Food, Wine, and Dine-ing a Sept Dining Review updated 10/4

Cimicats

Mouseketeer
Joined
Aug 5, 2009
Hi All!

I live for dining reviews and am excited to have the chance to share my own! My DH and I just returned from a fabulous week and I'm still full! But it was worth it.

We had booked the trip just 90 days out so I was late with making reservations. For the most part I was able to get everything I wanted. I would just say don't give up keep trying. It took a few weeks to get BOG but I did. Even while I was at Disney I swapped some things around so you never know.

Also, we didn't do the dining plan. We don't do a lot of QS and not enough TS for the deluxe. We're stuck in the middle and I felt it was more cost effective to pay oop.

Here we are! Starting things off with one of my favs - Kir Royale from France.



We arrived Friday at 4:30 and had made a reservation at the Yachtsman since we were staying at the Yacht Club. Also, we were celebrating DH's birthday so the Yachtsman was a perfect choice. Thankfully we had no delays with our flights and our luggage arrived with 20 minutes to spare before dinner! Phew!

We checked in and were seated within about 15 minutes of our reservation.

To start I had the wedge salad and DH had the charcuterie





I really enjoyed the wedge. Crisp and fresh with a tasty dressing. The charcuterie was also quite good. It had Mortadella, Pork Loin, Wild Boar Rillettes, Saucisson en Brioche (sausage in brioche), Chasseur Pate. Delicious!

We also received their basket of bread. I LOVE bread so it takes a lot for me not to like it.



The onion pull apart bread is my absolute fav and the star here. The regular dinner rolls are just ok. I wish they just did a basket of the onion bread.

For our entrees we each ordered the 12 oz NY Strip Steak with brandy sauce and potato gratin. AMAZING. Steak was flavorful and cooked perfectly. The potato gratin a perfect side. We also ordered a side of spinach which was also very good.



Dessert I was very excited about because I had ordered a mini-cake from private dining for my DH! It was so easy, I just called the number from the cake thread and ordered it. It was chocolate cake with white chocolate mousse and white chocolate ganache frosting.



This cake was amazing. Seriously absolutely delicious. I figured it'd be just ok and was more about the novelty of it but it was so good! We contemplated ordering one to have at the end of the week. We never did but now I'm sitting here typing this thinking dang, why didn't we order another cake!

This dinner did not disappoint and was a great way to kick off our vacation.

Next up: Frontera Cocina and California Grill.



Sorry my pics are on the dark side. As I was taking them they didn't seem that dark!

After a great first meal we woke up Saturday ready to try a new restaurant I was excited to try - Frontera Cocina - Rick Bayless' new place at Disney Springs.



The inside is a bright, open, airy space. I can see this spot being lively at dinner time. We arrived for our noon reservation and they weren't that busy yet. Things definitely picked up as we finished.

We ordered a few Pink Flamingo margaritas(watermelon flavor) as well as the bacon guacamole. The margarita tasted great, very refreshing and not too sweet. It went very well with the guac. The chips were hearty and not airy like the ones you get sometimes. I liked the guac a lot too. The bacon added a nice texture.

For my meal I had the Carne Asada for Tacos. Delicious. Often times I find steak to be tough in meals like this but it was really tender. Beans were delicious and the fresh corn tortillas made for tasty little tacos.

Also ordered a side of plantains because I love plantains. So good.





DH ordered the Caesar Salad with the chicken. This had to be one of the best Caesar salads I've had. The dressing is delicious and it was just a really nice salad. Did have some kick to it so keep that in mind if you like things on the mild side.



For dessert we shared the Coconut Lime Cuatro Leches



It looks so rich but this was actually a light dessert. I mean not calories wise I'm sure, but it was so good with the coconut and lime flavors. Perfect way to end the meal.

I thought the food was really good and we really enjoyed our lunch. Does add up when you get drinks and an app but it was worth it.



So what do you do when you are absolutely stuffed from lunch? Visit the cupcake ATM!



Sadly I liked using the machine more than the cupcakes.

The machine gives you a list of options. I went for the Chocolate Marshmallow and Banana.



I think if I had eaten them fresh it would have been better. The banana was very good, like a banana bread. The Chocolate Marshmallow was good but not great.



Still, I love that you can get these out of a machine! Next time. I'll eat them on the spot.

For dinner we headed over to California Grill. This has always been a favorite of ours. The sunset view is incredible. But if you want to go on the deck for pics go fast, it's amazing how quick the sun sets. We were seated on the Epcot side of the windows and you had a great view of the Star Wars fireworks in the distance.



On to the food!

I'm a bit on the same page with this basket as I was at Yachtsman. The dinner roll was just ok but their soft bread, I guess like a focaccia, was outstanding. I wish it was just that.



To start I had the heirloom tomato salad with burrata cheese. Maybe I've been spoiled by some great tomatoes over the summer but this was just ok. I've had better burrata cheese recently too. It wasn't bad, just ok.



DH opted for the charcuterie. After having it the night before at the Yachtsman he thought it was a good time to get it here as well and compare.





Delicious. This all really worked and was yummy. The toast they serve is perfect to go along with the pate and some of the meats. DH gave the edge to Yachtsman as a whole but some of the individual items he liked better here. Honestly you can't go wrong at either place.

We both went for the pork which is pork tenderloin with polenta and pork belly.



This really doesn't photograph well. It looks a little too rare but wasn't so in person. Usually I'm not one for saying there's too much but I feel they could dial back on the tenderloin a bit. There was so much of it. Hard to tell in the pick but they were really big pieces. The polenta and belly tasted great.

We were too full for dessert but they brought over a cupcake for DH's bday. This cupcake was delicious! Just yellow cake and chocolate frosting but it was so good.

Our dinner was good but I think I'm ready to bring a new restaurant into the rotation.


Sunday was our HS day and I had booked a ressie at Brown Derby.

First comes the bread. YAAAAAAS. These rolls are fantastic. Crusty on the outside and soft and warm on the inside. YUM

DH and I decide to split their andouille crusted chicken sandwich and Cobb salad, but first we each got the carrot ginger soup with duck confit.

I know, it's 1000 degrees out but I'm in the mood for Fall and this soup was just what I wanted. It was great, creamy, delicious, and the duck confit worked really well.

I have to say Chad our server was the best. One of the best this trip. He brought out the sandwich already split for us and split up the salad for us as well. I mean that's not the only reason he was great, he was just super nice and really attentive.



The salad I've had before and it never disappoints but this chicken sandwich? Wow, was it delicious. So flavorful and exceeded my expectations. It came with a spicy slaw that also worked well. My only wish is that I had the whole sandwich to myself!


Finally we decided to split a dessert and have a couple cappuccinos.

Banana Toffee Cake, Amaretto Flan, Grapefruit cake



I love the Grapefruit cake. You can get the whole piece but I wanted to try a trio. Surprisingly the Banana Toffee Cake was my least favorite. The Amaretto Flan, wow. Amazing. I wish that came in a soup sized bowl!

I had been on the fence about keeping this ressie and I am so glad I kept it. This was one of my favorite meals.

For dinner we were staying close to the hotel and went to Beaches and Cream.

DH started with a malted. He thought it was good but not a malted. Tasted like a normal shake.



DH went with the chili dog with fries and I went with the patty melt.





DH LOVED his hot dog. After trying his fries I wish I got those instead of the watermelon. Though high marks for the watermelon, it was really fresh and good. But those fries. YUM

The patty melt was good but not the best I've had. The burger tasted really fresh but the bread, and onions, didn't have that nice gooey consistency I've had wth other melts. But still, it was really good.

So, I really wanted to get a Mickey Pants aka Mini Sink Sundae. But when I heard everything that went in it I didn't want that, I wanted more of the No Way Jose. So I asked if I could get the No Way into the sink and our server said well you can use buy the pants separate. So I did! It was 9.99, I know, I'm a sucker, but I needed it.



This is the two scoop No Way Jose.



We really enjoyed our dinner here. Oh and PS - where they are is a perfect view to see the HS fireworks looking across the way. So we had a nice fireworks display at 7:45 before heading in for our 8 o'clock ressie.
 
Going to Yachtsman next week. Glad to see you liked it. Thanks for taking the time to review !
 
Great reviews! We've booked Yachtsman for our next trip and I'm so looking forward to it. We'd been quite loyal to CG for a few trips, but we didn't love it the last time (food was ok, not great, too much up selling, and the pace was way too fast--a super expensive meal in 45 minutes!) so we're taking a break, too.
 


Great reviews so far!!! :donald: We have never been to BD but have wanted to try the Cobb salad & grapefruit cake forever!!!! I think it's time.
 
Wow that birthday cake is beautiful!! I'm considering ordering one for the boys when we go down in Nov. just beginning to think about it so haven't looked at many options, good to hear it was delicious!
We love Yachtsman and also enjoy Beaches and Ceeam, the grilled cheese and tomato soup is my favorite. And I always get the No Way Jose. PB and chocolate? Oh YES!!!
You aren't the first person to say they were a bit disappointed with Sprinkles cupcakes. The idea of an ATM giving me a cupcake is awesome, but...... not if it doesn't taste really really good :(
 


Great reviews! We've booked Yachtsman for our next trip and I'm so looking forward to it. We'd been quite loyal to CG for a few trips, but we didn't love it the last time (food was ok, not great, too much up selling, and the pace was way too fast--a super expensive meal in 45 minutes!) so we're taking a break, too.
Exactly. Breaks can be a good opportunity to try new things too.
 
Nice. Joining in.
Thanks!

Great reviews so far!!! :donald: We have never been to BD but have wanted to try the Cobb salad & grapefruit cake forever!!!! I think it's time.
Yes! So good.

Wow that birthday cake is beautiful!! I'm considering ordering one for the boys when we go down in Nov. just beginning to think about it so haven't looked at many options, good to hear it was delicious!
We love Yachtsman and also enjoy Beaches and Ceeam, the grilled cheese and tomato soup is my favorite. And I always get the No Way Jose. PB and chocolate? Oh YES!!!
You aren't the first person to say they were a bit disappointed with Sprinkles cupcakes. The idea of an ATM giving me a cupcake is awesome, but...... not if it doesn't taste really really good :(
I was so happy with how the cake came out. I will probably order one every trip now regardless of an occasion. Just a yay we're on vacation cake! I do love a grilled cheese and tomato soup combo! Probably not fair to Sprinkles but I have a cupcake place in Boston that I love so I'm usually disappointed by any one else's.
 
loving the reviews. OMG I love plantains too. No time for Frontera Cocina for us but you are making me regret it!
 
So much food to go!!!

Today is Monday and it was our big Epcot Day. I booked breakfast at Garden Grill and I was very excited as this was a new place for us. I had initially booked for dinner but then switched to breakfast after reading some reviews.

First we start with coffee (pretty good actually) and juice (AMAZING). This was the guava blend juice - YUMMMMMM



I'll get right back to the food in a sec but first a little sidebar about the character interaction. I thought they were great. My DH offered up some food to Chip and he shook his head no and pointed to his hips. Ha ha ha. They came around a lot and someone even checked in with us towards the end to make sure we saw everyone.

Here I am with Dale!



Ok, back to the food!

Fruit was fresh and tasty and the cinnamon roll bake thingie. WOW.. Seriously, next time just put this in front of me and I'll be happy. It was so good.



Next up is our skillet of goodies. Tater Tots (potato barrels or whatever they call them), scrambled eggs, bacon, ham, and Mickey waffles. Waffles were fantastic. Cooked perfectly and you get a bit of chocolate sauce you can put on them. oh yes. The only thing I wasn't crazy about was the ham. Maybe it was just a not so good piece but I skipped it. But the tots, bacon,and eggs were all really good.



Definitely not a cheap breakfast but I thought the food was better than I expected I also like that it's not a buffet and they bring it to you yet you can ask for more if you want it. Also, the way the tables run along in a circle it's the one restaurant you aren't on top of each other.

Service was great too. So really no complaints here. I'd definitely go again.

At lunchtime we did a demo. I did a separate review for that but this is the pork belly we had.




Also stopped in Germany for a beer. The Schofferhofer Pink Grapefruit beer is incredible. Even if you're not a beer person, you may like this. So refreshing and sweet but not too sweet.



For dinner my excitement continued as we were going to try Spice Road Table. Another new one for us to try! Our reservation was for 6:30 and it wasn't very busy, I'm sure we were early for the Illuinations crowd. Being that they weren't too busy look at this table view!



Here's a picture of our bottle of wine. A bottle of wine that was really pushed on us. UGH. Usually my DH and I don't order the same type of wine but he ended up ordering the same as me so our server strongly suggested a bottle. I didn't really want a whole bottle and said um no we're good but I ended up just saying ok fine. We were able to bring what we didn't finish with us which was ok since we were heading back to the YC but that's really my only negative.



To start we had the grape leaves:



And hummus and olives:



Delicious! I really like how they serve the grape leaves with the raisins and pine nuts. The hummus was also delicious and I loved the olive salad.

For our main courses DH got the Lamb Chops:



And I got the lamb sliders:



I loved my sliders. Loved Loved Loved. Very juicy and good flavor. The hummus fries were good too, think falafel. Though I would have liked an option for a little salad instead. It was a little heavy all together.

DH loved the lamb. I'm usually to a lambchop person but I really enjoyed it as well so that say a lot.

To finish we shared the appertif flight.



Wine pressure aside, we really enjoyed our meal here. Service was great and the food really good. Again, not cheap eats though.


Tuesday - another exciting day because we were doing Afternoon Tea at the Grand Floridian for the first time. YAAAAAY.



Both DH and I went for the Cheshire Tea. I'm not a cavier fan and I needed a break from the wine. I know, crazy talk, but I think with the heat and all the wine I had consumed up to this point I needed a little break.

First up is the cheese plate.




Fruit was ripe and delicious. The cheese amazing. That little dish has honeycomb and it is suggested you eat it with the blue cheese. More please! It works so well together.



From left. Lavash with a couple more pieces of cheese. Egg salad, curry chicken, yellow beet, cucumber.

No complaints about any of them. The yellow beet was surprisingly delicious if you like beets that is, some people just hate them. But across the board these were solid sandwiches.

To complete our tea we had scones with lemon curd, clotted cream, and jam.



On the top our dessert selections. DH went with the pastry which had the swan, macaroons, and a chocolate covered strawberry. I went with the trifle.



Scone was perfect. My trifle incredible. It was blueberry and lemon. Soooooooo good. I thought I made the better selection. The chocolate strawberry wasn't great. Swan was decent and the macaroons ok but the trifle was the star of this show.

Our teas we selected 2nd flush Darjeeling and I had the plummy earl grey. Loved them both.

We loved the tea. And it was a nice relaxing break from the heat for sure. My only negative is the pots are so hot which I know, it's hot tea, but it was tough to pour yourself. They need little pot holders along with the tea coozies. So be careful touching the pots!

After tea we headed over to Epcot. One of the daily storms moved through so we found sanctuary in the Craft Beer Pavillion. Oh poor us! Yeah, I know the I'm not going to drink thing didn't last very long.

While here we went for the Beer Flight # 1





The triple ale and the blueberry vanilla were my two favs of the three. In fact I ended up getting the triple ale on it's own. While ordering that also ordered the Pimento Cheese Dip. Didn't love the pretzels that came with it but the dip I ate with a spoon, it was so good.




After waiting out the storms we stopped for some snacks courtesy of Poland.



Not quite like my Grammy used to make but this was a solid golabki. Good portion size for the price too. The pierogi was good and the kielbasa nicely spiced as well.

I forgot to mention the other day I also had the duck steamed bun from China. I love steamed buns so they could stick anything in it and I'd like it. But this was very good.



Next we stopped for the Rosa Regale in Italy.




For dinner we found ourselves back at Beaches and Cream. Again for those discouraged by reservations keep the faith. Leading up to the trip B&C was so hard to get but I was able to snag a last minute dinner when we decided to go again.

So here's the deal. My original plan was for Flying Fish. After watching the Dis video review I had to go. But after some pretty pricy meals at Yachtsman, California Grill, Brown Derby, Spice Road, I was thinking hmmm...maybe a change of plans. I just wanted to dial it back a bit. My DH loved his hot dog our first night at B&C he was happy to go back again.



This time he ordered two and cheese on the side. He was hoping for a cheese sauce but it was still good with the shredded. He also opted for the watermelon this time since he was two dogging it.



Since I wasn't totally sold on the Patty Melt I went with the regular burger this time. This is the one! I love this burger. Again, you can tell it's a fresh burger and the bun was perfect and the cheese, and everything about it was great. So I definitely would recommend this over the Patty Melt. PS I still love the fries.

For dessert I went with the 2 scoop Jose again. I can't get enough of chocolate and peanut butter. They put it in a banana split bowl because they ran out of regular dishes.

DH got a dish of ice cream with some chocolate sauce. Zzzzzzz. Ha ha. I don't even have a pic!

After our meal we stopped in at the lobby bar at the Yacht Club. I'm not sure if it has an official name but it's a little spot next to Captains Grill. I love this little bar. Diane is super nice and makes great drinks and it's a great place to cap off a fun day.

Pictured is the chocolate martini with espresso and a pina colada




Phew! Ok, that's it for tonight. Coming up will be Be Our Guest Lunch, more food and wine booths, Abracadabar, Trattoria Al Forno, and San Angel.
 
loving the reviews. OMG I love plantains too. No time for Frontera Cocina for us but you are making me regret it!
Thanks! Yeah, there's so much good food so little time! But if you ever do go I do recommend it. They also have the plantain sundae so that's on my someday list as well.
 
omg you are like, my food sister. I love plantains. I looooooooooove the grapefruit beer. I looooooove steamed buns. lol

great reviews still! did they get rid of the little cups of salsa at the garden grill for the eggs though?
 
We adore the calm feeling at the Yacht Club & CG is one of our favorites. Definitely have to stop for drinks next trip! Also gotta show your Spice Road pics to my hubby, pretty sure he'd love that place!!
 
I really love your review! Just the right amount of description, along with a little storytelling & humor mixed in! Great pics, too!
 
omg you are like, my food sister. I love plantains. I looooooooooove the grapefruit beer. I looooooove steamed buns. lol

great reviews still! did they get rid of the little cups of salsa at the garden grill for the eggs though?
Yesssss!!!! ha ha we are! oh no, I didn't see that. I wonder if you have to ask for it? That sounds so good!
 
Awesome reviews, can't wait for the rest!
Thank you so much!!

Everything looks so good! I love your pictures and the reviews.
It really was! Thank you!

We adore the calm feeling at the Yacht Club & CG is one of our favorites. Definitely have to stop for drinks next trip! Also gotta show your Spice Road pics to my hubby, pretty sure he'd love that place!!
Exactly, definitely a calm vibe at the YC. Definitely do. Yeah, I thought Spice Road was a nice surprise, I love the location too. Even with some obstructed views it must be cool for illuminations.

I really love your review! Just the right amount of description, along with a little storytelling & humor mixed in! Great pics, too!
Thank you so much!!! I try to not get too wordy but I like to set the scene.
 
Thanks so much for your reviews! Have been debating the Grand Floridian tea. Just can't make up my mind!
 

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