He Just Came For The Food: A March 2018 Dining Report *update 9/22 S. Hollow/GF Cafe

[Lsdolphin]

I love the pulled pork nachos at Capt Cook. We stopped at the Poly just so I could have those last time we were at the WL.

I’ve never had a Magic Cookie Bar. I planned to try one but never seemed hungry enough for one. They are legendary at the WL and it is on my to do list.

You will also find the Magic Cookie bars at the food court at POR

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

I was determined not to miss them which is why I figured let's do it right away! Not I need to fit them in next month lol

That is exactly why we did Trader Sam's our first day too!

Well, I have to say I think they're a tad heavy on the coconut. I mean, you can taste it in most bites. BUT, you can also taste everything else too, so I'd give it a try. Maybe buy 1 to share and see what you think! And if nobody likes it, go back for a different snack

I just might! You know next time.... in almost a year.... bleh....

 

[amalone1013]

For those of you who haven't eaten here yet, this restaurant is tiny! You can easily watch your neighbors eat if you feel like it lol so we were able to see quite a few tables order the Kitchen Sink Sundae. What's really cool is that, right before this is delivered to a table, the lights flash in a disco ball kind of way and then the server recites something over the table before putting it down. The booth behind us had a mom, dad, and two kids, both had to be no older than 6, and they polished off the whole thing

It's funny, I just read on a DR yesterday that BnC is only 15ish tables? That blows my mind! Everyone always mentions it being small but I never thought that small! I can't imagine eating a Kitchen Sink... on one hand I want to order one just to order one, but on the other there's a lot of things in it I don't like

and then I said screw it, I'm getting what I want!

Pretty much the rule I live by!

No Way José
A Peanut Butter and Hot Fudge delight featuring Chocolate and Vanilla Ice Cream, Peanut Butter and Chocolate Morsels, Whipped Cream, and a Cherry

Yum. This is what I would get, when we make it here some day!

in fact as I was writing part of this earlier this morning I was eating my breakfast, a bowl of honey nut cheerios which probably equaled 3 servings

Breakfast of Champions! That is what I eat almost every day - unless I switch it up for Honey Bunches of Oats

Pulled Pork Nachos
topped with Onions, Cheese, Spicy Mayo, Tomatoes, and Pineapple Salsa

I want to have these so badly! Everytime I see them in a report, I think of how I can bargain with Zack so I can have some... It's extremely hard to get him out of the parks even for food. I was shocked he was up for it at DLR, but then again, I think a lot of that was just how Downtown Disney and the parks are all connected. But...

Pan-Fried Dumplings -
with soy-sesame dipping sauce

1. You can order from the TS drink menu, and 2. You can get the dumplings off that menu when at Capt Cooks? This is my bargaining chip! Zack is a huge dumpling fan and will barely even share them with me if he gets them somewhere.

The other half of my bargaining chip would be, if we do go on our next trip this Fall, we most likely won't have APs, so on one hand making it easier to have a non-park day and go to some of the other resorts - I'd love to walk around the Poly, Wilderness Lodge, and AKL. After seeing your WL photos on your TR, I'm kind of regretting we went with BLT over WLV for our wedding trip.

OMG please, I've been horrible at keeping up on everyone's reports, especially yours I was reading along but not commenting, and then I fell off.............so I'm just happy you stopped by
Aladdin, yay! I hope you're loving it! I want to see it on Broadway so bad but we just haven't gotten there yet.

It was a great show! I really loved it. I've been crazy terrible at keeping up on everything here, work has been nuts and now I have a trainee, which means less computer time... Sometimes I open a thread on my phone but don't get all the way through, then I'll open it on the computer and have to try and backtrack... It's so hard!

 

[Tracy161]

1. we absolutely loved our studio and 2. here are a couple of our view

What's not to love?! That place was a dream

O. M. G. Yes, to all that, yes.

I would absolutely tell someone that the location of Magic Bars most definitely SHOULD be a deciding factor in choosing your resort

I absolutely agree

 

[Sailormoon2]

Right now we're going the 18-25th

We'll be at the Poly from Aug 24th-29th

 

[kastoney]

Love the idea of heading over to the Poly for some dinner. WL really is so close to so much, yet somehow feels removed from it all.

So glad your nachos lived up to your memory. I hate when I build something up in my own mind and then it doesn't live up to the expectations. I had those nachos the last time we stayed at the Poly and really enjoyed them too, though if I recall they used to have some wonton chips in there too.

Great to know you can get drinks from Trader Sams at Captain Cooks. I had no idea. Even if they weren't great, they are vacation drinks!

I'm so with you on the magic bars. Instead of showing pics of the resort on the website, they should just show everyone magic bars

 

[brandyleeann]

Late to the party, but following along nonetheless! Love your reviews!

 

[mesgram]

Grilled cheese and tomato soup at Beaches and Cream are so good. One day we will try the Kitchen Sink. Enjoying the view from the Poly sounds like a great way to end your first day. Looking forward to the rest of your report.

 

[FSU Girl]

I'm kind of sad we're not staying there on our next two trips

Just means you need to plan another trip

Um yeah, and I just noticed from your ticker that YOU'RE GETTING MARRIED????? Congratulations!!!! Obviously I've dropped the ball when it comes to following your dining report or I'd know this, so I have to go back and read! So happy for you!!!

Thank you!! It's fast approaching

 

[MeghanEmily]

The Mona Lisa of Food Maybe N can paint some Poly pulled pork nachos at his next show

Hahah I'll suggest it! I'm sure it'll sell!

 

[Terra Nova guy]

If you've never had or seen one of these beauties, this is the Magic Bar. As far as I'm aware it can only be found at the Wilderness Lodge.

My wife loved these too. I didn't notice them many places, but we got them at Port Orleans Riverside, in the food court. But that was October 2014. No idea if they are still there.

 

[ariane37]

I just might! You know next time.... in almost a year.... bleh....

Just don't go over spring break

It's funny, I just read on a DR yesterday that BnC is only 15ish tables? That blows my mind!

You know I'm trying to count in my head, and I swear there are definitely less than 15 tables! More like, 10? And then a few seats at the counter. It is T-I-N-Y!

Breakfast of Champions! That is what I eat almost every day - unless I switch it up for Honey Bunches of Oats

OMG you won't believe this, but Honey Bunches of Oats is what I switch Honey Nut Cheerios up with

I want to have these so badly! Everytime I see them in a report, I think of how I can bargain with Zack so I can have some... It's extremely hard to get him out of the parks even for food.

I know, it took awhile for us to leave for food. But while I love many of the restaurants/snacks in the parks, I have to say I think some of the best food is out of the parks and sometimes I find myself struggling to decide where to eat IN a park. Even with clients I always want to suggest resorts TS and am happy when it fits their schedules.

1. You can order from the TS drink menu, and 2. You can get the dumplings off that menu when at Capt Cooks? This is my bargaining chip! Zack is a huge dumpling fan and will barely even share them with me if he gets them somewhere.

Yes!! Well, you just sit outside at Capt. Cooks in a different area, closer to the outside entrance of Trader Sam's. You'll see when you get there We first went in and got our food from Capt. Cooks, then got a seat outside in the correct area lol and then a server comes over. Plus it's then a very quick trip back to MK, so a win-win for you and Zack!

The other half of my bargaining chip would be, if we do go on our next trip this Fall, we most likely won't have APs, so on one hand making it easier to have a non-park day and go to some of the other resorts - I'd love to walk around the Poly, Wilderness Lodge, and AKL. After seeing your WL photos on your TR, I'm kind of regretting we went with BLT over WLV for our wedding trip.

You shouldn't regret it, there are so many to choose from you can't really go wrong. But I think touring those resorts is a great idea, you can go out on the savanna at AKL, have a drink at Geyser Point AND watch the geyser go off at WL. And then get your nachos/dumplings/drinks at the Poly

O. M. G. Yes, to all that, yes.

We'll be at the Poly from Aug 24th-29th

Maybe somehow on the 24th or 25th we can manage to say hi

Love the idea of heading over to the Poly for some dinner. WL really is so close to so much, yet somehow feels removed from it all.

It didn't take long at all, if you ever get your butts back to WL you can do it, too

So glad your nachos lived up to your memory. I hate when I build something up in my own mind and then it doesn't live up to the expectations. I had those nachos the last time we stayed at the Poly and really enjoyed them too, though if I recall they used to have some wonton chips in there too.

I seem to remember seeing wonton chips in pictures when they first came to my attention. I'd take them, I love wonton chips, but these chips were 100% acceptable! I have to say I think my favorite components are the cheese and the pineapple salsa

Great to know you can get drinks from Trader Sams at Captain Cooks. I had no idea. Even if they weren't great, they are vacation drinks!

lol exactly I wasn't sure exactly how to do it but I knew I'd read it!

Instead of showing pics of the resort on the website, they should just show everyone magic bars

This would work for me!

Late to the party, but following along nonetheless! Love your reviews!

Thanks for joining!

 

[ariane37]

Grilled cheese and tomato soup at Beaches and Cream are so good. One day we will try the Kitchen Sink.

I keep saying we'll get the Kitchen Sink sometime.....we'll see. Maybe we'll just book it for dessert one day. I think that's our best bet at everyone being in the mood for ice cream at the same time!

Oh, and a great big to the DIS

Looking forward to the rest of your report.

Thank you, glad you're here!

Just means you need to plan another trip

Once we're back from our trip next week I'll be figuring out another one lol. I don't sleep well without at least 2 planned

My wife loved these too. I didn't notice them many places, but we got them at Port Orleans Riverside, in the food court. But that was October 2014. No idea if they are still there.

That's what another poster said, that they were available at POR. We've only been over there once to visit and while we did stop in the food court I wasn't aware of these beauties yet so didn't look for them, but it's nice that others besides those lucky enough to visit or stay at the WL can experience them lol

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Just don't go over spring break

You aren't very far into this TR and I am def thinking def NOT! I am thinking early March? Maybe?

 

[buzzrelly]

I'm finally making it over here, and I'm all caught up

I love Beaches & Cream, but we've only been once. It just doesn't seem to fit in our plans, but I think I'm going to have to make it fit again soon!

Your Chris sounds like my Nicholas…two burgers in a day But Nicholas would be in heaven!

Love your room view

 

[Wood Nymph]

I seem to remember seeing wonton chips in pictures when they first came to my attention. I'd take them, I love wonton chips, but these chips were 100% acceptable! I have to say I think my favorite components are the cheese and the pineapple salsa

They had wonton chips in the nachos for a short time, then they went back to the original chips. I was glad that they took the wonton chips out of the nachos, since I didn't like them at all.

 

[ariane37]

Hi everyone, and happy weekend! I'm going to review most of our first full day in this update which basically has 3 parts, so bear with me if I have to continue it a couple times because of picture post limits. Thanks!

GASTONS

We were now onto our first FULL day of Disney eating, even though we'd had a pretty full day of food yesterday! We got up, nobody cranky for once, and got to MK shortly after they began letting everyone in. We rode a couple rides and used a FP and while I didn't want to waste somewhat non-crowded park time eating, we needed to eat. We hadn't taken any time to eat before coming to the park, and when you don't have a breakfast ADR at MK there are only 2 logical options for breakfast.
We picked the one that has these:


​

And yes, that's EXTRA frosting on the side! Only the 2nd time I remembered to ask for it and I'm glad I did because you can never have #toomuchsugar. The frosting in the cup is a bit stiff and the best thing to do would be to spread it on, but I chose to rip off pieces of my roll and dip it in the frosting Oh and this was MY roll; Chris got his own. I wasn't making my ice cream sharing mistake with this baby!

Ricky wasn't in the mood for sugar (???) but he was starving, so he decided to try the

Smoked Turkey, Swiss and Cranberry Aïoli Sandwich
served with Chips



Um, I know. Not my best shot. I'm not even sure what I was trying to do? I think that, from the outside, the sandwich just looked plain and I was trying to give you guys a good idea of what it looked like? Anyway, this is what it looks like from the inside Not very appetizing right? But the description sounds good! Ricky liked the cranberry aioli but he's not a huge fan of swiss cheese to begin with. He also said that even with the aioli the sandwich was kind of dry; the bread was definitely dry. He ate about half.

Steve isn't a huge breakfast guy and while he likes the cinnamon rolls he wasn't in the mood. He chose the

Fruit and Cheese Picnic Platter



He loved this! Although each of the boys stole half of the egg. Everything was fresh, it was cold enough for the fruit but not cold enough that the croissant was stiff. It was the right amount of food for someone who needed to eat but didn't want anything heavy, and we had no idea they had this there.

Full enough to continue we moved on with our FP's and ventured out to Tom Sawyer island for the first time in years:



Rode BTMRR and then decided it was time to eat again. I wanted to try Pecos Bill's but after we looked at the menu the boys unanimously said no so we decided on Columbia Harbour House. At this point it was getting ridiculously crowded and we were ridiculously hungry, and I happened to remember about mobile ordering.
I'm not a huge technical person; I may have said this before but Ricky constantly threatens to buy me a flip phone. However at this particular time in this particular case, I thought trying out mobile ordering was going to be the smart way to go, AND IT WAS.

We stood outside Pecos Bill's and did our order. It helped that we knew what we wanted; if you weren't familiar with the menu it would take some time but I guess no more time than it would if you just walked up. Still, a time saver. You can actually get your order all set to go and then hit "send order" when you're ready, so if you prepped it like, 30 minutes or an hour before if you were chilling somewhere but weren't ready to eat you could send it later. We sent it and saw that it tells you when it's ready and gives you an order #.
We started walking that way, slowly, through the masses that are spring break crowds. We got there and Chris had to use the bathroom so we walked by and went to the prettiest bathrooms ever which I'm sure you can figure out with my saying no more. Then we went to CCH where the line was about 200 people out the door and we were like, "omg how do we get our food????" We had gotten the text that it was ready and if we stood on this line, it would be stone cold by the time we got it. So we asked the CM manning the door and then found out there's a separate counter inside to go to when you mobile order So cool! There were 2 people waiting there when we went in but we got our food right away, bypassing the 4829 other families in line. Seriously a lifesaver at busy times!

We went upstairs which is where we usually sit. I got my normal

Tuna Sandwich
White Tuna Salad served on Toasted Multigrain Bread, topped with Lettuce and Tomato, served with House-made Potato Chips



Once again not my best picture but not terrible! This used to be called the Anchors Aweigh sandwich or something like that I swear, and now it's just a tuna sandwich but it hasn't changed. It's one of the better tuna sandwiches I've had and it's always fresh-tasting. I know some of you are wondering why I ate a tuna sandwich when I don't eat seafood? Steve gets so confused by this since he says tuna is one of the fishiest tasting fishes, but for whatever reason I like it! Steve got the same thing.

Ricky and Chris both got the every famous and always delicious

Chicken Breast Nuggets (8 piece)
Eight (8) Chicken Breast Nuggets served with a choice of Corn on the Cobb, Green Beans and Carrots, Apple Slices or French Fries



They both chose corn, Ricky doesn't eat green beans or corn and while Chris normally eats corn he didn't like this. As an extra side Ricky got the macaroni and cheese:



I feel like Disney mac and cheese is controversial because some think it's great while others think it's too gloppy. I only eat fancy mac and cheese and not that often so I've never tasted this, but Ricky loves him some M&C and thinks this is fine.

There was nothing bad about our meal at all, never is here. When we were done we gave our table to a woman with 3 small children whose DH was down on line waiting to order; she'd been waiting with him for 25 minutes and since he hadn't moved she decided to look for a table. I told her about mobile ordering and she thanked me for the info as it was their first day and she would do that going forward when she could. Walking out we saw the lines and OMG they were insane, and we still had 5 days to go!

While we were eating we tried to switch FP's and availability was crap. Not crap as in slim pickins but crap as in 3 attractions to choose from; Dumbo, Philharmagic, Speedway. Not even availability for other rides later that night and the park was open until 11. So we used our last FP, Steve and I took a spin on Dumbo while the kids went back to WL, and then we met them there.

After relaxing in the room for a bit it was time to start our night! Ricky hit the gym, Chris hit the bed, and Steve and I headed to Geyser Point to meet up with our friends Jenny and Joe, better known here as @Jenny Sanders and her DH! We were having dinner at our resort that night and they were going to Cali Grill (if my memory serves correctly) but we were going to have a few drinks together first. They arrived before us and got a table and drinks; we caught up quick:

I realized they took the drink I'd been looking forward to off the menu even though it's still on the online menu, the Black Cherry Lemonade that Steve had last time we were here in August. Disappointed, I instead ordered the

Cascadia Sangria Cocktail
Zodiac Black Cherry Vodka, fresh Lime Juice, and Orange Juice topped with Columbia Crest H3 Merlot



This wasn't bad; it was good enough that I had it again another time but it wasn't as good as the Black Cherry Lemonade. It wasn't quite sweet enough for me but it still went down fine!
Steve had the

Black Cherry Mule
Zodiac Black Cherry Vodka, fresh Lime Juice, and Agave Nectar topped with Fever Tree Ginger Beer



I don't have all that much to say about this but Steve loves Mules and he loved this, so I guess it was a good one!

We had a great time with Jenny and Joe, the conversation never stopped And neither did the drinking......

Steve got another Mule but I switched it up and tried the

Blueberry Lemonade - Three Olives blueberru vodka, Bols blue curacao, and Odwalla lemonade with juices of lemon and pomegranate topped with Sprite



And THIS is what I ended up getting every time we were at GP for this trip! This was a little sour because of the lemonade and also had the sweet taste of the blueberry. Still not quite as good as the Black Cherry Lemonade but a close second I enjoyed it more than the Cascadia Sangria. Sorry @ArielSRL !

*note, on the WDW website, the GP menu still lists the Black Cherry lemonade but not the Blueberry one. However on allears the Blueberry is there and not the Black Cherry, so as of March allears is clearly more up to date. Strange since usually that's the one that can be out of date*
​

We just kept talking and talking, and every once in awhile I'd check the time as we had a 5:35 reservation at Artist Point and I'd told the kids to meet us down there at 5:30. Well the kids showed up but we weren't ready to go. We introduced them to Jenny and Joe and told them to have a seat, but those pesky boys just kept looking at us like, "are we going to EAT at some point???"

Eventually we had to say our good-bye's as we were about 20 minutes past our dinner time, but not before taking some pictures

CONTINUED IN NEXT POST

​

​

 

[ariane37]

CONTINUED FROM LAST POST

As I was saying, we needed to get going to our dinner but not before taking some pictures down by the water at Geyser Point:





Such a wonderful DISMeet! We said our good-bye's and went inside for our dinner.

Going to stop there for now with trip updates but wanted to share a couple pictures from Ricky's Italian Honor Society even last night, Buon Appetito. It's a cooking competition of sorts with different categories: meatballs, pasta, parmigiana, and desserts. It was mostly the parents of students in the society who made dishes and entered them; those attending got to sample each dish and vote on the best in each category. They also had drinks and coffee (although sadly not an adult beverages) and a couple who own a popular local Italian restaurant making fresh zeppole. Ricky had to work the drink station and since Steve was working my mom came with me.
Each entry in each category had a number on a flag to so we could identify which one was our favorite.
The pasta dishes:



Cold pasta salad with mozzerella, tomato, and balsamic; cold pasta salad with red and green bell peppers, gnocchi
and below #4, manicotti



Mom and I both voted for the manicotti and that won. All were good, but the cold pasta salads were on the plain side (I did like the one with the peppers) and the gnocchi was a bit overcooked.

The meatballs:



#2 was horrid. That sounds harsh coming from someone who can't make meatballs but I certainly can eat them, and this was NOT.GOOD. The rest were but #1 was a little too tomato-y for me. It was mom's favorite but I preferred 3, however mom's fave won.

I didn't take pics of the parmigiana offerings but it was just one chicken and one eggplant. We both voted for the eggplant which was delicious! The chicken won and it ended being a student who made it so I was glad to see him win when we found out.

The dessert offerings:



All home-made. Now, those rainbow cookies are my all-time favorite and I can and do easily eat 12 of them, but this wasn't as flavorful as I'd hoped. The biscotti was biscotti, but that pizzelle was out of this world! Unfortunately I think the woman who made the rainbow cookies is a regular there - they've had this every year for the last 10 years but this is the first time we've gone - so she won. Actually the zeppole were the best dessert but they were an extra, not part of the judging.

So this was a pretty cool event as is any event where you can eat, and I'm looking forward to attending next year since I'm forcing Ricky to take Italian again in order to stay in the NIHS for one more year!



​

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

And yes, that's EXTRA frosting on the side! Only the 2nd time I remembered to ask for it and I'm glad I did because you can never have #toomuchsugar. The frosting in the cup is a bit stiff and the best thing to do would be to spread it on, but I chose to rip off pieces of my roll and dip it in the frosting

Never can you have too much sugar! I do have to say, putting the extra frosting in a little cup makes it not quiet as fun.

Smoked Turkey, Swiss and Cranberry Aïoli Sandwich
served with Chips

Was there a Ham and Cheese thing on the menu? Wondering if this replaced it. Andy and I had that one of our trips and it was pretty good. This looks just ok.

Fruit and Cheese Picnic Platter

This looks perfect, except croissants should be warm...

if you weren't familiar with the menu it would take some time but I guess no more time than it would if you just walked up

I feel like most people who use mobile ordering must be repeat customers for the most part.

There were 2 people waiting there when we went in but we got our food right away, bypassing the 4829 other families in line. Seriously a lifesaver at busy times!

I hope you got some tech savvy cred after that?

Once again not my best picture but not terrible! This used to be called the Anchors Aweigh sandwich or something like that I swear, and now it's just a tuna sandwich but it hasn't changed. It's one of the better tuna sandwiches I've had and it's always fresh-tasting. I know some of you are wondering why I ate a tuna sandwich when I don't eat seafood? Steve gets so confused by this since he says tuna is one of the fishiest tasting fishes, but for whatever reason I like it! Steve got the same thing.

I wonder why they changed the name? Did they feel people were confused by the cut themed name or a standard tuna sandwich?

Also, I totally get you eating canned tuna fish. It is a completely different than eating a piece of fresh tuna. I almost forget it's fish... I support you.

They both chose corn, Ricky doesn't eat green beans or corn and wh

I like that you can get some different veggies here instead of french fries for the millionth time.

I feel like Disney mac and cheese is controversial because some think it's great while others think it's too gloppy. I only eat fancy mac and cheese and not that often so I've never tasted this, but Ricky loves him some M&C and thinks this is fine.

To me, the mac n cheese is very dense and gooey. And that is what makes it so pollizing. Morgan got the shrimp & Mac n cheese meal here once and decided she did NOT like the mac n cheese. It is also VERY filling. (in my opinion)

After relaxing in the room for a bit it was time to start our night! Ricky hit the gym, Chris hit the bed, and Steve and I headed to Geyser Point to meet up with our friends Jenny and Joe, better known here as @Jenny Sanders and her DH! We were having dinner at our resort that night and they were going to Cali Grill (if my memory serves correctly) but we were going to have a few drinks together first. They arrived before us and got a table and drinks; we caught up quick:

This whole scenario is crazy to me! I know it's because your boys are older and mine are not there yet at all. But it's amazing that you are on family vacation yet you got to have drinks with adults!

Black Cherry Mule
Zodiac Black Cherry Vodka, fresh Lime Juice, and Agave Nectar topped with Fever Tree Ginger Beer

I don't have all that much to say about this but Steve loves Mules and he loved this, so I guess it was a good one!

I endorse it! Yum! It might be my favorite Mule.

*note, on the WDW website, the GP menu still lists the Black Cherry lemonade but not the Blueberry one. However on allears the Blueberry is there and not the Black Cherry, so as of March allears is clearly more up to date. Strange since usually that's the one that can be out of date*

I wonder if you asked about the Black Cherry Lemonade. Did they use the Black Cherry Vodka that is in the Mule? I bet if you were lucky, the bartender could make you one still. Like a hidden menu item!

 

[Sailormoon2]

Well, for some silly reason I can't "Insert Quotes", so I'm just going from memory of all I wanted to respond to here LOL!

1. I am playing on a hotel afternoon/evening at Poly on the 25th, so I will likely be sipping beverages on a patio or by the pool somewhere. So perhaps a "Hi" will happen

2. Those lemonade concoctions at WL sound delicious!! Another reason why I really need to take the darn boat and get my butt out there! DH and I have quite a lot of down time this trip as we're actually doing a split stay over 10 days with AKL, so what would be your ideal dinner/drinks experience if we hopped over to WL for an evening?

3. It is so cool (and I know they've been doing this awhile now) that your sons can just get around WDW without you, like leave and go back to the hotel or meet up with you later. I didn't really register the impact of that since I don't have my own kids, but travelled with a 10 yr old and 5 yr old on my last trip. Now I appreciate how "freeing" that must be!