The Best Laid Plans of Mice and Menus - 4/2013: La Hacienda COMPLETE! 7/26

[Lauralooneyfordisney]

I am still here too. We tried Via Napoli for the first time last trip and LOVED it also. We tried 2 of the ind pizzas and split them so we could each have both. I had the ugly sundae and it was wonderful. The only weird thing about our experience was they must have been training some new waiters. In our little area we had waiters drop a tray of glasses 3 times!! The first time was a shock but we couldn't believe it happened 3 times. The head guy would come over looking looking pretty mad at them. He would then ask us all if we were OK. The poor waiter had to clean up all the glass which of course was the right thing to do to learn to slow down and be more careful.

 

[LittleStinkerbelle]

Thanks for the review of Tutto Gusto! We'd love to try it on our next trip...looks delish!

I hope you get a chance to try it!

Tutto Gusto looks wonderful! What a great idea for a date night, no rushing off to ADR's. Too bad both places were so busy, but I guess that's to be expected since both places are so popular. We've never actually ordered anything at La Cava, since each time we've been by it's been crazy crowded. I'm determined to try it soon, LOL!

Great update, thanks for sharing!

Yes, after I made our plans and booked the kids' club I had a facepalm moment realizing I'd planned this all for a Friday evening . But by then it would've been too much of a hassle to rejigger everything around. But it worked okay in the end . The two other times we've done La Cava was on kid-free F&WF trips and it can be downright serene in there on a weekday afternoon!

I am still here too. We tried Via Napoli for the first time last trip and LOVED it also. We tried 2 of the ind pizzas and split them so we could each have both. I had the ugly sundae and it was wonderful. The only weird thing about our experience was they must have been training some new waiters. In our little area we had waiters drop a tray of glasses 3 times!! The first time was a shock but we couldn't believe it happened 3 times. The head guy would come over looking looking pretty mad at them. He would then ask us all if we were OK. The poor waiter had to clean up all the glass which of course was the right thing to do to learn to slow down and be more careful.

Thanks for sticking with me! Another vote for the ugly sundae - must try! That is nuts about the glasses.

 

[LittleStinkerbelle]

Day 8, Part 1

Today we'd decided to take a slow and easy day knowing it would be a late evening at the Wishes Dessert Party.

We started off with breakfast at Cape May. It was nice to just stroll downstairs and not even have to leave the building, especially since it was a damp, windy, grey day out.

This was one of the few (if only maybe?) ADRs of the trip where we had to wait quite a bit past our time. At the 15 minute mark I went to check with the hostess and she said we would be called shortly. Eventually our buzzer went off and I was surprised how empty it was inside. We were seated a couple of rows from the buffet in the section that overlooks the walkway to Martha's Vineyard.

I'm always intrigued by these sand sculptures and I got to see it up close and personal next to us on the divider.

My first order of business was to take DD up for a plate. She gets right to the point :

The I went up for myself:

I started off with fruit, Mickey waffles and a slice of ham and cheese fritata. Everything was tasty.

When I got back to the table this guy was paying a visit:

One of the things I enjoy about Cape May is seeing the characters in different costumes than you normally do.

For my second foray into the offerings I opted for yogurt, fruit and granola as well as a slice of cranberry orange bread.

I really enjoy the yogurt and toppings portion of the buffet here. Reminds me of the days when you could get made-to-order parfaits for breakfast in the food courts (last few trips it seems like more and more are going to the pre-made).

So my thoughts on Cape May. The food is good and as I mentioned, I love seeing the characters in their beach attire. But there's something missing that I just can't put my finger on. Not sure if it's the atmosphere (kind of reminds me of the breakfast rooms you'd find in a chain hotel) or the service or what. But for us, I wouldn't travel from another resort (well, maybe BWI) to have breakfast here. There are other character breakfast options that I much prefer over this one.

 

[ztam3]

Enjoying your reviews! Thanks for sharing.

 

[LittleStinkerbelle]

Enjoying your reviews! Thanks for sharing.

Thank you for reading!

 

[LittleStinkerbelle]

Day 8, Part 2

After breakfast at Cape May, we headed over to Fantasia Gardens for a round of mini-golf then caught the bus to DTD for shopping and lunch.

For many, many trips we've wanted to eat at Earle of Sandwich and for whatever reason it never works with our plans (or the times we've attempted it the line was too long). We popped in today but the line was longer than we were willing to deal with so we decided to head back to WPE. I had enjoyed Wolfgang Puck Express so much at the start of the trip that I didn't mind duplicating. Since the weather wasn't great, we opted to sit inside this time around.

I started off with a bowl of butternut squash soup.

The soup was creamy and delicious! The bit of roasted pepper drizzle added a nice bit of spice, but not too hot.

Next DH and I split the roasted vegetable pizza with pesto.

Sadly this was a miss for me. There was just too much going on on this pizza and the middle was completely soggy. There was also a lot of red onion on it and I had to pick around that (not because I don't eat onion but because I didn't want to be tasting it all day long). I was wishing we'd stuck with the spaghetti and meatballs, which I'd enjoyed so much earlier in the trip.

By late afternoon we headed over to MK to get a few rides in before the dessert party. We stopped at Columbia Harbour House for dinner. DH and I split the hummus and broccoli slaw sandwich as well as the fish and chips (subbing broccoli for the fries).

The sandwich was fresh and tasty and while I don't have a clue about the nutritional information, I always feel like I'm being just a bit healthy when I eat it . The fish and chips (err, broccoli in this case) was a new try for me - something I've always eyed on the menu but never ordered. I really enjoyed it, the coating was crisp and not greasy while the fish was moist and tender. CHH never lets us down!

Up next: Tomorrowland Terrace Dessert Party

 

[lillygator]

great reviews, thanks for sharing.

 

[ChrissyBeth29]

I am so sorry you had the same unfortunate experience at the Electric Umbrella. After the last time I went we had such TERRIBLE food that I vowed to never eat there again..unless they rip it down and rebuild. Especially with all of world showcase..I was so annoyed with myself for picking that place! I see in the past two years, it still hasn't changed! Boo to the bad meal!

Day 4, Part 1

Today was our resort switch day and since we were taking the morning a bit slower than usual, we decided to head down to the POR food court for a hot breakfast. It was a little after 9 a.m. when we got there and I was expecting that maybe the crowds would've dwindled a bit as everyone headed for park opening, but it was quite hopping in there! The lines were huge and tables were hard to come by. I'm sorry that I don't have any pictures to share from this one, by the time we got our food we were famished and dug right in! DD had the kids' buckwheat Mickey waffle platter. I was intrigued that they made the kids version buckwheat, but she didn't object and gobbled them right up. I had the kids pancake platter (I was saving my Mickey waffle appetite for 'Ohana the next day!), and DH had oatmeal. There was nothing really stand-out about this meal and unfortunately, the lines to pay were so long that the food was not really all that hot by the time we got to eat.

Today was another Epcot day for us and we didn't have any specific plans for lunch. One of our first stops was Spaceship Earth and when we came stumbling out into the daylight, the first thing we saw was Electric Umbrella and we figured why not?

Oh my, what can I say about this meal. In short, it was not good . DD had a burger and DH and I split the veggie flatbread.

This may be in the running for the worst thing I've ever eaten at Disney! It tasted like cardboard with a really spicy spread topped with rubbery veggies. Blech! I took a couple of bites of my half and that was more than enough for me. The best part of the whole meal was the few packaged grapes that I stole from DD's meal! I think it's safe to say I won't be running back to Electric Umbrella any time soon. I'm still asking myself why we didn't turn the other direction and walk the extra paces to one of my favorites, Sunshine Seasons, but I guess that's what happens when you don't have a plan.

Since I basically left lunch hungry, we decided to stop at the Smokehouse booth over in the America Pavilion. I'd seen pictures of the pork slider and rocky road mousse brownie before we left and was very interested in trying them so that's what we got.

The slider was tasty, although I think it could've benefited from some extra sauce on top (it was a little dryer than I like my pulled pork sandwiches). DD commandeered the brownie as her own so I was only able to muscle in for one small bite but I liked what I tasted.

 

[LittleStinkerbelle]

I am so sorry you had the same unfortunate experience at the Electric Umbrella. After the last time I went we had such TERRIBLE food that I vowed to never eat there again..unless they rip it down and rebuild. Especially with all of world showcase..I was so annoyed with myself for picking that place! I see in the past two years, it still hasn't changed! Boo to the bad meal!

I know exactly what you mean! Afterwards I was like "why'd I do that??" with all the great choices just steps away.

Thanks for reading!

 

[LittleStinkerbelle]

Day 8, Part 3

Last year I was able to snag a reservation for the Tomorrowland Terrace Dessert Party at the very last minute and we liked it so much we decided to go again this year. The weather was pretty iffy all day - rain and some wind - and when we'd walked by TT earlier in the evening it looked to me like all the tables were pushed back so I was wondering if we'd be moved under cover due to the weather.

When we got checked in around 8:45 p.m., I was pleased to see that everything was set up as normal. I had been stalking reservations for this and booked within moments of when our date was released, so I had a pretty good feeling that we'd have a nice table. And we did indeed - we were in the first row of tables under the covering, right in the middle (the walkway to the food was in front of us so there were no tables between us and the railing).

Here's a wider shot but it's dark, not sure if you can tell but we are the table in the middle just to the left of the poll.

The view straight ahead from our table :

Once we got settled and I had taken some photos, we headed up to check out the desserts. I thought I'd gotten more photos but I must've been slacking. Here's a sampling however:

For DD's first plate she got a mousse cup, strawberries and a peanut-butter/chocolate tart:

For my plate I started with a cupcake, chocolate covered strawberry, peanut-butter/chocolate tart and I think that's a tirimisu cup??:

The tart was a little too rich for me (never thought I'd say that about one of my favorite flavor combos) and I wasn't a fan of whatever that cup was. I did love the cupcakes (so simple - vanilla/vanilla - but so tasty and fresh) and the strawberry so I went up for seconds of that.

While we munched I was up and down getting pictures of the castle changing colors. I also made sure we got some family shots with the PhotoPass photog, who was off to the side by the check-in podium this year (last year it was set up by the rail across from the buffet).

Last year Tink didn't fly and it wasn't nearly as windy as this day, so I'd been preparing DD that it likely wouldn't happen. Well imagine my surprise/delight/excitement when she flew!!!! It was really a highlight and practically worth the cost of the party!

To me, the big draw of the party is the location - having a nice comfortable place to watch without battling crowds. The desserts are a nice way to pass the time before the show, but there's no way I could get our money's worth out of just the desserts.

In the interest of 100% honesty, for some reason - in-spite of the great table and Tink flying - the party wasn't as magical for us this year. I think maybe it's just that we did it again so soon and it's sort of "diminishing returns" if you KWIM? I think maybe if we'd waited a couple/few years in between it would've been more fun. But by all means this is something I recommend trying once if your schedule and budget allows.

 

[cincystamper]

Thanks for your reviews and pictures! My family and I are going in December and had been looking forward to trying the Electric Umbrella. Um....I think we're going to change our plans!

 

[LittleStinkerbelle]

Thanks for your reviews and pictures! My family and I are going in December and had been looking forward to trying the Electric Umbrella. Um....I think we're going to change our plans!

Thanks for reading! Oh yes, I definitely would change that plan.

 

[lakelandcallsme]

Loving the reviews

 

[LittleStinkerbelle]

Day 9, Part 1

This was our last full day so I tried to get us up and moving at a reasonably early hour to make the most of the day.

We headed into Epcot via the International Gateway and I was anxious to try the Patisserie for breakfast. I remember going here in the "old days" when WS opened at the same time as the rest of the park and I was happy to see breakfast hours return.

Looking at these pictures, I'd say that at least for then, it was still a well kept secret (these were taken around 9:15 a.m.).

DH and I got a quiche and a couple of croissants to share. They had a large selection of Bonne Maman jams in the case but just note that there is a charge for these (I think around $1.50). We expected there would be but I could see how one might think they are included with the croissant. I'm not sure if they had regular jam packets out with the condiments, I didn't look.

Everything was fresh and tasty and I loved the quiet, peaceful atmosphere. I'm not sure if we just happened to hit it at an exceptionally quiet time or if it hasn't taken off yet. My hope going forward is that it's busy enough to sustain breakfast hours yet not so busy to make it a zoo.

After touring for awhile I noticed we were right near the Dole Whip with Rum stand and I realized it was a "now or never" situation, and since it was 11:56 according to the time stamp on my photo, I figured that was close enough to noon to count . So I headed over and got in line for this baby:

WOW! I should say I'm not a Dole Whip fanatic but with the rum it just elevates it to another level! I hope this becomes a permanent fixture.

 

[emmysmommy]

Hi there! I'm now caught up and I have to thank you for sharing that the French Bakery is open even though WS isn't! I wanted to hit up EMH at 8am next month and we didn't know where to eat since I'm not a huge fan of Sunshine Seasons. This is a great option!

I can relate to your sentiment about the Wishes Dessert Party.... it is great for the location and I liked the photopass photo ops but it didn't have that fabulous of desserts or anything else to make it a must do every trip.

On the other hand... your Cape May breakfast has me wishing I had booked that next trip. We've been 2 or 3 times and I LOVE it!!

 

[LittleStinkerbelle]

Loving the reviews

Thank you for reading!

Hi there! I'm now caught up and I have to thank you for sharing that the French Bakery is open even though WS isn't! I wanted to hit up EMH at 8am next month and we didn't know where to eat since I'm not a huge fan of Sunshine Seasons. This is a great option!

I can relate to your sentiment about the Wishes Dessert Party.... it is great for the location and I liked the photopass photo ops but it didn't have that fabulous of desserts or anything else to make it a must do every trip.

On the other hand... your Cape May breakfast has me wishing I had booked that next trip. We've been 2 or 3 times and I LOVE it!!

I'm glad I could share the tip - hope you're able to enjoy breakfast at the Patisserie. And I'm not at all jealous that you're going again next month ! Hehe, have a great trip, can't wait to read your food report.

 

[distherapy]

I'm loving your reviews. Thank you!

 

[LittleStinkerbelle]

I'm loving your reviews. Thank you!

Thanks for reading!

 

[LittleStinkerbelle]

Day 9, Part 2

Right after we waited in line to meet Snow White in Germany, the skies opened up in what ended up turning into a multi-hour downpour.

We figured the only civilized thing to do was duck into Karamell Kuche and wait it out with one of these beauties :

When it became apparent that the rain was not going to let up, we decided we'd better soldier on. When we were ready for lunch, we popped into Katsura Grill, which was new to us and has been on my "to do" list.

DH ordered the udon bowl with shrimp tempura:

I tried a little bit of this and it was so tasty! The broth had a nice, smoky flavor and the noodles and shrimp were very flavorful. I'd definitely like to order this for myself next time.

I wasn't too hungry after all the noshing I'd done so far, so I opted for the kids' chicken teriyaki, which was just the right size for my appetite that afternoon:

I really enjoyed this dish as well.

DD wasn't really keen on the menu here so she just picked at my rice and she did love the noodles from DH's udon.

My only complaint about this location would be the lack of seating (although to be fair, there is a lovely outdoor area that we couldn't take advantage of due to the weather).

It was packed to the gills when we were there and I think people were lingering longer than usual because of the rain. Also, I noticed when we first got there that a large section of the center communal table was taken up by a high school group eating their brown bag lunches. I dunno, I kind of thought that was stinky to take up that kind of space in a tiny location when you're eating food you brought from home .

Before we headed back to the hotel for a break, we thought it was a fine time to head back into the French bakery and warm up with a latte and pastry.

DH and I shared a Napoleon and a French macaron and DD got that raspberry cup, which looking at the menu online, I'm not quite sure what that was?

The filling in the macaron was a little different than the ones I've had in NYC, it was more like a pastry cream, but nonetheless delicious!

 

[LittleStinkerbelle]

Day 9, Final Installment!

Our original TS plan for this day had been lunch at Marrakesh but since we'd swapped out dinner there earlier in the trip, I cancelled that ADR. Since I hadn't gotten my fix from the Mexico pavilion due to the, umm, issue at San Angel Inn, we decided to try La Hacienda for dinner, which was new to us.

We'd actually been inside the dining room once before when we'd eaten lunch at the CS restaurant on a January trip and they had the dining room open to escape the cold. I love the look of the room with it's airiness and big windows. So I was a tad disappointed when we were seated in this little annex room behind the hostess stand.

It was pretty dark and cramped with just one window. And we were seated right by the door so there was a constant stream of traffic behind me.

DH and I decided to share the La Hacienda for two and DD ordered a cheese quesadilla from the kids' menu.

While we waited for our order we munched on these:

And enjoyed some sangria:

DD's meal came out but there was no sign of ours. In this time our waitress also seemed to have abandoned us. About 45 minutes into waiting a different waitress came over and said our order had been delivered to the wrong table and they were rushing out a new one. She came by a couple of times to tell us "it's coming, it's coming" and did give us a blueberry margarita for our trouble.

At just shy of the one hour mark our meal finally came out:

Everything on the skillet was very tasty and it was a HUGE amount of food. Honestly, I think it could've fed 3 adults or 2 adults and 2 kids. Unfortunately, we didn't make a dent in it. DD was long finished with her meal and I felt kind of rushed. Also we had munched on so many chips during the wait that my appetite was curbed. Such a shame wasting all that lovely food!

At the end of the meal our original waitress came back very chipper to clear plates, make sure everything was good and give us the check. I'm not quite sure why she was incommunicado during the middle/problematic part of the meal as she was continuing to serve the tables near us. Oh well.

I definitely want to give La Hacienda another try because I did enjoy the food. Next time I'd hope to sit in the main dining room though and also hope the service is smoother.

So that's a wrap on my 2013 dining report. Thank you so much for reading along. I don't have another trip in the works but when I do, I'll be sure to share our food adventures once again.