The *Half-Eaten Food Pictures* Dining Review! 8.22.11 - 8.28.11 COMPLETE!

[Stew_Mouse]

Great review of SOG room service. It's good to know that it's decent as we ate at the buffet back in 08 and it was terrible.

Thanks! And I agree, that buffet was awful. I wonder if it has improved? Next time you are at SOG, I recommend the room service menu.

 

[Stew_Mouse]

Let's start with a quick snack we got for the kids, corn dog nuggets at Casey's Corner!

Corn Dog Nuggets

These seemed pretty normal and overpriced. I don't know how many came in that cup altogether, but it was definitely more than what you see.

Taco Salad

This was from Tortuga Tavern, which is across the way from Pirates of the Caribbean. I had a few bites and it is your typical taco salad with crispy shell. Basically it was exactly what we were expecting and wanting, so it worked out well.The toppings bar there consists of lettuce, salsa and cheese. Not too exciting, but of course, we piled up!

For some reason, I wasn't really hungry at the time, so it wasn't until we went to EPCOT later in the day that I got some good eats...

Next Up - More EPCOT foods!

 

[Stew_Mouse]

Of course we got spaghetti! I will spare you a repeated photo! Another night of room service at SOG. The heat was really beating us down. Any thoughts of going to a restaurant or walking anywhere was immediately turned down. Sooo..... here it is, more room service....

Half Mushroom, Half Cheese Pizza

This was actually pretty good! Again, I was expecting cardboard but the cheese and mushrooms were of a higher quality than the average pizza place. The crust was average, but held the toppings quite well.

Strawberry Shortcake

Dessert! Not really my thing, I am not a fan of cake or cooked fruit, so I did not try this. I think the people who did eat it thought it was perfectly fine but nothing to write home about.

Next Up - Last day in Florida! Waaaaahhhh

 

[Stew_Mouse]

Oops, as I mentioned before, my pictures were labeled wrong (by me!) so I forgot that we actually went to Sunshine Seasons on this day for a late lunch. I was not very hungry during the day so I did not eat until later and as a result, I was extremely hungry when we arrived at EPCOT and got two things at Sunshine Seasons! I shared, of course.

Mongolian Beef, Steamed Broccoli and White Rice

I have eaten a wide variety of foods labeled "Mongolian Beef" in my lifetime and let's just say there has been good, there has been bad, and there has been ugly. This, I am pleased to report, was good! Light flavors, never heavy. The vegetables were still crisp. The beef wasn't the most tender but I guess that isn't all that surprising, since this is still counter service at a theme park. I would definitely get this again, the sauce was delightful zingy.

Grilled Tuna with Cold Sesame Noodles

I *think* that was what this dish was called.... I will say that the flavors were all very good in this dish. The sauce on the noodles was the right amount of zing and sesame. The tuna was good but a few pieces were too chewy, which I seem to remember reading before on the boards, so I was somewhat prepared. The dish was still pretty light feeling despite it being mostly noodles. I would get this again!

Roasted Beet and Goat Cheese Salad

It's the reappearance of our beloved beet salad! Still gooooooood! Since we've been home, we've tried to recreate it but some of the magic was gone. Perhaps it needs some fairy dust??

Kid's Meal Rotisserie Chicken Drumstick, Two Sides and a Drink

The sides are mashed potatoes and grapes, the drink was a small bottle of water. I thought this was a good deal, considering you could actually get somewhat healthy foods and the kids really enjoyed it.

Next Up - More Earl of Sandwich and a visit to vegan bakery Babycakes!

 

[Stew_Mouse]

It is our final day in Orlando and without any tickets to a park, we decided to get our last Disney fix at Downtown Disney. Of course, we had to go to Earl of Sandwich.

Breakfast Sandwich - Ham, Egg and Cheddar

I did not eat this, but I heard it was pretty good, but not anything special.

Tuna Melt

Ahhh, artery-clogging goodness! How can you go wrong with a Tuna Melt and when it's from Earl of Sandwich, there is no arguing - this thing was GOOD. I totally want one right now!

Caprese

This was just as good as the one I had earlier that week. My sister and I each did half and half of this sandwich and the tuna melt. Man oh man, good times.

Best BLT

Okay, I think this one needs a bit of an explanation!! The sandwich does not look that delectable, but consider this: I bought the sandwich that day at around 10 or 11am, drove it 9 hours in my car back to South Carolina, and so did not eat it until maybe 10pm that night. So definitely do not blame the good people of EoS for how this thing looks, it definitely was on a journey that day. It was still pretty good, but holy cats was there a lot of sodium in that bacon! It was super salty, but I'm not sure if part of that comes from sitting inside the wrapper all day.

Hot Dog from Cart

This very sad looking hot dog was from a cart outside at Downtown Disney. And it cost $5. It tasted just like a hot dog. So.... yeah.

Babycakes Bakery

Located in the Fresh-A-Peel pavilion is this little vegan bakery. If the word vegan is already making you go "whut, why would I want to eat here", let me just say that I am a carnivore and I have eaten some vegan bakery that is wayyyyy better than bakery with animal product. I actually prefer vegan cookies to regular cookies. Now that is not to say that all vegan bakery is good, but there is just something about the texture, chewiness and density in some vegan bakery that is really, really satisfying. And don't kid yourself that vegan baked goods are better for you than the other kind - they are not! So please take note. Also, everything at Babycakes is gluten-free, so added bonus for those of you who eat a gluten-free diet.

Coconut Doughnuts

I actually did not eat these until later, but they actually maintained their crispy outside and dense yet cakey insides! They were very good, but probably would have been better eaten fresh. Also, after the aforementioned car ride, all the icing had actually melted off.

Cupcakes

I bought these for a friend of mine who is vegan and she said they were awesome. She was kind enough to excuse the fact that all the icing had melted off of this top too and what was left in the box were two round mini-cakes with a shiny top. What a dear, she ate and loved them anyway!

One final note on Babycakes is that they are not cheap -- these four items run me about $12. However, if you look at the whole cupcake culture in the world today, it is not completely ridiculous to charge $4 for a cupcake. And I think the fact that Disney is giving a home to something like a vegan bakery is incredible and I will gladly pay a bit more to help that process along.

Next Up - Bonus Days in Orlando!

 

[Momto2PrncChrmgs]

Totally enjoying the review! I'm craving Ohana, and I definitely want to try that caprese sandwich at EoS!

 

[Linda67]

I so want to try Babycakes on our next visit

I'm not a vegan but I hear lots of good things about their cupcakes

 

[Stew_Mouse]

Totally enjoying the review! I'm craving Ohana, and I definitely want to try that caprese sandwich at EoS!

Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoy that caprese sandwich!!

I so want to try Babycakes on our next visit

I'm not a vegan but I hear lots of good things about their cupcakes

I look forward to your review of Babycakes!!

 

[Stew_Mouse]

Prior to going to the World, I spent a couple of days exploring Orlando.

I drove down to Florida from South Carolina and made a mental note to stop for a free cup of delicious orange juice at the Florida Welcome Center. Unfortunately, I did now know what I was looking for and ended up at some sort of seedy-looking tourist shack on the side of the highway.

This is what I was given. Now, it tasted just fine and is actually bigger than what I would get later at the actual Welcome Center. However, the dirty look the girl behind the counter gave me when I asked for a cup cemented my suspicions that I was not actually welcome there.

Finally finding the actual Welcome Center, I discovered that it is quite a nice building. Lesson to be learned: don't fall for the signs on the Florida border boasting free orange juice and cheap tickets. The real deal is the Florida Welcome Center! I had a choice of orange or grapefruit juice.

I chose grapefruit and it was very good! You can't really tell the scale in this image, but I'd say it's a bit smaller than a Dixie cup. And check out the nice design on the cup!

McDonald's Chicken Nuggets and French Fries

Nothing exciting or unusual here. Stopped for a quick bite at McDonalds during my drive.

McDonald's Mystery Salad

Later that night, I was not given a lot of options so I went to McDonald's again. I am not proud of this. The reason I call it a mystery salad is because I was at one of the most poorly run McDonald's I have ever seen. What I asked for was a Southwest Salad and what I got was a mish mash of salad items, thrown in willy-nilly. Ah well. There are worse things in life!

Orlando Museum of Art

The next morning, I visited the Orlando Museum of Art. It is a lovely place with a very nice collection. I saw a Gregory Crewdson there that I had never seen in real life before.

Whole Foods Lunch

For lunch, I happened to drive by a Whole Foods and decided to take a peek. Holy moly was this the busiest and craziest Whole Foods I have ever been to or what?! It was a small one and it was a weekend, so honestly, go at your own risk. I got this curry chicken salad sandwich and a tea. It was okay, not the best tasting sandwich ever. I was a bit disappointed, as Whole Foods has a really good prepared foods section. Then again, I didn't have much of an appetite either. And boy was it hot outside! There wasn't any available seating inside the cafe eatery and it was so noisy and busy, I couldn't stand being in there any longer anyway. I ate at a table outside and tried not to sweat to death.

Enzian Theater

Hidden in the lush trees of this neighborhood in Orlando sits the Enzian Theater, a movie theater that shows indie films and serves you food and drink while you watch them!

Here's the view from my table. It definitely doesn't fit a lot of people and the screen is smaller than your favorite suburban multiplex, but you gotta admire this theater for its charm and uniqueness! It is table service here and the servers were all extremely friendly and efficient. Never do they get in the way of your movie experience, somehow managing to serve you and stay out of the way at the same time.

What happens is that you buy your ticket and wait in the lobby, outside in the garden area, or in their outdoor bar area (!!! what's not to like !!!) until they open the doors. Then you grab a table. The servers will take your order before the movie starts. Now, since the kitchen gets all the orders at the same time, it might take awhile before you get your food. But at least you get to watch a good movie while you wait. Since I had lunch not too long ago, but still wanted something to nibble on, I ordered hummus with warm pita and a hard cider. You can kinda see it.....

Can't go wrong with hummus! The movie I saw was The Trip, which was awesome.

Well, those were my bonus days in Orlando. I appreciate you indulging me in a bit of a trip report, despite this being a dining review. After this, I was definitely ready for my trip to Disney. Gosh, I wish I was there now!

Next up - Thanks for reading!

 

[Stew_Mouse]

Well, that's my dining review!

Just wanted to say thank you for reading along. I hope you enjoyed it and was able to find something helpful. See you next time!!!