Hello! Thought I’d do a quick dining report for my recent trip from 1/13/22-1/18/22 over MLK weekend, as I did not take enough notes for a regular TR! I hit all four parks as well as Disney Springs and one day at Universal. There will be:
Thursday, 1/13 - Arrival Evening Everything POP Dining
I arrived quite late on 1/13 and took the one-way Mears Connect to Pop for $16. I lucked out and got a small shuttle van, and was to Pop within 45 minutes of picking up my luggage from the baggage claim despite not being the first off the van! I was watching my watch the entire time as the Pop food court closed at 11PM, and luckily I was dropped off at Pop at 10:45, so I even had time to check in first!
I ordered the chicken strips kids’ meal, this comes with a strawberry Danimals smoothie and sliced apples, and your choice of milk or a small Dasani water for $7.99.
There were two chicken strips and a lot of fries, they actually were making the fries fresh even though I arrived just minutes before the food court closed. This was just fine, gets the job done when you are hungry but don’t want a huge meal. The Pop food court has ketchup, honey mustard, and barbecue packets.
Friday, 1/14 - Hollywood Studios and Disney Springs Woody's Lunch Box
I mobile ordered Woody’s Lunch Box at 8:00 park opening for a 9:15-9:45 window so I could do a few rides first.
My mobile order was ready almost immediately when I clicked the button, there were CMs checking mobile orders before you could enter the seating/ordering area.
Kids' Breakfast Bowl Potato Barrels smothered in Smoked Brisket Country Gravy, Scrambled Eggs and a sprinkling of Green Onions served with a Cuties® Mandarin and Potato Barrels with your choice of Beverage $5.49
I did easily get a table around 9:25am, though when I left people were hovering for tables.
This was really good! The gravy is flavorful but is light on the meat, and there were not many eggs as this is the kids’ portion. They had hot sauce packets which I took full advantage of. I had OJ for my drink, pretty sure this is $5 if you purchase it separately. I mixed in my extra side of tots with my eggs and gravy. This was the perfect size for a light breakfast!
Primo Piatto
For lunch I took the skyliner to the Riviera, I mobile ordered at Primo Piatto and it was ready after a few minutes.
Tuna Niçoise Salad: Seared Rare Tuna on Crispy Greens tossed with Potatoes, Green Beans, Olives, Tomatoes, Hard-boiled Egg, and Champagne Vinaigrette $13.99
I lucked out and got a table outside with an umbrella near the water! This was the best salad I’ve had on property, even better than the HBD Cobb Salad.
The green beans were nice and crunchy, the tuna was so fresh and not even remotely fishy, it melts in your mouth. The tomatoes were perfect and not squishy. There were some kalamata olives, and the eggs were perfectly cooked (no grey ring!). The potatoes were crisp and made the salad even more hearty. I ordered the dressing on the side and it was the perfect amount, a very light and sweet vinaigrette that perfectly complements the salad. The greens were so fresh as well, I could not believe how delicious and healthy this salad was.
It was quite filling between the tuna, egg, and potatoes, and the ratio between greens and toppings was great. I usually eat salad out of mixing bowls but was perfectly satisfied by this salad without being uncomfortably stuffed!
L’Art de la Cuisine Francaise
At Epcot, I waited almost 30 minutes for the France festival food booth around 2:30pm on the opening day of the Festival of the Arts.
Frozen French Martini: Vodka, black raspberry liqueur, pineapple, orange, and grape juice with lemon-lime foam $15.00
The drink was interesting, the texture was similar to the Galaxy’s Edge blue milk in that it did not separate like some slushies do. The taste was really plasticky, I’m wondering if that was the black raspberry liqeur. The vodka did not taste very strong at all. The foam was completely melted almost immediately, so I did not really taste that either. I didn’t really get any of the flavors listed, it just tasted fruity to me. A bit sweet and tart, definitely refreshing since it was fairly warm. The more I think about this drink, the less I like it. I definitely prefer the regular Frosé from Les Halles. Still, this was a good sized drink and worth a try since we all have different taste, I just couldn’t get past the taste of plastic.
Mousseline de Bisque de Homard Froide, Brioche Feuilletée à l’Aneth: Chilled lobster bisque mousse served with dill brioche $10.50
The mousse was interesting, it had chunks of lobster but really just tasted like seafood mousse dip. It was really salty, and the white stuff on top (cream cheese?) was not very flavorful at all. The brioche was small, quite crusty, and I couldn’t taste any dill. It was good though, and I wish there was more as there wasn’t enough for the amount of dip. I think bread was a good choice over crackers, since crackers would have led this to be too salty.
Overall this was just a bit odd, it wasn’t very appetizing to look at and the lobster flavor was not there for me. If you like seafood dip, it’s maybe worth a try, but the price is steep and I think this would be better in the $7 range. It’s not a huge portion either, like most festival items. Not sure I can recommend this but it wasn't terrible, I think there are just better things to try. There were no reviews for this when I ordered so I really took a chance here!
(On the next day my friend had the following and enjoyed, though she did not rave about them: Crème de Brie en Petit Pain: Warm creamy brie in a house-made bread bowl $8.50
Croissant à la Truffe Noire d’Hiver: Black winter truffle croissant served warm $8.00)
Everglazed
Around 5pm I headed to Disney Springs, and got a few donuts at Everglazed.
Purple Glazed Ube Donut $4.75
This was way bigger than a regular glazed donut, but tastes like a normal donut despite being vegan! It was light and fluffy, and a very bright purple color inside. Everglazed is definitely overpriced but this was still a solid donut and probably a great option for vegans. There was no ube flavor that I could detect, I think it mostly alters the color.
Cinnamon Roll Donut $6.50
This was nice as well, but not as unique. It was even bigger than the ube donut, very shareable. It taste exactly as it sounds, though not as good as a regular cinnamon roll since I prefer mine to be warm and gooey! Think more cinnamon bun.
Overall I was glad I tried Everglazed, but I would probably skip next time since they are so expensive.
I got in the Gideon’s Bakehouse virtual line at 5:25pm and it was quoted for 130 minutes. Not bad for a Friday night on a holiday weekend!
The Polite Pig
Next I headed to Polite Pig around 6:15. I waited a little under 15 minutes to order.
USDA Prime Brisket, Coffee Rub $21 Served with jalapeño cornbread and signature polite slaw (substitute slaw for market side $4) and choice of 1 market side Seasonal Side: BBQ Au Gratin Potatoes, cream sauce, smoked grated gouda
My food was delivered after about five minutes, there was plenty of seating. I also grabbed all of the sauces to try from the sauce bar. Their staff will get you anything you need after you are seated, they are very friendly.
LIL JOHN'S SIGNATURE PORTER SAUCE A touch of honey and black pepper is balanced by the malty flavors of the C&L Working Man porter beer reduction. THOMAS'S SOUTHERN GOLD Mustard and vinegar-based, this tangy sauce was brought to the US by German settlers. MARY'S HOT SAUCE Used more as an enhancer, this hot sauce is not for the weak; a little goes a long way! LAYLA' SWEET SAUCE As perfect as it's namesake, this tomato-based sauce gets its sweetness from molasses, honey and brown sugar. Just a touch of cumin is added for good measure. ENZO'S BBQ RANCH A traditional Alabama white sauce, loaded with celery seed and spices to back the vinegar based white sauce, used for all smoked poultry items and vegetables.
The sauces were certainly a bit unusual, the porter sauce was quite alcohol-y and the sweet sauce was probably the most crowd-pleasing flavor. The southern gold mixed well with the others, I found myself dipping between the three main sauces. The ranch was fine, pretty typical. The hot sauce was also very typical, not too spicy though my spice tolerance is quite high so YMMV! If I picked just one to have, it would be the sweet sauce.
The cornbread was the star for me, it was warm and had a good crust, a little sweet, the jalapeno was barely noticeable (by me). I could eat 10 of these!
The potatoes in the au gratin were huge, and perfectly cooked. Not mushy like au gratin can sometimes get! The cheese flavor was really strong but balanced, very cheesy and a bit sharp. This was well seasoned and a solid side option. This was a large portion and big enough to share.
The slaw is my favorite type, more creamy and sweet than vinegary. This was a nice palate cleanser as it’s a bit zesty. The portion is definitely small.
The prime brisket was so tender and thick, the coffee rub gives it a nice crust and tastes smoky. My brisket was a little too fatty but since it was just me, I had enough meat. This would be big enough to split if there wasn’t so much fat, I’m not sure if this is the norm but mine was probably half fat. Still delicious, but I’d prefer it to be less fatty.
Overall this was my 2nd time at the Polite Pig and I still loved it and want to keep going through the menu! The price is great for the amount of food and it’s super shareable, maybe add a second side if you’re sharing. The three sides deal is also a great meal option for vegetarians if the smell of BBQ doesn’t bother you.
Gideon's Bakehouse
I was called back to Gideon’s around 7:30, so the 130 minute estimate was pretty spot on. I waited maybe 25 minutes between the line outside and inside. It smells so good in there!
The cookies are $6 each, I believe there is a limit of 6.
Pistachio toffee chocolate chip: A long-standing favorite in our community, this flavorful Cookie mixes our favorite chocolate chips with crunchy toffee pieces. Top that off with lightly salted pistachios and perfection is achieved. Sweet and Salty. Soft and Crunchy. Known for being our most sophisticated and addictive flavor, this is the Cookie that the Orlando Weekly suggests you try first.
This was very enjoyable, the toffee adds something interesting. The cookie is very thick and the texture is both soft and chewy and crisp, the cookie base itself isn’t overly sweet which is good given how many chocolate chips there are!
Banana bread chocolate chip cookie: The Banana Bread Chocolate Chip Cookie is a title that says it all! Enjoy a decadent Vanilla Bean Cookie infused with Bananas found in the lost jungles of Southeast Asia by adventurer, explorer and scientist, Dr. Tobias Brimstone. We’ve mixed this flavorful gift with our favorite blend of Chocolates, Candied Walnuts, and finely crushed Banana Chips! These Bananas are said to hold unique properties that bring good fortune to all who experience their flavor.
This was not quite what I expected, the banana flavor was a little more artificial than I prefer. The walnuts were huge though I didn't get much of the candied flavor, the banana flavor is very forward, and the texture is still very much a cookie and not bread. This one was sweeter than the pistachio, I preferred the pistachio cookie.
Overall the Gideon’s cookies are good, but they are so big and since I prefer eating my cookies out of the oven, I never did finish these. Unless you have a huge sweet tooth, several people could split one! It's worth trying for the experience of going inside, but I wouldn't stress trying these out if you have limited time in Disney Springs and the wait is long.
Petals Pool Bar
Back to Pop around 9pm, I was thirsty for a smoothie and found one at the pool bar.
Strawberry Smoothie Strawberry Purée blended with Nonfat Yogurt $5.99
Not sure whether this actually contains yogurt as it came from a machine. Typical sweetened puree taste, quite artificial but still hits the spot when you want something sweet and cold. Not a huge portion.
Everything POP Dining
As if I hadn’t eaten enough that day, I also got a kids’ meal from the Pop food court:
Pasta with Chicken Chicken with Pasta and Marinara served with Green Beans and choice of Small Lowfat Milk or Small DASANI® Bottled Water $7.29
This was a huge kids' meal, the green beans were nice and crunchy and the grilled chicken breast was actually quite juicy and a large size (do kids actually eat this much?). The pasta is pretty dreadful, overcooked and had definitely been sitting around. I chose marinara though I think you could also choose alfredo. The marinara is pretty flavorless, even after adding some parmesan and crushed red pepper packets. I could not finish this meal but it was a nice “lighter” option compared to chicken strips or a burger.
We had a late start to our morning as my friend arrived to Pop after 1AM! I think we got up around 10 on this day. On our way to Epcot via the skyliner, we stopped at the Joffrey’s at the CBR skyliner station.
Joffrey’s
The cups were so cute! These are the best straws too, way better than paper and functions just like plastic.
I had a decaf (I know, I’m weird) iced caramel latte, this was delicious. I try to avoid sugary drinks on a regular basis but I make an exception for vacation! Their espresso drinks can be made with decaf espresso which is awesome. No bitterness at all. They probably use 2% or even whole milk because this was so creamy and not overly sweet. It only comes in one size or I probably would have gotten a bigger one since there is a lot of ice.
Deco Delights
First stop at Epcot was Deco Delights around 11:30am, the line was super short as apparently not everyone wants to start their day with dessert.
Orange Mousse with lemon cake and raspberry meringues – $4.50
The raspberry meringue (wait, weren't we supposed to get two?!) was well baked and had a nice tart raspberry flavor, very nice if you like meringue. If you haven’t had them before, they’re kind of like a super sweet, crispy, dry, and airy marshmallow. Think lucky charms cereal marshmallows!
The lemon cake tasted just like lemon poppyseed bread, minus the poppyseed.
The orange mousse wasn’t particularly orangey, but very pleasant like a pastry cream, not overly sweet. The cookie was a shortbread I think, and is a nice vehicle for the mousse as you can pick it up and eat it.
Most of the orange flavor comes from the candied orange peel, I always like eating these. The lemon curd stuff was great as well, though I’ve never met a lemon curd I didn’t like!
Overall this was a very light dessert, extremely photogenic and shareable if you just want a few bites. I thought the price was good, especially given the presentation. Two thumbs up from me (and my friend).
La Cava del Tequila
After starting the day with coffee and dessert, the next logical stop is for margaritas of course! We headed into the Mexico pavilion for some La Cava.
La Cava Avocado Tromba blanco tequila, melon liqueur, fresh avocado and lime juice. Served frozen with hibiscus salt rim $17.00
I have had this margarita before and loved it, and it was exactly as I remembered. The texture is just like blue milk if you’ve had that, frozen but very creamy and it doesn’t really separate at all. The rim is nice and salty, and the tequila is strong but not overpowering. It’s easy to drink and I am not a plain margarita fan. There is no avocado flavor, it just gives it the creaminess. It’s a bit sweet, though if you’re a huge sweet tooth this may not be up your alley. My friend loved this as well!
Gourmet Landscapes
The vegetarian options are pretty limited at this festival, so we headed to Gourmet Landscapes to get something more substantial for my friend. I decided it was time to eat some real food and decided to partake in this booth as well.
I’m calling this one a best of the fest right, easily! We each got our own and were glad we did as there were only 5-6 bites. It just burts of flavor, mostly the mushroom and parmesan. I’m not a fan of truffle and I didn’t taste any, and I can’t really remember the zinfandel reduction but there were big pieces of mushroom and massive shavings of parmesan. The risotto is creamy, salty, and has a nice chew. I’m amazed how they can produce something that is table service quality in these little booths. I’d pay for a whole meal of this!
If you want something warm and like mushrooms, definitely try this one out.
Crêpes À Emporter by La Crêperie de Paris
We were still hungry for “real food” and decided to get some crepes at the to-go window in the new France area.
Bechamel, Cheese & Ham Galette $10.95
This was way bigger than I anticipated! It’s delightfully saucy and cheesy, with small chunks of salty ham. The buckwheat galette doesn’t taste like much, I was expecting it to have a stronger taste but it was quite mild and was just a vehicle for the contents. This is definitely big enough to be a meal, and I was starting to regret eating so much as I had many festival foods I still wanted to try. Oops!
My friend tried the cream of brie galette and thought it was just okay, the cheese wasn’t as abundant and it was drier without the bechamel, they actually put some shredded cheese on top but it doesn’t melt, a little odd. I wonder if they’d do the ham galette without the ham if you asked?
The Painted Panda
I’ll be the first to admit, I’m a bubble tea addict . I have door dashed bubble tea to my house more times than I’d like to admit. So when I saw there would be bubble tea at the festival, I had to try it, as I figured the turnover would be faster during a festival and no one wants old boba.
“Panda” Bubble Tea: Classic Milk Tea with Black and White Boba (Non-Alcoholic) – $7.75
I had super low expectations, but was pleasantly surprised. The milk tea was sweet but not overly so, and the tapioca pearls were perfectly chewy though not super abundant. The “white boba” is in fact crystal boba, which is more like a jelly (not to be confused with popping boba) and is a bit healthier than regular tapioca pearls. I love crystal boba so this was a plus for me. There was not a ton of ice which is great, more milk tea for me!
This was a solid bubble tea, and better than anything I would expect from a theme park at a food stand that does not specialize in bubble tea.
My friend tried the Kung Fu Punch and enjoyed it, though she had to stir it as all of the alcohol sat on top. Punch, indeed!
Kung Fu Punch: Smirnoff Vodka, Triple Sec, Mango Syrup, Orange Juice and Soda Water – $12.50
The Artist’s Table
Finally it was dinner time, and I headed to America while my friend headed to the France booth that I had visited the day prior. I unfortunately waited much longer than her! It was around 6:00 and she waited maybe 15-20 minutes and I waited about 35 minutes. I overheard CMs talking about how long it was taking to plate the dishes since there were so many steps.
Beef Wellington: Mushroom duxelle, prosciutto, and puff pastry with red wine demi-glace and baby vegetables – $8.50
This was worth the wait, the beef was very tender and the puff pastry paired perfectly, this was such a great comfort food dish. The veggies were crunchy and the sauce on the plate was definitely wine-y, I would be happy to eat a full portion of this and I am a medium-rare steak gal. I didn't get much prosciutto or mushroom flavor from this, mostly beef and pastry. Still delicious.
Pan-seared Scallops with vanilla-butternut squash purée, brown butter cauliflower purée, and lime foam $7.00
I got the scallops because I waited so long and was hungry, and this was pretty solid as well. There were two nice sized scallops, actually bigger than I expected for the price. The purees were pretty simple and tasted just as expected, but they were enjoyable and complimented the scallops well. I wouldn’t have minded if the scallops were cooked a little less, though perhaps not the best idea during a food festival at a theme park ! Though these were under the heat lamp, mine were not very warm.
They were a bit gritty but I didn’t mind, so just know these aren’t quite as good as you should expect at a more expensive sit-down restaurant. Still, for $7, I would say two thumbs up given the usual price of a scallop entree! I don't remember tasting any lime from the foam.
Funnel Cakes Kiosk
I saw this strange funnel cake combination recommended on one of the food blogs and decided to give it a try.
Cherry Blossom Funnel Cake: Chocolate Chip Funnel Cake topped with Cherry Ice Cream, Rainbow Whipped Cream, Chocolate Chips and a Maraschino Cherry – $10.50
The chocolate chip funnel cake was smaller compared to the normal funnel cakes, which were filling the entire plate. Not sure why that is!
The ice cream leaned more cherry than blossom, which is fine with me as floral flavors can often be too artificial. The whipped cream was really creamy, and the funnel cake was nice and crispy, more so than the typical funnel cakes usually are. Overall we enjoyed this to share, I would get this again if I was in the mood for something more fruity and unique than a plain funnel cake.
There was so much whipped cream, I wouldn't have minded more ice cream and funnel cake. I should note that this only had one slice of ice cream, while I saw the regular vanilla funnel cakes with ice cream were coming out with two slices…
Everything POP Dining
Yet again, I ended my day with a kids’ meal at the Pop food court.
Cheeseburger Served with Strawberry-flavored Yogurt Smoothie and Sliced Apples with choice of Small Lowfat Milk or Small DASANI® Bottled Water $7.99
Sorry I took a bite first, ha!
It was just before close, but they cooked my burger in front of me, no heat lamp burgers in sight! It’s about the same size as a cheap McDonald’s single, similar quality, but hits the spot after a long park day.
We will be at Epcot in ten days so I’m really appreciating the photos and honest reviews of the booth items. (Some of the blogs seem to just rave about everything which really isn’t helpful.) You are helping me prioritize and I’m secretly hoping you will try the General Tso’s shumai at some point as I’d love to hear how they are.
We will be at Epcot in ten days so I’m really appreciating the photos and honest reviews of the booth items. (Some of the blogs seem to just rave about everything which really isn’t helpful.) You are helping me prioritize and I’m secretly hoping you will try the General Tso’s shumai at some point as I’d love to hear how they are.
Of course! If the lines weren't so long, I would have tried way more, but 30 minutes per item was definitely rough! I unfortunately didn't get to the shumai, but I did see good things!
Thanks! They make me hungry too! I know taking a lot of pictures is sometimes silly, but I always look back at them and think about how great (or not great, HA) my meals were!
Sunday, 1/16 - Magic Kingdom
For breakfast, we did one of the few “breakfast” options in Magic Kingdom:
Sleepy Hollow
We both had the fruit waffle, I remember they used to have a great ham egg and cheese waffle but apparently that’s no longer offered. Too bad!
Fresh Fruit Waffle Sandwich Served with Stawberries, Bananas, Blueberries, Chocolate-Hazelnut Spread $8.29
The waffles seemed thinner than I remember, didn’t they used to be really thick? Either way, the ratio of waffle to nutella to fruit was really tasty. The waffle was good, a bit thin but that probably made it easier to eat than the thick belgian style I am remembering from the past. The fresh fruit was excellent, and the size was good for one person. The breakfast options in Magic Kingdom are lacking but this is a great sweet option. Surprisingly, there was no line here all day. Then again, it totally downpoured that morning!
The Lunching Pad
For a snack, my friend suggested we get a cream cheese stuffed pretzel. I had heard of this but hadn’t tried it as I’ve had bad luck with stuffed pretzels at Disney parks.
Sorry for the half-eaten pic, phone did not always eat first on this trip!
Oh my goodness, have I been missing out! This was perfectly warm, and the cream cheese inside was melty. What I didn’t realize was this is actually a savory pretzel. It’s not a sweet pretzel like I was expecting, it is much closer to a cream cheese wonton/rangoon (no crab of course). It’s not as salty as a regular pretzel either, and the salty-sweet balance is perfect. As long as you get a fresh one like we did, I highly recommend!
On a related note, apparently cream cheese wontons (no crab) are a Minnesota thing. The more typical crab rangoon is pretty rare around here, almost all restaurants serve them with just cream cheese (and maybe some sweetener like honey) and definitely no chives. I had no idea this was such a regional thing! So if you are familiar with cream cheese wontons, that is what this pretzel tasted like to me. Delicious!
Liberty Tree Tavern
We ate pretty lightly that morning as we had a 1pm lunch at Liberty Tree Tavern. My friend had wanted to try this forever but usually travels in the summer when it is too hot to want to eat this meal! I of course obliged, I love trying new table service restaurants.
$39 AYCE per adult, plus tax and gratuity
As with all prix fixe meals at WDW, this came with a fountain drink. I’m typically a water-drinker at restaurants, but since it was included I had iced tea! The server brought sugar and lemons, because tea is just better that way!
Declaration Salad: Tossed Mixed Greens with House-made Dressing
The salad was excellent and the greens were really fresh. It was very lightly dressed and simple with just some shaved radish and cucumber. The dressing was a sweet vinaigrette and I could have eaten bowls of this stuff! We would have asked for more if we didn’t have so much other food coming.
The rolls were great as well, our server brought us six and we ate all of them, duh! They were warm and fresh, a solid yeast roll. I prefer mine a little on the airy/fluffy side but these were still excellent. Plenty of butter, of course.
Patriot's Platter: Roast Turkey Breast, Pennsylvania Pot Roast, and Oven-roasted Pork with Mashed Potatoes, Seasonal Vegetables, Herb Stuffing, and House-made Macaroni & Cheese
This was a single portion as my friend had the plant-based option as she is pescatarian, it was a small amount of everything and you can ask for more of anything. I found the turkey and pork a bit dry and they tasted very similar to me, but I’m not a big fan of either of these meats. I loved the pot roast, it’s really tender and similar to the version I’ve had at Docking Bay 7. The turkey and pork definitely need the gravy (which was very good), but the pot roast was perfect on its own and is a crowd pleaser.
The stuffing was fine, I’m not a huge stuffing person so I can’t really comment. The gravy was typical, but the green beans were fabulous. We actually ordered another plate of these since I got such a small portion in my platter. Apparently people don’t like to eat their veggies at WDW! I think they had a little garlic but not enough to be tasting it all day, which you wouldn’t want anyways when you have to wear a mask.
The cranberry sauce was excellent, this honestly tasted like warm applesauce to me, which I love! The star of the show was the mac and cheese, it was so creamy and saucy. It honestly reminded me of the Old Country Buffet mac and cheese (not sure if this is a complement or not ) and came in a really small cup, so we ordered more and got a giant bowl! It’s not very gourmet, no bread crumbs or fancy cheese, but the creaminess is super nostalgic to me. Sorry for the half-eaten picture, I’m not great at remembering to take photos before digging in!
Here is the plant-based option, no picture, sorry!
Impossible™ Meatloaf Plant-based Meatloaf with Mashed Potatoes, Mushroom Gravy, and Seasonal Vegetables
I tried the meatloaf and it had a nice fried veggie patty texture, and is actually quite spicy for Disney standards! It came with three massive pieces. The plant-based potatoes were noticeably less creamy/buttery than the regular version, though if you didn’t try them both you probably wouldn’t mind. It came with noticeably more green beans than my platter did! We asked for more gravy so I could try some since I love mushrooms, it was similar to cream of mushroom soup and had huge pieces of mushrooms. We both liked it! While there is no vegetarian platter, you could totally ask for the regular potatoes, etc. if you are vegetarian and not plant-based.
We ordered more mac, green beans, and mushroom gravy, probably an unusual request! It did take a bit for it to come out, I think the mac was the holdup. Definitely request your extras right away if you’re in a time crunch.
As if we weren’t stuffed enough, our server brought us a dessert to share, thankfully a modest portion as we couldn’t eat more than a few bites. The plant-based dessert is different but he remembered my friend is just vegetarian/pescatarian and so he brought us the regular dessert.
I actually had this toffee cake at the Happily Ever After dessert party a few years ago and thought it was just okay, but now that I had it at LTT, I will say the dessert party format (in a huge pan) did not do it justice.
This was so delicious, I get why people love it now. The toffee chips were so delicious, it definitely needs the ice cream to balance it out but it was like a perfect cookie sundae. Even if you are not a huge toffee fan you may still like this as there are so many flavors going on like chocolate and vanilla and caramel. The perfect end to a delicious meal!
Overall, we loved this meal. Our service was great, we had a prime spot by a (frosted) window. The pacing was good, like I mentioned the refills took a little while (maybe 15-20 minutes) but we didn’t feel rushed or like we were waiting a lot. None of the food will blow your socks off, but everything is really good and tastes homemade, which is a nice change from the typical chicken strips or burgers at Magic Kingdom.
If you love the typical Thanksgiving food, this is a great way to have it year-round without having to cook or do dishes! Getting off your feet for an hour and a half is another great perk of table service. The ambience in the restaurant is really relaxed, it was rather quiet compared to some WDW restaurants I’ve eaten in and the restaurant is very homey. It was a chilly and rainy day so this meal really hit the spot. Overall two thumbs up from us and I’d love to go back again!
Cosmic Ray's Starlight Café
Lunch took us out, so I think the only other food we had this day (unless I ate something and forgot to take a picture, which is possible) was some hot cocoa from Cosmic Ray’s and a popcorn during Enchantment.
Hot Cocoa $3.49
The CM accidentally gave us coffees instead of cocoa, I realized as soon as the cup felt super hot, Disney cocoa is rarely more than lukewarm! I’m glad we noticed right away, or that would have been a big disappointment! They told us to keep the coffees and made us cocoas. There was a CM checking for mobile orders before letting people in, she was taking her job very seriously!
Disney cocoa is just cheap mix, nothing special at all, but it sure beats waiting in the long line at Starbucks and it was a nice pick-me-up on that chilly day. The cups were from Disneyland, I wonder if they ran out of WDW cups or if that’s what they always use?
The popcorn from the cart on the Tomorrowland side of the castle was hot and fresh as I got this maybe half an hour before Enchantment. I don't think the lines were as bad as they used to be before HEA. I didn’t take a picture but it came in a cute 50th Anniversary cardboard container. No way to close it up like the red and white boxes though, so get a bucket if you want to save popcorn for later.
Next up is our Universal Orlando day as well as our final half day at Animal Kingdom!
Better late than never, here is my final update! We headed to a full day at Universal on MLK day, arriving at park opening for the privilege of waiting almost two hours to ride Hagrid’s . If you’ve never ridden it before, it is worth the wait! I think our Uber/Lyft was maybe $17 from Pop Century, very inexpensive.
Hog’s Head
We were so hungry after our long morning queue, but first we headed to get some hot butterbeer as this was a chilly day! There was no line at the Butterbeer cart, and they appeared to be out of butterbeer, so we headed into Hog’s Head and waited maybe 10-15 minutes. Much to our luck, we were able to place our order for two butterbeers, and then overheard the worker’s saying not to take any more hot butterbeer orders as they were almost out!
Hot is my favorite version of butterbeer, it is sweet, creamy, and warms you up perfectly on a cold day. I find it less sickly sweet than the cold varieties, and if you like the Starbucks chestnut praline latte, I find this fairly similar!
Fire Eater’s Grill
Drinks acquired, we headed just outside of Hogsmeade to the Fire Eater’s Grill for lunch.
I had the traditional gyro combo, which comes with fries or hummus and a choice of a side. My vegetarian friend had the falafel gyro combo. This was around $15 each, not a bad price for the amount of food.
The pitas were really soft, and a good amount of meat/falafel. The fixings (lettuce, tomato, onion, tzatziki) were a bit skimpy but overall these were really filling and hot and fresh. It doesn't compare to something authentic you'd get outside the parks, but it was still a nice alternative to typical theme park food. For my side I had the greek honey puffs, and my friend had the pita with tzatziki. We both chose the hummus with veggies over fries! The celery was excellent, the carrots however were really dry. The hummus was also great, very mild and creamy. My friend’s side of pita was actually pita chips, which she enjoyed.
The honey puffs were just okay, they were sort of a fried dough ball and very oily, the honey flavor wasn’t too strong. I think I would try the chips next time.
Thunder Falls Terrace Restaurant
I needed a quick afternoon pick-me-up and wasn’t feeling like a pretzel or popcorn, so we stopped at Thunder Falls in the Jurassic area. I had the herb roasted potatoes side, for just under $4. They had hot sauce packets which I am always grateful for!
I know this is a strange snack, but I think these are the same potatoes (typically served with the ribs and chicken platter) that they serve at the Three Broomsticks, with a much shorter (basically nonexistent) wait. Can anyone confirm? I thought JKR had to approve of all the HP food, so I’m not sure if this meal existed at Thunder Falls first or if it was added afterwards due to popularity.
We enjoyed the time off our feet, as we are getting older (ha!) we are finding that we need the occasionally breaks throughout the day to keep going!
The Cowfish Sushi Burger Bar
The Hogwarts Express was unfortunately closed during our trip, so we passed CityWalk while park hopping and stopped by Cowfish to make a reservation for around park close.
We were glad to have a reservation, despite it being MLK day the restaurant was still fairly busy and walk ins were being told it was over an hour wait to be seated. We took the first available as we were late to our reservation which was no issue, and were seated in the outdoor patio area which is closed off and heated, so it felt really cozy even on a cold night.
Their menu is huge but we both knew we wanted sushi. We split the calamari appetizer and I also had the yellowtail with jalapeno appetizer, I recommend ordering apps when you order drinks as it takes a little while for them to come out.
Crispy Calamari - $13 Calamari tubes & tentacles, flash fried, and served with a sweet chili sauce
The calamari is lightly breaded and perfectly fried, a good portion for sharing and the sweet chili sauce pairs nicely. I’m no calamari expert, but this was definitely really fresh tasting and I’d get it again!
Big Al's Yellowtail - $11 Slices of yellowtail sashimi topped with thinly sliced jalapeño pepper with ponzu dipping sauce
The yellowtail with jalapeno is a popular sushi appetizer that I always like to order, the slices were quite thin so I’m glad I had this to myself, but it was really fresh with no fishy taste and the amount of jalapeno was perfect for the amount of fish. The dipping sauce was tasty, I loved this and would absolutely order it again. I didn’t find it spicy but I basically don’t find anything spicy anymore, so you probably can’t trust my word!
For my entree I got a specialty roll:
Jen's Fresh Find - $20 Premium tuna, cucumber, and green onion inside, topped with premium salmon and avocado. Served with a side of spicy poke
This really hit the spot, the “premium” fish definitely felt a step above your local AYCE sushi joint and the roll itself was quite large. This is a great option if you want to enjoy the fish and don’t need all of the sauces or deep fried stuff. With the apps and this roll, I felt satisfied but not stuffed. The poke was pretty mediocre but I ate it because it was there, but it’s nothing special. I’m guessing that was the non-premium tuna, as the “premium” tuna in my roll was definitely higher quality.
My friend had one of the basic tuna rolls along with a salad:
Goat in the Garden - $10 Arugula, spinach, basil, extra virgin olive oil, strawberry balsamic dressing, roasted walnuts, Asian pears, fresh strawberries, goat cheese Add chicken +6
This was a large entree-size salad and could totally be a meal if you added a protein. She really enjoyed this, her only criticism was some of the walnuts were burnt, however at least this means they were actually roasted!
Our waitress was really excellent, she kept our drinks full and checked in just the right amount of times. Obviously YMMV depending on how busy it is and who you get as a server, but we had a really great time at Cowfish and can’t wait to go back. The prices are great as well, and much lower than we expected given its location. I saw a few burgers go by and they looked massive!
We headed back in another $17 Uber to Pop, it was probably two hours after park close at that point so no surge pricing.
Tuesday, 1/18 - Animal Kingdom
On our last half day before heading back to the airport to cold and snowy MN, we did Animal Kingdom.
Creature Comforts (Starbucks)
We intended to get breakfast bowls at the Yak & Yeti quick service, but they closed breakfast at 10:30 and we were on the Safari until then, bummer!
There are not many breakfast options but we settled on Creature Comforts (Starbucks) as that was really the only option besides pastries. I had my usual bacon gouda sandwich and a decaf caramel latte, the line was quite short compared to at Magic Kingdom and my sandwich hit the spot. My latte was pretty awful, as a former barista I know then someone doesn’t even bother to froth the milk!
I forget what my friend had, I think she ended up getting a pastry since the vegetarian options were slim and they do not have the Impossible breakfast sandwich!
Yak & Yeti
For lunch we decided on Yak & Yeti as I had a $25 birthday reward on my Landry card and my friend had never been. We checked in around lunch time and only waited 8 minutes with the Landry card, no ADR necessary! You might wait longer if you are a bigger group, I'm not sure.
I had the Everest refresher (sparkling water) with passionfruit, this was so refreshing and only a little sweet. The paper straws are awful though, I missed the ones from Joffrey's!
The service here was fine, nothing special, the food was a little slow and took maybe 20-25 minutes. We had a great spot by the window to people watch so we didn’t mind.
We both ordered the Lo Mein, I had the shrimp version and my friend had the tofu version. This was honestly terrible. There were so many large cuts of green onion, the noodles were chopped up into short pieces and there weren’t many of them. My friend thought the tofu was fine but the shrimp were those awful little salad shrimp that you know are precooked. There were so many carrots and they were on the raw side, this was absolutely nothing like the lobster garlic noodle dish that I had last time which was full of peppers and mushrooms and used a more flat noodle.
The lo mein was edible, but it was no better than a side dish you’d get at a fast food Chinese restaurant. Not sure kids would even like this due to all of the green onion and carrots. It was so bland and oily and disappointing for the price which was around $20-$22 each. There was no hint of garlic, so at least you don't have to worry about tasting garlic while wearing a mask all day!
Here’s a picture of the fantastic lobster garlic noodles from my last trip for reference, which are not on the menu anymore. I suppose I should have asked, they did have regular garlic noodles as a side dish so perhaps the plain garlic noodles would have at least been better than the lo mein!
Overall this was definitely a miss this trip, I know there are more things on the menu I’d like to try so I’ll give it another chance some time, but I do NOT recommend you get the lo mein if you were a fan of the old lobster garlic noodles as you will be very disappointed!
A bit of a bummer that we ended on a not so great note, but we had some really fantastic eats on this trip and are headed back for Princess HM weekend in just 10 days. We are trying Sanaa and Topolino’s Terrace for breakfast, so look out for my next dining TR.
Thanks for reading!!! It was pretty dreadful, I think we were trying to convince each other it was okay while eating it but thinking back it was truly awful, especially for $20
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. I have door dashed bubble tea to my house more times than I’d like to admit. So when I saw there would be bubble tea at the festival, I had to try it, as I figured the turnover would be faster during a festival and no one wants old boba.
! Though these were under the heat lamp, mine were not very warm.
) and came in a really small cup, so we ordered more and got a giant bowl! It’s not very gourmet, no bread crumbs or fancy cheese, but the creaminess is super nostalgic to me. Sorry for the half-eaten picture, I’m not great at remembering to take photos before digging in!
