Mickey Waffles Zero; Cucumbers are my Heroes! A September AND December 2020 Dining Report *Festival of the Holidays 1/31*

[pkondz]

That is a funnel cake with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream and lots and lots of snickers on it!

I've never had a funnel cake so can't really comment. But it certainly looks interesting.

The best part of the night because if you think reports of crowds at Disney are scary (which FYI I don't), there was NO type of social distancing or mask enforcement or basic personal hygiene going on whatsoever!

Jenny ordered the HBD specialty, and let our server toss that Cobb Salad for her:

mmmmm... love the HBD Cobb Salad.

Oh but first I stopped in Roaring Fork. @pkondz can you guess what I grabbed?

No. Nooooooooooooooo...

I'll be honest... Even looking at that makes me a bit ill.

And for you and anyone else who wants it here are the official ingredients!

Where's the warning label?
You know. "Do not eat! Contains that horrid ingredient that shall not be named, but we'll name it anyways... coconut."

 

[suse66]

That is a funnel cake with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream and lots and lots of snickers on it! The best part of the night because if you think reports of crowds at Disney are scary (which FYI I don't), there was NO type of social distancing or mask enforcement or basic personal hygiene going on whatsoever! Now for more sweets let's move on to our birthday boys dinner

Yikes! Our local amusement park (Canada's Wonderland) is not even open due to the great unpleasantness. Your funnel cake looks delish though and I do love a good funnel cake!

This is my #2 go-to after a pasta dish that unfortunately is not on the menu post-COVID. But that's ok because this filet is always fantastic with that red wine reduction and the potatoes were creamy like butter. Steve usually goes with some fish here but he's gotten the filet before and was just feeling beef on his birthday.

There should be no question as to what I got for dessert! When at Narcoossee's you, or at least someone at your table, NEEDS to get this:

Almond-crusted Cheesecake
with Lambert Cherry Sauce

Mmmmmmm, Narcoosees! It's always been a family favourite for us. I am obsessed with the the house made candy bar although that cheesecake is great too!

This was a tiramisu which is not on the menu right now? I don't know if it was on the menu that night or if it was just their "we have a few left so we'll give them to birthday peeps" dessert but it was decent. Neither of us are huge tiramisu fans but it's the thought that counts!

I love tiramisu so would have happily gobbled that up.

I know I was going heavy on the tomatoes this meal but this was so good and I can neve get enough burrata in Disney. Not quite as creamy as Flying Fish or Terralina but good nonetheless! I enjoy the onions here as well as the basil.

That looks fantastic!

Jenny ordered the HBD specialty, and let our server toss that Cobb Salad for her:

Love that Cobb salad!

Due to a little thing called COVID all the treats are now packaged individually including my Magic Bars so this is the first time I've actually seen the ingredients. At the time I meant to compare these against the recipe I used during quarantine to make my own but haven't yet - on the TO DO list! Next up is dinner in Disney Springs at another new to us restaurant!

Now I see my arch nemesis (pecans) in print which confirms that there will be no magic band in my future......

 

[Wood Nymph]

That is a funnel cake with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream and lots and lots of snickers on it! The best part of the night because if you think reports of crowds at Disney are scary (which FYI I don't), there was NO type of social distancing or mask enforcement or basic personal hygiene going on whatsoever!

I'm surprised that NJ doesn't impose stricter rules on things like that. We still have Six Flags locked down here in Illinois.

He told us about serving the NBA which we found interesting and said how happy he was to be "really" open now.

Did he enjoy serving the NBA?

The whole dessert reminds me of a Good Humor bar I used to get when I was little:

What a blast from the past! This was my favorite Good Humor bar, too.

we went for a skyliner ride for Steve to look at CBR for the first time

We plan to take the Skyliner to CBR for a tour, too. It is the only moderate resort that we haven't looked at yet.

Due to a little thing called COVID all the treats are now packaged individually including my Magic Bars

That will be very convenient since I always take one home for future enjoyment.

 

[kittylady1972]

Wow that funnel cake looks very good...and I'm not a big funnel cake fan. Sad to hear 6FGA isn't taking the COVID precautions seriously...not that I'll likely make it up there this year anyway if I haven't by now. Our local Six Flags is also open, DD17 was going to go last Friday but the weather was too meh to bother. We actually prefer the one in NJ anyway.

LOVE that Cobb Salad... @Jenny Sanders made an excellent choice. It's been years since we've done a meal here (other than my son and I doing dine with an Imagineer there a few years ago) but I remember my FIL loved that Grapefruit cake and the rest of us, not fans of grapefruit, were not interesting in trying it. The had some other kind of toffee tower thing that I had that was delicious though...not sure if it's still there or not.

Sounds like a great time overall even with the lack of rides. I feel like that will be us in about another week...make the best of what we can ride, and then just enjoy the time there.

 

[CruellaNY]

I've never had a funnel cake so can't really comment. But it certainly looks interesting.

This is BLASPHEMY! I was going to laugh at your cute play on the Godfather but now, it's just not funny anymore!

Coconut and NO FUNNEL CAKE FOR YOU!

Our local amusement park (Canada's Wonderland) is not even open due to the great unpleasantness.

It's weird, some are and some aren't. 6 Flags New England which we like better (and is a big closer) has not reopened; a bit theme park out in Ohio did but Busch Gardens Williamsburg did not. I guess it all depends on the state. The one in NJ supposedly has capacity restrictions because you have to make reservations online and well, they say they do, but it absolutely did NOT appear that way. Bad mask wearing, just way too crowded, no control at all over anything. It would have been unpleasant in normal times and in these times there was an added element of uncomfortable so Steve and I kept to where we felt ok until the kids were done! It was what Chris wanted to do for his birthday and once we were there we were there; he and his friend at least knew enough to keep their masks on and wash their hands! I don't believe many of these people that were there washed their hands on any type of regular basis back in 2019

Your funnel cake looks delish though and I do love a good funnel cake!

That was SO good! We didn't expect much but it was honestly the best part and it wasn't crowded yet when we got there and ate it so we were still comfortable lol

Mmmmmmm, Narcoosees! It's always been a family favourite for us. I am obsessed with the the house made candy bar although that cheesecake is great too!

Ricky had the house made candy bar before and he really liked it!

Now I see my arch nemesis (pecans) in print which confirms that there will be no magic band in my future......

Yeah I thought about you when I saw them. But better to know!

I'm surprised that NJ doesn't impose stricter rules on things like that. We still have Six Flags locked down here in Illinois.

You would think; you would think all these places, like Disney, WANT to stay open. Although at this point they're only open weekends for the Hallowfest and then will be closed for a few weeks until close to Thanksgiving when they open again for a holiday lights thing on weekends again. But we will not be back!

Did he enjoy serving the NBA?

He did! He said it was funny because when a winning team came in they drank because they won and if a losing team came in they drank because they'd lost; seems about right! But he said they were always pleasant and polite.

We plan to take the Skyliner to CBR for a tour, too. It is the only moderate resort that we haven't looked at yet.

I've seen them all for work but Steve hasn't seen CBR really or POR. I stayed there for 2 nights last year and while I didn't love the room I did like the grounds but it's so spread out. The Skyliner is great for touring the resorts on the route!

Sad to hear 6FGA isn't taking the COVID precautions seriously...not that I'll likely make it up there this year anyway if I haven't by now. Our local Six Flags is also open, DD17 was going to go last Friday but the weather was too meh to bother. We actually prefer the one in NJ anyway.

Not at all and yes it is I haven't been to the one by you but we prefer the one in New England which hasn't opened!

 

[kittylady1972]

Not at all and yes it is I haven't been to the one by you but we prefer the one in New England which hasn't opened!

We have never visited the one in New England...maybe one day!

 

[vamassey1]

So much good food! We had reservations at HBD but cancelled them for Sanaa, but I really want to make it there someday.

 

[pkondz]

This is BLASPHEMY! I was going to laugh at your cute play on the Godfather but now, it's just not funny anymore!

They don't have any here!

Coconut and NO FUNNEL CAKE FOR YOU!

No coconut? I'm okay with that.

 

[DaisyNY]

Yummy...Magic bars are the best!

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

I am so hungry right now looking at all your yummy food and drink photos and that's before I saw the Magic Bar which I am totally going to hunt down on our next trip -we will get there soon I hope (see how positive I'm thinking this fine October morning ).

 

[Jenny Sanders]

Our server who's name I forgot had been there since 1974; 1974!!!!

I think it was Michael and he was fabulous!!!!

We always give 5 starts for friendship but no 5 stars for smell!

Well, thank goodness I didn't fart, lol!!!!

And by BM I mean Bloody Mary of course:

This was so good.

Jenny ordered the HBD specialty, and let our server toss that Cobb Salad for her:

I get this every time and love it!!!!

but having a good lunch with great friends saved the day.

Yes it did!!!! Love you!

 

[CruellaNY]

We have never visited the one in New England...maybe one day!

It's a bit smaller than NJ I think; but when I say CLEANER I am not lying! It's a different vibe as far as being a little.....classier? If any 6 Flags can be classy lol? And lots of fun! Interestingly enough it's less than 2 hours from us while Jersey is 2.5 hours.

So much good food! We had reservations at HBD but cancelled them for Sanaa, but I really want to make it there someday.

Well Sanaa is an ok replacement! We love Sanaa and I tried to get a reservation there for Sept but by the time I did there weren't any left. Thought about it for Nov. but Ricky isn't a huge fan.

They don't have any here!

What? What is wrong with Canada???????

Yummy...Magic bars are the best!

Truer words have never been spoken lol

 

[CruellaNY]

I am so hungry right now looking at all your yummy food and drink photos and that's before I saw the Magic Bar which I am totally going to hunt down on our next trip -we will get there soon I hope (see how positive I'm thinking this fine October morning ).

The days we can be positive are the better days I look forward to the day you say you have a trip planned! And for the day I hear how much you enjoyed your first bite of your first magic bar!

Well, thank goodness I didn't fart, lol!!!!

I would have just kept my mask on then They do come in handy for covering up smells!

 

[vamassey1]

Well Sanaa is an ok replacement! We love Sanaa and I tried to get a reservation there for Sept but by the time I did there weren't any left. Thought about it for Nov. but Ricky isn't a huge fan.

I can understand why Ricky's isn't a fan. The food is very different and right now it's very limited.

 

[CruellaNY]

I can understand why Ricky's isn't a fan. The food is very different and right now it's very limited.

Yeah he likes the bread service but of the two boys he's the least adventurous so it's harder to please him. He says he'll go wherever but I feel bad when I know he won't love anything on the menu.

 

[Jenny Sanders]

I would have just kept my mask on then They do come in handy for covering up smells!

Hee! Hee!

 

[CruellaNY]

Here we are a few days away from Halloween It's going to be a weird one and I'm curious; what all are you guys doing? Are you giving out candy at your door? Putting it on a table in your yard? Are your kids going trick or treating or are you just skipping it altogether? I'll have candy ready to hand out for anyone who comes although even in a good year we don't get more than 20 or so kids. Chris has a party Friday night and thinks he's going out with a few friends Saturday; he better because he had us buy him a $60 costume but is not wearing it to the party Friday! I told him if he doesn't go out wearing it Saturday he's wearing it to his first day of in person school next month...................
With that I'll get on with my next update! I'm really excited to do this update because I think it was our favorite food night of the trip!

Tonight all 6 of us were getting together; the @Jenny Sanders and the @pepperandchips. Originally Jenny and Joe were doing dinner at GFC while we had nothing planned; when Melinda decided to pop down she asked if we were interested in Jaleo.
Honestly? My initial response was no because while the drinks looked great the food neve appealed to me and Jenny felt the same, so I said we'd skip it. However Melinda then came up with a wonderful idea of going to MORE THAN ONE PLACE to eat that night - eat multiple times? I think we could handle that! And that way if Jenny and I only liked a small plate or two at Jaleo we could fill up elsewhere before or after.

With that we chose a group favorite for our first stop:



And I got a spicy old friend as soon as we sat down:

Anything Goes
byejoe dragon fire spirit, fresh Lime Juice, Passion Fruit, and Pineapple Juice

Steve got a beer of some sort and soon we were joined by our peeps:






Jenny Joe Steve and I got some apps including a regular of Steve's:

Snakebite Sliders*
Gourmet Beef Sliders with Tomato-Bacon Jam, House-made Pickles, Shredded Lettuce, and Cheese



These are always so good! The burger is tender and that tomato-bacon jam is delish. Disney puts "jam" on lots of things and the only one I'm not that fond of is their onion jam. I had a taste of one of these but had my own app to deal with:

Medjoul Date and Manchego Cheese Flatbread
with Frisee and Crispy Prosciutto, Red Onion, and Balsamic Glaze



Does it look weird? Well it's not! The combo here of the onions, prosciutto, and that glaze with the dates and cheese come together in perfection! Sweet and savory at its best. I've had this before but then it was off the menu a couple visits so I was thrilled to see it back. I also shared with Steve in an attempt to not fill up but not get to Jaleo on an empty stomach with just a couple Anything Goes down there.

Finally Steve got these:

Satipo's Empanadas
Crispy-fried Empanadas Hand-stuffed with Beef, Onions, Peppers, Potatoes, Olives, Cheese, Herbs, and Spices served with a side of Chimichurri Aïoli



I love Empanadas but I don't particularly like these. I ordered them once; Steve does like them so he had them all to himself!
We had a great time as usual sitting outside by the water but soon it was time for our Jaleo reservation. I made an ADR because not long before our trip park hours were cut and I was concerned that DS would be MORE crowded than it had been and if we couldn't get a walk up at Jock's, WBG or anywhere else we'd at least have that. Man was I glad we all decided to go there!

I think our reservation was for 7:45? We were a little late but no big deal. We asked to sit outside and they easily accommodated us which was great because their outside area isn't huge. The ladies started with - surprise! Sangria, the white variety Sangría de lujo cava :



Poured and shaken table side by our fantastic server! And then stirred a bit by the also fantastic Melinda:



If you're read any of my previous dining reports or TR's you know that I adore sangria and order it often. This has got to be the best sangria I've had in Disney, with Skipper Canteen being a close 2nd. It's made with their signature starter blend of juices, fruit, and liquors, and then Spanish Cava Wine . We only had 1 pitcher between us but after the drinks at Jocks, believe me this was enough!

Ordering dinner was a tough thing to do; the menu is rather extensive. Besides the regular menu they had the Taste of Orlando option like we saw our first night at Trattoria which had a few "courses" or you could just order whatever. Everyone opted for the Taste of Orlando except Jenny and I; we did find a few things that sounded interesting but didn't want to commit to a whole show!

I have pictures of what I ate as well as a few of the others' dishes, with all the courses they kept coming and coming! We'll start with one that was simple and tasty:

Toasted slices of uniquely crispy and ethereal bread brushed with fresh tomato
Pan de cristal con tomate

Tomato Bread! This was as I said simple; the tomato was, as stated, fresh, and the bread was not heavy or thick at all. The cheese was just enough and while I only had a taste (this was Steve's or Melinda's, between the sangria and all the dishes I lost track of who got what)



Speaking of cheese, this next dish was ordered by Jenny, myself, and at least one of the guys and OMG it was a hit with all of us! If I remember this part correctly Melinda didn't order them this time but had them before:

A Jaleo favorite - fried potatoes with spicy tomato sauce and alioli
Patatas bravas



When they say "favorite" they mean it: these are little fried seasoned potatoes with clumps of partially fried cheese on top, but what makes this dish is the spicy aioli. I cannot tell you how great these were! Jenny and I were finding out quick that regardless of our feelings prior to being here the menu WAS right up our alley

This was only the beginning ladies and gents, lots more food was had! Continued in the next post

 

[CruellaNY]

And we continue! Get ready for food overload!

All the guys went with a traditional Spanish dish for one of their course selections:

Classic chilled Spanish soup made with tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers
Gazpacho estilo Algeciras



Remember this is tapas so it's not a big serving. I wish I tried this because I probably would like it given the ingredients but I was hesitant with the coldness; the guys loved it and almost licked their little glasses! I can't comment on the flavor since I did not try it but again, all three of the menfolk thoroughly enjoyed it.

While they were drinking their soup Jenny was enjoying this pretty dish:

Endives with goat cheese, oranges and almonds
Endivias con queso de cabra y naranjas



When they brought this to the table she asked what it was lol and Melinda reminded her what she ordered; good for me too because I had no idea! Sangria strikes again plus the fact that 4 of them were getting like 5 courses so stuff was being put down in front of us every 10 minutes. Jenny nicely shared this so I got one to myself. I felt bad about it afterward because this was as good as those potatoes! SO light, again savory goat cheese, sweet oranges and the crunch of almonds on top of the endive. Everything just so fresh! When we go back this and the potatoes are 2 things I will absolutely be ordering.

This next dish was Steve's and what I'm sure our shroom girl Kari @kastoney orders first at Jaleo:

Cebolla Asada (V)
roasted sweet onions, pine nuts, and valdeón blue cheese



It looks like this dish has been replaced on the menu by one with button mushrooms but it was on the Taste of Epcot menu and was a Vegan dish but Steve loves mushrooms. I on the other hand, despite what Kari may think, really only like the TASTE of mushrooms and not the actual things themselves so this was a hard pass for me. He enjoyed it though! As you see there's a wide variety of dishes here!

Sautéed spinach with pine nuts, raisins and apples
Espinacas a la catalana




I'll just leave YUCK right here but I know others at the table tried this and enjoyed it. Steve liked having some lighter dishes mixed in with heavier ones.

And now come the heavier ones! Although none were super heavy. Starting with Steve:

The very, very famous tapa of shrimp sautéed with garlic
Gambas al ajillo



The very famous very good and also very tasty looking considering I don't eat shrimp! I know he was generous enough to give at least one away to someone and loved this dish.

Next is the one and only dish nobody was impressed with. Steve, Melinda, Joe and possibly Mr. Melinda all got this and Melinda had it before:

Paella Tapa
chef’s selected paella of the day




Um Steve isn't here and I need to ask him exactly what type this was but it had peppers and tomatoes in it. Nobody liked it and I don't think it looks appetizing; it was heavy and dry with a weird aftertaste from what they all said. Melinda said she loved the Paella she had on their last visit so it must depend on the day and type; it's too bad a signature dish was not good but there were plenty of others that made up for it!

After aaaaaaaaalllll these dishes it was finally time for course 5, dessert! I did partake in this as well with a light sorbet which looked like sorbet and tasted like good sorbet. Jenny I think also had the sorbet but everyone else got what normal people get at a Spanish restaurant:

Flan al Estilo Tradicional de Mamá Marisa con Espuma de Crema Catalana
a classic Spanish custard with ‘espuma’ of catalan cream and oranges




Beautiful representation and all thought it was great. Steve and I are not Flan Fans which is why I chose sorbet but Steve went for it and ate it all. It's a texture thing for me. Steve said it had a light citrus flavor he enjoyed.

WHEW that was it! We were ready to ROLL out of there about 45 minutes after the restaurant closed, high on good food, great laughs with friends and of course, sangria I know Steve had a Spanish beer of some sort but was having so much fun with my ladies I did not snap a pic! Since we were the only ones left outside (and only one table inside when I went potty shortly before this) we were able to have our server get this shot of us from a safe distance:



We walked to the garage where the J's got in their smoky rental and we hitched a ride with the other cute couple back to Copper Creek. Such a fun night and luckily we had 2 more left! As far as Jaleo I highly highly recommend it. The good thing about lots of signatures and restaurants in the parks and resorts being closed is that we've tried a good # of new to us places as a result and have been happy with all of them! There aren't many new to us places left either. Whether you're going soon or not until most restaurants are back open, moving away from all your go-to favorites and branching out is a fun way to keep repeat Disney trips fresh!

 

[kittylady1972]

Oh wow...all that food looks and sounds great. I will have to save this for a future trip for sure!

 

[Jenny Sanders]

While they were drinking their soup Jenny was enjoying this pretty dish:

This pretty, little salad was so good and i would totally order it again!!!

As far as Jaleo I highly highly recommend it.

I do too! Excellent food, drinks, and company!