No I'm not on the Dining Plan - A Solo Dining Report with lots of PICS!! Updated 3/22

[Quacktatty]

That sounds totally cool!!!!

It is really cool!

I probably could have eaten sawdust if it involved sitting on a balcony watching animals. If I close my eyes and imagine I might get close to what that must have felt like.

It's definitely an awesome experience, I don't know if I'll be able to ever take another trip that doesn't involve at least one night there.

 

[Quacktatty]

This was far and away my most disappoint meal of the trip. I had really been looking forward to going to Anandapur Locals Cafe (Yak and Yeti CS) for lunch. I had just gotten done with the Backstage Safari tour and needed something to get me going again. I had read a lot about the Honey Chicken on the boards prior to my trip. People were saying it tasted kind of like McDonald's chicken nuggets with some sauce. Well, secretly, I LOVE chicken mcnuggets. And covered in a honey sauce, that should be great, right? Ugh, no way. I was really disappointed. First it was incredibly hot, and when it was already 90 something degrees, I didn't want to be eating hot food. Second, it was just...ugh. I can't even describe what I didn't like about it. In my notes I wrote "eh". I'm a pretty picky eater, but if you give me something on my list of approved foods, I will like it 99 times out of 100. Sad to say that I won't be eating there again.

As a side note, this was one of the places that I asked for Ice Water and was gladly accommodated. It was nice to know that I could get water for free at the CS places.

 

[Quacktatty]

Following my disappointing lunch at Anandapur Locals Cafe, I needed a snack. What better to take the lunch time blues away than a Mickey Bar??

I stopped at a cart in AK and grabbed a mickey bar and a coke, and it hit the spot. All was right in the world again.

I recently discovered the Klondike Bars have a similar chocolate tasting shell on the outside and I ate an entire box in one day!

 

[DWFan4Life]

Wow, foods really looks yummy. I'm hungry this time You had a great review. Looking forward to see more.

Have a nice day.

 

[tink6137130]

loving your reviews!

 

[Quacktatty]

It was dinner time and I needed something special for my first full day in WDW.

I went down to Victoria Falls (the bar at AKL) for a drink before deciding on what to do for dinner. I ordered a Sunken Treasure which my bartender, Tony, made for me with Tommy Bahama instead of Malibu. This was on his recommendation.

I asked Tony about where I could eat dinner and he mentioned that Jiko would serve me the full menu at the bar. Sold!

I went down the stairs and checked in with the hostess. I told her I didn't have a reservation, but was hoping to eat at the bar. She said, No problem! and I was seated immediately.

There are 4 tables at the bar as well as the bar itself which has maybe 6 or 8 seats. I think they try to put the people who are eating at the tables, where I was seated, and leave the bar seats open for those who are having drinks before their meals.

My server Jodi quickly came over to table to take my drink order. I ordered a Hangin' Out in Cape Town which is more or less a Cosmopolitan. This is how I found it described on one website: This cocktail is a blend of Hangar 1 Mandarin Blossom Vodka, Dekuyper Peach Schnapps, Van Der Hum, and Cranberry Juice.

One benefit of sitting in the bar area is that your server makes your drink and she does it quickly!

She also gave me the menu to look over, although I had a pretty good idea of what I wanted already, and a place setting.

I placed my order - Kenyan Coffee Barbecue Beef Short Ribs. While I waited for those to come out, Jodi brought out bread. THE best bread I've had in a long time. Really, it's the butter that makes it wonderful. I think I could have just eaten that and been happy. If I remember correctly there is a multigrain bread and a honey wheat (or something like that) bread. The butter is made with turmeric (I think) and has a really wonderful smoky, spicy but not hot flavor.

My meal arrived and I was drooling before I even took a bite. This meal definitely lived up to expectations. The short ribs was extremely tender and fell right off the bone. I inhaled it and used my leftover bread to soak up some of the delicious bbq sauce.

I finished up with a dessert and another drink. My dessert was the Tanzanian Chocolate Cheesecake. It is served with a lavender ice cream that has an interesting but pleasant flavor. I also got a Nutty African which was a coffee drink with Amarula and Frangelico in it. Kind of like an Irish Coffee.

This is quite possibly the best meal I have ever eaten at WDW and is one that I intend to repeat year after year.

 

[TigerKat]

I had that short rib, it is AMAZING!!!!!

 

[Stacybaeasm]

Oh my gosh. My stomach is growling as I look at these pictures. Flame Tree is my new favorite. I just tried it for the first time in October but I will definately be back for more. Your snacks are both new to me but going on the list for my next trip. Now, if only it weren't hours until lunch.

 

[wdwfanatic316]

Sorry you didn't enjoy Yak and Yeti but it sounds like Boma made up for it!

 

[KatMark]

Still enjoying your reviews. I'm sorry Yak & Yeti was a disappointment for you. We ate at the table service in September and it was our second favorite meal of the trip.

 

[Quacktatty]

I had that short rib, it is AMAZING!!!!!

I know!! I can't wait to have it again.

Flame Tree is my new favorite. I just tried it for the first time in October but I will definately be back for more.

If I lived anywhere near WDW, I think I would eat at Flame Tree every day for lunch!

 

[Quacktatty]

After my dinner at Jiko, I went to DTD for one very important thing - Goofy's make your own treats!!

I had been anxiously awaiting this experience. I drooled over page after page of treats on the Food Porn thread. Now it was finally my turn

First I filled out my sheets:

3 pretzels - 1 was milk chocolate with peanut butter cups, 1 was milk chocolate with M&Ms and 1 was white chocolate with rainbow sprinkles (I loooooooove sprinkles)

A caramel apple dipped in milk chocolate and covered with rainbow sprinkles and peanut butter cups and drizzled with caramel.

It was really fun to watch them make the treats. They do a really good job of making sure the candy sticks. They dig a little hole in the container holding the topping and bury your treat, letting it sit there for a minute or so while the topping hardens on.

Since I got my apple dipped in caramel I had to wait a little bit before I could pick it up. They put it in the refrigerator so that it's cool before they give it to you. That is probably the one down side of the place, you have quite a wait for your treats sometimes. It all depends on how long the line is, if you are getting something complicated, etc. They probably should give out buzzers so you everybody isn't hovering around the desk.

Finally though, I got my treats!

The pretzel were delicious, although I probably wouldn't get white chocolate again. The apple...it wasn't the best. The apple itself was too tart for my liking, and tasted almost like it had gone bad and it was just soooo hard to eat. Maybe if I had cut off pieces instead of taking bites it would have been easier. Next time I will try something different though.

 

[Quacktatty]

Since this was my first stay at a Deluxe resort, I wanted to treat myself to In-Room Dining. When I checked in, I saw that there was a door hanger that had the in-room dining breakfast menu on it. You could order your breakfast the night before, indicate what time you wanted it delivered, and then hang it outside on your door handle before going to bed. I realize this doesn't work for all people, but I can often pick what I am going to eat months in advance and still be happy with the choice when I get to the day I'm actually going to order.

I ordered my breakfast and placed it on my door handle. My delivery time was for between 7 and 7:30 (or maybe 7:15?). My server arrived exactly at 7am. I got the impression from him that I may be the only one who requested that delivery time, or at least the only one on his route. I let him in and he set up the tray on the table for me. You get all your food covered up with those metal food covers, the juice (or whatever beverage) is covered with saran as was the syrup. They also bring in your newspaper - which is waiting outside your door each morning.

I ordered the pancakes which came with bacon or sausage (I chose bacon)

And breakfast potatoes

In general, the breakfast was underwhelming. The bacon was probably the best part, but I'm pretty easy to please when it comes to bacon. The pancakes were certainly good, but maybe a little too thick. Also, there were 5 pancakes, I only managed to finish 2 1/2! The potatoes were the worst part, they were really gritty. I don't know what they did to them, but at times I felt as if I was eating sand.

I think I will try In-Room Dining again, but maybe order something else and NO potatoes!

 

[momofdbsdc]

Your in room breakfast looks soooo much better than the oatmeal I am eating right now!!! Great updates!!!

Kim
momofdbsdca

 

[Quacktatty]

Your in room breakfast looks soooo much better than the oatmeal I am eating right now!!! Great updates!!!

Kim
momofdbsdca

Haha! I'd say so, I'm missing having someone cook for me everyday!

 

[Quacktatty]

I had a late lunch planned at Kona after my Ft. Wilderness Segway tour. I took the boat from FW to MK and then the resort monorail loop to the Poly. I really like taking the monorail, and usually take the resort loop whenever possible. Someday I'll stay at one of those resorts!!

I checked in a little early for my ADR, which I mentioned to the hostess. She literally laughed in my face and said, "Oh you alone, you don't need no reservation when you eat alone!!" What a great way to start a meal, really

With that behind us, I was seated (after walking by that delicious dessert display on the way in). The restaurant was pretty empty, but it was after 2:00 by now, so now surprise there. This was my second time dining at Kona, my first time I was surprised just how small the dining room was. It is a really nice cozy little atmosphere though.

My server was MUCH nicer than the hostess and very attentive. I started off ordering a coke and then taking sometime to look at the menu. Of course, there was no need for this since I already knew exactly what I was going to have!

I ordered the Crab Cakes and the Sticky Wings. This was a repeat of my last meal at Kona.

The crab cakes were as good as I remember them being, albeit a little small. I even ate all the salsa and salad that comes with it! This was my main reason for coming back to Kona and it was worth it!

The sticky wings on the other hand were NOT as good as I remember them being. There was too much mustard taste. I think they would be better off without the mustard drizzle because it really is just too strong for my liking. Of course, I finished them all anyway because you can't let even a mediocre wing go to waste

For dessert I had the Kona Cone. I'm a cotton candy junkie so this was really a no brainer. I like that it comes with the various toppings on the side so you don't have to tell the server to leave off what you don't like.

The cotton candy is laying on the side instead of standing up in the cone like usual because it was so top heavy that it kept falling over! The toppings on the side were M&Ms, coconut, peanuts and sprinkles. I didn't put any peanuts on though because I'm just not a peanut eater. The coconut was toasted which gives it a great flavor and crunch, and how can you go wrong with M&Ms and sprinkles, right?

I had another great meal and will be sure to return, although maybe next time for dinner so I can get some of that great bread that I keep hearing about!

 

[Quacktatty]

Earl of Sandwich was a new restaurant for me this trip. I'd heard such great things about it I knew I had to try it. I'm so glad I did as it easily became one of my favorites (after Flame Tree of course!!)

I thought about getting the Hot Roast Beef Smoothie, but opted for a different selection - maybe next trip

The line was looooong when I arrived around 8:30, which was no surprise. But despite the long line, everything moves quickly. The first person takes your sandwich order and then you move down the line where the last person collects your money. Along the way there are drinks, sides and desserts to pick out. The trick comes when you actually GET your sandwich, that can take a while! I waited maybe 10 minutes for my number to be called out, but at least I knew that my sandwich was being made fresh.

I ordered the Best BLT. Let me tell you, it really WAS the Best BLT. I couldn't believe how delicious it was, especially the bread and the seasoned mayo. I'm not even a tomato eater, but I ate the whole sandwich, or rather, I inhaled it! The bread is just so soft and warm, I can practically still taste it and my mouth is watering as I write this.

I also picked up a side of macaroni salad. There's something about elbow noodles in mayo that makes me smile. This was a good one that reminded me of a macaroni salad that I used to get at a deli near where I grew up.

My original intention was to eat half of the sandwich and then go to Ghiradelli's for dessert, but I never made it there. The sandwich was just too good. I'm dreaming of my next one already and I think I might even break tradition and make EOS my first meal in WDW instead of Flame Tree :gasp:

 

[mcarthur205]

I'm enjoying your reviews! I love EOS, we have to eat there at least once (and more often if possible lol) each trip! My fave is the Tuna Melt....

 

[eemmie1]

Great reviews! Earl of Sandwich is my favorite CS place in all of WDW! I will have to try Flame Tree in a couple of weeks!

 

[wdwfanatic316]

Great reviews!

I have just got to try EOS on my next trip! I love Wolfgang Puck Express so much that I haven't tried it yet, but after all the great reviews I will definitely have to try it on my next trip!