May the FOOD Be With You...a SWW Dining Report! NEW! 7/5

[glennbo123]

Silly Glenn, you don't need an ADR! Tangierine Cafe is counter service.

You wrote Tangierine, but the whole time I was thinking Marrakesh.

So where'd you get those caramels....inside Biergarten? (Just kidding!)

 

[onelilspark]

I've been reading along and love your reviews! How did I not notice until now that you're from Rochester?? I am too. What caught my attention was the comment about NYS wines, go figure, lol .

Hi neighbor! I'm a big fan of going to wineries on weekends! This summer is going to be so lame. I started a diet (stupid wedding!) so we're not going down as often

Okay, I am finally caught up. We switched from Fulton's (after Nicki and Todd had a very disappointing meal there in May) to Raglan Road. This was a tough sell for us because Nicki and Todd hated it; but I've read so many great reviews that I decided it was time to give it a try ourselves.

Glad you enjoyed Mama Melrose. I've never understood the "dislike' of the place; we've never had a bad meal there. We did have a ressie for this September but I changed it to 50's Prime Time because we've not been to 50's in about 12 years and I felt the need to go back.

Your breakfasts at Sunshine Season look so good...we are definitely doing that this trip.

And I cnanot wait to FINALLY try the new Caramel shop in Germany (they were working on it when we were there last September).

I hope you enjoy Raglan Road! Maybe if you do, you can persuade Nicki to give it another shot We really really like it!!

We love Mama's as well! and the Caramel shop is so calling my name

I wish I had some caramels right now!

thanks for taking the time to review (and the pics) . can't wait to go back to the carmel shoppe ----- in Oct. (i don't want to wait that long. also, think i will have to try the berry bread pudding thing, looks delish.

Thanks for joining me! You should definitely try the pudding!!

Wow...I had no clue Raglan Road looked so good! I just cancelled our crystal palace on our arrival day and booked Raglan Road!!!! I can't wait to try it!

That's quite the change! I'll go for a sit down meal over buffet any day, so I think it was a good change

So I'm not crazy! Will check it out on the next trip!

Nope, definitely not!!

You wrote Tangierine, but the whole time I was thinking Marrakesh.

So where'd you get those caramels....inside Biergarten? (Just kidding!)

You've never really been to Disney have you??

 

[onelilspark]

Chugging right along. I have exactly two pictures between my pictures from Germany and pictures from Mexico I guess you don't need to wait until my Trip Report to guess what we did that day...

After our snacks in Germany, we stopped by the bakery in Norway to pick up 2 school breads. One for Geoff, one for my Mom, both for breakfast the next morning

Then we made our way over to Mexico. And we got a table at Cava del Tequila. And we sat for a good hour and a half Good times.

Before going in:

I suppose the strollers should have been a warning...
We took the back corner table for two. Sitting next to us was a family with 2 toddlers. I was surprised to see any kids in here, let alone 2 toddlers. But they were finishing up and on their way out. Our waitress quickly came over and asked us what we wanted to drink. I knew right away! The Blood Orange Margarita is the first one I tried here...and the only one...I can't tear myself away from it to try anything else.

Description from their website:

Blood Orange
Familia Camarena premium silver Tequila, orange liqueur, a sweet-tart mix of blood orange juice and hibiscus syrup, topped with fruit foam served on the rocks with a hibiscus Himalayan salt rim

Geoff didn't know what he wanted (he's not really big on tequila) so our waitress, who was awesome, pointed him in the right direction by asking him a few questions. He settled on the Pomegranate Margarita which is made with Mezcal instead of tequila, so it had a smokier flavor to it.

Description:

Pomegranate Margarita

Oro de Oaxaca Mezcal, pomegranate liquor, pineapple juice, melon liquor and agave nectar served on the rocks with a hibiscus Himalayan salt rim

We also placed an order for their Queso Blanco, a new addition to their menu. Before long, our food and drinks came out:

Blood Orange Margarita:

Pomegranate Margarita:

Picture on the wall:

Now, while we were sitting there, another family with THREE toddlers came in and sat down. And were promptly surprised that there wasn't anything on the menu for the kids. ...the word "tequila" is in the name of the place. And they were disappointed that there were only snacks on the menu and not full meals. Now, I know that most people don't do copious amounts of research before taking the trip, but when a place is called Cava del TEQUILA, what part about that gives you the impression that it would be a great place to sit and grab a bite to eat with your kids?! Maybe it's because I'm not a parent, but I was totally shocked by this. I'd love to hear from some parents out there and see if I'm way off base, but REALLY, it's a tequilla bar... In all fairness, the bar was awesome. They made a fruit based smoothie for the kids that the parents were amazed by how great it was. So they were totally accommodating.

Anyway, we were thoroughly enjoying ourselves, and now that we had some entertainment, Geoff decided to be brave and give straight tequila a try (I can't drink that much to begin with, plus I was driving, so I stuck just with my one drink and I was nursing it.) Our waitress, who again, was awesome, recommended one for him to try:

On the left is a chaser that is supposed to ease the burn of the tequila. Geoff thought the chaser was really spicy (and he likes spice!) and was more difficult to handle than the tequila! But he really enjoyed the tequila.

Note: I think I forgot to mention that I've been using this little beauty when I could...

I got it on our trip back in October and it's more than paid for itself. It's worth mentioning that la Cava del Tequila does not take TiW! Certainly wouldn't stop me from returning, but just an FYI.


ETA: The family next to us also made a stink about gluten intolerance. Everything on their "menu" is gluten free except they were double checking the cheese dip (it was new and they weren't positive.) I don't remember what the outcome of that was.

 

[DisneyMamato4]

Wow, that Blood Orange Margarita looks amazing! Too bad tequila is not a friend of mine or I would definitely have to try one of those.

 

[princessallegra]

Great reviews!! We love La Cava del Tequila. We've never sat there though, always gotten our margaritas to go! The blood orange margarita is sooo good. Omg to die for!!

 

[hstrickland]

Looks awesome...HOWEVER...I would probably leave the kiddos behind. Not sure my 3 need tequila quite yet! Maybe the parents didn't realize what the place actually was...then again....Cava del Tequila..... hmmmmmmm.....

 

[TheMaxRebo]

great post about Cava del Tequila - I think the best part about that place is all the different tequilas and learning about them and trying them, etc. ... oh, and the margarita's aren't bad either

Our last trip we did bring our daughter in there with us (she was 8mo. old at the time), so I don't think the concept of brining kids there is crazy - but we knew what it was and didn't expect them to have stuff for kids there.

oh, and they do let you get stuff/drinks to go so that is always a great option if you have kids but want a great tasting margarita

 

[onelilspark]

Wow, that Blood Orange Margarita looks amazing! Too bad tequila is not a friend of mine or I would definitely have to try one of those.

I do like tequila, totally delicious!

Great reviews!! We love La Cava del Tequila. We've never sat there though, always gotten our margaritas to go! The blood orange margarita is sooo good. Omg to die for!!

This was the first time we got them and sat versus getting one to go.

Looks awesome...HOWEVER...I would probably leave the kiddos behind. Not sure my 3 need tequila quite yet! Maybe the parents didn't realize what the place actually was...then again....Cava del Tequila..... hmmmmmmm.....

When the people were asking what their kids could have, Geoff (loudly) suggested they give them a margarita...at least they'd be quiet the rest of the day The parents ignored us.

great post about Cava del Tequila - I think the best part about that place is all the different tequilas and learning about them and trying them, etc. ... oh, and the margarita's aren't bad either

Our last trip we did bring our daughter in there with us (she was 8mo. old at the time), so I don't think the concept of brining kids there is crazy - but we knew what it was and didn't expect them to have stuff for kids there.

oh, and they do let you get stuff/drinks to go so that is always a great option if you have kids but want a great tasting margarita

At 8 months old she was probably sleeping? These kids were like 3.

And I think it's different if you know what kind of place it is versus expecting a tequila bar to cater to your kids...

 

[KatMark]

Looks like you had a good time at Cava del Tequila. I'm not a tequila drinker or margarita drinker, so I doubt we'll ever go.

What were those parents thinking? I am a mother, and I would NEVER have brought my kids into a bar atmosphere like that when they were younger. And, sad to say, they are both old enough to go themselves now.

 

[onelilspark]

Looks like you had a good time at Cava del Tequila. I'm not a tequila drinker or margarita drinker, so I doubt we'll ever go.

What were those parents thinking? I am a mother, and I would NEVER have brought my kids into a bar atmosphere like that when they were younger. And, sad to say, they are both old enough to go themselves now.

So what you're saying is next time I should drink a second for you??

 

[KatMark]

So what you're saying is next time I should drink a second for you??

Absolutely!

 

[jegsnakkernorsk]

I'm with you on the shock of little kids in bars at Disney. On their cruise ships they have so many Adult Only places and are so strict on it and it just seems to me they could do the same in the parks - not everywhere but certainly in the Tequila bar!

 

[wilma-bride]

I don't really like Tequila but even I could be tempted by the Blood Orange Margarita - it looks delicious. DH would probably like the pomegranate one.

I don't like children in bars either - I always think of bars (or pubs) as adult places, not the place to have todllers/small children roaming around.

 

[glennbo123]

I agree that a bar is not someplace for kids. (Although I've taken mine to the River Roost Lounge at POR a couple of times to see Yeehaa Bob. ) But it wouldn't surprise me a bit that someone would walk into the Cave with their kids. They probably didn't even read the name of the place...they just figured this is Disney, so it must be family-friendly.

 

[Euphoria027]

Lol, those people with the toddlers sound... annoying. I know it's Disney and it's kid heaven, but like you said... TEQUILA. Not exactly Chef Mickeys.

 

[onelilspark]

Absolutely!

Well, if you insist!

I'm with you on the shock of little kids in bars at Disney. On their cruise ships they have so many Adult Only places and are so strict on it and it just seems to me they could do the same in the parks - not everywhere but certainly in the Tequila bar!

You would think...

I don't really like Tequila but even I could be tempted by the Blood Orange Margarita - it looks delicious. DH would probably like the pomegranate one.

I don't like children in bars either - I always think of bars (or pubs) as adult places, not the place to have todllers/small children roaming around.

The pomegranate one that Geoff had might be more up your ally. You can definitely taste the tequila in the Blood Orange, but his was much smoother.

I agree that a bar is not someplace for kids. (Although I've taken mine to the River Roost Lounge at POR a couple of times to see Yeehaa Bob. ) But it wouldn't surprise me a bit that someone would walk into the Cave with their kids. They probably didn't even read the name of the place...they just figured this is Disney, so it must be family-friendly.

Correct me if I'm wrong though, Yeehaa Bob does 2 shows each night, with the first being more "family friendly" than the second, right?

Lol, those people with the toddlers sound... annoying. I know it's Disney and it's kid heaven, but like you said... TEQUILA. Not exactly Chef Mickeys.

I guess that's the part that just flabbergasts me, I mean, the place has TEQUILA in it's name. What part of that makes you go, "hmm, this is a GREAT place to bring my 3 year old, they'll obviously have a great kids menu!"


Okay, enough about questionable parents, on with the show!

 

[onelilspark]

Prior to tonight, Geoff's only Signature experience at WDW was at Jiko last October...and it was a total flop. I was really hoping that the Flying Fish (which I haven't been at in years because I thought it out priced itself) would make up for it. He has eaten at Napa Rose, and to date, it's been the best Disney Dining Experience I've ever had, so Flying Fish had a lot to live up to.

We arrived and they had the check-in desk outside. I get that they do this to alleviate how many people are standing inside the small lobby of the restaurant, but it was hot out. And we were all looking pretty. And there was a woman there who had 3 large parties, she checked in for all 3, but only 2 were actually there. And the CM's were trying to sort it out as she kept coming up and interrupting me as I was trying to check in. Obnoxious, no? But the CM was trying to be as gracious as possible and eventually we got checked in and were told to go directly inside, our table was ready.

When we got inside, there was more drama with the obnoxious lady and we were ignored for a while. I finally realized that there was a miscommunication from outside to inside, so I spoke up and let them know that we were here and told to come inside. More drama with the obnoxious lady (seriously, it was getting ridiculous.) And finally the one CM looked at the other and said, "I'm going to seat this group, if she comes back with her group, I'll be right back." And we finally got seated (it only took about 5 or 6 minutes, it was just annoying to be pushed to the side because this lady wanted to be the center of the universe and was disorganized.) And once we were seated, she chased down the CM that was seating us with her group to tell her they were all there, and they stood over our table like we stole it....they had more people than we had seats. I don't know what her deal was, but this wasn't starting off great for the Flying Fish. Luckily, they sat that group far far away from us!!

Anyway, once that was straightened out, things improved drastically!

We had an excellent waiter who came over without hesitation to introduce himself. He was from Brazil. When my Dad was in the Navy, he spent a year in Brazil, which got the waiter talking.

The first order of business was obviously deciding on what to drink.

I decided to have a wine flight. We were heading out to Jellyrolls after this, so I thought this would be a great way linger over wine throughout the meal.

My recent obsession with wine is Chenin Blanc. I love dry, crisp, fruity white wines (a la Pinot Grigio, Pinto Gris, Savingion Blanc, etc) so this was a lot of fun for me to try a bunch of new Chenin Blancs! When the wine is brought out to you, you get a card to remind you what wines you're drinking:

And the Wine Flight itself:

Geoff decided to follow my lead, but he decided to go with his recent obsession, Pinot Noir. I can't drink reds (migraines) so whenever we're out, he tends to get red wine.

I didn't take a picture of his.

Both my Mom & Dad got martinis to start off. Both very dry, my Mom's with Blue Cheese stuffed olives, my Dad's with normal olives. I just took a picture of my Mom's

With drinks settled, we turned our attention to the menus. I noticed this printed on the bottom, which I thought was a nice touch for Memorial Day weekend:

For appetizers, Geoff, my Dad, & I split the cheese plate. Which I promptly forgot to take a picture of, my bad! But I remembered half way through, sorry for the half-eaten appetizer pictures coming up!

Cheeses on my plate:

I had the stinky cheese all to myself Neither Geoff or my Dad like stinky cheese, so I win there! I thought the assortment of cheese was nice, it was good to split since we all had our favorites. We all like cheese straight up with just a cracker and not the sides of fig, honey, etc, so those are a little lost on us...oh well.

My Mom had the buffalo mozzarella and tomato salad:

She loves these kinds of salads, but no one else in the family is wild about tomatoes, so she likes to get them when she sees it on the menu. She loved the flavor on it, but thought it was a little salty. She did mention that she hardly ever uses salt, so that could be why. She also said that the balsamic flavor was outstanding and she thinks it could have been the salt. All in all, she really liked it and was glad she got it.

A quick picture of the ceiling of the restaurant before we move on to the main courses:

And now time for our entrees!

My Mom's dish (All Ear's Menu descriptions after the pictures!)

Our Signature Flying Fish Café "Potato-wrapped Red Snapper" - Leek Fondue with a Veal Glace, Red Wine, and Cassis Butter $36.00

She gets this everytime they go, she really loves it. That night was no exception!

My Dad's dish:

Oak-grilled Loch Duart Scottis Salmon - Farmer Lee's Winter Crop Root Vegetables and Wilted Greens, and Truffled Florida Citrus and Vermon Butter Emulsion $36.00

I didn't get his take on it, but his plate was clear, so I think he liked it!

Geoff's Dish:

Citrus, Sesame, and Szechuan Pepper-crusted Yellowfin Tuna - Bok Choy, Tiny Carrots, Lotus Root, Snap Peas, and Honshemeji Mushrooms with an Herbaceous, Coconut, Lemongrass, Kaffir Lime, Butter, and Ginger-laced Broth $37.00

Geoff liked his dish as well. He's not big into seafood, so he wasn't wild about going here (I told him he could get the steak, but he got tuna instead...) It was cooked perfectly.

And I got the chef's special that night:

I thought it was fantastic. I had never really had bass before, so I was branching out a bit, but it was moist and delicious. I really can't fault this dish at all.

Lastly it was time for dessert:

Nothing really was jumping out at me, so I skipped dessert. I really wanted chocolate ice cream, but they only had vanilla (I almost went next door, but then decided chocolate ice cream and booze at Jellyrolls wasn't a good combination...)

Geoff got the thai-chili dessert:

Our waiter was funny. He warned him that it was spicy. And Geoff was like, "well yeah, it has thai-chili in it." Apparently people send it back because it's spicy. ....it's SPICY. Geoff was even surprised at how spicy it was. He loved it though!

My Dad went the safe route and got the sorbet:

All in all we had a fantastic meal. The service was fantastic and the food was wonderful. Besides the incident at the beginning (which was more the fault of the crazy lady and not Flying Fish) we had a perfect meal. I will say Napa Rose still holds the number 1 spot, but I've at least convinced Geoff that dining at Disney can be fantastic and there's a reason I rave about certain restaurants

 

[Rox.jea]

When I first booked our ADRs, I had booked just Geoff & I for lunch at Brown Derby. But the more I read and stalked the menu, the more I wasn't feeling it.


I just wanna say LMAO!!!! Love it! I can understand, I have been checking the boards & getting so into it! hahaha!!! Guess it's easy if you love thinking about vacation, like us!!!!!!!!!
The cobb salad is the only thing that draws me to Brown Derby by the way. It does look good. But, I think, expensive for a salad.
Great Review!!!

 

[disneyfav4ever]

I really want to try that crossiant bread pudding, I keep hearing good things about it. I have Kouzzina for breakfast on my Epcot morning, but maybe I'll get that for my morning snack.

That chili dessert at Flying Fish is beautiful. How can people not know that something with chili in it would be at least a little bit spicy? I've had chocolate desserts with chili before, which have been good, but definatly have a bite to them.

 

[jegsnakkernorsk]

cheese boards are the best - especially with a familly where everyone has different likes and dislikes!