Sweet Tooth & Salt Nut's TOTALLY Live TiW Dining Extravaganza! 1/17 DESSERT PARTY!
- Thread starter BlovesC
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DisneyUnited
Earning My Ears
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Very enjoyable, well written reviews. Looking forward to the rest! 
BlovesC
home is where the Yeti is
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1/14 Kusafiri and Yak & Yeti
Today's outing to AK completely made up for the Hacienda experience the night before!
We hit Kusafiri over by the safari to order the breakfast of champions, two cupcakes! I've heard so much about them but we'd never stopped at this stand before.
I got the White Chocolate Elephant: a rich chocolate cupcake with a creamy chocolate center topped with a light buttercream and toasted coconut.
As Stacey would say, "YUM!" and "WOW!" This was a deliciously moist chocolate cake, and the filling was very slight so it wasn't disgustingly rich and sweet, it was just right. I love coconut so the topping was great. Like the starring rolls cupcakes, these babies are HUGE and easily shared if you're not a glutton for sweets. 
I loooove the elephant lollipop! I wanted to put it in a box and keep it forever, or at least until it was forgotten about and discovered years later in a big mysterious melted glob.
DH chose the Cotton Top Tamarin: chocolate cupcake with buttercream and dark chocolate topping.
DH thought it was juuuuust the right amount of richness to the chocolate, but felt the service at the window could have been faster.
Good things come to those who wait my dear!
A few hours later we made our way to my favorite TS restaurant in all the parks; Yak & Yeti! If only they accepted TiW, we'd likely never eat anywhere else!
We started with our favorite appetizer, the wok-fried green beans and chili dipping sauce!
These never fail to hit the spot. They're always piping hot, crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside, and with just the right amount of zesty kick from the sauce.
For our entrees, I stayed in my safe little box and ordered the same entree I've had the last four times we'd eaten here.
The Tempura shrimp with jasmine rice and stir-fried vegetables!
What can I say? I'm a lover of shrimp, and these babies are huge! The jasmine rice is always perfectly fluffy and flavorful and there's a nice mix of veggies in the stir-fry. Of course I swore that next time I'll try something new, but I always say that.
DH tried a new dish for him, the Malaysian Seafood Curry; mussels, clams, mahi-mahi, scallops, and shrimp in a coconut curry broth. The server asked how he liked his spices, and since DH loves the heat when he eats, they offered to kick it up a notch for him.
This dish was AMAZING. If you like curry, you should love this. We make curry often at home, but nothing like this. The flavor was amazing, with the curry, the coconut, the subtle lime, and the spiciness all combining and somehow working perfectly together. I'd actually love to order this for myself next time, but I'd have to ask them leave out the clams and mussels, which I'm not a fan of. DH went to town on this, but halfway through the bowl he started hitting that hunger wall. He told me "I could eat an entire pizza but when it's GOOD food like this I get full faster!" It WAS served with an enormous portion of jasmine rice, and that combined with the creaminess of the sauce, and the heat, do make it a daunting portion. DH said it'd be a good dish for sharing (and he wants me to add that the serving of rice doesn't look like much in the pic but it was literally the size of a baseball or maybe a softball!)!
DH warned me not to do it, but I went ahead and ordered dessert. Since I've never tried their cheesecake, I went with that. It was a giant slice served with delicious mango and strawberry sauces.
How gorgeous is that? It was really amazing. The menu said it was NY style, but it was a bit less dense and 'smooth' than most NY cheesecakes, which I actually prefer; a bit lighter, fluffier, and crumblier is how I like my cheesecake. The sauces had a slight tartness to them that contrasted perfectly. DH could only handle one bite...I almost finished the entire piece despite all signs telling me to stop.
Anyway, it was definitely a great meal. Our server was super friendly and we were seated in one of the nice small upstairs rooms with big windows overlooking the action outside. I truly love this restaurant and I recommend it to anyone who's never tried it.
Although...we used up two FPs we'd collected for Everest immediately following lunch (do not attempt this at home), and within a few minutes I collapsed on a bench and asked DH "whyyyyyy did you let me order that cheesecaaaaake?" much like he predicted. What's a vacation if you don't make yourself a little ill now and then?!
Today's outing to AK completely made up for the Hacienda experience the night before!
We hit Kusafiri over by the safari to order the breakfast of champions, two cupcakes! I've heard so much about them but we'd never stopped at this stand before.
I got the White Chocolate Elephant: a rich chocolate cupcake with a creamy chocolate center topped with a light buttercream and toasted coconut.
As Stacey would say, "YUM!" and "WOW!"
This was a deliciously moist chocolate cake, and the filling was very slight so it wasn't disgustingly rich and sweet, it was just right. I love coconut so the topping was great. Like the starring rolls cupcakes, these babies are HUGE and easily shared if you're not a glutton for sweets. I loooove the elephant lollipop! I wanted to put it in a box and keep it forever, or at least until it was forgotten about and discovered years later in a big mysterious melted glob.
DH chose the Cotton Top Tamarin: chocolate cupcake with buttercream and dark chocolate topping.
DH thought it was juuuuust the right amount of richness to the chocolate, but felt the service at the window could have been faster.
Good things come to those who wait my dear!A few hours later we made our way to my favorite TS restaurant in all the parks; Yak & Yeti! If only they accepted TiW, we'd likely never eat anywhere else!
We started with our favorite appetizer, the wok-fried green beans and chili dipping sauce!
These never fail to hit the spot. They're always piping hot, crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside, and with just the right amount of zesty kick from the sauce.
For our entrees, I stayed in my safe little box and ordered the same entree I've had the last four times we'd eaten here.
The Tempura shrimp with jasmine rice and stir-fried vegetables!
What can I say? I'm a lover of shrimp, and these babies are huge! The jasmine rice is always perfectly fluffy and flavorful and there's a nice mix of veggies in the stir-fry. Of course I swore that next time I'll try something new, but I always say that.
DH tried a new dish for him, the Malaysian Seafood Curry; mussels, clams, mahi-mahi, scallops, and shrimp in a coconut curry broth. The server asked how he liked his spices, and since DH loves the heat when he eats, they offered to kick it up a notch for him.
This dish was AMAZING. If you like curry, you should love this. We make curry often at home, but nothing like this. The flavor was amazing, with the curry, the coconut, the subtle lime, and the spiciness all combining and somehow working perfectly together. I'd actually love to order this for myself next time, but I'd have to ask them leave out the clams and mussels, which I'm not a fan of. DH went to town on this, but halfway through the bowl he started hitting that hunger wall. He told me "I could eat an entire pizza but when it's GOOD food like this I get full faster!"
It WAS served with an enormous portion of jasmine rice, and that combined with the creaminess of the sauce, and the heat, do make it a daunting portion. DH said it'd be a good dish for sharing (and he wants me to add that the serving of rice doesn't look like much in the pic but it was literally the size of a baseball or maybe a softball!)!DH warned me not to do it, but I went ahead and ordered dessert. Since I've never tried their cheesecake, I went with that. It was a giant slice served with delicious mango and strawberry sauces.
How gorgeous is that? It was really amazing. The menu said it was NY style, but it was a bit less dense and 'smooth' than most NY cheesecakes, which I actually prefer; a bit lighter, fluffier, and crumblier is how I like my cheesecake. The sauces had a slight tartness to them that contrasted perfectly. DH could only handle one bite...I almost finished the entire piece despite all signs telling me to stop.
Anyway, it was definitely a great meal. Our server was super friendly and we were seated in one of the nice small upstairs rooms with big windows overlooking the action outside. I truly love this restaurant and I recommend it to anyone who's never tried it.
Although...we used up two FPs we'd collected for Everest immediately following lunch (do not attempt this at home), and within a few minutes I collapsed on a bench and asked DH "whyyyyyy did you let me order that cheesecaaaaake?" much like he predicted.
What's a vacation if you don't make yourself a little ill now and then?!
BlovesC
home is where the Yeti is
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Did you share your meal at La Hacienda? The steak looks mega dry from the picture. I am funny about chicken as well and wouldn't have eaten it if I thought it was undercooked - who wants salmonella on a vacation (or at any other time, for that matter)
Yup, the mixed grill served 2 and we shared it...I agree about the steak but DH swears it was perfect!
Right?! It looked so promising on the outside. It was so odd because even in the pic you can see a sort of glaze covering the pastry on the inside...but no apples. It really is like they evaporated.
And thank you!Lucky you!! Have fun, it's a beautiful resort! I don't think I could ever stay there, I'd probably wind up in the back of an ambulance after having a No Way Jose for three meals a day!
I'm already trying to think of when we can fit in another visit. Thank you thank you! I really need these afternoon breaks at the resort to decompress from all this rich food, and it gives me a perfect time to update this thread!
kelleigh1
<font color=purple>Disney Baby<br><font color=gree
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(Do you know how to do the multi-quote so that everyone's names show up too? In the lower right of the posts, next to the "quote", is the option for multi-quote. Click on that in each post that you want to quote and then hit the "quote" and you get everybody's posts all in one with the names and everything.)
That curry looks and sounds delicious. I'm not sure I've ever had curry, but I think I might be trying that. And those cupcakes. Oh my!!! Is it wrong to have a cupcake and ice cream trip?
Our YC stay is a celebration for us. We just paid off all our debt, so we are going to treat ourselves on that trip. And we already have the trip more than 3/4 paid off, so we don't have much left to save up and nearly 9 months until we leave - so there will be no new debt from this trip.
That curry looks and sounds delicious. I'm not sure I've ever had curry, but I think I might be trying that. And those cupcakes. Oh my!!! Is it wrong to have a cupcake and ice cream trip?
Our YC stay is a celebration for us. We just paid off all our debt, so we are going to treat ourselves on that trip. And we already have the trip more than 3/4 paid off, so we don't have much left to save up and nearly 9 months until we leave - so there will be no new debt from this trip.
wilma-bride
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I've read quite a few positive reviews for Y&Y lately. We have tried (and loved) the Counter Service there but not the TS. May have to add it to the list for our August trip as I should imagine it would be a nice lunchtime break from the heat. Plus, DS (9) just about died when he saw the picture of that cheesecake!
BlovesC
home is where the Yeti is
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1/14 Dinner at 'Ohana
Wooooooah. This was our first time ever dining at 'Ohana, and all I knew going into it was that this restaurant seems to constantly be mentioned on the DIS as having declined in quality. So many folks state they used to love it but it just isn't the same. DH and I wanna know....how amazing must it have been if THIS is considered disappointing?!
We were seated within 5 minutes of checking in. The service here was really outstanding. Apart from the check-in girl, who was rather indifferent, every cast member was warm and friendly and really devoted to the 'cousin' schtick. We were given a table at the window about 6 minutes before Wishes started! I'd completely forgotten about that and didn't make any special requests, so this was a magical stroke of luck!
Anyway, we started with our welcoming loaf of friendship bread, the coconut pineapple bread;
Shockingly, I didn't really enjoy this! I love hawaiian bread and adoooore the loaf they serve at Kona Cafe, but felt this was kind of dry and not as soft as I expected. DH enjoyed it. But the bread was the only letdown of the meal and was very quickly forgotten when the FOOD SLAM began!
We both ordered lapu lapus. I didn't even know what was in it, all I knew was it was served in a pineapple and that's enough to sell me! I never order alcohol during meals because drinks tend to hit me super fast and make me very red and flushed and uncomfortable. So I took a few sips of this, started feeling it, and saved the rest for DH to finish at the end of the meal. Good thing too, this was STRONG!
We were given the salad;
which was crisp and fresh and way too huge a serving, which we discovered was a theme for this place!
Literally seconds later, we got our plate of noodles and veggies:
I loooooooooved the noodles. They were really sweet, which might be offputting to some but I loved them, much like I love the noodles at Kona. DH didn't touch these. The veggies were fine, but definitely lost the battle for our attention.
Aaaand seconds after that, the platter of pork pot stickers and honey coriander wings appeared!
I left the pot stickers to DH, he said they were amazing. I've never liked wings, I avoid any and all sorts of dark poultry meat, but I tried one and LOVED the flavor of these. The honey was strong but they were savory. I think I wound up eating three, which is more wings than I've ever had in my life in one sitting.
We were given dipping sauces but completely forgot what each one was and was for. The amount of food being delivered and the speed at which it arrived was so overwhelming the details now are sketchy. But we didn't really use the sauces; nothing needed extra flavor!
The meat skewers made their way toward us; I stuck with chicken and shrimp. Sorry for the messy plates in the pictures;
The chicken was incredibly delicious. It was perfectly cooked, with a very strong smokey grill flavor that was just amazing. As I mentioned before I'm a freak with poultry and tend to like it OVERdone, and this was well cooked enough for me but still magically juicy and soft.
The shrimp were HUGE and tasty, but ohhh, what a mess to eat! Peeling them was not pretty, and not easy either. I loved the sauce on them, I'm not sure what it was, but I would have loved them 50 times more if they'd arrived shell-off!
DH didn't like the peeling bit either and didn't have many shrimp. He did enjoy the chicken, but the star for him was the steak;
it was served medium-well, and DH usually prefers medium rare, but he loved it. I can't say much more about it because his reviews tend to stop at "It was good!"
At this point we were glad to have a few moments to take a breather before dessert appeared. Our server told us "our bread pudding is quite famous!" and I wanted to reply "dude you have NO idea, I've been hearing about this damned stuff for years." And lo and behold:
It was pretty darn delicious, I'll give you guys credit for that.
I've only recently become a fan of bread pudding, I used to avoid it like the plague, and I'm sure glad I converted because this was soft warm and delicious! The coconut bread base is SO heavy though, combined with the banana caramel sauce it's incredibly rich. And that portion was huge. AND we were given an extra bowl of ice cream on the side. I think our server wanted us dead on the floor!
As if that wasn't enough, suddenly our server appeared with a birthday cupcake and candle, making Ohana only the second restaurant to acknowledge my birthday. The cm stood behind me to sing happy birthday to me while he had my husband take pictures...which I thought was odd until he giggled and told me to enjoy the pictures later, and I discovered he'd been holding plates up behind my head to resemble mickey ears. He was definitely a trip! I couldn't even bare to look at that cupcake though, we were full to the point of nearing the dreaded Green Face. I felt so bad for leaving it, I forced DH to take a few bites just so we'd at least have tried it.
All in all, the meal was a runaway success and we were incredibly impressed. Our only issues were with the sheer speed of the meal, which was daunting. Our second issue was the size of the servings. For a party of two, I think they seriously could have downsized the portions. When we finished eating, our salad bowl was mostly full, there were about four pot stickers and six wings, and plenty of noodles and veggies. We didn't take more from the skewers than we needed, but even with our big appetites there was SO much waste among the food served family-style. They really need to start smaller until folks ask for more!
Oh, and last year at this time, my friends talked me into going to Texas de Brazil in Orlando, a brazillian steakhouse with meat delivered on skewers much like Ohana. Texas de Brazil gets ranted and raved about endlessly by folks around here, and costs about $50 a person. I didn't really enjoy it when I went there (and my meal was FREE because of a promotion!) and wouldn't go again. But Ohana totally blew it away. So again, I ask, if THIS is a disappointment, what on earth was this place like years ago in the golden days? Did they serve grilled unicorn and rainbow sundaes?
Wooooooah. This was our first time ever dining at 'Ohana, and all I knew going into it was that this restaurant seems to constantly be mentioned on the DIS as having declined in quality. So many folks state they used to love it but it just isn't the same. DH and I wanna know....how amazing must it have been if THIS is considered disappointing?!
We were seated within 5 minutes of checking in. The service here was really outstanding. Apart from the check-in girl, who was rather indifferent, every cast member was warm and friendly and really devoted to the 'cousin' schtick. We were given a table at the window about 6 minutes before Wishes started! I'd completely forgotten about that and didn't make any special requests, so this was a magical stroke of luck!
Anyway, we started with our welcoming loaf of friendship bread, the coconut pineapple bread;
Shockingly, I didn't really enjoy this! I love hawaiian bread and adoooore the loaf they serve at Kona Cafe, but felt this was kind of dry and not as soft as I expected. DH enjoyed it. But the bread was the only letdown of the meal and was very quickly forgotten when the FOOD SLAM began!
We both ordered lapu lapus. I didn't even know what was in it, all I knew was it was served in a pineapple and that's enough to sell me! I never order alcohol during meals because drinks tend to hit me super fast and make me very red and flushed and uncomfortable. So I took a few sips of this, started feeling it, and saved the rest for DH to finish at the end of the meal. Good thing too, this was STRONG!
We were given the salad;
which was crisp and fresh and way too huge a serving, which we discovered was a theme for this place!
Literally seconds later, we got our plate of noodles and veggies:
I loooooooooved the noodles. They were really sweet, which might be offputting to some but I loved them, much like I love the noodles at Kona. DH didn't touch these. The veggies were fine, but definitely lost the battle for our attention.
Aaaand seconds after that, the platter of pork pot stickers and honey coriander wings appeared!
I left the pot stickers to DH, he said they were amazing. I've never liked wings, I avoid any and all sorts of dark poultry meat, but I tried one and LOVED the flavor of these. The honey was strong but they were savory. I think I wound up eating three, which is more wings than I've ever had in my life in one sitting.
We were given dipping sauces but completely forgot what each one was and was for. The amount of food being delivered and the speed at which it arrived was so overwhelming the details now are sketchy. But we didn't really use the sauces; nothing needed extra flavor!
The meat skewers made their way toward us; I stuck with chicken and shrimp. Sorry for the messy plates in the pictures;
The chicken was incredibly delicious. It was perfectly cooked, with a very strong smokey grill flavor that was just amazing. As I mentioned before I'm a freak with poultry and tend to like it OVERdone, and this was well cooked enough for me but still magically juicy and soft.
The shrimp were HUGE and tasty, but ohhh, what a mess to eat! Peeling them was not pretty, and not easy either. I loved the sauce on them, I'm not sure what it was, but I would have loved them 50 times more if they'd arrived shell-off!
DH didn't like the peeling bit either and didn't have many shrimp. He did enjoy the chicken, but the star for him was the steak;
it was served medium-well, and DH usually prefers medium rare, but he loved it. I can't say much more about it because his reviews tend to stop at "It was good!"
At this point we were glad to have a few moments to take a breather before dessert appeared. Our server told us "our bread pudding is quite famous!" and I wanted to reply "dude you have NO idea, I've been hearing about this damned stuff for years."
And lo and behold:
It was pretty darn delicious, I'll give you guys credit for that.
I've only recently become a fan of bread pudding, I used to avoid it like the plague, and I'm sure glad I converted because this was soft warm and delicious! The coconut bread base is SO heavy though, combined with the banana caramel sauce it's incredibly rich. And that portion was huge. AND we were given an extra bowl of ice cream on the side. I think our server wanted us dead on the floor!As if that wasn't enough, suddenly our server appeared with a birthday cupcake and candle, making Ohana only the second restaurant to acknowledge my birthday. The cm stood behind me to sing happy birthday to me while he had my husband take pictures...which I thought was odd until he giggled and told me to enjoy the pictures later, and I discovered he'd been holding plates up behind my head to resemble mickey ears.
He was definitely a trip! I couldn't even bare to look at that cupcake though, we were full to the point of nearing the dreaded Green Face. I felt so bad for leaving it, I forced DH to take a few bites just so we'd at least have tried it. All in all, the meal was a runaway success and we were incredibly impressed. Our only issues were with the sheer speed of the meal, which was daunting. Our second issue was the size of the servings. For a party of two, I think they seriously could have downsized the portions. When we finished eating, our salad bowl was mostly full, there were about four pot stickers and six wings, and plenty of noodles and veggies. We didn't take more from the skewers than we needed, but even with our big appetites there was SO much waste among the food served family-style. They really need to start smaller until folks ask for more!
Oh, and last year at this time, my friends talked me into going to Texas de Brazil in Orlando, a brazillian steakhouse with meat delivered on skewers much like Ohana. Texas de Brazil gets ranted and raved about endlessly by folks around here, and costs about $50 a person. I didn't really enjoy it when I went there (and my meal was FREE because of a promotion!) and wouldn't go again. But Ohana totally blew it away.
So again, I ask, if THIS is a disappointment, what on earth was this place like years ago in the golden days? Did they serve grilled unicorn and rainbow sundaes?
BlovesC
home is where the Yeti is
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Woaaaaah. You just totally blew my mind. All this time and I never knew such an ability existed, doh! You're saving me an awful lot of time, thank you!
Heck no! In fact, I think we should start sign-ups for "The Great Disney World Cupcake & Ice Cream Tour de Sporks" right away!
NO DEBT! You're an example for the rest of us and a true rarety in this day and age! That must feel fantastic, congratulations! That'll be an extra special trip!
wilma-bride
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I really loved 'Ohana and could never understand why people seem disappointed with it on occasions. However, DH was fairly indifferent - he likes his meat well-done-to-the-point-of-cremated though. His indifference won't stop me draggin him back on our next trip though 
BlovesC
home is where the Yeti is
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1/15 Lunch at Flame Tree Barbeque
Well after yesterday's nonstop food festival, we went a little light today. Our plans originally had us at Epcot for lunch at Nine Dragons, but we cancelled our ADR last night and decided to spend another day at Animal Kingdom.
Neither of us were very hungry...exactly how long DOES the 'Ohana food hangover last anyway? But we decided to finally eat something around noon. We hit up Flame Tree Barbeque and ordered the turkey sandwich, a large drink, and a side of fries to share:
This was the perfect choice for us in our current situation. Thick, soft multigrain bread with generous slices of turkey, greens, tomatoes, and some sort of cranberry mayo. SO GOOD. Again though, I'm a turkey nut, but I think this will have to be my go-to food item whenever we order AK CS in the future. The sandwich was pretty large and came with a big slice of honeydew melon. Definitely a good sharing item.
We sat at one of the many tables overlooking the water and enjoyed a very relaxing and quiet lunch. It seriously hurts my heart to think of how often AK winds up on the very bottom of "favorite park" threads. It's simply so beautiful.
Well after yesterday's nonstop food festival, we went a little light today. Our plans originally had us at Epcot for lunch at Nine Dragons, but we cancelled our ADR last night and decided to spend another day at Animal Kingdom.
Neither of us were very hungry...exactly how long DOES the 'Ohana food hangover last anyway?
But we decided to finally eat something around noon. We hit up Flame Tree Barbeque and ordered the turkey sandwich, a large drink, and a side of fries to share:
This was the perfect choice for us in our current situation.
Thick, soft multigrain bread with generous slices of turkey, greens, tomatoes, and some sort of cranberry mayo. SO GOOD. Again though, I'm a turkey nut, but I think this will have to be my go-to food item whenever we order AK CS in the future. The sandwich was pretty large and came with a big slice of honeydew melon. Definitely a good sharing item.We sat at one of the many tables overlooking the water and enjoyed a very relaxing and quiet lunch. It seriously hurts my heart to think of how often AK winds up on the very bottom of "favorite park" threads. It's simply so beautiful.
SmallWorld71
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Late to the party, but joining in!
BlovesC
home is where the Yeti is
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1/15 Dinner at Wolfgang Puck Express, Dessert at Ghiradelli
After we spent most of the day at AK, we returned to the resort and swam for a bit..and that flipped a switch in our minds from "park mode!" to "vacation mode!" because suddenly neither of us wanted to leave the hotel again. Our original plan was for dinner at Nine Dragons in Epcot, which I'd never been excited about so I was happy to nix it. I voted we go to Beaches and Cream and try the food this time around; DH voted for Boma just so we wouldn't have to go anywhere. 
We wound up compromising with a trip to DTD. How exactly that was a compromise, I don't know, but that's where we wound up!
Much like with the night we went to La Hacienda after cancelling Coral Reef, tonight's dinner was a repeat of the lesson I previously failed to learn; DON'T DROP YOUR ADRS LAST MINUTE UNLESS YOU WANT TO BE DISAPPINTED! Maybe that doesn't apply to anyone else, but it sure seems to for me!
We hit Wolfgang Puck Express for dinner. I think I was still so enamored with the turkey sandwich from lunch that I wanted to revisit it, so I ordered the Turkey Club;
Poor, poor choice. The ciabatta roll this sandwich was served on was literally as hard as a rock. I managed a few bites of one half and made a total mess as I gnawed my way through it. The other half I just gave up and ate the filling with a fork. There was a very small amount of turkey, and a LOT of thick hard bacon that had the consistency of rock candy or perhaps roofing tiles. I don't even like bacon, so really, this was just poor ordering on my part. The last thing I had here was one of the pizzas, which was delicious, so I'm not writing the whole place off, I just wouldn't ever order a sandwich again. I did like the fries, though I didn't taste any of the herbs they were supposedly seasoned with.
DH had the warm turkey melt, with cheddar and caramelized onions.
The top of his roll was very soft, but the bottom was as hard as mine. He wasn't bothered by it though, since he spent most of his childhood chewing on assorted plastic toys and now has teeth that can bite through anything, like a goat. He really liked the port wine sauce that was on it.
After that disappointing dinner, stopping at Ghiradelli's for ice cream wasn't an option, it was mandatory!
I got the Gold Rush; peanut butter, hot fudge, vanilla ice cream.
DH got the Haight AshBerry; strawberry cheesecake and vanilla ice cream with blueberry and strawberry topping.
This was good, as all ice cream is, but it wasn't nearly as delicious as the No Way Jose. Even worse, it was RIDICULOUSLY EXPENSIVE. We've stopped at Ghiradelli numerous times before for cones and cups, I don't think we've had their signature sundaes before tonight. DH ordered while I sat a table and I only just found out the cost of our sundaes when I searched for the names of what we ordered on AllEars. It came to $19 for these two sundaes. $19. $19! It cost us only $8 for the No Way Jose, and it was tastier AND big enough to share!
So let this be a public service announcement; save your money and your tastebuds, if you want ice cream in the World, head to Beaches and Cream!
Random side-note; I picked up a box of the dark chocolate nonpareils that feature the Evil Queen from Snow White all over it, but THIS is what it rang up as:
I've seen these boxes of candy everywhere and never once have I seen one with Maleficent on it anywhere, just the queen. Does Disney marketing not know its own characters?!
After we spent most of the day at AK, we returned to the resort and swam for a bit..and that flipped a switch in our minds from "park mode!" to "vacation mode!" because suddenly neither of us wanted to leave the hotel again.
Our original plan was for dinner at Nine Dragons in Epcot, which I'd never been excited about so I was happy to nix it. I voted we go to Beaches and Cream and try the food this time around; DH voted for Boma just so we wouldn't have to go anywhere. We wound up compromising with a trip to DTD. How exactly that was a compromise, I don't know, but that's where we wound up!Much like with the night we went to La Hacienda after cancelling Coral Reef, tonight's dinner was a repeat of the lesson I previously failed to learn; DON'T DROP YOUR ADRS LAST MINUTE UNLESS YOU WANT TO BE DISAPPINTED! Maybe that doesn't apply to anyone else, but it sure seems to for me!
We hit Wolfgang Puck Express for dinner. I think I was still so enamored with the turkey sandwich from lunch that I wanted to revisit it, so I ordered the Turkey Club;
Poor, poor choice. The ciabatta roll this sandwich was served on was literally as hard as a rock. I managed a few bites of one half and made a total mess as I gnawed my way through it. The other half I just gave up and ate the filling with a fork. There was a very small amount of turkey, and a LOT of thick hard bacon that had the consistency of rock candy or perhaps roofing tiles. I don't even like bacon, so really, this was just poor ordering on my part. The last thing I had here was one of the pizzas, which was delicious, so I'm not writing the whole place off, I just wouldn't ever order a sandwich again. I did like the fries, though I didn't taste any of the herbs they were supposedly seasoned with.
DH had the warm turkey melt, with cheddar and caramelized onions.
The top of his roll was very soft, but the bottom was as hard as mine. He wasn't bothered by it though, since he spent most of his childhood chewing on assorted plastic toys and now has teeth that can bite through anything, like a goat.
He really liked the port wine sauce that was on it. After that disappointing dinner, stopping at Ghiradelli's for ice cream wasn't an option, it was mandatory!
I got the Gold Rush; peanut butter, hot fudge, vanilla ice cream.
DH got the Haight AshBerry; strawberry cheesecake and vanilla ice cream with blueberry and strawberry topping.
This was good, as all ice cream is, but it wasn't nearly as delicious as the No Way Jose. Even worse, it was RIDICULOUSLY EXPENSIVE. We've stopped at Ghiradelli numerous times before for cones and cups, I don't think we've had their signature sundaes before tonight. DH ordered while I sat a table and I only just found out the cost of our sundaes when I searched for the names of what we ordered on AllEars. It came to $19 for these two sundaes. $19. $19! It cost us only $8 for the No Way Jose, and it was tastier AND big enough to share!
So let this be a public service announcement; save your money and your tastebuds, if you want ice cream in the World, head to Beaches and Cream!
Random side-note; I picked up a box of the dark chocolate nonpareils that feature the Evil Queen from Snow White all over it, but THIS is what it rang up as:
I've seen these boxes of candy everywhere and never once have I seen one with Maleficent on it anywhere, just the queen. Does Disney marketing not know its own characters?!
emmysmommy
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 30, 2010
- Messages
- 5,070
Random side-note; I picked up a box of the dark chocolate nonpareils that feature the Evil Queen from Snow White all over it, but THIS is what it rang up as:
I've seen these boxes of candy everywhere and never once have I seen one with Maleficent on it anywhere, just the queen. Does Disney marketing not know its own characters?!
That's funny - good catch!
I have to book 'Ohana for my meat loving hubby. I hate to peel shirmp but your photos of it sure make it look delish!
BTW: Happy B-day!
Enjoy your special day!
BlovesC
home is where the Yeti is
- Joined
- Apr 1, 2008
- Messages
- 2,613
1/16 Crystal Palace Birthday Breakfast!
This was our first time having breakfast at the CP! We'd eaten once before on our honeymoon, but that was for lunch. We thought that was good, but breakfast blew it away! Our ADR was for 8:50, but we arrived way early at about 8:20 because we'd allowed a LOT of extra time for the bus to get us there, yet it only took 15 minutes. So many folks complain about the AKL bus system but it's really not that bad. And yes, we opted to take the bus system every day by CHOICE; we're on vacation, darn it! We tossed the car keys aside the moment we checked in.
Walking through a nearly empty MK definitely IS an amazing experience. It's almost surreal to be able to get photos like this, especially with the crowds we've seen this week!
We stopped for some various castle photos and checked in at about 8:30...we were seated within 5 minutes and the restaurant was mostly empty!
The characters pounced on us almost as soon as we sat down, so we took some pics and hit the buffet.
My first plate:
PUFFED FRENCH TOAST! PUFFED FRENCH TOAST!
Once again you folks didn't steer me wrong...this stuff was amazing. Golden, crispy but flufy, sugary and warm, holy cow. My DH mocked me for taking this since it was on the "kids' buffet" area, but I rationalized it couldn't possibly be meant for children with all that SUGAR on it! It was so, so good. The scrambled eggs were cooked perfectly, no runny parts, and the potato casserole was tasty but really kind of dense and heavy. The only letdown was the chocolate waffle, which I only had one bite of, it was very stale. Love the size of the strawberries at this place, they were huge and perfectly ripe!
DH's first plate:
He loved everything, surprise! He had the veggie & corned beef fritatta (of all things, why is corned beef a Disney buffet staple?!), a fluffy croissant, lots of bacon (I don't know how he stomachs the stuff!), and 'Pooh's breakfast lasagna'. He was obsessed with this breakfast lasagna. I couldn't for the life of me tell what was IN it by looking at it.
Me: "What's it made of?"
DH: "Yummy deliciousnes."
Me: "Well what's it TASTE like it's made of?"
DH: "Magic."
What a help. He begged me to try some and it was...mushy and sweet and I don't know, the fact that it looked like eggs but was more of a dessert was a turn off for me!
My second plate:
Yes, that IS another piece of puffed french toast, I couldn't resist. Hey I'm just carb-loading, like an athlete! I also had to get more strawberries, a croissant, more eggs, and a biscuit with sausage gravy. I have no idea what made me grab that biscuit, as I don't like sausage or white gravy. Which is why you'll see a biscuit with fork holes on the next picture of DH's second plate, because I transferred it to him when he sat down.
DH's plate numero dos:
He finally listened to me and tried a piece of the french toast...and he didn't like it! It was too sweet for him. How on earth can he stay married to me then? He made a bagel with the smoked salmon and cream cheese and loved it. He also liked the sausage and the biscuits, but he didn't care for the potato casserole much, because the potatoes were "too hard". He also grabbed a bowl full of more of that weird breakfast lasagna stuff, and a bowl of quinoa. The quinoa here he didn't enjoy as much as Boma's. But I don't think CP's speciality is in healthy breakfast items.
Along with some Mickey confetti on the table, I also received a birthday cupcake and a card signed by all the characters:
The service was great, warm friendly and attentive, and the character interaction was fantastic. There were so few families in the hour we were there that some of the characters strolled by us several times killing time....Tigger even poured coffee for us! A great way to spend a birthday morning!
Out of the breakfast buffets we've tried, Boma, Chef Mickey's 1900 Park Fare, and now CP, we both agreed we liked the food at CP the best.
This was our first time having breakfast at the CP! We'd eaten once before on our honeymoon, but that was for lunch. We thought that was good, but breakfast blew it away! Our ADR was for 8:50, but we arrived way early at about 8:20 because we'd allowed a LOT of extra time for the bus to get us there, yet it only took 15 minutes. So many folks complain about the AKL bus system but it's really not that bad. And yes, we opted to take the bus system every day by CHOICE; we're on vacation, darn it! We tossed the car keys aside the moment we checked in.
Walking through a nearly empty MK definitely IS an amazing experience. It's almost surreal to be able to get photos like this, especially with the crowds we've seen this week!
We stopped for some various castle photos and checked in at about 8:30...we were seated within 5 minutes and the restaurant was mostly empty!
The characters pounced on us almost as soon as we sat down, so we took some pics and hit the buffet.
My first plate:
PUFFED FRENCH TOAST! PUFFED FRENCH TOAST!
Once again you folks didn't steer me wrong...this stuff was amazing. Golden, crispy but flufy, sugary and warm, holy cow. My DH mocked me for taking this since it was on the "kids' buffet" area, but I rationalized it couldn't possibly be meant for children with all that SUGAR on it!
It was so, so good. The scrambled eggs were cooked perfectly, no runny parts, and the potato casserole was tasty but really kind of dense and heavy. The only letdown was the chocolate waffle, which I only had one bite of, it was very stale. Love the size of the strawberries at this place, they were huge and perfectly ripe!DH's first plate:
He loved everything, surprise!
He had the veggie & corned beef fritatta (of all things, why is corned beef a Disney buffet staple?!), a fluffy croissant, lots of bacon (I don't know how he stomachs the stuff!), and 'Pooh's breakfast lasagna'. He was obsessed with this breakfast lasagna. I couldn't for the life of me tell what was IN it by looking at it. Me: "What's it made of?"
DH: "Yummy deliciousnes."
Me: "Well what's it TASTE like it's made of?"
DH: "Magic."
What a help.
He begged me to try some and it was...mushy and sweet and I don't know, the fact that it looked like eggs but was more of a dessert was a turn off for me!My second plate:
Yes, that IS another piece of puffed french toast, I couldn't resist.
Hey I'm just carb-loading, like an athlete! I also had to get more strawberries, a croissant, more eggs, and a biscuit with sausage gravy. I have no idea what made me grab that biscuit, as I don't like sausage or white gravy. Which is why you'll see a biscuit with fork holes on the next picture of DH's second plate, because I transferred it to him when he sat down. DH's plate numero dos:
He finally listened to me and tried a piece of the french toast...and he didn't like it!
It was too sweet for him. How on earth can he stay married to me then? He made a bagel with the smoked salmon and cream cheese and loved it. He also liked the sausage and the biscuits, but he didn't care for the potato casserole much, because the potatoes were "too hard". He also grabbed a bowl full of more of that weird breakfast lasagna stuff, and a bowl of quinoa. The quinoa here he didn't enjoy as much as Boma's. But I don't think CP's speciality is in healthy breakfast items. Along with some Mickey confetti on the table, I also received a birthday cupcake and a card signed by all the characters:
The service was great, warm friendly and attentive, and the character interaction was fantastic. There were so few families in the hour we were there that some of the characters strolled by us several times killing time....Tigger even poured coffee for us!
A great way to spend a birthday morning! Out of the breakfast buffets we've tried, Boma, Chef Mickey's 1900 Park Fare, and now CP, we both agreed we liked the food at CP the best.
wilma-bride
<<This space intentionally blank>>
- Joined
- Jul 13, 2005
- Messages
- 22,681
I've said it before and I'll say it again. Crystal Palace breakfast is worth it for the puffed french toast alone 
Happy Birthday
Happy Birthday
gardengirl628
Help, help, a Herrible Hoffalump!
- Joined
- Jan 25, 2009
- Messages
- 724
Yay! Can't wait to try CP for breakfast in October!
BlovesC
home is where the Yeti is
- Joined
- Apr 1, 2008
- Messages
- 2,613
1/16 Snack at Aloha Isle, my ARCH NEMESIS
In the afternoon before we left MK for a short break, we stopped at Aloha Isle for a snack. DH is a fan of the Dole Whip Float, like many of you! I sadly don't care for dole whips, so I ordered a vanilla soft-serve. And then promptly smacked myself in the face for forgetting once again that it's not just the pineapple flavor I dislike, it's ALL the soft-serve from this place! It's all non-dairy I think? Everytime DH gets his float I get a plain soft-serve and then go through this experience of tasting it and going "AHHHH that's not ice cream!" all over again. Hopefully next time we stroll by I'll remember and not waste money on something so unnatural! DH loved his float though, as usual. He's an honorary DISer.
Dole Whip Float for you fans to drool over:
Disgusting vanilla soft-serve that has no business masquerading as ice cream:
In the afternoon before we left MK for a short break, we stopped at Aloha Isle for a snack. DH is a fan of the Dole Whip Float, like many of you! I sadly don't care for dole whips, so I ordered a vanilla soft-serve. And then promptly smacked myself in the face for forgetting once again that it's not just the pineapple flavor I dislike, it's ALL the soft-serve from this place! It's all non-dairy I think? Everytime DH gets his float I get a plain soft-serve and then go through this experience of tasting it and going "AHHHH that's not ice cream!" all over again.
Hopefully next time we stroll by I'll remember and not waste money on something so unnatural! DH loved his float though, as usual. He's an honorary DISer. Dole Whip Float for you fans to drool over:
Disgusting vanilla soft-serve that has no business masquerading as ice cream:
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