Food & Wine, HHN 30, & More (Sep 2021 Reviews from Disney & Universal) Completed 12/18

[Raeven]

Hey guys, I'm back with another DTR!



If you've been following my long running PTR over on the Universal boards you'll know it's finally time for our long awaited HHN trip!

My name is Raeven, and here I am enjoying one of multiple Twisted Taters I ate this HHN season




I'm 29 years old, and I'm the planner, photographer, and DTR writer for our trips.

My favorite food is french fries, I love dessert, and I was solo some of the days on this trip so I'm afraid there won't be as many meals in this one, but there will be lots of snacks!

My trip partner is my boyfriend, Josh.




He’s 35, and gluten free. His food likes include steak, BBQ, burgers, & coffee. He was only with me for the first couple of days after which I was joined by some friends, but he did get to eat many of his favorites.

This DTR will have snacks from F&W, Disney dining, Universal dining, HHN snacks, new restaurants, and some old favorites. & some restaurants may even redeem themselves from past trips.



If you want to follow along on my TR it's here:
Jack's Back & So Are We!!!-Sep 2021 HHN 30/WDW TR

& my PTR is here:
A 2021 PTR: HHN 30 & More

​

We ate at:

• Starbucks (Airport)/NBC Sports Grill & Brew
• Sal's Market Deli /The Palm Steakhouse
• Arepas/Bice Ristorante
• Mythos/HHN Snacks Pt 1
• Food & Wine Pt 1/Chef Art Smith's Homecomin'
• Daily Poutine/Tony's Town Square Restaurant
• Amorette's + Food & Wine Pt 2/Casey's Corner
• Amatista Cookhouse/Toothsome/HHN Snacks Pt 2/Jersey Mike's (Airport)
• Wrap Up (The Best & Worst of the Trip)

 

[KathyM2]

Yay!! Another DR...so excited...love reading about all the food!!

 

[princessmocha]

Looking forward to your report!

 

[kastoney]

I think you and I may be the only people not in Disney for the 50th Can't wait for more!

 

[Raeven]

Yay!! Another DR...so excited...love reading about all the food!!

Looking forward to your report!

Thanks for following along!

I think you and I may be the only people not in Disney for the 50th Can't wait for more!

Lol it’s true! I have no desire to be in those crowds
​

 

[archdandy]

Joining along! I'd love to get some snack ideas for our day at Universal in January.

 

[Raeven]

Starbucks (Airport)/NBC Sports Grill & Brew

Time to kick off this dining report!



So since it's part of the eating journey on this trip in the airport I got my usual Starbucks sandwich which has gouda, bacon, and egg in it.

After we got to Orlando we were pretty hungry, and after unpacking we headed out for a late lunch at NBC Grill. (Which is what I will be referring to NBC Sports Grill & Brew as because the name is far too long).



In 2017 we also went here on the first day of one of our trips, but we had such terrible burgers that we had no desire to return for the next couple of years. After looking at the menu again recently, I saw some things that looked good on it and figured as long as we avoided the burgers I'd eat here again.

We decided to start with an appetizer:

Loaded Chili Nachos
Chili with beans, white queso, aged cheddar, sour cream, scallions, pico de gallo, guacamole, tomatoes, jalapeños



These were delicious. I think they needed just a little more queso & toppings, but overall they were really good. My favorite part was the queso and chili, and we both enjoyed them.



For an entree Josh got the:

Grilled Citrus Chicken
Mixed baby greens, arugula, mandarin oranges, roasted beets, goat cheese, pickled red onions, bacon, tomatoes, balsamic vinaigrette dressing



As he typically does, Josh ordered a salad without reading the description. .



And as usual he said he enjoyed it, but also seemed unsure while eating it. He claimed certain flavors just threw him off at first, and overall he liked it.

I got the:

Buffalo Mac & Cheese
Crispy buffalo chicken bites, applewood smoked bacon, smoky cheddar, crumbled blue cheese, curled celery



This was amazing! It definitely wasn't too spicy, and the blue cheese really made this dish. I thought maybe the flavor would be a little strong with it being all throughout the mac and cheese, but it was perfect. The bacon seemed a little unnecessary, but it was all really good.

The restaurant was not busy at all when we went there, although we did make a reservation ahead of time. Actually crowds weren't too large anywhere on our trip, which I really liked. Service was a little slow because of this, but our waitress was really nice.

The theming of this restaurant isn't the best for me (I'm really not interested in sports). But I do feel like they had a good selection of food, and would eat here again. Unlike most other trips I didn't really keep track of how much each meal was so I'm not going to talk about the full value of the meal, but looking at the menu I feel like each dish was priced pretty decently. Overall I'd say NBC Grill has now redeemed itself after the terrible burgers all those years ago. ​

 

[amalone1013]

And as usual he said he enjoyed it, but also seemed unsure while eating it. He claimed certain flavors just threw him off at first, and overall he liked it.

I guess if you don't read the description you're unprepared

 

[Raeven]

I guess if you don't read the description you're unprepared

He always says he likes the surprise but I think his face when he’s eating tells a different story then afterwards he always says he liked them. ​

 

[KathyM2]

This was amazing! It definitely wasn't too spicy, and the blue cheese really made this dish. I thought maybe the flavor would be a little strong with it being all throughout the mac and cheese, but it was perfect. The bacon seemed a little unnecessary, but it was all really good.

That looked really good...very filling I bet though!!

 

[kastoney]

Lol it’s true! I have no desire to be in those crowds

You and me both sister!

After we got to Orlando we were pretty hungry, and after unpacking we headed out for a late lunch at NBC Grill. (Which is what I will be referring to NBC Sports Grill & Brew as because the name is far too long).

What is a ridiculous name. They should have thrown a few more words in there while they were at it

These were delicious. I think they needed just a little more queso & toppings, but overall they were really good. My favorite part was the queso and chili, and we both enjoyed them.

Those look delicious. I'm a sucker for some good nachos. In fact Jason just made some chili for dinner tonight and I may have just used it to make nachos instead

This was amazing! It definitely wasn't too spicy, and the blue cheese really made this dish. I thought maybe the flavor would be a little strong with it being all throughout the mac and cheese, but it was perfect. The bacon seemed a little unnecessary, but it was all really good.

This looks and sounds so weird but good at the same time. I thought chicken tenders on top of mac and cheese? Then thought chicken tenders on top of mac and cheese!!!! The mac and cheese I make actually has blue cheese in it so I may have to give something like this a whirl

 

[Raeven]

That looked really good...very filling I bet though!!

It was!

What is a ridiculous name. They should have thrown a few more words in there while they were at it

Lol it's certainly a mouthful.

Those look delicious. I'm a sucker for some good nachos. In fact Jason just made some chili for dinner tonight and I may have just used it to make nachos instead

Ooo good idea

This looks and sounds so weird but good at the same time. I thought chicken tenders on top of mac and cheese? Then thought chicken tenders on top of mac and cheese!!!! The mac and cheese I make actually has blue cheese in it so I may have to give something like this a whirl

Yeah I didn't really think the buffalo chicken would be tenders on top, I thought it would be more pieces or strips mixed in? ​

 

[princessmocha]

That buffalo mac n cheese looks delicious! And I know that Starbucks breakfast sandwich well!

 

[Raeven]

Sal's Market Deli/The Palm

We started the next day just grabbing a quick bite from Sal's at our hotel because we didn't want to spoil our dinner at The Palm later. I've had some pretty good food from Sal's before, but sadly this time we just decided to get some grab and go options. They did the job, but probably aren't the restaurants best offerings.

I got a Caprese sandwich and some chips:



The sandwich was a bit heavy on the pesto, but I'm sure that was where most of the flavor came from. I just wanted to eat chunks of cheese of course. Although I'm happy to report the chips were normal salt and vinegar chips and therefore delicious.

Josh got a fruit salad despite my cautioning that grab and go fruit salads are usually all melon which he doesn't like.

It was mostly melon.



I also ate some snacks in between, but I'll save those for the HHN snack posts.

Now onto our dinner at The Palm....

We started with some drinks, I got the Rose:



& Josh got a Scotch:



My bread basket:



My favorite in the basket was kind of like pretzel bread.

They gave us a little card for our anniversary which I thought was sweet:



I got the 8 oz (I think it was the 8 and not the 12 but I'm not 100%) filet with Bernaise sauce:



Which was delicious, although it was cooked a little rarer than I wanted; which I think happened last time we were here too. But it was still very good.

Josh got the 16 oz ribeye:
He loves the steak here, and thought this was delicious.


My favorite thing on the table was probably my side dish though. I got the Truffle Gnocchi:



This combines three things I love which are truffle, cheese, and gnocchi. This was so cheesy and amazing.

Josh got the Garlic Mashed Potatoes.

He always likes mashed potatoes, but I don't feel like he ever ends up eating much of them because of the size of his steak.

To finish the meal Josh got a cappuccino. For some reason he wanted me to take a picture of him holding it with a surprised face...this is what he came up with:



He looks so scared



Unlike the NBC Grill, The Palm was quite busy so I'd definitely make reservations. We had two waiters throughout the night (one accidentally took our table, and then handed our table over to another server). They were both very nice and we had excellent service.

If you remember a couple years ago when we ate here for the first time our waiter was kind of rude and I didn't have a great experience eating there, but this time completely made up for it. I also wasn't crazy about my food then, but everything I had this time was delicious. While I still think Shula's is my favorite steakhouse, I could see us going back here again on a future trip.
​

 

[princessmocha]

That truffle gnocchi looks amazing! (and the steaks do too!)

 

[KathyM2]

Josh got a fruit salad despite my cautioning that grab and go fruit salads are usually all melon which he doesn't like.

I'd be with Josh on this one lol I guess melon must be the cheapest fruit. I wish they'd do fruit salads with all berries!

While I still think Shula's is my favorite steakhouse, I could see us going back here again on a future trip.

I have to try Shula's someday!! did you know the Palm is actually a chain? I had no idea!

 

[TwoMisfits]

I'd be with Josh on this one lol I guess melon must be the cheapest fruit. I wish they'd do fruit salads with all berries!



I have to try Shula's someday!! did you know the Palm is actually a chain? I had no idea!

It's both cheapest and the most tolerant of "time and abuse of other fruit" - aka, berries start falling apart the minute something gets them wet, so you can't keep them around in a fruit salad for more than an hour or two...this is why apples/pears don't tend to appear - they go brown after an hour or two, even with lemon, so while they are cheap, they are time sensitive and don't go in...so you get melon, lots of melon, pretty much all the time...

It's why I always make my own fruit trays for parties and potlucks and they get demolished - I make them within the hour of going, so I use any fruit I want, and I never use melon...

 

[archdandy]

Mmmm both of those steaks look delicious!

 

[Raeven]

That truffle gnocchi looks amazing! (and the steaks do too!)

It was all delicious!

I'd be with Josh on this one lol I guess melon must be the cheapest fruit. I wish they'd do fruit salads with all berries!

I think so too! Also not a melon fan, except for watermelon.

I have to try Shula's someday!! did you know the Palm is actually a chain? I had no idea!

Yes! There's one in NYC too.

It's both cheapest and the most tolerant of "time and abuse of other fruit" - aka, berries start falling apart the minute something gets them wet, so you can't keep them around in a fruit salad for more than an hour or two...this is why apples/pears don't tend to appear - they go brown after an hour or two, even with lemon, so while they are cheap, they are time sensitive and don't go in...so you get melon, lots of melon, pretty much all the time...

It makes sense, but it's still terrible to get all melon

Mmmm both of those steaks look delicious!

​

 

[schumigirl]

I`m so glad you had such a good experience again at The Palm. The steaks there are among some of our favourites for sure.

Food looks as good as ever and glad you had good service too.....I do like Josh`s expression......lol.......and yes, it`s one of the few places we do always make a reservation for as it`s always busy, even on a so called quiet Monday night.

Nice pictures as always......