Dining reviews (no pics): One Gluten Free, One Gluten-ful

[DisneyNoob13]

Just returned from 8 days at CSR. I will be posting reviews to the following restaurants:

Citrico's (D)
Kouzzina (B)
Food and Wine
Backlot Express (L)
Artist Point (D)
Crystal Palace (B)
Columbia Harbor House (L)
Tutto Italia (L)
Sunshine Seasons (D)- Bonus Coverage Emeril's Lunch
Flame Tree (L)
Jiko (D)
Pepper Market (B)
La Cantina de San Angel (L)
Narcoossee's (D)

I am the Gluten Free one while my DW ate gluten whenever she could! I was going to try and do pics, but I felt way too conspicuous taking pictures of my plates...so I chickened out. Thanks in advance for anyone who follows along and I'd be happy to answer any questions.

 

[DisneyNoob13]

Citricos (Saturday, 11-12, 6:20pm)

Arrived right on time and were seated immediately. Michael was our server and Chef David came out pretty quickly to address my allergy. He started by asking if there were anything on the menu that caught my eye. I opted for the Oak Grilled Filet and my DW had the Black Grouper dish (which is kind of opposite of how we usually order). The filet dish needed no alterations for and while we waited we were served rolls (Ener-G for me).

My wife enjoyed the grouper and my filet came out a perfect medium. The peppers in the dish add some heat and worked well with the potatoes. We had the DDP, so we had dessert as well. I had the tropical fruit creme brulee (I get my fix of this at Disney!) and DW had an Apple Cranberry Cobbler. Hers came with cinnamon ice cream IIRC and she really liked it. Mine was very good as well and was almost like a palate cleanser in the end.

Great start to the trip and certainly worth the two credits! Would we go back? Most definitely!

 

[st4rrab0vemybed]

Great start so far, and looking forward to your reviews! The tropical fruit creme brulee sounds heavenly.

 

[DisneyNoob13]

Great start so far, and looking forward to your reviews! The tropical fruit creme brulee sounds heavenly.

Thanks for checking in...Very seldom can you have a bad creme brulee!

 

[DisneyNoob13]

Kouzzina (Sunday, 11-13, 8:55am)

We got to the Boardwalk a little early and strolled around...nice morning. We headed in about 10 minutes early and again were seated right away.

Our server was Melissa and Chef Brad came out to talk about the menu with me. I again went with an easy choice for them as I had the Breakfast Skillet. It includes peppers, onions, bacon, cheese, potatoes and is topped with arugula. I wondered about the arugula but it really added a nice element to the dish. DW opted for the waffle with mascarpone, honey and pecans with bacon. She said it was very good as well. We had some coffee to wrap things up and it was a very nice start to the day. For a Sunday morning, there were plenty of empty tables, so I imagine walk ups might be very possible, at least this day.

Would we go back? Probably

Next up: A F&W synopsis

 

[DisneyNoob13]

Epcot Food and Wine (Sunday, 11-13)

I'll just kind of list off what we tried. I had found info here and elsewhere as what was purported to be GF. I had no issues, although I could have had a problem at South Africa. For some reason I was thinking the beef dish was GF, and right before I started eating, I double checked my notes and found that it wasn't with the sauce. So DW got a bonus snack!

Australia: Shrimp on the Barbie (GF...it was ok, nothing special)
Argentina: Grilled Beef Skewer (GF...probably the best thing I had)
Scandinavia: Rice Pudding (GF...Like Creme Brulee...can't get enough of this!)
South Africa: Seared Beef (DW said it was very good)
Germany: Sausage/pretzel roll, Apple Strudel (both good, strudel would win out here)
Poland: Golabki (GF I think...no issues, it was fine, kind of slimy)
Italy: Ravioli (I'm guessing she liked it as it was gone in a flash! )
Hops: Lobster Roll (She liked this...not too creamy)
Singapore: Beef Rendang (GF...had some nice spice, I liked it fine)
Portugal: Linguica Sausage (GF I think...couldn't confirm, but it looked fine and I had no issues...very spicy but good!)
Ireland: Lava Cake (GF...good, but tiny, I think I laughed out loud when I saw how small it was!)
Canada: Chicken Chipotle Sausage (Another GF gamble, but again it seemed ok for me...another one I liked pretty well)

Greece was out of the cheese which I was looking forward to, but it was the last day. My wife tried wines from Italy, South Africa, Argentina and the sangria from Morocco. I believe it was only the Argentina one that under-whelmed her.

This was a lot of fun and I'm glad we'll be there next year during this time as well. It's a little difficult getting definitive gluten free info, but there was enough out there that I felt I could make an educated guess on the items.

 

[DisneyNoob13]

Backlot Express (Lunch, Monday, 11-14)

We walked in around Noon on Monday and I spoke to the cashier and explained my allergy. She quickly radioed for a manager who came to speak with me. She explained my options and showed me their ingredient notebook if I were interested. I had known they had Ener-G rolls, so I went for the Bacon Cheeseburger and my wife had the same. They have a designated fryer for the fries so it was nice to have a meal similar to gluten folks. Both our meals are what you would expect and more than hit the spot. The bun is a little smaller than the burger for GF, so it was a little messy, but not too bad. I had the GF brownie for dessert (French Meadow) and my wife had marble cheesecake (which she wasn't thrilled with).

Would I go back? Definitely

 

[DisneyNoob13]

Artist Point - (Monday, 11-14, 7:20pm)

After wandering about the lobby of the Wilderness Lodge, we headed up about a half hour early for our reservation (expecting to just grab a drink in the lounge and wait). However, we were pleasantly surprised to be seated after only a few minutes. Our server was Sean and Chef Marco came to the table to discuss my options. I really considered several things, but in the end, I went with the signature Salmon dish for an entree. My wife had the Buffalo Strip Loin. Since she had a glass of Cab, I figured I'd ask about the mushroom soup I had heard so much about. He said he would make the necessary tweaks to ensure it was GF (I believe all that needed to be done was having croutons not added on top). It was AWESOME! I'm a big mushroom guy and the earthiness of this was fantastic with some Ener-G rolls to mop the bowl dry!

The entrees were right on point as well. The Buffalo was recommended to be no more cooked than med-rare and it came out beautifully. The salmon was very moist and just fell apart as I ate. For dessert, DW had the berry cobbler with homemade blackberry ice cream (she's a sucker for cobbler like I am for creme brulee!) and of course, I had the vanilla creme brulee. I believe it comes with a biscotti normally and they changed up the presentation to include some fresh berries. Very nice complement to the sweet of the vanilla. We finished it off with a cup of coffee and waddled away quite impressed.

Would we return? Without a doubt. Service was sharp without being obtrusive and even though we were out pretty quickly for a signature dining experience, we at no point felt rushed.

 

[DisneyNoob13]

Crystal Palace (Tue, 11-15, 8:30am)

We got inside MK at 8 and were seated early, about 8:15 for breakfast. Pooh had actually already gone past our table, but we did see the other three characters during our dining. We went for the characters more than the food. MY allergy wasn't acknowledged here and with the chaos of the characters and the restaurant opening, I kind of went on my own. I had the frittata and plenty of bacon and sausage and some fruit. DW tried a little bit of everything...it was buffet food we felt. Nothing horrible, nothing memorable.

Would we return? Maybe...

 

[DisneyNoob13]

Columbia Harbor House (Tuesday, 11-15)

We snacked on some ice cream in the late morning after our underwhleming breakfast. We stopped in here for lunch, probably around 1:30 or so. There was a lady answering questions and directing traffic (neglected to note her name) and I told her of my allergy. I believe she was a manager and immediately walked me to the register and went over my options. GF chicken nuggets is one thing they offer here, but I was really ready for a salad. The Broccoli/Chicken salad is GF and the manager went back and prepared it herself. DW had the shrimp/fish basket with fries. I had the GF brownie for dessert (choc cake for DW). All the food was very good and fresh tasting, the upstairs relatively quiet for eating. We ate here a couple times in January and really liked the layout and the food has always been good.

Would we return? Definitely

 

[DisneyNoob13]

Tutto Italia (Wed, 11-16, 1:20pm)

My wife loved this place when we were here in January so this was a must repeat for her. I was a little more on the meh side. The fact that it the meal was served in about 10 minutes removed the illusion that it was a freshly prepared meal.

Anyway, we were seated promptly and our server Luisa greeted us and took drink orders. Tea and mineral water were our choices for today and when Luisa left a manager came to discuss my options. We paid OOP for this one, so we weren't interested in dessert. I had seen pictures of the big antipasto misto platter (serves 2) and thought it looked interesting and would likely be full of stuff I could eat. The manager agreed and that was my order. My wife had the farfalle dish (cream sauce, peas, prosciutto) which was what she had in January.

They brought out bread and this is one area where Tutto fails in comparison. The only GF offering they had were (IMO) the very poor quality GF breads (compared to the Ener-G roll which everyone else seems to have). Throw in that what I was brought was lightly warmed (and VERY dry) cinnamon raisin (doesn't exactly scream Italian) and it was pretty disappointing. The entrees came out (about 10 minutes) and as usual my wife loved hers. The platter I had was nice as it featured artichoke hearts, two kinds of salami, mortadella, prosciutto, two mozz balls, gorgonzola, red peppers, olives, marinated mushrooms, bean salad and probably some things I'm forgetting. Very good, not sure I'd get it again for $28 though. Overall, it was a fine meal, but again to me, nothing memorable.

Would we return? Maybe...I think next trip I'd like to move on from this one but it depends on DW!

 

[DisneyNoob13]

Sunshine Seasons (Thursday, 11-17 dinner)

Pretty simple meal here as we both had the 1/2 rotisserie chicken with rice. GF brownie for me and Strawberry shortcake for DW. Fine meal (as it was last time we were here).

Would we return? Definitely


Bonus coverage...Lunch at Emeril's at Universal City Walk

We did the HP stuff which was our primary morning goal at IOA, so on our way to US, we decided to stop in and have lunch at Emeril's.

They were a little more thrown my my allergy than Disney is, as I'm sure they don't have as many situations do have to cover. However, the server spoke with the chef and they told me some of the dishes that I could have with no adjusting. I ended up with Brick Roasted Chicken with lemon and thyme with potatoes. It was awesome and was the equivalent in price to what you might get in the parks. DW had the shrimp and grits and she was very happy as well. I had eaten here pre-allergy and it was great as well. Did miss out on not having gumbo this time however...

 

[pumba]

Even without the photos, I can envision your meals and what you had and ate....Thank you so much for your reviews....

When we were at Tutto Italia, I being a diabetic didnt want any pasta meals and I opted for the strip steak, name leaves me ...but it was delicious...I love it there..

Your F & W options at Germany were what I always loved.....the apple streudel is delicious.....did they do the cream sauce on top>>???

Thanks again for your reviews

 

[DisneyNoob13]

Even without the photos, I can envision your meals and what you had and ate....Thank you so much for your reviews....

When we were at Tutto Italia, I being a diabetic didnt want any pasta meals and I opted for the strip steak, name leaves me ...but it was delicious...I love it there..

Your F & W options at Germany were what I always loved.....the apple streudel is delicious.....did they do the cream sauce on top>>???

Thanks again for your reviews

Thanks! They did have the sauce on top of the streudel...it's something my wife still likes to mention!

 

[DisneyNoob13]

Flame Tree BBQ (Lunch, Friday, Nov 18)

I've been lax in finishing up my reviews!

I knew from previous experience that this was a good place for me and my allergy. I knew what I wanted and what was ok, so I went and ordered without any kind of consultation. As soon as I mentioned I wanted a GF brownie for my dessert, that raised the red flag and they had a chef come talk to me. He agreed with what I chose (Rib/Chicken plate) and did mention that the means were NOT GF. The bad ingredient is the worcestershire sauce they use. DW got the same meal and I just swapped my beans for her coleslaw.

The brownies were a new brand that is possibly replacing French Meadow. The brand was "OMG (it's gluten free...)". They seemed a bit heavier and less moist than the FM...they were also a bit larger I believe. Very good, more fudge like it seemed. The meal itself was fine...good lunch fare and at least this time we weren't accosted by the birds as much as we were last January.

Will we return? Yes

 

[DisneyNoob13]

Jiko (6:20pm, Friday, November 18)

We showed up about 10-15 minutes early for reservation after perusing the AKL and watching the animals. We were seated within 5 minutes of arriving. They noted our anniversary buttons and the hostess brought us a card signed by some of the cast members...really nice!

Our server was Hassan and he was outstanding! Because they have a dedicated GF menu it makes it a lot easier to order here...but I did neglect to write down the chef's name.

DW got her standard class of Cabernet (Warwick) and really enjoyed it. I started with a soup of Sweet Potato, Pineapple and Red pepper. Very good...a little heat from the pepper to cut the sweetness...very creamy!
DW went with the Oak Grilled Filet for her entree and it was cooked perfectly. I went with the Maize crusted Corvina. Both meals were outstanding and to this point may have been the best of the trip.

For dessert, DW opted for the Madagascar Cheesecake. She said it was fine, although the graham cracker cookie bottom (separate piece so it can be made GF) seemed a little clunky to her. They had a parsnip creme brulee with holiday spices and I just had to try that. Hassan said people likened it to pumpkin pie....and that's exactly how it tasted! It was something I wouldn't have expected and was very glad I tried it.

Would we return? Without a doubt...

 

[Aurora D]

Glad you had such a great meal! Parsnip creme brulee? Sounds like something they'd make on Chopped with strange combinations but if it tasted like pumpkin pie...Yum!

 

[st4rrab0vemybed]

Glad you had such a great meal! Parsnip creme brulee? Sounds like something they'd make on Chopped with strange combinations but if it tasted like pumpkin pie...Yum!

Chopped or Sweet Genius, even. Sounds like it was a hit though, and I'd def. be interested in trying it.

The rest of your meal at Jiko sounds quite yummy as well, esp. the soup.

 

[Belle5]

I found your reviews to be very helpful as we may be traveling with a GF diner next trip!