1st trip for 4 - DINING REVIEW - The Full Belly Report

[Jennifer_and_Chris]

I finally finished my dining review!!!! Here it goes....

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Snacks:
• Babycakes of NYC – DTD – Being the mother of a child with a food allergy, it’s tiring to have to train your child and everyone that cares for her to ask, does this food have egg in it? Do you know how to check and read a food label? Do you know how to administer an epipen? Do you know when to use the epipen vs. just giving a teaspoon of Benadryl? I was AN AWESOME feeling to go to babycakes and give my 4 year old complete reign of the bakery.

This bakery is located in Pollo Campero (the old McDs) and has their own kitchen that is separate and not shared with the other food establishments in Pollo Campero. It was such a relief to me to be able to bring my daughter here w/o pointing the epipen ‘dagger’ at her thigh when entering the bakery. There is a sign outside btw to let you know the bakery is in the building.

Our eyes were as big as baseballs looking at all the baked goods. Even Natalie was chanting to us that it was ok if she picks something out too, right? Right? Right? YES – ALL OF US CAN HAVE THE SAME TREAT. After looking at everything, we get 6 cupcakes for $18 and 3 donuts. I also see that they have 2 cookbooks and I add those to the pile. Isabel picked the chocolate cupcake with purple frosting, Natalie chose the chocolate with pink frosting, Chris chose the yellow cupcake with chocolate frosting and I choose the red velvet w/ cream cheese frosting. We need to choose 2 more so we choose another red velvet and another yellow. We tell the kids to pick out a donut for breakfast and Natalie chooses the chocolate dipped cookie crunch donut and Isabel get’s a chocolate dipped. Chris also gets a chocolate dipped. I pass. I’m thinking that I’ll be able to sneak one of the spare cupcakes into my face for breakfast.

By far, the best items in my professional eating opinion are the chocolate dipped cookie crunch donut and the chocolate cupcake (no matter the frosting color). I actually wish that I could have had a chocolate cupcake with the cream cheese frosting. That would have been excellent. Chris says that he can taste the difference. Well, of course he can but, Isabel doesn’t know any better and engulfs her treat. There were MANY, MANY parents w/ children w/ allergies there. Many kept asking if a particular item had this ingredient or that... out of habit I’m sure! A girl who looked about 14 or so was so shocked to be able to have anything she wanted and her mother was so surprised that she could. We never did make it back to that bakery but, we are very happy knowing that it’s there when we return.

• Food and Wine Festival – Australia – I decided to add this as part of the food review. I don’t think that I’ll ever get to experience the F&W festival w/ children in tow unless they are in high school or something. The farthest we got was Australia. If you look on the F&W fest on the map, Australia is one of the first countries you encounter. I had the Pepper Shrimp on the Barbie. It was in a pepper citrus butter sauce. It was more pepper than citrus. It was a very strong flavor. I got one skewer for each of us and it was too much for Isabel. She had one tiny bite and gave it to Natalie. Natalie ate both up wanting more.
I also got the Moscato. My favorite wine is an Australian Moscato that I get from Trader Joes at home. I was excited to try this one. It was good but, I didn’t really get to enjoy it because I was juggling a skewer of shrimp, my glass of wine, a stroller and my wallet. It was more work than it was worth. I gave up on any other of the booths. This is just not the time for it. Maybe next year.

• Eggroll Cart – MK/Adventureland – I finally find this cart! There are 3 items on the menu:

o Pork and Shrimp Egg Roll – does have egg – I got a couple of these for me and I’m so happy to have finally tried them. I would get them again. Tasty.

o Veggie Egg Roll – egg free – Isabel ate one and we brought one home. I think I ate the 2nd one in the middle of the night … I don’t remember and there is no evidence.
o Corn Dog – does have egg – Chris and Natalie devoured these. They probably both could have easily ate 2 each since we were that hungry the night I found the cart.
o Plum sauce – egg free – typical sweet and sour.

• Aloha Isle - Dole Whips – Got the original dole whip. I remember this being ‘ok’. And liking it but not overly flabbergasted about it. Well, the dole whip has made a come back. This was just what I needed right when I got it. Midday, warm and park was crowded. I thought I had it all to myself but, as a mother bird, my 2 dd’s were looking up at me with their mouths open waiting for a spoonful. So, we shared it. That dole whip disappeared quickly and each one of my dd’s could have EASILY finished their own. It hit the spot and has earned a coveted place on the must have snack every MK day for me. I’ll have to save the Mickey Ice Cream Sandwiches for another day, another park. And if we get into BLT next year, it’s a quick walk to AdventureLand or a monorail ride away to the Poly to get one whenever my heart desires it.

[Jennifer_and_Chris]

Quick Service:

• The Mara – We ate here twice and both times food was very good. I spoke with 2 different cooks here about Isabel’s allergy and they were both very accommodating. There is a separate fryer and prep space for allergen orders and the cook will prepare it for you. They stamp the order form with ALLERGY on it.

We had the African stew on rice both times. This used to be African stew in a bread bowl and I’m very glad that it comes on rice now. It was very, very flavorful and tasty. Not very spicy but, we are a spice loving family so, “spice heat” is in the mouth of the beholder. For those that are not adventurous eaters, do not be afraid of this dish. It’s not something that is SO FAR from a beef stew that you’ve had before.

We also had the rotisserie chicken. It was ok, but, I ate more of the stew than anything. The rotisserie chicken tasted like it was raw to me but, I do have to admit that I overcook chicken most of the time at home.

Natalie had the mac and cheese twice and Isabel had the eggless chicken tenders and fries both times. However, they both ate the African stew and rice as well. The sides were carrots, grapes, jello or chocolate pudding. The pudding is gluten free I think but, manufactured in a plant that processes eggs and is labeled as such.

• La Cantina de San Angel – We had an afternoon snack of guacamole and chips here. The guacamole was good (not great like my homemade recipe of course) and comes with tri-colored chips. My kids tell me that the black chips are saltier (I roll my eyes to myself). The four of us shared the order and it was just enough to tie us over until dinner. The only thing with egg at this location is the children’s chicken tenders and churros. Everything else is all good for Isabel.
I also got a Passion Fruit Margarita. It was yummy. I opted for no salt or sugar rim. My kids kept asking for a sip. It hit the spot. And Chris sipped from it as well even though he’s more of a regular Margarita kinda guy.

• Flame Tree BBQ – This place is even better than I remember last year. Let me first say that the manager that helps us with Isabel’s food was awesome. She told me to make sure and take no food from anyone else but her. She made me feel very, very secure that there would be no mix up in her food and she would be cooking Isabel’s meal herself.
We ordered a half a slab of ribs for Chris and I to share. We got the baked beans (save for Isabel) and the cole slaw in a separate bowl on a separate tray as this does have egg. Got 2 hot dogs meals for the kids. We also got an order of onion rings (these are eggless!!!!) for the 4 of us to share. This order of onion rings was GIGANTIC!!! We couldn’t finish it! The best part of Flame Tree is the condiment stands! We love the spicy barbeque sauce and the kids loved the original. Again with the mama bird feeding the baby chicks from her plate. They each had a rib but, the food proved to be too plentiful.

If you are going to eat here, and I totally recommend that you do, sit behind the building on a waterfront table. You have awesome views of the water, Expedition Everest and there are condiment stations all over. There is a covered gazebo type area right next to the water and it’s very peaceful back there. Usually the only meal neighbors we have are the birds that fly by. This is a total must for us every AK visit. I am starting to think that we’ll visit this park for Flame Tree!


• Cosmic Rays – Deluxe Chicken Sandwich, chicken nuggets, Burger and hot dog. This is our second time eating at Cosmic Rays and let me tell you how much difference it makes having lunch around 11:20ish than having it at 12:30ish. Night and day. The lines were only about 2 people deep and not many registers had lines on both sides. After talking to the manager, and Isabel wanted a hot dog (apparently her food of choice on this trip), we ordered. I had the Delux Chicken Sandwich and Natalie wanted nuggets so, we ordered out of Bay 3. Chris ordered a burger and Isabel’s hot dog out of bay 2.

I really liked the Deluxe Chicken sandwich that sounds pretty boring on paper but, is really good in real life. The chicken is grilled and it is marinated just fine. I love the fixings bar (has sauted onions and mushrooms) I wish they had ranch dip for my fries. Isabel loved the hot dog and Natalie liked the chicken nuggets well enough. They were a bit preoccupied with having just seen Rapunzel. Chris said that his burger was really good and of course, loved the fixin’s


I would definitely come back for the deluxe chicken sandwich again.


• Tortuga Tavern – We have been trying to eat here since Chris and I have been coming to Disney World in 2000. I can’t believe that it’s open and we quickly go in. This restaurant shared the dining room with Pecos Bill Café. We sat right next to a door opening to a courtyard with a tree in the middle. That was a very beautiful place to stay. The kids loved it and it was fairly empty when we first sat down. We ordered the Taco Salad, Beef Nachos, Kids Quesadillas and Sangria (minus the wine). The Taco Salad WAS AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We shared it all (all egg free) and all four of us devoured the Taco Salad. The Nachos were a good size and it was tasty but, we couldn’t eat the taco salad fast enough. The kids wanted the quesadillas but, when faced with the taco salad (so colorful) and the nachos, the quesadillas paled in comparison. I love this place. I hope it’s open every visit from now on.

• Sunshine Seasons –We finally ate here for dinner on our last night and we felt like we were the only ones watching the crazies running into the Land to get to Soarin’ before it closed. After speaking to the chef, he let us know that all asian noodles, ginger Mongolian beef, sweet and sour chicken (no breading!) are egg-free. So, that’s what we get…. The kids loved the noodles. The sweet and sour chicken was a healthier version than most Chinese restaurants. The winner of the meal was the Mongolian beef. Very tasty and just the right hint of spice. We will not hesitate to eat here again during our next Soarin’ visit…

• Fairfax Fair – We ate here solely because we were in search of a hot dog for Isabel and Mac-n-Cheese for Natalie. There was no plain hot dog but, they had “gourmet” hot dogs. WHAT????? Well, I asked for just a plain hot dog (at the gourmet $8 price!) and then ordered something that really, really intrigued me. After eating at Flame Tree BBQ earlier in the week, I was craving more bbq. Or at least a coleslaw/bbq combo. So, I ordered the Barbecue Pork and Slaw Hot dog. While normally, this type of thing would have made me puke in my mouth a little bit, it was actually very, very tasty. It was really good. I even shared it w/ DH (and put Isabel as far away from us as possible at the table since there is egg in the slaw). Don’t turn your nose up to this hot dog. Really worth giving it a try.


• Starring Rolls – Chris wanted to have the Black Forest Ham Sandwich and California Roll while we were having our Fairfax Fair. So, he got these for us to share. Isabel could not have any of it but, she didn’t want anything but, the hot dog anyways. Hot dogs seemed to be her go-to meal this trip. I didn’t try the ham sandwich but, Chris and Natalie shared. They liked the ham but, didn’t care for the pesto spread on it. The Cali roll was good enough – supermarket type but, edible.

[Jennifer_and_Chris]

Table Service:

• Cape May Café Clam Bake – I made this reservation very last minute. Like a week before we left. I had such a craving for seafood and wanted to try something new. We loved seeing the resort. Some of the things that we sampled were….New England Clam Chowder, Peel-n-eat shrimp, Mashed potatoes, sautéed cabbage, Snow crab legs, steamed clams, mussels, baked fish, fried shrimp (salty), mac n cheese, pizza, corn on the cob – made ice cream and eggless cookies – gave 2 packages for Isabel. Sugar cookies, oreo bonbons, cheesecake bites. My favorite was the crab legs and the steamed clams and mussels. SOOO yummy. I walked the buffet with Chef Randy to talk over Isabel’s options and she could almost have everything except the cold salad offerings. She actually had 3 plates of things!!! Natalie never ate so many clams and mussels before. She said during the meal, “Mommy, I really must be Filipino because I’m eating so much seafood like you.” She didn’t believe me before???? Haahaa… Chef Randy brought out a special ice cream sundae with eggless cookies (and a couple extra cookies for us to take with us!- AWESOME!). I got a special cupcake and the room sang happy birthday to me. My favorite dessert would be the Oreo bonbons. YUMM-O. Chris and Natalie’s favorite were the classic sugar cookies.

• Sci Fi Dine In Theatre – Lunch – Sci-Fi was EXTREMELY accommodating with our reservation changes on the spot. We were seated quickly and they were very attentive. So, service was great. The only thing that delayed us was having the Chef come out to talk about Isabel’s options but, he was helping other families with special dietary needs. Seemed to be visiting every table. I ordered the Buffalo Chicken potato skins and BLT soup. I LOVED the buffalo chicken potato skins (so much that as of typing this, I have made my own version at home twice already!). The BLT soup is probably my fav thing on the menu. I’m more of an appetizer food lover. I believe that Sci-Fi is a great place to sample appetizers for a meal. I love tapas type eating and these appetizers are right up my alley! Chris ordered the All American Picnic Burger w/ fries – he had been eyeing that since the menu was updated online! He enjoyed it and while it was ‘different’ it was good. I tried it too but, could hardly fit it in my mouth. It was tasty but, I was way to occupied with my own food to taste anymore of it. Natalie had the Meaty macaroni and at the whole thing. She ate most of the Tomato Soup that came with Isabel’s meal since she didn’t want it. Isabel devoured the hot dog and picked out all the grapes from her fruit salad. We love this place and will always visit!

• Crystal Palace – Dinner w/ Pooh and Friends – This was our first dining experience at the Crystal Palace. We haven’t really ever been into Pooh. Even as a child, watching anything Pooh made me sleepy. So, imagine my own surprise that “My Birthday Choice” meal was Crystal Palace. This choice was fueled by my NEED to be at MK for my birthday and not leave for a second because of the early closing for MNSSHP. After staring at the menu online for weeks leading up to my 180 mark for ADR’s, I decided to give it a go – even if sleepy Pooh would be there.

We were 30 minutes early for our 4:40 ADR’s and checked in. About 5 minutes later we were seated along the wall of mirrors to the right of the buffet. The dining room was only about 30% full. Pooh was already at our table before all 13 of us were seated and settled. We met with Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore and Piglet. They came around so fast that all the characters made it to our table 3 times. We didn’t stay too long but, as a party of 13, we were there at our pace for about 1.5 hours. Overall, the character interaction was WONDERFUL. Pooh and Tigger really played along with us and always spent time with us even though they had stopped by 3 times each. It does help that we are all hams and love to play along. I think when you come in with that attitude, instead of the awkward polite silence that I see many tables have through the years of character dining, the characters tend to spend more time, pose for more pictures and dispense more hugs.

Chef Alfonso walked the buffet line with me to point out the items that Isabel could not have which again was mostly all of the cold salads and no desserts except the ice cream machine. But, Chef Alfonso would bring out a special cookie and ice cream sundae for her. After we walked the buffet line, he asked what Isabel would like. I pointed to the penne w/ meatballs and some other items. He said that he would make her plate from the kitchen to ensure that there would be no cross contamination. And, from the bottom of my heart, I thank him.

The food was good. I went back for the prime rib a couple times and the Ratatouille was very good. A slice of prime rib, a cut of squash from Ratatouille and a dollop of the garlic mashed potatoes…. THE PERFECT BITE. Mussels were good too… different from the Cape May Café Mussels. Chris said that the salmon was great. I was just not in the mood for seafood. The prime rib was my fight that evening. For my birthday, our server brought out a huge birthday cupcake and a card signed by all the characters there that evening. I don’t remember much else about the desserts except that Isabel got a huge bowl of ice cream and a few packages of allergen cookies. (which we took w/us for her to snack on later). And they had Chris and Natalie’s favorite classic sugar cookies.

I would not hesitate to pick this restaurant again if we are looking for a table service restaurant. That is… before Gaston’s opens!

Just for reference – we were not on any dining plan. The unofficial food $$ numbers breakdown:

• Budget $800
• Actual $1000
• Difference $200

These numbers includes everything we bought that was food from the time we left our house to the time we entered back in our home one week later. Based off of these numbers and our preliminary plans for October 2012 and how many of us there will be and such… We will probably be doing some type of dining plan. If my calculations are correct, for 2012 if we get the regular Dining Plan it will be about $800. If we get the Quick Service plan, it will be $570. And we plan on eating at 2-3 table service places. So, I really think that the regular Dining plan will actually be good for us next year. WOW. That’s a first!

[Tygger7]

Thanks so much for your detailed dining review & trip reports! I've enjoyed reading them so much....makes passing the time until our next trip a little easier.

It's so awesome to hear how accommodating Disney is when it comes to allergies. I had TONS of food allergies when I was young, but thankfully grew out of them by my teens. :thumbsup:

Already looking forward to your future trip reports!!

[MississippiDisneyFreak]

Sounds like some wonderful meals. Disney really is great for people with food allergies...we started using the meal plan after our second visit and will never go without it:mickey:

[SBETigg]

Awesome reviews, especially good information for the allergic. I'm glad they were accommodating at so many places, and that Babycakes was such an exciting find for you. I think there's one in NYC, too.

[artyboy]

Great reviews...and deeply appreciated. I have friends with severe food allergies, and I do love that we don't need to worry about finding food for them at any Disney restaurant...they are really on top of it there!

[faline]

Great and detailed report! :thumbsup:

[MinnieMommie]

Thanks for your report. I had a real visual picture of the scene in Babycakes of NYC. What a wonderful place for families with food allergies. I am so happy your daughter had her pick from so many treats. Nice! :mickey:

[January-2007]

Thank you so much for sharing!

[pdrlkr]

Thanks for the Report! :smickey:

[Dopey's Girl]

Thanks for the report! A coworker of mine has a little boy who has an egg allergy as well, and has been very hesitant to take a trip anywhere for fear of reactions. I'll be printing your report out to show her how great WDW was for your family!

[Jennifer_and_Chris]

Thanks for the report! A coworker of mine has a little boy who has an egg allergy as well, and has been very hesitant to take a trip anywhere for fear of reactions. I'll be printing your report out to show her how great WDW was for your family!

Wonderful! I'm glad our trip antics can help someone else! If she has any questions, please feel free to ask. Or she can talk to someone (an actual person had called me each time I email them!) from Disney's Special Dietary Needs team. Here is the page on wdw...
http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/guest-services/special-dietary-requests/?signUpOverlay=show

and the email that I use is on this page. They are awesome!

[Dopey's Girl]

Wonderful! I'm glad our trip antics can help someone else! If she has any questions, please feel free to ask. Or she can talk to someone (an actual person had called me each time I email them!) from Disney's Special Dietary Needs team. Here is the page on wdw...
http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/guest-services/special-dietary-requests/?signUpOverlay=show

and the email that I use is on this page. They are awesome!

Thanks! I knew that Disney was good, but she was still unsure (which I understand!) about it all! She will be thrilled to see all this info. Thanks again!

[vizsla]

Thanks for the report.