Tarheel Tink
Cosmos mariner-destination unknown
- Joined
- Aug 21, 1999
We just returned from a stay at the Wilderness Lodge and just wanted to list where we ate.
We started at Epcot at the Food and Wine Festival and sampled through about 7-8 countries.
Greece- Honey Baklava- delicious; Souvaki- ok but not very tender; Spanakopita- wonderful- DH enjoyed and usually does not care for cooked spinach in dishes.
Florida- Blackened Mahi with Pineapple Salsa- very spicy and very good; Fisherman's stew- a big hit with DH, I liked what little I got from our shared bowl/cup; Frozen Grapefruit Juice- I enjoyed very much, I am a grapefruit lover.
Mexico- Chorizo and Chicken Quesidilla- excellent
Watermelon water- well, not what I expected. DH finished it but I felt it was "too watery" (weird assumption of mine!)
Dos Equis Lager- DH loved it
Ireland- Whiskey Flan- y'all weren't lying- these were delicious! Guiness Stout- not as "stout" as I thought it would be, but I finished it, LOL!
Scandinavia- Cold Poached Salmon- excellent!; smoked trout-excellent!; Rice Cream for DH- thumbs up!
(A pattern of really good/great desserts is showing itself...)
China- Chicken Sha-Sha with Peanut Sauce- DH enjoyed, I was getting full and pickier so I was so-so about the Sha-Sha (say that one rapidly after several beer tastings!); Dan-Dan Noodles- we both were NOT so-so about the Dan-Dan (I couldn't resist!) and threw it out. Cold, vinegary= not to our tastes; Mango Mousse- great! We felt pretty sure about any desserts at this point- all had been a hit so far.
Both of us are pretty full (I mean look at the list! Sheesh!) so we stagger past Poland, South Africa, Australia, Octoberfest, Italy, Specialty Beer Garden, United States (although at this point we started looking at the food again). After a nap in American Adventure (I usually cry during this, but full stomach and air-conditioning combined made both of us sleep until the ending). After our nap, a strawberry Kaki Gori was shared by the two of us and off we went. We passed the Champagne booth, Japan, Morocco but managed to rally in France for the creme brulee.
France-creme brulee- wonderful! a good value since they were twice the size of the other dessert offerings.
Passed New Zealand and Beers of the World.
Cognac- flourless chocolate cake- fantastic- more like fudge
Passed Spain but wait! Scenting on the wind like a pointer, we were drawn to...
Canada!- Maple nut Fudge- chilled and flavorful (came back a few times during our visit for more!) and Ice Wine- first time we have tried it and loved it!
Passed Russia, Southeast Asia, Colorful Eating and South America.
Did grab some free peanut packets on the way out on the rose pathway
since DH has "a peanut thing going on" and supports the Peanut Growers of Anywhere.
Believe it or not, later that night we had dinner at Artist Point!
DH- Field Greens with Goat Cheese Toast and Balsamic Chive Dressing
Me- Frisee Salad with Pears, Neuskes Bacon, Maytag crumbles and Sherry Walnut Vinaigrette - I've had this here before and loved it each time. It just seems to work!
I got the Feature Wine Flight (Oregon) and with the salad I had King Estate Pinot Gris. I need to add in that our waitress was so informative about wines and so generous with her knowledge.
For "betweens" I had a Ponzi Reserve Chardonnay= Excellent and I am not usually a Chardonnay person.
DH had the Grilled Flat Iron Steak with Smashed Potatoes, Onion Rings and Horseradish Butter.= he loved it
Me- I had the Cedar Plank Roasted Wild Silver Bay Salmon, served with Celery Root, Parsnip Mash, Sauteed Swiss Chard and Wild Mushroom Vinaigrette paired with an Oregon Argyle Pinot Noir that stood up to the taste of the salmon. I love salmon and have a hard time finding wild salmon. A fisherman in Alaska told us how much better the taste is of a wild salmon and we have found that to be so true.
Alas, we were way too full to share our usual dessert of choice- the Cobbler! Our wonderful waitress brought us a complimentary glass of Kiona Ice Wine ($13.00 a glass normally) with a side dish of mixed berries so we could compare the tart and sweet after we mentioned how we enjoyed our first tast of ice wine earlier in the day. It was so delicious!
On Monday we ate lunch at the Animal Kingdom Rainforest Cafe. We normally eat here and DH got his usual BBQ Beef wrap with fries and he got a free appetizer as a Safari Club member so he went for the Blue Crab Dip with tortilla chips- very good.
I orded the side salad and it was huge! It was about twice the usual size so paired with the Awesome Appetizer I got I had way too much food. I always over order here and the portions are so big. Oh well, now that we are DVC, I have a refrigerator for my leftovers! Service was good, drinks refilled constantly, food was good- just too much of it, LOL!
Dinner- Flying Fish- side note- we had booked a DVC meeting and had been planning on buying into Saratoga Springs Resort. Since we did plan to buy, we went ahead with the sale and without even asking they called Flying Fish to let them know we would be running a little late. How thoughtful! They also gave us 2 food vouchers for Casual Lunch/Dinner, a lithograph, a backpack, 2 packs of cotten candy, a mortgage...
We eat here every trip and love the place. We now eat at grill itself- the chefs are fascinating and can be talkative.
DH- normally we share the Caesar Salad but not that hungry tonight so he got his usual Char Crusted New York Strip Steak with Roasted Yukon Gold Potatoes, Green Beans and Sauce Foyot. Wonderful as always but has increased in price to $38.00.
Me- Not that hungry so I got 2 appetizers. Buttermilk Fried Fanny Bay Oysters and "Peeky Toe" Crab Cakes with Flying Fish Slaw and Ancho-Chile Remoulade.
No desire for dessert despite my love of the Banana Napoleon; besides, we had cotten candy in our DVC backpack!
The next day we had shakes at Sci-Fi (can't go wrong with the shakes) and lunch at Biergarten. Not big fans of German food but we wanted a show and air conditioning. We really enjoyed ourselves and met some very nice tablemates. The food was very good and fresh so we were very pleased.
For dinner that night, we ate at Boma- we love the place and eat there on Tuesday for the flank steak rotation. The Zebra Domes are much smaller now but just as tasty! The charm of the butternut squash soup is lost on me, but I did try it! I always enjoy the prime rib and the roasted potatoes and try some hummus and salads. This time I enjoyed the grapefruit, mango and avacado salad.
The next day we did Mission Space and DH was pretty lackluster for the rest of the day. I did get some light Key Lime Pie in him from the Land food court. Later in the afternoon we did the Grand Florida tea. A massive rainstorm struck as we took a boat from MK to GF- the boats from there are open sided and we got pretty soaked despite ponchos. We did take them off and shake them off but were pretty damp from the knees down.
Tea- we both got the Buckingham with a side of the Gentlemans Platter (I forget what it was called) that had duck, Stilton,etc. on it. We enjoyed the sandwiches (my favorite, the salmon; DH- the egg salad). It was lovely having the warm tea while we were so damp and hearing the piano play. The onion tart was very good, the scones heavenly as always with the Devonsire cream and preserves. We optioned for strawberries and whipped cream (big bowl of berries!).
It was about at this time 2 woman in dripping ponchos walked in and started to attempt to fill some plates they picked up. A waitress stopped them and asked if she could help them. One of them replied she could serve herself but the waitress told her she needed to be served and did she have a priority seating? No, she was concierge and thought she could just help herself like she did at Sugar Loaf, after all , they offered a tea there. She was not very pleasant after being told there was a fee in this restaurant so the 2 dripping poncho women swept out.
We returned to the Wilderness Lodge and rested. I used the DVC gift for dinner at Roaring Forks- good value as it would have been over $28.00 with all it got us (Cheese steak/fries, Cheeseburger/fries, 2 drinks, 2 Mickey bars, 1 fruit salad, 1 carrot/celery stick combo). We had the fruit salad for breakfast and I had the celery/carrots the next evening.
Magic Kingdom- Plaza Restaurant for lunch
Due to the DIS, I wanted to try this hidden gem. We are very glad we did. Quiet, cool, good food, Cast members eating there (good sign); I had never noticed it before, striding past to get to Tomorrowland.
DH- tea, Rueben with fries. I tasted his sandwich and loved it! Grilled marble rye, lean meat, etc. DH said it was good but not great, he felt the lean corned beef I enjoyed was the cheap pressed meat you bought in packages. Good fries and frequent tea refills. (a small side bar here- I like a Rueben every once in a while and ordered one at our town diner several years ago. The waitress came back and said they had a new cook and he wanted to know what was in it. Taken aback since the ingredients were all listed in the menu, I told her corned beef with Swiss and sauerkraut grilled on rye bread. What I received- toasted whole wheat with corned beef HASH with CHEDDAR and COLESLAW on it. We still laugh about it today- I actually tried it and it did suck!)
Me- tuna sandwich- I am now ruined forever on regular tuna. Albacore totally rocks, dude! (sorry, just watched my Finding Nemo DVD) It was an excellent tuna on toast with lettuce and ripe tomato slices with German Potato Salad. Like I said, no more regular tuna "paste" for us- albacore rules! At this point in the trip, a normal meal was much enjoyed by us both.
Coral Reef Food and Wine Pairing-
Excellent value to be found here at $35.00 per person pre-paid when booked.
The chef Andy Worrell came by twice, the Forestville Vineyards rep twice, the head waitress several times. We sat with another couple who were very informative and generous with their knowledge. They came every year and and were very interesting. The husband was incredibly handsome also and seem to get better looking with each glass of wine, LOL!
Grilled Scallop with Cilantro Slaw and Vanilla Peppercorn Beurre Blanc paired with Forestville Sonoma Reserve "Russian River" Chardonnay '00 Russian River, CA (I enjoyed this Chardonnay and learned why- never in Oak longer than 6 months and it was in OLD oak from France)
The Scallop was delicious (larger ocean scallop), the slaw was a wonderful mix of peppers, onion,etc.
Fried Baby Octopus with Chipolte Cherry Glaze and Marbled Goat Cheese Polenta paired with Forestville Sonoma Reserve "Russian River" Pinot Noir '01 Russian River, CA.
This was a favorite due to the Chipolte Cherry Glaze. It had some heat and was wonderful. We all praised it to Chef Worrell. The Pinot Noir paired nicely with it- I had heard earlier in the week Pinot Noir described as a red wine trying to be a white wine.
Smoked Duck Breast with Asian Noodle Salad and Ginger Plum Sauce paired with Forestville Sonoma Reserve "Alexander Valley" Merlot '00 Alexander Valley, CA
DH loved the Duck Breast (I liked it) and I loved the noodle salad. The Merlot tasted wonderful with this, but at this point I was a bit giddy and glad I was using Disney Transportation! Feeling very happy...
Expresso Coriander Rubbed Filet Medallion with Chipolte Bean Sweet Mash and Ancho Expresso Glaze paired with "Alexander Valley" Cabernet Sauvignon '00, Alexander Valley, CA.
This was a fairly large serving of Filet- think butterflied filet and half of that. It was very good with the merlot, but at this point they could have given me Boone's Farm and I would have happily grinned.
Well, I think I have covered the highlights. I really didn't do the Food and Wine Festival offerings justice, but the heat put me off on some of the heavier and hot foods. As you can see from the list, we did some damage still, LOL!
We started at Epcot at the Food and Wine Festival and sampled through about 7-8 countries.
Greece- Honey Baklava- delicious; Souvaki- ok but not very tender; Spanakopita- wonderful- DH enjoyed and usually does not care for cooked spinach in dishes.
Florida- Blackened Mahi with Pineapple Salsa- very spicy and very good; Fisherman's stew- a big hit with DH, I liked what little I got from our shared bowl/cup; Frozen Grapefruit Juice- I enjoyed very much, I am a grapefruit lover.
Mexico- Chorizo and Chicken Quesidilla- excellent
Watermelon water- well, not what I expected. DH finished it but I felt it was "too watery" (weird assumption of mine!)
Dos Equis Lager- DH loved it
Ireland- Whiskey Flan- y'all weren't lying- these were delicious! Guiness Stout- not as "stout" as I thought it would be, but I finished it, LOL!
Scandinavia- Cold Poached Salmon- excellent!; smoked trout-excellent!; Rice Cream for DH- thumbs up!
(A pattern of really good/great desserts is showing itself...)
China- Chicken Sha-Sha with Peanut Sauce- DH enjoyed, I was getting full and pickier so I was so-so about the Sha-Sha (say that one rapidly after several beer tastings!); Dan-Dan Noodles- we both were NOT so-so about the Dan-Dan (I couldn't resist!) and threw it out. Cold, vinegary= not to our tastes; Mango Mousse- great! We felt pretty sure about any desserts at this point- all had been a hit so far.
Both of us are pretty full (I mean look at the list! Sheesh!) so we stagger past Poland, South Africa, Australia, Octoberfest, Italy, Specialty Beer Garden, United States (although at this point we started looking at the food again). After a nap in American Adventure (I usually cry during this, but full stomach and air-conditioning combined made both of us sleep until the ending). After our nap, a strawberry Kaki Gori was shared by the two of us and off we went. We passed the Champagne booth, Japan, Morocco but managed to rally in France for the creme brulee.
France-creme brulee- wonderful! a good value since they were twice the size of the other dessert offerings.
Passed New Zealand and Beers of the World.
Cognac- flourless chocolate cake- fantastic- more like fudge
Passed Spain but wait! Scenting on the wind like a pointer, we were drawn to...
Canada!- Maple nut Fudge- chilled and flavorful (came back a few times during our visit for more!) and Ice Wine- first time we have tried it and loved it!
Passed Russia, Southeast Asia, Colorful Eating and South America.
Did grab some free peanut packets on the way out on the rose pathway
since DH has "a peanut thing going on" and supports the Peanut Growers of Anywhere.Believe it or not, later that night we had dinner at Artist Point!
DH- Field Greens with Goat Cheese Toast and Balsamic Chive Dressing
Me- Frisee Salad with Pears, Neuskes Bacon, Maytag crumbles and Sherry Walnut Vinaigrette - I've had this here before and loved it each time. It just seems to work!
I got the Feature Wine Flight (Oregon) and with the salad I had King Estate Pinot Gris. I need to add in that our waitress was so informative about wines and so generous with her knowledge.
For "betweens" I had a Ponzi Reserve Chardonnay= Excellent and I am not usually a Chardonnay person.
DH had the Grilled Flat Iron Steak with Smashed Potatoes, Onion Rings and Horseradish Butter.= he loved it
Me- I had the Cedar Plank Roasted Wild Silver Bay Salmon, served with Celery Root, Parsnip Mash, Sauteed Swiss Chard and Wild Mushroom Vinaigrette paired with an Oregon Argyle Pinot Noir that stood up to the taste of the salmon. I love salmon and have a hard time finding wild salmon. A fisherman in Alaska told us how much better the taste is of a wild salmon and we have found that to be so true.
Alas, we were way too full to share our usual dessert of choice- the Cobbler! Our wonderful waitress brought us a complimentary glass of Kiona Ice Wine ($13.00 a glass normally) with a side dish of mixed berries so we could compare the tart and sweet after we mentioned how we enjoyed our first tast of ice wine earlier in the day. It was so delicious!
On Monday we ate lunch at the Animal Kingdom Rainforest Cafe. We normally eat here and DH got his usual BBQ Beef wrap with fries and he got a free appetizer as a Safari Club member so he went for the Blue Crab Dip with tortilla chips- very good.
I orded the side salad and it was huge! It was about twice the usual size so paired with the Awesome Appetizer I got I had way too much food. I always over order here and the portions are so big. Oh well, now that we are DVC, I have a refrigerator for my leftovers! Service was good, drinks refilled constantly, food was good- just too much of it, LOL!
Dinner- Flying Fish- side note- we had booked a DVC meeting and had been planning on buying into Saratoga Springs Resort. Since we did plan to buy, we went ahead with the sale and without even asking they called Flying Fish to let them know we would be running a little late. How thoughtful! They also gave us 2 food vouchers for Casual Lunch/Dinner, a lithograph, a backpack, 2 packs of cotten candy, a mortgage...
We eat here every trip and love the place. We now eat at grill itself- the chefs are fascinating and can be talkative.
DH- normally we share the Caesar Salad but not that hungry tonight so he got his usual Char Crusted New York Strip Steak with Roasted Yukon Gold Potatoes, Green Beans and Sauce Foyot. Wonderful as always but has increased in price to $38.00.
Me- Not that hungry so I got 2 appetizers. Buttermilk Fried Fanny Bay Oysters and "Peeky Toe" Crab Cakes with Flying Fish Slaw and Ancho-Chile Remoulade.
No desire for dessert despite my love of the Banana Napoleon; besides, we had cotten candy in our DVC backpack!
The next day we had shakes at Sci-Fi (can't go wrong with the shakes) and lunch at Biergarten. Not big fans of German food but we wanted a show and air conditioning. We really enjoyed ourselves and met some very nice tablemates. The food was very good and fresh so we were very pleased.
For dinner that night, we ate at Boma- we love the place and eat there on Tuesday for the flank steak rotation. The Zebra Domes are much smaller now but just as tasty! The charm of the butternut squash soup is lost on me, but I did try it! I always enjoy the prime rib and the roasted potatoes and try some hummus and salads. This time I enjoyed the grapefruit, mango and avacado salad.
The next day we did Mission Space and DH was pretty lackluster for the rest of the day. I did get some light Key Lime Pie in him from the Land food court. Later in the afternoon we did the Grand Florida tea. A massive rainstorm struck as we took a boat from MK to GF- the boats from there are open sided and we got pretty soaked despite ponchos. We did take them off and shake them off but were pretty damp from the knees down.
Tea- we both got the Buckingham with a side of the Gentlemans Platter (I forget what it was called) that had duck, Stilton,etc. on it. We enjoyed the sandwiches (my favorite, the salmon; DH- the egg salad). It was lovely having the warm tea while we were so damp and hearing the piano play. The onion tart was very good, the scones heavenly as always with the Devonsire cream and preserves. We optioned for strawberries and whipped cream (big bowl of berries!).
It was about at this time 2 woman in dripping ponchos walked in and started to attempt to fill some plates they picked up. A waitress stopped them and asked if she could help them. One of them replied she could serve herself but the waitress told her she needed to be served and did she have a priority seating? No, she was concierge and thought she could just help herself like she did at Sugar Loaf, after all , they offered a tea there. She was not very pleasant after being told there was a fee in this restaurant so the 2 dripping poncho women swept out.
We returned to the Wilderness Lodge and rested. I used the DVC gift for dinner at Roaring Forks- good value as it would have been over $28.00 with all it got us (Cheese steak/fries, Cheeseburger/fries, 2 drinks, 2 Mickey bars, 1 fruit salad, 1 carrot/celery stick combo). We had the fruit salad for breakfast and I had the celery/carrots the next evening.
Magic Kingdom- Plaza Restaurant for lunch
Due to the DIS, I wanted to try this hidden gem. We are very glad we did. Quiet, cool, good food, Cast members eating there (good sign); I had never noticed it before, striding past to get to Tomorrowland.
DH- tea, Rueben with fries. I tasted his sandwich and loved it! Grilled marble rye, lean meat, etc. DH said it was good but not great, he felt the lean corned beef I enjoyed was the cheap pressed meat you bought in packages. Good fries and frequent tea refills. (a small side bar here- I like a Rueben every once in a while and ordered one at our town diner several years ago. The waitress came back and said they had a new cook and he wanted to know what was in it. Taken aback since the ingredients were all listed in the menu, I told her corned beef with Swiss and sauerkraut grilled on rye bread. What I received- toasted whole wheat with corned beef HASH with CHEDDAR and COLESLAW on it. We still laugh about it today- I actually tried it and it did suck!)
Me- tuna sandwich- I am now ruined forever on regular tuna. Albacore totally rocks, dude! (sorry, just watched my Finding Nemo DVD) It was an excellent tuna on toast with lettuce and ripe tomato slices with German Potato Salad. Like I said, no more regular tuna "paste" for us- albacore rules! At this point in the trip, a normal meal was much enjoyed by us both.
Coral Reef Food and Wine Pairing-
Excellent value to be found here at $35.00 per person pre-paid when booked.
The chef Andy Worrell came by twice, the Forestville Vineyards rep twice, the head waitress several times. We sat with another couple who were very informative and generous with their knowledge. They came every year and and were very interesting. The husband was incredibly handsome also and seem to get better looking with each glass of wine, LOL!
Grilled Scallop with Cilantro Slaw and Vanilla Peppercorn Beurre Blanc paired with Forestville Sonoma Reserve "Russian River" Chardonnay '00 Russian River, CA (I enjoyed this Chardonnay and learned why- never in Oak longer than 6 months and it was in OLD oak from France)
The Scallop was delicious (larger ocean scallop), the slaw was a wonderful mix of peppers, onion,etc.
Fried Baby Octopus with Chipolte Cherry Glaze and Marbled Goat Cheese Polenta paired with Forestville Sonoma Reserve "Russian River" Pinot Noir '01 Russian River, CA.
This was a favorite due to the Chipolte Cherry Glaze. It had some heat and was wonderful. We all praised it to Chef Worrell. The Pinot Noir paired nicely with it- I had heard earlier in the week Pinot Noir described as a red wine trying to be a white wine.
Smoked Duck Breast with Asian Noodle Salad and Ginger Plum Sauce paired with Forestville Sonoma Reserve "Alexander Valley" Merlot '00 Alexander Valley, CA
DH loved the Duck Breast (I liked it) and I loved the noodle salad. The Merlot tasted wonderful with this, but at this point I was a bit giddy and glad I was using Disney Transportation! Feeling very happy...
Expresso Coriander Rubbed Filet Medallion with Chipolte Bean Sweet Mash and Ancho Expresso Glaze paired with "Alexander Valley" Cabernet Sauvignon '00, Alexander Valley, CA.
This was a fairly large serving of Filet- think butterflied filet and half of that. It was very good with the merlot, but at this point they could have given me Boone's Farm and I would have happily grinned.
Well, I think I have covered the highlights. I really didn't do the Food and Wine Festival offerings justice, but the heat put me off on some of the heavier and hot foods. As you can see from the list, we did some damage still, LOL!
Could you explain the differences so I might decide which one to try?
. The vinaigrette has some walnut pieces in it. Not a salad I would routinely make but I enjoy it.
