StarWarsMomofGirls!
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 16, 2015
Congratulations!!!
"could I have another glow cube?" - spring 2017 DR - COMPLETE 8/17 Homecoming
- Thread starter pepperandchips
- Start date
- Joined
- Jul 3, 2014
Wow - nice job! Congratulations! 
Stefecatzz
"If nothing changed, there'd be no butterflies."
- Joined
- Jun 22, 2013
@pepperandchips , Congratulations!
I love this TR, you've introduced me to some things I want to try and brought back great memories of those I already know & love! One of my favorite things to do is head over to Crew's Cup from Epcot & get the burger w truffle fries & a mint julep. Most of the time since I've been going, the server has been awesome & has granted my request to make it a strawberry-mint julep (which was on their menu at one point this past Sept. when I got it for the 1st time & feel in love with it!). I also am a huge fan of the arancini I ordered at Mizner's w/the Grand Cocktail, as weird of a combo as that may sound.
Since I just moved to the Orlando area & am minutes from the parks, I got to try much more from the F&G booths this year than I normally would have allowed in my budget in years past. It is nice when you are not spending the extra $$ on travelling expenses & a room for the week & I have been taking full advantage of that.
My friend who I worked with during my DCP is originally from Oahu & stayed in Orlando for a while with the company but transferred to work at Aulani just after it was built. I've never been to Hawaii, only have seen pictures (which I am sure do not do any of it justice) but still look absolutely gorgeous! One of these days..
I love this TR, you've introduced me to some things I want to try and brought back great memories of those I already know & love! One of my favorite things to do is head over to Crew's Cup from Epcot & get the burger w truffle fries & a mint julep. Most of the time since I've been going, the server has been awesome & has granted my request to make it a strawberry-mint julep (which was on their menu at one point this past Sept. when I got it for the 1st time & feel in love with it!). I also am a huge fan of the arancini I ordered at Mizner's w/the Grand Cocktail, as weird of a combo as that may sound.
Since I just moved to the Orlando area & am minutes from the parks, I got to try much more from the F&G booths this year than I normally would have allowed in my budget in years past. It is nice when you are not spending the extra $$ on travelling expenses & a room for the week & I have been taking full advantage of that.
My friend who I worked with during my DCP is originally from Oahu & stayed in Orlando for a while with the company but transferred to work at Aulani just after it was built. I've never been to Hawaii, only have seen pictures (which I am sure do not do any of it justice) but still look absolutely gorgeous! One of these days..
pepperandchips
[melinda]
- Joined
- Mar 16, 2014
Thank you to everyone for the well wishes! We are excited and have not planned or decided one thing yet about getting married! 
Now, back to our regularly scheduled programming:
Monday, 4/3
We had a late night after getting ourselves dried off post-ROL on the previous evening, so Monday, April 3 was a late morning for us.
We spent most of the day at the pool at the resort again, stopping in the early afternoon for lunch at the pool bar near our room, called Escudos.
These aren't the best pictures but in case anyone is contemplating Wyndham Bonnet Creek and wondering about lunch options, I will include them.
My sister's boyfriend is a Cuban sandwich fiend so that's what he went with. It looked good but I didn't taste it. He enjoyed it!
Burger with pepperjack cheese. The burgers were somewhere between good and pretty good, but they were filling and hit the spot
(interior shot of burger)
This is the chicken quesadilla which was your run of the mill chicken quesadilla, albeit a GIANT portion! The guac and salsa in the larger cups as well as the chip shrapnel is left over from our appetizer - I was pleasantly surprised by the guac and salsa as they were quite good and much better than I was expecting from the pool bar. The humongo quesadilla also came with black beans and rice, so it stretched an already huge portion into ginormous. All in all, not the most deluxe or special food but it was certainly filling and just what we needed to carry us through the afternoon.
Later, we headed to Epcot to eat dinner at the F&G booths.
Here's R and me enjoying a beverage. Just kidding, that's the future.
This night ended up being kind of a bust. Early in the trip around World Showcase, my sister managed to "lose" her debit card and ID. I wish I could say this was out of character for her, but since it's not out of character for her at all, it just frustrated me. For what it's worth, she ended up finding both of them the next day exactly where they were supposed to be, so I'm not sure what actually happened with that.
Of course, that drama has overshadowed the memory of what we enjoyed that evening - which I am certain included the La Vie en Rose slush and more of those super tasty Carne Asadas and shrimp & grits dishes from Florida Fresh.
Potato Pancake with Caramelized Ham, Onions and Herb Sour Cream – $4.25
Warm Cheese Strudel with Mixed Berries – $4.00
This continues to be one of my favorite desserts from Flower and Garden but unfortunately on this evening the pastry was a little too chewy. Oh well, I'll take the loss on this night. We were just not feeling it.
Tuesday, 4/4
I hauled my mom and R to Animal Kingdom for park opening on Tuesday.
After the opening bird flight, we started the day with an Expedition or 3 to look for the rumored Yeti.
After we rode EE a few times, we followed up the stomach knots by stopping to grab some breakfast. I wanted to try the famed Mickey cinnamon roll from this little spot:
But they weren't selling them because they were out of frosting! So we made some "plan B" choices and went with:
The world famous Disney cheese danish!
As usual, it was scrumptious here and made me wonder what's wrong with the rest of the world that cheese danish only tastes this good here. ($3.59)
We also got two of the breakfast burritos to share between the three of us.
Hot Breakfast Wrap - Egg, Sausage, Spinach and Goat Cheese- $6.79
This was pretty good - better than I was expecting, but still not something I would go out of my way to order again. I think these are powdered scrambled eggs inside
We looked around for hot sauce but couldn't find any. The goat cheese added a nice zing but there needed to be another flavor element to really make this stand out.
We then took a safari ride and enjoyed some of the animal trails and the more nuanced details of Animal Kingdom. Once we had our fill of the animal species on display, it was time to enjoy our favorite lunch spot at Animal Kingdom: Yak and Yeti!
Using our Landry's card for priority seating, we were shown almost immediately to a table on the lower level near the stairs - a first for us! We are always seated upstairs, it seems. Anyway we wasted no time ordering some adult beverages:
As usual my mom went with the Rickshaw Rickie - Skyy vodka, Cointreau orange liqueur, muddled oranges and limes, Sprite $9.99. It's always refreshing and a nice light citrus choice during what seems to be perpetual heat at the Animal Kingdom.
R and I went with beer - I can't remember what we had by now but I think I usually get the Funky Buddha Floridian Hefeweizen here. The price difference between a small beer and the 20 oz draft is so negligible that we usually spring for the big ones!
As usual, I mainly wanted appetizers, and fortunately R and my mom cooperated with my plan to share a bunch of things.
We started with the Dragon Roll - spicy tuna, avocado, topped with Dynamite crab, tempura crunch, sweet soy glaze $15.99. I love this roll and it definitely hit the spot that day. It was super flavorful with nice fresh tuna and that wonderful umami flavor that you only get in Asian cuisine. Definitely a winner!
Speaking of Umami, my mom can't come to Yak and Yeti without ordering:
Ahi Tuna Nachos - sushi grade ahi, Asian slaw, crispy fried wontons, wasabi aioli, sweet soy glaze $14.99. Yeah, this is always amazing and today was no different! It's weird for an entree to be refreshing but somehow these are. The slaw and the wonton chips are crunchy and the tuna is so bright and fresh and almost creamy in texture and the soy glaze just brings all of the flavors together. Yum!
Having seen these on the boards quite a lot prior to my trip, I knew I had to order...
Firecracker Shrimp - crispy fried shrimp tossed in a creamy, spicy sauce, Asian slaw $10.99. I can't remember if I'd had these before but either way they hit the spot, for sure. There are a TON of these in the portion! They are crunchy fried perfection and serve as the perfect little vessels for that tasty sauce. The sauce is spicy but there are other flavors in there too that keep the dish from being one-note, and again, that amazing slaw! I loved these.
Finally, in an attempt to get some veggies into our diets, we ordered the Vegetable Lo Mein - Lo Mein noodles, carrots, cabbage, green onions, bean sprouts; $17.99. Someone in my family almost always orders one variety of their lo mein as it's just so yummy and brown tasting. Once again we had a winner in the "brown and tasty" department and we all enjoyed sampling some of each dish.
The balance of our day was spent between Animal Kingdom, the resort, and the Premium Outlets on I-drive near Universal. I wanted to hit the Character Warehouse and R wanted to look for shorts. My mom is always willing to shop so we hit up the outlets - I came away with the 2017 attraction poster calendar for just a couple dollars and a $9.99 Star Wars shirt.
(not my pic)
After shopping bolstered our appetites, we threw around some dinner ideas but my mom had a suggestion from someone here in Atlanta and requested that we visit an OFFSITE dining location.
Oh the horror!
With some difficulty, we navigated ourselves to the Hot N Juicy Crawfish on Sand Lake Road. We passed Volcano Bay on the way there (Universal's new water park), which was set to open in less than two months. At the time, it looked like big piles of dirt! So I am not surprised the opening was a bit of a disaster...
Anyway, upon arriving at our destination we found a parking spot and made our way to the bustling restaurant. It was on the later side of the dinner hour but the restaurant was still hoppin' so we knew it must be good. Hot N Juicy is in the same strip center with Rocco's Tacos if that rings any bells.
Anyway the concept here is fairly simple: seafood boils. But they offer a variety of customization I have not experienced at other seafood boil places, since they essentially cook your own personal boil in a bag with your choice of seafood, seasoning, and spice level. I'm not much for peel 'n' eat seafood so I told R and my mom I'd eat some of what they ordered but I went with the safe bet and got a shrimp basket with cajun fries.
I was not disappointed! Just look at all that golden fried goodness. I especially liked the crunchy cornmeal breading and the cajun fries were spicy perfection. There is a ton of breading on each shrimp (which you probably noticed since you can't really make out the shrimp shape) but it was actually good and not too heavy. You may notice beer in the background of all these shots - Hot N Juicy had quite a number of delicious Abita varieties on draft and I sampled a couple of different ones myself. Yum!
R and my mom negotiated a shared item - the "Get Your Feet Wet" Experience which came with 1 lb Crawfish, 1 lb Shrimp, dozen Andouille Sausages, 2 Corns and 2 Potatoes. My mom added an additional crab legs to this and they went with a medium spice level on the "Hot N Juicy" flavor boil (which was all the other flavors combined - so it was Louisiana ∙ Juicy Cajun ∙ Garlic Butter ∙ Lemon Pepper all together). I think mom got just Lemon Pepper on her crab legs.
The crab legs came out a lot later than everything else. I tried some of everything and we all liked all of it - but (don't tell our cajun/Louisianan friends) none of us would order crawfish again. They are just not enough reward for the work required! I really enjoyed the andouille sausage and I was surprised by how much I liked the shrimp. They were much more flavorful than in your typical low country boil like we do here in Georgia. (R is from Savannah so we have low country boil at some family events)
We had an awesome server who showed us how to eat the crawfish, and the funniest part of the meal was the sheer number of plastic gloves they bring to the table ahead of your meal. I was certain that they'd brought us about 100 too many but then I probably used 20 gloves myself, so that was entertaining. Even more entertaining was the family seated next to us who'd furnished their own gloves of a presumably better quality. We were clearly the rookies but we had a great time and a good laugh.
After we made the trip back to Bonnet Creek, R and I decided we needed to go experience something we'd been talking about for ages but have never had. So we dropped my mom at the condo and headed to Disney Springs, making our way to the Marketplace for...
Ghirardelli! I know, I know, it only took me about 25 trips to Disney World to try Ghirardelli finally. We got the Strike It Rich, but with chocolate ice cream. That's two scoops of chocolate ice cream (we really wanted one chocolate and one butter pecan, but oh well) with butterscotch and hot fudge, whipped cream, and chopped nuts. We both agreed that this was not worth $11.95 - it was massive and tasty but so is a No Way Jose from Beaches & Cream which costs several dollars less and is even more massive. Well at least we ticked one thing off the Disney Bucket List, and we really enjoyed a whole evening of trying new things! And we also really enjoyed people watching waterside at Disney Springs, which is now just lovely at night.
Up Next: Our last day at Walt Disney World, More (?!) Flower and Garden Booths, and Tequila!
Now, back to our regularly scheduled programming:Monday, 4/3
We had a late night after getting ourselves dried off post-ROL on the previous evening, so Monday, April 3 was a late morning for us.
We spent most of the day at the pool at the resort again, stopping in the early afternoon for lunch at the pool bar near our room, called Escudos.
These aren't the best pictures but in case anyone is contemplating Wyndham Bonnet Creek and wondering about lunch options, I will include them.
My sister's boyfriend is a Cuban sandwich fiend so that's what he went with. It looked good but I didn't taste it. He enjoyed it!
Burger with pepperjack cheese. The burgers were somewhere between good and pretty good, but they were filling and hit the spot
(interior shot of burger)
This is the chicken quesadilla which was your run of the mill chicken quesadilla, albeit a GIANT portion! The guac and salsa in the larger cups as well as the chip shrapnel is left over from our appetizer - I was pleasantly surprised by the guac and salsa as they were quite good and much better than I was expecting from the pool bar. The humongo quesadilla also came with black beans and rice, so it stretched an already huge portion into ginormous. All in all, not the most deluxe or special food but it was certainly filling and just what we needed to carry us through the afternoon.
Later, we headed to Epcot to eat dinner at the F&G booths.
Here's R and me enjoying a beverage. Just kidding, that's the future.
This night ended up being kind of a bust. Early in the trip around World Showcase, my sister managed to "lose" her debit card and ID. I wish I could say this was out of character for her, but since it's not out of character for her at all, it just frustrated me. For what it's worth, she ended up finding both of them the next day exactly where they were supposed to be, so I'm not sure what actually happened with that.
Of course, that drama has overshadowed the memory of what we enjoyed that evening - which I am certain included the La Vie en Rose slush and more of those super tasty Carne Asadas and shrimp & grits dishes from Florida Fresh.
Potato Pancake with Caramelized Ham, Onions and Herb Sour Cream – $4.25
Warm Cheese Strudel with Mixed Berries – $4.00
This continues to be one of my favorite desserts from Flower and Garden but unfortunately on this evening the pastry was a little too chewy. Oh well, I'll take the loss on this night. We were just not feeling it.
Tuesday, 4/4
I hauled my mom and R to Animal Kingdom for park opening on Tuesday.
After the opening bird flight, we started the day with an Expedition or 3 to look for the rumored Yeti.
After we rode EE a few times, we followed up the stomach knots by stopping to grab some breakfast. I wanted to try the famed Mickey cinnamon roll from this little spot:
But they weren't selling them because they were out of frosting! So we made some "plan B" choices and went with:
The world famous Disney cheese danish!
As usual, it was scrumptious here and made me wonder what's wrong with the rest of the world that cheese danish only tastes this good here. ($3.59)
We also got two of the breakfast burritos to share between the three of us.
Hot Breakfast Wrap - Egg, Sausage, Spinach and Goat Cheese- $6.79
This was pretty good - better than I was expecting, but still not something I would go out of my way to order again. I think these are powdered scrambled eggs inside
We looked around for hot sauce but couldn't find any. The goat cheese added a nice zing but there needed to be another flavor element to really make this stand out.
We then took a safari ride and enjoyed some of the animal trails and the more nuanced details of Animal Kingdom. Once we had our fill of the animal species on display, it was time to enjoy our favorite lunch spot at Animal Kingdom: Yak and Yeti!
Using our Landry's card for priority seating, we were shown almost immediately to a table on the lower level near the stairs - a first for us! We are always seated upstairs, it seems. Anyway we wasted no time ordering some adult beverages:
As usual my mom went with the Rickshaw Rickie - Skyy vodka, Cointreau orange liqueur, muddled oranges and limes, Sprite $9.99. It's always refreshing and a nice light citrus choice during what seems to be perpetual heat at the Animal Kingdom.
R and I went with beer - I can't remember what we had by now but I think I usually get the Funky Buddha Floridian Hefeweizen here. The price difference between a small beer and the 20 oz draft is so negligible that we usually spring for the big ones!
As usual, I mainly wanted appetizers, and fortunately R and my mom cooperated with my plan to share a bunch of things.
We started with the Dragon Roll - spicy tuna, avocado, topped with Dynamite crab, tempura crunch, sweet soy glaze $15.99. I love this roll and it definitely hit the spot that day. It was super flavorful with nice fresh tuna and that wonderful umami flavor that you only get in Asian cuisine. Definitely a winner!
Speaking of Umami, my mom can't come to Yak and Yeti without ordering:
Ahi Tuna Nachos - sushi grade ahi, Asian slaw, crispy fried wontons, wasabi aioli, sweet soy glaze $14.99. Yeah, this is always amazing and today was no different! It's weird for an entree to be refreshing but somehow these are. The slaw and the wonton chips are crunchy and the tuna is so bright and fresh and almost creamy in texture and the soy glaze just brings all of the flavors together. Yum!
Having seen these on the boards quite a lot prior to my trip, I knew I had to order...
Firecracker Shrimp - crispy fried shrimp tossed in a creamy, spicy sauce, Asian slaw $10.99. I can't remember if I'd had these before but either way they hit the spot, for sure. There are a TON of these in the portion! They are crunchy fried perfection and serve as the perfect little vessels for that tasty sauce. The sauce is spicy but there are other flavors in there too that keep the dish from being one-note, and again, that amazing slaw! I loved these.
Finally, in an attempt to get some veggies into our diets, we ordered the Vegetable Lo Mein - Lo Mein noodles, carrots, cabbage, green onions, bean sprouts; $17.99. Someone in my family almost always orders one variety of their lo mein as it's just so yummy and brown tasting. Once again we had a winner in the "brown and tasty" department and we all enjoyed sampling some of each dish.
The balance of our day was spent between Animal Kingdom, the resort, and the Premium Outlets on I-drive near Universal. I wanted to hit the Character Warehouse and R wanted to look for shorts. My mom is always willing to shop so we hit up the outlets - I came away with the 2017 attraction poster calendar for just a couple dollars and a $9.99 Star Wars shirt.
(not my pic)
After shopping bolstered our appetites, we threw around some dinner ideas but my mom had a suggestion from someone here in Atlanta and requested that we visit an OFFSITE dining location.
Oh the horror! With some difficulty, we navigated ourselves to the Hot N Juicy Crawfish on Sand Lake Road. We passed Volcano Bay on the way there (Universal's new water park), which was set to open in less than two months. At the time, it looked like big piles of dirt! So I am not surprised the opening was a bit of a disaster...
Anyway, upon arriving at our destination we found a parking spot and made our way to the bustling restaurant. It was on the later side of the dinner hour but the restaurant was still hoppin' so we knew it must be good. Hot N Juicy is in the same strip center with Rocco's Tacos if that rings any bells.
Anyway the concept here is fairly simple: seafood boils. But they offer a variety of customization I have not experienced at other seafood boil places, since they essentially cook your own personal boil in a bag with your choice of seafood, seasoning, and spice level. I'm not much for peel 'n' eat seafood so I told R and my mom I'd eat some of what they ordered but I went with the safe bet and got a shrimp basket with cajun fries.
I was not disappointed! Just look at all that golden fried goodness. I especially liked the crunchy cornmeal breading and the cajun fries were spicy perfection. There is a ton of breading on each shrimp (which you probably noticed since you can't really make out the shrimp shape) but it was actually good and not too heavy. You may notice beer in the background of all these shots - Hot N Juicy had quite a number of delicious Abita varieties on draft and I sampled a couple of different ones myself. Yum!
R and my mom negotiated a shared item - the "Get Your Feet Wet" Experience which came with 1 lb Crawfish, 1 lb Shrimp, dozen Andouille Sausages, 2 Corns and 2 Potatoes. My mom added an additional crab legs to this and they went with a medium spice level on the "Hot N Juicy" flavor boil (which was all the other flavors combined - so it was Louisiana ∙ Juicy Cajun ∙ Garlic Butter ∙ Lemon Pepper all together). I think mom got just Lemon Pepper on her crab legs.
The crab legs came out a lot later than everything else. I tried some of everything and we all liked all of it - but (don't tell our cajun/Louisianan friends) none of us would order crawfish again. They are just not enough reward for the work required! I really enjoyed the andouille sausage and I was surprised by how much I liked the shrimp. They were much more flavorful than in your typical low country boil like we do here in Georgia. (R is from Savannah so we have low country boil at some family events)
We had an awesome server who showed us how to eat the crawfish, and the funniest part of the meal was the sheer number of plastic gloves they bring to the table ahead of your meal. I was certain that they'd brought us about 100 too many but then I probably used 20 gloves myself, so that was entertaining. Even more entertaining was the family seated next to us who'd furnished their own gloves of a presumably better quality. We were clearly the rookies but we had a great time and a good laugh.
After we made the trip back to Bonnet Creek, R and I decided we needed to go experience something we'd been talking about for ages but have never had. So we dropped my mom at the condo and headed to Disney Springs, making our way to the Marketplace for...
Ghirardelli! I know, I know, it only took me about 25 trips to Disney World to try Ghirardelli finally. We got the Strike It Rich, but with chocolate ice cream. That's two scoops of chocolate ice cream (we really wanted one chocolate and one butter pecan, but oh well) with butterscotch and hot fudge, whipped cream, and chopped nuts. We both agreed that this was not worth $11.95 - it was massive and tasty but so is a No Way Jose from Beaches & Cream which costs several dollars less and is even more massive. Well at least we ticked one thing off the Disney Bucket List, and we really enjoyed a whole evening of trying new things! And we also really enjoyed people watching waterside at Disney Springs, which is now just lovely at night.
Up Next: Our last day at Walt Disney World, More (?!) Flower and Garden Booths, and Tequila!
Last edited:
Raeven
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Sep 15, 2015
I've never tried it there it took me going to Chicago to try Ghiradelli for the first time
dnllmz
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jul 13, 2011
We are doing a short trip next month & decided not to make a bunch of ADRs but I'm hoping we can score a same day yak & yeti because I need to try those nachos. Oh & the wonton dessert I always read about. The low mein looks great so I'll add that to my list. Actually everything you ordered looks yummy so it all goes on the list. I should probably just make that ADR now.
One of the few ADRs I did make was a Beaches & Cream. I'm so excited to finally get to try a No Way Jose. I wanted to do the kitchen sink but dh shot me down. I told him I'd take one for the team & eat half. Then he & the kids would only have to eat a half. Still a no.
My dh is dying to go to outlets. We just use Disney transportation but it might me worth ubering over there.
One of the few ADRs I did make was a Beaches & Cream. I'm so excited to finally get to try a No Way Jose. I wanted to do the kitchen sink but dh shot me down. I told him I'd take one for the team & eat half. Then he & the kids would only have to eat a half. Still a no.
My dh is dying to go to outlets. We just use Disney transportation but it might me worth ubering over there.
toomuchtv
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Apr 20, 2013
Ugh, that's super annoying.
Warm Cheese Strudel with Mixed Berries – $4.00
This continues to be one of my favorite desserts from Flower and Garden but unfortunately on this evening the pastry was a little too chewy. Oh well, I'll take the loss on this night. We were just not feeling it.
Yummmmmmmmmm! We did try this one because I insisted. We were on a mission to find a Duck, though, and I was attempting to eat it while walking, which is not easy.
After the opening bird flight
Well, that is terrifying. I'm not upset to have missed that. Birds are not my favorite.
At least it's not just me. I haven't been there yet.
ThreeBoyMama
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Nov 5, 2014
Oh wow, congratulations!
Your Hawaii pictures are gorgeous--what an amazing trip!
I also really want to eat everything you had at Yak & Yeti. Like right now. I have no idea how I'm going to decide what to order when we go in September!
amalone1013
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 15, 2016
Congratulations! Looks like a wonderful trip!
This is silly but I'm happy to see a review of the firecracker shrimp at Yak n Yeti, because they're the main reason I'm excited to eat there - they look like a dish that I used to order at a local restaurant that has been gone many years, and I miss it
Also, I've been working through your DRs, but I don't know if I've commented, so
This is silly but I'm happy to see a review of the firecracker shrimp at Yak n Yeti, because they're the main reason I'm excited to eat there - they look like a dish that I used to order at a local restaurant that has been gone many years, and I miss it
Also, I've been working through your DRs, but I don't know if I've commented, so
kastoney
Disney foodie served with a side of sarcasm
- Joined
- Jul 18, 2010
Sorry your F&G night was a bit of a bust. We have a family member like your sister too and needless to say, this is why she is never invited to Disney 
Loving all your Yak n Yeti deliciousness. We went the app only route on our last trip too and its most definitely the way to go. The nachos are pure heaven and I'll have to try the dragon roll next time as we are suckers for good sushi.
How fun you all got out of the disney bubble and did some other stuff. We have a hot and juicy crawfish here but I had no idea it was a chain. I love crawfish so we'll have to give it a whirl. Though I've never heard of them giving you gloves with it. Seems like getting dirty fingers and nails is part of the charm
Loving all your Yak n Yeti deliciousness. We went the app only route on our last trip too and its most definitely the way to go. The nachos are pure heaven and I'll have to try the dragon roll next time as we are suckers for good sushi.
How fun you all got out of the disney bubble and did some other stuff. We have a hot and juicy crawfish here but I had no idea it was a chain. I love crawfish so we'll have to give it a whirl. Though I've never heard of them giving you gloves with it. Seems like getting dirty fingers and nails is part of the charm
pepperandchips
[melinda]
- Joined
- Mar 16, 2014
yes I know! It is so hard to pinpoint exactly when you'll want to eat though, which is why we love having the Landry's card. Rude! We have seen the kitchen sink every time we've been there and I just love shouting along "A WHOOOLE CAN!" but I am a major fan of schtick, so I guess that's no surprise. R has even procured a "to go" No Way Jose for us from the takeaway window in the past. We love it!
If your husband is dying to shop, I say go for it! And Uber is a good call, I always have a terrible time parking, so I think having a ride there would be less stressful.
Yeah, if you have a bird phobia, this would NOT be the opening show for you. At least if you are at the back of the crowd they're pretty far away. They should really warn people...It's funny how the boards make you feel like the only one missing out on something and then you find out you're not alone at all! Glad for the solidarity.
Thank you on both accounts - it really was the best trip! Well, I am super fortunate to have had many wonderful trips with R and each seems better than the last so it's hard to pick a favorite.Oh wow, congratulations!
Your Hawaii pictures are gorgeous--what an amazing trip!
Oh my gosh, I know. I wish we had one in Atlanta but I guess I am really glad we don't since I would be there all the time! And their drink prices are really very fair. I know you will be trying to be all "responsible" what with the needing to keep tabs on your son, but you could have just one drink with your tasty tasty meal
Ah, thank you for reading! Glad you are hereCongratulations! Looks like a wonderful trip!
This is silly but I'm happy to see a review of the firecracker shrimp at Yak n Yeti, because they're the main reason I'm excited to eat there - they look like a dish that I used to order at a local restaurant that has been gone many years, and I miss it
Also, I've been working through your DRs, but I don't know if I've commented, so
Those firecracker shrimp are soooo good! I could go for some right now. They have a nice sweet chili flavor and are so yummy and crunchy... mm. Now I am starving!Thank you and thank you! I am not as devoted as Fallon though, we will not be having a Disney fairytale wedding... I am sure we will have lots of tasty food and libations though
It definitely has similar flavors to the nachos so I think you guys would like it! I have been silently following along on your DR. My stupid phone makes it so hard to comment unless I am on the laptop (which is rare). I will have to go over and comment on your Homecoming/DS crawl installment though because that is my Disney jam! y'all did exactly what we like to do.
I don't know if it was based on the clientele at that particular H&J location? We do a lot of peel n' eat shrimp here in Georgia and I have never been presented with plastic gloves. It was freaking hilarious - there were tons of very nicely dressed ladies going toward the restroom (our table was en route) with their dress clothes and their plastic gloved hands... an odd sight to be sure. Not to mention the neighboring table with their high quality surgical gloves! My only guess is that maybe the hottest boil flavoring choice is so spicy there they do it to keep you from injuring yourself later? Who knows. Still, very entertaining!How fun you all got out of the disney bubble and did some other stuff. We have a hot and juicy crawfish here but I had no idea it was a chain. I love crawfish so we'll have to give it a whirl. Though I've never heard of them giving you gloves with it. Seems like getting dirty fingers and nails is part of the charm
pepperandchips
[melinda]
- Joined
- Mar 16, 2014
Wednesday, April 5
This was our last day in Orlando for this trip
Well, at least for R and me. My mom and sister were staying through Friday, but I had to get back to work.
Of course we had to visit the Flower and Garden Festival to say goodbye for the year. We were rewarded with an absolutely stunning weather day (if a bit warm).
First up was the Berry Basket, a booth at which I'd earmarked some items I wanted to sample, but hadn't yet made it to.
Of course I had to try the Founder Rubaeus pure raspberry ale ($4.25), I am really hit or miss with flavored beer, and this one wasn't one I'd go back for. I think I generally like the idea of fruit beer better than the execution.
On the other hand, the Field Greens with fresh Strawberries, Blue Cheese, Strawberry Vinaigrette, and Spiced Pecans ($4.75) was one of the best things I had at the festival. Ironically this is a dish we make at home as a dinner entree on a semi-regular basis but we don't add any sugar to the pecans so it was nice to try someone else's take on a favorite. It was great, especially in the heat!
Next: an "entree" - Lamb Chop with Quinoa Salad and Blackberry Gastrique ($7.25). As you might be able to see, we got a really really small lamb chop - it was really skinny at the meat end of the business - it probably only had one good bite of meat on it, which was chewy and not properly prepared as well as being overly salty. I'm at like 50% on lamb chops at festivals, but the good 50% keep me in the gambling game. This one was not the best effort, but I wanted to try it, so no regrets. I don't remember anything special about the quinoa and I feel like we may have pitched all but a few bites out of distaste for the whole dish.
Finally, we have the dish that had truly required a stop: the Berry Buckle, served warm with pepper berry gelato ($4.25). Of course the gelato started melting immediately, hence the slide to its pictured location alongside the buckle rather than on top. This was good! And I could have easily gone for a few scoops of that gelato alone. Berry desserts like this just scream "summer" to me, so I enjoyed welcoming summer to Florida (yes, in early April LOL) with this dish.
Next up: we were channeling Steve (aka Mr. @ariane37) and stopped at La Isla Fresca. I knew this booth would be a hit with my mom, who you may have noticed is a big seafood fan. We ordered two sugar cane shrimp skewers ($6.50, served with steamed rice and coconut lime sauce) and one caribbean conch salad with avocado, mango, and onion ($5.00).
I knew that the shrimp was going to be a hit, hence the double order. And boy were they! As everyone else who's reviewed this dish has indicated, it was super tasty. I loved the flavor of the shrimp and became the designated rice finisher from both plates. It was so good! I was stunned by how much flavor each part of the dish had.
The conch salad surprised me with its fresh, light quality. I expected a more fishy flavor, but was glad for the mild seafood taste.The flavors in this were definitely very bright and caribbean. (The conch is the little pieces that almost look like couscous or something). I loved the light touch of sweetness and the fresh vegetables, which really complemented the flavor of the conch.
We were all feeling the heat and looking for a beverage and a quick kick-back to relax in a respite from the heat so we made our way into Cava del Tequila. We were prepared to wait but they quickly got us seated. We decided we'd probably need snacks to wash down our tequila so we ordered their guacamole.
It was fresh and tasty, and I always feel like their chips and salsa are a good call. ($9, $4)
My mom went for the Maelstrom Margarita, which is tequila, mango puree, orange liquor, served with habanero peppers, blueberries, basil and Tajin chili powder on the rim ($14.50). This is not the first time we've had this one, and it was delicious and smooth as usual, if a little sweet for me.
The above little beauty was my pick. As I am a mezcal devotee, I chose the Guava Margarita: Guava Margarita - Mezcal Zignum Reposado, guava nectar, grapefruit liquor, lime juice, Peychaud bitters, and pink peppercorn ($13.00) The peppercorns appear to be missing from my beverage, but I am always happy with a properly made mezcal cocktail and I recall liking this one, but it is pretty similar to the BotoRita at Nomad Lounge and I think Nomad wins this battle.
R went for a Dos Equis draft, $8.75, served in a Modelo pint glass. By all accounts, I would suspect this tasted like beer.
We love La Cava and especially love it on days like this when there's no wait. Disney theming is really at its finest here, since it is incredibly easy to believe you've left central Florida for a cozy tequila cave in another time and place. The service here is hit or miss, for me, but the margaritas are reliably good and I love having a nice place to kick back and relax out of the sun for a while.
Having enjoyed our air conditioned retreat quite a lot, we decided the tequila had fortified us enough to head back out into the Florida heat.
This was my usual view, with my mom leaving us in the dust on her scooter...
Well we probably lasted about 30 more minutes out there since it was so hot. I loved the photopass opportunities available during this Flower & Garden festival and I wish we had made our way around more of the booths with my mom. However, it was the last day in Orlando for me and R, so we had one last dining location on our mind as a farewell to one of our favorite places to visit.
Up next: A Homegoing at Homecoming and I finally wrap this report up...
This was our last day in Orlando for this trip
Well, at least for R and me. My mom and sister were staying through Friday, but I had to get back to work.
Of course we had to visit the Flower and Garden Festival to say goodbye for the year. We were rewarded with an absolutely stunning weather day (if a bit warm).
First up was the Berry Basket, a booth at which I'd earmarked some items I wanted to sample, but hadn't yet made it to.
Of course I had to try the Founder Rubaeus pure raspberry ale ($4.25), I am really hit or miss with flavored beer, and this one wasn't one I'd go back for. I think I generally like the idea of fruit beer better than the execution.
On the other hand, the Field Greens with fresh Strawberries, Blue Cheese, Strawberry Vinaigrette, and Spiced Pecans ($4.75) was one of the best things I had at the festival. Ironically this is a dish we make at home as a dinner entree on a semi-regular basis but we don't add any sugar to the pecans so it was nice to try someone else's take on a favorite. It was great, especially in the heat!
Next: an "entree" - Lamb Chop with Quinoa Salad and Blackberry Gastrique ($7.25). As you might be able to see, we got a really really small lamb chop - it was really skinny at the meat end of the business - it probably only had one good bite of meat on it, which was chewy and not properly prepared as well as being overly salty. I'm at like 50% on lamb chops at festivals, but the good 50% keep me in the gambling game. This one was not the best effort, but I wanted to try it, so no regrets. I don't remember anything special about the quinoa and I feel like we may have pitched all but a few bites out of distaste for the whole dish.
Finally, we have the dish that had truly required a stop: the Berry Buckle, served warm with pepper berry gelato ($4.25). Of course the gelato started melting immediately, hence the slide to its pictured location alongside the buckle rather than on top.
This was good! And I could have easily gone for a few scoops of that gelato alone. Berry desserts like this just scream "summer" to me, so I enjoyed welcoming summer to Florida (yes, in early April LOL) with this dish.
Next up: we were channeling Steve (aka Mr. @ariane37) and stopped at La Isla Fresca. I knew this booth would be a hit with my mom, who you may have noticed is a big seafood fan. We ordered two sugar cane shrimp skewers ($6.50, served with steamed rice and coconut lime sauce) and one caribbean conch salad with avocado, mango, and onion ($5.00).
I knew that the shrimp was going to be a hit, hence the double order. And boy were they! As everyone else who's reviewed this dish has indicated, it was super tasty. I loved the flavor of the shrimp and became the designated rice finisher from both plates. It was so good! I was stunned by how much flavor each part of the dish had.
The conch salad surprised me with its fresh, light quality. I expected a more fishy flavor, but was glad for the mild seafood taste.The flavors in this were definitely very bright and caribbean. (The conch is the little pieces that almost look like couscous or something). I loved the light touch of sweetness and the fresh vegetables, which really complemented the flavor of the conch.
We were all feeling the heat and looking for a beverage and a quick kick-back to relax in a respite from the heat so we made our way into Cava del Tequila. We were prepared to wait but they quickly got us seated. We decided we'd probably need snacks to wash down our tequila so we ordered their guacamole.
It was fresh and tasty, and I always feel like their chips and salsa are a good call. ($9, $4)
My mom went for the Maelstrom Margarita, which is tequila, mango puree, orange liquor, served with habanero peppers, blueberries, basil and Tajin chili powder on the rim ($14.50). This is not the first time we've had this one, and it was delicious and smooth as usual, if a little sweet for me.
The above little beauty was my pick. As I am a mezcal devotee, I chose the Guava Margarita: Guava Margarita - Mezcal Zignum Reposado, guava nectar, grapefruit liquor, lime juice, Peychaud bitters, and pink peppercorn ($13.00) The peppercorns appear to be missing from my beverage, but I am always happy with a properly made mezcal cocktail and I recall liking this one, but it is pretty similar to the BotoRita at Nomad Lounge and I think Nomad wins this battle.
R went for a Dos Equis draft, $8.75, served in a Modelo pint glass. By all accounts, I would suspect this tasted like beer.
We love La Cava and especially love it on days like this when there's no wait. Disney theming is really at its finest here, since it is incredibly easy to believe you've left central Florida for a cozy tequila cave in another time and place. The service here is hit or miss, for me, but the margaritas are reliably good and I love having a nice place to kick back and relax out of the sun for a while.
Having enjoyed our air conditioned retreat quite a lot, we decided the tequila had fortified us enough to head back out into the Florida heat.
This was my usual view, with my mom leaving us in the dust on her scooter...
Well we probably lasted about 30 more minutes out there since it was so hot. I loved the photopass opportunities available during this Flower & Garden festival and I wish we had made our way around more of the booths with my mom. However, it was the last day in Orlando for me and R, so we had one last dining location on our mind as a farewell to one of our favorite places to visit.
Up next: A Homegoing at Homecoming and I finally wrap this report up...
Last edited:
kastoney
Disney foodie served with a side of sarcasm
- Joined
- Jul 18, 2010
Despite that disaster of a lamb chop, the rest of your last day at F&G looks great. I'll have to try and make that strawberry salad one day. I never think to put fruit with our typical veggie salads.
Glad to see you were able to get into LaCava and chill for a bit. The last few times we've just tried to get a drink the lines have been crazy. We used to never have a problem, but the "secret" is most definitely out. I'm hoping the new margarita kiosk has better choices that previously so I can get my margarita on.
I had no idea you loved mezcal so much. You probably saw it already but I had a mezcal margarita at Paddlefish that would be right up your alley (if you could stomach the $15 price tag)
Glad to see you were able to get into LaCava and chill for a bit. The last few times we've just tried to get a drink the lines have been crazy. We used to never have a problem, but the "secret" is most definitely out. I'm hoping the new margarita kiosk has better choices that previously so I can get my margarita on.
I had no idea you loved mezcal so much. You probably saw it already but I had a mezcal margarita at Paddlefish that would be right up your alley (if you could stomach the $15 price tag)
Raeven
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Sep 15, 2015
Boo
I love the butterfly picture! We didn't end up getting one of those.
Yum
ArielSRL
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 23, 2006
I'm way behind on the Dis since my June trip but I just read your Aulani/engagement recap post! I tried to quote it but I'm on my iPad and ugh...it just doesn't work correctly.
CONGRATS!!! How exciting!
And happy you made it to DLR. I was hoping to make it back there in 2018 but I did a little something where I made my DH a WDW fan and we are now in the process of purchasing a DVC contract. So I'm afraid the DLR trip just got inadvertently postponed.
Looking forward to hearing all about it and finishing up the rest of this one!
CONGRATS!!! How exciting!
And happy you made it to DLR. I was hoping to make it back there in 2018 but I did a little something where I made my DH a WDW fan and we are now in the process of purchasing a DVC contract. So I'm afraid the DLR trip just got inadvertently postponed.
Looking forward to hearing all about it and finishing up the rest of this one!
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