F&W Fest & Halloween Sweets, Drinks, and Eats - A quick dining report
Hey all, I am back from eating (and drinking) my face off at WDW. It was a quick 3 days but I packed a lot into my itinerary, and my belly! Let's begin!
All Star Sports resort food court - I arrived around noon to my resort, went right to the food court for a sandwich because I was super hungry after an early morning flight down. I didn't want to overload on something heavy so I got the turkey panini with house made chips to go. I ate this in my room while relaxing and watching TV. It was tastier than I anticipated! The sandwich is pre-made but they put it on the panini press for a few minutes so the cheese was very melted and bread was crispy. The house made chips were ok, they're just plain chips so nothing fancy. I didn't get any other food here my whole trip, just some soda in the afternoon and coffee in the mornings. This food court is small, but completely adequate for a quick bite. When it's busy, I'd avoid it though.
Magic Kingdom - I had dinner at Pecos Bills. It was ok, I got chicken tacos and added a bunch of toppings at the fixin's bar. They were definitely filling but nothing to get excited about. For a snack I got the Maleficent Cone - lime soft serve ice cream with chocolate horns in a chocolate cone. I wasn't sure I'd like this because I don't often think lime and chocolate are very complementary. But it was so delicious! The ice cream was tart and sweet and very refreshing. One thing to be warned about - the green dye stays in your system a few days. Don't be alarmed the next morning, lol!
EPCOT/Food and Wine Fest - This was a big day! I don't know if I'll remember everything I had, but I'll do my best. I started with a LARA bar in my room and coffee on the bus. I got an OJ at Sunshine Seasons while waiting for my Land FP. Then it was time to hit F&W and hit it hard. But first, I had to stop in Norway for a second breakfast of School Bread. It's my favorite treat in all of Disney. I don't normally enjoy coconut but when it's on top of a doughnut filled with delicious vanilla creme patisserie I'll gladly stomach it.
Next was snacking around the booths for lunch and dinner. I got chicken korma in India and washed it down with a semi-dry Riesling from Germany. Living in the heart of the Finger Lakes in NY State we have our fair share of Riesling! This one was crisp and not too sweet and offset the spice from the Korma really nicely. Then I got a glass of Prosecco in Italy, it was dry and bubbly - just how I like it. I was in the real Venice last year and this was a nice way to remember that trip. In France I went into the bakery for a Tarte au Citron and that was excellent! Continued to Great Britain where I made the mandatory offering to the Column with a Snakebite. It was a nice drink to have while waiting in the hot sun for Mary Poppins. So that was Lap 1!
Lap 2 included stops in Mexico for a Marg, France again for a Grand Mariner slush at sunset (SO heavenly!) and then two stops at Coastal Eats. I got the scallops and the crabcake. The scallops were the clear winner there for me. For $6 I got three good size sea scallops that were cooked pretty well. They had been under food warmer lights so they were a little rubbery in texture but I didn't mind. The crabcake was just ok for me. I didn't find it too flavorful. I had the Boursin maple pecan bourbon cheesecake at the Cheese Studio and it was :cloud9: So creamy and delicious. I think I must have eaten at a couple other F&W booths but I just can't remember!
Animal Kingdom I started with a coffee and cheese danish at Kusafiri Bake Shop. I love that the danishes are fresh here and not packaged ones and hope it stays that way! Lunch was at Harambe Market. I got the lamb and beef gyro served with a bean salad. It was very tasty! I used mobile order while on the Safari and my food was ready within minutes of me checking in. This is one of the best things Disney has come up with in years! Stopped at the Dawa Bar for a margarita on my way to FOTLK. As we say, Animal Kingdom is a great bar! And speaking of bars, I finally got to have my Mickey Bar on my way out of AK. I know the price just went up again but I don't care. It's like guac at Chipotle. They keep asking if it's ok that it costs extra, and I will always be ok with it!
So over all I was well fed and boozed all trip. The key is really to F&W on a weekday. It's just so much more enjoyable to have some personal space and minimal drinking parties around. Mobile Ordering is TheBomb.Com. Special treats at MNSSHP are worth it, as well. I know they are still using the Lime soft serve in a different way at Storybook Treats after Halloween so definitely check it out.
This was the only trip in my memory that I didn't have any ADRs. Not a one. Maybe it's because F&W was going on or because I was solo, but I didn't miss a table service experience at all. I like being more flexible with dining plans anyway, and doing counter service and mobile order really helps with that.
Let me know if you have questions! Thanks for reading.:marg::wine::bar:
