Not 1, Not 2, But 3 AMAZING!! trips

[Niki Andiokno]

Hi all. Niki here. I was lucky enough to make three, yes count them THREE trips between May and November this year. I haven't been able to do that for a very looooonngg time, so I feel very lucky to have visited my happy place so much. Since I am not so computer literate, the meals may not be in chronological order, but I will get them all in. Promise!!

Cast of Characters:

Niki - I am a 40-something gal who loves, loves, loves to eat DISNEY FOOD!! I am a Disney addict, but even more of a Disney Food addict. I love reading everyone's trip reports, and adore all of the food porn photos. I have been able to take some good photos myself, but it always seems that my electronics are out of charge when I am eating the bestest food of my trip. I am trying to correct that, so you will have some good photos of great food this time.

DH - My hubby is a 50-something Disney fan. Although he has been a Disney fan as long as I have, he has become a bit jaded at some of the changes. He believes that the dining plans have ruined many a good Disney restaurant. He tends to like places on Disney property that are not owned by Disney. We often stay at the Boardwalk, so he likes to take a short walk to the Swan/Dolphin resort to eat. I have to say, he has directed me to a couple of my all time favorites.

Here is a pic of the two of us with our friend Captain Mark. He is a Chicago suburban defector who is living his dream working for Disney. He will show up in a dining report or two, during his days off.



On our first trip, we had our nieces Vina and Sophia. Here they are at Typhoon Lagoon with the most adorable 5 year old ever, Captain Mark's daughter.



We also had with us on that trip my Friend Sandy and her two young adult sons. The five of us drove from Chicago to Orlando together in DH's Mitsubishi Outlander. We were the sardine crew. For the life of me, I can't find a single photo. I will post when I find it. Sandy took us to one of my fave's Beaches & Cream. Love ya Sandra.

Our middle trip was Food & Wine Fantastic!! My beautiful Bestie Sally joined us.


We were also joined by my Buddy Linda for a few days.

Finally, we flew down for a long weekend for the Swan/Dolphin Food & Wine Classic. We met the famous jabead (Barb) there with her hubbs for a couple meals and the Classic. I just can't say how much I love this event. Best at WDW.

That is our Cast of Characters. On to the Fabulous Food!!

 

[auntfrannie]

Three trips....nice! Looking forward to reading your reviews.

 

[vettegirl]

Sounds like you had a great time! Also how fun meeting Barb, she is such a treasure here on our dining boards.

 

[Niki Andiokno]

Three trips....nice! Looking forward to reading your reviews.

Thanks for following along.

Sounds like you had a great time! Also how fun meeting Barb, she is such a treasure here on our dining boards.

Barb is fantastic. We always have so much fun with her at food and wine time.

 

[Niki Andiokno]

For our first trip, we arrived on May 30th. We stayed at the Wyndham Bonnet Creek Resort, which is on property but not Disney owned. The rooms were very nice. The pool was great, including a lazy river around the resort. We had a two bedroom suite. The resort is centrally located.

After checking in, and waiting for our nieces to arrive, we headed out to the park. My grand niece Sofia is a Harry Potter fan, so we veered to the dark side, Universal Studios Orlando. We decided to use the Universal Studios Orlando dining plan. For $19.99. You get one counter service and a snack, which can be used at any time during your stay. I like that benefit, as I was not feeling dessert on our first day. By the time we got to the park, we were starving. We found the Leaky Cauldron. Sorry to say, I have no pictures. This was not one of those times where my electronics failed and the food was excellent. In fact, the food was fairly better than average. Sophia got fish and chips, which was the best entree of the day. She enjoyed it. Her mom Vina got the pie sampler, which included a cottage pie mini, fisherman's pie mini and some type of mini pot pie. She seemed to enjoy it. This sampler was served with a small salad, which was good. I had the fisherman's pie, which was served with the same nice salad. The pie itself was not so nice. The mashed potatoes on top we're good, but the filling tasted like frozen fish. Most of the meat was clearly Salmon. I think I had one small shrimp and something chewy I guess we're bay scallops. DH head bangers and mash. His mashed potatoes were not so good. They were very runny. There were hardly any onions with the banners. The sausage itself was very bland. This was a big dish though, so a rather large serving for the price. Sophia had to have a butterbeer. We all shared it. None of us were very impressed. It had a super sweet butterscotch flavor. Definitely fan of Lef brew at Gaston tavern instead.

While I love the Harry Potter rides, I do not think we will return again to eat.

 

[Niki Andiokno]

The next day we went back to Universal to ride the other not Harry Potter rides. By noon we were ready for some lunch. I love the Royal Pacific Resort. The grounds are beautiful. There is a nice boat launch from the parks to the resort. Today we wanted to hang at my favorite pool bar ever Bula's at RPR. This is a very nice and relaxing atmosphere. The food is cheap, but the drinks are expensive. Totally worth it though. I started with a Mai Tai. Yummy.

Here is Vina with a nice salad. It included greens, chicken, berries, oranges and a fruity vinegar. She said it really was refreshing.


Sophia had a turkey wrap fruit.

Mike had a Korean BBQ steak wrap. We both love this sandwich. It has Angus steak that is very tender, seasoned with just a hint of spice, mushrooms and pepper jack cheese. He got a side salad. . All this healthy eating. No one ordered fries? Unthinkable.

I branched out from my typical Huli Huli Chicken to try the Fish Tacos, asian slaw, white fish, pickled veggies on a corn tortilla. These were excellent. The fish had a buttery flavor without using butter. The vegetables were fresh and the chili like slaw was fantastic. My pic only shows 2, but I was given 3. I just couldn't wait.


Bula's has an outdoor pool table, so we relaxed and played around for awhile. Great place with much better munchies than at any Universal park.

 

[Niki Andiokno]

Next up was a day at the beach at Typhoon Lagoon. This day we had Vina and Sophia, Cap'n Mark and his little girl, Mike and me. Shoe we spent the entire day there, lunch was in order. We went to Leaning Palms. My phone was in the locker, and no one would wait to eat till I went to get it, so I have no photos here. I will tell you, this was really good counter service. I wish I could have taken some pic because I can't describe how huge these portions were. You would think a water park would have light fare. Not here. This would be a great use of CS dining credits.
Baby girl got chicken nuggets. She is so sweet to share with her buddy Niki. These were awesome, and a large portion for a child meal. Vina got a burger, which she loved. The house made chips were good. I am not certain which went to whom, but Mark or Sophia had the Tropical salad with chicken, which was huge and full of fruit. The other had the chicken wrap. Both were said to be good and filing. Mike had the chicken bowl that had black beans and rice as a side, along with fried plantains. This was really good and huge. We really could have shared this, and some went to waste. Not the plantains though. They were mighty tasty. Finally, I had the pulled pork sandwich. Mine was huge. I had to eat it with a fork and knife. The bread fell apart. Also it had way too much sauce on it. I had a lot of plate envy going on here, as mine was the only one that wasn't outstanding.

We ended the day with Dippin Dots. Rainbow here. Not sure about anyone else.

Overall, we loved our day at the water park. The food was much better than expected. People should not overlook this great lunch spot.

 

[Niki Andiokno]

After the water park, we went back to Universal to finish up what rides we had missed. I actually rose dueling dragons in the rain. Not the smartest decision on my life. We had to use that smack credit, so I got some Cold Stone Creamery ice cream. Afterwards we were hungry again. It was late, so we weren't sure what was open. We tried Bluezoo, but the entire restaurant was closed for a private party. Can you imagine the tab on such a thing? When I become rich and famous I want to have a party there too.

Anywhoo we went to a new place for us Trattoria Al Forno. This place was good, but nothing special. We started off with some fried Calimari.. Very tender, but average taste. I don't recall what Vina had. Sophia had Semolina Tagliatelle alla Carbonara. She liked it and age every bit. Mike had the pork chop alla Milanese. He said it was just ok. I had Linguini alla Vongole. The red sauce came with clans in the shell,. I liked this quite a bit. Not excellent but very good.

We were stuffed. I am not certain we will return for dinner. Breakfast, on the other hand. Well you will have to wait for those pictures.

 

[DaisyNY]

Three trips in one year...lucky you!

 

[dizzy daisy]

Haha, the Sardine Crew! Love it

3 trips in 6 or 7 months sounds fantastic! You are off to a great start, I'm looking forward to reading more.

 

[Niki Andiokno]

Three trips in one year...lucky you!

I feel very lucky. All three trips were great.

Haha, the Sardine Crew! Love it

3 trips in 6 or 7 months sounds fantastic! You are off to a great start, I'm looking forward to reading more.

We were jam packed in the back seat. The only truly skinny person on the trip was thrilled youngest at 20.


Thanks for following along. I promise the last two trips had many more pics.

 

[Niki Andiokno]

After saying goodbye to our nieces we met up wroth Sandy and family for Animal Kingdom. We rode Everest, the Safari and Dinosaur, as well as watch through Legend of the Lion King all before lunch. As usual, I was starving by lunch time.

YAK n' YETI was calling. This is such a beautiful restaurant. The theming is outstanding. I always get the Yak Attack to start. It is kind of a mango dairy wroth some grenadine swirled through. This is a wonderful concoction with a suprising kick.


We started off with some egg rolls, which I didn't really car for. My attention was on the Wok Fried Green Beans. I love these with the sweet Thai chili dipping sauce. So crunchy and tasty. Yummy yummy!



After this I lost charge, so no more photos. Mike, Zach and I all ordered the Malasian Seafood Curry. Zach loved this, but Mike and I were a bit disappointed. This looked and treated more like a yellow curry than a red curry. It lacked all of the spiciness ( not just the heat) of a red curry. Although there was plenty of seafood in it, the flavor seemed bland. I guess we are used to authentic Thai at home. I also make my own red curry, so I guess I set it up to fail. I wouldn't necessarily say this was a fail. It was ok. Just not as good as I am used to, but good none the less.

Sandy had the Kalbi Steak & Coconut Shrimp. This was cooked perfectly, had a nice Asian spice and was really tender.

Alex had the BBQ ribs. He really liked them.

We all loved the jasmine rice. It is almost like eating flowers, it is so fragrant.

Finally, we all Sudafed the Cream Cheese Wontons. OMG!! These are Heavenly! !!! The mixture if pineapple and cheese and vanilla is spot on.

We will definately return. I think more for drinks and apps than ents though. The apps I have had are definately awesome. And dessert. Gotta have Cream Cheese Wontons again.

 

[Niki Andiokno]

This is the finI can't find any more photos of this trip, so I must have been out of charge.

One night I made dinner for Captain Mark and the family. I made Grilled Halibut with a balsamic glaze, pasta with light marinara and salad of romaine lettuce, apples, candied walnuts and a mustard vinegarette. I finished it off wroth a caramel apple pie I had made earlier in the day. I love to cook, and if anyone wants any recipes just pm me. We all enjoyed it. I found some Talent salted caramel gelato. That stuff is pure heaven. If you like caramel, search this out.

I know this wasn't Disney food, and pretty vein to say I love my own coming, but I do. Next up is Beaches & Cream.

 

[kastoney]

You had me at 3 trips, but add in some cream cheese wontons already and I'm totally subbing in.

 

[Niki Andiokno]

You had me at 3 trips, but add in some cream cheese wontons already and I'm totally subbing in.

Kari, I would love to have a picture of those WONDERFUL cream cheese wontons, but my phone ran out of charge. If you have a pic of those you could share with me, I would be forever grateful. I am shocked I had waited this long to try them.

 

[kastoney]

Kari, I would love to have a picture of those WONDERFUL cream cheese wontons, but my phone ran out of charge. If you have a pic of those you could share with me, I would be forever grateful. I am shocked I had waited this long to try them.

Here's a pic from our February trip

 

[Niki Andiokno]

Thanks Kari. I can't believe I won't be able to get those until my next trip almost a year from now. I can just go back and look at that pic from time to time.

Well, this is the last report from trip 1. Again, no photos. I promise the next two trips will have much more food porn to share.

Right before we left, my buddy Sandy took us to Beaches & Cream!! I love that place, but don't go there often enough. I had one very important mission this trip, NO WAY JOSE!!!! Not only is my husband's real name Jose Miguel (aka Mike), but we both love chocolate and peanut butter.
But first, real food. We had a 17 hour drive ahead of us.

We started with the most excellent onion rings. I believe these are the best onion rings I have ever had. They have big thick slices of onion covered in a thin, but not too thin, layer of buttery, crunchy fried batter. I don't recall what sauce they come with, but I know I had some ketchup and ranch dressing. Even though there were five of us, we barely finished them.

Mike, Alex and I had the Angus Beef Burger - served with Cheddar, Lettuce, and Tomato on a Fresh-baked Bun with choice of fresh Fruit for French Fries. Actually, Mike got more onion rings instead of fries for a mere $1 more. I think he may have regretted it, as we had lots of rings in the appetizer. This is also my favorite burger at WDW. It is a good size burger with lots of flavor. I think the Angus beef (which may actually come from Illinois?) makes a big difference. I grew up eating local Angus beef. It makes a big difference in the flavor. The fries were heavenly! I am a spud girl, being part Irish. Married to an Asian, I don't get potatoes as often I would like. These are da BOMB!

Sandy had a grilled cheese, but substituted those great fries for the tomato soup. None of us are fans of tomato soup, so I am glad I had read on the boards you can sub fries for soup. That info make Sandy very happy.

Zach had Vegetarian Falafel Patties - served on Flatbread with Black Olive Hummus, Cucumber, Tomato, and Lettuce topped with a Soy Tzatziki-style Sauce. He said it was really good, but the Tzatziki sauce was a little blander than we are used to. Again, we live in Chicago, where great Greek and Mediterranean places are all over the place.

Finally, we got to Dessert!! We had two NO WAY JOSE. This was huge and tasted fantastic. The sweet chocolate ice cream. The vanilla. The deep chocolate sauce. The salty Peanut Butter. AAAHHHH!

I think Alex might have gotten a banana split, but I am not certain. I was too engulfed in the wonderful flavor of the No Way Jose.

That kept us full for the entire ride home. This was a great vacation. I hope to start my Food & Wine trip 2 tomorrow.

 

[jabead]

Hi Niki! I'm here and all caught up on Trip #1. A visit to Beaches & Cream was a great way to end the trip. I love B & C so much that I actually ate there twice on my last trip.

Looking forward now to reading about Trip #2 and #3. Bring it on!

 

[Niki Andiokno]

So, I am going through all I wrote for my dining review on our first trip, and Mike reminds me that I have forgotten several important meals we had during that first trip. Just so y'all know, I was in a pretty bad car accident in July where I suffered Not 1, Not 2 But 3 concussions. Not nearly as fun as three Disney trips, the three bruised parts of my brain have caused me a few problems the last few months. One is memory loss. I do remember things after being reminded, but I need to be reminded often. He reminded me that Trip 1 also included La Hacienda, California Grill, Captain Cook's, Olivia's Cafe, Jiko Wine Wednesdays and Afternoon Tea at the Garden Tea Room. The reviews of Tea and Olivia's Cafe are important because there have been changes to both that are significant.

I can't believe I forgot about these, especially when I have photos that I completely skipped over. Ugh!!

Brain is getting better, though. A bit tired now, so "hittin the hay" for today. I will continue my reviews of the 1st trip tomorrow, I hope.

Good Night all.

 

[jknicholas]

thats such a shame! the good thing is, youre alive and thats all that matters!

take your time with the reviews - we all have nothing but time!