Trip Report: Food!

I love to eat! And I especially love to eat on vacation! The good thing about Walt Disney World is that you're walking so much (burning calories!) that you experience very little guilt about what you eat. Or maybe that's just me! In any event, here are some highlights of the things we ate last week. Some are bargains--yes, really!--while others were on the pricey side. Some were excellent, while others fell flat. Overall, we had a great time eating our way through the World.

Let's start with the Magic Kingdom. On our first day, we had an early breakfast with the princesses at Cinderella's Royal Table (will post more on that later). It's all-you-care-to-eat, and you have a choice of about three entrees, but I didn't see anyone asking for seconds.My husband went for the classic breakfast of bacon, sausage, eggs, and hashbrowns. Pretty normal stuff that was tasty but not fabulous. I tried the stuffed French toast that came with a side of bacon. Wow, it was so rich that I couldn't finish even one of the two pieces. Although the taste was yummy, the grease factor was really overwhelming. I would definitely opt for the basic breakfast--or the healthy oatmeal option--next time. The kids plate included bacon, eggs, and a couple of French toast sticks with syrup for dipping. Let's just say that for the nearly $150 it cost our family of four for this meal, we weren't really paying for the food. For character breakfast food, I'm a Chef Mickey's fan. But for princess interaction, Cinderella's Royal Table is still the hotest ticket at WDW.



We hit Pecos Bill Tall Tale Cafe for lunch. The chilli I ate wasn't bad (not award-winning or anything) and was around $3. Most entrees run around $9, with kids meals around $5. On our return trip to the MK, we went to one of our faves, the Columbia Harbour House, for lunch. The clam chowder here is excellent and quite a bargain at $4.50 for a bowl. But this time I opted for the hummus sandwich, which I also enjoyed. It was just over $8.

We didn't frequent any table service restaurants in the MK this time, but we did partake of the Wishes Dessert Party. I'll write a complete post on that later!

On to the Studios. Granted, we've had hit and miss experiences with eating at this Park. For starters, most of the counter service restaurants have no clear theme that would indicate what type of food is served, so they are harder to classify. We had lunch at the ABC Commissary. The meal was, well, forgettable. But there was one unforgettable treat that I highly recommend: the Carrot Cake Cookie from the Writer's Stop. At a mere $3.15, this is one of those rare Disney bargains. Picture about an inch thick carrot cake, minus any nuts, that's roughly 6 inches in diameter. Slather that with a generous amount of cream cheese frosting (not too sweet...just right), then slap another enormous slab of carrot cake on top. And there you have it. It's heavenly...really. And it's more than enough to share. I now have a new addition to my "must have one every time I'm there" list.



We knew that Animal Kingdom would be a bit of a disappointment, foodwise, this visit because our favorite eatery, The Flame Tree BBQ, was closed for refurbishment. Looking at our options, we thought the Yak & Yeti Local Foods counter service would be our best bet instead. Sadly, we were underwhelmed. I found the chicken fried rice and honey chicken to be not much above the frozen food aisle version at your local grocery store. And don't even get me started on the seating--uncovered, outside. We roasted! Definitely a lunch FAIL. Please, oh please let Flame Tree be open next time! On the bright side, my daughter enjoyed the inexpensive egg roll she snacked on from a kiosk somewhere between Africa and Asia.

Epcot is by far my favorite Disney Park for finding yummy food. Lunch is almost always at Sunshine Seasons in the Land pavillion. For starters, they have lots of healthy options--much of the food served is grown right there in their greenhouses. You can get anything from an entree with two sides to a simple side salad. And the prices are, generally, very reasonable. My oldest daughter had a yummy bowl of black bean soup. My husband had a large pork chop with veggie sides. Our youngest had a fruit salad. And I opted for the large green salad that cost a mere $2.99! We also couldn't resist a slice of chocolate mousse cake! It was all tasty and, again, reasonably priced. SS never disappoints.



We do our best to snack around the World Showcase, eating a bit here and a bit there. This time we had gelato from the kiosk in Italy--yummy, but a bit pricey at $6 for a rather small bowl. We also tried School Bread from the bakery in Norway. This one ranks up there with the Carrot Cake Cookie! At just $1.99, this bargain pastry tastes a bit like coconut cream pie, but doesn't require a fork! We also visited our all-time favorite secret spot: the Boulangerie Patisserie in France. We had a ham & cheese quiche, a ham & cheese croissant, a chocolate mousse, and a large chocolate cookie. Our grand total was right around $15! Where else in WDW can you get that much fabulous food for that little? And it was all soooooo good!



We were fortunate to walk in to the new pizza place in Italy, Via Napoli. Our family shared a large Margherita pizza--it was plenty for our family of two adults and two young children. At under $30, the price wasn't bad at all. And the pizza was very tasty! The atmosphere is fun, especially with the great pizza ovens. (We learned all about them at our homeschool presentation too! More on that later.) We give it a thumbs up!



Outside of the Parks, we also ate at Downtown Disney. I already mentioned our experience at T-Rex here, but we also came back to DD to eat at Paradiso 37 with friends. Sadly, we had already eaten so much that day that we weren't hungry enough to really dig in. I did enjoy the Central American Crazy Corn appetizer, but the portions were rather small. My friend had the Skewered Shrimp and Jicama Orange Salad, which looked amazing. And it was her birthday, so they also brought her a small ice cream cone with sprinkles--a simple dessert but elaborately plated on a magnetized board (had to see it to really appreciate it). And that dessert kinda sums up Paradiso 37: not a terrible amount of substance, but very stylish. Oh...and the service was...well...meh.

I would be remiss if I didn't tell you that we also had a couple of our beloved Mickey Ice Cream bars. Still a favorite, although they now have competition for my fave treat from a few of the new ones I tried this trip.



Tomorrow I'll give an overview of our special ADRs--the breakfast at Cinderella's Royal Table and the Wishes Dessert Party.