F&W, Halloween & Christmas-and all the food in between! Updated 4/6

[Happyclarabelle]

I like the sound of coconut cream bars! Enjoying all your pics and comments.

 

[sbprincess]

Wednesday – November 7th (Dinner)

The plan for dinner was Boma. I have wanted to try dinner here for several years. But I always cancel the ADR at some point because I’m not sure Brian will like it. I had prepped him leading up to this though saying that I was sure he could find something and asking if he would just do it for me. He was completely on board and willing to try.

It had been a nice day but a little windy. And I don’t know if I mentioned, but Daylight Savings had ended on Sunday so the evenings were darker earlier for the last part of the trip. These two things meant that this evening, it was cold. We’re not cold weather people. We dream of the day that we can move to either Florida or somewhere else that winter only comes for a couple of weeks per year. Also, Brian was just in a mood. Not a bad mood really. As much as I love my husband, this is one thing he does that drives me crazy. Every once in a while, he does it. I can’t fully explain it in words. But it’s kind of like…there’s no pleasing him. Everything and everyone annoys him. It probably didn’t help that this was day #8 of us being together 24/7. Add in the cold, the crowds, etc….he was testy. I knew when we left the hotel room that this might not be my favorite evening. Boy, was I right.

What made me mad about the whole thing was that he knew how much I had been looking forward to this. He could have done two things: a) been honest before we left and told me that he really wasn’t feeling something so different or b) sucked it up and put on a good face for me. He didn’t really do either of those things. He acted like a giant ******, to tell you the truth. We drove to Boma, went all the way into the restaurant, checked in, and sat to wait. I might should have recognized it earlier, but I didn’t. Oh, and add in the fact that the election had taken place the day before. We’re just not very political. We had been overhearing political conversations all day. There was a large group waiting with us that all the adults were discussing politics and their kids were running rampant. Two of our least favorite things. We had been waiting for about 8 seconds when I looked over at Brian and could tell that if I didn’t do something, I was going to have an adult tantrum to deal with. He insisted that we stay. But I knew better. For everything Brian IS, an actor isn’t one. So as mad as it made me, I took the pager up to the hostess, told her we had changed our minds, and gave Brian a look as I walked by to go up the stairs.

I know I didn’t have to tell you all of that. I could have pretended that Wolfgang Puck Café was our plan all along. But that’s what happened. We all have snags in our vacation. Thinking back now, it still irritates me a little. But we did have decent night despite all of this. Here is the rest of the night…and the food!

Before we had even made it to the car, Brian was apologizing. I know he felt bad. But as much as I wanted to try Boma, I wanted to have an enjoyable evening more. So when we got in the car, I asked him where he wanted to go. I said that we could try a walk up anywhere he wanted, we could go into Orlando, whatever. He said he really wanted to go to Rose & Crown in Epcot. I had to retract my earlier statement about “anywhere” and told him that although there MIGHT be a chance we’d get in, I really wasn’t willing to risk it. I amended my offer to DTD or a resort restaurant. He chose Wolfgang Puck Express. By the time we got to DTD, we really were okay. I had accepted what happened and chose to get over it. Brian felt like an idiot and I agreed. I really wanted a sit down meal though. So we compromised by deciding to go to the Café. I knew they had the meatloaf that Brian wanted from WP Express. Luckily, the wait was only 10 or so minutes.

We were about an hour past our ADR time at Boma by the time we sat down. I was starving! I honestly don’t remember anything about the bread. I have no idea whether it was cold, warm, flavorful, bland, etc. I want to say we enjoyed it, but I can’t be sure!

Brian indeed ordered the meatloaf. It was wrapped in bacon and topped with onion straws. It came on top of mashed potatoes. He was in heaven.

I was in a comfort food kind of mood. All the stress of the evening made a nice, big, juicy hamburger and fries sound delicious. And it was. And cheese, bacon, lettuce, tomatoes…yum!

I’m pretty sure we used the dining plan on this meal. But we were stuffed so we only ordered one dessert. I make a very good carrot cake, if I do say so myself. Our server recommended the carrot cake, saying that he doesn’t like carrot cake normally but he loves theirs. Hmmm…but what if you do like carrot cake normally?? Well, we loved this one. The cake was very dense and moist, but we liked it. The frosting set it over the top though. So, so, so good! I remember that even between the two of us, we couldn’t finish it.

As crappy as our evening started out, we had a great meal at Wolfgang Puck Café. I don’t know that I would have even made an ADR outside of our circumstances. And I can’t really recommend that anyone go out of their way to eat here. But if you’re ever in a pickle and need a sit down in DTD, you can probably get a table here pretty quickly. And I can say that the food was pretty good and the service too.

Up next: Old Port Royale…again

 

[francis6306]

YAY!!! You returned! And today! I wasn't expecting that today! That game was pretty awesome today!

I'm surprised at how honest you were about that Boma event… But you are right- we've ALL been there with those type of nights! You learn to live with it somehow!

That meatloaf looks awesome! Too bad it's covered in bacon or I might try it! haha We loved WPE when we were there!

 

[sbprincess]

YAY!!! You returned! And today! I wasn't expecting that today! That game was pretty awesome today!

I'm surprised at how honest you were about that Boma event… But you are right- we've ALL been there with those type of nights! You learn to live with it somehow!

That meatloaf looks awesome! Too bad it's covered in bacon or I might try it! haha We loved WPE when we were there!

Yeah, well, it happened. No one is perfect. We had just reached that point where a tantrum was bound to happen. One of us will inevitably throw one every now and then. We have to make up for our lack of children somehow, right? I had to explain how we got to WPC. It's just not a choice I could justify otherwise.

The meatloaf is very good. And since meatloaf is one of Brian's favorite foods, the fact that he loves theirs so much says something. I'm sure you could ask for it without bacon!

 

[sbprincess]

Did I scare everyone away? Did you all give up on me? I am going to finish! Very soon - promise!

Thursday – November 8th (Breakfast)

So, the plan for our next to last day was to catch up on things we hadn’t had the chance to do yet. We just wanted a quick breakfast before we headed out to DHS. Old Port Royale had been okay so far. We might as well stick with it!

I chose a special item that morning. I think it was called a Cuban breakfast sandwich. It was white bread, ham, cheese, and eggs. It was okay. I think if they would have grilled the bread, like a Panini, it would have been much better. As it was, meh. It was fine. The breakfast potatoes we as they should be – hot, a little crispy, flavorful.

Brian really surprised me. He chose the Western Omelet, which had peppers, cheese, and ham. I’ve never seen him eat something like this for breakfast but he said he enjoyed it! I think we were both just a little bored with food in general by this point. I hate that this happens but sadly, it does. We need a "too much food" emoticon, right?!?!

And of course, he cannot seem to go one day without his beloved cheese Danish!

So, a decent meal at Old Port Royale overall. We only tried breakfast here over our 8 mornings. We were never truly disappointed but never quite blown away either. It was a tasty, convenient stop before heading out when we didn’t have other plans. Had we not been on the dining plan with ample credits, I’m not sure we would have utilized OPR quite as often. I do wish the coffee/beverage station would have been a little easier to maneuver around. But that isn’t an issue solely with OPR. It seems pretty consistent all over Property. Thinking ahead, I’m not sure we’ll ever eat here again. We liked CBR okay, but we didn’t fall in love. I’m glad we tried a moderate, but it is almost my least favorite from what I see of the others online. If we do stay at a moderate again, I would love to try Port Orleans French Quarter or Coronado Springs.

Up Next: Earl of Sandwich – again!!

 

[sbprincess]

Thursday – November 8th (Lunch)

Between breakfast and lunch, we went to DHS to catch up on what we had missed before. We stayed there for quite a while before heading to DTD for a little bit. Earl of Sandwich sounded perfect for lunch! We both just wanted something simple since we knew dinner was going to be big. Splitting a sandwich worked out perfectly. Rarely do Brian and I ever want the same thing when we go to a restaurant. Last night we were watching Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives and were laughing about how almost everything they showed that Brian drooled over didn’t appeal to me and vice versa. Brian loves simple “meat and potatoes” type foods. And while those foods are fine, I usually go for the different, ethnic choice.

Anyway…so we were both wanting the same sandwich. Was I wanting comfort food or was Brian wanting to branch out???

I wanted to taste the Holiday Sandwich, of course!! The only problem? I don’t like cranberry sauce. Actually, I don’t quite understand anyone wanting fruit on meat – ever. For as much as I like salty/sweet combinations with desserts (chocolate covered pretzels are one of my favorite desserts!), I don’t get it when it comes to dinner. But I had an idea. When we placed our order, I asked if they could leave the cranberry sauce off one half of the sandwich and wrap them separately. No problem – yea!!!

Okay, my verdict? Honestly, it was okay. I hate to say it, but I didn’t love it. I liked it. I might even get it again someday. And I guess I can see why it’s so popular. I mean, I do love dressing, turkey, gravy, etc. Maybe we were too far into the trip for me to appreciate how good it really was. I feel like I sound like a snob. It just didn’t wow me. Again, I did like it though.

Brian, on the other hand, loved it! But something to know about him – he LOVES Thanksgiving-type food. You know how around the holidays there are all kinds of ideas for Thanksgiving leftovers on Food Network, in magazines, etc.? I don’t have even the tiniest problem with leftovers. Brian will eat them until they’re gone, literally. He wants the same plate for lunch and dinner every.single.day for the 5-7 days they last. If he could have had a side of sweet potato casserole, green bean casserole, and a slice of pumpkin pie, the boy would have been in heaven!

Granted, it was no pumpkin pie, but we did get the brownie sandwich thing for dessert. This was tasty! Very rich with the chocolate on chocolate. We split this too and it was just enough.

I’m glad we decided to split this meal. And I was super happy they accommodated us with the cranberry sauce! We had one of my favorite meals coming up and this was just enough to hold us!

Up Next: Ohana

 

[sbprincess]

Thursday – November 8th (Dinner)

Our dinner ADR was very late for Ohana, like 8:30! They were completely booked every time I searched until just a few weeks out. So I took the first thing I came across and hoped for the best. We got to the Poly about 45 minutes early but they wouldn’t let us check in until we were within 10 minutes of the reservation time. That had never happened to me before. The restaurant was pretty busy though.

We roamed around and when we finally checked in, it was another 30 minutes before we sat down! But I love Ohana so much that I was willing to wait. Thinking back now, we should have gotten drinks at the bar but it didn’t occur to us at the time. I think we were just hungry.

Once we were seated though, all was forgotten (for me at least!). Our server grabbed the bread on the way to our table. Warm and yummy, as always!

Pretty quickly, out came the salad. I really do love this dressing! Did I hear it changed recently? Very sad, if so. But maybe the new stuff is good too?

Since we were both a little high strung after our wait, we decided drinks were necessary! Oh how I love the Lapu Lapu. I had been looking forward to this for months. I had planned to come get this whether we ate at Ohana or not. I think it’s a pretty strong drink for being such a novelty. One is always plenty for me…and for the price, that’s a good thing! Brian got his standard Long Island Iced Tea. I believe he may have had two, but I can’t remember.

Next up, pot-stickers and wings. I am a huge fan of pot-stickers, period. I have made them at home one time and will never do it again. It is so time consuming! I much prefer having someone else do it. I know these are cheaper and meant to fill you up but I love them. The wings are pretty good too.

The noodles and broccoli are the other items they hope to fill you up with. And they’re both delicious! I’m weird because I would probably pay the Ohana price for all the appetizer foods and let Brian gorge on all the meats. I love these noodles. I make something similar at home. Yum, so good!

Sorry for the following pictures of the meats. Looking at them is, admittedly, pretty gross. But for full disclosure, here they are. All the meats were good. Pork can often be overcooked and the same goes for chicken. Maybe it was the lapu lapu and LIT, but both Brian and I thought the meats were all cooked very well. I’m not a huge fan of the peel-and-eat shrimp. I just hate having to peel them myself. But they were tasty. The beef wasn’t overdone either. Slightly pink and very flavorful!

Pork:

Chicken:

Beef:

Shrimp:

And last, but certainly the farthest thing from least, the bread pudding. Have I mentioned that bread pudding, in general, is one of my absolute favorite desserts?! Well, it is. And this one is one of the best. As arrogant as it sounds, the only bread pudding I’ve had that’s better is my own. Well, Paula Deen’s recipe. But I make some tweaks that put it over the top. (Here is the basic recipe: Coconut Cream Bread Pudding. I don't think it needs the chocolate sauce. This dessert is standard for my family's Christmas meal!) Brian and I have no problem finishing Ohana’s though. So please save room!

Wow – that is a lot of food. I’ve never left Ohana feeling anything except completely stuffed. I think you’re doing it wrong if you can leave without having reached that uncomfortable level. But it’s worth it. If we lived in Florida, I would seriously have to limit myself to this place only once per year or else I would gain so much weight. It’s certainly a treat that I look forward to on every trip!

Up Next: Be Our Guest!

 

[smile4stamps]

Wonderful reviews! You went during my dream time to go to WDW. Unfortunately I wanted us to be able to go to the Swan & Dolphin F&W classic so we ended up going a bit earlier.

We also had a fabulous meal at Cali Grill, and I ended up drinking the same Cider and my DH and I split the filet!

 

[SimplyGoofy]

I would love to try the Holiday sandwich at Earl... except that I hate turkey! (Yes, I'm strange.) I've heard such wonderful things about EoS that I really need to try it sometime!

My sister and I love 'Ohana, too! In fact, that was her choice for her birthday dinner during our upcoming trip! (Her first choice would've probably been California Grill, but 'Ohana still would've made it on our dining lineup. I don't think we could miss it!)

What a great treat to have multiple updates!

 

[francis6306]

Wow, friend! You have been busy!!! And I had no idea you had cranked out so much!

Everything looks good! I can't wait to try Ohana! LapuLapu- is that a coconut drink? And you KNOW I agree with the fruit and meat thing!

 

[we3travellers]

Wow! I have just read through your last 2 installments as I have not had a computer for a week! The good news is it was a beauty to read on my brand new computer! As always, great reviews. I am so pleased that you love Ohana. Too many bad reviews on here. I have yet to try it. In fact, we had a ressie for our trip last Aug, (which of course I booked WAY in advance) and DH decided we should cancel it the night before. So we have yet to try it.