Two French-Canadians eat and drink around the world! COMPLETED! BONUS-US food 29oct

[nanienamou]

We are two Disney-loving French-Canadians returning from a fantastic trip to Florida. It was my second time at Disney and DH's first time. We spent 4 days at Universal - Royal Pacific Resort, then 12 days at Disney. Our resort was the Dolphin, which we liked because of the awesome location, a 10 minute walk to Epcot!

Some background info: I'm Stephanie, and I just turned 30 this year. I'll be writing this review, because DH, 32, does not speak/write a lot of English. We are also the proud parents of 3 little boys ages 7, 5 and 3, who were left at home because this was our "Disneymoon", even though we got married 3 years ago and have been together for 14 years!

Food-wise, we are pretty adventurous. We'll try everything once. I'm more of a salty type and I love adult beverages (and always got asked for id!). DH is a giant sweet tooth on legs. One year ago, I had a vertical sleeve gastrectomy, which is basically a weight-loss surgery. I lost 160 pounds since. My stomach has a capacity of 3-4 oz, so we shared all the food - I had a small taste and DH finished the dish off, lol. We didn't do many table services for this reason, but we managed to eat and drink at most of the kiosks and pavillions in Epcot - I think we missed only 2.

Here we are...

 

[nanienamou]

October 2nd, 2011

Today, our town car picked us up from the Royal Pacific Resort and we checked in the Dolphin @ 11 o'clock. The room was ready, so we changed and took a bus to Down Town Disney.

DH was hungry, so we headed to the Earl of sandwich at 1 o'clock. Of course, it was packed, but we decided to wait. Here was our pick:
The Earl's Cobb - grilled chicken, smoked bacon, Swiss and sharp cheddar cheese, Roma tomatoes, cucumber, cranberries and Buttermilk Ranch Dressing - 5.99 $

We also got:
The Earl's Grey Lemonade - fresh lemonade infused with freshly brewed Earl Grey Tea or Iced Tea $1.99 for 22 ounces, but I forgot to take a pic.

First off, the lemonade was awesome. I'm really a citrus fan and you could taste the distinct earl grey tea, too. It wasn't too sweet and it was really refreshing.

The salad was fresh, with good pieces of chicken (I really need my protein ince I have such a small stomach). I loved the dried cranberries in the salad. It added a nice touch with the dressing. Overall a pretty good counter service salad for a great price. DH finished it off and liked it as well, even though he is not a salad lover - especially on vacation, lol!

We then did a little browsing, to make some place for desert at Girhardelli's.

Here's a lollipop stand @ World of Disney. We brought some back to the kiddos.

And a counter of sweets @ Goofy's. DH came back here 3 times to get a stash of goodies as you'll see later...

After that, we went to Girhardelli's for the first time - we don't have them in Canada. We shared this:
The Gold Rush - Peanut Butter Hot Fudge Sundae - Vanilla ice cream with freshly homemade hot fudge and melted peanut butter throughout. Topped with whipped cream, chopped almonds, a cherry and Ghirardelli Squares milk chocolate $8.95

The sundae costs more than the salad, lol! Anyway, ice cream has always been my favorite desert, but I have a hard time eating it since I got my surgery. It's just to rich, I always feel queasy after a bite and sometimes, it induces dumping syndrome. But I was determined to try this, since I've seen it on so many reviews. It did not disappoint! DH ate the chocolate square and loved it. He already had 2, since they were giving out samples that day! I got a good taste of the ice cream and the sauces, but stopped myself after a couple of mouthfuls since I didn't want to get sick. I still felt a little queasy later on, but it was worth it, lol! The mix of peanut butter and fudge was awesome!

We then returned to the hotel and had a rest, unpacked and prepared for our 8 o'clock reservation @ Il Mullino. To be continued in the next post.

 

[SnwflkCts]

You are off to a great start. Wow that sundae looked delicious -- now I am hungry! Looking forward to the rest of your reviews. I bet it was fun to get away by yourselves for a little time!

 

[nanienamou]

So we checked in @ Il Mullino at about 7:45 for our 8:00 p.m. reservation and were immediately seated. The restaurant was not crowded. I made this ADR at hubby's request, since Italian is his favorite food and I had read good reviews of Il Mullino, that is in the Swan lobby, just a minute away from our hotel, the Dolphin.

I started with a mango bellini which I really enjoyed. DH got water. He is not a beer/wine fan and rarely drinks alcoholic beverages. He is also a Pepsi drinker, so he didn't get lots of soft drinks at Disney, which is not a bad thing, lol!

Anyway, we had excellent service that night but I didn't note our server's name. She brought out hot bread with some olive oil and balsamic vinegar to dip. I don't eat lots of bread, because I get full to quickly from it, but I had a taste and it was good, especially with the mix of oil and vinegar. DH is the bread love in the couple and litterally finished the basket by himself by the end of the meal. There was also a little amuse-bouche: a couple of home-made salami slices and a type of eggplant/zucchini ratatouille. Both were really good, I ate all the salami since I love fine charcuterie. Sadly I didn't get a pic of the bread and amuse-bouche.

After perusing the menus, I settled on:
Insaccati Misti for Two - A Platter of Italian Delights: Prosciutto, Mortadella, Soprassata, Cacciatorini, Parmigiano Reggiano, Roasted Red Peppers, Cherry Vinegar Peppers, Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Buffalo Mozzarella $24

DH chose:
Tortellini Alla Panna - Meat Tortellini and Peas in a Cream Sauce $22

We asked the server to bring out both dishes at the same time since we would be sharing. Also, DH only got the half-portion of his pasta plate since we had chosen a big platter. I love that they had half-portions available for pasta dishes. On the bill, they charged us 14 $ for a half-portion, which was still a nice plate.

Here is the platter:

Again, I forgot to take a pic of DH's plate. I get better at this, I promise.

All in all, we had a very positive experience at this restaurant. It is a little expensive, but a really good value for the quality of the food served. The platter was quite big, with plenty of meats and cheeses. I love that they put capers on the roasted peppers. The cherry vinegar peppers were HOT. We eat spicy food, but this was almost too spicy for me. DH loved them, though. And I love how they also include a small caprese salad stack. My favorite was the salamis. DH's pasta was also very good, the sauce was not too thick but still rich, the peas were good and firm and the tortellini al dente. He loved his meal. We would definetely come back.

Before leaving, we had the complimentary limoncello from the bucket. DH sipped it a bit, but was not a big fan, but I finished my glass. It was delicious and a fantastic way to finish a meal.

 

[nanienamou]

Today, we planned to get to MK for rope drop, so we decided to have breakfast at the hotel's counter service, Picabu. I had made a Starbucks coffee in our room, so I just got a regular Yoplait yogurt. On a side note, I had never had non-dairy creamer before this trip and seriously, it is nasty! i tried both kinds, liquid and powder, and prefered my coffee black than with the creamer.

Anyway, DH had:
Picabu Breakfast - scrambled eggs, bacon or sausage, lyonnaise-style potatoes, two slices of toast $10.50

This was seriously overpriced and the quality was blah. DH didn't like the potatoes and had a cultural shock when he discovered that the butter served was not salted! He spent the rest of the trip salting his toast. I don't have a pic of my yogourt, because it was just your ordinary berry yogourt with a foil lid. Overall, we didn't like Picabu at all the couple of times we went, so we ended up avoiding it. We found that qs restaurants in the parks were better, quality and price-wise. It was one of the only letdowns of the Dolphin.

We made rope drop and stopped mid-morning for a snack. This was the snack I most anticipated and it is now my favorite snack in Disney.

Pineapple Float - pineapple, vanilla, or orange Dole Whip with pineapple juice $4.49

What can I say? I cupful of heaven. It's not as rich as ice cream, so I had no problem with it and since I love pineapple, it was perfect. I love when the whip melted in the juice! DH got a couple of bites, but I was the one that ate most of it! He loved it as well, but not as much as me.

We continued our touring - by the way, we used the plans included in the unofficial guide and they were awesome! We got to see all the major attractions in the 4 parks without more than 10 minutes wait (if that) and had time left over for shows and browsing.

We stopped at Columbia Harbour House for lunch. Now I know that I snapped pics, but I can't find them, so sadly this meal will be photoless.

I had New England Clam Chowder $4.69 and DH had Anchors Aweigh Sandwich - white tuna with lettuce and tomato on toasted multigrain bun with potato chips $8.99. We also got an iced tea.

Cultural shock number two , here in Canada, we don't have the distinction between iced tea and sweet tea. We only have iced tea, which is sweetened. I was thirsty and when I took a big sip of CHH's iced tea, I was surprised to find it unsweetened - I almost spit it out. We had to add sugar and sweet and low to get it palatable. We did not make that mistake twice.

On the other hand, the clam chowder was really good, and we dipped our chips in it. I loved the little crackers placed on top of the soup, too, we don't have those here. The tuna sandwich was great too, just enough mayo, fresh tomato and lettuce, great bread. We would return here in a heartbeat, too bad it was closed during EMH later that week.

After lunch, it was getting seriously crowded and hot, so we returned to the hotel to rest. Before returning to MK that night for the parade and Wishes, we ate at The Fountain at our hotel.

I had:
Chili and Cheese Soup Bowl $5.25

And DH had:
Reuben - sliced corned beef, Panini bread, Thousand Island dressing, swiss cheese, sauerkraut $12.75

We also got a pink lemonade. Service was very quick and the server made sure that we got a lemonade refill as soon as the glass was 2/3 empty. We were early (4-5 o'clock), so the restaurant was very quiet and almost empty. We found it got quite busy between 6 and 9 each night.

I loved the soup. It had lots of meat and beans, and had quite a kick. I couldn't finish it off, so DH took care of it.

Dh also was pleased with his Reuben, it was an original presentation. His only complaint was that there was lots of cheese and it was a little hard to cut through.

All in all, we were very satisfied with this meal and it was good bang for our buck - about 25 $ with tax and service. We went back later that week.

To finish off the night we got a second Pineapple Float to eat while watching Wishes, lol! It was as good as the first one!

 

[GoofySon'sMom]

Great reviews and pictures! That antipasti platter at Il Mulino looks wonderful!

 

[nanienamou]

Today was an Epcot day. I really wanted to make rope drop, but I woke up with a headache, so I took 2 Advils and got back to sleep for a little while. DH ate for breakfast some crackers and cheese we had picked up with our town car stop at Publix a few days earlier. We arrived at Epcot around 9:40-10:00 o'clock. After touring a little of Future World, we were getting hungry and World Showcase was opening up. But first off, I wanted to stop at Club Cool, so that DH could taste Beverly. Of course, he had no idea it was so bitter.

I then tried it. I didn't like it, but I didn't find it THAT bad. I guess I'm used to bitter taste or something. That being said, I wouldn't down a cup.

My favorite was Mezzo Mix, which is basically coke with orange flavor. DH's favorite was Vegita Beta from Japan. He really liked trying out the different kinds of sodas.

We then stopped to get a Festival bracelet card which was wonderful to use. I used it all around Disney.

There was also a lady explaining the harvest of cranberries by the World Showcase entrance.

The first booth we hit was Australia. We got:
Shrimp on the Barbie with Pepper Berry Citrus Glaze–$4.50

Grilled Lamb Chop with Potato-Goat Cheese Salad and Shiraz Reduction–$5.75

These were both very good. I thought the shrimp was a little expensive, for the little skewer, but they were well cooked and the little glaze added an interesting touch. The winner for me was the lamb chop. I love lamb and this was perfectly cooked medium and went so well with the goat cheese. Definetely delicious, but a little hard to eat standing up. I ended up munching around the bone, lol! DH also liked both items, but prefered the lamd. He doesn't like bone-in meat, however, so I got more of the chop and he got more of the shrimp.

We then skipped over to Brazil and got:
Seared Mahi Mahi with steamed Rice, Hearts of Palm, and Coconut-Lime Sauce–$4.50

This is one of DH's favorite dishes at the festival. He usually finds white fish bland, but really liked this seared mahi with the tomato garnish. I also liked it, but not as much as DH. I didn't find alot of lime/coconut taste in there. I guess that's a good thing, since DH is not fan of coconut.

We then stopped at the Carribean kiosk. DH wanted the jerk chicken drumstick, but there were not ready yet. So I took one for the team and got :
Frozen Rock Coconut Mojito–$7.50

OMG this was good! Seriously in the top 5 cocktails I had in my life! The coconut taste was so rich and went so well with the minty mojito. I would go for one right now! DH just got a mini sip, since he doesn't like coconut, as I said. More for me!

In Argentina, we got:
Beef Empanada–$3.75

This was more for DH than me, since I was still sipping my cocktail and I have a difficult time digesting doughy things. I had a taste of the filling, however and it was pretty good. DH liked this as well, but it didn't stand out.

We skipped Mexico, since we had La Hacienda reservations later that week.

We stopped at the Scandinavian kiosk and got:
Taste of Scandinavia — Shrimp Salad, Cured Salmon and Herring–$4.00

This was one of my favorite picks of the festival. We had never had herring and were pleasantly surprised. It had a buttery texture and a hint of sweetness that went really well with the dill mustard. The salmon was also really good. The white bits are actually a broken cracker. The shrimp salad was under it. This was served cold and they pull it out of the fridge when you order, so the cracker was a little soft, but that's the only negative thing I can say. It would be better if they waited to put the cracker on the plate when you order. DH also fought me for the herring and salmon, lol!

As a side note, I was surprised to see swedish meatballs on the menu, since you can get some pretty decent ones at IKEA, lol! We passed on those. It would have been interesting to have another savory pick.

We then backtracked to Future World, since we had FPs for Soarin to use. After that, we hit another 4 kiosk on our way out International Gateway.

First off, Hawaii:
Kalua Pork Slider with Sweet and Sour Dole Pineapple Chutney and Spicy Mayonnaise–$3.00

I only had a little taste, since it was more bread than filling but found it really good. Loved the mayo and the pineapple with the pork. DH love it but again commented that there wasn't enought filling for the amount of bread.

In Greece, I got:
Dannon Greek Yogurt Parfait with Strawberries–$2.50

I know there were more interesting choices, but I love greek yogourt and this was good, light and refreshing. Nothing exceptional, but it hit the spot and was a perfect light desert.

And finally, in Ireland, DH got:
Warm Chocolate Lava Cake with Baileys Irish Cream Ganache–$3.00

This was hands down the favorite dessert/snack of DH. He got it several times later in the week. We even took a picture of the recipe in the F&W cookbook so that we could make it at home. It was a little to sweet and chocolatey for me since I'm not a chocolate person - weird, I know.

We then headed back to the hotel for our afternoon rest. But we came back later... to be continued...

 

[nanienamou]

You are off to a great start. Wow that sundae looked delicious -- now I am hungry! Looking forward to the rest of your reviews. I bet it was fun to get away by yourselves for a little time!

Thanks! It was awesome to be by ourselves! We really enjoyed our trip.

 

[nanienamou]

Great reviews and pictures! That antipasti platter at Il Mulino looks wonderful!

Thank you! Yes, it was really good. I would certainly get it again!

 

[nanienamou]

After a hotel break and a nap, we were back to Epcot and ready to eat!

We made a stop at the France kiosk and got:
Coq au Vin sur gratin de macaroni (Red Wine braised Chicken, Mushrooms, Pearl Onions, and Macaroni Gratin)–$4.95

Parisien Cosmo Slush (Ciroc Vodka, Grand Marnier, Cranberry Juice)–$8.50

DH really loved the coq au vin with mac and cheese. He loves braised meats and pasta so this was a no brainer. I also tasted it the gravy was rich and thick, the meat was tender and the mac wand cheese was very good mixed with the coq au vin. However, it is a very rich and filling dish and the portion was big. I could have made a meal out of that.

The Cosmo slush was awesome, had a really nice kick to it and the portion is as big a Grand Marnier Slushie at the Vins of France kiosk. It was really nice.

We then stopped at the Portugal kiosk. DH chose:
Pastel de Nata–$3.00

This would not have been my choice, I would have gone with the calamari salad, but DH wanted something sweet. He liked it but it didn't stand out for him. I liked it too, but found there was too much crust for the filling. But it was still good. Too bad we didn't get back to this kiosk to try the other offerings.

At the Morocco kiosk, DH got:
Kefta Pocket (Beef in a Pita Pocket)–$5.00

Again, this was not bad, but did not stand out. I'm a little sad that we didn't go with the harrissa chicken. It looked so good.

We stopped by the Japan kiosk:
Tuna and Salmon Sensation–$5.95

I will say that I love sushi, but this didn't do it for me. For some reason, I thought that the soy sauce would be seasoned or spiced up or something, but it was only ordinary soy sauce. It would have been good with a little bit of wasabi or hot sauce. I found it a little bland. DH had the same comment. However, the fish was fresh and of good quality, the avocado was not brown and it was chilled.

DH then spotted the Italy kiosk:
Ravioli Di Formaggio All’Emiliana (Baked Cheese Ravioli with Creamy Beef Bolognese Sauce, Parmesan Cheese, Melted Mozzarella)–$4.50

Cannolo Al Cioccolato (Chocolate Covered Cannoli Shell Filled with Sweet Ricotta Cheese, Chocolate, and Candied Fruit)-$3.50

Sorry for the unfocused pic. I didn't taste these. DH didn't have a lot to say about these. He found the ravioli average and liked the cannoli.

The last stop was at Karamel Kuche. DH got this beauty:

And I got this:

DH liked his selection. I tasted it and loved the salted pecans with the soft caramel. I munched around the chocolate middle. I absolutely loved my marshmallow/caramel roll, but it was really sweet, so I ate it by small bites, over the next two days at the hotel.

And that's it for that day!

 

[disneyfan61]

Loving these reviews!! We leave in 10 days for our first F&W.

Cannot wait to try the lava cake. It was the first thing on my list!!

I will have to try the mojito also.

 

[Disneybrenda]

Great review so far. My children are grown, but my husband and I love going by ourselves.

 

[nanienamou]

Today, DH had some crackers and I had a coffee in the room before we left to make rope drop at Animal Kingdom. We went on the Safari first and then stopped at the Harambe Fruit Market for a mixed fruit cup.

This was fresh and sweet and perfect. I love fruit in the morning. DH finished it off.

We continued our itinerary, and we had a late luch ADR at Yak and Yeti, but DH was really hungry by 11:00 so we got:
Jalapeno Cheese Stuffed Pretzel $4.29

This was the first time we tried a big pretzel and boy was it good! I could only have a couple of bites because it is rich, but I really liked it. DH inhaled it, so I'm pretty sure that he loved it, lol!

With that, we got:
Lemon Ice

This is awesome on a hot day. Cold and refreshing and not too sweet.

Later on, we checked in at Yak and Yeti for our ADR. Even at 2:00 p.m., the restaurant was full and had a wait line.

First off, I had to have this adult beverage:
Yak Attack

This was good, but very sweet. I couldn't taste the alcool, but we had a hard time to finish it since it was so sweet.

For my main, I ordered an appetizer:
Seared Ahi Tuna - chilled, sesame-encrusted ahi tuna, wasabi aioli, and sweet chili slaw $10.99

This was beautifully presented! And it was delish! The combination of tuna, wasabi creme and slaw was fantastic. The soy sauce was seasoned and spicy and added a good burt of taste. I would get this again.

DH ordered this:
Crispy Honey Chicken - tempura chicken, broccoli, carrots, honey sauce $17.99

I wasn't surprised by his choice, he loves sweet sauces. I did not taste it, since I could take or leave these kinds of dishes, but he really liked it. He would have prefered grilled chicken to fried chicken, but he still cleaned his plate.

By this point we were really full - DH had to finish my appy, but I really wanted to taste a dessert:
Fried Wontons - Skewers of fresh pineapple and cream cheese wontons, vanilla ice cream, honey vanilla drizzle $7.99

Wow, this was good but RICH! I barely ate half a wonton with a tiny bit of ice cream. DH ate the rest and liked it, but this would not have been his first choice.

By this time, we were ready to get back to the hotel and have a rest before hitting Epcot for EMH. To be continued...

 

[nanienamou]

So we relaxed a bit at the hotel before heading back to Epcot. Once in Epcot, our first stop was Ireland.

We got:
Lobster and Scallop Fisherman’s Pie–$5.75

This was good, but a little greasy from the melted cheese. There were plenty of scallops and lobster bits and the mash was good. A nice dish.

And DH had to get another:
Warm Chocolate Lava Cake with Baileys Irish Cream Ganache–$3.00

This time, the center was not as liquid, but DH still loved it and scrafed it down, lol!.

At this time, the kiosk were closing up since it was around 9:00 p.m. We had planned touring Future World during EMH, but of course, we needed more food so we headed to Morrocco, hoping that Tangierine Café was still open. It was! We had:
Shawarma Platters - served with side of Hummus, Tabouleh and a Tangierine Couscous Salad with fresh Moroccan bread
Chicken & Lamb Combo $13.99

Now this plate has serious bang for your buck! It was huge! You could easily share it - which we did, of course. There were a ton of meat on there! I tried everything except the bread and it was delicious. Loved the raisins in the couscous. DH likes his tabouleh a little less acidic and wet, but I thought it was perfect. Although we have had better in authentic places, this was still an awesome dish that I would really recommend. We did come back later in the week for another plate.

After our Morroccan dish, we stopped in Japan for:
Kaki Gori $3.50
Shaved ice topped with fruit syrups: choice of strawberry, melon, mikan (tangerine), or rainbow (all three flavors)

I chose rainbow but asked that they omit the melon flavour, which I don't really like. I loved the top part, the syrup was less concentrated, so it was just perfect, but once at the bottom, it was just too sweet for me, so I trashed it. Overall, I'm glad I tried it, but I don't think I'll get another one soon. It's basically an ice cone like you get at your local fair. It's not bad, but there are some more interesting choices in Epcot, imo.

Food-wise, our day finished here, while we headed to Future World to visit a couple of attractions. I really wanted a coffee on the way out, but the kiosk near the International Gateway was just closing up, so I skipped the coffee. We were back at the hotel around 11:30 p.m.

 

[nanienamou]

Today, we were heading to DHS and I really wanted to make rope drop, so we got breakfast at Picabu again.

DH got the same breakfast and I got a yogourt and a coffee. The total was just under 20 bucks! We decided to forgo Picabu for the rest of the trip and just stick to breakfast in the parks. Here's the platter again. Same comment as before, this was not very good, the potatoes were not fresh and very greasy and the overall quality was just not that good.

The importance of making rope drop if you want to ride the major rides: the place was packed! We were lucky enough to be at the front.

Mid-morning, we stopped at Starring Rolls for a little snack. We got an iced coffee and this beauty - the red velvet cupcake.

Once cut in two:

We both really liked this cupcake! The cake was moist and the cream cheese icing was delicious. I also loved the chocolate/toffee bits on top. I would definetely get this again. Be prepared to share, these cupcakes are massive! The coffee was just regular coffee on ice. We added real cream (yay for real cream!) and sweet and low to sweeten it up a bit. It was ok and a good caffeine boost.

We had a 2:00 p.m. ADR at Sci Fi Dine-In and I was really excited about it! I didn't have any expectations for the food, we were really going for the experience.

They were quite busy and we had a 20 minute wait, which was the longest on the trip. They were not taking walk-ups at that time either. Here I am, waiting patiently, lol! Loved the large benches!

Inside...

We were seated in the front of a car, at the back of the dining room, but we still had a great view of the screen. There is not a bad seat in the place, I think. I can't say that the service was exceptionnal. We waited a long time for the bill and the waiter seemed to disappear a lot during the meal. But it was no biggie, either, we were too concentrated on the screen.

I had a lemonade and, as my main I had chicken wings, but I can't seem to find them on the online menus. They had a sweet and spicy glaze on them and were served with celery sticks and blue cheese sauce.

They also came in a cone, but the server never thought to bring me a dish for the bones. The wings were good and hot, quite spicy and big. I could only eat 3 and I was full.

DH had:
Angus Chuck Burger - flame broiled beef patty topped with cheddar or Swiss cheese, sauteed onions, mushrooms, and crispy bacon, lettuce and vine-ripened tomatoes, served with a choice of cucumber salad or french fries $13.99

I had told them that I had read alot of reviews stating that the burgers were good here, so he wanted to try one. He liked that it was served pink in the middle, since you can't get that here, all ground meats are served well-done in restaurants. Overall, he said it was a good burger. Not as good as those we make at home, but still fairly decent.

We really like the feeling of the place and it was so quiet! Well, except for the screen, but still, it's a great place to chill and eat. I'm not sure if we would come back next trip or if we would try another table service (Brown Derby), but we were happy with Sci-Fi.

We then returned to the hotel for a much needed break, since the park was crowded and it was really hot. Later up - Downtown Disney for dinner.

 

[nanienamou]

After a nap, we went shopping at Downtown Disney. We decided to get dinner at Wolfgang Puck Express:

Oven Roasted Salmon - fennel, tomatoes, arugula, roasted potatoes and horseradish cream $17

This was really good, light and the ingredients were fresh and of great quality. We were impressed by this counter service. The fennel, tomatoes, arugula and cream went so well with the salmon which was perfectly cooked. An awesome dish for a light dinner. We also got a fountain lemonade to go with it.

Afterwards, we stopped at Ghirardelli's for dessert:
Mint Bliss - one scoop of mint chip ice cream, one scoop of chocolate ice cream, dark chocolate hot fudge sauce, whipped cream and a square of Mint Bliss Intense Dark chocolate $8.95

Mint is one of my favourite ice cream flavours, so this was right up my alley. Again, I couldn't eat lots of it because the ice cream is quite rich, but it was divine. DH finished it off without complaining.

Later in the evening, DH decided to stop by Goofy's to get some sweets to eat in our hotel room over the next couple of days. He developed a fondness for Disney cookies while we were there.

So you have a supreme chocolate chip cookie, a peanut butter and chocolate chip cookie (his favorite), a giant fudge oreo (this I did not taste, it was not appealling to me at all, DH said it was quite chocolatey and sweet, but polished it off) and pretzel rods dipped in milk chocolate, which were my favorite.

I always had a fondness for pretzels dipped in chocolate. It has to do with the mix of sweet chocolate, coarse salt and crunchy pretzel. These rods were very good, but since they are kept in a fridge, they tend to get a little soft-ish, but still are very enjoyable. I got some more later in the week.

 

[vettegirl]

Wow that salmon looks amazing. Forget the pizza this time I am getting that.

 

[nanienamou]

We returned to Animal Kingdom that day for rope drop and did the Safari again before heading to Pizzafari for breakfast.

DH had:
Adult Breakfast Platter - scrambled eggs with hash browns, biscuit, and choice of bacon or sausage $6.79

And I had a strawberry parfait that I don't find on Internet. it was the same price as the yogourt, 1.99$

First off, DH was very happy with the price of his plate, since for about the same amount of food, Picabu charged 4 $ more per platter. He found that the food was better, too. However, it was a little greasy, and well, we discovered that Disney bacon was not very good. I've never seen bacon quite so thinly sliced. Anyway, DH's belly was full and he was happy, so I was happy - he tends to be grouchy if he doesn't have a decent breakfast.

The parfait was really good. In fact, I was really surprised with this. The strawberry garnish was not too sweet and the vanilla yogourt was chilled. They sprinkled cereal on top with some raisins, and I mixed it all up. It was also a big portion, DH finished it.

On a side note, Pizzafari is a beautiful restaurant! I loved looking at all the animal murals and decorations while DH was finishing eating. It was also decently quiet, not too crowded. We would return for a quick breakfast when in Animal Kingdom.

We went to FOTLK and then saw Finding Nemo - The Musical. It then started raining and, of, course, I had forgot the ponchos at the hotel, so we were drenched when we arrived at the bus stop. At this point, we were tired and I was miserable and shivering with the A/C in the bus on full blast, I just wanted to go to bed.

It had stopped raining for our ADR at La Hacienda that night so we headed for Epcot. We checked in and were told there might be 10-15 minutes wait. They gave us a pager and we didn't even have time to turn around that it buzzed!

We had a woman server who was very good. I have no complaints with the service at this restaurant!

Now, first off, I ordered this beauty, the reason for my ADR at this place:
Avocado Margarita- El Mayor premium silver tequila, melon liqueur, fresh avocado, agave nectar and fresh lime juice, served frozen with a hibiscus Himalayan salt rim $13.00

This was simply sublime! The avocado added a silky texture to the drink and you could taste melon with a hint of sweetness. The salt also added interet to each sip. Really, an outstanding drink. But it packed a punch, be warned, lol!

The chips with the salsa duo: green was mild, red was hot and smokey.

We decided to share some appies. We had three, which in hindsight was way too much, we should have sticked with two appies. We got:

Queso Fundido - melted cheese with poblano peppers, chorizo, and flour tortillas $12.50

Sopa de Frijol - traditional black bean soup with nopales (cactus leaves), queso franco, and Mexican cream $6.95

Botana - a sampling of Mexican favorites: chicken tostado, Chilorio sope (marinated pork), and cheese empanada $9.95

The queso was good but very rich. When we ordered, we thought it was more of a cheese dip, but it is actually melted cheese, so it congealed quite quickly and was greasy. The chorizo bits on top were really good. We would not order this again, however.

The soup was the star of the three choices. I ordered it mainly for myself, since DH is not too keen on black beans but he ate it more than I did! It was well-seasoned and had a nice spicy kick. The cheese added some creaminess to the soup and the tortilla strips added some crunch. I loved that the server poured the broth at the table. I would order this again as my main.

The Botana was a great sampling. The cheese empenada was just too rich for me, with the dough and melted cheese, but DH loved it. I remember that we both liked the chicken and the pork, but it didn't stand out that much, because we were saturated with all the cheese, I think, lol!

We would go back for the margaritas and the soup, but we would try other appies as well. Everything was freshly prepared and of good quality.

After dinner, as we were getting ready to leave, it started raining again, so we got out the ponchos and headed back to the hotel for an early evening. A couple of hours later, I was hungry, so DH got me a fruit salad at Picabu. It was around 7 $. This was fresh and sweet and huge! I ate about half and then stored it in the fridge for the next day.

 

[nanienamou]

We changed our plans that day because it was pouring and I'm not good at spending the day in the rain, outside.

So we headed to Downtown Disney, our destination being Disney Quest, but first we wanted to have breakfast at Wolfgang Puck Express. We got this:
Omelets
Served with garlic-roasted potatoes
Three Cheese, Tomato and Fontina - mozzarella, goat cheese, and basil $11

This is my comment: Best breakfast potatoes ever!
This is DH's comment: Best omelet ever!

So you can say we were happy with this breakfast! I don't know how they achieve this, but the potatoes were perfectly cooked on the inside, but crispy and perfectly seasoned on the outside. Perfection!

The omelet was light and fluffy, even with all that cheese. We are both goat cheese lover, and it added a little zing to the eggs and tomatoes.

This portion was not the biggest and after sharing, DH was still hungry, so he went back for a brownie. However, they didn't have any, so the cashier gave hime a free cookie! He was really happy with it. I didn't taste it, but it seems that it was choc. chip and toffee or caramel bits.

I also got a coffee.

We made our way to DisneyQuest by going through stores so we didn't get to wet. By the end of the morning we got a snack: popcorn and a mango smoothie:

These were both good. The popcorn was fresh and warm, the smoothie was more of a slushie, but it wasn't too sweet.

A couple of hours later, we left Disney Quest and DH was hungry, again. So we stopped at Wolfgang Puck Express West Side. The menu is different from the one at the Marketplace and there is minimum inside seating.

I got:
Tortilla Soup - Fire roasted tomatoes, tortilla strips and goat cheese $4.95

This was good and hot which was just what I was looking for since I was freezing in the A/C. The goat cheese added just enough creaminess and zip to the soup and I loved the crunchy tortilla strips. This was moderately spicy. It's also a big bowl of soup.

DH got:
Oven-Roasted Chicken, Mushroom and Onion Melt - Caramelized onion, mushrooms, sweet red and yellow peppers, mozzarella, chipotle honey sauce $12.95

He was happy with his sandwich. I didn't try it, but it seemed pretty good. I did taste the homemade chips and those were really good, especially when I dunked them in the soup. We also got a lemonade. I must say that we were really liking the Minute Maid Light lemonade in the fountains. We don't have that around here and it was a great change.

We then stopped at the Candy Cauldron for another sweets spree. DH chose these:

Milk chocolate mammoth with pecans and caramel. I didn't taste this, but DH really liked this.

Mickey peanut butter cup. This was really good. Better than Reeses', for sure. One of our favorite snacks.

Two milk-chocolate pretzels, again. These were awesome.

A giant milk chocolate dipped Mickey cookie. I didn't even get a bite of this. DH ate it all while I was napping one afternoon. He is now addicted to Disney cookies.

A caramel roll. We only ate 1/2, the rest traveled with us back home and our kids finished it. It was good but very sweet, as should be expected.

A chocolate fudge piece that again traveled with us back to our kids. I didn't try it since I'm not a fudge person, but DH said it was sickly sweet. The kids liked it, though.

We were back early at the hotel and at 10:00 o'clock, DH went to get some sushi from Kimono's at the Swan.

Shrimp Tempura Roll $8.25
Bagel Roll - smoked salmon, cream cheese, cucumber $7.50
Spicy Rainbow Roll - spicy tuna, various fish, avocado $11.50

These were really good! Made to order, as it should be, but there was a long wait, DH said the bar was under-staffed. The rainbom roll was made with tuna and salmon. The batter on the tempura roll was still warm and a little sweet. It was delicious. Good quality and the price was not bad, either. We would certainly go back or get some take-out from Kimono's again.

 

[LMO429]

great report!