Noms are better late than never!! UPDATED 9/13 Liberty Tree Tavern

[librarygeek]

I've always wondered about the proscuitto and melon pizza. Are the melon and prosciutto served cold with the hot crust? The combo does sound yummy! I love prosciutto!

As far as I can remember everything was served warm on the pizza!

 

[librarygeek]

We are not really big breakfast people and have yet to find a sit-down or buffet place that we felt was worth the price for us, but the Wave looks really good. I also absolutely love those breakfast-y baked goods! We may have to try this one eventually.

 

[Couchy]

Via Napoli is currently my favorite restaurant at Epcot. The food is scrumptious! Last time we were there (December 2013) we had a wonderful server named Guido. He was amazing. This time...a different server...and not so amazing. I was so underwhelmed with this fella. He really made me feel like we were a huge inconvenience. And when we said we were just splitting a pizza it was as if we just told him his cat died.

A peek into the kitchen of Via Napoli

Anyhow, I ordered a Strawberry Acqua Fresca and Jim ordered a Coke. The Acqua Fresca looked so light and refreshing from across the room. When it arrived I took a sip and was totally turned off. It was warm...blegh...and it had an overwhelming chemical/artificial sweetener taste to it. Ew. When our server returned I requested a glass of ice water with lemon and Jim also requested bread. The server did take the Acqua Fresca away and it never showed up on our bill...so he get's a cookie for that. I admit that I was sad that this beverage wasn't better. I really wanted to enjoy it.

Bread service

Then it was pizza order time! We went with a large in hopes that we'd have some to bring back to the hotel for a late night snackie. Our topping ended up being chicken sausage...it is SOOOOO good. I actually crave this when at home. No other chicken sausage I try even comes close to it...seriously!

Large Chicken Sausage Pizza

Being a brick oven pizza we of course had to wait a little bit but that was OK. We just chomped away on our bread (very nice) and took in our surroundings. The ovens are so cool. Whomever designed them has a wonderfully creative mind. Definitely the centerpiece of the restaurant. The entire atmosphere is homey and comfortable. Some of the tables are a little cramped but they are manageable. If seated at a booth table, especially, you are really close to the party next to you. Luckily we were at a small 2-top close to an aisle and the servers beverage station. We didn't feel as claustrophobic as we have in the past.

Via Napoli Pizza Ovens

Look at how close those seats are at the communal table!

Finally the pizza pie arrived and it looked and smelled fabulous! The first bite (and 2nd and 3rd....you get the picture) was fantastic. Perfect flavors. Perfect amount of cheese to sauce. We were happy little eaters. Once our "lovely" server dropped the pie off he was gone for quite a while. If I recall correctly Jim had to ask another server to grab our server so that we could request our check. And guess what!! We did have a couple slices to take with us! YAY!!!

Overall, we blocked out the server and just focused on the food and what was going on around us. Sub out that server and we would have had the perfect visit. We all have our off days so I'll give them a pass on that. We are definitely returning in December. Maybe we'll have the Chicken Parm or something different....although, I hate giving up my chicken sausage..man, I love that stuff!!!

Thanks for reading along!!

I love Via and their pizza. I agree the chicken sausage is awesome. We also add onion

 

[vettegirl]

Thats too bad about Tonys. My friend and I had a lovely lunch there a few years ago, but you just never know with places.

 

[Linda67]

Really enjoying your reviews
We love The Plaza and Via Napoli but have never tried The Wave and it certainly looks like a great option for breakfast. Sadly I love breakfast but my husband never wants to eat until later in the day :-(
Shame Tony's was a miss. We loved our lunch there in December. DH had the calamari and really enjoyed it
I do seem to remember check in/seating etc to be a mess there though

 

[wdwpirates]

As far as I can remember everything was served warm on the pizza!

Ooh! That sounds nice! We'll have to give that one a shot!

We are not really big breakfast people and have yet to find a sit-down or buffet place that we felt was worth the price for us, but the Wave looks really good. I also absolutely love those breakfast-y baked goods! We may have to try this one eventually.

We found it was well worth the cash. And nice that you could order a la carte instead of the buffet if you wanted to. 3 cheers for baked goods!!!

I love Via and their pizza. I agree the chicken sausage is awesome. We also add onion

Onion and chicken sausage sounds like a super combo!!

Thats too bad about Tonys. My friend and I had a lovely lunch there a few years ago, but you just never know with places.

I know. Jim and I were so bummed. We just thought about how tasty our past meals were and this one just put us into a lousy mood. But, onward and upward. We'll skip it on the next trip but probably give it a try next year sometime. Fingers crossed.

Really enjoying your reviews
We love The Plaza and Via Napoli but have never tried The Wave and it certainly looks like a great option for breakfast. Sadly I love breakfast but my husband never wants to eat until later in the day :-(
Shame Tony's was a miss. We loved our lunch there in December. DH had the calamari and really enjoyed it
I do seem to remember check in/seating etc to be a mess there though

So glad you are enjoying! You've gotta tempt him with those sticky buns! Worth the price of admission! Tony's calamari was delicious in the past! Nice and crunchy batter. Tender on the inside. And a very nice sauce for dipping. Why must they do this to us. Oh well...hoping it was just an off day.

Thanks for following along!!

 

[wdwpirates]

The Electric Umbrella just happens to be a lunch tradition for Jim and I. We've been coming here for lunch on our first Epcot day of each trip for ages. Granted this is a counter service spot and not fancy or diverse in cuisine by any stretch...but I really like it. It always feels comfortable and the food is not half bad. It serves the purpose. Seating is easy to find. There is upstairs seating available towards the rear of the restaurant. This time we were able to grab a two-top on the first floor towards the back. And the A/C is always nice and cool! Beverages are self serve but there is no "toppings bar".

On this visit we went with pretty straight forward choices. As per our usual routine here, we ordered a cheeseburger with fries and the chicken tenders with fries. Jim also picked up a strawberry cheesecake...I think he may have snagged a sugar free cookie too. As for beverages I went with water, Jim went with Coke.

The cheeseburger was exactly like it's always been. And yes that means it was tasty! This was a juicy burger with an ample amount of toppings (lettuce, tomato, onion). I do recall that there were so many fries, a lot were left behind. Speaking of the fries, they were very hot and fresh...always a plus.

Cheeseburger w/ Fries

The chicken tenders were also good and hit the spot. Hot and juicy on the inside and nice and crispy on the outside. Can't ask for much more when it comes to a chicken tender!!

Chicken Tenders w/ Fries

The little cheesecake was just enough of a "sweet" to finish lunch. It was quite creamy and the graham cracker crust was yum! Pretty good for counter service. I'm pretty sure, just like the chicken, these are available at a number of CS spots.

Strawberry Cheesecake

It seems I can't find a pic of the mysterious cookie. Maybe I am thinking of another spot or time.

I did see a number of people pass by with the chicken caesar salad and it looked nice and fresh. I may try that next time. We could sub out the chicken tenders for the salad. I'm on Weight Watchers now so I'm always looking to skim calories and fat grams. I'm determined to make it through this next trip without gaining anything back (lost 15 so far). Well, that's another story for another time.

Thanks, everyone, for reading along. I'm really enjoying writing these reviews and I'm looking forward to reviewing our December trip, too!!

 

[vettegirl]

Thanks for sharing! When in Dec are you going? We will be there the 3-9.

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

 

[wdwpirates]

Thanks for sharing! When in Dec are you going? We will be there the 3-9.

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

Cool! We'll be there from the 5th - 15th!!

 

[wdwpirates]

Hi, everyone! Hope you all had a great weekend! Clearly I bored you with the last review of Electric Umbrella. Bah ha ha!!! Seriously, I don't blame you. It's just one of those comforting Disney spots with a pretty boring menu.

Onward and upward! Now we will cover the various snackies we had while in the world. I am sure I missed snapping a few but the ones I do have are scrumptious!

The first one on the list is the "Croissant Donut" which can be found Epcot's Refreshment Port. RP can be found by taking a right when entering World Showcase from Future World. It is on the righthand side just before you pass into Canada. There is a limited menu at this spot right now. It used to offer McDonald's fries and McNuggets but since the McD's contracts ended they've reverted back to DisNuggets (ha! I made that up!). They also serve a variety of beverages and vanilla, chocolate, and swirl ice cream.

Jim and I ordered the Croissant Donut which is essentially the "cronut" and that is actually a trademarked word! This was one of the best donuts I have ever tasted. It's so simple, light, and airy. The puffy cloud is tossed in cinnamon sugar and served warm. We both agreed this was a winner and worth the calories! We could've polished off a dozen without batting an eye!!! Can't wait to get back and have another. Totally getting my own next time. A cup of coffee would go great with this treat. Two thumbs up!

The next spot on the list is Gaston's Tavern. We stopped in and shared a chocolate croissant and a Le Fou's Brew. We found a small table in the back right next to Gaston's massive antlered throne...it's roughly the size of a barge. I love the atmosphere in here. It's so REAL. You can imagine Gaston stomping about in here barking orders at everyone. The antler chandelier is something to see, as well. Disney imagineers at their finest. Funny how the little things have such a big impact.

Back to the food...the chocolate croissant was delish. Nice chocolatey ganache (I think it's ganache) inside and lovely light pastry on the outside. I like the sprinkle of powdered sugar too.

Le Fou's Brew is a tasty concoction. It's refreshing but sweet. I am pretty sure I couldn't drink and entire one myself. I dislike the foam on top. To me it's way too sour.

Le Fou's Brew

Next up is Kringla Bakeri! This is one of our favorite spots to catch a break in the shade. There are a lot of tasty goodies to be had. One of Jim's most favorite Disney treats can be found here. The fresh waffles with jam in between. He has been known to order one and go back in to order another. This time I told him to grab me something and surprise me. What does he bring me? Worms in Dirt!!! Bah ha ha ha!!! I was expecting a Norwegian delicacy! So much for that. I was okay with it. I haven't had this dessert before so I figured it was worth a try.

Jim devoured his waffle and yes, he did go in for another. I've snagged a bite before (sans raspberry jam...allergic to raspberries) and the waffle is quite good and always fresh as they are made to order.

Waffle

My Worms in Dirt was really good! Nice chocolate mousse with those yummy cookie crumbs. I always thought of it as a kids thing...but I was pleasantly surprised. I confess that I love gummy worms!! No complaints here!

Worms in Dirt

That's gonna wrap up this installment. There are quite a few snacks so I'm breaking it up into 2 parts. Tomorrow we'll explore Crepes des Chefs des France, Writer's Spot, and the one and only Mickey Premium Ice Cream Bar!

Thanks for reading along!!

 

[DaisyNY]

That cronut looks amazing...thanks for the tip!

 

[Linda67]

I'm still here- your Electric Umbrella review didn't drive me away!
The Croissant Donut looks yummy, needs a scoop of ice cream though ;-)
I've peeked in at Gaston's Tavern but haven't eaten there yet
I love that you asked to be surprised and ended up with worms in dirt!

 

[Avery&Todd]

it ALL looks delish - even the hamburger!!

I need to find one of those cronuts!! and I would have eaten the worms & dirt in a heartbeat!

one of my favorite candies are sour worms!!

 

[tink too]

Joining in to see all the yummy stuff available at WDW.

We also love Electric Umbrella and end up eating there at least once per trip.

I've made a mental note of the Croissant Donut in Epcot, too - it looks delicious.

 

[wdwpirates]

That cronut looks amazing...thanks for the tip!

It was! I highly recommend it!! Mmmmmm....

I'm still here- your Electric Umbrella review didn't drive me away!
The Croissant Donut looks yummy, needs a scoop of ice cream though ;-)
I've peeked in at Gaston's Tavern but haven't eaten there yet
I love that you asked to be surprised and ended up with worms in dirt!

I'm glad I didn't bore you with it! LOL! Ooh, ice cream would be awesome on that donut especially since it's warm. OMG...dangerous!!!

it ALL looks delish - even the hamburger!!

I need to find one of those cronuts!! and I would have eaten the worms & dirt in a heartbeat!

one of my favorite candies are sour worms!!

Oh the worms in dirt was really good....and you will see in a later review I ate another one at a different spot!

Joining in to see all the yummy stuff available at WDW.

We also love Electric Umbrella and end up eating there at least once per trip.

I've made a mental note of the Croissant Donut in Epcot, too - it looks delicious.

Glad to have you along!! Scrumptious I tell you! Would make a great breakfast treat!

Thanks everyone for reading along!! Next snackie review coming up shortly!!

 

[JoeyEmmaMomma]

The dessert party looks awesome!

 

[wdwpirates]

The dessert party looks awesome!

It was a lot of fun! Great view, too!!

 

[Finkerfell]

Loving your reviews and commentary!!!

 

[superme80]

Loving your review so far!

 

[Mrs.Malone]

I'm enjoying your reviews!

Worms in Dirt.....one of my favorite Disney treats.