Walking Softly and Carrying a Big Stick with a Carnivore, Herbivore, and Omnivore

[VBsHustla]

Kona Café – breakfast

Atmosphere – We arrived at Kona Café after canceling our ADR at Chef Mickey's (due to the incredibly loud construction noises and visible dust ). We had an ADR for Kona for later in the week, but were eager to get out of the Contemporary and try Kona, so we had no problem changing our plans. We were incredibly relieved to walk into a quiet Polynesian and be seated immediately in an almost empty Kona Café. It was 11:00 am when we arrived (we had spent the morning with EMH at the Magic Kingdom), and we were hungry and ready to relax! Kona at this time was the perfect spot to do this! Though we were on the DDP, we paid out of pocket for this meal (since the items were relatively cheap and we wanted to have more sit-down meals than the DDP would allow).

Tonga Toast - banana stuffed sourdough bread, rolled in cinnamon sugar and served with Strawberry Compote (with bacon)

Jen: I had been so excited to try Kona Café's Tonga Toast (we had never been to Kona for breakfast before). However, I have to say I was disappointed in it. I thought the Tonga Toast was way too greasy (and this is coming from someone who lists french fries and other not-so-great-for-me fried items among some of my favorite foods). The cinnamon sugar on the outside of the toast was delicious, and I wish I could have enjoyed more of it, but the outside of the bread was so greasy that I did not eat much of it. I did very much like the warm bananas inside of the Tonga Toast, which I pulled out and ate along with the inner reaches of the sourdough bread. The bacon, which I obviously understood would be greasy, was also too greasy for me to really enjoy. I guess coupled with the overly fried Tonga Toast, it was all just too much for me. I am glad I tried the Tonga Toast, because I had so been looking forward to it, but I would not order it again. I would probably return to Kona and try the Macadamia Nut Pancakes, though!

Tonga Toast - banana stuffed sourdough bread, rolled in cinnamon sugar and served with Strawberry Compote (with potatoes)

Liz: I too was super excited to try the Tonga Toast. Since cinnamon, sugar, bananas, and strawberries are some of my favorite tastes I thought it would be my top dish of the trip. However, I too found the toast way too greasy and sugary to enjoy. The inside banana portion was good, but had I eaten the entire toast I can guarantee that I'd have had a terrible tummy ache for the rest of the day. The potatoes were great though. They had a nice seasoning and were not dry at all. I also enjoyed a glass of Lilikoi juice which was sweet and delicious- I didn't even know that I liked passion fruit or guava juice!

Plain pancakes with fruit

Laura: I was extremely disappointed when the chef told me I couldn’t have Tonga Toast! I’ve wanted to try it for years. However, in hindsight, I’m glad I couldn’t have it, because Jen and Liz told me that I would have died if I had even tried a bite of it. They said I would have absolutely hated it. I’m not a fan of greasiness or really heavy food, even though I essentially subsist entirely on carbohydrates. The chef said he could make me waffles with no problem (the waffle process is completely nut free at all times.) The French toast was off limits entirely, because the bread was not guaranteed to be nut free, (also why the Tonga Toast isn’t okay). The fried items (like the potatoes and the meat) seemed to be okay for those with nut allergies, but only if the chef prepares it separately. The chef who talked to me gave me a ton of options. I asked if I could have plain pancakes. He had a separate griddle that does not come in any contact with the macadamia nut pancakes, so he was happy to do this, but he warned me that mine wouldn’t look as pretty as everyone else’s! Although I wasn’t all that excited to just have plain pancakes, they turned out to be delicious! I loved them. I see that in my notes I have written “water – the Floridian variety,” so I’m guessing that the water here wasn’t the best! The atmosphere at this restaurant could not have been more delightful. It was mostly couples eating around this time, and they were all really nice, not rushing, and extremely enthusiastic about our tiaras!

Snacks
Pineapple Float - pineapple Dole Whip with pineapple juice

Jen: I have always gotten the Dole Whip soft serve, but have never gotten the float. I am so glad I decided to break with tradition and try the float! I love pineapple, pineapple juice, and pineapple soft serve ice cream. This was the perfect treat for a hot day! The pineapple juice, which was not as sweet as the ice cream, was a great complement to the soft serve pineapple ice cream. I will absolutely be getting the float in the future!

Liz: I also had never tried a Dole Whip float before. Usually I just enjoy a bite or two of Jen's Dole Whip, so having my own was also a unique experience. I love pineapple juice so the addition of it to the Dole whip was a great combo. It was a sweet treat but I finished it all and found it refreshing in the middle of the hot afternoon.

Mickey Premium bar

Laura: My first Premium of the trip! I was so pleased to be reuniting with my number one treat. This particular Premium was faultless in every way: frozen to perfection and the perfect ice cream to chocolate ratio.

 

[VBsHustla]

Mama Melrose's – dinner

Atmosphere – We've gone to Mama Melrose a few times in the past, and have always enjoyed it. The inside of the restaurant is cozy and homey. It's like many of the family-owned Italian restaurants we're used to visiting at home, but of course is a bit more kitschy. None of the restaurants we eat at have Hollywood themes or Christmas lights strung up as décor, but many do have signed headshots of celebrities who have visited and strange background music soundtracks! We paid out of pocket for this meal, so sorry, no dessert reviews!

Oven Baked Chicken alla Parmesan over spaghetti

Jen: I really enjoyed this meal! The chicken was great, the tomato sauce was good (not my favorite, but I'm very particular about my tomato sauce), and the spaghetti was good. I really liked the cheese on top of the chicken parmesan; it had a bit more kick to it than the traditional mozzarella cheese usually found in chicken parmesan. I think it was probably a mixture of mozzarella and parmesan cheese.

Vine-Ripened Tomato Flatbread with sweet basil pesto and caprino cheese

Liz: I cannot say enough about this restaurant. The food is simply what I had been craving since we arrived. My flatbread was the best! Since I am not too adventurous an eater, I usually stick to eating what I know so the flatbread was my obvious choice for this meal. The bread was thin and slightly crispy, there was just the right amount of tomato sauce, and the cheese was delicious! I didn't know what type of cheese caprino was, I am sure glad I tried it again. The size of the pizza was just right and I goobled the whole thing up. In fact, Laura and I still have cravings for these flatbreads weeks after our vacation has ended!

Laura: This pizza is just brilliant! Liz and I are literally still raving about it. Nearly every evening when we ponder our dinner options, we always agree that we wish we could just enjoy that goat cheese pizza again. I should mention that the chef I met here is the greatest! I loved that guy! He basically said there were no nuts at all. Only a few of the dessert options were potentially cross-contaminated, but some weren’t. The chef said he makes his pesto (normally made with tree nuts) completely nut free. I was very excited! I also had a side of spaghetti, which was pretty good, even though nothing could have compared to that great flatbread. Even though I’ve heard a lot of people don’t like this restaurant, I highly recommend it. Definitely my favorite meal of the trip.

 

[DLo]

How sweet - the cake thanking your parents. I wish I had done that last year. Instead, I ordered something from the Disney Florists - not near as nice.

Enjoying your reviews. Sounds like your family had a great time. Like how you give each persons perspective. (is that sooo misspelled?)

Isn't the GF awesome!!

 

[VBsHustla]

How sweet - the cake thanking your parents. I wish I had done that last year. Instead, I ordered something from the Disney Florists - not near as nice.

Enjoying your reviews. Sounds like your family had a great time. Like how you give each persons perspective. (is that sooo misspelled?)

Isn't the GF awesome!!

Thanks for reading! We loved the cake too, and the GF! And you did spell perspective correctly!

 

[iluvpluto27]

Really enjoying your reviews. I didn't love Mama Melroses when we ate there last year but that flatbread looks really good.

 

[Melisa1]

great report and pics!

 

[Leslieann1024]

I'm in ! Seat is in the full upright position, tray table is secured, and the luggage is stowed in the overhead bin - adult alcohol treats and snacks are on the way . . . .

 

[VBsHustla]

Gasparilla Grill – breakfast

Fruit cup

Jen - I had the traditional resort food court fruit cup with cantaloupe, honeydew, and grapes. I was feeling carbed-out already by this point in the trip, so the fruit cup was a nice alternative. All of the fruit was very fresh, and though a bit more difficult to eat on a bus on the way to the Animal Kingdom than a bagel or pastry, I managed just fine!

Bagel

Liz - Enjoyed mine with some strawberry jam as I couldn't find butter. Surprisingly yummy, but it was still a DW bagel so no rave reviews here!

Royal Anandupur Tea Company – snack

Chai Freeze

Jen – The frozen Chai tea was very good, and especially great in the heat of the Animal Kingdom! However, not having a straw really diminished my enjoyment of this frozen treat! As it was a very hot day, the frozen chai melted quickly, leaving ice at the bottom of the cup, and a puddle of chai at the top. With no straw, I was basically drinking cold chai tea, which was fine, but I really liked the frozen chai! I grabbed a spoon as soon as I found one, and enjoyed the frozen chai much more this way! Note: the frozen chai tea did not count as a snack credit.

Captain Cook's – lunch

Multigrain Turkey Club - sliced turkey breast with Swiss cheese, lettuce, tomato, bacon and honey-dijon mayonnaise on a multigrain sunflower bread

Jen – I really enjoyed this sandwich. All of the ingredients were fresh, and it was filling without making me feel stuffed. I had the Polynesian potato chips as my side with the sandwich, and thought they were also good. I really liked Captain Cook's and appreciated that the offerings were different than most of the traditional CS fare. I would definitely go back here for lunch if we had a reason to be passing by or through the Poly.

Kids' Grilled Cheese

Laura - Even though I really liked this meal, they were not exactly the best at dealing with food allergies. I had the children’s grilled cheese with fries, apple sauce, and a Mickey ice cream bar. This was a very confusing transaction apparently! I couldn’t have the adult grilled cheese, according to someone behind the counter preparing the food. He said I can have the kids’ version, because that bread didn’t have nuts. This was perfect, because I just wanted a regular, plain grilled cheese. However, the CMs at the cash register insisted that I had to get a children’s sized beverage (a teeny water bottle) and a pudding cup rather than my beloved Mickey ice cream bar. Liz and I tried to explain that I paid for the adult dining plan and due to food allergies, I have to have the children’s bread, but that the rest of the meal should be the same as an adult meal. They agreed, luckily, because I was ravenously hungry after waiting an hour at the AK for a bus to the GF (which never came, which is why we went to the Poly and were too hungry to even wait for the monorail ride!) Anyway, this is a really nice CS place. I positively adored my grilled cheese and greatly wish WDW still had grilled cheese in more of the CS restaurants. The apple sauce was particularly excellent today, as well. By the time we ate our ice cream bars, though, they were certainly well on their way to melting. Eating it was still a glorious experience, even if I did have to do it with a fork!

Adults' Grilled Cheese

Liz - I had the adult's grilled cheese without the blue cheese. I was pretty impressed with the selection at Captain Cook's. The bread was fresh, the Polynesian chips were great and though my sandwich was a little greasy, it was pretty delicious. Though the atmosphere of Captain Cook's was a little lacking, I would definitely go back for lunch anytime. I especially enjoyed my premium bar for dessert!

 

[VBsHustla]

Yachtsman Streakhouse – dinner

Atmosphere – The Yachtsman Steakhouse is classy without being stuffy. The tables are big and there is plenty of space between tables. We had a window table with a nice view of Stormalong Bay and out into the lagoon, which enhanced the subtly nautical feel of the Yachtsman.

Bread – sourdough rolls and onion bread

The sourdough rolls were good, and the onion rolls were great!

Yachtsman Filet Mignon - 8-ounce filet with mashed potatoes and a red wine sauce

Jen - I ordered a medium-cooked filet, which was cooked perfectly. The red wine sauce was delicious and complemented the steak really nicely. The mashed potatoes were good, but not as great as they had been when we were last at the Yachtsman two years ago.

Liz - Filet mignon cooked medium-well (the chef butterflied the steak so as not to burn it) and mashed potatoes. I enjoyed my steak as I did during our last visit, in particular the red wine reduction. However, the potatoes were definitely not as good as last time. They were nowhere near as buttery or fluffy. They were still good though and I would recommend the Yachtsman for the food and the view!

Tomato Salad – with baby arugula, white balsamic vinaigrette and Point Reyes blue cheese; macaroni and cheese; mashed potatoes

Laura - The tomato salad was really good! It was very fresh and came with a bunch of different tomatoes. I had never seen a hot purple tomato before, so it was also quite the learning experience. After hearing about all of my food issues, our waiter and the chef decided I was going to have some sort of ravioli. They let me know that it was great and that I’d be loving it. I hated to break it to them that I don’t like raviolis and that I couldn’t possibly eat such a thing, but it had to be done. Instead I requested macaroni and cheese and mashed potatoes. Two years ago, I had mac and cheese and roasted potatoes here and they were both amazing. It was literally the best mac and cheese I’ve ever had (and I’ve had a lot.) I’ve been looking forward to Yachtsman mac and cheese ever since. Also, everyone who had the mashed potatoes back then was just raving and raving about them, so I knew I had to try those, too. After we ate there, we started talking about the Yachtsman all the time. It’s not unusual for one of us to remark that we wish we were just eating at the Yachtsman. Now, for me, anyway, it’s more like, “I wish I could be eating in the Yachtsman, circa 2006!” Mine was just flat out bad this time around. My mac and cheese literally didn’t have cheese on it. It was basically plain, oddly slimy pasta. Both Jen and Liz tried it and can attest to this unfortunate truth. I didn’t eat much of it. The mashed potatoes were okay, but not very good. Liz confirmed that they, too, have changed since we’d been there last. By the way, since this cost two meal credits, these three items all counted together as a meal. For my dessert, I ordered the crème brulee for my dad to eat.

Chocolate sampler

Jen - The chocolate dessert sampler included a mini chocolate soufflé, which I thought was the best item on the plate (right). It also included a dessert with white chocolate infused with orange, which I found way too orangey (left). The last item was a banana chocolate mousse, which did not taste much like banana, and which overall I thought was fine, but not remarkable (middle). I wouldn't recommend the chocolate sampler, but I was not interested in any of the other dessert offerings, so I'm not sure what I would get instead if the dessert menu is unchanged the next time I return.

Liz - I also had the chocolate sampler platter as I wasn't interested in any of the other desserts. I too found them not to be very good and far too "orangey" like Jen. Next time, I think I'd try the Year of a Million Dreams Strawberry Dessert as it looked much tastier.

Les Vins des Chefs de France – drinks

Grey Goose Citron Lemonade Slush

Jen and Liz both enjoyed Grey Goose lemonade slushes, and they were delicious!

 

[ttalover]

Great pics!! That's too bad about the mac and cheese It's so disappointing when recipes/chefs change in the restaurants and they aren't as good as you remember.

 

[suzimar57]

your reviews and photos are wonderful - and that little castle cake for your parents was adorable!!

 

[DisKate]

Am I to late??? Joining in and hoping that there is more to come...

 

[VBsHustla]

to all of our new readers and those we haven't personally welcomed yet ! We're happy to have you all reading along and glad that you're enjoying our pictures and reviews! We've still got four more days of dining coming, so we hope you'll all pop back in as we update!

 

[VBsHustla]

Frontierland Bakery – breakfast

Chocolate Chip Supreme Cookie

Jen – I used a snack credit for a chocolate chip cookie from the Frontierland bakery. As you can see, this was a very healthy breakfast. This is one of my favorite Disney treats, and it did not disappoint! There are many different kinds of chocolate chips and chocolate chunks (various milk chocolate, dark chocolate, and semi-sweet chocolate tastes), which are all delicious, and the actual cookie part of this cookie is fantastic as well! I've also tried some of the fancier varieties of the Frontierland cookies in the past, like white chocolate and raspberry, and they are also great.

ABC Commissary – breakfast

Toasted cheese bagel

Liz – I was very surprised to see just how crowded the commissary was when we went in to get our bagels. We usually never eat breakfast in the parks, so I was pretty upset the ordering of bagel took as long as it did. My bagel with cheese was pretty good for a Disney bagel and I adored the 4 waters we were presented with. The best part was that we got a giant table area all to ourselves and it was right under a poster for my fav Sally Field series "Brothers & Sisters."

Laura – I loved the process of ordering this insane item! Liz and I had gotten excellent grilled cheeses at the Commissary about three years ago, and by 9 a.m. we were already craving a repeat experience. Unfortunately, the guys who communally took our order told us that they didn't have grilled cheese. So we ordered bagels minus the eggs and bacon aka a slice of cheese on a bagel. We were told we'd be getting four drinks , and apparently we haven't read the Dis thoroughly enough, because we found this to be absurd! Nonetheless, we loved our tray full of waters. The grilled cheese bagel was also excellent, as disgusting as it may appear in the photos! I thought it was great and would fully recommend it as a breakfast treat for grilled cheese lovers everywhere.

Gasparilla Grill – lunch

Tabbouleh Wrap with cucumber salad and brownie

Jen – I really enjoyed the tabbouleh wrap. I had been afraid of eating at Gasparilla Grill because I thought they only had hamburgers and chicken nuggets and that sort of thing, but I was pleasantly surprised by the sandwich area selection. Along with regular sandwiches, they offered the tabbouleh wrap that I got as well as a couple of salads that I was thinking of trying. Anyway, I thought the wrap was great. It was refreshing and filling. I didn't care much for the cucumber salad that I got as my side with the wrap (the other option was cole slaw, I think). The cucumbers were good, but they were in what seemed like Italian dressing that was too overpowering. But I did eat my whole very large wrap, and didn't even have room to try the brownie that I got for my dessert.

Liz – As a picky eater, my selection of the Tabbouleh wrap was quite the surprise to Jen. I really enjoyed the wrap it was fresh and filling. I also thought that the dressing on the cucumber salad was a little too powerful to enjoy it. I was too full to enjoy my brownie right away but ate it a day or two later-- it had gotten even better with age!

Cheese sandwich with cucumber salad and Divvies oatmeal raisin cookies

Laura – I loved the chef who made mine! He was really funny and pretended that the GF didn't have cheese. He said he'd make me anything and kept asking if I wanted anything else other than cheese, lettuce, and tomatoes. I thought this cheese sandwich was one of the greatest meals of the week! It was nice to have something that wasn't greasy. I also didn't really like how powerful the cucumber salad was, but again, it was nice to not eat french fries. My oatmeal cookies were so good! I enjoy the Divvies chocolate chip cookies, but you can definitely tell that they're made without some of the usual cookie ingredients and they seem a bit hard. The oatmeal ones, however, are truly excellent!

 

[VBsHustla]

Cosmic Ray's – dinner

French fries

Jen – This night we were still very full from our lunches, so we just used snack credits to get french fries. It was pretty late when we got the fries, and Cosmic Ray's was basically empty, so I was worried that the fries would not be fresh. However, they were actually great! Essentially fries are fries, so I am probably going to love them no matter what, but these ones were nice and hot and crispy. No complaints from me!

Laura – We were very busy enjoying all our favorite MK spectaculars this evening, so I was pleased with these fries because there was no line to get them, we could eat them while walking, and they were actually quite good!


Main Street Ice Cream Parlor – dessert

The Plaza Ice Cream Sundae - Hot Fudge, whipped cream and a cherry served in waffle bowl

Jen – I got the ice cream sundae with mint chocolate chip ice cream. The last time we were on the dining plan, in August 2006, these ice cream sundaes counted as snack credits (I believe), so I was disappointed to learn that the sundaes no longer counted as snack credits. In years past, these Main Street ice cream sundaes have been some of my favorite things about WDW, however, this year the sundae was a major disappointment. My ice cream was good, the hot fudge was good, the whipped cream was even good, but there was way, way too much of it. My main issue with the sundae I had was that the fudge to whipped cream ratio was astonishingly low, and I really love whipped cream! The waffle bowl was also disgusting. They now make the waffle bowls with cinnamon (which we smelled and thought was a really bizarre thing to smell while waiting in line for our ice cream). I do like cinnamon, but I'm not used to it in my waffle bowls or waffles (though I do admit that it would probably be delicious in hot waffles). It just did not taste good in the waffle bowl. And believe me, cinnamon and mint chocolate chip is not a winning combination. Perhaps just plain vanilla ice cream in the cinnamon waffle bowl would be good, but I was not willing to spend another $5 for what probably would have been another mediocre sundae on this trip to try that out. I'm sad that my favorite sundaes have gone downhill, but the ice cream parlor in Disneyland is better anyway, so I'll just have to hold out hope that they're still serving warm non-cinnamony waffle bowls there.

Liz – My sundae was a little disappointing. I had a waffle bowl sundae with cookie dough ice cream. I am a huge fan of giant desserts and the Main Street Sundae is usually one of my favs. This time around I was sad that the sundae no longer counted on the meal plan as a snack credit. On top of that, I was not given nearly enough hot fudge! They also really ruined the waffle bowl with the edition of the cinnamon. While a nice smell, the taste was just off.

 

[Nohal]

Great review keep it coming. Love the crowns. Food pictures are fabulous.

 

[VBsHustla]

1900 Park Fare – Supercalifragilistic Breakfast

Jen – This restaurant was a last minute addition to our dining adventures, and I am really glad we went here! We stayed at the GF, so it was so nice to be able to walk out of our room just a few minutes before our 8 am ADR and still be one of the first groups seated for the day. I thought they did a great job of seating everyone in an orderly way and keeping the characters coming out at a great pace. The characters here were Pooh, Tigger, Mary Poppins, Alice, and the Mad Hatter. We particularly loved the Mad Hatter! All of the characters even stopped by a second time (to wave or say hi). We did not ask for a second round of pictures with them, so I am not sure if they would do that on their second trip around. I think they probably just came around again because the restaurant was pretty empty the whole time we were eating. I also loved that this meal was so quick. We had a great waitress who kept our orange juice glasses full and brought out our check about 15 minutes after we sat down when we had asked her for it. She said she brings out checks early all the time during breakfast because she understands that people want to get out quickly and get to the parks, and then she brought checks to all of her other tables as well. I thought the food here was really good too.

I tried the strawberry soup, which I thought was pretty good, though I don't like strawberries. I like strawberry artificial flavoring, so I really enjoyed the taste of this, but the main thing that bothers me about strawberries are the little seeds, so those seeds floating around in the soup put me off. If only the soup were pure artificial flavoring and did not pretend to be authentic, I would have been crazy about it!

I ate the scrambled eggs, which were a bit runny for me, but tasted good and were nice and hot, and bacon, which I thought was really good and not too greasy. I loved the Mickey Waffles, which were fluffy and hot (which they are sometimes not at buffets), and the French toast.

The fruit here was really fresh and delicious!

I really enjoyed this meal, and would not hesitate to go back, even if we are not staying at the GF!

Laura – Loved this breakfast! It featured some of my favorite characters, not to mention my all time favorite GF employee. I particularly enjoyed chatting with the Mad Hatter, and I do believe we were seated next to a Diser.

The potatoes weren't good here, but everything else I tried was! I didn't think the Mickey waffles would be that great, but they were the best waffles ever! I ate them plain and they still tasted so good. I also really enjoyed being able to eat my normal breakfast food, oatmeal and bananas, both of which were very good here.

Liz – Really liked this buffet.

My Mickey waffles were delicious and warm. I tried the strawberry soup and wasn't too impressed. I also had fruit that was pretty delicious.

I especially enjoyed our close location to the breakfast! The characters were all great-I especially enjoyed meeting Alice and Mary Poppins (two of my absolute favs!) The service was quick and I was nice and full to start my day in the parks!

Below are some pictures of us with the characters at Park Fare (please scroll down for more food reviews if you don't care to look at us with characters!). Although this restaurant was not in our original plans, we did actually all have the lovely supercalifragilistic shirts you will see below with us because we planned to carry them in our bags on an Epcot day and stick them on when we found Mary Poppins. It turns out we got to wear them for breakfast over our regular shirts and pull them off before we headed to Epcot! In case anyone is dying to get one of these beauties, we got these at the Mary Poppins Broadway show.

 

[VBsHustla]

Mexico Margarita Stand

Fiesta Margarita – lime, strawberry, mango, and green apple margarita

Jen – I don't like margaritas in my regular life, but I just love getting margaritas in Mexico! Part of the thrill for me is walking around Norway with a margarita and riding Maelstrom while enjoying it, but on this day the CMs at the entrance to Maelstrom would not let us take our margaritas on! Anyway, back to the margarita, which I thought was very good. I was surprised to see that kiwi had been changed to green apple since last summer, even though kiwi had probably been my favorite of the fiesta flavors. I thought green apple might be gross with mango, strawberry, and lime, but I think because all the flavors are relatively mild it was actually fine. This was a nice cold treat that actually stayed cold and frozen until I was done with it!

Liz – I was super excited to enjoy a marg on this trip as it was my first over 21 visit to DW. In my regular life I too am not a huge margarita fan, but it seemed a shame not to enjoy one here in Mexico. I think next time I may just go for a single flavor since at the end they all sort of blend together and are sort of yucky and gross. And I was super sad that I had to sit out for a ride on Maelstrom to enjoy it.

Kringla Bakery

School bread

Jen – I had never tried school bread before, but knew that I needed to try it for myself after reading all of the great reviews of it here on the DIS! I am not a big fan of coconut (really like the flavor, but not the texture – hmm are we seeing a theme? Loves artificial fruit flavor, but hates the real thing? Great.), but I knew that I needed to get over that to have a taste of school bread for myself. It turned out that I didn't need to be concerned about my mild disdain for coconut at all; I loved the school bread! It was really sweet and heavy though, so I probably should not have eaten almost the entire thing. I couldn't help myself though, as I thought the bread was perfectly delicious, the icing on the outside was so sweet and just plain good, and the cream on the inside was just sweet enough and light and fluffy. And I though the coconut flavor really enhanced the whole thing. I will definitely be getting this again, but hopefully when I am with a few other people who actually like it so I don't end up eating it all myself!

Liz – I tried a bite of Jen's bread and wasn't a fan at all. I found the bread too greasy, the cream too heavy, and I am not such a huge fan of coconut. In all, I would much rather have a chocolatey treat instead of something so cream filled!

Yorkshire County Fish Shop

Chips

Jen – These were by far the best french fries (er, chips) of the trip! They were so hot, and mildly crispy, and had lots of potatoey goodness oozing out of them. They were also perfectly (i.e. heavily) salted. Even though I was insanely full from my margarita and my school bread, I was so happy I decided to get my own order of chips. Delicious!

Laura – This afternoon was when I heard one of the most outrageous comments of the whole trip! We had just dined at a giant buffet mere hours before, Jen had gotten a giant beverage in Mexico, and was just finishing up a giant Norwegian cake in the America pavilion when she suggested that we should get some fish and chips once we got to England! Still full from my simple oatmeal, I was, quite frankly, appalled! But I couldn't pass up my fav shack/eatery. The fries here are always brilliant! I adored them as I always do. I would agree that they're the best fries WDW has to offer.

Plaza Restaurant – dinner

Atmosphere – We had an ADR for 8 pm here, and were not seated until about 8:50 pm. By far the worst and most annoying wait of our trip. When we went inside, we were even more annoyed to see that there were a few empty tables. The Plaza Restaurant is cute inside, but we were in a bad mood due to our wait and having to listen to Spectromagic while still waiting to have our orders taken, when we had been hoping to be actually watching the parade!

Cheese Steak Sandwich - shaved beef, grilled with onions, mushrooms, red peppers, and white American cheese served on a hoagie roll

Jen – I ordered the cheesesteak, mainly because I didn't know quite what to order, but knew I would rather have french fries than potato salad or potato chips. I've tried a few different things at the Plaza over the years, and honestly haven't liked any of them, so I definitely wanted to try something new. Unsurprisingly, I didn't really like this either. Everything tasted okay (nothing disgusting in the dish), but it was entirely unremarkable. I only really ate a few bites of this.

Vegetarian Sandwich - fresh mozzarella, hummus, basil pesto, cucumber, roasted red pepper, vine-ripened tomato, and lettuce on a freshly baked foccaccia bread served with sweet potato chips

Liz – Despite the horrible wait time and service at the Plaza restaurant, I thoroughly enjoyed my sandwich. The cucumbers, tomatoes, and cheese were fresh and tasty. My favorite part as always is the sweet potato chips! They are greasy though! By far one of my prefered foods from the Magic Kingdom.

Laura – This was the worst! I ordered mine without the hummus, pesto, and peppers. Our food took about an hour to come out (even after it had taken an hour for us to be seated), and when mine came out, I picked it up, took a bite out of it, and then saw the bottom of the bread, a few inches away from where I ate it, was covered in pesto! I was convinced that I would go into anaphylaxis. I went to the bathroom to wash it off of me, and Jen had to come in case she needed to administer an epipen. I was very upset and frightened by this whole situation! The waiter didn't really know what to do. He said they'd make me a new one, but I said I didn't want to eat anything else. They didn't charge us, by the way. I just find it strange that this place always seems very uninformed about allergies. I've been there a couple of times, and they never send a chef out and once the waitress seemed very annoyed when I asked her if an item was okay. I would definitely not recommend that food allergic people eat here.

 

[keelyhealthnut]

I've really been enjoying this review - especially as a vegetarian!

That taboulleh wrap looks phenomenal!