swankybeth
<font color=teal>Loves bubble tea!<br><font color=
- Joined
- Aug 1, 2000
- Messages
- 3,098
I just got back a few days ago from a short trip to WDW. I went solo and met friends there, so all of my meals were counter service and of course, the Food and Wine Festival! At F & W I was primarily interested in the food, as I am not a big wine drinker.
Magic Kingdom:
Aloha Isle-I just love Dole Whips, so of course I had to indulge a few times! Once I got a Diet Coke float with pineapple/vanilla swirl and another time it was just pineapple/vanilla in a cup. Very tasty and refreshing!
Columbia Harbour House-I had dinner here on a day that I was alone in the parks. It was very relaxing to eat in the quiet upstairs area that also has nice people-watching views of Fantasyland and Liberty Square. I got the Garden Galley Salad, which is a large mixed greens salad with sliced grilled chicken, diced pineapples, chunks of feta cheese, crumbled walnuts, and a vinaigrette dressing. Very tasty, a new favorite!
Pinocchios Village Haus-My friends and I came here strictly for one thing-Figaro Fries! These are French fries topped with melted cheese, bacon, lettuce, tomato, and Ranch dressing. Not very healthy at all, but sooo good, especially after our hangovers from Pleasure Island the night before!
Disney-MGM:
ABC Commissary-I had the Vegetable Noodle Stir Fry, which came with Asian slaw. The stir-fry was very good, full of veggies and not sweet, as some tend to be. The slaw was unexpectedly good; it tasted as if Teriyaki sauce was added to it.
Coffee cart outside Tower of Terror-I ordered a double espresso and it ended up costing me $5.30. I was shocked-even Starbucks is cheaper than that by far! But, it was my fault for not asking before I ordered and it did taste good!
Hollywood Hills Theater-What else is there to do while waiting for Fantasmic, but eat? I had a hot dog, which was very good, and a box of popcorn. The popcorn was good, but MUCH saltier than the regular popcorn in the parks. One tip is that the counter service area in the back only accepts cash, so be prepared. I was lucky that I had enough cash on me; I usually use my room card for everything!
Animal Kingdom:
Tusker House-I did the Meal Plus deal here, which for $11.99 gets you a counter service entrée, a large beverage, and coupons for a bottle of soda or water and an ice cream or popcorn in the park. I chose the grilled salmon for my entrée. It is an excellent dish, especially considering that its served at a counter service place! It comes with veggies and rice and is a very nice portion. One of my favorites at any park. I later used my coupons for a bottle of water and a Minnie strawberry bar. The deal worked out very well for me, I would have spent about $16 for everything separately.
All Star Music Intermission Food Court:
I stayed at All Star Music, so I ended up eating here a lot. I thought there was pretty good variety and didnt get bored with the choices over my six day stay. I also liked the choices available for the drinks using my refillable mug. Besides the typical stuff, they also had PowerAde, Cherry Coke, Root Beer, and Raspberry Nestea in the machines. At Caribbean Beach last month we got SO bored with the choices in the soda fountains.
Breakfast:
Mickey waffle with strawberry topping. I love these-cute AND tasty! You get a big, fluffy Mickey waffle and a bowl of strawberries in sauce to pour over the waffle.
Childs breakfast platter-It comes with a portion of scrambled eggs, a biscuit and your choice of potatoes or bacon. I always got potatoes. They were cubed and baked with some spices on them. I never ordered it, but the adult platter comes with scrambled eggs, potatoes, bacon, sausage, and a biscuit. The eggs were ok. They were kind of slimy, so I only had this twice.
Western Omelet-I ordered it without cheese, so it just had ham, peppers, onions, and mushrooms. It came with potatoes and a biscuit. It was very tasty.
Grab and Go case-I got a kids lunchbox that came with a Smuckers Uncrustable peanut butter and jelly sandwich, raisins, and a bag of Cheetos. Since it was breakfast, I just had the sandwich. It was pretty good, a PB & J in the shape of a circle, with the crusts removed. I liked it so much that I bought a box at the supermarket when I got home, LOL.
Lunch/Dinner:
Hot dog with chili-Very tasty hot dog with chili on top. It came with French fries. Not the healthiest lunch ever, but yummy.
Childs pasta with marinara-I have to admit, I always knock WDW Italian food, but this was good. The childs size was a small bowl of linguini with red sauce and came with a Parmesan bread stick. For some reason, I really enjoyed it and got it several times after returning from the parks for the night. One night I had the adult size, which comes on a larger platter with the same bread stick and a small mixed greens salad with vinaigrette.
Grab and Go case-Before leaving for the airport I got a grilled veggie wrap to eat. It came in a tortilla-type wrap and was filled with assorted grilled vegetables and babaganoush (spicy eggplant spread). It was really delicious.
Here we go, what youve all been waiting forFood and Wine Festival 2003!! I did the festival last year, so I skipped some offerings that Id already tried.
Greece:
Greek salad-Of course Ive had this a million times, but I still wanted to try it here. It came in a paper cone and was a typical Greek salad, except with a ton of olives. I was in heaven!
Spanakopita-This was spinach and feta cheese stuffed inside phyllo dough. Delicious, this was a favorite and I had it twice.
Honey Baklava-This was a standard baklava, sweet and tasty.
Boutari Kretikos White wine-My friend got this and I had a sip. It was okay, nothing distinctive about it to me, at least.
Fresh From Florida:
Blackened Mahi with pineapple salsa-One of the top offerings! Mouth-watering! A nice little portion of mahi with a yummy salsa on top.
Florida Orange Groves Strawberry wine-This was delicious, sweet and a bit tangy. A good compliment to the mahi.
Mexico:
Watermelon Water-A delicious refreshing drink. It tastes like there is real watermelon pureed in the water, but its not very thick. I wish they served this year-round in Epcot.
Ireland:
Corned Beef with Colcannon-This was a delicious portion of corned beef over amazingly creamy potatoes. Yummy!
Scandinavia:
Rice cream with strawberry sauce-I just had to try the infamous rice cream. It was probably the tiniest portion at F & W. It came in one of those little pill cups that you get at the doctors! Anyway, I enjoyed my two bites of rice cream; I can see why people enjoy it.
China:
Beijing Scallion Pancakes-This was a dense, Moo Shu-style pancake filled with scallions and some spice blend that made it kind of spicy. I enjoyed it.
Tsingtao beer-This was a pretty good beer, it kind of reminded me of Casablanca beer in Morocco.
Australia:
One of the better booths at F & W; the food was terrific here.
Australian Beef Tenderloin with BBQ sauce-This was a seriously tender piece of meat. I did not need a knife to cut it. The meat was very flavorsome and just melted in your mouth.
Macadamia Nut and Wattleseed Pavlova-Before I went, I had no clue what this would end up being. Turns out its a delicious cake with a fruity sauce, covered in crushed macadamias. Superb!
South America:
Beef Skewer with Chimichurri and Chipotle-spiked Boniato Mash-In other words, a delicious piece of steak with a tasty green sauce with mashed veggies that tasted like a cross between plantains and potatoes.
Vegetarian Black Bean Soup-A luscious black bean soup with white rice and the same green Chimichurri sauce that was on the steak.
Specialty Beer Garden:
Kellys Raspberry Irish Cider-A sweet drink that always reminds me of wine coolers.
Champagne and Sparkling Wine:
Banfi Rosa Regale-My favorite! I always drink this in the wine shop in Italy. Its a very sweet, sparkling wine.
Champagne Pommery Brut-I didnt plan on trying this, but while on line, this man just kept raving about how good it was, so I tried it. I enjoyed it, but wasnt overly impressed.
Japan:
Sweet Green Tea Mousse-I love green tea, so I was psyched to try this. It didnt really have much of a real green tea flavor, but it was a worthy dessert! I enjoyed it immensely.
Morocco and Mediterranean:
Hummus-A scoop of fresh hummus with a giant homemade pita chip for dipping. I really liked this, but thought I remembered last year getting a few chips. The one chip made it hard to finish.
Kafta Kabob-Basically, a meatball on a stick with a sweet sauce and some couscous. It was pretty good, though.
France:
Frog Leg Chowder-I had to try this, even if it was just to say that Id had frog legs. Well, Ive had frog legs, LOL! After one bite, I was nauseated, so that was that. The chowder was chunks of frog meat in a thin, yet creamy, soup.
Goat Cheese and Tomato Tart-Ah yes, much better! Very tasty, as well as a big portion. The tart was buttery and filled with a paste of the cheese and tomato.
Crème Brulee-An average crème brulee. Because they were sitting out pre-made, the topping sort of separated from the cream.
Cognac, Port and Brandy:
Flourless Chocolate Cake-This was a dense, very chocolaty cake. It was good, but I was actually expecting one of those light cakes, kind of like the one at Flying Fish.
Spain:
Gazpacho with Spanish Olive Bread-Okay, I think I may have had the wrong impression of what gazpacho is supposed to be. I knew it was a cold tomato soup, so I was thinking that the tomatoes were at least pureed. Nope, I got an ice-cold cup of diced tomatoes and garlic with a tiny slice of bread. I felt like I was eating bruscetta without the bread! Not my cup of tea, at all.
Canada:
Cheddar Cheese Soup-What can I say that hasnt been said about this luscious, delectable soup already? As Im sure you know, its a creamy, cheese and cream based soup made with Moosehead beer. Crumbled bacon is added to top it off and its peppery, burns your throat a bit.
Maple Walnut Fudge-I had fond memories of this fudge from last F & W. Just a simple piece of maple fudge, but sooo good!
Inniskillin Pearl Ice Wine-This wine is amazing-a very sweet dessert wine that cannot be aptly described. Its very expensive-$4.50 for one ounce, so for me, buying a bottle is out of the question, but believe me, I wanted to!
Russia and Eastern Europe:
Potato Pancake with Sauerkraut and Sour Cream-This potato pancake is quite different from the ones I am used to (shredded potatoes and onions fried in oil). This pancake is more of a mashed potato, flattened and fried to crunchiness on both sides. Topped with sauerkraut and a touch of sour cream, this is a tasty snack.
Colorful Eating:
Caramelized Pear with Broccoli Slaw and Gorgonzola Cream-Another dish that I had no idea what it would come out like. It turned out to be a plate of broccoli slaw (not very mayonnaise-y) with Gorgonzola bits mixed in, garnished at the sides by small chunks of pear that didnt really seem caramelized. This was an interesting, savory dish.
So thats about it for my eating adventures around WDW. Feel free to post any questions or comments!
Magic Kingdom:
Aloha Isle-I just love Dole Whips, so of course I had to indulge a few times! Once I got a Diet Coke float with pineapple/vanilla swirl and another time it was just pineapple/vanilla in a cup. Very tasty and refreshing!
Columbia Harbour House-I had dinner here on a day that I was alone in the parks. It was very relaxing to eat in the quiet upstairs area that also has nice people-watching views of Fantasyland and Liberty Square. I got the Garden Galley Salad, which is a large mixed greens salad with sliced grilled chicken, diced pineapples, chunks of feta cheese, crumbled walnuts, and a vinaigrette dressing. Very tasty, a new favorite!
Pinocchios Village Haus-My friends and I came here strictly for one thing-Figaro Fries! These are French fries topped with melted cheese, bacon, lettuce, tomato, and Ranch dressing. Not very healthy at all, but sooo good, especially after our hangovers from Pleasure Island the night before!
Disney-MGM:
ABC Commissary-I had the Vegetable Noodle Stir Fry, which came with Asian slaw. The stir-fry was very good, full of veggies and not sweet, as some tend to be. The slaw was unexpectedly good; it tasted as if Teriyaki sauce was added to it.
Coffee cart outside Tower of Terror-I ordered a double espresso and it ended up costing me $5.30. I was shocked-even Starbucks is cheaper than that by far! But, it was my fault for not asking before I ordered and it did taste good!
Hollywood Hills Theater-What else is there to do while waiting for Fantasmic, but eat? I had a hot dog, which was very good, and a box of popcorn. The popcorn was good, but MUCH saltier than the regular popcorn in the parks. One tip is that the counter service area in the back only accepts cash, so be prepared. I was lucky that I had enough cash on me; I usually use my room card for everything!
Animal Kingdom:
Tusker House-I did the Meal Plus deal here, which for $11.99 gets you a counter service entrée, a large beverage, and coupons for a bottle of soda or water and an ice cream or popcorn in the park. I chose the grilled salmon for my entrée. It is an excellent dish, especially considering that its served at a counter service place! It comes with veggies and rice and is a very nice portion. One of my favorites at any park. I later used my coupons for a bottle of water and a Minnie strawberry bar. The deal worked out very well for me, I would have spent about $16 for everything separately.
All Star Music Intermission Food Court:
I stayed at All Star Music, so I ended up eating here a lot. I thought there was pretty good variety and didnt get bored with the choices over my six day stay. I also liked the choices available for the drinks using my refillable mug. Besides the typical stuff, they also had PowerAde, Cherry Coke, Root Beer, and Raspberry Nestea in the machines. At Caribbean Beach last month we got SO bored with the choices in the soda fountains.
Breakfast:
Mickey waffle with strawberry topping. I love these-cute AND tasty! You get a big, fluffy Mickey waffle and a bowl of strawberries in sauce to pour over the waffle.
Childs breakfast platter-It comes with a portion of scrambled eggs, a biscuit and your choice of potatoes or bacon. I always got potatoes. They were cubed and baked with some spices on them. I never ordered it, but the adult platter comes with scrambled eggs, potatoes, bacon, sausage, and a biscuit. The eggs were ok. They were kind of slimy, so I only had this twice.
Western Omelet-I ordered it without cheese, so it just had ham, peppers, onions, and mushrooms. It came with potatoes and a biscuit. It was very tasty.
Grab and Go case-I got a kids lunchbox that came with a Smuckers Uncrustable peanut butter and jelly sandwich, raisins, and a bag of Cheetos. Since it was breakfast, I just had the sandwich. It was pretty good, a PB & J in the shape of a circle, with the crusts removed. I liked it so much that I bought a box at the supermarket when I got home, LOL.
Lunch/Dinner:
Hot dog with chili-Very tasty hot dog with chili on top. It came with French fries. Not the healthiest lunch ever, but yummy.
Childs pasta with marinara-I have to admit, I always knock WDW Italian food, but this was good. The childs size was a small bowl of linguini with red sauce and came with a Parmesan bread stick. For some reason, I really enjoyed it and got it several times after returning from the parks for the night. One night I had the adult size, which comes on a larger platter with the same bread stick and a small mixed greens salad with vinaigrette.
Grab and Go case-Before leaving for the airport I got a grilled veggie wrap to eat. It came in a tortilla-type wrap and was filled with assorted grilled vegetables and babaganoush (spicy eggplant spread). It was really delicious.
Here we go, what youve all been waiting forFood and Wine Festival 2003!! I did the festival last year, so I skipped some offerings that Id already tried.
Greece:
Greek salad-Of course Ive had this a million times, but I still wanted to try it here. It came in a paper cone and was a typical Greek salad, except with a ton of olives. I was in heaven!
Spanakopita-This was spinach and feta cheese stuffed inside phyllo dough. Delicious, this was a favorite and I had it twice.
Honey Baklava-This was a standard baklava, sweet and tasty.
Boutari Kretikos White wine-My friend got this and I had a sip. It was okay, nothing distinctive about it to me, at least.
Fresh From Florida:
Blackened Mahi with pineapple salsa-One of the top offerings! Mouth-watering! A nice little portion of mahi with a yummy salsa on top.
Florida Orange Groves Strawberry wine-This was delicious, sweet and a bit tangy. A good compliment to the mahi.
Mexico:
Watermelon Water-A delicious refreshing drink. It tastes like there is real watermelon pureed in the water, but its not very thick. I wish they served this year-round in Epcot.
Ireland:
Corned Beef with Colcannon-This was a delicious portion of corned beef over amazingly creamy potatoes. Yummy!
Scandinavia:
Rice cream with strawberry sauce-I just had to try the infamous rice cream. It was probably the tiniest portion at F & W. It came in one of those little pill cups that you get at the doctors! Anyway, I enjoyed my two bites of rice cream; I can see why people enjoy it.
China:
Beijing Scallion Pancakes-This was a dense, Moo Shu-style pancake filled with scallions and some spice blend that made it kind of spicy. I enjoyed it.
Tsingtao beer-This was a pretty good beer, it kind of reminded me of Casablanca beer in Morocco.
Australia:
One of the better booths at F & W; the food was terrific here.
Australian Beef Tenderloin with BBQ sauce-This was a seriously tender piece of meat. I did not need a knife to cut it. The meat was very flavorsome and just melted in your mouth.
Macadamia Nut and Wattleseed Pavlova-Before I went, I had no clue what this would end up being. Turns out its a delicious cake with a fruity sauce, covered in crushed macadamias. Superb!
South America:
Beef Skewer with Chimichurri and Chipotle-spiked Boniato Mash-In other words, a delicious piece of steak with a tasty green sauce with mashed veggies that tasted like a cross between plantains and potatoes.
Vegetarian Black Bean Soup-A luscious black bean soup with white rice and the same green Chimichurri sauce that was on the steak.
Specialty Beer Garden:
Kellys Raspberry Irish Cider-A sweet drink that always reminds me of wine coolers.
Champagne and Sparkling Wine:
Banfi Rosa Regale-My favorite! I always drink this in the wine shop in Italy. Its a very sweet, sparkling wine.
Champagne Pommery Brut-I didnt plan on trying this, but while on line, this man just kept raving about how good it was, so I tried it. I enjoyed it, but wasnt overly impressed.
Japan:
Sweet Green Tea Mousse-I love green tea, so I was psyched to try this. It didnt really have much of a real green tea flavor, but it was a worthy dessert! I enjoyed it immensely.
Morocco and Mediterranean:
Hummus-A scoop of fresh hummus with a giant homemade pita chip for dipping. I really liked this, but thought I remembered last year getting a few chips. The one chip made it hard to finish.
Kafta Kabob-Basically, a meatball on a stick with a sweet sauce and some couscous. It was pretty good, though.
France:
Frog Leg Chowder-I had to try this, even if it was just to say that Id had frog legs. Well, Ive had frog legs, LOL! After one bite, I was nauseated, so that was that. The chowder was chunks of frog meat in a thin, yet creamy, soup.
Goat Cheese and Tomato Tart-Ah yes, much better! Very tasty, as well as a big portion. The tart was buttery and filled with a paste of the cheese and tomato.
Crème Brulee-An average crème brulee. Because they were sitting out pre-made, the topping sort of separated from the cream.
Cognac, Port and Brandy:
Flourless Chocolate Cake-This was a dense, very chocolaty cake. It was good, but I was actually expecting one of those light cakes, kind of like the one at Flying Fish.
Spain:
Gazpacho with Spanish Olive Bread-Okay, I think I may have had the wrong impression of what gazpacho is supposed to be. I knew it was a cold tomato soup, so I was thinking that the tomatoes were at least pureed. Nope, I got an ice-cold cup of diced tomatoes and garlic with a tiny slice of bread. I felt like I was eating bruscetta without the bread! Not my cup of tea, at all.
Canada:
Cheddar Cheese Soup-What can I say that hasnt been said about this luscious, delectable soup already? As Im sure you know, its a creamy, cheese and cream based soup made with Moosehead beer. Crumbled bacon is added to top it off and its peppery, burns your throat a bit.
Maple Walnut Fudge-I had fond memories of this fudge from last F & W. Just a simple piece of maple fudge, but sooo good!
Inniskillin Pearl Ice Wine-This wine is amazing-a very sweet dessert wine that cannot be aptly described. Its very expensive-$4.50 for one ounce, so for me, buying a bottle is out of the question, but believe me, I wanted to!
Russia and Eastern Europe:
Potato Pancake with Sauerkraut and Sour Cream-This potato pancake is quite different from the ones I am used to (shredded potatoes and onions fried in oil). This pancake is more of a mashed potato, flattened and fried to crunchiness on both sides. Topped with sauerkraut and a touch of sour cream, this is a tasty snack.
Colorful Eating:
Caramelized Pear with Broccoli Slaw and Gorgonzola Cream-Another dish that I had no idea what it would come out like. It turned out to be a plate of broccoli slaw (not very mayonnaise-y) with Gorgonzola bits mixed in, garnished at the sides by small chunks of pear that didnt really seem caramelized. This was an interesting, savory dish.
So thats about it for my eating adventures around WDW. Feel free to post any questions or comments!
