Dining Review - February 2023



Friday 2/10/23
We spent the day at Hollywood Studios.

We cancelled our dinner reservations planning to just wing it and see where we end up.

We went to the Polynesian that evening and put our name in at Trader Sam’s thinking it would be fun to try the Tiki Bar. They told us it would be about 1.5 hours wait. That doesn’t guarantee you a seat when you are called, just that you can go in.

We went to Tambu Lounge and found seats within a few minutes at the bar.
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Scott had a Martini
I had the Backscratcher: Bacardi Superior Rum, Plantation Original Dark Rum, and guava-passion fruit juice topped with Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey and a Bamboo backscratcher. I’m glad I tried it, the backscratcher idea is cute, but I probably would not get this again. It was a bit too strong and too alcohol tasting for me.
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We ordered food at the bar from their appetizer menu

Potstickers: Pork and vegetable dumplings tossed in a chili-garlic sauce. These were very good, perfectly crispy on the outside and not greasy. The dipping sauce is tasty too.
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California Roll: Jumbo crab, citrus mayonnaise, cucumber, avocado and Tobiko. This was very fresh tasting.
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Noodles: It’s the O’Hana noodles. They aren’t on the bar menu but you can ask for them. These are OK; they are even better with some of the pot sticker dipping sauce on them.
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We got the text from Trader Sam’s that we could head over there to go in (probably an hour after we put our name/number in) but we were already settled in at Tambu Lounge so didn’t go. We’ll try again another time to go to Trader Sam’s.

We also had the bread pudding. What can I say…this is amazing. We love this bread pudding.
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Later that night when we were back in the villa, Scott was hungry and wanted to order pizza. We found a place called Mod Pizza that delivered. He ordered a regular pizza with sausage and arugula. It was interesting when ordering online you had to pick the type of sauce you wanted (ex. Red sauce). He said it was pretty good.

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He also ordered a Tiramisu dessert since the pizza alone didn’t meet the minimum amount for delivery. This was put in the fridge, never eaten, never even opened to see what the inside looked like, and thrown out before we went home.
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So happy to find a new report from you this morning! As always, you had some good meals! I am definitely putting the Hoodunnit punch on my list for my next trip at the end of the month. That looks good! Boathouse is my favorite spot at Disney Springs (well, tied with Wine Bar George) ... I agree their fries are terrific. I've only had Gideon's once and I have to say I didn't love it but your devotion to it makes me think I need to give it another try. Maybe I just wasn't in the mood for it that day. Sorry to hear you didn't love bluezoo. Pre-pandemic it was one of my favorites but I've seen several more recent reports that it seems to have slipped a bit. Not sure if they still offer it but they used to have some good happy hour deals in the lounge.
 
So happy to find a new report from you this morning! As always, you had some good meals! I am definitely putting the Hoodunnit punch on my list for my next trip at the end of the month. That looks good! Boathouse is my favorite spot at Disney Springs (well, tied with Wine Bar George) ... I agree their fries are terrific. I've only had Gideon's once and I have to say I didn't love it but your devotion to it makes me think I need to give it another try. Maybe I just wasn't in the mood for it that day. Sorry to hear you didn't love bluezoo. Pre-pandemic it was one of my favorites but I've seen several more recent reports that it seems to have slipped a bit. Not sure if they still offer it but they used to have some good happy hour deals in the lounge.
Hi. Thank you.
Yes that Hoodunnit punch was really good; I’ll definitely get that again
We haven’t tried Wine Bar George yet; we say we will but just haven’t made it there yet. Maybe next trip.
Gideon’s is great, but you have to be in a cookie mood since they are a big giant heavy cookie. Some are better than other; the crumb cake is my favorite. It’s best in small doses (we’ll share a cookie when we have it). Some of their cakes are good too.
Maybe BlueZoo was just having an off night with the entrees. We’ll usually give places more than 1 try. It started off really good
 
Saturday 2/11/23
We spent the day at Epcot

We stopped in the Odyssey building and got a Pop’t Art (cute play on pop tart): Sugar cookie with blueberry filling. This was OK, not as good as the raspberry pop tart from Woody’s at Hollywood Studios.

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How could we not get the adorable Figment popcorn bucket? It has a bag of rainbow popcorn inside. Unlike the craziness when these first arrived (last year maybe) and people waited on line for hours, there were plenty of them. We ordered the Figment popcorn bucket at the same time as the Pop’t Art.
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Passing the Craftsman Courtyard stand, we tried the Beef Welllington: Mushroom duxelles, prosciutto, and puff pastry with red wine Demi-glacé and baby vegetables. This was good, much better than we expected it to be.
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Saturday 2/11/23 Continued
That evening we drove to the Dolphin and valet parked for our dinner at Shula’s

We sat at the bar for a pre-dinner cocktail. And decided we would stay at the bar for dinner rather than moving to a table.
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Scot had Bombay Sapphire straight up with olives. I had a white sangria
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The bread is great at Shula’s. Served warm with a bit of crunch to the outside but totally soft on the inside.
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For an appetizer we shared the Tuna Tartare: Diced Ahi Tuna, red chili, sesame vinaigrette, avocado cream, crispy wontons. We’ve had this appetizer before and it doesn’t disappoint. It’s really tasty and the crispy wontons are a nice change from the normal chips most restaurants serve with tuna tartare.
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For our entree we shared the Dry Aged Cowboy steak (an off menu special). This is a great steak. They had this special in September 2022 when we were here and we had it then too. It just melts in your mouth.
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We also ordered the macaroni and cheese: Cavatappi Pasta, Gouda & cheddar cheese sauce, bread crumbs. This is the best macaroni and cheese we’ve had at Disney. I’m not a huge Mac & cheese fan but I really like this one. Scott loves Mac & cheese and this is his favorite one.
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For dessert we shared the chocolate soufflé. This is an awesome souffle. It comes out perfect and the sides of ice cream, a vanilla sauce (I think that’s what it is), and the whipped cream are the perfect complement to the rich chocolate of the souffle.
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Shula’s is one of our favorite restaurants at Disney. We always enjoy it.

Back at the resort later that night we walked around some of the different sections of the resort and ended at the Breezes Bar and hung out there for a bit.
Scott had a Bombay Sapphire with Olives
I had a Blue Raspberry Lemonade (non alcoholic): Davinci blue raspberry syrup, lemonade, sugar rim, lemon wedge.
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They only served drinks here in plastic glasses being near one of the pools. I’m a wimpy drinker so since I had my sangria earlier I stuck with the non alchoholic drink here.
 
Shula's is a spot I've been meaning to try but somehow it never works out. Maybe this trip. I really like sitting at the bar for dinner and this looks like a fun one with some really good food!
 
Shula's is a spot I've been meaning to try but somehow it never works out. Maybe this trip. I really like sitting at the bar for dinner and this looks like a fun one with some really good food!
We highly recommend Shula’s. The bartenders are very personable and we had a lot of fun chatting with them as well as other customers sitting at the bar.
 
Sunday 2/12/23
We spent the day at Animal Kingdom.

This was Super Bowl Sunday. I don’t follow football so it didn’t really make a difference to me. Scott likes football but isn’t a die hard fan where he’ll spend every Sunday watching games. He wanted to catch some of the Super Bowl because it’s the Super Bowl. His favorite team isn’t playing, but it’s still the Super Bowl. We’ve been trying to find a good place to go for him to watch some of it. It wasn’t really a big thing at Disney when we asked at various bars if they were doing anything special. At Vistana Villages they were going to have the game shown at several of the bars and also had a screen set up at the pool that our balcony faced. They may have had a similar set up at some of the other pools too, but we didn’t check. Our original plan was that we’d end up back at the resort during the Super Bowl for him to watch some of it. We cancelled our dinner plans so we could play things by ear. He didn’t have a set time he wanted to get back for the game.

During a random check for dinner availability on the Disney App I was surprised to see Space 220 Lounge pop up for 8:35 so I booked it for us. Scott was OK with it since he knew that I’ve been trying to get Space 220; he didn’t really mind either way if he saw some of the game or not.

We went to Bahama Breeze for lunch.
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We sat at the bar
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Scott had a Gin & Tonic
I had a Sunrise Moscato Sangria: Svedka cherry limeade vodka, moscato, vanilla, pineapple and lime juices, splash of soda. This was a really good sangria.
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We shared the food we ordered

Beef Empanadas: Four house made pastries with seasoned beef and potatoes, seasoned sour cream and pineapple chutney for dipping. This was from the appetizer menu. Scott liked these a lot. I thought it was just OK
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Coconut Shrimp: Six large crispy shrimp, citrus-mustard dipping sauce. These were also on the appetizer menu. They were really good. We both enjoyed these.
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We were deciding if we wanted anything else or if we had enough to eat. The bartender recommended the Buttermilk Fried Chicken: Tomatoes, corn and black bean salsa and melted cheese layers over mashed potatoes with lemon butter sauce. This was on the entree menu. This was surprisingly good. She said it was one of their most popular dishes.
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While we didn’t finish our food, we really enjoyed it. Bahama Breeze was a pleasant surprise. We would go back again if we were looking for somewhere offsite to eat.
 
Sunday 2/12/23 Continued
We went to Epcot later that day.

We headed over to Space 220 when it was time for our reservation.
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It’s cute how you go in an “elevator” that looks like you are leaving Epcot and heading into Space.
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When we checked in they asked if we preferred to sit at the bar itself or at the lounge tables. They said we’ll be seated quicker at the bar. We were fine with that since we often prefer that.

At the bar/lounge you have the option of either ordering the full pre fixe menu (appetizer, entree, and dessert) or you can order ala carte from the appetizer and dessert menu. After our large lunch the appetizer and dessert menu option worked well for us.

For drinks I had Imagination: Bacardi light rum, Malibu rum, blood orange, pineapple, passion fruit, pop rock rim. This was really good. The bartender mentioned that he created this drink for the restaurant.

Scott ordered the Nebula: Makers Mark, Pineapple, honey, passion fruit, angostura bitters. The bartender asked him if he wanted him to doctor it a little, making it more of a special off menu drink. Scott took him up on the offer and enjoyed his drink.
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We shared the food we ordered

Short Rib Sliders: white cheddar cheese, chipotle aioli, lettuce, tomato, butter pickles. These were good sliders. They came with fries so it felt like more of a meal than an appetizer.
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Starry Calamari: Fried calamari, italian cherry peppers, spicy marinara, roasted pepper citrus aioli. These were surprisingly good, crispy but not greasy, cooked well so they weren’t chewy.
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We also ordered carrot cake: cream cheese, candied walnuts, toasted pepitas. We enjoyed the carrot cake.
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We thought the experience at Space 220 was fun. We enjoyed our drinks and food. We would definitely come back (If we can get a reservation). We would want to try the full pre fixe meal next time so need to be hungry. Sitting in the lounge/at the bar was fine; it’s nice to have the option of either pre fixe or ala carte. The lounge area was raised and not as close to the windows but the view is the same. While we normally like sitting at the bar itself we may ask for a lounge table next time to have the view out without either looking in the mirror above the bar or turning around. The below picture is the mirror we were facing above the bar. You can see the windows in the mirror but it may be nice to see it directly. I’m not sure if that will win out over the interaction we like having with the bartender/other customers sitting at the bar itself.

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Monday 2/13/23
We went out for breakfast today. To an offsite place I read about…Keke’s. I read very positive reviews for giving this place a try. Also, my dog (that passed away a few years ago) was named Kiki so I also wanted to try it because of the name (even thought the spelling was different.
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We were greeted and seated promptly. Scott had coffee and I had a Sprite. They have a large menu so it took us a little time to decide what to eat.

Scott ordered a “make your own combo”. He chose French toast, eggs, bacon, and sausage. Everything was really good, he enjoyed his meal.
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I took the waitress’ suggestion of the Apple Cinnamon Stuff French Toast: Cinnamon apples and cream cheese topped with powdered sugar and cinnamon. I also had bacon. I enjoyed this a lot; it was so good I finished it all.
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We really enjoyed Keke’s and are glad we gave it a try. We would definitely go back and recommend it if you are looking for an offsite breakfast place.

We went to Magic Kingdom
 
Monday 2/13/23 Continued
Later that evening we drove to Caribbean Beach resort for our dinner reservation at Sebastian’s Bistro.

We went early to have a drink at the Banana Cabana bar first. Since this bar is near the pool they serve the drinks in plastic cups instead of glass.

Scott had Makers Bourbon
I had the Banana Cabana: Cruzan Mango rum, Parrot Bay Coconut Rum, Bos Creme de Banana liqueur, orange juice, and pineapple juice with a float of grenadine. This is a good drink, I enjoyed it.
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We were seated on time.
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We ordered the extra enhancement. Fried coconut shrimp with creamy chipotle dipping sauce. We both liked the coconut shrimp; they were very tasty and not greasy.
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The regular meal is family style

Buttery house-baked pull-apart rolls with guava butter and caramelized onion jam. The rolls were good but would have been better if they were warmed up a bit.
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Spice Necklace Salad: Mixed greens and kale with spiced candied pumpkin seeds, tropical fruit, and radish with key lime dressing. We enjoyed the salad and just about finished it.
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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. We liked the chicken the best. Since I won’t eat food on a bone Scott pulled the chicken off the bone for me (Just a weird food quirk of mine). The pulled pork and the beef were OK but we didn’t finish either of those. The waiter asked if we wanted more of anything so Scott asked for another piece of chicken. I don’t know if it’s an option or if the dishes are pre-plated but if we come back we would ask them to either skip (or give us very little) of the pork and beef but more chicken.
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Served with Cilantro rice and beans, vegetable curry, and grilled seasonal vegetables. This was a nice complement to the meat and we enjoyed it.
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Dessert: Our Celebrated house-made coconut-pineapple bread pudding with caramel sauce and vanilla ice cream. This is similar to our favorite bread pudding at Tambu Lounge (the O’Hana bread pudding). Tambu Lounge’s version is still our favorite but this is a close second.
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We enjoyed our meal at Sebastian’s Bistro. We would come back again.
 
Tuesday 2/14/23
We spent the day at Epcot.

During our last trip (fall 2022) we bought a delicious croissant at the bakery in France in Epcot. Scott has been saying let’s have something like that for breakfast one day this trip. So that was our original plan.

When we got to the bakery in France in Epcot, Boulangerie Patisserie les Halles, there is so much to choose from. We were hungry and I guess it’s kind of like going to the supermarket hungry, you get too much. We ordered a few things we ate then and also a few things to package up for later.

Scott had the Quiche Lorraine. He thought this was good.
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I had the bacon, egg, and cheese croissant. I thought this was OK, but a bit on the greasy side. I had maybe half of it then gave the rest to Scott.
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We bought the package of assorted macarons. They were packaged different than the last trip and only had 3 different flavors (2 of each) vs last trip with each one a different flavor. These were still well packaged and made it home to New Jersey with us at the end of the trip. They were very good when we ate them a week or so after getting home.
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We also ordered the chocolate croissant and had it wrapped for later. I think we ordered the wrong thing; totally our fault. Last trip we had an almond/chocolate croissant and it was delicious. This one was a plain chocolate croissant which normally would be good anyway. Unfortunately, when we tried it, it was kind of dry and not as good as we were expecting.
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They have such a large selection of things to try there, we’ll have to go back and try some more. And maybe next time we’ll find that almond/chocolate croissant.

A little later at the booth in America we tried the Duck & Dumplings: Smoked Duck breast, ricotta dumplings, petite vegetables and duck jus. I don’t normally like duck so didn’t expect to like it, the duck part tasted kind of like ham to me and the dumplings were on the dry side. Scott normally likes duck and he didn’t think it was that good either.
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