Leaving behind a blizzard for Florida sun - A Week of Disney Dining UPDATED 4/2 Tangierine Cafe

[annabug]

Really great reviews and beautiful pics! TY so much for sharing.

 

[peteykirch]

Sorry for the delay in updating this. Between work being hectic, and having to deal with another snow storm that dropped another 8+ inches there hasn't been much chance for downtime.

I begin with my last full day at the World. I found myself once again back at EPCOT for the bulk of my day, and a return trip to Sunshine Seasons. I know it's a bit repetitive, but when you find something that you enjoy you can't go wrong going there more than once.

I stuck with an old favorite, the croissant bread pudding, and decided to try something new. That being the breakfast panini. The panini consists of scrambled eggs, bacon, roast pork, and cheese with breakfast potatoes.

I got to admit, the one thing that really made the panini pop for me, was on the top of the bread they used was an assortment of herbs I picked up rosemary and thyme. It really gave a bit more robust taste to the dish. The breakfast potatoes on the other hand were a bit blah. They could've been a bit more crispy. The flavor was decent, it just needed to be a bit more crispier. Overall it was really good, and really filled me up.

I cannot suggest people Sunshine Seasons enough. It's reasonably priced, and offers some good options outside of the standard breakfast choices.

 

[TeresaNJ]

Enjoying your report very much, and love your photos!

 

[peteykirch]

My original plan was to spend most of my day at EPCOT, but I decided to go somewhere to grab a bite to eat. I decided to make my way back to the Polynesian and have lunch at Kona Cafe. I love Kona Cafe, it always is a must do for breakfast, but I never been there for any other meal, so I figured it was as good as ever to give it a try.

Kona Turkey Sandwich
Turkey Breast Roasted daily and served on House-made Bread with Caramelized Onion, Purple Haze-Hoisin Mayonnaise, Arugula, Tomato, and Bacon served with Asian Pear Slaw
​

I thought this sounded quite interesting sans the Asian pear slaw, so I swapped it out for the pasta salad. I was quite surprised with the amount of turkey that came on this sandwich it was a filling portion, and bursting with flavor. The bread though was the scene stealer. It was sort of a mix between a Kings Hawaiian roll meeting the welcome bread from 'Ohana. The arugula added a nice peppery kick to the sandwich, and of course you can't go wrong with bacon.

Banana-Chocolate Crème Brûlée
with a Chocolate Spiral
​

This is what I was told the most popular dessert at Kona Island, and I can see why. I thought the creme brulee at the California Grill was the best I had until I had this. You can't go wrong with the banana and chocolate combination. I will say they went super heavy on the sugar which made for a very dense outershell to break through, not that there's anything wrong with that.

Overall the Kona Cafe has yet to disappoint for me. I always knew breakfast was a sure thing, but now I know that the Kona Cafe is always a great spot to get something other than breakfast to enjoy. Plus it doesn't hurt that it's pretty reasonably priced by Disney standards.

 

[mare1203]

Loving your reviews!

My sister and I went on a bit of a trek for a while, searching out the best creme brulee's in Disney (and elsewhere, but mostly Disney). Our favorite is the double vanilla bean at the Hollywood Brown Derby, with Le Cellier's maple creme brulee coming in a close 2nd. You should give those a try sometime!

 

[Finkerfell]

Ditto thanks for the pictures and reviews! Loving this so much!!

 

[lauraleh]

Awesome reviews! You make that breakfast panini look amazing!

 

[LindseyJo22]

Catching up on this wonderful report! We are staying in BWV in September, and I already know the Bakery is going to be a go-to, and I may have to eat a cupcake or cheesecake brownie for breakfast! I'll just remember to steer clear of the vanilla and mango concoction

The mozzarella sandwich is now on my must-eat list from your description and pictures. It basically sounds like all of the things I like in a sandwich!

interesting to hear about the Wave breakfast, I'll definitely keep that in mind for a future trip! Sounds like a bargain, and it's nice to have a semi-healthy option. Plus, grits! Not really healthy, but I can't get enough of delicious grits.

That ice cream! Man, this is not helping my already too-long list of snacks I want to try on our next visit! That strawberry macaron sandwich looks awesome...and they have profiterole flavored ice cream, which I know my fiance would just love.

Basically, everything looks amazing, and your photographs just make it all better It looks like your trip was a great time; hoping to see more soon!

 

[jwfla422]

As I stated in my last post, my plans had me having breakfast and dinner at the Contemporary. To start my day I ended up at;

I feel that The Wave is one of the underrated spots to grab a bite in the World, especially for breakfast. I know the inside is nothing special, but the true highlight is their breakfast buffet which is a bargain for Disney standards.

Now for my plates of food;

The Wave Breakfast Potatoes, Applewood Smoked Bacon, Sausage, Egg Frittata, Multigrain Mickey Waffle with Honey Pecan Butter, Banana Nut Bread.

The Wave tries to offer healthier breakfast choices, the Multigrain Mickey Waffles, and the Sweet Potato pancakes. I'm normally not a health nut, but you really can't tell the difference between the regular waffles and these, especially when you lather it up with the delicious honey pecan butter the Wave offers.

Plate 2;

Tilamook Cheddar and Smoked Bacon grits, biscuits with gravy, the Wave breakfast potatoes, maple pecan bread.

This is the first place I ever had grits 2 years ago, and I fell in love with them here. Now I'm not a true grits connoisseur, so I can't tell how authentic these are to Southern style grits, pretty much take Joe Pesci's reaction to grits in My Cousin Vinnie. I do like that their gravy for the biscuits has a bit of heat to it, and it isn't like flavorless wallpaper paste some places offer.

Plate 3;

Tilamook Cheddar and Smoked Bacon Grits, Sausage, The Wave Breakfast Potatoes, Biscuit and Gravy.

I will say that their breakfast taters are a tasty treat. They have a nice seasoning to them, and are roasted golden brown and delicious.

I had 2 of these Strawberry Greek Yogurt cups with Granola, and Craisins.

I had to have some sort of a semblance of something that could be classified as semi-healthy for breakfast.

The Wave has yet to disappoint in terms of breakfast for me, and I got to say for a shade over 19 bucks and change it's a bargain for a very filling meal. Also of note, this was the only place I ate at for my entire trip that they actually scanned my Magicband to pay for my meal. It was also interesting to see that when the check came they took 10% off for a DVC membership I don't have. I guess they could see on the band I was staying at the Boardwalk Villas and assumed I was a DVC member? I don't know, but I'll take any discount Disney is offering me.

 

[jwfla422]

LOVE your review of the Wave breakfast especially your comments about the grits! I too tasted grits for the first time when they first started the breakfast buffet and just fell in love with them and I have tried grits at so many other places since (including WDW restaurants)...and can't find anything that comes close to these amazing grits of deliciousness!! And I had to laugh about your comment regarding "My Cousin Vinny" because that also sticks in my mind every time "grits" are up for discussion LOL!! Yes, the Wave is highly under-rated and even my teen dd who was not even a pre-teen when we tried this breakfast for the first time is always so excited to eat here!!

As I stated in my last post, my plans had me having breakfast and dinner at the Contemporary. To start my day I ended up at;

...and I have to add, next time you go to IL MULINO you MUST MUST MUST try the Pappardelle, absolutely the best pasta we've ever had ANYWHERE!! I can't say enough about it!! (and yes it is also available in 1/2 portions)

You're pictures are amazing!! Thanks for sharing!

I feel that The Wave is one of the underrated spots to grab a bite in the World, especially for breakfast. I know the inside is nothing special, but the true highlight is their breakfast buffet which is a bargain for Disney standards.

Now for my plates of food;

The Wave Breakfast Potatoes, Applewood Smoked Bacon, Sausage, Egg Frittata, Multigrain Mickey Waffle with Honey Pecan Butter, Banana Nut Bread.

The Wave tries to offer healthier breakfast choices, the Multigrain Mickey Waffles, and the Sweet Potato pancakes. I'm normally not a health nut, but you really can't tell the difference between the regular waffles and these, especially when you lather it up with the delicious honey pecan butter the Wave offers.

Plate 2;

Tilamook Cheddar and Smoked Bacon grits, biscuits with gravy, the Wave breakfast potatoes, maple pecan bread.

This is the first place I ever had grits 2 years ago, and I fell in love with them here. Now I'm not a true grits connoisseur, so I can't tell how authentic these are to Southern style grits, pretty much take Joe Pesci's reaction to grits in My Cousin Vinnie. I do like that their gravy for the biscuits has a bit of heat to it, and it isn't like flavorless wallpaper paste some places offer.

Plate 3;

Tilamook Cheddar and Smoked Bacon Grits, Sausage, The Wave Breakfast Potatoes, Biscuit and Gravy.

I will say that their breakfast taters are a tasty treat. They have a nice seasoning to them, and are roasted golden brown and delicious.

I had 2 of these Strawberry Greek Yogurt cups with Granola, and Craisins.

I had to have some sort of a semblance of something that could be classified as semi-healthy for breakfast.

The Wave has yet to disappoint in terms of breakfast for me, and I got to say for a shade over 19 bucks and change it's a bargain for a very filling meal. Also of note, this was the only place I ate at for my entire trip that they actually scanned my Magicband to pay for my meal. It was also interesting to see that when the check came they took 10% off for a DVC membership I don't have. I guess they could see on the band I was staying at the Boardwalk Villas and assumed I was a DVC member? I don't know, but I'll take any discount Disney is offering me.

 

[peteykirch]

Once again sorry the delay between updates;

It's been a hectic last couple weeks between work, helping my GF look at apartments, and just basic day to day life I haven't had the time to keep up with this.

After my lunch at Kona Cafe, I decided to head back into the Magic Kingdom and just wander around and take in the sights with no real plans on my plate.

After strolling around for a while my sweet tooth was hankering something so I made my way to;

Sunshine Tree Terrace which is now Aloha Isle because apparently it took Disney this long to realize a bigger space = more Dole Whips they can dish out at a much faster pace.

Sunshine Tree is home to the Orange Bird one of my favorite mascots/characters of anything in the parks. He's just totally adorable.

I had to get the specialty of the house, that being the Citrus Swirl.

What I love about this is that the orange portion of the swirl isn't sickly sweet. It's actually pretty tart and it goes perfectly with the smooth, refreshing sweetness of the vanilla soft serve. The orange reminds me of the San Pellegrino Aranciata Italian Soda. Tart but not too tart, it's like a more sophisticated creamsicle of sorts.

I'll be making my way back to EPCOT, to take in Illuminations for one last time, and grab a bite or two at a place I never ate at before.

 

[KathyM2]

That dessert you had at Kona looked so good. I wish I had room for dessert when I was there last. Maybe next time I will go JUST for dessert .

 

[Redwitch]

Awesome reviews! Thanks for sharing.

 

[peteykirch]

I ventured back into Epcot to see Illuminations for one last time. This time taking advantage of having a FP+ for the viewing area. I got to say that was a bit of a fiasco. The line for one stretched around the lagoon, people were lining up apparently before 8PM for it. When I finally got to the checkpoint it didn't read my reservation and I had to deal with the buggy MyMagic+ app that struggled to load up my reservations. I finally got into the herding area and ended up about 4 rows deep behind people. In retrospect I'm pretty certain I could've walked around the lagoon and found a better spot with greater ease.

Now to the food. I wanted to try something I never ventured to have before, so trying to across traffic with the masses trying to leave Epcot proved difficult, but I finally made it to Morocco and decided to try the Tangierine Cafe. Now, living in the metro NJ/NY area this sort of food isn't foreign to me at all, and I think perhaps having the infamous Halal Guys before in NYC might have set my hopes up too highly, but in the end it was a delicious meal.

Chicken and Lamb Shawarma Platter - served with side of Hummus, Tabouleh and a Tangierine Couscous Salad with fresh Moroccan bread

It doesn't look like a lot, but there was a heaping portion of everything on the platter. I will say I was shocked that the Couscous was cold, I was expecting room temperature or warm, so when I took my first bite and it was ice cold it was a shock. Flavor wise it was good, but I don't know I was just expecting one thing over the other?

I have to tell people again and again, don't be put off by Morocco and their food. It seems to be commonly accepted that the food served in the Morocco pavilion isn't appetizing or they have preconceived notions that it'll be super spicy, but it's not. It's roasted meats, rice, ground up chickpeas, and pita bread. Nothing all to threatening.

I also do adore nearly having World Showcase to myself after Illuminations. It's so eerie being able to walk around the lagoon and not run into anybody for a string of countries.

That first picture is perhaps on of my favorite pictures that I ever took, PERIOD.

 

[kastoney]

First, your nighttime photos are gorgeous, especially that last one it looks like spaceahip earth is glowing.

We are big fans of tangerine cafe too. Agree their portion sizes are huge ans the food is solid. Like you, we can get some more authentic stuff at home, but tangerine cafe is definitely not your typical theme park meal.

 

[KathyM2]

Great pics. I love that type of food too - being from Toronto we have a lot of it here too so I'm also not afraid of much in the way of food. Given other options though I don't think I would get my family to choose that over everything else available...sigh. What you had looked good though...despite the temperature weirdness.

 

[peteykirch]

For those wondering, this was my view in the FP+ area for Illuminations showing up at 8:30 for the 9PM showing;

Really don't get to see much of the globe except between people shifting around.

 

[danjoan14]

Cool photos of "Lights On" at Space Mountain!!!