Lifted from my "August Insanity" dining report:
(If it doesn't all make sense it's because I started the pasting right here)
The new bus terminal area at Disney Springs drops off in a very convenient location for our intended lunch establishment and we quickly found our destination.
Art Smith also has a restaurant in Atlanta I've been wanting to try, and the news of his Disney restaurant launch was very welcome. The early reports seem mixed but I was sold upon hearing "killer fried chicken" and was willing to gamble on everything else. The host stand was amply staffed by friendly CMs, who cheerfully tried to seat us out on the patio (it has fans!, they said - LOL NO) and at their "full-service bar" before showing us to a table for two just on the other side of the host podium. We really lucked out with this table as our server Tara was nothing short of fabulous. The restaurant had customers already dining on plenty of lunch options when we arrived but there were lots of open tables and the wait staff did not seem over extended.
The first of many difficult decisions was made and I ordered a Basil Smash (woodford reserve, sour mix, simple syrup, muddled basil) while R (my partner) went for a local brew - the Funky Buddha Hop Gun, which we'd had previously in Orlando and liked. My cocktail was just the right balance of bright, sweet, and boozy. I am a bourbon gal and this definitely hit the spot!
I loved the beer glasses.
Tara recommended the hush puppies and the Jasper board appetizers - but R and I both spotted a starter that beat out her recommendations: fried green tomatoes.
The fried green tomatoes were heavenly! I was not sure that adding shaved ham was a wise choice, but after eating the tomato with its garnishes I realized that they were there for more than just presentation. The arugula added a great depth of flavor. The batter on the tomatoes was perfectly light and flaky and accented the tender, tart tomatoes in a great way. Another round of drinks was in order (it WAS my birthday, after all) and I switched to a Florida Belgian style white ale and R switched to the Basil Smash after tasting mine!
Cigar City - Florida Cracker - Perfect to accompany fried chicken
Aiming toward leaving room for dessert, we opted to split one entree even though several sounded promising. Of course we had to go with the signature fried chicken. This was a huge portion - a large breast with wing drum, a boneless thigh, and the drumstick. The three pieces of chicken came served alongside a cheddar drop biscuit and mashed potatoes with gravy. We added an extra side - the KC greens - and had more than enough to eat. I forgot to take a picture with our entree as plated so here it is split into two plates. You can see just how large the portion is since BOTH plates are full!
The chicken was unbelievably moist and flavorful with incredibly delicious crispy skin. The biscuit was "melt in your mouth" buttery and light, but half of the small one that came with the chicken dish was enough for me. VERY rich! The potatoes with gravy were absolutely out of this world. Both of us enjoyed these mashed potatoes much more than I thought we would. The gravy is a white cream gravy and it is absolutely decadent. The chicken dinner, as it is served, is what I would call "sinfully good". On the other hand, the greens were just ok. They were really sweet and while we finished everything else, we both just had a few bites of greens. They were a mix of kale and collards and not something I'd order again, which is sort of a shame because most of the sides are all starchy carbs and I think a solid green vegetable dish would really round out the menu.
We had heard the legend, seen the pictures, and ordered appropriately to prepare... Of course we were having dessert! We had a great view of the fresh cakes in the window of the open kitchen behind us and struggled mightily with the decision - the chocolate cake was awfully appealing and the hummingbird cake was highly recommended by our excellent server Tara. Instead we opted for the quintessential Homecoming dessert - the Shine cake. This was ooey gooey after being soaked in the moonshine and was improved by the very good vanilla ice cream served alongside it. If you can't tell in the photo, this slice of cake was massive. Maybe 1/6 of a whole pound cake? And it was served with a delicious berry sauce. My only complaint was that we would have liked more of the sauce! We really enjoyed this and it was a fun change of pace from the standard Disney desserts.
In addition to the Shine cake we'd ordered, Tara brought me a complimentary birthday dessert - two of their mini doughnuts with a scoop of ice cream. These differed from the early photos of this dish I'd seen online - they had the crunchy exterior and round appearance of hush puppies. They were crisp and sweet and very good, but I was happy with just the size in the serving we got.
Disney makes birthdays very special!
This was a great meal and a very fun experience. It was obvious that the staff genuinely enjoys working at Homecoming and there was a lot of pride in the food and the whole establishment. The decor was fun and fresh, management was on hand to ensure everything was perfect, and the food stands alone even if everything else wasn't also excellent. I would definitely recommend this restaurant, but would encourage sharing! The portions were huge (at least on the chicken meal). We had one app, one entree, one extra side, one (paid) dessert, 2 bourbon cocktails and 2 beers for a total of $95.85. I thought this was a very fair price for the quality and quantity of the food. Chef Smith's restaurant in Atlanta is much more expensive.
