Go Big or Go Home! 17 Days of Disney Dining! COMPLETE & Food & Wine Fest Index

[tybrilinja]

Hmmmm, I can see my hubby wanting to sit in the room and watch football too! Not sure I would have been as patient of you though

The crowds, WOW, those were crazy!

Silly husbands, don't they know that we wives are ALWAYS right. (especially when it comes to Disney) ha ha

Now I want a dole whip, yummmm.

 

[jerseytinkerbell]

Love the Hess idea and grabbing some drinks there. We payed way too much for really crappy beer and wine at pop last visit. Was thinking of doing a grocery order this time for our adult supplies but will use Hess if (aka when) we blow though it way to quickly.

I always tell Rob to buy beer and wine ahead of time and bring it with us since we have the car, but he always says he's not going to drink at the room. Riiiiiiiight. Then after 2 days we wind up at Hess. Next time I'm not even asking him and I'm just stocking up before we leave. Or I might even check out a local grocery store next time just to see what the prices are like. I think prices are fairly cheap in Florida. Compared to NJ anyway. Even Hess was cheap compared to NJ.

Hmmmm, I can see my hubby wanting to sit in the room and watch football too! Not sure I would have been as patient of you though

The crowds, WOW, those were crazy!

Silly husbands, don't they know that we wives are ALWAYS right. (especially when it comes to Disney) ha ha

Now I want a dole whip, yummmm.

I was only patient with him the first Sunday because we were originally supposed to be with his friend that day and it would have been an all day football day. The following Sunday however, I was not happy with all the football.

We are always right! At least he admitted he was wrong on that one. I'll take what I can get!

 

[jerseytinkerbell]

After our late night in MK we slept in a little late the next morning. Since we were getting a late start and I anticipated the parks being pretty crowded on Columbus Day, we decided to go to Epcot today and stick to Food & Wine and not even worry about rides. I didn't feel like dealing with the bus, so I drove us there and we got a spot close to the front of the park.

We skipped breakfast and we were STARVING! After a Captain Eo viewing (stop judging me) we went back to World Showcase. We stopped and checked out the cranberry bog on our way.




Then I stopped at the Ireland booth.




I got the Lobster and Seafood Fisherman's Pie


Rob was super hungry and wanted to get to his first booth, so I ate this as we walked around WS. The flavor was fantastic and it was piping hot. My only issue was a serious lack of seafood. There were maybe two bites of seafood in this. If it had more seafood it would have been one of my favorites from the festival.

Rob finally arrived at his first booth of the day. Belgium



He tried the Potato and Leek Waffle with Braised Beef


He loved it! I really wanted to try this, but somehow I never went back for this one. I'm disappointed in myself for missing out on this one.

He also tried the Leffe Brune.


He enjoyed this rich beer.

Once he had something to eat and I finished my seafood pie, I doubled back to France for my second escargot of the festival.




Always amazing! I never get to have escargot at home, so I didn't pass up any opportunity to have them on this trip.

Then we both stopped at New Zealand.



Rob had the Venison Sausage with Pickled Mushrooms, Baby Arugula & Black Currant Reduction. He also had the Kim Crawford Pinot Grigio


He was disappointed in this. He said it was very plain.

I had the Steamed Green Lip Mussels with Garlic Butter and Toasted Bread Crumbs.


Heaven! They were so buttery and scrumptious and the bread crumbs added a nice level of texture to the dish. I also got a Tried It sticker for this item. Which Rob promptly stuck on my hand.



Up next was a stop at Hops & Barley for me.





I got the Lobster Roll with Lemon Herb Mayonnaise.


Soooooo good! Lots of lobster on this small roll and just a touch of mayo which is key. I like very little mayo on my lobster rolls. The bun was buttery and delicious too.

This booth had a cool station with different flavors of Tabasco. Rob is a hot sauce junkie, so he wants to put one of these in the house.



Continued in next post...

 

[jerseytinkerbell]

Next we both stopped in Germany. This was one of a few booths that always had a huge line every time we passed it.



Rob tried the Schinkennudeln (Pasta Gratin with Ham and Cheese) and the Weingut Pitthan Dornfelder Dry Barrique Style



He said the pasta was very plain and was something we could easily duplicate at home. I trusted his judgement and never ended up trying it for myself.

I got the Apple Strudel with Werther's Original Karamel and Vanilla Sauce


I thought this was so boring. The was hoping the vanilla and the caramel would be a little bolder and really bring out the flavor in the apples, but all the flavors were very muted. Very plain dessert. I was very disappointed.

Then Rob made a return trip Africa.



He got the Berbere Style Beef with Onions, Jalapenos, Tomato, Okra and Pap and he also tried the Porcupine Ridge Syrah.




This was one of his favorite items at the festival! He raved about it the entire trip.

Our final stop of the day was Australia.



I couldn't wait to try the Garlic Shrimp Rob had a few days earlier and he liked this so much he had it again today.


Love this! I just want to sit down and eat a whole big bowl of these shrimp! The tomatoes were delicious and I loved the flavor of the rapini with it.

Rob also had the Rosemount Estate Pinot Grigio



Another fantastic day at Food & Wine! I really enjoyed my food today. I think it was my overall favorite food day I had at the festival this trip.

A

 

[jerseytinkerbell]

Before we left World Showcase I had a stop I needed to make. I was waiting to have my all time favorite drink. La Cava, here we come!



I knew what I wanted, but Rob decided to get a margarita too so we took a look at the menu posted near the front door.



This was when I felt my heart drop down to my toes. Where is the avocado maragita? I went in and went up to the bar and asked if they still have it and the bartender informed me that management took it off the menu during the festival, but he could still make it for me. Phew! Crisis averted! Don't understand the reasoning, but as long as he would make it for me, I didn't care.

Here is the Avocado Margarita in all it's green glory!



OMG I love it so much! It doesn't taste much like avocado, but it just has a nice light sweetness and the salt makes it 10 times better.

Rob ended up getting the Wild Passion Fruit Margarita



Here is a great tip for you! Follow La Cava on Twitter then if you go in on a Monday, show them on your phone that you are following them and you can get any of the margaritas for only (ha, ONLY ) $10! Considering how pricey their margaritas are, this was a pretty good deal. And don't think for a second that this didn't factor into my decision to go to Epcot today! There is nothing I like more than getting a deal on something. I am queen of the hidden deals.

It was such a beautiful day in Epcot today. We had a great time as always! We hit up the Nemo ride and Living with the Land, both of which we really love. Sometimes it's the simplest rides that stick with you the most. Then it was time to leave for the day.


Up next... my favorite meal of the trip!

 

[disneyhorselover]

Just started following along, all of your food pictures look amazing, can't wait to see more!

 

[kastoney]

Great updates despite a visit to Captain E.O. Im of the mindset that everyone should boycot it until Disney realizes its freaking 2013 not 1986.

Captain EO aside the F&W food looks delish. Can't believe how much lobster was on that roll. And the mussels look Devine.

I must say my heart skipped a beat when I saw no avocado margarita on the menu. Hopefully it's back on permanently or I may have to lead a revolt.

 

[tybrilinja]

I am putting that Avocado Marg. on my drink list. Everyone raves about it here and I've never tried one. Good tip, thanks.

 

[RGirl]

You are too fast with the updates for me! I can't keep up!

I am going on memory here, so I will miss a lot - memory = not so good.

The ghirardelli treats look amazing!

The GFC breakfasts look delish!

I have to say that burrito option looks so good - I love things where I can choose all the stuff to load on. Perfection!

MMMM- F&WF goodies. So jealous…..

 

[RDP]

Looking forward to the next update! Lobster roll .... Yum!

1999-Swan, 2001- Grand Floridian, 2002-Yacht & Beach Club, 2003- Animal Kingdom Lodge,2004- Grand Floridian&Disney Cruise,2006- Off site, 2008- Dolphin, 2009-AKV Kidani, 2010-Saratoga Springs ,2011-AKV Kidani ,2012 - Port Orleans, DCL-Dream & Beach Club, 2013 - AKV Kidani

 

[jerseytinkerbell]

Just started following along, all of your food pictures look amazing, can't wait to see more!

Thanks for joining in! More updates coming up!

Great updates despite a visit to Captain E.O. Im of the mindset that everyone should boycot it until Disney realizes its freaking 2013 not 1986.

Captain EO aside the F&W food looks delish. Can't believe how much lobster was on that roll. And the mussels look Devine.

I must say my heart skipped a beat when I saw no avocado margarita on the menu. Hopefully it's back on permanently or I may have to lead a revolt.

Lol I totally get the Captain Eo hate, but we weirdly love it. I'm actually shocked that it's still there. I can't believe Disney hasn't developed anything else over the last few years to take over that space.

The avocado margarita is the best! I'll help you lead the revolt if it isn't returned to the regular menu.

I am putting that Avocado Marg. on my drink list. Everyone raves about it here and I've never tried one. Good tip, thanks.

You should definitely give it a try! It's very unique. I wish I could duplicate it at home.

You are too fast with the updates for me! I can't keep up!

I am going on memory here, so I will miss a lot - memory = not so good.

The ghirardelli treats look amazing!

The GFC breakfasts look delish!

I have to say that burrito option looks so good - I love things where I can choose all the stuff to load on. Perfection!

MMMM- F&WF goodies. So jealous…..

Haha, well I was doing good for awhile, but now I'm falling behind. The holidays are hectic!

Let me tell you, I have been CRAVING Ghirardelli! It is the best!

Looking forward to the next update! Lobster roll .... Yum!

1999-Swan, 2001- Grand Floridian, 2002-Yacht & Beach Club, 2003- Animal Kingdom Lodge,2004- Grand Floridian&Disney Cruise,2006- Off site, 2008- Dolphin, 2009-AKV Kidani, 2010-Saratoga Springs ,2011-AKV Kidani ,2012 - Port Orleans, DCL-Dream & Beach Club, 2013 - AKV Kidani

Oh my gosh, that lobster roll was fantastic! I need a trip to New England next year to have more! Updates coming right up!

 

[jerseytinkerbell]

After our afternoon in Epcot it was time to hit the pool and discuss plans for dinner. I was really in the mood for a nice meal out and I felt like getting dressed up, so I made a call to Disney Dining to see what was available. We had a reservation for Jiko later in the week, but there was an availability for later in the evening, so we took it and canceled our other reservation. Jiko here we come! This is Rob's favorite Disney restaurant and I like it, but don't love it. I've had good food here, but never an all around fantastic experience. Something is always a little off here for me.

I drove us over to AKL Jambo House a little early so that we could wander around the resort for a little while before dinner. Here I am outside checking out the animals in my dinner attire.

Hey look, I'm wearing the same colors as that zebra back there!

We were still a little early for our reservation, but we went inside and checked in and they were able to seat us right away. We settled in at a table by the window and started to look over the menus.



Sorry for the poor quality of some of the pictures. There were people very close to us during the beginning of the meal and I didn't want to annoy them with my camera flash, so some of these are camera phone pics.

Rob started out with a beer. Neither one of us can remember what kind of beer he got. Isn't that terrible? It was less than 2 months ago and we totally forget! Sucks getting older!

Here is their list of specialty mixed drinks.


I had the Victoria Falls Mist


This was delicious! Very refreshing and not overly sweet.

They brought out the bread basket.


I don't usually care for their bread and butter here, but I really enjoyed it this time. I ended up eating a few pieces. Guess my tastes have changed a little bit.

Next we were presented with an amuse bouche of pickled eggplant and onions.


This small bite was out of this world good! I would have happily eaten a large portion of this as a side dish with my entree.

Now onto appetizers.


Rob had the Taktouka Tomato Soup. Vine-ripened tomatoes, peppers and purple haze grilled cheese.


He loved this and was ready to lick the bowl clean!

I had the Peri Peri-roasted chicken flatbread.


Wow! So many great flavors that fit together perfectly and lots of large chicken chunks. This was a meal itself. It was possibly my favorite thing I ate on vacation.

Next up, entrees.


Rob had the Lamb Two Ways


He really liked his dish, he was just disappointed in the portion size. He said he would have liked it more if there had been more of it.

I had the Beef Short Ribs.


Delicious! The beef was so tender and the puree was delicious. I loved all the veggies with it too. They were cooked nice and soft. Just the way I like them!

We looked over the dessert menu, but nothing was really jumping out at us, so we passed. The our server returned with a Happy Anniversary dessert for us as well as a couple of their chocolate cookies.


Rob didn't want either dessert, so I happily ate them by myself.

The cookies were pretty much the most amazing cookies of all time. I need to come up with an elaborate plan to steal their entire supply from their kitchen. Or they could start selling bags of them in the gift shop so I don't have to lead a life of cookie crime.

We were also presented with this lovely anniversary card.


That's going in the scrapbook!

Overall, this was my favorite meal of the trip! Every course was amazing and the service was great too. Perfect and relaxing from start to finish. Now I will happily agree to Rob's Jiko requests on future trips. This meal really swung my opinion from ok over to fantastic!

Now I know what you're thinking, "That was a lot of food they just ate." And you're right, but you won't believe where we ended up next. Stay tuned!

 

[RDP]

Oh my goodness...the beef short rib .....I had that the last time we went....I wanted to make love to it....yuuuuum!

1999-Swan, 2001- Grand Floridian, 2002-Yacht & Beach Club, 2003- Animal Kingdom Lodge,2004- Grand Floridian&Disney Cruise,2006- Off site, 2008- Dolphin, 2009-AKV Kidani, 2010-Saratoga Springs ,2011-AKV Kidani ,2012 - Port Orleans, DCL-Dream & Beach Club, 2013 - AKV Kidani

 

[jerseytinkerbell]

Despite the fact that we were full from our meal at Jiko, it seemed like a good idea to go out in search of dessert. Or in my case, MORE dessert. I drove us from AKL to Boardwalk.


Oh, I just love it here! It was getting me super excited for our stay there the following week. We walked down to the boardwalk itself.



There was a performer drawing a pretty big crowd as soon as we hit the boardwalk.


But that's not what we came here for. This is!


We have not been here since they revamped the inside. It was so much easier to get in there now and be able to check out all of the goodies in the case. This place was always a ridiculous madhouse when we stayed here 4 years ago. Here are some pics of their many treats.













We made our selections and then we had them package up our treats and we headed back to the hotel with them to enjoy in our room.

Are you even ready for this gluttony? I don't know if you are. Even writing this, I feel extreme shame.

Rob had his usual favorite, the cheesecake brownie.


He liked it, but he was disappointed that it was now about half the size of what it used to be.

I had the salted caramel ganache.


I would have really really liked this if it weren't for the odd aftertaste it had. I had an almost orange-ish aftertaste. Not necessary. Just some straightforward, delicious caramel is all that was needed thank you very much.

Then, we BOTH got a Peanut Butter, Banana and Candied Bacon Pie. *hangs head in shame*


The peanut buttery inside


Oh boooooyyyyy! This thing was crazy! I really liked this, but I wish the peanut butter part had been better. It tasted like fake peanut butter. The flavors were good together, but they just need to improve upon the peanut butter. I couldn't even eat half of this monster. Sadly, most of it ended up in the trash. I was so full, that I didn't even want to look at it. And I couldn't save it, due to lack of refrigerator.

This was our last night at Pop before we moved to our next hotel. Now I had to drag my full belly around the room packing up all of our bags and loading a few unneeded bags down to the car so that there was less to take down in the morning.

Up next, we start our stay at Old Key West!

 

[jerseytinkerbell]

We woke up early on Tuesday morning and finished packing our bags to make the switch to our new hotel. It was time to say goodbye to Pop Century and room 7304.


With our car refilled with luggage we made our way to Old Key West for the next four nights! This was our first time at this resort and we were excited to explore.









Before we checked in we decided to eat breakfast at Olivia's.



Their breakfast menu


I was really excited to eat here! I had been talking about their breakfast menu for months. There were 3 items I wanted to try on the breakfast menu, so the plan was to eat breakfast here on three of our days. We didn't have a reservation this morning, but it was pretty empty in there and we were seated within a few minutes.

To be honest, I wasn't even hungry. I was still full from our massive food intake the night before. I couldn't decide which of the three things I wanted to try for our first breakfast here. I ended up choosing Banana Bread French Toast. Topped with Bahamian Banana Rum Butter Sauce, Coconut cream, and your choice of Bacon, Sausage, or Ham. I chose the ham.


The ham was yummy, but the french toast was boring. I was off to a disappointing start with Olivia's.

Rob was torn between a few things, but ended up getting the Breakfast Cuban. Scrambled Eggs, Sliced Pork Loin, Ham, Swiss, and Tomato on a Grilled Cuban Roll served with Breakfast Potatoes.



He was pretty underwhelmed with his choice too. I had a bite of his breakfast and the potatoes were really good, but the breakfast Cuban was boring too. That was one of the other things I wanted to try, so I now knew that I could cross it off my list.

Our service here was really lacking too. We hardly ever saw our server and when we did, he seemed like he couldn't be bothered with us. Darn! I really wanted to like Olivia's, but I was disappointed. So was Rob. This ended up being our only trip to Olivia's. I would give it a second chance on a future trip because it certainly wasn't bad. Maybe next time I would have lower expectations and feel differently about it.

 

[DisneyMom2Boyz]

Hey Jerri,
Glad to see you posted more from your trip! The Disney desserts are deadly...I gained six pounds on our last trip! The cupcakes are my weakness. Did you ever try the pina colada cupcake at the Poly? OMG! I think I ate one everyday! I thought Olivias was suppose to be very good, what a shame. I personally never ate there. I'll be watching for more updates....Alicia

 

[RGirl]

Your Jiko dinner looks and sounds amazing! We had a great meal there this trip too. Definitely a place to return to!

And no shame! It's vacation - there are no calories. At least that's what I've been told (says the woman who spent a week at WDW on the DxDDP followed by a week on a Disney cruise ship )…..

Seriously, all your treats looked great!

Wow - as I was reading, I was thinking, what a surprise - there are several items on that Olivia's menu that I would like to try. And then I read how your food was. I hope, if you go back, it's better - looking forward to finding out!

 

[RDP]

The breakfast menu at Olivias looks great, shame the service was off. We have never stayed in OKW, looks lovely!

 

[WildGinger]

Love you review. The lobster benedict looks so good! Jiko looks so yummy too.

 

[jerseytinkerbell]

Oh my goodness...the beef short rib .....I had that the last time we went....I wanted to make love to it....yuuuuum!

1999-Swan, 2001- Grand Floridian, 2002-Yacht & Beach Club, 2003- Animal Kingdom Lodge,2004- Grand Floridian&Disney Cruise,2006- Off site, 2008- Dolphin, 2009-AKV Kidani, 2010-Saratoga Springs ,2011-AKV Kidani ,2012 - Port Orleans, DCL-Dream & Beach Club, 2013 - AKV Kidani

The short rib is always incredible there! I think I'll have to order that every time from now on.

Hey Jerri,
Glad to see you posted more from your trip! The Disney desserts are deadly...I gained six pounds on our last trip! The cupcakes are my weakness. Did you ever try the pina colada cupcake at the Poly? OMG! I think I ate one everyday! I thought Olivias was suppose to be very good, what a shame. I personally never ate there. I'll be watching for more updates....Alicia

Hey Alicia! Believe it or not, I gained no weight this trip. None. I was SHOCKED! After 17 days I thought I would be bringing home at least 5 more pounds with me. I guess I walked a whole lot this trip. Actually, I know I did thanks to my pedometer.

I totally forgot about the cupcakes at Poly! I'm so mad at myself because I really wanted to try one. They all look fantastic.

Your Jiko dinner looks and sounds amazing! We had a great meal there this trip too. Definitely a place to return to!

And no shame! It's vacation - there are no calories. At least that's what I've been told (says the woman who spent a week at WDW on the DxDDP followed by a week on a Disney cruise ship )…..

Seriously, all your treats looked great!

Wow - as I was reading, I was thinking, what a surprise - there are several items on that Olivia's menu that I would like to try. And then I read how your food was. I hope, if you go back, it's better - looking forward to finding out!

I'm glad you had a great Jiko experience too! I don't see too many negative Jiko reviews on here. Wow, a week of DxDDP and a week of the cruise sounds decadent! I keep trying to convince hubby to try the cruise, but he's not hearing it. I was really looking forward to Olivia's based on the menu. So many things sounded amazing. I'm hoping that maybe my experience was the exception and not the norm because I would like to give it a second chance.

The breakfast menu at Olivias looks great, shame the service was off. We have never stayed in OKW, looks lovely!

Didn't enjoy Olivia's, but I did love OKW! That resort was such a pleasant surprise! Other times I have chosen SSR over OKW when those were the only two resorts available, but now I would definitely choose OKW. The rooms there were huge! So much so that I thought we got upgraded to a one bedroom instead of a studio when we first walked in the room. I immediately started running around opening closets looking for the washer and dryer.

Love you review. The lobster benedict looks so good! Jiko looks so yummy too.

Thanks so much! They were both fantastic. I could go for a big Jiko meal right about now!