Our Tasting Turned Out to be 6 Courses! A Sept 2014 DR - Complete!

[mare1203]

Hello and welcome! My sister, Kathy (kanadar), and I returned a couple of weeks ago from the World and I am excited to begin my first dining report! I recently completed a TR about our Adventures by Disney trip to Italy, but other than contributing to the live dining thread, I’ve never done another type of report. I hope you are all looking forward to some Disney food porn!


Kathy and I were in Walt Disney World from 9/26-9/30. The real reason for the trip is that Kathy is getting married! Saturday, 9/27, Disney was hosting a Fairytale Wedding Expo, so we signed up. Happily, the trip also coincided with Dapper Day, Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party, and Food & Wine Festival, so we had a lot to pack into our short trip!

First, let’s have some introductions.


My name is Mary, I am 29, and I live in Arizona. I am a fan of Disney culture and tradition, though I am quite bad at Disney music and movie trivia. Before moving to Arizona I worked as a cast member in Disney’s Animal Kingdom where I was a paleontologist at the Dino Institute, so Disney is in my blood. I also did a college program.

In honor of this being a dining report, here are some of my food-related favorites:
Signature TS: Hollywood Brown Derby
Non-Signature TS: Sanaa
CS: Flame Tree BBQ
Snack: Dole Whip or carrot cake cookie
F&W offering: Lamb in Australia or the Shrimp Taco in Mexico
Drink: Half & Half at the pub in the UK


Part two of this team is Kathy. She is 27 and lives in central Illinois. Kathy teaches English as a Second Language at an elementary school. She also just got engaged to her Prince Charming, Jeff. They just got confirmation that they will be getting married on 10/10/15 at the Boardwalk Croquet Lawn with a reception at the Atlantic Dance Hall. She is pretty excited about it.

Here are some of her food-related favorites:
Signature TS: Yachtsman Steakhouse
Non-Signature TS: Hoop Dee Doo Revue
CS: Flame Tree BBQ
Snack: Dole Whip or Nutella waffle
F&W offering: Beef skewer w/ chimichurri from Patagonia (formerly Argentina)
Drink: Passion fruit slush at France kiosk for F&W

Join me as we eat our way through the World and maybe indulge in a few surprises. Now, let’s bring on the eats!​

 

[mare1203]

Table of Eats:
Travel Food
Food & Wine Friday Night
Food & Wine Friday Night and a DisMeet!
Crystal Palace Breakfast
Disney Wedding Expo
An Afternoon of Food & Wine Tasting
Hollywood Brown Derby
Mara Breakfast & Pool Drinks
Sanaa
Mara Breakfast & Food & Wine Lunch
Drinks at the Polynesian Village Resort
Be Our Guest Dinner
Rosie's All-American Cafe

 

[Dislover1991]

Definitely subscribg! Ant wear to read about CP, HBD, and BOG

 

[kastoney]

Count me in!!

 

[nanhol]

Subscribing & looking forward to hearing about your trip & your food!

I love your polka-dot dress & pillbox hat--it's a great look!

 

[mare1203]

Definitely subscribg! Ant wear to read about CP, HBD, and BOG

Thanks for reading along!

Count me in!!

Glad to have you here!

Subscribing & looking forward to hearing about your trip & your food!

I love your polka-dot dress & pillbox hat--it's a great look!

Thanks a lot! It was a fun look to put together! Thanks for reading!

 

[EeyoreFriend]

Subbing!

 

[mare1203]

Hi All! Let's get this DR started! As always, we begin with our travel day.

In order to maximize my time at Walt Disney World, I like to take the red-eye from Arizona to Orlando. Usually I have to fly through Atlanta or Charlotte, but I was lucky and found a direct flight this time. Taking the red eye meant I landed in Orlando around 6 a.m. I had rented a car, so I went to pick it up and contact Kathy to see how things were going for her.

Kathy had driven to Chicago so she could take an early flight out and join me around 10 a.m. She happily texted me when she was randomly selected to go through pre-check in O’Hare which cut down her time in the security line to less than 10 minutes. Score! To “celebrate” she got some breakfast at Dunkin’ Donuts.


She got a donut and what I will assume is hot tea, because she doesn’t like coffee. Donuts in general are a treat for us, so she enjoyed this. Sadly, her enjoyment was to be short-lived.

You see, Kathy was flying out out of Chicago the day there was a shooting and fire at the radio tower controlling all flights into and out of Chicago. This mess, which affected flights for nearly a week afterwards, impacted her ability to get to Orlando. We knew there was nothing we or anyone else could do, but it did change our plans for that day


After checking up with Kathy I realized I forgot a swimsuit and decided to make a detour to Wal-Mart to see if I could pick one up cheap. I didn’t find anything, but I did take the opportunity to pick up a 6-pack of water and Coke Zero for $6 total to keep in the room. A much better deal than buying it in the parks, as you well know!


We decided to stay at the Animal Kingdom Lodge for our girls weekend. We had never stayed there before, and while it was a very nice hotel, I do not think we will be staying there again. I didn’t have high hopes about our room being ready since I was arriving so early. I was right and it was not yet ready. By this time I was starting to get hungry, so I set off in search of some breakfast. I thought about seeing if I could get a last-minute reservation at Kona or similar, but I wasn’t feeling that hungry.


Instead, I decided to explore the hotel and find the Mara. It didn’t take too long to find.


As with most quick-service locations, the Mara serves a variety of hot breakfast options along with some pastries you can peruse in the case.


Don't worry, in true Disney fashion, if you want to have a dessert breakfast of champions you can. We didn't try either of these, but both of them looked awesome.


I call this La Casa de Zebra Dome as they had nearly 5 racks devoted to them!

My being in Walt Disney World, I knew exactly what I wanted that morning…


Mickey waffles! As you can see, this comes with 3 small Mickey waffles and Disney bacon. I also got a coffee. We never encountered long waits at the Mara and it offered plenty of seating. My only complaint here is that I wish there were 2 separate areas for coffee since that area gets log-jammed as people are getting coffee and the various accompaniments to doctor it to their liking. The Mickey waffles were warm with a nice flavoring and hit the spot. Once I finished I checked in on Kathy.

I realize this is a dining review, but it’s a pretty cool story as to how Kathy eventually made it, so forgive me while I tell it. The airline re-booked her on a 3:00 flight to arrive around 6:30 p.m. For a while it looked pretty dim that she would get out at all since most flights continued to be cancelled throughout the day.


She texted me this picture to say there was some activity going on around the gate. Originally, Kathy thought the staff were blowing up balloons for the kids to keep them occupied, but then it got more elaborate. I texted back saying it could be a Make-a-Wish family since I have been in the airport when they’ve done them before and it’s a wonderfully fun experience. Turns out, I was right!


The flight they re-booked her on was what American calls their “Magic Flight” and it only goes out a few times each year for kids heading to Disney on Make-a-Wish trips. The airline worked extra hard to ensure this flight left and it ended up being one of the few flights not cancelled into or out of all of the Chicago area that day. There were 2 families headed to Give Kids the World and I’m grateful they were able to make the trip happen for those families! Here are a few pictures.








There was even cake. See, I managed to keep it in the food-related family

For my free time, I was feeling kind of bummed that I wasn’t with Kathy and heading to a park didn’t seem quite right. Plus, it started raining around 11:30 with no sign of it letting up anytime soon. I decided to see if a former co-worker was free for lunch rather than head out to the parks. He is very picky and also didn’t want to eat on property (drat!). He chose the Olive Garden. I only have one picture of our meal and I’m not really sorry about it, because I was not real happy to be in Disney and eating at an Olive Garden.


I got the Ravioli di Portobello. The ravioli was pre-made and the sauce was way oily and seemed to be separating. I only ate about half. Not something I would recommend to others, though I think the idea of it was good.


By the time I finished lunch I knew Kathy would be arriving, so I headed back to the hotel to put my stuff away and relax a little. This was the view from our room. Across the way is Sanaa at Kidani Village! Oh, and a couple giraffe's I decided to name Bill and Susan

Kathy was set to take the Magical Express, but I ended up going to pick her up to speed up the sister reunion! Eventually, with Kathy in tow, we came across this beauty



Until next time!​

 

[vettegirl]

Joining in

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[OasterP]

Great start! I'm excited to read!

That scene for make a wish is absolutely amazing.

 

[princess aleya]

Enjoying your report .

 

[DaisyNY]

Following along...great reporting!

 

[Twindisneykids]

Ready to read

 

[TigerKat]

Signing on!!

 

[kanadar]

I'm here I'm here!! What I was drinking from Dunkin was their yummy Hot Chocolate! So good. The make a wish scene was pretty amazing. The flight goes out ONCE a year so the person who planned it was on the phone as soon as flights were being cancelled and said "This flight WILL go out, I don't care what you have to do!" haha. I couldn't have gotten any better pixie dust that day!

Can't wait to see more and relive our trip through food!

 

[kastoney]

Yikes what a rocky start, but glad your sister was finally able to join you. Despite all the airport issues, how great they got the make a wish plane off. I had no idea they did so much to make it so special for the kids and their families.

Even rockier though, Olive Garden???? While in Disney World??? Clearly I am not a fan, and it sounds like you aren't either. Good news the food can only go up from here.

 

[mare1203]

Joining in

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Glad to have you!

Great start! I'm excited to read!

That scene for make a wish is absolutely amazing.

Thanks! They did a great job with the make-a-wish kids! Enjoy the noms!

Enjoying your report .

Following along...great reporting!

Ready to read

Signing on!!

Glad to have you aboard! Thanks for reading.

I'm here I'm here!! What I was drinking from Dunkin was their yummy Hot Chocolate! So good. The make a wish scene was pretty amazing. The flight goes out ONCE a year so the person who planned it was on the phone as soon as flights were being cancelled and said "This flight WILL go out, I don't care what you have to do!" haha. I couldn't have gotten any better pixie dust that day!

Can't wait to see more and relive our trip through food!

Yay! It's just going to make you hungry, though...

Yikes what a rocky start, but glad your sister was finally able to join you. Despite all the airport issues, how great they got the make a wish plane off. I had no idea they did so much to make it so special for the kids and their families.

Even rockier though, Olive Garden???? While in Disney World??? Clearly I am not a fan, and it sounds like you aren't either. Good news the food can only go up from here.

It gives me all the feels when I see the Make-a-Wish production. They do such a wonderful job with that program for the kids. Plus, for the ones that involve a plane it makes the airport bearable because the staff always get into it!

Ugh, you're telling me. I was not a happy camper. Luckily, you are correct and the food is way better from here on out. Thanks for reading!

 

[mare1203]

Now that we've got the travel food out of the way, lets get on to the real thing, shall we?

Knowing Kathy had a long day, I asked her what she wanted to do for the evening. It had been raining around WDW for a good part of the day thus far, but by 7:00 it seemed to subside. She decided we should try Epcot for some Food & Wine booths. I told her okay, but if it was packed we were leaving because I did not have my patient pants on that evening. She laughed and we made our way to the Epcot parking lot.


Finally, we made it to the park!


Before walking to the food booths we stopped for the obligatory photo with the Food & Wine Festival logo for the year and picked up a booth map.

After Kathy let me have some time lamenting the fact Scotland no longer offers the Banoffee Tart we started seriously deciding our plan of attack. We chose to go left at the entrance to the World Showcase and tackled a few booths. Luckily, or not so luckily as it turned out, there were 4 booths in a row from which we wanted to sample.


First stop was a perennial favorite, Patagonia! Much like the musical artist Prince, this is the booth formerly known as Argentina.






We were welcomed to a nearly non-existant line and proceeded to order 2 beef skewers with chimichurri and a Malbec wine. The beef skewer has been offered at Food & Wine since I can remember and it’s always delicious. Chimichurri is a garlicky, mild sauce and traditional accompaniment to meals in Argentine cuisine. Argentina is also the largest consumer of beef in the world, per capita, making this offering a perfect fit for the booth.


Since we scored a table for our beef skewers, Kathy decided to run over to New Zealand for our next taste. Located between Patagonia and Australia, this is a new location for New Zealand this year.






At this location we ordered the lamb meatball to share. It has been offered in the past and while we think the lamb meatball is well-seasoned and pairs well with the tomato chutney, the bread bowl is unnecessary. We ate the meatball and left the bread.


In order to save some plastic I pocketed my utensils and we headed on.


A few steps later we arrived at our next stop, Australia.


Another perennial favorite for our family, we knew exactly what we wanted here, the lamb chop. Except that we decided to amend our order and got both the lamb and the shrimp since I had heard wonderful comments about it on the boards.


The current iteration of the lamb chop features a mint sauce and potato chip pieces. The mint paired well with the tang of the lamb and the potato chip crumbs were still crunchy. It’s not quite as good if the chop has been sitting and the chip pieces get soggy. Fun fact, but the F&W Australian lamb chop is what first turned me on to the meat.


The shrimp taste featured 2 shrimp with roasted tomatoes, lemon myrtle, and rapini. We both thought the shrimp were well-cooked and that it had a nice flavor, but I’m not sure we’d be able to order it over the lamb chop.




Our next stop was, unsurprisingly, the next booth, Mexico! I had been looking forward to this booth since we decided to check out Epcot that night and I knew exactly what I wanted.


The shrimp taco they offer is absolutely incredible. The flavors work well with one another and the shrimp has always had a light fry on them that doesn’t overwhelm. The sign says a habanero crema and I did not find it overly hot. The crema part really cuts the hotness of the habanero, but if you are particularly sensitive to heat then I would avoid. Kathy, who does not really like spicy foods thought this was not overly hot, either. I joked that, yes, I’m from Arizona and yes, what I want is a taco! It did not disappoint. I could eat 3 of these (I would say 6 but I don’t have that big of an appetite, haha!).

We also tried the sweet corn cheesecake. I am not a fan of cheesecake, so this was only okay for me. You could definitely taste the sweet corn in this dessert. Kathy, who does like cheesecake, thought it was a fun take on the dessert and worth the taste.

And the margarita. I am not usually a fan of margaritas, but this one was pretty good. The drink is pre-mixed in the booth and then they add ice when someone orders it. This technique prevents the drinks from getting diluted with the ice and seemed to work well.

I am going to split this up into two posts to maximize the food pics for you. More in the next post!
​

 

[mare1203]

Let's continue our tour of the World Showcase!


Upon finishing these treats we were feeling sufficiently full and thus decided to walk around exploring the World Showcase rather than eat. The rain had kept both the locals and guests away. While this is a picture of the France F&W line we would encounter a bit later, it perfectly demonstrates the crowds we were "battling". Perfect after the day we had.


Eventually, we arrived at Italy where Kathy said she wanted a glass of Prosecco. Initially I said I didn’t want anything, but then I quickly decided we should share some limoncello. The CM at the wine bar filled the glass and determined there was a teeny bit left, so she asked if we wanted to take a sip and then she finish off the bottle.


Why yes, yes we would!


We then proceeded to spend some time just relaxing at the tables outside Italy and enjoying our drinks. It was here I decided I wanted something sweet to finish off the night, and I knew exactly where to head.


Hops and Barley! The dessert offered this year at Hops and Barley is a carrot cake. Rather recently, I have developed a love of carrot cake and read some favorable reviews of the offering here. While I was there I could not pass up getting a glass of Sam Adams Oktoberfest. It is widely available in the fall, but I enjoy these and it paired well with the carrot cake.


As you can see, the cake comes covered in icing. It had a nice spice that makes carrot cake so distinctive. I also thought the cake was sufficiently moist which was good. It was no Banoffee tart, but I enjoyed it and would order it again.

As we continued walking, Kathy mentioned that a fellow DisBoarder was in the parks and asked if I would be up for a DisMeet. Of course, I said! Our first one ever! At the time we were in separate parts of the World Showcase, but generally heading in the right direction. We thought we might end up crossing paths in France, but after looking around we didn’t run into one another.


Before checking in to see if we missed one another we stopped at the France booth for a drink that has had quite the buzz so far this F&W...La Passion Martini Slush! It definitely lived up to the hype and went down easy. It was sweet, but not cloingly so. There was a sourness of the passion fruit that worked well in this drink. Another winner on the slush front for France! It would not be our last.


After a short stop in a shop, I spotted our DisMeet...emmebear! We introduced ourselves and had a quick chat before deciding to watch Illuminations together.


Not before grabbing a quick drink, though. We stopped at the booth outside Rose & Crown for a Stella and a Strongbow Cider and then staked out a spot for the fireworks. This is not a picture of our drinks, but I can't find one. Enjoy this similar picture from a previous trip, haha!

It was great to talk with a fellow DisBoarder and Emme was super cute. I enjoyed playing with Emme's Duffy Bear and hearing about her trip so far! Hopefully it will not be our last DisMeet!

Well, that concludes our first evening of eats and treats. We headed back to the hotel to lay down our heads in anticipation of an incredibly busy day ahead!​

 

[vettegirl]

Great F&W reviews! Missing it so much this year

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