Zero Forky's Given - An August 2019 Dining Report - Completed 8/18

[missjackiemcg]

Dinner was at the Swan and Dolphin where just about the only childcare center on property remains - “Camp Dolphin.” Even better you get two hours free if you eat in one of their restaurants so double score.

Well, that's pretty amazing that they offer it for free....and then I saw the picture and though...hmmm, less amazing.

To start Jason got a beer that my very discerning notes deemed “local.”

Local AND in a cool glass!

This lab experiment in a glass has to be one of the coolest and best deals on property. The drink itself was a little sweet for my liking but it was $7 and full of alcohol so of course I had two.

Now THAT'S a score!!! Looks pretty awesome, and great price, too!

To continue the fanciness Shula’s brings you a selection of steak knives to pick for your meal.

A selection so one can be fancy, and also keep one's table mates in line for the duration of the meal!!

It doesn’t get more old school then this classic side and we were not disappointed. It was over the top creamy and garlicy and cheesy and everything you want creamed spinach to be. Popeye would be proud.

I'm always amazed when I see something like this and think how DELICIOUS it looks!!! and then think about the fact that I would eat THIS but not mushrooms

In case it is not evident a full 5 forky’s were definitely given as this was without question the best meal of the trip.

Did they serve Casey dinner at the work camp? Or did she starve on this evening?

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Casey didn't know the name of the land...... I don't know if I can allow her to be friends with Gwen anymore....

It doesn’t look that bad from the picture (stolen from the dark internet) but this is literally the entirety of the “camp.”

It looks like a daycare facility...

filet blow yah Raman’s away good char but not overly so pick inieifr but could cut moist.”

Gwen might argue with you on that one. Ramen is her favorite right now...

The “sour” of the bread was pretty strong, but delicious. Like everything else Dolphins related in the restaurant, my wonderful husband surmised that their sourdough starter likely owes its lineage to butt yeast from the 1973 Dolphins. Not hard to imagine how he woo’d me, huh?

Oh, football puns...

Up next, drinking before noon galactic style.

YEAH!!!!

 

[Wood Nymph]

While they do not take Tables in Wonderland thanks to an amazing tip from @Raeven I signed up for Shula’s rewards program which comes with a free steak for your birthday! My steak was $54 so this was much better than a Tables in Wonderland Discount!

I have heard only good things about Shula's. I'll have to look into the rewards program.

I'm glad that Casey survived her experience. It must not have been too bad or she would have laid on a little guilt.

 

[ThreeBoyMama]

Are these the faces of guilt-ridden parents or what?

Yes I was thinking as I saw that picture "wow, I hope they're not so guilt ridden that they're not having fun."

Looks like an awesome dinner. That steak was cooked perfectly and the creamed spinach looked amazing. Cute dress by the way! You guys clean up nice

 

[lvcourtneyy]

“Camp Dolphin.” Even better you get two hours free if you eat in one of their restaurants so double score.

Sounds good in theory!

But we had drinkin' to do so I begrudgingly left my child with the humorless staff member running what I deemed a child labor camp.

builds character!

This lab experiment in a glass has to be one of the coolest and best deals on property. The drink itself was a little sweet for my liking but it was $7 and full of alcohol so of course I had two.

That's pretty cool and $7 is basically free in Disney!

my wonderful husband surmised that their sourdough starter likely owes its lineage to butt yeast from the 1973 Dolphins.

To continue the fanciness Shula’s brings you a selection of steak knives to pick for your meal.

Oo I like the one in the back

While they do not take Tables in Wonderland thanks to an amazing tip from @Raeven I signed up for Shula’s rewards program which comes with a free steak for your birthday!

That's awesome! Good tip to remember.

 

[kastoney]

You guys both look great! It can be so fun to get dressed up for a special dinner.

Thanks so much! I'm definitely more of a flip flops and jeans kinda girl but dressing up every once in a while can be fun.

BlueZoo's happy hour is undoubtedly a hidden gem -- don't go telling everyone! They have so many fun and creative cocktails. Next time, if not waiting on a dinner reservation, try the crab nachos -- SO good.

It will be our little secret. Every time we go there we always wonder why we don't go more often as the food and drinks are always good. Happy Hour is so my vibe. I'll definitely have to give the nachos a whirl next time.

I went to Shula's for the first time last year and got a strip...NY or Kansas City I dont remember, but the steak was SO good and the TRUFFLE BUTTER on top!!!!! Oh my God.

So you know the utter joy first hand then. The steaks are amazing but put that truffle butter on top and OMG doesn't even begin to describe it

Sadly, it's not the best place for a solo diner. What with the 6 different waiters for me, who eats her food at light speed, I felt a touch awkward. The steak was worth it!

I can definiely see that. Those waiters are all over you. I got up to go to the bathroom twice and Jason said I was gone for about 10 seconds before they had taken my napkin, brought me a new one, and got any crumbs off the table. I saw a lot of people eating in the bar though which would be a good solo option.

Glad you had such an amazing Shula's experience! That steak looks so good right now and chocolate soufflé's done right are so good that's why they are so classic!

Classic sums it up perfectly. Little can be better then the classic done right and Shula's definitely excels in that department.

Wow that meal looks amazing, I’m so glad you had an awesome Birthday meal!
Funny post as usual which we all need right now!

Thanks Caroline! It was definitely a great way to celebrate my birthday. Glad I could bring a little disney fun your way!

So glad you enjoyed Shula’s. We were so impressed with the service there, definitely a step up from most WDW dining. Jealous of the soufflé! We ordered one but after hearing it would take 25 minutes we were too full and tired to wait. Rookie move.

Their service was certainly out of this world. Maybe a little over the top, but we appreciated it. We've only ever been to one other place where the service was that attentive and that meal cost about 4 times what this one did.

Our waiter had let us know that if we thought we wanted the souffle to order it with our entrees so they could time it right. Good thing he did or else we may have been too full and would have missed out.

Wow! You guys look awesome! It's weird seeing you looking so serious

Thanks! I know us acting like a normal family is certainly out of character for us.

It looks amazing, we'll definitely have to check it out

It really is worth a visit. I'd read it was the best steak on property for years but thought there was no way a place owned by a football coach could be that good. I was thankfully very, very wrong

She looks cozy. I hope you made it to Galaxy's Hedge!

We never did find that shrub

Beautiful photo, Kari!!!

Thanks Tracy! We can clean up nicely eery once in a while.

Good choice. Sometimes drinking just comes down to efficiency

Yep. And I certainly excel at that. Sometimes too much

Always enjoy Casey's recaps! "How were extra magic hours?" "Horrible" Though... she speaks the truth, I'm afraid

Truth she does speak. I love how even Casey realized that there was nothing magical about those hours

 

[kastoney]

Well, that's pretty amazing that they offer it for free....and then I saw the picture and though...hmmm, less amazing.

Most definitely brought to you by Marriott and not Disney. I would much rather have paid full price and had one of the old Disney facilities. They were a millon times better.

Now THAT'S a score!!! Looks pretty awesome, and great price, too!

When a cocktail costs as much as a Miller Lite you know its a score

I'm always amazed when I see something like this and think how DELICIOUS it looks!!! and then think about the fact that I would eat THIS but not mushrooms

I think when I think about you thinking about that fact that you are 1000% correct. Spinach = Good Mushrooms = Bad Those are words to live by right there

Did they serve Casey dinner at the work camp? Or did she starve on this evening?

I think they gave her a piece of wonder bread and some water They did feed them though I have zero recollection about what she had or what the options were.

Casey didn't know the name of the land...... I don't know if I can allow her to be friends with Gwen anymore....

Don't tell Gwen, but Casey has never even seen a Star Wars movie

Gwen might argue with you on that one. Ramen is her favorite right now...

Well if its Gwen's favorite then we will go with that. Casey loves Ramen too! There is an Asian grocery store right by our house where you can get Ramen from China, Korea and Japan. So good!!!!

Oh, football puns...

He's a punny guy

I have heard only good things about Shula's. I'll have to look into the rewards program.

The rewards program is a great deal. It is not loyalty based at all and you get the voucher for your birthday no matter how long you've been a member

I'm glad that Casey survived her experience. It must not have been too bad or she would have laid on a little guilt.

You've got that right. There were 2 girls there her age so I think spending time with other little people was a respite from her parents.

Yes I was thinking as I saw that picture "wow, I hope they're not so guilt ridden that they're not having fun."

We did have fun, but we really were feeling guilty about it. Wine and cocktails helped with that though

Cute dress by the way! You guys clean up nice

Thanks! I hate shopping and am a cheapskate so the dress is Old Navy's $10 finest

builds character!

I'll have to remember that next time. It's really about her toughening up, not me

That's pretty cool and $7 is basically free in Disney!

Compared to everywhere else on property its almost like they were paying us to drink it

That's awesome! Good tip to remember.

Its an amazing deal for absolutely nothing other then spending 2 minutes signing up. You could also strategically time your "birthday" with a Disney trip.

 

[Raeven]

But this filet was so good I don’t even need my tipsy notes as it Blew. Me. Away. The steak had an amazing char on the outside, but was cooked perfectly medium rare on the inside. It was delicious on its own but add in the decadent truffle butter and it just put it over the top. It was so tender I really didn’t even need my fancy knife. And it was quickly evident Yachtsman Steakhouse (aka yah Raman’s) didn’t even hold a candle to it.

That's what I usually get too, and it's so good!

This was perfectly good mac and cheese (or “okie no jiko” as my notes said) but in a meal of outstanding dishes it was just fine and nowhere near the level of the mac and cheese at Jiko.

I felt the same way about the mac and cheese, I tried it last time I was there, and it was good but I expected it to be a little better since most their food is amazing.

It was simultaneously light and rich and the perfect ending to my early birthday meal.

I rarely ever make it to dessert there, but the one time I did I had that and it was delicious!

This was our first visit to Shula’s and it will undoubtedly not be our last.

I'm so glad you finally got to eat there!

While they do not take Tables in Wonderland thanks to an amazing tip from @Raeven I signed up for Shula’s rewards program which comes with a free steak for your birthday! My steak was $54 so this was much better than a Tables in Wonderland Discount!

I'm glad you got to take advantage of the birthday coupon! We haven't been there near anyone's birthday in the last few years, but it's an amazing deal.

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

I got a Happy Hour special the Smoking Sangria cocktail

Oooh I want one! Now! And it's only 11am

it was $7 and full of alcohol so of course I had two.

Sensible lass

Throughout Happy Hour we were concerned about Casey and the labor camp we’d dropped her off at. We contemplated skipping dinner but ultimately figured a couple hours of forced labor wouldn’t kill her.

Character building for sure! Toughen her up no end

Are these the faces of guilt-ridden parents or what?

Absolutely!

Shula’s is really an old fashioned steakhouse in the best of ways.

Perfect

the ambiance that included pictures of men performing Greco-Roman wrestling

What's not to love

To wash down our butt yeast bread we got a bottle of Freemark Abbey Cabernet Sauvignon

As you do!

Shula’s brings you a selection of steak knives

I find the idea of you, Jason and steak knives together very scary indeed!!!!!!!!!!

This was our first visit to Shula’s and it will undoubtedly not be our last.

The food looks so tasty even I might manage a less-than-incinerated steak!

a free steak for your birthday!

Sounds like a great night altogether and good to see you remembered the offspring at the end

 

[Avery&Todd]

Shula's look soooooo good!! When DH and I went last Feb for our first kid-free trip we stay at the Dolphin since it was FREEEE with Southwest points and I truly pondered eating there one night but I just couldn't give up a Disney dinner since we were only there a few nights!

Your TR is keeping up my sad Disney spirits as I feel the chances of our June trip happening are slipping away! (Even though if they're open my plans are to be there! DH has already said that we could drive if we needed to stay away from the airports still)

 

[Deploraboo]

Be honest here, when/if we do go back, Swan and Dolphin and Coronado Springs GDT 100%. Amazing value.

 

[Jenny Sanders]

This lab experiment in a glass has to be one of the coolest and best deals on property. The drink itself was a little sweet for my liking but it was $7 and full of alcohol so of course I had two.

OMG!!! I must get this!!!! I think this drink should be named Jenny's Sangria Bomb! LOL!

Clearly not everyone got the fancy memo.

Umm, they never do!!!!

It was simultaneously light and rich and the perfect ending to my early birthday meal.

This looked absolutely decadent.

This was our first visit to Shula’s and it will undoubtedly not be our last. From the butt yeast bread to the candy steak, every detail of the meal and service was near perfection. While they do not take Tables in Wonderland thanks to an amazing tip from @Raeven I signed up for Shula’s rewards program which comes with a free steak for your birthday! My steak was $54 so this was much better than a Tables in Wonderland Discount!

Joe and I have never dined here.
I think it needs to be added to our must try list.
Umm, you cannot beat a free steak at a high end restaurant. Great tip @Raeven !!!

 

[tweetylori]

I'm regretting even more that I didn't try the Smoking Sangria at BlueZoo!

 

[DLo]

Shula’s looks amazing. We went several years ago for DH birthday . My last few trips have been solo and haven’t wanted to go there by myself. But definitely want to return . I love a good steakhouse.

 

[ariane37]

Tonight in honor of the anniversary of the day of my birth that was just 4 short days away Jason and I decided to roll solo and leave Casey locked up in the bathroom in our room.

Yes! One of tons of reasons we're friends. Do it before they're too old to bust out.

Happy Hour special the Smoking Sangria cocktail with Moscato, 4 oranges Florida vodka, St. Germain elderflower and Solerno blood orange liqueur finished with liquid nitrogen.

OMG I must get this, even if we only do Happy Hour and don't eat there. You know it's totally me!

We contemplated skipping dinner but ultimately figured a couple hours of forced labor wouldn’t kill her.

I would expect nothing less from you guys

Clearly not everyone got the fancy memo.

Yeah but hey, nobody seems to be wearing a tablecloth - correct? So it's a win for Dug!

But this filet was so good I don’t even need my tipsy notes as it Blew. Me. Away.

I believe this is what Raeven always gets and also what I would probably get here. Her reviews really make me want to try it but being a chain Steve as yet has no interest. Hoping when I tell him you HIGHLY recommend it he changes his mind! Especially since we weren't thrilled with our last meal at Yachtsman.

First up we have the Creamed Spinach.

Welp you just ruined it all......................

 

[kastoney]

I felt the same way about the mac and cheese, I tried it last time I was there, and it was good but I expected it to be a little better since most their food is amazing.

Yeah it was pretty standard compared to every other signature mac we've had. As I recall we've had it at Jiko, Yacthsman, and Narcoossee's and all were leap years ahead of this one

I rarely ever make it to dessert there, but the one time I did I had that and it was delicious!

I don't think we would have either had we not had to order it at the beginning of the meal. Little trick they played on my tipsy empty tummy

I'm glad you got to take advantage of the birthday coupon! We haven't been there near anyone's birthday in the last few years, but it's an amazing deal.

I seriously can't thank you enough for the tip. Amazing deal I would never have known about otherwise

Oooh I want one! Now! And it's only 11am

Its 4pm here but I've wanted one since 11 too Been a good girl today but happy hour begins at 5!

I find the idea of you, Jason and steak knives together very scary indeed!!!!!!!!!!

Lets be clear its Jason that really worries us all

The food looks so tasty even I might manage a less-than-incinerated steak!

You're better than me. No way I could manage an incinerated steak

Shula's look soooooo good!! When DH and I went last Feb for our first kid-free trip we stay at the Dolphin since it was FREEEE with Southwest points and I truly pondered eating there one night but I just couldn't give up a Disney dinner since we were only there a few nights!

FREE!!!!!!!! Maybe I should be flying Southwest more!

I can totally see why you would skip it for actual Disney dining but if you've got more than a few days to spend its certainly worth a whirl

Your TR is keeping up my sad Disney spirits as I feel the chances of our June trip happening are slipping away! (Even though if they're open my plans are to be there! DH has already said that we could drive if we needed to stay away from the airports still)

I'm so glad to hear that. Work is keeping me busier than I expected but keeping this going is fueling my soul too. We were supposed to be in Disneyland next week. We cancelled for non-covid reasons but still sucks. Hoping for a redo in August

Be honest here, when/if we do go back, Swan and Dolphin and Coronado Springs GDT 100%. Amazing value.

 

[kastoney]

OMG!!! I must get this!!!! I think this drink should be named Jenny's Sangria Bomb! LOL!

I have a feeling if you can toss back enough during happy hour and do a little monorail pole dance you just might have a chance at that happening

Joe and I have never dined here.
I think it needs to be added to our must try list.

Its definitely worth a visit. Even if you don't go to the restaurant they have a really nice bar there that is definitely more upscale (in a good way) then the typical Disney ones

I'm regretting even more that I didn't try the Smoking Sangria at BlueZoo!

What do you know, I'm just regretting that I didn't have more

Shula’s looks amazing. We went several years ago for DH birthday . My last few trips have been solo and haven’t wanted to go there by myself. But definitely want to return . I love a good steakhouse.

I was pretty surprised at how good it was. They do have a great bar too so if you're solo it would be a great place to have a meal and a fantastic steak

OMG I must get this, even if we only do Happy Hour and don't eat there. You know it's totally me!

You were the first one I thought of!!!! We'll have to do Happy Hour here sometime. The bar was literally empty and we could just own the place!!!!

Yeah but hey, nobody seems to be wearing a tablecloth - correct? So it's a win for Dug!

That is true. In the rock paper scissors of Disney dining tablecloth beats race clothes beats hoochie mama shorts beats dug beats men wrestling. But Terry beats all

I believe this is what Raeven always gets and also what I would probably get here. Her reviews really make me want to try it but being a chain Steve as yet has no interest. Hoping when I tell him you HIGHLY recommend it he changes his mind! Especially since we weren't thrilled with our last meal at Yachtsman.

Yeah I get the chain thing, but you can tempt Steve with a free steak. He may rethink that whole chain thing in favor of saving some cash

Welp you just ruined it all......................

Just for you.....

 

[kastoney]

Bright Sun's Over Galaxy's Hedge

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away a family from Virginia scored a reservation to the first day of Annual Passholder previews for Galaxy's Hedge (aptly named by Casey who apparently thought we were headed to a greenhouse and not a galactic land). Back then we thought we were super cool to be some of the first ones in. Eight months on I recognize we are simply commoners but please do indulge my inner need to be the cool kid for just a little while longer.

We were expecting a ton of crowds but Disney had several check points set-up to ensure only those with tickets were getting in. Soon enough we took a hard right at a 50's drive-in diner and just past a statue of Miss. Piggy and a theater full of Muppets (clearly the authenticity was not lost on me) we made it to Batuu!


I should probably mention that while I like the Star Wars movies my knowledge and fandom does not run deep so you'll have to excuse me when I highlight photos of us say in front of fighter jets.

Knowing that there is likely some fancy Star Wars word for what I think is just a plane.

Or when Casey just wants a drink of water.

But is surprised to see Mike Wazowski living inside.

I did at least know what the Millennium Falcon was and believe it or not without the influence of the name of the ride we were about to get on - Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run.

Casey and Jason were pumped to ride something new.

Though word of advice one should never let an 8 year old pilot a ship, even if it is a piece of junk.


We somehow made it through our harrowing adventure alive and Casey and Jason commemorated the occasion with a cheer.


But I needed something much harder, enter Oga's Cantina!!!

Our passholder preview came with an assigned time to stop in here. Our's I believe was 10:30 and after a short wait we were taken into the Cantina, given a small space at the bar to stand, and told we had 45 minutes before they would kick us out. But we were drinking here before anyone else so queue the excitement.


The bartenders were a bit overwhelmed on what was really their first day but eventually we got an order in.

Since it was 10:30 I went with Oga's version of a Bloody Mary which they called a Bloody Rancor.

This was Tito's Handmade Vodka, Ancho Reyes Chile Liqueur, Spicy Bloody Mary Mix, and a Rancor Bone??? The bone aside this was a pretty standard bloody mary that you could pretty much get just about anywhere. But it did come with a weird-tasting meringue like bone on top and was black in color so I'm guessing that is why it cost $18


Casey went with the Jabba Juice.

This is Simply Orange with Pineapple, Kiwi, Cantaloupe, and Blueberry Popping Pearls. She proclaimed it just tasted like regular orange juice, but for $6.50 I'll go with it had to be the greatest aka most expensive OJ ever. Bottoms' up!


Fueled by his chance to pilot the Millennium Falcon Jason got the Jet Juice which was Maker's Mark Bourbon, Ancho Reyes Chile Liqueur, Cedilla Açaí Liqueur, White Grape Juice, and Lemon Juice.

For the low, low price of $15 he was expecting a full on drink though what he got was really just a large shot. And not a good one as he proclaimed the mix of bourbon and grape/lemon juice to taste like jet fuel but he managed to get it down.

To help soak up the alkeyhol we also ordered the Mustafarian Cinnamon Roll.

This was a relative steal at $6 and while it was a pretty standard cinnamon roll, it did have what we thought was crushed Oreos on top which was a different, and clearly Star Wars inspired, topping.

You weren't allowed to walk around, but here are a few more pics of Oga's from our vantage point.



Even better this is what everyone else got to see


The atmosphere was definitely cool, especially for a Star Wars geek like my hubby, but even for Jason that is where it ended. The drinks were not just ridiculously over-priced, they were all pre-mixed and really didn't even taste good. But silly me to come to a bar and expect a good drink. For the atmosphere alone I'll give it a kind 2 Forky's but I seriously doubt we'll be back anytime soon.


Up next, our hedge adventures continue and Batuu ups its food game!​

 

[MyGoofy26]

You guys are so much fun. I’m in the middle of trying to salvage dining reservations after rescheduling our early May trip to September when ADRs have been open for weeks, so I started browsing dining reviews for any hidden gems I’m not thinking about to fill in some gaps (and after doubling our TS after upgrading our new Covid-Free-Dining plan to Covid-Plus ). I’m mostly just walking away from this with the thought that I need to go drinking with you. (Hi! I’m a creepy internet stranger—let’s be friends!)

 

[Jenny Sanders]

We somehow made it through our harrowing adventure alive and Casey and Jason commemorated the occasion with a cheer.

I bet she did much better than I did. LOL!

Since it was 10:30 I went with Oga's version of a Bloody Mary which they called a Bloody Rancor.

Sorry, this wasn't over the top...

Jason got the Jet Juice which was Maker's Mark Bourbon, Ancho Reyes Chile Liqueur, Cedilla Açaí Liqueur, White Grape Juice, and Lemon Juice.

Joe had this too.

For the low, low price of $15 he was expecting a full on drink though what he got was really just a large shot. And not a good one as he proclaimed the mix of bourbon and grape/lemon juice to taste like jet fuel but he managed to get it down.

Joe thought it was just ok and overpriced too. We both really liked the Fuzzy Tauntaun.