Welcome. Enjoy the donuts next month.
Dining Review - March 2024
- Thread starter Noreen411
- Start date
Totally get you on being a Princess; you want the comforts of home. We pack all sorts of stuff since we drive too.
I see your husband’s point with the complexity of packing since we do the little packing cubes for the hotel on the drive down and back home. I think the feeling “homeless” on those check out of one hotel before checking into the next hotel is what would bother me; and knowing I’m not settled into my place for vacation yet.
Your trip sounds amazing - have a wonderful time
Monday 3/4/24
We started the day at Hollywood Studios.
We headed to Disney Springs, did some shopping, and decided to have lunch at Earl of Sandwich. I went in to order while Scott found a table with all the bags of stuff we bought.
I ordered an Italian for Scott, and an Original for me. We had Coke to drink. When I moved to the cashier to pay, I noticed on the receipt it said Earl Club instead of Original so I went back to the woman I ordered from and told her. She said I should let the cashier know and they will fix it. I explained what happened to the cashier, he said not to worry, they’ll fix it to the original instead.
When the buzzer went off that the order was ready, there were 3 sandwiches (instead of 2) in the bag. The ones we wanted as well as the Earl Club we didn’t order. I told them and tried to give back the Earl Club and was told to enjoy it.
Italian: Salami, Capicola, ham, pepperoni, mozzarella, Roma tomato, Italian seasoning, and Italian dressing. Scott loved his Italian sandwich.
The Original 1762: Roasted Beef, cheddar and horseradish sauce. I asked for light on the sauce. My original was OK; not as good as it’s been in the past. The meat was a bit on the fatty side. I ate a bite or two was wasn’t enjoying it. Scott said he’ll snack on it later so we just wrapped it back up.
Earl’s Club: Turkey, Bacon, Swiss, lettuce, Roma tomato and sandwich sauce. Since we had the Earl’s Club, I gave that a try. This was very good. We each ate half of this sandwich. I think I may have found a new sandwich to order next time we come to Earl of Sandwich.
We started the day at Hollywood Studios.
We headed to Disney Springs, did some shopping, and decided to have lunch at Earl of Sandwich. I went in to order while Scott found a table with all the bags of stuff we bought.
I ordered an Italian for Scott, and an Original for me. We had Coke to drink. When I moved to the cashier to pay, I noticed on the receipt it said Earl Club instead of Original so I went back to the woman I ordered from and told her. She said I should let the cashier know and they will fix it. I explained what happened to the cashier, he said not to worry, they’ll fix it to the original instead.
When the buzzer went off that the order was ready, there were 3 sandwiches (instead of 2) in the bag. The ones we wanted as well as the Earl Club we didn’t order. I told them and tried to give back the Earl Club and was told to enjoy it.
Italian: Salami, Capicola, ham, pepperoni, mozzarella, Roma tomato, Italian seasoning, and Italian dressing. Scott loved his Italian sandwich.
The Original 1762: Roasted Beef, cheddar and horseradish sauce. I asked for light on the sauce. My original was OK; not as good as it’s been in the past. The meat was a bit on the fatty side. I ate a bite or two was wasn’t enjoying it. Scott said he’ll snack on it later so we just wrapped it back up.
Earl’s Club: Turkey, Bacon, Swiss, lettuce, Roma tomato and sandwich sauce. Since we had the Earl’s Club, I gave that a try. This was very good. We each ate half of this sandwich. I think I may have found a new sandwich to order next time we come to Earl of Sandwich.
Monday 3/4/24 Continued
Later that evening we drove to the Yacht Club for dinner at Yachtsman’s Steakhouse. We went a bit early for pre-dinner cocktails at the Crew’s Cup Lounge (the bar right next to Yachtsman’s). We didn’t check in at the restaurant but got settled at the bar. We wanted to have some time to enjoy our drinks and not be rushed to our table early.
Scott had Bombay Sapphire straight with Olives
I had a Key Lime Pie Martini: Licor 43, Lime Juice and Whipped Cream, shaken and served with a graham cracker crumb rim. This drink was fantastic, it really tasted like you are drinking a piece of key lime pie. This was a very close second as my favorite cocktail of the trip (just slightly behind the Hoodunit’s Punch from Abracadabar).
We had a nice time chatting with the bartender. He asked if we were planning to eat at the bar or if we were going to Yachtsman’s. We told him we had a reservation at Yachtsman’s but didn’t want to check in until closer to our reservation time so we wouldn’t be seated early. He said he could check us in and did so just about at our reservation time.
The host came over to us at the bar to seat us when it was time for our reservation. This was a nice way to do this and we didn’t feel rushed.
The onion rolls are so good here.
They let us know they were out of Prime Rib which made us laugh since that’s what we were thinking of ordering to share; but they said they may have an end cut if we wanted that.
We ordered two appetizers:
Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail: poached, house-made cocktail sauce, lemon. This was good, the sauce is what makes it really good. I would have preferred if the sauce was on the side to dip but it still tasted good. The presentation was different than when we had this during our Sept/Oct 2023 trip (sauce on the side then) but it was still just as tasty.
Shrimp Cocktail March 2024:
Shrimp Cocktail October 2023 to show how it was served in the fall:
Squash Agnolotti: sage, crispy kale, pine nuts. This was OK. We ate it, but probably wouldn’t get it again. Nothing was wrong with it, but it was just OK
Later that evening we drove to the Yacht Club for dinner at Yachtsman’s Steakhouse. We went a bit early for pre-dinner cocktails at the Crew’s Cup Lounge (the bar right next to Yachtsman’s). We didn’t check in at the restaurant but got settled at the bar. We wanted to have some time to enjoy our drinks and not be rushed to our table early.
Scott had Bombay Sapphire straight with Olives
I had a Key Lime Pie Martini: Licor 43, Lime Juice and Whipped Cream, shaken and served with a graham cracker crumb rim. This drink was fantastic, it really tasted like you are drinking a piece of key lime pie. This was a very close second as my favorite cocktail of the trip (just slightly behind the Hoodunit’s Punch from Abracadabar).
We had a nice time chatting with the bartender. He asked if we were planning to eat at the bar or if we were going to Yachtsman’s. We told him we had a reservation at Yachtsman’s but didn’t want to check in until closer to our reservation time so we wouldn’t be seated early. He said he could check us in and did so just about at our reservation time.
The host came over to us at the bar to seat us when it was time for our reservation. This was a nice way to do this and we didn’t feel rushed.
The onion rolls are so good here.
They let us know they were out of Prime Rib which made us laugh since that’s what we were thinking of ordering to share; but they said they may have an end cut if we wanted that.
We ordered two appetizers:
Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail: poached, house-made cocktail sauce, lemon. This was good, the sauce is what makes it really good. I would have preferred if the sauce was on the side to dip but it still tasted good. The presentation was different than when we had this during our Sept/Oct 2023 trip (sauce on the side then) but it was still just as tasty.
Shrimp Cocktail March 2024:
Shrimp Cocktail October 2023 to show how it was served in the fall:
Squash Agnolotti: sage, crispy kale, pine nuts. This was OK. We ate it, but probably wouldn’t get it again. Nothing was wrong with it, but it was just OK
Monday 3/4/24 Continued
For our entree we ordered the end cut of the Prime Rib that they said was still available to share.
Prime Rib: 14-oz roasted prime rib, Yorkshire pudding, au jus, horseradish cream. They split the meat in the kitchen for us; this was huge. It was a bit too fatty for me. I ate around the fat as best as I could. It was very good, but neither of us finished it; we had the rest wrapped to go. I know once Scott cuts all the fat off and cooks the pieces we had wrapped to go it will be fantastic.
I loved the Yorkshire pudding (or Popover as I call them). Scott can take it or leave it so he left the whole popover for me to enjoy. I totally enjoyed this with some butter on it.
We also ordered a side of the truffle Mac & cheese. Scott enjoyed this more than I did, but he loves Mac & Cheese where I can take it or leave it.
We had a lot of leftovers to bring back.
That didn’t stop us from ordering dessert. Crème Brûlée: Luxardo Cherries, Orange segments, whiskey ganache. This was a cute presentation in the closed pot that we opened to reveal the dessert. This was OK, but not something we would order again.
We planned to head back to Hollywood Studios after dinner for Fantasmic, but we didn’t get out of dinner until after 9 and Fantasmic was at 9:30 so we’ll see Fantasmic another day.
For our entree we ordered the end cut of the Prime Rib that they said was still available to share.
Prime Rib: 14-oz roasted prime rib, Yorkshire pudding, au jus, horseradish cream. They split the meat in the kitchen for us; this was huge. It was a bit too fatty for me. I ate around the fat as best as I could. It was very good, but neither of us finished it; we had the rest wrapped to go. I know once Scott cuts all the fat off and cooks the pieces we had wrapped to go it will be fantastic.
I loved the Yorkshire pudding (or Popover as I call them). Scott can take it or leave it so he left the whole popover for me to enjoy. I totally enjoyed this with some butter on it.
We also ordered a side of the truffle Mac & cheese. Scott enjoyed this more than I did, but he loves Mac & Cheese where I can take it or leave it.
We had a lot of leftovers to bring back.
That didn’t stop us from ordering dessert. Crème Brûlée: Luxardo Cherries, Orange segments, whiskey ganache. This was a cute presentation in the closed pot that we opened to reveal the dessert. This was OK, but not something we would order again.
We planned to head back to Hollywood Studios after dinner for Fantasmic, but we didn’t get out of dinner until after 9 and Fantasmic was at 9:30 so we’ll see Fantasmic another day.
Tuesday 3/5/24
We started the day at Animal Kingdom.
We had a lunch reservation for Yak & Yeti.
Scott had his normal Bombay Sapphire with Olives. I originally planned to try the Yak Attack since I kept reading about it, but it’s a frozen drink which I don’t really like. I found a different drink to try. East of Eden: Don Q Cristal & Coconut rums, Coco real cream of coconut, finest call watermelon, mint, simple syrup, fresh lime juice, club soda. This was very good.
The main reason I wanted to come to Yak & Yeti…Ahi tuna nachos: Sushi grade ahi tuna, Asian slaw, crispy fried wontons, wasabi aioli, sweet soy glaze. I had these once years ago and they were great. I’ve been talking to Scott about them and knew he would love them. We have never found time to go to Yak & Yeti before so I’m glad we managed to this trip. They were as good as I remembered. Scott thought they were great too.
Just another angle of the pretty tuna nachos
We also ordered Pork Pot Stickers: Pan seared or steamed, soy lime dipping sauce. We ordered this thinking we needed something in addition to the nachos. They were OK, pretty basic pot stickers. It wasn’t necessary to order them, the nachos were enough.
Later that evening we headed to Disney Springs. We weren’t hungry for a full meal but wanted to go back to Jock Lindsey’s Hangar Bar. We enjoyed it last time we were there. After some shopping we were ready to head to the bar. Scott had a few shirts we needed to return so I said I would go return the shirts if he wanted to head to the bar and get us seats and get situated; it’s first come first served.
Before I arrived, Scott found us seats, and ordered himself a Jock’s Old Fashioned: A classic cocktail with a Florida summer twist. I always try to get him to try different drinks rather than sticking to his standard drinks. If it’s made with something he likes every once in a while he’ll try one. He even remembered to take a picture.
I got there shortly after, tried his drink, liked it, so ordered the same.
Scott ended up thinking it was too sweet for him so he had more bourbon added. That’s probably why I liked it; being sweeter and less boozy tasting.
We ordered a few things to share
Snakebite Sliders: Reggies favorite snack Gourmet Beef sliders with tomato-bacon jam, house-made pickles, shredded lettuce and cheese. These were decent but a little on the dry side.
Margherita Flatbread: with roasted Heirloom tomatoes, red onions, fresh mozzarella, basil, and Balsamic glaze. This was pretty good, but we should have asked them to exclude the Balsamic glaze as neither of us like balsamic. We wiped it off with napkins as best we could, but it’s a pretty strong flavor.
We started the day at Animal Kingdom.
We had a lunch reservation for Yak & Yeti.
Scott had his normal Bombay Sapphire with Olives. I originally planned to try the Yak Attack since I kept reading about it, but it’s a frozen drink which I don’t really like. I found a different drink to try. East of Eden: Don Q Cristal & Coconut rums, Coco real cream of coconut, finest call watermelon, mint, simple syrup, fresh lime juice, club soda. This was very good.
The main reason I wanted to come to Yak & Yeti…Ahi tuna nachos: Sushi grade ahi tuna, Asian slaw, crispy fried wontons, wasabi aioli, sweet soy glaze. I had these once years ago and they were great. I’ve been talking to Scott about them and knew he would love them. We have never found time to go to Yak & Yeti before so I’m glad we managed to this trip. They were as good as I remembered. Scott thought they were great too.
Just another angle of the pretty tuna nachos
We also ordered Pork Pot Stickers: Pan seared or steamed, soy lime dipping sauce. We ordered this thinking we needed something in addition to the nachos. They were OK, pretty basic pot stickers. It wasn’t necessary to order them, the nachos were enough.
Later that evening we headed to Disney Springs. We weren’t hungry for a full meal but wanted to go back to Jock Lindsey’s Hangar Bar. We enjoyed it last time we were there. After some shopping we were ready to head to the bar. Scott had a few shirts we needed to return so I said I would go return the shirts if he wanted to head to the bar and get us seats and get situated; it’s first come first served.
Before I arrived, Scott found us seats, and ordered himself a Jock’s Old Fashioned: A classic cocktail with a Florida summer twist. I always try to get him to try different drinks rather than sticking to his standard drinks. If it’s made with something he likes every once in a while he’ll try one. He even remembered to take a picture.
I got there shortly after, tried his drink, liked it, so ordered the same.
Scott ended up thinking it was too sweet for him so he had more bourbon added. That’s probably why I liked it; being sweeter and less boozy tasting.
We ordered a few things to share
Snakebite Sliders: Reggies favorite snack Gourmet Beef sliders with tomato-bacon jam, house-made pickles, shredded lettuce and cheese. These were decent but a little on the dry side.
Margherita Flatbread: with roasted Heirloom tomatoes, red onions, fresh mozzarella, basil, and Balsamic glaze. This was pretty good, but we should have asked them to exclude the Balsamic glaze as neither of us like balsamic. We wiped it off with napkins as best we could, but it’s a pretty strong flavor.
Wednesday 3/6/24
We spent most of the day with a realtor looking around the west coast of Florida for potential future places to move.
That evening we drove to the Caribbean Beach resort for dinner at Sebastian’s Bistro.
We went a bit early to have pre-dinner cocktails at Banana Cabana.
Scott had Makers Bourbon and a Coke.
I had Caribbean Smuggler: Captain Morgan Original Spiced Rum and Parrot Bay Coconut Rum with Cranberry and Pineapple Juices. This was good; the bartender said it’s her favorite drink so I gave it a try. I prefer the Banana Cabana drink that I’ve had here before, but always like to give something new and recommended a try.
There weren’t any seats at the bar so we took our drinks along the water and sat on a bench there. It was super peaceful. We saw a turtle swimming in the water and the sun starting to set.
We were seated on time at Sebastian’s Bistro.
It’s a Pre-Fixed Meal. The last few times we came we did the add on of the coconut shrimp but skipped it this time knowing how much food there is.
Starters:
Buttery House-baked Pull-apart rolls: with guava butter and caramelized onion jam. The rolls are really good, but if they were heated up just a bit they would be excellent.
Spice Salad Necklace: Mixed greens with spiced candied pumpkin seeds, tropical fruit, and radish with key lime dressing. This is a great and refreshing salad.
Entree:
Taste of the Caribbean: A selection of our favorite recipes inspired by the flavors of the Caribbean. Oven-roasted citrus chicken, slow-cooked Mojo Pork with Mango Sambal, grilled Chili-rubbed beef with mojito relish, and sustainable baked fish with Veracruz sauce. They also have a vegetarian platter if you prefer but we stuck with the regular meat one. The food on the platter was really good tonight. Usually there will be something we like best and things we aren’t as thrilled with; today pretty much everything was cooked really well.
Sides:
The platter is serviced with cilantro rice and beans, vegetable curry, and grilled seasonal vegetables. I don’t normally like cilantro (it tastes like soap to me) but the rice and beans here is delicious. The broccoli (or broccolini) is also perfectly cooked and delicious.
Dessert:
Our celebrated house-made coconut-pineapple bread pudding with caramel sauce and vanilla ice cream. This is a show stopper. It’s fantastic.
Everything was very good; we enjoyed all our food. This was our best meal at Sebastian’s yet.
We spent most of the day with a realtor looking around the west coast of Florida for potential future places to move.
That evening we drove to the Caribbean Beach resort for dinner at Sebastian’s Bistro.
We went a bit early to have pre-dinner cocktails at Banana Cabana.
Scott had Makers Bourbon and a Coke.
I had Caribbean Smuggler: Captain Morgan Original Spiced Rum and Parrot Bay Coconut Rum with Cranberry and Pineapple Juices. This was good; the bartender said it’s her favorite drink so I gave it a try. I prefer the Banana Cabana drink that I’ve had here before, but always like to give something new and recommended a try.
There weren’t any seats at the bar so we took our drinks along the water and sat on a bench there. It was super peaceful. We saw a turtle swimming in the water and the sun starting to set.
We were seated on time at Sebastian’s Bistro.
It’s a Pre-Fixed Meal. The last few times we came we did the add on of the coconut shrimp but skipped it this time knowing how much food there is.
Starters:
Buttery House-baked Pull-apart rolls: with guava butter and caramelized onion jam. The rolls are really good, but if they were heated up just a bit they would be excellent.
Spice Salad Necklace: Mixed greens with spiced candied pumpkin seeds, tropical fruit, and radish with key lime dressing. This is a great and refreshing salad.
Entree:
Taste of the Caribbean: A selection of our favorite recipes inspired by the flavors of the Caribbean. Oven-roasted citrus chicken, slow-cooked Mojo Pork with Mango Sambal, grilled Chili-rubbed beef with mojito relish, and sustainable baked fish with Veracruz sauce. They also have a vegetarian platter if you prefer but we stuck with the regular meat one. The food on the platter was really good tonight. Usually there will be something we like best and things we aren’t as thrilled with; today pretty much everything was cooked really well.
Sides:
The platter is serviced with cilantro rice and beans, vegetable curry, and grilled seasonal vegetables. I don’t normally like cilantro (it tastes like soap to me) but the rice and beans here is delicious. The broccoli (or broccolini) is also perfectly cooked and delicious.
Dessert:
Our celebrated house-made coconut-pineapple bread pudding with caramel sauce and vanilla ice cream. This is a show stopper. It’s fantastic.
Everything was very good; we enjoyed all our food. This was our best meal at Sebastian’s yet.
Thursday 3/7/24
We started the day at Epcot.
We tried an item from the Flower & Garden Festival Booths. At the Odyssey we had the Orange Sesame Tempura Shrimp with Orange-chili sauce. These were pretty good. It was a decent sized portion.
Later that evening we drove to the Boardwalk for our dinner reservation at Flying Fish.
We went early for pre-dinner cocktails at Abracadabar.
I had Hoodunit’s Punch: Captain Morgan Spiced Rum, Orange Juice, Pineapple Juice, Coconut. This is my favorite cocktail of the trip. Scott had Bombay Sapphire with olives.
We checked in a little early at Flying Fish and let them know we were at Abracadabar, weren’t looking to be seated early, just wanted to let them know we were there. We should have known better than to do that.
We received a text within minutes that our table was ready, and the host came to find us at the bar to get us seated. She was a bit annoying rushing us; basically standing there to make sure we were closing out our bar bill. It was still before our reservation time so it’s not like we were holding anything up.
Once she seated us, she was friendly and trying to joke around with us.
The waiter was helpful giving us suggestions on what to try.
The bread is really good.
Scott ordered a Martini and it was served at the table in a shaker for him to pour into his glass. The waiter said he didn’t want to spill it so had Scott pour it.
The waiter suggested he create an appetizer assortment for us with a few things from the menu and an off-menu octopus that they had. That sounded good to us so we went with his suggestion.
Our appetizers included the following:
Hawaiian Hamachi: Blood orange verjus, Florida citrus, pink peppercorn yogurt. This was very light and refreshing, but not necessarily something we would get again. Nothing was wrong with it, we found it a bit bland compared to the other items.
Slow-roasted Pork Belly: Sliced apple, cherry gastrique
Octopus - not on the menu
The pork belly and octopus came on one plate. This was very good; great suggestion from the waiter here. We had the pork belly on a prior visit here and didn’t like it. He wanted us to give it another try and thinks maybe we didn’t have the right experience with it last time. I’m glad we tried it again since it was very good this visit.
For our entree we had the Chilean Sea Bass: Jumbo Lump crab, grilled asparagus, tarragon. This was a perfectly cooked piece of fish; we both enjoyed it.
For dessert we had the Key Lime Cake: Coconut-lime mousse, guava, tropical coulis. This was recommended by the waiter and he was right; this was delicious. It was light and tasty with different textures.
We are very glad we made it back to Flying Fish; we really enjoyed our meal here and would definitely come back again.
We headed to Hollywood Studios after dinner and made it to Fantasmic 10 minutes before it started. Surprisingly, there were still a decent amount of seats; we stayed in the back bleacher area hoping for an easy exit after the show.
We started the day at Epcot.
We tried an item from the Flower & Garden Festival Booths. At the Odyssey we had the Orange Sesame Tempura Shrimp with Orange-chili sauce. These were pretty good. It was a decent sized portion.
Later that evening we drove to the Boardwalk for our dinner reservation at Flying Fish.
We went early for pre-dinner cocktails at Abracadabar.
I had Hoodunit’s Punch: Captain Morgan Spiced Rum, Orange Juice, Pineapple Juice, Coconut. This is my favorite cocktail of the trip. Scott had Bombay Sapphire with olives.
We checked in a little early at Flying Fish and let them know we were at Abracadabar, weren’t looking to be seated early, just wanted to let them know we were there. We should have known better than to do that.
We received a text within minutes that our table was ready, and the host came to find us at the bar to get us seated. She was a bit annoying rushing us; basically standing there to make sure we were closing out our bar bill. It was still before our reservation time so it’s not like we were holding anything up.
Once she seated us, she was friendly and trying to joke around with us.
The waiter was helpful giving us suggestions on what to try.
The bread is really good.
Scott ordered a Martini and it was served at the table in a shaker for him to pour into his glass. The waiter said he didn’t want to spill it so had Scott pour it.
The waiter suggested he create an appetizer assortment for us with a few things from the menu and an off-menu octopus that they had. That sounded good to us so we went with his suggestion.
Our appetizers included the following:
Hawaiian Hamachi: Blood orange verjus, Florida citrus, pink peppercorn yogurt. This was very light and refreshing, but not necessarily something we would get again. Nothing was wrong with it, we found it a bit bland compared to the other items.
Slow-roasted Pork Belly: Sliced apple, cherry gastrique
Octopus - not on the menu
The pork belly and octopus came on one plate. This was very good; great suggestion from the waiter here. We had the pork belly on a prior visit here and didn’t like it. He wanted us to give it another try and thinks maybe we didn’t have the right experience with it last time. I’m glad we tried it again since it was very good this visit.
For our entree we had the Chilean Sea Bass: Jumbo Lump crab, grilled asparagus, tarragon. This was a perfectly cooked piece of fish; we both enjoyed it.
For dessert we had the Key Lime Cake: Coconut-lime mousse, guava, tropical coulis. This was recommended by the waiter and he was right; this was delicious. It was light and tasty with different textures.
We are very glad we made it back to Flying Fish; we really enjoyed our meal here and would definitely come back again.
We headed to Hollywood Studios after dinner and made it to Fantasmic 10 minutes before it started. Surprisingly, there were still a decent amount of seats; we stayed in the back bleacher area hoping for an easy exit after the show.
Friday 3/8/24
We started the day at Hollywood Studios.
We went to Disney Springs for a late lunch at the Boathouse and found seats at the bar where we like to sit. We didn’t have reservations; the bar is first come first served.
Scott had Tanquerey with Olives. I had Duck Duck Razz: Stoli Razberi, Peach Schnapps, Blue Curaçao, Lemon Juice, Simple Syrup. This is such a cute and tasty drink, but stronger than it looks.
We started with 5 Sea of Cortez Shrimp: London Dry Gin cocktail sauce. These are always so good and fresh.
We were brought little dinner rolls with butter. Puffy little rolls that have a buttery glaze on top. It’s so hard not to fill up on them.
We ordered the Filet Mignon sliders: Maitre d’Butter. These are really tasty and juicy.
Below is the slider open to see the deliciousness inside the bun
We also ordered a side of French fries. The Boathouse has the best fries at Disney. I don’t know what they do to them, but they are so good.
We also ordered the Fried Atlantic Clam strips: chipotle tartar sauce and lemon. These were tasty.
We both enjoy the Boathouse; we always have fun here and the food is great.
We started the day at Hollywood Studios.
We went to Disney Springs for a late lunch at the Boathouse and found seats at the bar where we like to sit. We didn’t have reservations; the bar is first come first served.
Scott had Tanquerey with Olives. I had Duck Duck Razz: Stoli Razberi, Peach Schnapps, Blue Curaçao, Lemon Juice, Simple Syrup. This is such a cute and tasty drink, but stronger than it looks.
We started with 5 Sea of Cortez Shrimp: London Dry Gin cocktail sauce. These are always so good and fresh.
We were brought little dinner rolls with butter. Puffy little rolls that have a buttery glaze on top. It’s so hard not to fill up on them.
We ordered the Filet Mignon sliders: Maitre d’Butter. These are really tasty and juicy.
Below is the slider open to see the deliciousness inside the bun
We also ordered a side of French fries. The Boathouse has the best fries at Disney. I don’t know what they do to them, but they are so good.
We also ordered the Fried Atlantic Clam strips: chipotle tartar sauce and lemon. These were tasty.
We both enjoy the Boathouse; we always have fun here and the food is great.
Friday 3/8/24 Continued
Later that evening, I was still full from our late lunch. Scott was getting hungry so suggested just getting something from Saltgrass Steakhouse to go and bring back to the villa.
He brought home a burger, Mac & cheese, and a piece of carrot cake.
Even though I was still full from lunch, I had a few bites of the delicious carrot cake.
Later that evening, I was still full from our late lunch. Scott was getting hungry so suggested just getting something from Saltgrass Steakhouse to go and bring back to the villa.
He brought home a burger, Mac & cheese, and a piece of carrot cake.
Even though I was still full from lunch, I had a few bites of the delicious carrot cake.
2xcited2sleep
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 5, 2008
So happy to see another dining report from you! I'm also a big fan of the pre-dinner relaxing cocktail ... what a bummer to be rushed at Narcoossee's and Flying Fish. Both are fantastic though and you ordered my faves - the blackened redfish and the sea bass. So glad you were able to get to Yak & Yeti for those nachos .... they are the BEST. I love a key lime martini ... didn't know it was on the menu at Crews Cup - going to have to make a stop for that! Lastly, I totally agree the filet sliders and fries at Boathouse are an amazing meal!
Thank you. I guess it’s not the norm at Disney to want that pre-dinner relaxing cocktail, especially for families with kids. We thought we were being helpful by checking in at the restaurant early if we were at the bar, but letting them know that we didn’t want to be seated early. We’ll have to start delaying the actual check in until we’re just about ready to be seated.
We definitely had some really good meals this trip. Boathouse continues to be a favorite for us.
Saturday 3/9/24
Our plans changed today as we were originally planning to head to a different area of Florida we wanted to look at, but traffic was terrible and it would have taken us way too long to get there. We cancelled those plans, spent a little time at the pool, then headed to Hollywood Studios.
Scott wanted a pretzel and they are always better shaped like Mickey Mouse.
That evening we drove to the Riviera for our reservation at Topolino’s Terrace. We sat at the bar for pre-dinner cocktails and ended up eating at the bar instead of the table. We let the host know we were happy to stay at the bar to eat.
Scott had and Old Fashioned, which the bartender stamped the ice cube. How cute is that?
I had French Rose: Ketel One Citron Vodka, Combier Crème de Pamplemousse Rose Liqueur, Raspberry, Agave, Lemon, Soda water.
The bread is cute. It’s a little hard on the outside but we still enjoyed it. The olive oil was infused with something and it was tasty.
For an appetizer we had the Pork Belly Fazzoletto: handkerchief pasta, Marsala glaze, spring pea soubise. This was good but I would give the slight edge to the pork belly we had at Flying Fish over this one.
For an entree we had the Filet Mignon: Truffle pomme purée, asparagus, chanterelles, bordelaise. This was a really good filet. I prefer filet when I’m ordering steak. Scott often likes different cuts of meat but he agreed this was a great filet.
We also had the Seared Scallop Enhancement: Black Truffle Jam. This was fantastic. I keep saying I’m not really a big fan of scallops, but we’ve had some really good ones recently so I am definitely starting to like them more. Scott loved them.
For dessert we had the Vanilla and Citrus Crème Brûlée: Morello Cherry Compote, Strawberry foam, sugared beignets, and chocolate meringues. This was pretty good and very artistic.
Later that night Scott was craving pizza. There is a pizza place right near Publix so after getting a few items at Publix we picked up a pizza to go for Scott. He enjoyed a slice or two of the pizza back in the villa then put the rest in the fridge.
Our plans changed today as we were originally planning to head to a different area of Florida we wanted to look at, but traffic was terrible and it would have taken us way too long to get there. We cancelled those plans, spent a little time at the pool, then headed to Hollywood Studios.
Scott wanted a pretzel and they are always better shaped like Mickey Mouse.
That evening we drove to the Riviera for our reservation at Topolino’s Terrace. We sat at the bar for pre-dinner cocktails and ended up eating at the bar instead of the table. We let the host know we were happy to stay at the bar to eat.
Scott had and Old Fashioned, which the bartender stamped the ice cube. How cute is that?
I had French Rose: Ketel One Citron Vodka, Combier Crème de Pamplemousse Rose Liqueur, Raspberry, Agave, Lemon, Soda water.
The bread is cute. It’s a little hard on the outside but we still enjoyed it. The olive oil was infused with something and it was tasty.
For an appetizer we had the Pork Belly Fazzoletto: handkerchief pasta, Marsala glaze, spring pea soubise. This was good but I would give the slight edge to the pork belly we had at Flying Fish over this one.
For an entree we had the Filet Mignon: Truffle pomme purée, asparagus, chanterelles, bordelaise. This was a really good filet. I prefer filet when I’m ordering steak. Scott often likes different cuts of meat but he agreed this was a great filet.
We also had the Seared Scallop Enhancement: Black Truffle Jam. This was fantastic. I keep saying I’m not really a big fan of scallops, but we’ve had some really good ones recently so I am definitely starting to like them more. Scott loved them.
For dessert we had the Vanilla and Citrus Crème Brûlée: Morello Cherry Compote, Strawberry foam, sugared beignets, and chocolate meringues. This was pretty good and very artistic.
Later that night Scott was craving pizza. There is a pizza place right near Publix so after getting a few items at Publix we picked up a pizza to go for Scott. He enjoyed a slice or two of the pizza back in the villa then put the rest in the fridge.
auntfrannie
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 30, 2001
It seems so odd to me that the waiter was afraid to spill it! I don't think I've ever heard of that before!!
Hi. The waiter had his schtick/persona that he portrayed himself as clumsy, trouble seeing, goofy; it was a bit odd. His suggestions were good and he did a good job, so we just brushed off the “act” as his way to be memorable.
Sunday 3/10/24
We started the day at Magic Kingdom.
Scott wanted another of his favorite cookies from the Confectionary (candy store) on Main Street. After the picture and a few nibbles, we wrapped the cookie up for later.
Scott wanted lunch from Casey’s today. I saw the egg roll cart and mentioned that I read about the egg rolls and we should give them a try. While waiting on line for the egg rolls we mobile ordered from Casey’s.
We found a table in front of Casey’s just as we received the notification that the mobile order was ready.
We got one of each egg roll - one cheeseburger and one pepperoni. Unfortunately, we didn’t like them at all so they ended up in the trash.
Scott had a foot long hot dog, fries, and a Coke from Casey’s. His food was very good.
I ended up ordering the corn dog nuggets and fries since I didn’t like the egg rolls. Once again, since I mobile ordered I couldn’t figure out how to remove the fries since one order of fries was enough, but the convenience of mobile order won out over going inside to order.
We started the day at Magic Kingdom.
Scott wanted another of his favorite cookies from the Confectionary (candy store) on Main Street. After the picture and a few nibbles, we wrapped the cookie up for later.
Scott wanted lunch from Casey’s today. I saw the egg roll cart and mentioned that I read about the egg rolls and we should give them a try. While waiting on line for the egg rolls we mobile ordered from Casey’s.
We found a table in front of Casey’s just as we received the notification that the mobile order was ready.
We got one of each egg roll - one cheeseburger and one pepperoni. Unfortunately, we didn’t like them at all so they ended up in the trash.
Scott had a foot long hot dog, fries, and a Coke from Casey’s. His food was very good.
I ended up ordering the corn dog nuggets and fries since I didn’t like the egg rolls. Once again, since I mobile ordered I couldn’t figure out how to remove the fries since one order of fries was enough, but the convenience of mobile order won out over going inside to order.
Sunday 3/10/24 Continued
Later that evening we drove to California Grill for our dinner reservation at California Grill.
We went a little early planning to have pre-dinner cocktails at the bar, but when we checked in they mentioned the bar was full.
We were texted that our table was ready on time.
Scott had Bombay Sapphire straight with olives.
I had the Sonoma Maple Bourbon Old Fashioned: Sonoma Distilling Co. Bourbon, Vanilla Maple Syrup, Angostura Bitters, and Luxardo Gourmet Maraschino Cherries with an Orange Twist.
The bread is very good, but the dipping sauce wasn’t as good as it was last time; I preferred the bread with butter instead of the dipping sauce.
California Grill has a Prix fixe menu where you order an appetizer, entree, and dessert. Knowing this would be a lot of food, we made sure to order different items for our appetizer and entree to be able to try different things. We knew we were both going to get the same dessert since we loved it last trip.
For appetizers
Scott ordered the Wagyu Surf & Turf roll: Shrimp Tempura, Blue Crab Yuzu Salad, Avocado, House-made Hot Sauce, Yuzu-Avocado Purée. He said it was just OK.
I ordered the Rapini Pizza: Broccoli Rapini, Candied Bacon, Piquillo Pepper Coulis. I was originally going to order the Sardinian Pizza (House made Italian Sausage, Ras el Hanout Squash, smoked mozzarella, spiced agave syrup) but the waiter strongly recommended the Rapini instead so I went with his suggestion. This was just OK, some of the bacon pieces weren’t cooked enough and were fatty.
After our appetizers we went outside to the rooftop area to watch the 8:30 fireworks from Magic Kingdom. It was really cold out there. It was a nice way to watch the fireworks and a very different perspective than seeing them from inside the park.
We waited a while after the fireworks before our entrees arrived. The waiter stopped by to let us know they would be out soon. I think they held most of the entrees in the restaurant as many people went out to watch the fireworks and it was a nice way to do that between the appetizers and entrees. This way you didn’t have cold entrees sitting at the table by the time you came in from the fireworks.
For entrees
Scott ordered the Fire-roasted Venison: Butternut Squash gnocchi, Parsnip-almond purée, roasted cippolini onions, glazed apples, chanterelle mushrooms, venison jus. He said it was pretty good.
I ordered the Oak-grilled filet of beef: roasted onion cream, potato pave, charred caulilini, Cabernet veal jus. My filet was good.
For dessert we both ordered the White Chocolate cherry crème brûlée: almond chiffon, dark chocolate cremeux, almond crunch, Morello cherry gel, blood orange segments. This was fantastic; the best creme brûlée either of us have ever had.
While we enjoyed our meal at California Grill, the standout of the meal was the dessert.
Later that evening we drove to California Grill for our dinner reservation at California Grill.
We went a little early planning to have pre-dinner cocktails at the bar, but when we checked in they mentioned the bar was full.
We were texted that our table was ready on time.
Scott had Bombay Sapphire straight with olives.
I had the Sonoma Maple Bourbon Old Fashioned: Sonoma Distilling Co. Bourbon, Vanilla Maple Syrup, Angostura Bitters, and Luxardo Gourmet Maraschino Cherries with an Orange Twist.
The bread is very good, but the dipping sauce wasn’t as good as it was last time; I preferred the bread with butter instead of the dipping sauce.
California Grill has a Prix fixe menu where you order an appetizer, entree, and dessert. Knowing this would be a lot of food, we made sure to order different items for our appetizer and entree to be able to try different things. We knew we were both going to get the same dessert since we loved it last trip.
For appetizers
Scott ordered the Wagyu Surf & Turf roll: Shrimp Tempura, Blue Crab Yuzu Salad, Avocado, House-made Hot Sauce, Yuzu-Avocado Purée. He said it was just OK.
I ordered the Rapini Pizza: Broccoli Rapini, Candied Bacon, Piquillo Pepper Coulis. I was originally going to order the Sardinian Pizza (House made Italian Sausage, Ras el Hanout Squash, smoked mozzarella, spiced agave syrup) but the waiter strongly recommended the Rapini instead so I went with his suggestion. This was just OK, some of the bacon pieces weren’t cooked enough and were fatty.
After our appetizers we went outside to the rooftop area to watch the 8:30 fireworks from Magic Kingdom. It was really cold out there. It was a nice way to watch the fireworks and a very different perspective than seeing them from inside the park.
We waited a while after the fireworks before our entrees arrived. The waiter stopped by to let us know they would be out soon. I think they held most of the entrees in the restaurant as many people went out to watch the fireworks and it was a nice way to do that between the appetizers and entrees. This way you didn’t have cold entrees sitting at the table by the time you came in from the fireworks.
For entrees
Scott ordered the Fire-roasted Venison: Butternut Squash gnocchi, Parsnip-almond purée, roasted cippolini onions, glazed apples, chanterelle mushrooms, venison jus. He said it was pretty good.
I ordered the Oak-grilled filet of beef: roasted onion cream, potato pave, charred caulilini, Cabernet veal jus. My filet was good.
For dessert we both ordered the White Chocolate cherry crème brûlée: almond chiffon, dark chocolate cremeux, almond crunch, Morello cherry gel, blood orange segments. This was fantastic; the best creme brûlée either of us have ever had.
While we enjoyed our meal at California Grill, the standout of the meal was the dessert.
Monday 3/11/24
We started the day at Hollywood Studios.
We hopped over to Epcot and tried snacks from two different festival booths.
At the Florida Fresh Festival Booth, Scott had the Grilled Warm Water Lobster Tail with Key Lime Butter. He thought it was very good (not Narcoossee’s Butter Poached Lobster tail good, but very good for a festival booth).
At the Brunchcot Festival Booth, I had the Avocado Toast with Marinated Tomatoes and plant-based cheese crumbles on toasted ciabatta. This was good but there was a lot of avocado on it. It’s very pretty as well. Scott had a bite or two and we still couldn’t finish it. I would have preferred if they skipped the cheese crumbles.
We hopped over to Magic Kingdom and at the Confectionary made our own popcorn. There were so many things to choose from, pre-created mixtures or just choose your own. We chose our own. Caramel popcorn, white chocolate drizzle, and chose 2 toppings crushed cookies (one layer was crushed Oreos and the other layer was crushed vanilla wafers) and M&M’s. This was fun to create and we both enjoyed it. It’s a huge portion and some of it came home with us to New Jersey.
Later that evening we drove to Disney Springs for our dinner reservation at Raglan Road.
Scott had a Double Makers Bourbon with a big ice cube. I had a Strawberry Cucumber Mojito: Papa Pilars blonde rum, strawberry purée, muddled cucumber & mint, lime sour, ginger ale.
The bread and dipping sauce was tasty.
For an appetizer we had the Scallop Forest: Foley’s all natural Georges Bank scallops in a golden batter served with a citrus lime dipping sauce and sweet chili jam. This was pretty good. The presentation is adorable.
We ordered two entrees
Gnocchi Sea Gnocchi Do: Handmade potato gnocchi, seared Foley’s Georges Bank scallops, crispy pork belly, tomatoes and kale in a white wine butter sauce. Scott liked this more than I did.
OMG Burger: Dry aged prime short rib and brisket beef burger, Irish bacon, Dubliner Irish cheddar, crispy fried onions with Jameson Irish whiskey BBQ sauce. We both liked the burger.
For dessert we had Ger’s Bread & Butter Pudding. This was not our favorite bread pudding; it was too bready.
I’m glad we finally made it to Raglan Road. There were a lot of items on the menu we were trying to choose from that sounded good. I expect we’ll come back again and choose some of the other items we wanted to try. The dancers performed several times throughout our meal. It’s a very lively and loud restaurant.
We started the day at Hollywood Studios.
We hopped over to Epcot and tried snacks from two different festival booths.
At the Florida Fresh Festival Booth, Scott had the Grilled Warm Water Lobster Tail with Key Lime Butter. He thought it was very good (not Narcoossee’s Butter Poached Lobster tail good, but very good for a festival booth).
At the Brunchcot Festival Booth, I had the Avocado Toast with Marinated Tomatoes and plant-based cheese crumbles on toasted ciabatta. This was good but there was a lot of avocado on it. It’s very pretty as well. Scott had a bite or two and we still couldn’t finish it. I would have preferred if they skipped the cheese crumbles.
We hopped over to Magic Kingdom and at the Confectionary made our own popcorn. There were so many things to choose from, pre-created mixtures or just choose your own. We chose our own. Caramel popcorn, white chocolate drizzle, and chose 2 toppings crushed cookies (one layer was crushed Oreos and the other layer was crushed vanilla wafers) and M&M’s. This was fun to create and we both enjoyed it. It’s a huge portion and some of it came home with us to New Jersey.
Later that evening we drove to Disney Springs for our dinner reservation at Raglan Road.
Scott had a Double Makers Bourbon with a big ice cube. I had a Strawberry Cucumber Mojito: Papa Pilars blonde rum, strawberry purée, muddled cucumber & mint, lime sour, ginger ale.
The bread and dipping sauce was tasty.
For an appetizer we had the Scallop Forest: Foley’s all natural Georges Bank scallops in a golden batter served with a citrus lime dipping sauce and sweet chili jam. This was pretty good. The presentation is adorable.
We ordered two entrees
Gnocchi Sea Gnocchi Do: Handmade potato gnocchi, seared Foley’s Georges Bank scallops, crispy pork belly, tomatoes and kale in a white wine butter sauce. Scott liked this more than I did.
OMG Burger: Dry aged prime short rib and brisket beef burger, Irish bacon, Dubliner Irish cheddar, crispy fried onions with Jameson Irish whiskey BBQ sauce. We both liked the burger.
For dessert we had Ger’s Bread & Butter Pudding. This was not our favorite bread pudding; it was too bready.
I’m glad we finally made it to Raglan Road. There were a lot of items on the menu we were trying to choose from that sounded good. I expect we’ll come back again and choose some of the other items we wanted to try. The dancers performed several times throughout our meal. It’s a very lively and loud restaurant.
auntfrannie
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 30, 2001
I would expect that at Prime Time Cafe but not at FF!
jessieellschwartz
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- Apr 6, 2024
So much good advice thanks for sharing.
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