Down the Rabbit Hole – a Vegan Alice and Omnivore Mad Hatter Taste Wonderland

[bookworm0312]

Have you had Boma for dinner before? I would love to know what makes it different from other Buffets...would the food be similar to Tusker House's buffet?

Yes, I would definitely compare it to Tusker House. It's very good!!

 

[mandibc11]

Yes - we really liked Kona Cafe. It was a last minute decision for us during our last day...before heading to the airport. We just walked in. Even with it being spur of the moment, the chef was able to make an Asian noodle dish with tofu for me. It was really good! The only thing I didn't care for too much was the atmosphere of the place - it's right off the lobby and pretty open to people walking by. But other than that, the food was great!

 

[mandibc11]

Yes, I would definitely compare it to Tusker House. It's very good!!

Well then I'm definitely in! That food was incredible! Different from the normal Disney buffet for sure, and so many options for every type of eater!

 

[VeganRazzleDazzle]

Yes - we really liked Kona Cafe. It was a last minute decision for us during our last day...before heading to the airport. We just walked in. Even with it being spur of the moment, the chef was able to make an Asian noodle dish with tofu for me. It was really good! The only thing I didn't care for too much was the atmosphere of the place - it's right off the lobby and pretty open to people walking by. But other than that, the food was great!

Any chance they were able to make the Chocolate Fondue Vegan for you???? Sorry, I had to ask!

 

[mandibc11]

Chocolate Fondue!! I didn't even know that existed there! We weren't on the dining plan any more, since it was our last day, so sadly, we didn't get any dessert. You will DEFINITELY have to report back to me on the fondue though!

But you know, the dessert I got at Ohana was fruit with a chocolate fondue dipping sauce...I'm sure it was the exact same thing - I mean what are they like, 20 feet apart? Surely they could go over to Ohana and grab you some chocolate at the least!

 

[VeganRazzleDazzle]

Chocolate Fondue!! I didn't even know that existed there! We weren't on the dining plan any more, since it was our last day, so sadly, we didn't get any dessert. You will DEFINITELY have to report back to me on the fondue though!

But you know, the dessert I got at Ohana was fruit with a chocolate fondue dipping sauce...I'm sure it was the exact same thing - I mean what are they like, 20 feet apart? Surely they could go over to Ohana and grab you some chocolate at the least!

I sure hope they can, and I'm going to make sure to ask prior to my meal to give them some extra time to figure it out!!

 

[mandibc11]

As we were making our way to Expedition Everest for the second time that morning, Jeremy decided it was time for a nosh. He had been eyeing something in particular the entire day, and finally stopped at a little cart in Asia to pick himself up a Mickey Ice Cream Sandwich!

It definitely looked delicious, filled with Cookis and Cream ice cream. He devoured it in only a few moments as we sat in the shade and cooled off from a morning spent bobbing and weaving in the crowds!

They had Strawberry Bars that I was tempted to get, but I decided I wanted to wait and save my appetite for our lunch at Tusker House!

 

[VeganRazzleDazzle]

Love your shirt!

P.S. I just added The Wave instead of my 2nd Ohana, but if Chef TJ isnt there the first Ohana night then I may have to change it last minute.

 

[CampbellScot]

I had to laugh that y'all went to Beaches and Cream to end your day on a sweeter note! We did the exact same thing! I'm going to have to agree on the Rice Dream...it's was just meh for me.

Boma is the BEST place for breakfast! Especially if you are rocking the Vegan lifestyle!! Quinoa is so good. I eat it regularly...even my husband enjoys it!! We found everyone at that restaurant to be so kind and willing to accommodate us in any way. We stayed at AKL our last trip and were able to eat at Boma three different times!!

lastly...I LOVE your Rescue Rangers tee!! Is that a Junk Food tee or did you find at Disney? I'm on the hunt now!!!

keep em' coming!!

 

[mandibc11]

Love your shirt!

P.S. I just added The Wave instead of my 2nd Ohana, but if Chef TJ isnt there the first Ohana night then I may have to change it last minute.

Oh that's awesome! I say you call and ask for his schedule! From everything I've read, he's off on the weekends...I think it was just a fluke that I didn't get him when we went on a Monday! I'm excited you're going to try The Wave though - it really looks like they would be SUPER accommodating!

Thanks!! It's actually a Disney Couture tee - my lovely husband bought it for me for our 8 month anniversary! How cute is that?! There are so many Junk Food shirts that I love though - I just wish they weren't $30 a pop!

 

[MelanieC]

Have you had Boma for dinner before? I would love to know what makes it different from other Buffets...would the food be similar to Tusker House's buffet? I'm not generally a buffet person, unless it comes to breakfast...but I'm very intriqued by Boma!

Boma is like Tusker House on Steroids


Seriously, it's my favorite place to eat in all of WDW. Chef TJ used to work there in fact before going over to Boma. I had the pleasure to meet him one time back in 2005 when I did the Disney 1/2 Marathon and went to lunch with a vegan. It's a great place with lots of vegan options!!!

 

[mandibc11]

We arrived early for our reservations by about 15 minutes, and I’m really glad we did because it was packed! There was a huge line even for people with ADRs…they just gave everyone pagers to let them know when a table was available. Jeremy waited in line while I found a seat outside for us. About 15 minutes later he had a pager, and another 10 minutes after that we were seated. So…all in all it wasn’t so bad!

We were seated a little out of the way in a side room away from the buffet, which was nice because this place is big and a bit loud. Our server took forever getting to us, and when she did she turned out to be the loud, annoying type that loves to talk…a lot. BUT, she took our drink order and quickly went to get a chef.

He showed up right after this, and must get special diet requests all the time because he really knew the drill! He took us around to each station, showing us the meats (for Jeremy), the vegetarian selections, kid section, breads and sauces, and desserts. There were actually a ton of foods for me and I was really anxious to get started! He told me I wouldn’t be able to have any of the desserts, but that when I was finished with my meal to just let the server know and he would take care of me! Now THAT made me excited.

Jeremy and I quickly grabbed plates and began loaded them down. I didn’t even know where to begin!

I thought my plate turned out beautifully! Clockwise from the top I had: Pita and Hummus, Marrakesh Couscous, Tabbouleh, Vegetable Samosas, Fried Plantains, Pearl Couscous with Basil, Spiced Tandori Tofu, and in the middle a Mixed Dried Fruit Chutney.

All of this food was so delicious that I think I consumed the entire plate – I didn’t even have room to go up for more! The Fruit Chutney was probably my favorite, and I put it on everything from the Pita to the Samosas (which the chef swore up and down had not been cooked with meat products that particular day). Also, the Couscous was so flavorful and filling that I would have liked to get seconds of it as well, had there been any room left in my belly!

Jeremy’s plate was a little more interesting…

I think he saw the Kid’s section and suddenly had nostalgic cravings that sent him back to his childhood. His rather yellow looking plate contained Cornbread, Filet of Salmon, Corndog Nuggets, TONS of Mustard for the Corndogs, a Corn Medley, Vegetable Samosas, slices of American Cheese, and buried underneath it all was a pile of Mashed Potatoes.

He was in heaven, eating the cheese with the potatoes and dipping everything in mustard. There’s nothing like a buffet to bring out all of your food quirks!

We were both stuffed and didn’t go up for seconds, but Jeremy went to grab his dessert while I waited for our practically non-existent waitress.

I failed to take pictures of his dessert plate, which is a shame as it was reminiscent of a tea party with all the miniature confections. I got a few snaps of the dessert section of the buffet though, which contained the items he chose.

He had sampled what appeared to be a Strawberry Tart but was actually a Strawberry Mousse in a Thin Chocolate Shell. Also on his plate was a Mini Orange Tart and a Brownie. He liked them all, but preferred the Strawberry Mousse because of the lightness after such a filling meal.

Out came mine and I have to say – this may have been my favorite dessert thus far!

Not only did the laden plate contain 2 huge Divvies Chocolate Chip cookies, and two mini Enjoy Life Chocolate Chip Cookies, but there was Fresh Fruit which included a piece of artwork that turned out to be an apple! He brought all this out, along with two more packs of the Enjoy Life Cookies. I was a happy girl.

I couldn’t eat hardly any of it though, wrapped up the cookies in a napkin, took the packaged of other treats, and stuck them in my bag. I had to save them for sometime in the near future when I was certain I would crave them!

 

[AMadHatterMyself]

My beautiful wife set you strait on the need for Boma to be on your list of restaurants to enjoy...especially for Breakfast! Personally, I really enjoyed the entire experience of Animal Kingdom Lodge and Animal Kingdom itself. Now, not to trample the good name of the Magic Kingdom (for it holds a special place in my heart that will never be trumped), but my Animal Kingdom was my favorite as a whole!

You just can't beat a place where you can fill your hat to the brim with a smorgasbord of delightful breakfast options. There simply wasn't anything bad on the buffet and I had a little bit of it all. I too am a fan of Quinoa so I would recommend a try yourself even if your first dash would be towards the meat station! If you happen to be solely a carnivore yourself take a step out of your teeth's comfort zone and try some of the Quinoa...trust me it will not be poison to your mouth and hey...you just might like it!

For Lunch it was to Tusker House...yet another beautiful display that the Hatter could fill his hat. ANd as my wife so eloquently put it, the inner child in me rushed to life as I saw everything from Corn dogs to Corn bread, PB & J, fish and meat! The Hatter sure had his fill at Tusker House!

The Chef was amazing and once again treated my wife with such respect and courtesy. She got exactly what she wanted and was able to stuff her vegan chompers to her hearts content! And my favorite is that they didn't forget the dessert! Mandi had been searching for the place that would give her Divvies and she found the grail! And I think there is still one pack at home that she is waiting for the opportune moment to sink her teeth into the delicious cookies!

As for the snack in Animal Kingdom, one of my favorite treats are ice cream sandwiches...so Oreo/cookies and cream ice cream sandwiches tend to make my eyes turn to hearts as the "Aaaaaooooogggggaaaaaa" sound comes from the cartoon of my life! It’s a great treat for a hot day and was a snack credit so it made the whole experience that much better!

Yours truly,
A full Hatted Hatter

 

[2kids2luv]

Thanks for all the great reviews. I've heard many good things about Tusker House that we'll have to try it next time. We're doing breakfast at Boma in December and are super excited. Sorry to hear of your bad experience at Restaurant Marrakesh. I've been debating switching Ohana or Coral Reef for there but will keep what we have thanks to your review.

 

[mandibc11]

Thanks for all the great reviews. I've heard many good things about Tusker House that we'll have to try it next time. We're doing breakfast at Boma in December and are super excited. Sorry to hear of your bad experience at Restaurant Marrakesh. I've been debating switching Ohana or Coral Reef for there but will keep what we have thanks to your review.

I'm so glad I was able to help change your mind about that! Vacations are too short to chance even ONE meal!

 

[mandibc11]

We wanted to watch Fantasmic! this evening, so we decided to have dinner at Hollywood Studios and make it simple. After a ride on the ferry from our resort, we were there and getting pretty hungry! But, we still had some time to kill and decided to ride a few rides while also trying to track down those elusive PhotoPass photographers one more time.

We checked into Sci Fi early, and I’m really glad we did, because they had lost our reservation! Luckily, I had my ADR confirmation number with me, so after giving that to her (she said it had been canceled…), she put us back on the list and we only had to wait about 20 minutes. It was really crowded, though!

We were taken back to our “car” in the back of the lot. Jeremy loved the atmosphere, which was exciting since I’ve always liked this restaurant, also. Our server came out quickly, and after seeing our dining ticket he went to get us some water and grab a chef.

Soon the chef was there, but he didn’t really seem to know what to do with me. He asked me what I would like to have…to which I replied by asking what they had available that I could eat. I really wasn’t that picky, I just needed to know my options. Of course, when he realized we were on the Deluxe Dining Plan, things became even more perplexing for him. He didn’t think there were any appetizers or desserts for me. Finally after looking over the menu for awhile with me, he pointed out that I could definitely have the Spinach dip. Then reconsidering, said the dairy could potentially be an issue for me, though…hmmm.

I pointed out that they probably had Tofutti Ice Cream, and his face lit up! But that only covered the drink order, because at Sci Fi Milkshakes are included as a non-alcoholic beverage on the dining plan (pretty awesome, huh?!)

We decided that I could have some fries as an app, and Jeremy ordered the Spinach Dip. Here goes another meal of complete opposites where our orders were concerned!

My French Fries came out, and while they didn’t look like anything fancy, I was hungry and they did the trick. Please accept my apologies for this absolutely horrendous picture!

Jeremy’s Spinach and Artichoke Dip looked really delicious. I had a few of the Tortilla chips, and had him ask the server if they had any salsa I could eat with them. Nope, no salsa…too bad. At least I had my fries and ketchup!

Our shakes actually came out after this, and they were delicious!!! I loved taking a sip of the Chocolate Tofutti Milkshake and then having a salty fry…can’t beat it! Jeremy got the Oreo Milkshake, but the photo didn’t turn out nearly as well, so I’m only showing mine.

When the meal came, we were both already full. An entire milkshake and appetizer is enough to make anyone stuffed, and I never have dessert-type foods before the real meal!

I had ordered the Marinated Tofu with the sauce on the side. It was pretty lip-smackingly good! It turned out to actually be a bit on the spicy side, which I love. The texture was good for tofu, as well. I hardly touched the rice because I was just so packed in with food at that point, but the little portion I had was also very flavorful.

Jeremy ordered the Smoked Baby Back Ribs. He was really excited about these, because it had been so long since he had indulged in something like this! I think he was somewhat disappointed though. But keep in mind, he was full as well (having consumed the entire plate of Spinach dip). Either way, I believe he mentioned that they were a little tough, not very “fall off the bone,” and fatty. The sauce was good though, which made up for it a bit. He literally didn’t touch the baked beans or green beans, so I’m not sure if he can comment about them.

Next up came dessert, and even though we had said we just weren’t going to order anything, the waiter talked us into getting it to-go. He seemed to really want us to also get Milkshakes for the dessert portion, but I just couldn't handle that much in one day! I was able to get the Fruit Salad, and Jeremy got the Peanut Butter Cake, but without ice cream since it would have been pure soup by the time Fantasmic was over. I regret that I didn’t get a picture of these either – I’ve failed you. BUT, the PB cake looked delicious, and the fruit was…fruit! Good fruit though, lots of grapes, pineapple and strawberries.

Our Out of Pocket total would have been 84.48. I think we would both go back in a heartbeat for the experience. And while I would get the Tofu again, I might also like to try their Veggie Burger, which I’ve heard is also very good. Jeremy would most likely branch out to something a bit different.

 

[butiflfeet]

Just signing on so I can read more of your fabulous reviews! Thanks for sharing!

 

[princessallegra]

So many great reviews! We really want to try Tusker House for lunch for sure. You guys are the cutest couple! I love you in your little Rescue Rangers/AK getup. Very cute!!

 

[MelanieC]

Not too bad at all at Sci Fi. I love Sci Fi, sure wish we were doing it this year........sigh!

 

[Joshua_me]

The only difference being that we walked out after the waiter told me I should have a "less annoying diet"...

that's exactly what he said.

^ Wow, CampbellScot...

Sorry to bring back the negative Marrakesh experience, but I'm just now reading this...

Had a server said that to me or a loved one, well.... there would have been some unpleasantness, to say the least...

I'm *shocked* a CM said this to you.....