No Longer coming to you Live from Disney World! Take 3 DDW'S TAMBU LOUNGE 8/6

[Couchy]

I am fairly indecisive myself and often change my mind several times. DH doesn't care but his favs are Bluezoo and Flying Fish so I try to do both of those when he comes along. We aren't huge breakfast people and normally have yogurt and fruit in the room while getting ready, but we sometimes do a breakfast per trip. The Wave is on my list. Sweet potato pancakes seem to be calling me

 

[buzz1121]

While the kids had visions of Test Track and Soarin dancing in their heads to start their morning, I had a completely different vision dancing around in my head, one that I had to fulfill at least once more on the trip.

On the seventh day of our Christmas trip, our family chose to eat...Breakfast at Sunshine Seasons, Take Two!

Sunshine Seasons is located on the lower level of The Land, between Soarin and Living with the Land. Most of us in the family have a "go to" item here, but DS does like to change it up.

For this breakfast DS selected a chocolate chip muffin.





The muffin was soft and absolutely full of chocolate chips. To be honest, I didn't pay too much attention because I was savoring my breakfast.


DD stuck with her standby, a chocolate croissant.




She wiped this croissant out. She likes Disney croissants so much that I usually buy a few to bring home to freeze for breakfast treats from time to time.

And now Barb, you might want to avert your eyes if you are going to try to resist the siren call that is the berry croissant pudding.

I have this breakfast at least once every trip, if not twice. But this time was something truly special as my serving was the very first scoop out of a brand new pan, straight out of the oven. I had to wait a completely worth it, three minutes, before I could receive a portion.




Holy cow! This serving of berry croissant pudding was amazing! It was piping hot and full of blueberries. This is just a perfect Disney breakfast to me.

After our breakfast, we spent the morning tackling Future World before heading to our fourth Italian meal of our trip.

Any guesses as to where that might be?

 

[jabead]

Oh man, back-to-back reviews from The Wave breakfast and the berry croissant bread pudding from Sunshine Seasons...you guys are killing me!!!

 

[Couchy]

Our original plan on this day to was to eat somewhere in Epcot, maybe the bakery in France or the Cantina in Mexico. On our walk from DHS to Epcot DH says he needs a break and let's eat at ESPN.

I was actually pleasantly surprised with the food here on a prior trip. It's not fine dining but it is good pub grub with some unique twists

I knew what I wanted



Char-crusted Ahi Tuna Burger - Teriyaki-Ginger Spice, Watercress, Garlic Aioli, Cucumber-Mango Salsa on a Hawaiian Kaiser Roll with Sea Salt Chips
This is delicious... seriously, a nice slightly sear hunk of Ahi Tuna. The flavor of the sauces is wonderful and the chips are also very good

DH decided on something a little unique


PB & J Burger - Smoked Bacon, creamy Peanut Butter and Jelly, Jalapenos on a Toasted Butter Bun
He loved it. He was nervous about the pb&j but it was a nice surprise. He also had a beer. Truth be told I imagine I had a Hendricks

This turned out to be a good idea and we enjoyed our meals. It was also not too loud in here during lunch time... Dinner can be unbearably loud at times

 

[smile4stamps]

We go to a Burger place in San Diego (it has other locations too...) They do a PB&Jealousy burger and it is SOO Good! You wouldn't think to put PB&J on a burger but it just works!! The version I have had does not come with anything jalapeno and I would keep those off but otherwise YUM!

 

[Couchy]

Paula - He actually got the jalapenos on the side because I can't handle hot. I wanted to try a bite or two of this and it was really quite tasty... DH however loves hot so he loaded those peppers on

 

[jabead]

As promised, here is my trip synopsis to wrap up my contribution to our joint dining report.


Let's begin with my favorite breakfasts:

The runner-up was displaced from its usual top spot on this trip, entirely due to service issues that our group experienced.




However, my primary reason for going to Kona Cafe for breakfast...



Macadamia-Pineapple Pancakes with Macadamia Nut Butter, Pineapple Sauce, and your choice of Ham, Bacon, or Sausage (I chose sausage)

...were again delicious as ever.


But due to the previously mentioned poor service at Kona Cafe, my favorite breakfast from this trip ended up being at the Grand Floridian's lovely...





While I like the quiet, bright and cheery atmosphere here, especially the beautiful red roses on the tables...




Here is the real reason that I love to have breakfast at the Grand Floridian Cafe...



1/2 order of Maple-Vanilla French Toast - Challah Bread dipped in maple vanilla flavored batter. Served with bacon (my choice) or sausage.



Though I've had the Tonga Toast, both the famous one from Kona Cafe...





...as well as the lesser known version from the Rainforest Cafe.





I've also had the French Toast Baklava at the soon to close Kouzzina...twice.




And on this trip I tried two new (to me) french toasts, first the Banana Bread French Toast from Whispering Canyon Cafe...




...and then the famous Puffed French Toast at Crystal Palace.





None of these hold a candle to the seemingly simple, yet incredibly delicious Maple-Vanilla French Toast at the Grand Floridian Cafe.


Oh, but speaking of the Crystal Palace, I want to give it an Honorable Mention Award for being my favorite of the two character meals on this trip. While both Crystal Palace and Akershus had good food and the character interaction was fine at both, the one thing that made CP better for me was the Made to Order Omelet station.



As you can probably see, I had a hard time choosing between the many available options so I got pretty much all of them and had what I referred to as a "garbage" omelet.


Now let's talk lunches, shall we? The award for my second favorite lunch from this trip would go to Magic Kingdom's...




This meal earned the 2nd place award by providing our large group of 8 with great service in addition to serving up some delicious food, like the...



Colony Salad with Washington Apples, Sweet Pecans, Applewood-smoked Cheddar cheese, Craisins Dried Cranberries, and Grilled Chicken tossed with Field Greens in a Honey-Shallot Vinaigrette


And for dessert...



Ooey Gooey Toffee Cake - Vanilla Cake with a Gooey Toffee Filling, Caramel Sauce, and Vanilla Ice Cream


So what could possibly beat out the Ooey Gooey Toffee Cake?


Well, my overall favorite lunch from this trip was actually at...





Though this was a last minute addition to my dining schedule, it turned out to be a wonderful choice. From our cocktails...



Tokyo Sunset - Coconut rum, creme de banana, peach schnapps and pineapple juice




Wafu Ribs - Sake, Soy Sauce, Ginger-braised Pork Ribs




Steak & Shrimp Combination

All the way through to dessert...



Chocolate Ginger Cake

...this lunch was delicious!

And service was with a smile...




In the running for my top 2 dinners are Flying Fish Cafe, Citrico's, Yachtsman Steakhouse, California Grill, Prime Time Cafe, and Crew's Cup Lounge. Care to venture a guess as to which of these were my favorites?

Stay tuned for Part II...coming soon! ​

 

[smile4stamps]

I'm gonna go with California Grill as your favorite!!

 

[jabead]

I'm gonna go with California Grill as your favorite!!

You know me well, Paula!

Now to answer the question as to which of the dinners were my two favorites.


The award for Runner-up would go to the dinner we had on the first night of my trip at...




It is here that they serve one of my favorite appetizers...well, actually two great appetizers in one.



Signature Flying Fish Cafe Appetizer Duo:
Crispy Maine Coast Jonah Crab Cake and Caesar Salad


I also love one of their signature entrees...



“Potato-wrapped Red Snapper” served with Leek Fondue with a Veal Glace, Red Wine, and Cassis Butter Reduction


And for the first time, I finally found a dessert that I love here...well, actually a dessert cocktail.



Peanut Butter Freeze with Kahlúa, Baileys Irish Cream, Crème de Banana, Dark Crème de Cacao, and Peanut Butter
(photo taken by Rachel aka rachel09985)


But topping the Flying Fish Cafe dinner was our dinner at my favorite Disney World restaurant...



Photo credit to Brenda (emmysmommy)


The food, service, atmosphere and my great dining companions combined to hit this one out of the ball park.

Food-wise, my highlights were...



Heirloom Apple and Kale Salad with Cripps Pink Apples, Marcona Almonds, Cranberry Feta, and Cider Vinaigrette





Pork Pate Flatbread

After tasting Paula & Hunter's flatbread, I ended up getting this as my entree when I returned for a second dinner at California Grill a few nights later.


And of course, I will never forget the incredible dessert platters we were presented with...








I especially enjoyed the...


Warm Homemade Fritters - Banana-stuffed, Cinnamon-dusted Fritters complemented with a Trio of Dipping Sauces





And thanks to Paula & Hunter, we all had the privilege of meeting Chef Eddie...



Photo credit to Brenda



That leaves just one trip highlight that for me was the highest of them all. Four months later and I still can't talk about this without getting all emotional so I'm just going to show you some of Brenda's great photos and leave it that.


Our Long Afternoon Tea at the Garden View Lounge...












​

 

[emmysmommy]

Nice breakfast and lunch wrap Barb!
Edited: After seeing your top two dinners I'm glad CA Grill came out on top. I'm looking forward to going back to CA Grill next month.

The tea was definitely a highlight of the trip - especially since you were recognized for all of your hard work on these live dining threads.

Beth: I can not imagine the flavor combo of a PB&J burger. One that has to be tried for sure!

DeeDee: I've read excellent reviews for that delicious bread pudding from Sunshine Seasons but have yet to try it. Sounds like you fully endorse it!

 

[emmysmommy]

Brenda's La Cantina de San Angel Lunch Review​

It's hard to follow Barb's great December dining wrap but someone has to so.... here goes.

Our final lunch was supposed to be Tony’s Town Square in MK. However, we found ourselves in Epcot for the day so we cancelled Tony’s and decided to try someplace new to eat. I asked Em to choose where she wanted to eat lunch and her choice…. La Cantina de San Angel. An excellent choice judging by some of the reviews that I’d read. That, and the fact that they open seating inside La Hacienda which is nice and cool with a great view of WS lagoon.

Outdoor seating was pretty crowded so we followed the sign…

And this was what it looked like inside.

So about that food….We decided to try a couple items to share.

Tacos de Carne:

The beef tacos were served with cilantro and a lime slice with tortilla chips. I was quite impressed that these were so good. In fact, I thought they rivaled the beef taco Taquiza) at La Hacienda de San Angel that I ordered last August. Not a bad choice however….. the cheese empanadas were my favorite of the two.

Cheese Empanadas:

They were served with a drizzle of green sauce, queso fresco, and sour cream (or Mexican Cream per the menu.) I believe all entrees are served with tortilla chips.

We also had a side of black beans; however, I didn’t eat them so I have no opinion on those…. And I don’t recall Em saying much if anything about them so we’ll just say they were black and they were beans. Those two facts can’t be disputed.

We’ve seen many dining reviews with the churros so we had to try those. They are served with caramel sauce which sounds delish! Let’s talk about the positive first… the churros themselves were very good. I could have eaten the basket myself. Em also really enjoyed them.

Soooo that leaves the not so good part of my opinion…. That caramel sauce must be made with goat milk – cajeta. It was ick! We didn’t like it at all. At least they don’t drizzle this over the churros otherwise they would have gone untouched. If you want to know what we really thought of the caramel sauce, you can click here for a short video.

Churros with caramel sauce:

Tell us what you really think!

Ok, recovered enough to smile

Not to feel left out...

Would we return and eat at La Cantina again? YES! We’ll just order empanadas and hold the cajeta caramel sauce for those churros.

​

 

[Linda67]

I think I'm all caught up

Great reviews everyone, sad this December set of reviews is coming to an end but I have a feeling we will be hearing more from you all very soon!

Wonderful wrap up Barb

 

[Li Li]

Hi Barb, I'm a lurker/former contributor. Disney Food blog had an article today that immediately made me think of you and your love of the old Napolean at Epcot France. Apparently, the chefs have heard the complaints about guests preferring the old Napolean and have tweaked the recipe to incorporate the old and new. You'll have to give it another try!
http://www.disneyfoodblog.com/2014/...lles-boulangerie-patisserie-in-epcots-france/

 

[jabead]

Hi Barb, I'm a lurker/former contributor. Disney Food blog had an article today that immediately made me think of you and your love of the old Napolean at Epcot France. Apparently, the chefs have heard the complaints about guests preferring the old Napolean and have tweaked the recipe to incorporate the old and new. You'll have to give it another try!
http://www.disneyfoodblog.com/2014/...lles-boulangerie-patisserie-in-epcots-france/

Thank you so much for bringing this to my attention, Li Li! I have a feeling that I'm still going to prefer the one at the Boardwalk bakery because it is topped with powdered sugar rather than icing, but if I'm able to fit them both in during my upcoming trip I would love to do a comparison...just to make sure.

 

[buzz1121]

Love the lasagna at Tutto!!

It is really great lasagna! I believe I had the lasagna on our first time dining at Tutto. I have a tough time choosing between the lasagna and the spaghetti every visit. Usually DH gets one and I get the other and then we split or sample each other's entree.

Haven't had time to read the last 10 pages or so but thought I would say that we ate at tutto on the 16th of Dec and Marshall ate a whole child size portion of spaghetti and meatballs he LOVED it!!! Plus they gave it to us free since he was under 3, I was so surprised!!! I loved my fettuccine and my Husband made himself I'll eating so much of his lasagna. It is our new favorite Italian place for sure!

Sue, the free meal for Marshall is a great illustration about the level of service that Disney provides. I am so glad that you and your family had a great experience at Tutto!

We haven't dined at Tutto!! Why?!? Cause I can't give up my love of Via Napoli pizza!!

DeeDee: I haven't been to Tutto in years... that lasagna and the spaghetti looks fabulous. Oh man! I'm craving Italian food now.

Paula: I hear ya! It's hard to give up Via Napoli.

I am with you on this one... I can not give up Via... it is so good. We have had both the pizza and pasta and we love both

You know ladies my very first dinner ADR on our first trip with the kids in late September 2010 was at Via Napoli. Via Napoli had just been open a few weeks and I was so excited to try it. We took the monorail over and it was blazing hot that evening. I seriously underestimated the haul that is the trek around half of World Showcase with a 5 year old and a 2 year old. Needless to say, we were booking it to get there and we arrived sweaty and out of breath.

But it was a terrific dining experience and Via Napoli, like Tutto, has become a "must do" on every trip.

I would have to say, in my opinion, that both Tutto and Via Napoli are worth a visit if a trip has enough days/open ADR slots. Tough for us dining DISers for sure. But with the kids, Italian food is a easy pleaser for the entire family so we usually make room for both.

I would say that one major difference is that Via Napoli feels a little more casual and Tutto feels a little more upscale, with no pizza on the menu, but more traditional Italian dishes. I would be very hard pressed to pick a favorite.

 

[buzz1121]

After our fairly light breakfast, we were ready for lunch when the time for our ADR rolled around. We were headed to our fourth and final Italian dining destination of our trip. This destination is hands down the favorite dining spot in WDW for DS.

Any guesses as to what location an eight year old boy would be highly interested in? Could it be........pizza?

On the seventh day of our Christmas trip, our family chose to eat...Lunch at Via Napoli.

Via Napoli is not just a favorite of DS, but rather is a "go to" for the entire family. I am looking forward to dining here again so I can put to the test a little nugget of information recently mentioned on the DFB, that the mozzarella bites included in the sampler can be ordered as their own appetizer serving. There was even mention that these bites are reminiscent of the cheese curds at LTT from a while back so stay tuned to hear if ordering them separately works.

We did have about a ten minute wait to be seated as they were running a little behind due to a large number of Candlelight Processional packages wrapping up their lunch.

Though I did not take a picture of it, I did order a strawberry aqua fresa as my drink. These was a very refreshing beverage that was not overly sweet. I enjoyed it and think I might try the blood orange option on our next trip.

DS and DD selected the kid's cheese pizza as their entree.




The kids put this pizza away very quickly so I can only assume it was very good.


DH and I decided to split an a quatro formaggi and a margherita pizza.







Both of the pizzas were delicious! The quatro formaggi had a very rich, complex cheese flavor that I enjoyed. I really liked the sauce on the margherita pizza. It had such a great, fresh tomato taste.

I will say that DH and I have had an opportunity to vacation in Italy, PK(pre-kids ). The pizza in Italy is, simply put, amazing! I have never tasted anything like it. I would have to say that while Via Napoli does not quite match the pizza I had on Italian soil, it is the closest I have found to the "real deal".

After our lunch we walked around World Showcase a little more and then headed back to our room for an afternoon break.

We had a new to us dinner ADR coming up!

 

[vettegirl]

Ok your review has me totally convinced to try this pizza!! Now to convince my DH.

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

 

[jabead]

If my memory serves me right, today is the birthday of one of our dining reporters, so...


HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRENDA!!! ​

 

[JennyWren]

If my memory serves me right, today is the birthday of one of our dining reporters, so...


HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRENDA!!! ​

Happy Birthday!!!

 

[emmysmommy]

Happy Birthday!!!

Thank you Jenny!

If my memory serves me right, today is the birthday of one of our dining reporters, so...


HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRENDA!!! ​

Barb you have an awesome memory! Thank you so much!