Because we would be visiting my family in Tampa for the weekend, I wanted to stop at Disney on the way for a quick dinner. I tossed around the idea of the Earl of Sandwich, it escalated to Bongos, and then finally I thought about Spoodles. Just about any of the resort restaurants would be easy to get in and out of, which was important because we werent even leaving east Orlando until around 6:30 pm. I ran the idea by Mike, and he gave his usual Sure, whatever answer. I easily made a priority seating for 8 pm, so it seems that it wouldnt be too hard to even just walk in on a whim.
I had us all packed and ready to go by the time Mike came home from work, so off we went down I-4. Traffic was light for once, and we arrived around 7:30 pm. We walked in, and there were only a few people in the waiting area. The waiting area was nicely decorated, with historic maps painted on the walls, and a large wine rack covering the back wall. We checked in at the desk, and were told that wed be the next to go in. We seem to not have much trouble checking in up to 30 minutes early for priority seatings. We were called within a few minutes, and were seated at a table for two against the window facing the water. There wasnt much of a view, but it always feels a little more open when Im seated by the window. Before we had been seated, however, we were walked past the dessert tray, and told about each mini dessert. Interesting selling technique. The décor is warm and plesant, with deep, muted colors and metallic highlights around the rooms, including on the ceiling.
We had a very pleasant older man as our server, though I dont remember his name. He told us what his recommendations were, and asked for our drink order. I had perused the menu before he came over, and was interested in the Spoodle-rita ($6.25). I had tried the Italian margarita at Epcot before, and was curious how this version compared to that one. It contained limoncello and tequila, and was on the rocks instead of frozen. I liked this version better, it was tart and sweet, and the limoncello flavor was more noticeable. Mike, as usual, ordered a diet Coke ($2.00). For an appetizer, we ordered the Mediterranean dips, which included hummus, baba ghannouj, tzatziki sauce, feta cheese sauce, and chermoula ($5.99). It was brought out with pita bread, and when Mike took a bite of the bread with a dip on it, he asked if the dip was smoked. I looked at the bread, and they had actually grilled the pita bread over wood chips it was delicious! Our favorite dip was the chermoula, which was pretty spicy, but not too much. The hummus was good, though not the best Ive had, the feta dip was rich, thick, and tangy, the tzatziki was also thick and refreshing with the cucumbers in it (Ive had an incredibly garlicky version in Tarpon Springs, and this one was a little lacking without the dragons breath of garlic). The only somewhat disappointing part was the baba ghannouj, which wasnt quite as flavorful as Ive had it before. In the middle of the dish was a relish of mixed olives, pits in so watch out for your teeth! We ran out of pita bread in the middle, as its a large tray, so we asked for more bread. Unfortunately our server said that we could only have extra bread from the bread basket, which included focaccia and sliced sandwich bread. This was also disappointing, because it took away somewhat from the dips, and the bread was slightly stale. Later on, I saw that all the bread was kept in a huge basket in the front of the restaurant. This appetizer is incredibly filling Id recommend sharing it with a large group, or splitting entrees afterwards. We loved this appetizer, though, and would come back just for the dips and dessert.
For our entrees, I ordered the stuffed peppers ($15.99), and Mike ordered the oak grilled filet minon ($24.99), medium rare. I noticed the feta spoon bread on the side of the pork chop, and asked if I could get that on the side as well it was no problem. The stuffed peppers were mild red peppers stuffed with a soft cheese, sprinkled with manchego cheeseon top, and came with a whole grain pilaf, caramelized onions, and broccoli rabe. The peppers were cooked thoroughly, to a soft consistency and were able to be cut with a fork. The cheese on top was sharp and tangy, and there was just enough for a lot of flavor, and contrasted nicely with the mild soft cheese inside the peppers. The pilaf was seasoned well, had a nutty flavor, with some crunch from actual nuts. It contained, at least, almonds, quinoa, wild rice, and brown rice. Ive made quinoa at home and hadnt enjoyed it, but this pilaf was great. The broccoli rabe was cooked just right, but I dont like broccoli rabe and left it aside. The whole dish had a great contrast of texture, with the crisp broccoli rabe, crunchy pilaf, and soft peppers and cheeses. It was a perfect dish, and Id have a hard time ordering something else! The feta spoon bread was wonderful, with an incredibly moist texture, large pieces of very mild feta cheese, and fennel seeds, for just a hint of an anise taste. Mikes filet came on top of mashed potatoes, with a sundried tomato sauce on top, drizzled with a chive cream sauce, and tiny baby greens as a garnish on top. I didnt try his filet, but he said that it was excellent, ranking up there with Le Cellier and the Brown Derby. The mashed potatoes were really crushed potatoes, had some nice chunks of potatoes, and was delicious with the sundried tomato sauce. Mike loved his entrée as well, but both of us were pretty full from the appetizer and wanted to save some room for dessert. With the entrees, I also ordered a Blue Spoodle drink ($6.50), which apparently is the most popular mixed drink there. It was very very sweet like a liquid cotton candy. It contained coconut rum, among other alcohols with a raspberry swirl, and the pina colada taste really stood out. Im not sure if Id order it again, because of how incredibly sweet it was. It's definitely not the same one that's on the menu listing on AllEarsNet currently.
After our entrees, the chef came by to ask us how our meals were. I dont think its a standard practice, and I wonder if our server asked him to come by because we were taking pictures. Since we were almost done with the food, I mentioned that we did informal restaurant reviews, and that we were having an excellent meal. He thanked us and asked us to take home a copy of the menu with us. I always love being able to talk and shake hands with the chef!
We were shown the mini dessert tray again, and were considering ordering a couple of the small desserts, but we noticed a dessert sampler ($10.99), which came with pistachio mousse with pistachio brittle, dulce de leche cheesecake, flourless chocolate cake, a citrus cake, and baklava. There was also a fruity dessert wine that I had to try ($10.25), though next time I will limit myself to just one drink those prices, ouch! (The Disney Dining Experience discount mitigates it somewhat, though.) Each of the desserts can be ordered separately, for $1.99 each. I noticed that this is becoming common around Disney property, which is a welcome change if you just want a bite or so of dessert. The pistachio brittle was excellent, with large pieces of pistachios. The mousse was light, and had the flavor of pistachios that pistachio ice cream does. I had read that there was a pistachio crème brulee, but the menu had just changed. This new item was delicious, though. The cheesecake was rich, with a thick caramel sauce, but the flavor of the cheesecake was a little lacking. The flourless chocolate cake was my favorite of the bunch, and I finally found a good flourless cake on property extremely dense, fudgy, rich, and chocolatey. The orange sauce went very well with the cake I love the taste of chocolate and orange together. The next dessert, the citrus cake, was very light in contrast. It wasnt really cakey, but had a light spongy texture and a vanilla sauce. The best part for me was the candied orange peel on top yum! This one would make a nice ending if you want just a bite of a dessert thats not heavy at all. The last, the baklava, we had to take home because we were just too full. It was crispy and rich with a honey sauce, and plenty of nuts just as good as the ones Ive had in Tarpon Springs. Spoodles is probably the closest youll come to Greek food on property Id love to see a fully Greek restaurant at Disney, though.
Overall, our server was wonderful attentive, polite, friendly, and efficient. He even thanked us as we were walking out and said that he had had a nice evening as well. Mikes soda was kept full, as was my water glass, and the food was brought out neither too slowly or too quickly. There were plenty of seats available, even at a prime dinner time (when we arrived, we were seated next to people ignoring their screaming child, and we almost asked to be seated somewhere else, which probably would have been do-able). Though I always recommend making priority seatings, I dont think it would be difficult to walk in unless it was a busy time of the year.
We ended up having a wonderful impromptu meal here, and wouldnt hesitate to return it was one of our better dining experiences. All of our food was wonderful, and as I said, I really noticed a great contrast of textures. Theres a great selection of different types of food from around the Mediterranean Sea (including Italian, Middle Eastern, and Greek), and I think it would satisfy anyone in your group.
Photo gallery (mods, please let me know if this link is ok)
I had us all packed and ready to go by the time Mike came home from work, so off we went down I-4. Traffic was light for once, and we arrived around 7:30 pm. We walked in, and there were only a few people in the waiting area. The waiting area was nicely decorated, with historic maps painted on the walls, and a large wine rack covering the back wall. We checked in at the desk, and were told that wed be the next to go in. We seem to not have much trouble checking in up to 30 minutes early for priority seatings. We were called within a few minutes, and were seated at a table for two against the window facing the water. There wasnt much of a view, but it always feels a little more open when Im seated by the window. Before we had been seated, however, we were walked past the dessert tray, and told about each mini dessert. Interesting selling technique. The décor is warm and plesant, with deep, muted colors and metallic highlights around the rooms, including on the ceiling.
We had a very pleasant older man as our server, though I dont remember his name. He told us what his recommendations were, and asked for our drink order. I had perused the menu before he came over, and was interested in the Spoodle-rita ($6.25). I had tried the Italian margarita at Epcot before, and was curious how this version compared to that one. It contained limoncello and tequila, and was on the rocks instead of frozen. I liked this version better, it was tart and sweet, and the limoncello flavor was more noticeable. Mike, as usual, ordered a diet Coke ($2.00). For an appetizer, we ordered the Mediterranean dips, which included hummus, baba ghannouj, tzatziki sauce, feta cheese sauce, and chermoula ($5.99). It was brought out with pita bread, and when Mike took a bite of the bread with a dip on it, he asked if the dip was smoked. I looked at the bread, and they had actually grilled the pita bread over wood chips it was delicious! Our favorite dip was the chermoula, which was pretty spicy, but not too much. The hummus was good, though not the best Ive had, the feta dip was rich, thick, and tangy, the tzatziki was also thick and refreshing with the cucumbers in it (Ive had an incredibly garlicky version in Tarpon Springs, and this one was a little lacking without the dragons breath of garlic). The only somewhat disappointing part was the baba ghannouj, which wasnt quite as flavorful as Ive had it before. In the middle of the dish was a relish of mixed olives, pits in so watch out for your teeth! We ran out of pita bread in the middle, as its a large tray, so we asked for more bread. Unfortunately our server said that we could only have extra bread from the bread basket, which included focaccia and sliced sandwich bread. This was also disappointing, because it took away somewhat from the dips, and the bread was slightly stale. Later on, I saw that all the bread was kept in a huge basket in the front of the restaurant. This appetizer is incredibly filling Id recommend sharing it with a large group, or splitting entrees afterwards. We loved this appetizer, though, and would come back just for the dips and dessert.
For our entrees, I ordered the stuffed peppers ($15.99), and Mike ordered the oak grilled filet minon ($24.99), medium rare. I noticed the feta spoon bread on the side of the pork chop, and asked if I could get that on the side as well it was no problem. The stuffed peppers were mild red peppers stuffed with a soft cheese, sprinkled with manchego cheeseon top, and came with a whole grain pilaf, caramelized onions, and broccoli rabe. The peppers were cooked thoroughly, to a soft consistency and were able to be cut with a fork. The cheese on top was sharp and tangy, and there was just enough for a lot of flavor, and contrasted nicely with the mild soft cheese inside the peppers. The pilaf was seasoned well, had a nutty flavor, with some crunch from actual nuts. It contained, at least, almonds, quinoa, wild rice, and brown rice. Ive made quinoa at home and hadnt enjoyed it, but this pilaf was great. The broccoli rabe was cooked just right, but I dont like broccoli rabe and left it aside. The whole dish had a great contrast of texture, with the crisp broccoli rabe, crunchy pilaf, and soft peppers and cheeses. It was a perfect dish, and Id have a hard time ordering something else! The feta spoon bread was wonderful, with an incredibly moist texture, large pieces of very mild feta cheese, and fennel seeds, for just a hint of an anise taste. Mikes filet came on top of mashed potatoes, with a sundried tomato sauce on top, drizzled with a chive cream sauce, and tiny baby greens as a garnish on top. I didnt try his filet, but he said that it was excellent, ranking up there with Le Cellier and the Brown Derby. The mashed potatoes were really crushed potatoes, had some nice chunks of potatoes, and was delicious with the sundried tomato sauce. Mike loved his entrée as well, but both of us were pretty full from the appetizer and wanted to save some room for dessert. With the entrees, I also ordered a Blue Spoodle drink ($6.50), which apparently is the most popular mixed drink there. It was very very sweet like a liquid cotton candy. It contained coconut rum, among other alcohols with a raspberry swirl, and the pina colada taste really stood out. Im not sure if Id order it again, because of how incredibly sweet it was. It's definitely not the same one that's on the menu listing on AllEarsNet currently.
After our entrees, the chef came by to ask us how our meals were. I dont think its a standard practice, and I wonder if our server asked him to come by because we were taking pictures. Since we were almost done with the food, I mentioned that we did informal restaurant reviews, and that we were having an excellent meal. He thanked us and asked us to take home a copy of the menu with us. I always love being able to talk and shake hands with the chef!
We were shown the mini dessert tray again, and were considering ordering a couple of the small desserts, but we noticed a dessert sampler ($10.99), which came with pistachio mousse with pistachio brittle, dulce de leche cheesecake, flourless chocolate cake, a citrus cake, and baklava. There was also a fruity dessert wine that I had to try ($10.25), though next time I will limit myself to just one drink those prices, ouch! (The Disney Dining Experience discount mitigates it somewhat, though.) Each of the desserts can be ordered separately, for $1.99 each. I noticed that this is becoming common around Disney property, which is a welcome change if you just want a bite or so of dessert. The pistachio brittle was excellent, with large pieces of pistachios. The mousse was light, and had the flavor of pistachios that pistachio ice cream does. I had read that there was a pistachio crème brulee, but the menu had just changed. This new item was delicious, though. The cheesecake was rich, with a thick caramel sauce, but the flavor of the cheesecake was a little lacking. The flourless chocolate cake was my favorite of the bunch, and I finally found a good flourless cake on property extremely dense, fudgy, rich, and chocolatey. The orange sauce went very well with the cake I love the taste of chocolate and orange together. The next dessert, the citrus cake, was very light in contrast. It wasnt really cakey, but had a light spongy texture and a vanilla sauce. The best part for me was the candied orange peel on top yum! This one would make a nice ending if you want just a bite of a dessert thats not heavy at all. The last, the baklava, we had to take home because we were just too full. It was crispy and rich with a honey sauce, and plenty of nuts just as good as the ones Ive had in Tarpon Springs. Spoodles is probably the closest youll come to Greek food on property Id love to see a fully Greek restaurant at Disney, though.
Overall, our server was wonderful attentive, polite, friendly, and efficient. He even thanked us as we were walking out and said that he had had a nice evening as well. Mikes soda was kept full, as was my water glass, and the food was brought out neither too slowly or too quickly. There were plenty of seats available, even at a prime dinner time (when we arrived, we were seated next to people ignoring their screaming child, and we almost asked to be seated somewhere else, which probably would have been do-able). Though I always recommend making priority seatings, I dont think it would be difficult to walk in unless it was a busy time of the year.
We ended up having a wonderful impromptu meal here, and wouldnt hesitate to return it was one of our better dining experiences. All of our food was wonderful, and as I said, I really noticed a great contrast of textures. Theres a great selection of different types of food from around the Mediterranean Sea (including Italian, Middle Eastern, and Greek), and I think it would satisfy anyone in your group.
Photo gallery (mods, please let me know if this link is ok)
