We're back & better than ever - Complete!

[DonaldDoleWhip]

After a quick breakfast in the lounge, I did some park hopping between DHS and MK. Both parks were pretty quiet on Tuesday, which made it easy to score a walk-in lunch at Liberty Tree Tavern.

Even before arriving at the restaurant, I knew I wanted to order the colony salad: Washington apples, sweet pecans, Applewood-smoked cheddar (I asked for it on the side), craisins, grilled chicken, field greens, and a honey-shallot vinaigrette (also on the side as requested). It arrived at the table within 5 minutes of ordering - I was impressed, since modified dishes usually take longer.

I enjoyed this salad even more than I thought I would - the chicken was warm and moist, and the flavor combinations were great. The cheese in particular was awesome - it had a smoky (but not overwhelming) flavor that was perfect with the sweet pecans, apples, and cranberries.

For dessert, I was torn between the ooey gooey toffee cake and Johnny Appleseed's cake; ultimately, the latter option won out. This cake is a "tavern-made white cake filled with apples and Craisins dried cranberries, topped with ice cream".

I’m really happy I chose this dessert – the cake was warm and had an unexpectedly dense texture, and the flavor strongly reminded me of apple pie (with some tartness shining through from the chewy craisins). The generous addition of ice cream only enhanced the dish even more; very few things can beat a warm, decadent dessert accompanied by cool, creamy ice cream (see ‘Ohana's bread pudding for reference ).

Overall, Liberty Tree Tavern was awesome, and I enjoyed this meal much more than my last lunch here in 2010. In fact, I’d like to fit in another LTT lunch during our next trip whenever that is, and I can’t wait to get that salad again (and possibly try the ooey gooey toffee cake – it sounds like one of those must-do WDW indulgences ).

 

[chocolateMinnie]

Wow a CL upgrade - lucky lucky you Looking forward to your reviews.

 

[auntfrannie]

LTT is one of my favorites for lunch! I've never been disappointed in any of choices. The Colony Salad is delicious!

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

Wow a CL upgrade - lucky lucky you Looking forward to your reviews.

Thanks for reading! Can't wait to post more reviews.

LTT is one of my favorites for lunch! I've never been disappointed in any of choices. The Colony Salad is delicious!

That colony salad really is delicious! It's nice to have something (relatively) healthy that also tastes great - I didn't even need the dressing at all.

 

[wilma-bride]

So pleased for your great upgrade - lucky you. The CL offerings for breakfast look plentiful and varied, enough to set you up for the day.

I am not - in any way, shape or form - a salad person but, oh my, that Colony Salad looks fantastic. My mouth is watering (never thought I'd see the day where I drooled over a salad)

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

So pleased for your great upgrade - lucky you. The CL offerings for breakfast look plentiful and varied, enough to set you up for the day.

I am not - in any way, shape or form - a salad person but, oh my, that Colony Salad looks fantastic. My mouth is watering (never thought I'd see the day where I drooled over a salad)

We really enjoyed the CL offerings at Beach Club - it was such a nice surprise being able to use the lounge.

And that salad was really, really good - I prefer it over the pilgrim's feast that I had at LTT two years ago. Definitely worth drooling over.

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

On my way out of MK, I had a sudden craving for something sweet. I'd seen lots of recent buzz about Disney cake pops, and I finally caved and got one from the Main Street Confectionery.

Is that food? It's too adorable to eat!

It's hard to tell from the outside, but this is a red velvet cake pop with white chocolate coating and marshmallow ears.

To start, I took a bite from one of the ears. An immediate sugar overload ensued. I enjoyed the crunchy sugar coating with sweet, creamy white chocolate and fluffy marshmallow.

Eventually, I made my way to the center, where a dense red velvet cake filling was waiting. The filling was less gooey than the cake pop filling I'm used to (Starbucks). Frankly, I'm not sure which I prefer.

My favorite 'section' of the cake pop was where the marshmallow joined up with the red velvet cake. I enjoyed the combo of marshmallow, chocolate, cake, and coating. Once the marshmallow ears were finished and I'd taken a few bites of red velvet cake, I really couldn't keep going.

This is a super sweet snack, but it's tons of fun and I recommend trying it. Ideally, I would split with someone, since finishing the whole thing seems a bit too dangerous.

 

[deenbrad]

That salad from LTT looks great! And I think I got a cavity from just looking at that cake pop!

 

[creativeamanda]

Man, oh man. My teeth are hurting. Looks delicious, though!

 

[mousegear]

I actually made ADR at LTT for lunch and going to make an effort keeping this time! I'm glad to see a positive review!

 

[Smiling Cheshire Cat]

I've always wanted to try the Colony Salad at LTT. Looks so yummy!

 

[wilma-bride]

I can't wait to try a cake pop on our next trip. Do they come in any different colours? Not sure I can bring myself to eat blue food.

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

That salad from LTT looks great! And I think I got a cavity from just looking at that cake pop!

I'm sure I got quite a few cavities during this trip - hopefully the salad made up for it.

Man, oh man. My teeth are hurting. Looks delicious, though!

It was really good, but incredibly sweet! Tonga Toast has a new diabetes-inducing rival.

I actually made ADR at LTT for lunch and going to make an effort keeping this time! I'm glad to see a positive review!

Hope you get to try LTT lunch - I highly recommend the colony salad, but many of their dishes get decent reviews.

I've always wanted to try the Colony Salad at LTT. Looks so yummy!

Hopefully you can try it eventually! It's a great salad.

I can't wait to try a cake pop on our next trip. Do they come in any different colours? Not sure I can bring myself to eat blue food.

I remember seeing them in a variety of colors, such as dark blue and red. In fact, some of them weren't colored at all - they were simply coated in chocolate. Honestly, I chose this one mainly because it was blue.

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

After some more park hopping, I found myself in Epcot, where I was excited to try some small plates at Tutto Gusto. Tutto Gusto is still brand new, having just opened its doors on May 1st.

The menu items are divided into a variety of choices: meats, cheeses, sandwiches, small plates, pasta, and desserts. I decided to try a trio of cheeses and one of the small plates.

For my cheese trio, I asked for the fontina, mozzarella, and La Tur (a dense, creamy blend of cow, goat, and sheep's milk from Piedmont). However, when it arrived, the server said "robiola" instead of fontina. Robiola is a bit stronger and tangier than fontina, but I decided that I wouldn't say anything and would try it anyway.

The robiola is on the left, La Tur is in the middle, and the focaccia rustica (served with all meats and cheeses) is on the right. Both of these cheeses were really pungent (which is great for people with a stronger cheese affinity), but I couldn't finish them. The focaccia was extremely firm and chewy - it took some effort to gnaw through the bread, but I liked it.

The mozzarella (served on a separate plate) was an absolute star! Served with olive oil and plenty of sea salt on the plate, it was creamy and delicious. I could've licked the plate clean (but I didn't have room to finish it because I over-ordered).

For my small plate, I decided to pick something more adventurous - the insalata di mare trapanese. This is a Sicilian-inspired seafood salad with squid, octopus, shrimp, lemon, and extra virgin olive oil. I've practically never eaten calamari (and I haven't enjoyed it when I tried it), and I've never had octopus before, so this was a huge risk.

It definitely seemed like the ingredients were high quality. Some of my friends recently told me that octopus tastes very different from squid (which doesn't really have a strong flavor profile to me), and they were right. Both the squid and octopus were chewy as expected, but the octopus had a unique flavor (it was almost meaty to me) and a fishy aftertaste. I don't think squid and octopus are my favorite proteins. However, the dish was seasoned well (lots of olive oil, sea salt, and leafy greens), and I was able to finish all the pieces of seafood.

Overall, I really liked Tutto Gusto. It's a great place to grab some small plates and enjoy a beverage in a relaxed atmosphere. Small plates are wonderful because you can take risks and try something different (without laying out too much money and receiving a portion that's too much). I'm happy I tried some cheeses and seafood I haven't tried before, and I have a feeling that their other dishes are also excellent.

 

[vettegirl]

Thanks for sharing the cake pop, looks wonderful

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

Thanks for sharing the cake pop, looks wonderful

It was such a fun treat! I hope you get to try it, but be prepared for a sugar rush!

 

[iloveeeyore]

Mmmmmm. Cake Pop! That thing looks so delicious! I also LOVE the blueness of it, and would be totally drawn to it for that reason alone. I also adore red velvet cake, and that one looks like a nice, moist, dense, rich one...(can you hear me drooling?), and white chocolate...YUM!

Now I have to work that in to my snack strategy!

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

Mmmmmm. Cake Pop! That thing looks so delicious! I also LOVE the blueness of it, and would be totally drawn to it for that reason alone. I also adore red velvet cake, and that one looks like a nice, moist, dense, rich one...(can you hear me drooling?), and white chocolate...YUM!

Now I have to work that in to my snack strategy!

The red velvet cake pop sounds like a perfect choice for you! Good luck with your snack strategy - there's just so many amazing snacks to try at WDW, it's never possible to fit them all in (as hard as we might try ).

 

[Ginamarie]

Yum! Loving your report already.

 

[cbg1027]

I havent been on the DIS much lately, but I was glad to see one of my favorite dining reviewers is back at it.

I cannot wait to try Tutto Gusto, the cheeses look right up my alley!