Dining Review - September/October 2024

[Noreen411]

Monday 10/7/24
We started the day at Magic Kingdom.

We headed to Disney Springs, did a bit of shopping, then stopped for lunch at Earl of Sandwich.


Scott had the Italian



He also had the kids pizza


I had the Earl Club.



We drank Coke with our lunch. Our lunch at Earl of Sandwich was very good. While we don’t run around like crazy anymore, we realized we should spend more time doing things like this, just taking a little break for lunch.

 

[Noreen411]

Monday 10/7/24 Continued
After lunch we thought about going to EverGlazed to get donuts, but didn’t feel like going all the way to the other side of Disney Springs in the heat, so went to Amorette’s instead. We had the treats packed up to eat later, the pictures were taken a bit later back in the villa.

I had a Cookie Dough Croissant. This was pretty good.


Scott got a Wilting Rose.



With all the news about Hurricane Milton coming and being a category 5 hurricane, the parks were closing Wednesday afternoon and would be closed Thursday, we decided to leave tomorrow to head home instead of staying until Friday. We talked about possibly going back to Hilton Head for a few days but in the end decided to just head home early.

We did the bulk of the packing in the afternoon.

Since we had a late lunch at Earl of Sandwich, we weren’t really hungry until later. When we started talking about dinner neither of us wanted to go out. We ordered pizza and a meatball parm sandwich from Flippers Delivery.




The food from Flippers was decent. It was nice to just eat dinner, watch a movie, and hang out.

 

[oliverthecat]

Good dining review . I'm also originally from North jersey clifton. I live in Florida now about minutes from disney springs

 

[Noreen411]

Tuesday 10/8/24
We left about 9:15am, a few days early to avoid the hurricane and since the parks will be closed for 1.5 days on Wednesday afternoon and all day Thursday. Our original plans had us staying until Friday.

We stopped at Buc-ee’s about 10:20. Scott got a few items he ate while driving.

He had a sausage, egg, and cheese biscuit which he enjoyed



He also had a brisket sandwich that he also enjoyed.




The praline pecans made it home to New Jersey and we snacked on them another time. Also very tasty.


Buc-ee’s is a cute stop. If it’s not too crowded we’ll stop there. The bathrooms are clean. They have a nice selection of food, for a quick fast food type stop it’s pretty good.

 

[Noreen411]

Tuesday 10/8/24 Continued
There was a ton of traffic.

We stopped in Florence, South Carolina for the night and booked a room at Fairfield Inn & Suites, Florence, SC.

We headed out for dinner and drove to Tubbs Seafood and Shrimp on the recommendation from the hotel, but it looked like a dive so we didn’t go in. Maybe we’re missing out on a great local place, but we didn’t want to chance it knowing we have a long drive tomorrow to get home.

We ended up at Outback since you know what you are getting with a chain place. We sat at the bar to eat.


Scott had a Bourbon and I had a Kangaroo Krush: Cruzan Passion Fruit Rum, orange liqueur, blood orange sour, mango and club soda. Garnished with a Kangaroo to keep. My drink was pretty good, not my favorite drink of the trip, but good. The little kangaroo will go nicely with my duck from the Duck Duck Razz drink.



It’s Outback so the bread is always good.


We shared the food we ordered.

We had a Prime Rib Sandwich: Tender, slow-roasted prime rib, grilled onions, mushrooms, provolone cheese, spicy signature bloom sauce, toasted baguette, French onion au jus, creamy horseradish sauce. Of course we said we don’t want the sauce and asked for the fries to be Aussie fries. They brought the sauce on the side. The sandwich was just OK but the fries were great.


We also ordered the Twin Reefs shrimp: Dive into deliciousness with our crispy breaded shrimp paired with buttery garlic shrimp scampi. Served with your choice of one side. We chose broccoli to add some veggies to the meal. This was the better entree, although the Aussie fries were the better side. Kind of hard for broccoli to compete with fries. The broccoli was good too.


For dessert we had the Tim Tam Brownie Cake: chocolate brownie, peanut butter and chocolate mousse, caramel sauce, Arnold’s Tim Tam cookies. This was just OK, there was too much going on in it.


We enjoyed our meal at Outback, it’s predictable and good.

 

[Noreen411]

Wednesday 10/9/24
We had breakfast at the hotel where they had a cute set up and a nice selection. You know I was happy when I saw the waffle maker.






This was my breakfast and it was very good.


This was Scott’s breakfast which he enjoyed too.


We got on the road to finish the drive home. There was still tons of traffic.

At one of the rest stops we got an Auntie Anne’s pretzel which we enjoyed. I haven’t had a pretzel from Auntie Anne’s in ages.


Since it was taking so long to get home, we stopped at Applebees in Paramus, New Jersey (maybe 30 minutes from home) when we passed it.



Scott had a Martini and I had a Peach Palmer: Classic Arnold Palmer, with Bulleit Bourbon and Peach Schnapps. Imagine my surprise seeing a drink similar to what I was enjoying in South Carolina here in NJ. It probably has always been on the menu but I never paid attention before. It was very good.



We ordered our food to go. A quesadilla appetizer and an order of Ribs with fries. I forgot to take a picture of the food when we ate it at home, but it was standard Applebees food. It’s a chain place so pretty consistent.

We were happy to get home after all the traffic.

 

[Noreen411]

Thursday 10/10/24
Trying to keep the vacation vibe going, even though we cared for those after vacation chores, we still tried to do some fun things. Of course, the kitties got plenty of extra attention.

We went to dinner at Biagio’s in Paramus, New Jersey (about 30 minutes from home). This is a cute Italian restaurant that we go to regularly, sit at the bar to eat, know the bartenders and many of the people that work there as well as some of the regular customers. It’s not fancy but it’s always good.

Scott had Bourbon and I had a White Sangria. They make the best white sangria here.


For an appetizer we had the fried calamari which is always well cooked, crispy, and not greasy.


They have great bread too


We have some favorites on their regular menu that they do very well. But sometimes we’ll venture into the “specials” if they sound interesting. We haven’t always been thrilled with the specials but we keep trying.

I ordered from the special menu tonight. Homemade Pumpkin Spiced Rigatoni: Diced grilled chicken, sautéed spinach, harvest sage cream sauce. This was OK, but not something I would order again.


Scott also ordered one of the specials. Long Island Duck Breast: Dry fruit, port wine fig sauce, balsamic glaze. He liked his duck special.


We ordered a piece of cake for dessert to go since we were full. It was a raspberry and white chocolate cake and was very good.



We always enjoy Biagio’s.

 

[Noreen411]

Friday 10/11/24
I am totally slacking with this day. I don’t have any notes or pictures of what we ate other than today was the day we had the Snickerdoodle muffin. This was great even after making the trip home to NJ with us. I’m definitely looking forward to getting another one of these next time we’re in Disney.

 

[Noreen411]

Saturday 10/12/24
OK, I have notes and pictures from this day.

We went out to dinner at Giulio’s, an Italian restaurant in Tappan, NY that we like. We know the owner, the bartenders, some of the workers and a few of the regular customers here too so it’s always a good time.

We sat at the bar as we like to do.


Scott had a Martini. I was telling the bartender about the Peach Palmer drink I had in South Carolina and really liked so he made me his version of it. This was good and a bit of an experiment as he made it, we tasted it, then added a bit more of this or that until it was perfect. It wasn’t exactly like what I had in SC, but was a good enjoyable different version of the drink.


We shared everything we ordered.

One appetizer was Asparagus Parmigiana: lightly breaded with mozzarella and lemon wine sauce. It sounds odd but is really good and a very easy way to eat vegetables.


The second appetizer was the Clams Oreganato: Little neck clams, bread crumbs, herbs, and olive oil. Another solid appetizer.


Their bread is very good, served warm. They also serve a plate with things like cheese, salami, a pesto like dip but we don’t like those items so tell them to hold that little plate; we’ll just enjoy the bread with butter.


For an entree we shared the veal parmigiana with penne meat sauce. This is one of our favorite entrees here. They split it for us in the kitchen so this is just half the order.




We ordered two different desserts since we couldn’t decide.

The first one is the Coconut Cake. It’s not that photogenic, but it’s really delicious and my favorite dessert on their dessert tray.


Then we also had the Tiramisu. Scott loves Tiramisu so likes to order it when he sees it. I took a bite and it’s good but since I love the coconut cake I ate more of that and Scott ate more of the Tiramisu.


A good time with good food at Giulio’s

 

[Noreen411]

Sunday 10/13/24
We did something we don’t do very often at home, we went out for breakfast. Nothing fancy, we just went to a diner, Tom Sawyer Diner.

I had the Pumpkin Waffle: topped with pecans, maple-Apple syrup and powdered sugar. This was good but there were way too many nuts on top which I pushed off and I preferred the regular syrup over the special maple-apple syrup. Once I removed the nuts I thought it was great. It was a seasonal special waffle.


Scott had the Lumberjack breakfast: Pancakes or French toast with bacon, ham, sausage and eggs. He enjoyed this.


We enjoyed going out to breakfast and decided we should try to do that more often

 

[Noreen411]

Random Thoughts and some ranking
While we made Disney dinner reservations 60 days out for each night other than the first night we arrived in Florida, we made a lot of changes to our dining plans as we went. I booked dinners for 12 nights starting Sunday 9/29 (day after we arrived in FL) through and including Thursday 10/10. I checked back to what I originally booked and compared that to where we actually ate and the only dinner reservations that we kept as originally booked were: Boathouse 9/29, Narcoossee’s 9/30, and Yachtsman’s steakhouse 10/1. All the other meals we cancelled the original reservations and booked new ones as we went; availability would change constantly. A few of the meals we walked in without a reservation. I wanted to compare to what I originally booked more as a reminder to myself not to stress if I can’t get certain reservations when I’m looking 60 days out since availability changes (even for popular restaurants) and we can make changes on the fly. This worked well for us. I don’t think I would go without booking dinner reservations in advance but knowing I can change them as we go makes it less stressful. With our plans changing and us leaving Florida early due to Hurricane Milton, maybe we would have kept another one of two of our previously booked dinners.

As we were driving home we started talking about the different meals we had and ranking them. There were some surprises. We had a little notebook with us in the car and I started making lists (I know a bit old fashioned but it was fun).

When we thought abut the restaurants overall that we enjoyed the most we came up with these as our top ranked 5 restaurants:
1: The Boathouse at Disney Springs
2: Narcoossee’s at the Grand Floridian
3: Yachtsman’s Steakhouse at the Yacht Club
4: Flying Fish at the Boardwalk
5: Trattoria al Forno at the Boardwalk

For the South Carolina portion of our trip our top restaurant was Frankie Bones

We started with the various desserts since who doesn’t like dessert. Our top ranked desserts:
1: Chocolate Cake at Yachtsman’s Steakhouse at the Yacht Club
2: Bread Pudding at Sebastian’s Bistro at Caribbean Beach Resort
3: Almond Crusted Cheesecake at Narcoossee’s at the Grand Floridian

For the South Carolina portion of our trip, the top dessert was the Carrot Cake at Frankie Bones

Our top ranked appetizers:
1: Sea of Cortez Shrimp at the Boathouse at Disney Springs
2: Shrimp and Grits at Narcoossee’s at the Grand Floridian
3: Shrimp Cocktail at Yachtsman’s Steakhouse at the Yacht Club

For the South Carolina portion of our trip, the top appetizer was the Spinach Salad at Frankie Bones

Our top ranked entrees:
1: Lobster Tails at Narcoossee’s at the Grand Floridian
2: Filet Sliders at the Boathouse at Disney Springs
3: Seafood Pasta at Flying Fish at the Boardwalk
4: Blackened Redfish at Narcoossee’s at the Grand Floridian
5: Chicken at Yachtsman’s Steakhouse at the Yacht Club

For the South Carolina portion of our trip, the top entree was the Lobster Mac & Cheese at Frankie Bones

We talked about the various snacks/treats
Scott’s favorite was the chocolate dipped chocolate chip Mickey Mouse cookie from the Confectionary on Main Street in the Magic Kingdom
My favorite was the Snickerdoodle muffin from the Boardwalk bakery

While Scott’s normal beverage didn’t vary much since he usually stuck to a Martini or Bourbon, he didn’t rank his drinks. Since I tried various cocktails, I ranked my favorites:
1: Hoodunit’s Punch from Abracadabar at the Boardwalk
2: Key Lime Pie Martini from Crews Cup Lounge at the Yacht Club
3: Banana Cabana at Banana Cabana at Caribbean Beach Resort
4: Duck Duck Razz at the Boathouse at Disney Springs

For the South Carolina portion of the trip, no surprise since I had it multiple times with slightly different variations, but I really liked the Peach Palmer drink.

We enjoyed thinking through the ranking of the various meals.

 

[Noreen411]

Final Thoughts
This was a good trip. We always enjoy Disney. It was fun spending time in Hilton Head, South Carolina.

While our plans changed due to the two hurricanes, we always have a good time being together. I know the hurricanes were devastating for many and I feel terrible about that and hope everyone that needs to is able to rebuild and put their lives back together quickly. I don’t mean any of my hurricane comments to sounds like a complaint since we only had to re-arrange our vacation a bit.

We tried some new restaurants and still have some favorites. It seems to happen often but some prior favorites weren’t as good as they used to be, hopefully just a fluke. All places can have an off night.

While I know I’ll start off booking reservations 60 days in advance of our next trip I will try not to stress if I don’t get all the restaurants I want since we often change our plans as we go.

If you have any comments or questions, please reply. I love talking about Disney and vacations in general.

 

[ThreeBoyMama]

I always really enjoy your reports and seeing a mix of Disney and non-Disney food! You guys seem like you have so much fun together. Also love that you kept the vacation vibe going even after you got home—you were entitled to a couple more days after all!

 

[erinch]

Loved your report!

 

[2xcited2sleep]

Great report, as always. Totally agree with your assessment that while good to make reservations at 60 days out as a foundation, a lot really does open up on the day of and it's very possible to find openings at the last minute. The bar at Flying Fish is one of my absolute favorite places to dine. The bartenders are fantastic and I've had some really fun conversations with other guests. Yachtsman is another favorite. I could make a meal out of those onion rolls alone but am making a mental note to try the chicken next time. A friend tried the Key Lime martini at Crews Cup last month and was raving about it. I'm already looking forward to your next report, whenever that may be!

 

[mi*vida*loca]

I always enjoy your reports. I enjoyed your final run down. You guys seem to have a good balance of parks and relaxation. Your local places looked so good too, especially Giulio’s. Can’t wait to read your next one!

 

[Stacybaeasm]

I got behind on your report due to the holidays but I'm all caught up. I'm glad you got out before Milton. Both Helene and Milton were nasty.

I have to be honest - I don't understand deconstructed desserts (that vanilla cheesecake and something else). I like my dessert to be whole and look like cake. I still haven't tried Gideons but each time I think about it, I find something else to do. I think that is a sign that I'm not that keen on it. I do want to try the cookies at Summerhouse though.

You and I have very similar tastes in cocktails. If I get back to Jersey to work, I'll have to look you up and go have a cocktail. Hope you had a great Christmas and New Year.