Nothing A Little Sangria Can't Fix! A Thanksgiving 2016 Dining Report update 3/21 MK eats

[ariane37]

And boy did that Sangria go down easy! Welcome to my 2nd dining report covering our 2nd Thanksgiving week trip to the World. During our visit we had good food, good fun, and good adult beverages. If you haven't followed any of my previous reports, let me do some quick introductions:



This is Us (fantastic show BTW!): myself, Ariane, my DH Steve who loves to eat as much as I do, our oldest son Ricky 14 and our youngest son Chris 11. Chris and i arrived in the World on 11/19 with Steve and Ricky joining us on the 22nd due to Ricky's basketball schedule, and we stayed until the 26th. Since I came down with a horrendous stomach virus last year on Thanksgiving day I was excited to finally be able to EAT a holiday meal in Disney!

I'll get to my first food post soon, but I've been promising to get this started over on my TR and wanted to get moving The non-working link to said TR in my signature if you care to take a look. Thanks for reading along!

COMING UP: BEACH CLUB MARKETPLACE AND CAPE MAY CAFE!

 

[ThreeBoyMama]

Oooh yay, another dining report! Can't wait to see what you ate...and drank!

 

[Lisa F]

I am missing disney food already as I eat my frozen dinner and supermarket salad bar salad. Can't wait to see where you went

 

[samsteele]

Raising a glass of Holiday cheer! Following along . . .

 

[pepperandchips]

WOO HOO!!! You started it!

This is Us (fantastic show BTW!)

At first I thought this said "fantastic shot" and I was like FINALLY Ariane is realizing she is photogenic. Upon a re-read, I guess not so much. But it is a cute picture!

Excited about the yumminess ahead!!!

 

[ariane37]

Oooh yay, another dining report! Can't wait to see what you ate...and drank!

Glad to have you here I'm looking forward to reliving it all, especially what we drank!

I am missing disney food already as I eat my frozen dinner and supermarket salad bar salad. Can't wait to see where you went

I hear you That Disney depression sets in quick! Glad we can help each other through our reports

Raising a glass of Holiday cheer! Following along . . .

and Happy Holidays to you! Have one for me

WOO HOO!!! You started it!



At first I thought this said "fantastic shot" and I was like FINALLY Ariane is realizing she is photogenic. Upon a re-read, I guess not so much. But it is a cute picture!

Excited about the yumminess ahead!!!

I finally did, and hopefully I'll get in a couple updates here and on my TR before Christmas! LOL thank you so much for the compliment, I'd still like to insert my face from my high school senior picture onto EVERY picture taken of me since. Then I may agree I'm photogenic.

 

[Lisa F]

I hear you That Disney depression sets in quick! Glad we can help each other through our reports

For about the first week I was glad to be home and glad to not be exhausted and glad to be able to sit most of day and rest my feet. But now I am refreshed and ready to do it all over again!

Waiting for the bf to come back from his son's basketball practice and we are going to a local mexican restaruant's "Brunchfast" - think a mexican take on disney's breakfast skillets. Eggs, sausage, bacon, chorizo, corn bread, tater tots, pancakes, fruit - all you can eat. Got in on the FB deal last night for $2.99 a person or FREE if you order a breakfast beverage. I am going to have to resist the urge to embarrass myself and take photos and post though! Not as good as Disney but will have to do (esp for a fraction of the price).

 

[kastoney]

Pouring myself a glass of sangria and settling in!!! Can't wait to eat all about it

 

[ariane37]

ARRIVAL DAY

So as I mentioned above, because of Ricky's basketball schedule our original trip got a little.......rearranged, so on 11/19 it was only Chris and I flying down. I was excited to have a couple days of mom/son time with Chris and tried to re-tool our eating around him. I didn't change anything on arrival day though; he was fine with what I'd planned from the get-go.

Our flight left NY at 6:30 which meant we were up around 3:15 We ate some pre-packaged nastiness they called food at the airport, so by the time we arrived at the Beach Club we were pretty darn hungry! Since the plan was to hit MK for some FP rides we had decided ahead of time to grab something at our resort, so after dropping our bags in our room (which was ready, yay!) we went to find the Beach Club quick service, the Marketplace.
We both wanted more than a bagel or pastry so we both got the Bounty Platter:


Mickey waffle, eggs, bacon, a biscuit, sausage, and breakfast potatoes.
We both enjoyed this and it hit the spot. The breakfast potatoes had peppers and onions mixed in and for QS were delicious and very flavorful. The eggs, again for QS, were really good and not watery or runny at all. And the Mickey waffles-well, aren't they always perfection?? I'm not a big biscuit eater so Chris ate his and most of mine.
The Marketplace has some tables outside of it but inside the BC; there are also tables actually outside under a covered area on the way to the Villas entrance. We found a table there to eat. It was warm but not hot yet as it wasn't quite 11:00.

As soon as we were done it was a bus to MK where we found some Happy Haunts, Jingled on a Cruise, almost watched the new Muppet show and got to ride BTMRR on it's first day open after refurb. After a few hours in the sun we were parched so stopped at Sunshine Tree Terrace for a drink; I got a boring soda in a cute holiday cup while Chris tried something new:



A strawberry lemonade slushy and it was delicious! In addition to not being a biscuit person I'm not a slushy person but this was so good that I kept stealing sips and encouraged him and Ricky to get them again later in the week. The Mickey straw doesn't hurt, either We left MK with our drinks to chill for a bit at our resort before our dinner reservation which was new to us and we were both pretty excited about-Cape May Cafe!

Originally I booked this because 1. we were staying at Beach Club so it was convenient and 2. Ricky loves mussels and Steve loves seafood. Chris and I don't eat seafood but the menu appeared to have enough non-seafood choices so we'd be ok. I can also be very happy with a dinner of salad and dessert so I knew I'd be fine. Chris didn't want to change this even being just the 2 of us, so it was still a go.
We arrived right on time for our 5:45 reservation and after taking my phone #, we sat in the lobby for all of 5 minutes before I got the text that our table was ready. Right away our waitress brought over a big metal pail with whatever you call the things you'd open crab legs with which was cool, even though we wouldn't be eating them. Chris ordered a soda and I ordered a drink I'd heard so much about but was hesitant to try:



I've been hearing about this for so long in @Vernie822's dining reports along with many others but not liking grapefruit, figured I wouldn't like this. Was I wrong! It's my new best friend It's sweet and does have a very faint grapefruit taste but it's not strong at all - and goes down nice and easy. Chris thought it was some kind of German orange soda and wanted a sip lol. It's now sitting in my fridge and probably always will be! But before the drinks were delivered we were up and at the buffet. A couple obligatory buffet pictures of the seafood:


Crab legs, clams, and I think seafood paella although I don't see it on the menu now. I didn't take note of what seafood is in it, sorry!


The mussels picture I promptly sent to Ricky. He sent back a picture of the sad tacos he and Steve were currently eating.
Those are the only buffet pictures I took because it was always pretty crowded when we went up, but here are our first plates.
Mine:


Caesar salad, hearts of palm salad, cornbread, marinated olives, strip loin with horseradish sauce. The caesar salad was great and the hearts of palm salad was ok, just not my thing. The cornbread was delicious, just like all the cornbread I've had in Disney! I love olives of all kinds but these were just a little too sour, like they'd sat in too much vinegar.
The beef was a tad rare for me but not too much that I didn't eat it and it was very, very good. Very tender and perfect with the horseradish sauce.
Chris's first plate:


Seafood chowder, ribs, mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, sorry it's a little blurry. He doesn't really eat seafood but wanted to try the chowder which I was happy about, but he ended up not liking it. This doesn't mean it was bad at all, just being eaten by a non-seafood lover! On the other hand he IS a big ribs fan and these didn't disappoint as you'll see by his 2nd plate. His eyes bugged out when he bit into the 1st rib lol and he was thrilled. Also loved mashed potatoes and said they were creamy like Nana's Mac and cheese was good, too!

Our 2nd plates, Chris:


More ribs, kids pizza, strip loin. You can see his beef is more medium than mine was and that was perfect for him. He liked the pizza, too. He ended up getting a 3rd plate with MORE ribs but I didn't take a picture. The kid loved those ribs!
Mine:


More Caesar and strip loin plus another salad, Old Bay Ranch Salad. This was great, very refreshing with a light Ranch-ish dressing believe it or not.
They did have a few more non-seafood options like veggies and chicken drumsticks which were in the kids area, plus a few more salads and cheeses. The menu said there would be a vodka sauce pasta on Saturdays but there wasn't one. I think that, if you're not a seafood lover, as long as you know going in that the majority of choices won't be for you and you like the other options, you'll be fine. Chris was full after his meal and I was pretty full myself, but not too full to try dessert:


S'mores parfait, raspberry cupcake, oreo cheesecake, flourless chocolate cake.
People, that S'mores thing was OUT OF THIS WORLD. OMG I thought I'd take a bite and go to the cupcake but I couldn't stop eating that! The marshmallow top was sticky and tasted like a toasted marshmallow; then came the graham cracker part and then a chocolate mousse. I would have gotten another but I was getting pretty full. The oreo cheesecake was good but I prefer old-fashioned cheesecake; the cupcake was nice and moist and the frosting not too sweet; the chocolate cake was VERY chocolaty and dense but good.
While I was indulging in dessert our waitress brought by warm towels. Chris had never been to a restaurant where they gave these out and he enjoyed his and mine:




I did explain to him what the towels are for
After we left we went back to the room. It was all of about 7:30 but having been up since 3:15 Chris was done, and I wasn't far behind! I had one nice surprise around 9:00 though, standing out on our balcony:


High Illuminations!

UP NEXT: BREAKFAST AT CAPTAIN'S GRILLE

 

[ariane37]

Pouring myself a glass of sangria and settling in!!! Can't wait to eat all about it

Pour and drink one for me, too! Glad you found me

 

[Raeven]

Following along! I'm not one for seafood either so I'm glad to see you could still find something to eat.

 

[Lisa F]

ARRIVAL DAY

So as I mentioned above, because of Ricky's basketball schedule our original trip got a little.......rearranged, so on 11/19 it was only Chris and I flying down. I was excited to have a couple days of mom/son time with Chris and tried to re-tool our eating around him. I didn't change anything on arrival day though; he was fine with what I'd planned from the get-go.

Our flight left NY at 6:30 which meant we were up around 3:15 We ate some pre-packaged nastiness they called food at the airport, so by the time we arrived at the Beach Club we were pretty darn hungry! Since the plan was to hit MK for some FP rides we had decided ahead of time to grab something at our resort, so after dropping our bags in our room (which was ready, yay!) we went to find the Beach Club quick service, the Marketplace.
We both wanted more than a bagel or pastry so we both got the Bounty Platter:


Mickey waffle, eggs, bacon, a biscuit, sausage, and breakfast potatoes.
We both enjoyed this and it hit the spot. The breakfast potatoes had peppers and onions mixed in and for QS were delicious and very flavorful. The eggs, again for QS, were really good and not watery or runny at all. And the Mickey waffles-well, aren't they always perfection?? I'm not a big biscuit eater so Chris ate his and most of mine.
The Marketplace has some tables outside of it but inside the BC; there are also tables actually outside under a covered area on the way to the Villas entrance. We found a table there to eat. It was warm but not hot yet as it wasn't quite 11:00.

As soon as we were done it was a bus to MK where we found some Happy Haunts, Jingled on a Cruise, almost watched the new Muppet show and got to ride BTMRR on it's first day open after refurb. After a few hours in the sun we were parched so stopped at Sunshine Tree Terrace for a drink; I got a boring soda in a cute holiday cup while Chris tried something new:



A strawberry lemonade slushy and it was delicious! In addition to not being a biscuit person I'm not a slushy person but this was so good that I kept stealing sips and encouraged him and Ricky to get them again later in the week. The Mickey straw doesn't hurt, either We left MK with our drinks to chill for a bit at our resort before our dinner reservation which was new to us and we were both pretty excited about-Cape May Cafe!

Originally I booked this because 1. we were staying at Beach Club so it was convenient and 2. Ricky loves mussels and Steve loves seafood. Chris and I don't eat seafood but the menu appeared to have enough non-seafood choices so we'd be ok. I can also be very happy with a dinner of salad and dessert so I knew I'd be fine. Chris didn't want to change this even being just the 2 of us, so it was still a go.
We arrived right on time for our 5:45 reservation and after taking my phone #, we sat in the lobby for all of 5 minutes before I got the text that our table was ready. Right away our waitress brought over a big metal pail with whatever you call the things you'd open crab legs with which was cool, even though we wouldn't be eating them. Chris ordered a soda and I ordered a drink I'd heard so much about but was hesitant to try:



I've been hearing about this for so long in @Vernie822's dining reports along with many others but not liking grapefruit, figured I wouldn't like this. Was I wrong! It's my new best friend It's sweet and does have a very faint grapefruit taste but it's not strong at all - and goes down nice and easy. Chris thought it was some kind of German orange soda and wanted a sip lol. It's now sitting in my fridge and probably always will be! But before the drinks were delivered we were up and at the buffet. A couple obligatory buffet pictures of the seafood:


Crab legs, clams, and I think seafood paella although I don't see it on the menu now. I didn't take note of what seafood is in it, sorry!


The mussels picture I promptly sent to Ricky. He sent back a picture of the sad tacos he and Steve were currently eating.
Those are the only buffet pictures I took because it was always pretty crowded when we went up, but here are our first plates.
Mine:


Caesar salad, hearts of palm salad, cornbread, marinated olives, strip loin with horseradish sauce. The caesar salad was great and the hearts of palm salad was ok, just not my thing. The cornbread was delicious, just like all the cornbread I've had in Disney! I love olives of all kinds but these were just a little too sour, like they'd sat in too much vinegar.
The beef was a tad rare for me but not too much that I didn't eat it and it was very, very good. Very tender and perfect with the horseradish sauce.
Chris's first plate:


Seafood chowder, ribs, mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, sorry it's a little blurry. He doesn't really eat seafood but wanted to try the chowder which I was happy about, but he ended up not liking it. This doesn't mean it was bad at all, just being eaten by a non-seafood lover! On the other hand he IS a big ribs fan and these didn't disappoint as you'll see by his 2nd plate. His eyes bugged out when he bit into the 1st rib lol and he was thrilled. Also loved mashed potatoes and said they were creamy like Nana's Mac and cheese was good, too!

Our 2nd plates, Chris:


More ribs, kids pizza, strip loin. You can see his beef is more medium than mine was and that was perfect for him. He liked the pizza, too. He ended up getting a 3rd plate with MORE ribs but I didn't take a picture. The kid loved those ribs!
Mine:


More Caesar and strip loin plus another salad, Old Bay Ranch Salad. This was great, very refreshing with a light Ranch-ish dressing believe it or not.
They did have a few more non-seafood options like veggies and chicken drumsticks which were in the kids area, plus a few more salads and cheeses. The menu said there would be a vodka sauce pasta on Saturdays but there wasn't one. I think that, if you're not a seafood lover, as long as you know going in that the majority of choices won't be for you and you like the other options, you'll be fine. Chris was full after his meal and I was pretty full myself, but not too full to try dessert:


S'mores parfait, raspberry cupcake, oreo cheesecake, flourless chocolate cake.
People, that S'mores thing was OUT OF THIS WORLD. OMG I thought I'd take a bite and go to the cupcake but I couldn't stop eating that! The marshmallow top was sticky and tasted like a toasted marshmallow; then came the graham cracker part and then a chocolate mousse. I would have gotten another but I was getting pretty full. The oreo cheesecake was good but I prefer old-fashioned cheesecake; the cupcake was nice and moist and the frosting not too sweet; the chocolate cake was VERY chocolaty and dense but good.
While I was indulging in dessert our waitress brought by warm towels. Chris had never been to a restaurant where they gave these out and he enjoyed his and mine:




I did explain to him what the towels are for
After we left we went back to the room. It was all of about 7:30 but having been up since 3:15 Chris was done, and I wasn't far behind! I had one nice surprise around 9:00 though, standing out on our balcony:


High Illuminations!

UP NEXT: BREAKFAST AT CAPTAIN'S GRILLE

I LOVE the grapefruit beer too. It is amazing with buffalo wings. I don't know if you like those or not but it was a great pairing. Seeing your pics I am sorry we missed out on cape may. I was thinking eh, we can get the crab legs at the local chinese buffet. Except when you go there you either get the dregs or you have to try to beat out some dude in a patriots jersey and a backward baseball hat who is 3x as wide as you are before he gets to the fresh pile. I LOVE crab legs and looks like they keep them nice and full! You need the towels because the water from the crab legs runs down your hands and arms when you crack them open (don't ask me how I know this). 'Ohana also has them. I think every restaurant should have them for tables with kids, made the cleanup SO much easier! The picky kid would be in heaven with ribs and mac and cheese and maybe even some of that strip loin not to mention s'mores anything. And creamy horseradish sauce if it's creamy it's for me, lol. I love mussels too. I think I love everything on that buffet (love creamy soups too lol). Now I am sad I missed it

 

[ariane37]

Following along! I'm not one for seafood either so I'm glad to see you could still find something to eat.

WELCOME BACK!! It looked like you guys had a great trip, I can't wait to hear all about it
There was definitely enough to eat as long as you like the non-seafood options. I was happy about that too because my goal is to try every WDW restaurant, and I hate NOT being able to try one because there's absolutely nothing on the menu that I like. There are a couple places like that; I keep checking the menus to see if they've added anything so I can go!

I LOVE the grapefruit beer too. It is amazing with buffalo wings. I don't know if you like those or not but it was a great pairing. Seeing your pics I am sorry we missed out on cape may. I was thinking eh, we can get the crab legs at the local chinese buffet. Except when you go there you either get the dregs or you have to try to beat out some dude in a patriots jersey and a backward baseball hat who is 3x as wide as you are before he gets to the fresh pile. I LOVE crab legs and looks like they keep them nice and full! You need the towels because the water from the crab legs runs down your hands and arms when you crack them open (don't ask me how I know this). 'Ohana also has them. I think every restaurant should have them for tables with kids, made the cleanup SO much easier! The picky kid would be in heaven with ribs and mac and cheese and maybe even some of that strip loin not to mention s'mores anything. And creamy horseradish sauce if it's creamy it's for me, lol. I love mussels too. I think I love everything on that buffet (love creamy soups too lol). Now I am sad I missed it

I do like wings so I'll have to try that, thanks Funny about the chinese buffet, you had me rolling. My sister loves crab legs too and used to get them all the time when we were younger and would go out to eat with my parents, so we'd get the towels (and pails) often! I don't remember the towels at 'Ohana but it's been a few years since we went there and I think Chris was only 5 so he wouldn't remember, either. You'll have to put Cape May dinner on your list for your next trip
Now I need to get back over to your report and read about your JBJB dessert party experience. At the rate I'm going, it'll be February before I get to my review of our party!!

 

[Imagineer5]

Following along! Sounds like a fun first day (need to go read TR though, I'm not used to this dining/TR split reports haha). Cape May is one of my DH's favorites for the ribs and seafood, though I don't eat either. Your desserts look fantastic!! That grapefruit beer sounds interesting, though I don't drink beer either haha.

 

[samsteele]

I've always really enjoyed Cape May dinner. I'm in a landlocked part of Canada (rural Ontario) so our seafood is never fresh, always frozen & always $$ because of transportation. I make a little piglet of myself at the buffet & eat as much seafood as possible. I try to wear an old t-shirt because I splatter myself in melted butter & crab. No wonder I dine solo! And yes, I'm sure it looks as scary as it sounds. But I love every bite. The salads & cheese selection have also been really tasty. No complaints from this seafoodie chickie.

 

[ThreeBoyMama]

What a fun arrival day dinner! That's awesome that you two got to have some one-on-one time before the other guys arrived

That s'mores dessert looks yummy!

 

[wdwnut61]

Hi Ariane
Found your dining report looking forward to following along
Can't wait to try the grapefruit beer in March looks refreshing
Love Cape May and those desserts look yummy

 

[Vernie822]

Hey hey hey!! I'm so late, but glad you had a great trip!! I'm sure some Mom & Chris time was tons of fun.. he is so stinkin cute. Do you guys have any trips planned coming up?

This is adorable.. love the matching shirts!!

I've been hearing about this for so long in @Vernie822's dining reports along with many others but not liking grapefruit, figured I wouldn't like this. Was I wrong! It's my new best friend It's sweet and does have a very faint grapefruit taste but it's not strong at all - and goes down nice and easy. Chris thought it was some kind of German orange soda and wanted a sip lol. It's now sitting in my fridge and probably always will be!

Yay!! It is the BEST.. i could go for one right now (yes it is 2:14 PM on a Tuesday...)

Wow, this looks pretty good! I'm not a big buffet person but it's great that you found so much non-seafood-y stuff that you liked. My mouth is watering at that strip loin.

Love the bonus Wishes.. how awesome

 

[ariane37]

Following along! Sounds like a fun first day (need to go read TR though, I'm not used to this dining/TR split reports haha). Cape May is one of my DH's favorites for the ribs and seafood, though I don't eat either. Your desserts look fantastic!! That grapefruit beer sounds interesting, though I don't drink beer either haha.

Thanks for coming over (and for running all the way to the TR page for me too ) Between the ribs and seafood I knew every one else would be happy, and I knew I could make a meal out of the salads and desserts lol. Definitely will return there the next down we all head down, but our next trip is adults only! Speaking of the grapefruit beer, which tastes quite different from regular beer BTW, I just restocked our fridge with it today

I've always really enjoyed Cape May dinner. I'm in a landlocked part of Canada (rural Ontario) so our seafood is never fresh, always frozen & always $$ because of transportation. I make a little piglet of myself at the buffet & eat as much seafood as possible. I try to wear an old t-shirt because I splatter myself in melted butter & crab. No wonder I dine solo! And yes, I'm sure it looks as scary as it sounds. But I love every bite. The salads & cheese selection have also been really tasty. No complaints from this seafoodie chickie.

LOL Hey, who cares, as long as you're enjoying your food??? That must be such a treat since you can't get fresh seafood at home. I remember YEARS ago my parents took my sister and I up to New England. We passed a McDonalds and on their board they were advertising a Lobster sandwich. While you do find lobster on lots of menus here in NY you certainly don't find it at McDonalds. Well, my dad was beside himself! I don't think he could've pulled into the McD's parking lot any faster!!!!

What a fun arrival day dinner! That's awesome that you two got to have some one-on-one time before the other guys arrived

That s'mores dessert looks yummy!

It was fun and yes, it really was great having those days with Chris. I'm sure you know that after the first it's hard to get that "alone" time, especially the older they get......it was very relaxing. Because of course pretty much as soon as Ricky and Steve arrived the arguing and annoying of the brothers began

Hi Ariane
Found your dining report looking forward to following along
Can't wait to try the grapefruit beer in March looks refreshing
Love Cape May and those desserts look yummy

Hi Tammy! Glad you found me
Definitely try that grapefruit beer, it's great and I think in the warmer weather it'll be even better.
Are you ready for the holidays? My sister and her boys arrive tomorrow so I'll have an extra 4 people in the house for 8 days

 

[ArielSRL]

That's it. I'm putting Cape May dinner on the list for next next trip (June 2017 is too full...lol). I am a HUGE seafood lover so I am there. And since I hope to stay at BCV or BWV that trip, we will be right there!

The breakfast looks good, as well. And I mentioned on your TR that we (the boys and I) loved the slushies at MK...but I'm a total slushy kind of gal. We have several Mickey straws at our house now!

Excited that you got the DR started. I've been crazy busy with this being the last few days before break so I this is the first I've been on to really check out my watched threads. I need to read your TR, too. So I am headed there now. But I may have to finish tonight. Gotta make a Walmart run....ugh.