakery over there now. I was so sad that DL got rid of them all together but glad the MK still has that delicious little treat!

Just an FYI, in case you didn't already know. The cinnamon rolls at Gaston's have maple icing and the ones at the bakery had cream cheese, I believe. We love the buns at Gaston's, but I know there were some who did not like the change.

 

[SmallWorld71]

December 27th, Magic Kingdom
Lunch - Part 1
Hermione's choice - the back story

The back story for our lunch this day begins back in 2006, around Hermione's 3rd birthday when she went to WDW for the first time. While she didn't bat an eye at raging river rapids or swashbuckling pirates, the sight of a character was enough to make her shake in her shoes. That is, until she met some friends from the Hundred Acre Wood at Animal Kingdom. Most notable in this encounter was Piglet who really took his time with her and completely won her over. Hermione was so nervous that she was holding her little bunny and vigorously sucking her thumb. Piglet gently took her bunny and began to suck his thumb. Thus, a great new friendship was born.


Fast forward to 2007, and I booked a meal at Crystal Palace so that Hermione and her old friend could have a reunion. It was like they'd never been apart...


Since that time, Hermione's request for every trip is to head to Crystal Palace to see her old friend, Piglet.
Here they are in 2008:


2010:

2013:


Anyone want to go out on a limb and guess what Hermione picked for her meal?

 

[vettegirl]

Just an FYI, in case you didn't already know. The cinnamon rolls at Gaston's have maple icing and the ones at the bakery had cream cheese, I believe. We love the buns at Gaston's, but I know there were some who did not like the change.

Thanks for letting me know! I will forever miss those buns

 

[Misha72683]

That is so cute! I can't wait to read your review and I love that your daughter makes point of seeing Piglet each time!

 

[PirateD]

Just joined reading your dining report and I'm really enjoying it! Your story about your DD and Piglet is so sweet! Can't wait to read about their reunion!

 

[Adgie128]

What a cute story about Hermione and Piglet! It's so cool to have all those pictures from the same place. Looking forward to seeing your latest one.

Those potatoes are a new food item to me! I loooooove sweet potatoes and probably eat my weight in them each week, so that's great to know. Thanks for sharing!

 

[SmallWorld71]

That is so cute! I can't wait to read your review and I love that your daughter makes point of seeing Piglet each time!

Thanks! I love that she's still a little kid at heart. (at least at WDW)

Just joined reading your dining report and I'm really enjoying it! Your story about your DD and Piglet is so sweet! Can't wait to read about their reunion!

Update coming up shortly.

What a cute story about Hermione and Piglet! It's so cool to have all those pictures from the same place. Looking forward to seeing your latest one.

Those potatoes are a new food item to me! I loooooove sweet potatoes and probably eat my weight in them each week, so that's great to know. Thanks for sharing!

Thanks!
And I can't believe I never knew about the potatoes! They sell corn on the cob at the same place. Sometimes you just need a break from the sweet snacks.

 

[SmallWorld71]

December 27th - Magic Kingdom
Lunch - Part 2
Crystal Palace - The characters

As I'm sure you know, Crystal Palace is a character meal. While the characters at character meals are always subject to change, this was our fifth time and the characters have always been the same: Pooh, Tigger, Piglet and Eeyore.

We've always had decent character interaction at Crystal Palace. Tigger and Piglet have been the most consistently friendly for us and Eeyore shows very little emotion (which I assume is part of his character!)

This year, Hermione decided she was going to try Disneybounding as Piglet this year. Piglet recognized this right away and was very excited! I highly encourage you to wear something representing the characters or a character t-shirt or bring something with you to show them such as a small stuffed animal. It usually gets great reactions from the characters.
This year's reunion:

Piglet has lots of love to go around:



A few other character pics:







Coming up next: The food - I promise!

 

[michael's mom]

Love it! Those pictures of Hermione through the years are priceless! Can't wIt for food pics! We're doing CP for lunch this year for the first time!