Miniature Dining Review...sorry no pictures

[gardengirl628]

Hi everyone-

Just returned from a 5 day, 4 night trip during Flower and Garden. It was myself-Dana (45), my DH (47), DD (15), and her BFF (14). We stayed at VGF in a one bedroom. Overall we had some really excellent food, and we tried a few places that were totally new to us. I've broken down by table service, counter service, snacks, adult beverages, flower and garden booths (including adult beverages), and special event.

Going back in August and will try to take pictures then. Just as a disclaimer, my DD and I are not big eaters and don't eat meat....but we both really like dessert. My DD and her BFF did a lot of things on their own, so the one table service a day was about all we saw of them. That means, I'm not sure what they had for counter service or snacks. I have to say, my DH and I really enjoyed our alone time!

Table Service Restaurants

Paradiso 37-lunch
This is our second visit here, and again it did not disappoint. We shared three appetizers: the nachos, guac and chips, and crazy corn. Loved both the guac and chips and crazy corn (OMG so good). DH loved the nachos and I liked them well enough, after scraping off the meat. No adult beverages here (odd since both DH and I love margaritas).

Grand Floridian Cafe-dinner
This was not in our original plans, but both girls were not feeling that great, so we decided to stick close to the resort.
DH had the Surf and Turf Burger---and loved it. Burger topped with lobster meat - two great tastes that taste great together (apparently). He said it was cooked perfectly and the mayo was delicious (allears says it is arrugula mayo). The french fries that came with it were delicious (I sneaked one or two) and tasted even better dipped in some of the mayo.
BFF had the pork chop meal. She loved the chop, the veggies, but was not a fan of the corn meal cake. I tried it and must agree, it had an odd texture to it.
DD and I both had the French Onion soup, and let me tell you....it was probably one of the best French Onion soups I have ever had. The onions are carmelized, so there was a delicious mellow sweetness to it.
I also had the Strawberry Salad. It's not on the menu online at the website or on allears. But basically, it was field greens, strawberries, pistachios, and either feta or goat cheese (white, crumbly). This was just okay. Can't put my finger on what was missing from it, but there was definitely something missing. Even though there was strawberries (not a lot), overall the salad had a bitterness to it.

For dessert, the girls had the chocolate fondue. It came with brownies, strawberries, pineapple, and marshmallows. The chocolate had the weirdest taste to it...almost an orange flavor, but not in a good way. But the brownies and fruit were good.

DH and I had the dessert sampler. There were 4 mini desserts: a berry tart, mocha cream thing, chocolate dessert, and strawberry cheesecake. The winners were the berry tart (me) and the cheesecake (DH).

I had a Magical Star cocktail and DH had a margarita. Both were good. Also, the bread service at the beginning of the meal was delicious. Overall, we had a good meal here. The service was excellent. Maggie was our waitress. She didn't rush us but was very attentive.

Cape May-breakfast
Standard Disney buffet breakfast. Don't like how runny the scrambled eggs are. Standouts on the buffet were Mickey waffles (duh), Black Bean frittata, fruit, and the crepes. The chef was making the crepes to order. Character interaction was good too.

Tuser House-dinner
This used to be one of our favorite dinners that we did practically every trip....alas, we are going to skip this one in August (already canceled). We hadn't been since it became a character meal, and not to be a party pooper, but we liked it better when it wasn't. (don't shoot me!) One of the main reasons was that they no longer have my most favorite dessert ever....the bread pudding with the warm vanilla sauce....it's gone. I stood up at the buffet staring aimlessly at it, hoping that if I stood there long enough, the pudding would magically appear. But, unfortunately, it never materialized. Also, my DD was sad that they no longer had her favorite dessert, which was a strawberry mousse in a chocolate shell. Food was good for me....garlic mashed potatoes, green beans, veggie samosa, cous cous salad, hummus and pita, cucumber salad, and watermelon and feta salad.

We found the experience to be louder and more chaotic than in past visits, and at the end of a hot day at AK, it used to be nice to relax in the coolness of the restaurant, where the theming really made you feel like you were in another country.

Crossroads at House of Blues-dinner
This was a completely new experience for us...and we all loved it! DH had the Jambalaya with shrimp and devoured it completely. They had 3 different kinds of hot sauces on the table, which he enjoyed trying. DD's BFF had the swordfish special....she loved everything on her plate. DD had the wedge salad, and I had the Buffalo Chicken Salad sans the chicken (odd, I know). We both loved our salads. Mine had avocado, black beans, corn, tortilla strips on it with a cilantro ranch dressing. I could have drank a vat of that dressing it was so good. DD's wedge was a standard blue cheese and tomato, asked for no bacon. She enjoyed it a lot. The two of us also split a side of mac and cheese...to die for!!!!
Creamy, cheesy goodness with a buttery crumb topping. We did not do dessert here. Service was great, and this ended up being our favorite meal of the trip. The restaurant is a little loud for those of you with younger children. We were seated next to a large party of younger females who had clearly overindulged. But it didn't detract from our experience...and actually offered a teachable moment for DD and her BFF. (see how silly people act when they drink too much!)

 

[gardengirl628]

Continuing on with....

Counter Service

Earl of Sandwich-lunch
DH and I were on our own here. It is always a must do...and never disappoints. I had the caprese sandwich. The bread is delicious as is the balsamic glaze they use. The tomatoes and mozzarella were both fresh and yummy. DH had the Buffalo chicken wrap, which he enjoyed immensely. We both had chips-Baked for me and Salt & Vinegar for him. For dessert, DH had the strawberry shortcake and I had the brownie cream. We both loved our food here.

Pecos Bill-dinner
We used to hit Tortuga Tavern, but since our last trip, Pecos Bill's now has the mexican-type menu. Tortuga Tavern did not appear to be open any time we walked by it. DH had the Southwest Burger. He enjoyed it a lot, after doctoring it up with a bunch of jalapenos from the toppings bar and hot sauce. I had the Roasted Veggie Rice Bowl. It was so good, again after a trip to the bar. Cilantro rice, black beans, and roasted veggies (mostly summer squash and zucchini). I added cheese, sour cream, salsa, and lettuce to it. We both got churros for dessert....meh. The chocolate sauce is weird and the churros were sort of hard (almost like they were microwaved).

Riverside Mill-Port Orleans Riverside-lunch
I had been planning to do this after pouring over menus and reviews here on the Dis. So glad we did. It was delicious, filling, and we loved the scenery at the hotel. Both DH and I had the make your own pasta. DH had chicken, shrimp, mushrooms, broccoli, and alfredo sauce. I had peas, mushrooms, onions, and pest sauce. The pasta comes with a warm, soft, yummy garlic breadstick. The portions were huge! We also got dessert. DH had the warm apple blossom, with vanilla ice cream, and I had the magic cookie bar. Both desserts were delicious. We will definitely do this again (hopefully in August if it fits into our plans).

 

[crazycatlady]

Great reviews! We are trying Riverside Mill (staying at POR) and HOB in 2 months, so glad to hear they were good! We are also looking forward to trying the new menu at Pecos Bill. Thanks for the reviews!

 

[gardengirl628]

Snacks

Dole Whips!!!!
We had 2 separate indulgences of our favorite snack in WDW.
Aloha Isle is in a different place than our last trip. It's now behind the Aladin Magic Carpets. DH was disappointed here, as they also no longer have the vanilla soft serve. We love the floats...I do mine with the pineapple soft serve and DH does it with vanilla soft serve. Alas, at Aloha Isle, he had to do things my way. He enjoyed, but still maintained that he liked the vanilla soft serve with it better. Luckily, the girl at the counter let us know that they now have Dole Whips at the Poly, and it is the only spot that has the vanilla soft serve with it. We made it over there late night one night, so DH was able to get his the way he liked it. I stuck with Pineapple squared and was happy as a pig in you-know-what. So good! I dream about them.

Goofy's Candy
DH and I did the create your own snack. He had Rice Krispie treat with milk chocolate, crushed butterfingers, and white chocolate drizzle. I had marshmallows with milk chocolate, crushed butterfingers, and milk chocolate drizzle. They were both super sweet, but kept nicely in the fridge. We ate them over a few days time.

Magic Kingdom popcorn
Don't know what it is, but popcorn from MK tastes better than any other popcorn on the planet. We got a couple of them over the course of the trip.


Now for some adult beverages....

These were just a few that we got that were not part of any meal or Flower and Garden Booth.

Epcot-Mexico-we each got the rainbow frozen margarita...DH salted his, mine was not. This is a tradition for us and was delicious as usual.

Epcot-Germany-I've read so much about the Grapefruit beer here that I wanted to try it, and convinced my husband to try one as well. We got it in Sommerfest in Germany. It's the Schofferhofer Pink Grapefruit Heifenweizen (spelling?). We both loved it. Very refreshing on a hot day.

Animal Kingdom-We each had a Yak Attack...which is a tradition when we are in AK. They are sweet and tart at the same time.

 

[gardengirl628]

Fun at Flower and Garden

We had a great time at Epcot. The landscape was beautiful, and I loved the butterfly booth. As far as food and drink go (well more drink than food):

Cider House in UK: We split a Blueberry Hard Cider here. It was very sweet but very good. I'm glad we split it and don't think I could ever drink more than one due to the sweetness.

Urban Farm: We did the Watermelon Salad here. It was a perfect little plate of goodness. It had the right balance of sweet and salty and was very refreshing. It was much better than the watermelon salad we had later at Tusker House.

Primavera in Italy: Mezze Lune Primavera. This was a meatless pasta dish with Ricotta, a white sauce, vegetables, and cheese. I loved it and begrudgingly allowed DH a small (itty bitty) sample. I could have licked the plate.

Smokehouse: Um....not sure what I was thinking, but thought it would be a great idea to try the Frozen Lemonade with Blackberry Moonshine. Moonshine, why not???? Uh, yeah, it tasted good but really packed a punch. I was feeling a bit silly afterwards. Good thing we were not planning much of anything after our trip through Epcot.

Taste of Marrakesh: Tried the falafel pocket here. It was meh. The falafel was decent, but the salad on top of it was a not so great addition. It would have been better maybe with some hummus or more tahini sauce.

Fleur de Lys: I had the La Vie en Rose Frozen Slush and DH had the Kronenbourg Blanc. DH loved his beer. I thought the slush was okay. I've had the cosmo slush at Christmas time and really liked it, so I suppose I was hoping it was going to be similar. It wasn't; the floral liquor with the cranberry juice just didn't work for me.

 

[gardengirl628]

And finally, we did the Wishes Dessert Party on our first night. They had cheese and crackers, fruit, chocolate covered strawberries, cupcakes, cannolis, tiramisu, strawberry cheesecake from what DH and I remember. Drinks included coffee, tea, sipping chocolate, lemonade, strawberry lemonade, some sort of guava juice, milk, water, and sparkling cider. They also had soft serve ice cream. Overall it was enjoyable and the desserts were decent, but I don't think I would do it again. If you didn't get in line fairly early and get a seat right against the fence, there was a little overhang that obstructed the view somewhat.

Hope you enjoy my ramblings and musings. I will be on a mission in August to memorialize our food and drink in pictures.

 

[auntfrannie]

Thanks for taking the time to do your reviews! One of these days, I'll get over to House of Blues!

 

[momtotaryn]

Fun to read your reviews! We're doing Tusker House for dinner on our upcoming trip. It will be our first time there, so nothing to compare it to from the past. Glad to hear the food is still good, but too bad we'll miss out on the bread pudding and strawberry mousse dessert. One of the reasons why I booked dinner is because of the characters, so we're expecting it to be a bit chaotic ~ LOL!

 

[Jerusalem Gal]

Thank you for your report! Even without pictures this is great and insightful!

 

[TeresaNJ]

Great reviews! Thank you!

 

[Eastern]

Nice report. Thanks for posting.

 

[DLFan123]

Thanks for your reviews. The pasta sounds good at the flower and garden booth in Italy!