SEMI-LIVE 5 weeks of onsite/offsite dining adventures Jan-Feb ‘23 *7/9 FINAL Update*

[followthatmouse]

I LOVE the ice cream in France! I could definitely manage that brioche now! Yum!

May I just say just how much I admire your patience. I care for my elderly mother. There are days she is not able to swallow, walk etc. But there are some good days, too. I’m not sure that I maintain my sense of humour as well as you, though. You both deserve all the Disney Food and Fun days you can get! Oh, and thank you for your reviews. You have brought some lovely memories to mind and shown some stuff and places new to me. So, thank you very much!

 

[elaine amj]

Sometimes its hard to know what to do or say- those are the worst times with someone you love... The best advice I have been given when facing really hard and trying times was to just go and live my life- not every day or moment is awful. Appreciate those moments. The two of you seem to be doing exactly that and making the best of the challenges you face. I find you and your husband to be quietly inspirational. You likely help others without even knowing...

I really like what you said about appreciating the good moments. It’s easy to get caught up in the difficulties- sometimes we forget how many good moments there are.

Several times a day we marvel at how blessed we are that we even get to live this dream of snowbirding here in Orlando going to Disney every day. It’s been as amazing as we dreamt.

Your report is a joy to read and you seem like a wonderful wife.

Also if your husband loves chocolate, try the chocolate cake from Boathouse. It's big enough for about 6 people, but it's truly phenomenal.

We have a reservation at the Boathouse for Feb 28 and that chocolate cake will be a MUST DO!

I LOVE the ice cream in France! I could definitely manage that brioche now! Yum!

May I just say just how much I admire your patience. I care for my elderly mother. There are days she is not able to swallow, walk etc. But there are some good days, too. I’m not sure that I maintain my sense of humour as well as you, though. You both deserve all the Disney Food and Fun days you can get! Oh, and thank you for your reviews. You have brought some lovely memories to mind and shown some stuff and places new to me. So, thank you very much!

You’re so right that maintaining a sense of humor is absolutely essential to this. Some days he starts complaining a lot and I won’t sugarcoat it - it’s rough. And draining on me. Then he reaches out to hold my hand or says, “I love you” and it’s better again. We can and we will make it through this. Together.

This whole trip I have been taking the time to really look at him. And my heart just wells with so much love each time. So very grateful he is in my life.

 

[elaine amj]

Now where dis I leave off? Oh yes - our next meal was dinner at DH’s favourite- Sebastian’s Bistro.

Unfortunately the rolls were not quite as delicious as in the past. They were just ok - rather normal tasting. I know they can be wayyy better.

Is it something to do with baking? Doing these reviews I have noticed that bread and biscuits can sometimes be rather inconsistent wavering between decent and omg amazing.

Thankfully the butter and jam was consisted and delish. The salad was a nice one and I tried to up my veggie count a little. A little too much dressing for me but it worked great for Dh who actually ate quite a big of chopped up salad.!



We had a regular platter with beef (nicely cooked medium rare), pulled pork (not interesting so I only had a nibble) and chicken (super moist and juicy so I ate it instead of ignoring it like I normally do) and a plant based platter with 2 types of impossible meat (decent), and fried tofu (so good!) Then a tray of sides with cilantro rice and beans (so so so good!!), veggie curry (I wasn’t a fam this time so DH ate it all), and broccolini (which I imagine tasted like it should).



Can I take a moment to rave about the fried tofu? Normally tofu is tasteless and absolutely needs sauce. This one was crispy and crunchy with a delicious light flavour on the outside and soft and smooth inside. I couldn’t bear the mask the flavour with sauce. Dare I say it was better than all the meats?

We got seconds.

Wrapped up with bread pudding that I forgot to get a photo off. This is similar to Ohana’s and just as good. Whichever one I am eating is my favourite at that time. They give a huge slab and it’s very pineapple-y and moist. Always ask for extra ice cream as they never give enough.



I don’t understand much about restaurant pacing. Our server was super attentive at the beginning. And then it took forever to get his attention to ask for the bill. And then we sat for 15 mins waiting for him to come back to take the payment. That was annoying as we wanted to get to Epcot.

But it was getting so late by the time we were done paying that I didn’t want to race over there (for the final Broadway show). So we plopped down on a double hammock on the beach instead and rocked for a while. I finally got too cold and we headed back to our condo for an early night.

The next morning we decided to travel to Primo Piatto. It’s a crazy busy week so the Riviera refused to let us in without a reservation. So we drive to DHS, parked, and then hopped on the Skyliner.

Lemon blueberry mascarpone pancakes - the first one was just ok and then my second pancake made me realize why people rave. Thick, fluffy, melt in your moth delicious. The mascarpone tasted like a rich delicious butter.

The breakfast platter was ok - about what you’d expect with better quality sausage than at normal QS. The brioche was hard and dry, not what I was expecting. The mascarpone went a long way to improving it.

DH also got a kids breakfast platter as he was hungry. He discovered he really liked the polenta!



The CM made a mistake ringing up the order though as we had asked for a plant based platter. I went back to the counter and they made us a plant based platter. Then the CM insisted on refunding the cost of the platter entirely. I said that we only needed the $1 refund for the cheaper platter but she said we had to deal with the inconvenience and the extra wait.

The plant based platter was gorgeous. And way better than the meat one. Turned out it has grilled eggplant - done a little differently from what I am used to - it was surprisingly good. It looks like grilled chicken lol and it took me a while to determine it was eggplant. The grilled onions are more raw than I like, but DH likes raw so that worked.



Primo Piatto was definitely a success And of course, the Riviera is lovely.

 

[2xcited2sleep]

I have really enjoyed your report and your perspective ... both on dining and life. So fun reading about your snow-birding adventures.

 

[elaine amj]

We had dinner at Steakhouse 71. I love the ability to stroll to MK afterwards. We arrived an hour early for our 6:35pm reservation and unfortunately they refused to seat us early. So we went upstairs to the convention centre seating areas - cozy, quiet and cool.

Went back down at 6:15pm and got a nice table in the corner. After a lengthy consultation with the server, we ordered 2 vegetable wellingtons, trading the Brussel sprouts for pureed parsnips. DH also requested extra mushroom sauce.



The vegetable wellingtons were as good as everyone says! Filled with mushrooms and artichoke hearts, it was a hearty dish too. I was surprised as other than artichoke dips, I don’t eat artichokes. But they were perfect here with a slight sour flavour.

The pastry was nicely done - thinner than I expected and the crust was not too crusty and melted easily, soaking up the sauces.

The parsnip puree had a lovely delicate flavour, different from carrots and yet not too unusual or strong a taste. Very approachable IMO.

The potato gratin looked good so we asked for an extra side. It was rich and yummy - multiple slices of potato with plenty of cheese and lovely gravy.



Dessert was chocolate cake. DH was a bit worried about swallowing this so we asked for ice cream and the server charged us for a kids scoop of vanilla ice cream. That was just what DH needed.



I was going to order an Ambrosia too but after tasting the deliciousness of the chocolate cake, I decided to just enjoy it. Besides, it’s gigantic and there was plenty to share.

It’s not the very best chocolate cake I have had, but a really good rendition. Every bite was rich and chocolatey.



We were too late to make it to Mk for the fireworks when done so we watched from the Contemporary parking lot. They blast the music which is awesome.

We decided to leave just an hour later at 9:30pm. Unfortunately after we made it alll the way back to the Contemporary, I discovered we had lost the car keys.

A panicked search ensued and I asked every CM from the hotel to security, to lost and found before finally finding it at Astro Orbiter.

What a giant relief!



Between us we have lost so many things this February. I lost his hat, then my cellphone, then DH lost his magic band and now - the car key! Eeekkk! Thank God we recovered everything fairly quickly.

Got back super late and we were wiped.

 

[olliesmom]

I am amazed you found your car keys!! What a happy ending.

The dinner at Steakhouse 71 looks so delicious, and wow the Primo Piatto counter service is really impressive.

I enjoy your updates so much - thank you for taking the time to type these out!

 

[elaine amj]

I have really enjoyed your report and your perspective ... both on dining and life. So fun reading about your snow-birding adventures.

Welcome! I really enjoy writing this

I am amazed you found your car keys!! What a happy ending.

The dinner at Steakhouse 71 looks so delicious, and wow the Primo Piatto counter service is really impressive.

I enjoy your updates so much - thank you for taking the time to type these out!

I was so thrilled to find those keys! I left DH in the Contemporary lobby and literally raced back to MK, entering at 10:30pm, half an hour before park close. Then checking quickly at lost and found before retracing our steps to Astro Orbiter where they had it waiting for me. We thought this might be the culprit ride as the two of us had to do a lot of creative folding to fit into one rocket lol!

Just been a trip of losing stuff. We are normally very careful so it’s been such a shock to lose so many things. One of those things and I guess I have just been way more distracted than normal.

Thankfully I usually notice the loss very quickly after.

 

[Counting Stars]

WOW! That was a close one! So glad you found your key.... Panic is no fun after such a lovely meal. But really glad it worked out for you. And your veggie wellington looks really good!

 

[followthatmouse]

Congrats on finding the keys! What a relief!

Hmm, I just love a chocolate cake large enough to sub-let!

 

[elaine amj]

WOW! That was a close one! So glad you found your key.... Panic is no fun after such a lovely meal. But really glad it worked out for you. And your veggie wellington looks really good!

I did actually bring a spare key along (so glad I packed it!) so it wasn’t quite as awful as all that. I was already figuring out a backup plan to take a Lyft back to Bonnet Creek, leave DH, get the spare key, and then Lyft back to the Contemporary. But oh boy - it would have been well past midnight before I’d make it back And of course the next morning was moving day and we had to check out by 10am.

Thankfully with the key in hand, we were back in our room before 11:30pm and I had time to finish packing.

Congrats on finding the keys! What a relief!

Hmm, I just love a chocolate cake large enough to sub-let!

Haha - I love how u describe it. The cake was great! And such a steal at $11. Basically the size if 3-4 QS cakes. When I think of how lackluster the desserts at Chefs de France (for ~$15 each!!) were compared to this….

This is why I have a hard time with the food booths at Epcot festivals. They would have charged $6-8 for a small chunk of this cake and everyone would be raving. We have done the food booths without considering prices until afterwards. It cost us about as much as a signature meal each and only half the food was very good with the other half being just ok. We’d far rather chill in a lovely restaurant known for good food and get served instead of balancing plates over a garbage can after standing in a long line to get a small plate of something. I do sometimes still get caught up in the fun of one of Epcot’s festivals though. So I get the appeal of eating around the World

 

[Counting Stars]

This is why I have a hard time with the food booths at Epcot festivals. They would have charged $6-8 for a small chunk of this cake and everyone would be raving. We have done the food booths without considering prices until afterwards. It cost us about as much as a signature meal each and only half the food was very good with the other half being just ok. We’d far rather chill in a lovely restaurant known for good food and get served instead of balancing plates over a garbage can after standing in a long line to get a small plate of something.

Exactly! At first its fun but then you realize a lot of what you bought wasn't very good, you stood up the whole time and the temps were equal the surface of the sun

 

[elaine amj]

We have been renting some of our condos from a lady I met online. Turned out they were going to be in Florida this week so we decided to meet for dinner at Saltgrass Steakhouse. I was delighted when she asked to meet early enough to order from the Early Bird menu. I sure do love a deal!


We ordered a half rack of ribs for DH and a small steak for me that came with a baked potato soup and the most giant side of mashed potatoes.

The soup helped DH eat his food easily so that worked out. The ribs were reasonably moist but nothing outstanding. My steak was nicely cooked and enjoyable. And mashed potatoes always tastes so comforting.

Our part of the bill cost about $45.

With ICON park right across the street, DH and I decided to go for an after dinner stroll. Turns out I forgot that both the Tin Roof and Ole Red are located there. I had cancelled Ole Red from my plans but a few mins after we passed it, DH asked for cheesecake out of the blue.

He rarely eats cheesecake unless it’s chocolate so I was surprised. I suggested the Shake Shack and then had the brilliant idea to check Ole Red’s menu. Sure enough they had cheesecake! Woot!!

It’s a country bar with branches in different cities and I was excited as we were just in time for the 6pm band to start.

After a discussion with our server, we ordered the trio of desserts - a mint chocolate cheesecake, some kind of flan with chia seeds, and banana pudding - all in tiny mason jars.



There was as much whipped cream as dessert lol. But all 3 were better than I expected! The mint added a refreshing taste to the whipped cheesecake filling which balanced with the oreo-like crust.

The flan-type things was their vegan dessert and tasted like a creamy jello - almost as creamy as a panna cotta. I imagine it was thickened with the gelatinous chia seeds, which I do like. It was light and yet sweetened just enough to be dessert.

The server raved about the banana pudding. And she was right. It was whipped into this delicious light texture that was more creamy than custardy. And not to sweet or heavy. A lovely, fairly sophisticated banana pudding (if that is not an oxymoron lol!)



Oh and the band was fantastic! The crowd was fun - I was shocked how full the place was at 6:30pm on a Friday. I had peeked in earlier at 5:30pm and it was full then too.

Side note: I JUST noticed - suggested tip is now 23%?! Wowzers!

 

[elaine amj]

Time for some snacks! I decided to try the Cheshire Tail the internet seems crazy about. It honestly doesn’t look like something I would go out of my way for…



Turns out what I thought would be a typical chocolate croissant filling was some kind of chocolate custard so it had a unique texture and flavour. The croissant pastry was reasonably fresh and all in all, it was a nice treat. For the price, I can’t see myself going out of my way for this.

Lunch was cheeseburger spring rolls - one of my must-dos! Somehow the combo of the perfectly crispy, thin spring roll wrapper filled with the exact flavour of a McDonald’s cheeseburger is irresistible. That said - a cheeseburger would be far cheaper lol! Still, it somehow tastes better than a cheeseburger. Be still, my pickle-loving heart. I think it’s nearly $10 now - which is nuts. So I’ll try not to think about it. I just don’t want to know lol!



The next morning I was back in MK. Unfortunately I got horribly turned around in the marathon traffic and what was supposed to take 10 mins took me an hour. I was so upset by that point I was so close to going back to the resort. I actually tried switching to AK but Google Maps got super turned around taking me there and suddenly I found myself in the MK parking lot.

I was late for breakfast so I ended up doing both breakfast and lunch together. Started with a Mickey waffle from Sleepy Hollow:



It was GIGANTIC! It dwarfed the spicy chicken waffle sandwich. And with an incredibly crispy crust and perfectly moist insides. I quit eating Mickey waffles years ago after a few disappointing waffles at resort food courts. But this was heads and shoulders above those.

Note- I don’t like powdered sugar so specifically asked them to leave it off.

I followed it up with my beloved spicy chicken waffle sandwich and it was lovely. Much bigger piece of chicken than I had in January. The spicy sweet sauce makes this whole dish. Some people have complained about soggy waffles but thankfully I have never had that issue.





Next up was a Sprite float with Orange and Vanilla swirl Dole Whip. I was hoping the fizziness of the Sprite would turn this into something like the Frozen Sunshine at Beaches and Cream.



I took the raft over to Tom Sawyer’s Island to properly enjoy this treat.

Unfortunately the Sprite disappeared way too quickly. Either they put too little or I accidentally drank it all too fast? It wasn’t all bad news as I was left with a large cup full of orange cream dole whip. If you like creamsicles, this is a less sweet, lighter tasting version. Completely refreshing. It was a cool enough day that I was able to nurse this for well over half an hour.

 

[DL1WDW2]

I have been reading all your reports and can’t slow myself down to stop & take notes cause it’s so much fun to travel with you !
I know I will have to re read since day one , to take notes and try all the things you have described !
Thank you You and your husband are having the perfect lovely life .
Even Walt Disney would love your trip report !

 

[elaine amj]

I have been reading all your reports and can’t slow myself down to stop & take notes cause it’s so much fun to travel with you !
I know I will have to re read since day one , to take notes and try all the things you have described !
Thank you You and your husband are having the perfect lovely life .
Even Walt Disney would love your trip report !

Awww…thanks!! I try and keep in mind what someone on here said - to treasure the good moments even in the midst of all the crazy challenges. Sometimes we get so frustrated it’s tempting just to throw up our hands and give up. But then we remember how very blessed we are and how much we can still do. God is still in control after all

 

[elaine amj]

Our next dinner out was at an old favourite, the Turf Club at Saratoga Springs! We started coming here many years ago when it was one of the best value 1TS place for steak and have always enjoyed our food.

It’s rather underrated so it’s never been a major must-do kind of place for us. But I remember some years ago, maybe 2016 or 2017, we were looking for somewhere to eat near Disney Springs as we were staying at a Disney Springs hotel within walking distance.

Shockingly, none of of the menus at Disney Springs appealed to us that day (we had already eaten at 2 other places there). And we had leftover credits to BURN lol! So we spent the effort to trek all the way over to Saratoga Springs to have a lovely dinner at the Turf Club! And even paid extra for an uber back to our hotel. AND thought it was entirely worth it.

Looking for places to eat, I suddenly remembered how much we used to enjoy the Turf Club and decided it was time to check it out again.

It was a beautiful evening so we asked to be seated on the patio. The inside is cool, quiet, slightly dimmer, and very cozy in a lounge type of way. The patio was serene, cool (with fans whirring overhead) and absolutely delightful with a scenic view of the water.



I asked about the bread service in the beginning but was confused after a while when nothing showed up. So I flagged our server down again to ask and she didn’t realize I wanted it (as I didn’t explicitly ask for it). So if you want free bread, looks like u have to ask. I’ve noticed this to be a trend in some nice restaurants lately and cheapskate that I am, I’m so not a fan of having to beg for free bread.

It came fairly quickly. Served warm, I thought it was really good! Firmer outside, the inside was soft and fluffy and I ripped up a little bit for DH. The salted butter made everything better. I believe the rolls have parmesan and onions or something like that. A great start to our meal!



Next up was our entrees:



DH asked for his Carrot-filled Agnolotti to be pureed. It was already pretty soft with agnolotti pasta with pureed carrots , mushrooms, and truffle onion cream. I took a taste and the flavour combo was delicious. (And prob way better not pureed lol). Still it made it easier for DH to eat and he really enjoyed it.

I had the Braised Lamb Pappardelle mostly because it sounded very interesting. Our server said her favourite was the pork chop, but that the lamb is a 50th anniversary special so good idea to try it before it disappears. She said to make sure I didn’t miss the goat cheese smeared on the side of the plate.

Oh wow. How do I describe this dish? First the pappardelle pasta was perfectly cooked and the wide, rather thick noodle was just right for this dish. The lamb was very gamey (DH tried a bit and didn’t like it - so u better like lamb as the flavour was pronounced and strong). The sherry gastrique was almost like a broth, it was so thin. The dash of goat cheese was a strong counterpoint to all the other flavours happening.

It is a very unusual tasting dish and yet, reasonably approachable (if you like lamb and goat cheese). Very fancy feeling and just so different from what most of us normally eat. I don’t think I have ever had a dish like that in any restaurant. A symphony of flavours and yet it felt light (huge contrast to the typical rich and heavy dishes here at Disney). Huge thumbs up for me.

In the meantime, DH and I spent every other minute oohing and aahing over how relaxing the patio was and how much we were enjoying the serene atmosphere. Our server was also very friendly and personable which always helps with the happy vibe.

Dinner over, it was time for dessert.



DH ordered the mango passionfruit creme brulee and I got the Black and White - basically a panna cotta with some chunks of chocolate cake.

I am obsessed with puddings, custards and jello and surprisingly, have never been a big fan of creme brulee. It’s always been just OK for me and I have had some very good quality ones. So it was the same with this. Maybe it’s the burnt sugar crust that I usually just peel off. DH enjoyed it and I gave him some chocolate cake to mix up with it.

The buttermilk panna cotta was so good. If you’ve never had panna cotta, it’s like a creamy jello, only better without the firmer bite of jello. This one was lovely with a strong milky, creamy flavour.

I didn’t find the chocolate cake bits particularly interesting and gave most of it to DH. I was not much of a fan of all those chocolate crumbs either but ymmv. I found them rather blah and detracted from the loveliness of the panna cotta.

Not sure I would order this again though. Mostly got it because none of the other desserts jumped out at me and I figured DH would like the chocolate.



A wonderful dinner and I will be bumping this up my to-eat list in the future.

 

[elaine amj]

Hot on the heels of a wonderful dinner was yet another dining disaster. The very next night we chose to eat at the Tambu Lounge again.

DH was a bit worried about whether he could eat here so the plan was for him to eat a heavy lunch and then if he had trouble, I’d get him more food at MK. He did eat here successfully in January so I had high hopes.

We ordered noodles, potstickers, and ribs (as the wings weren’t that good the last time).



I took closer note of the texture of the noodles. For all that they look dry with no sauce, they are surprisingly juicy and moist. And of course sweet and delicious. So weird for me to rave over what looks like a blah simple fried noodle.

The fried potstickers were tasty but not as good as usual. Soggy and had definitely been sitting under a heat lamp. Still - just as well as DH needs things a bit wet anyway. It’s odd they don’t serve a dipping sauce but it really doesn’t need it.

The ribs were reasonably meaty and had a nice sticky honey-based glaze to them. I’d say better than the sticky wings.

Dessert was the famous bread pudding with an extra scoop of ice cream for DH. It was sweet and dense and as good as always.



Unfortunately DH could barely eat the food this time. After choking down small portions of everything, he was incredibly frustrated. And when he had a hard time with mushed up bread pudding in mushed up ice cream, he was thoroughly upset, groaning as he struggled to eat. Thankfully quietly.

I tried to help but there was not much I could do and he just snapped that “you do not understand”. Thinking about it now, the bread pudding was dense and sticky and I bet it was just not moving smoothly in his mouth, even with the ice cream coating the way.

After a bit, I did my best to tune out the groans and moans and savour my dinner as I do really like the food here.

I brought home a third of that bread pudding as I was insanely full after eating most of the noodles and most of the potstickers. I still think those are the cheapest potstickers in Disney as there are a LOT in that bowl and most places give you 4-6 for an app.

We also brought home 2 of the ribs for DH. I boiled them in a little bit of water to make a thin broth and with that, he was able to enjoy the ribs.

Such a bummer to have such a frustrating meal though. In future, I’ll have to do Tambu Lounge solo. Sure wish I could have more of those noodles now…

 

[elaine amj]

The next day we regrouped and although I discussed canceling our Boathouse dinner, DH insisted he wanted to try.

This time the plan was to eat dinner in the condo and then go to the Boathouse for lobster bisque and dessert. We wanted chocolate cake!

We checked in at 7:15pm for our 7:30pm reservation. We didn’t get seated until after 8pm! And then didn’t get out if there until closer to 9:45pm. For soup and dessert.

Our server was super personable and nice. But everything was very dragged out. Especially paying the bill - which must have taken 20-30 mins between waiting to ask for the bill, getting the bill, and paying the bill. We have that problem a lot and I need to remember to start the process when we order dessert.

Back to the beginning. Shortly after we were seated, they brought the famous Boathouse rolls.



They are thickly coated in butted. But I still added more lol! They were super soft and airy. One of those rolls where if you pinch it, it flattens down immediately. It really was a lot like a sweet Hawaiian roll with maybe a bit more depth of flavour. I was hungry and rapidly devoured them, chopping up the insides of a couple of rolls for DH to have with his soup. We did ask for seconds as 4 rolls weren’t quite enough.

When our serve took our order, I asked if the lobster bisque came in different serving sizes. A cup is $8 and a bowl is $12. We chose to go with a bowl of bisque each.



It’s been quite a while since we had lobster bisque but we have always liked it in the past and reading the rave reviews expected to like it too. Especially since I like lobster.

This bisque had a strong seafood flavour that wasn’t quite like sweet lobster. And an intense aftertaste that was almost spicy, but not quite. The first few spoonfuls were good but it quickly got a bit much. By the end, I was trying to drown out the taste with oyster crackers and bread. Sadly, neither DH nor I liked this a whole lot.

Then we ordered the famous chocolate cake. Our server warned us of the size but we were determined to try it. DH worried about being hungry and asked about getting something else in Disney Springs to go later.

Eventually, we got the CAKE and it is wayyyy more astounding in person than in photos. That is FOUR scoops of ice cream in front of it.



The cake itself is a lighter sponge cake (it would be insanity itself if it was rich and dense) with a nuanced flavour profile. Looking at it I worried it would taste like cheap grocery store chocolate cake as that is what it looked like. But it had very delicate flavours and was definitely much better quality.

DH said he preferred the richer Steakhouse71 cake though lol. One day we have to go back to Wolfgang Puck. Many years ago, we had one of the best layered chocolate cakes in my life there.

We brought home a giant slab of cake





Oh we also got the fun of watching the amphibicars launch right next to us. I cannot imagine ever shelling out the cash to basically go for a boat ride, but admittedly, they do make the launch quite an exciting production.



We also saw some of the Epcot fireworks:



All in all, a successful night although it was super late by the time we got back.

This might be it from me for a while as we are leaving in a couple of days and don’t plan on anymore meals out until the journey home.

 

[elaine amj]

Today was driving day and I made it all the way to Chattanooga (about 9.5hrs drive). I was more tired driving today so not my usual chirpy self.

DH really felt it and kept asking why I was so grumpy. I wasn’t quite grumpy…just tired and inclined to be short and to the point.

We stopped in Micanopy for Pearl’s BBQ as we had been looking forward to returning.

Jumbo plate with 6 bones, toast, and 2 sides for $20.



When I asked DH what he wanted he kept insisting he wanted 6 bones all to himself. I remembered our last visit and wisely decided to start off with sharing this one plate.

Here’s a closer look at the size of the sides:



We were hungry and excited. But still only managed 4.5 bones between the 2 of us and packed the rest to go along with 2/3 of the mac n cheese. We were stuffed! And yes, it was just as good as before and there will be a return visit.



As we got close to Atlanta, it was just about 5pm and traffic got super heavy. So we decided to go to a vegan restaurant with rave reviews near Atlanta Airport.

Life Bistro claimed to be a vegan fine dining place. It tried for a jazz club type feel I think. But was too ragged around the edges for an upscale vibe.

We ordered a pasta carbonara to share (as we were still full from Pearl’s 5.5hrs ago) which came with a side and trying to be healthy, I opted for the kale salad.



Unfortunately the pasta was too dry for DH so I asked the server for some sauce. She warned me they’d have to charge for it and got us a bowl of alfredo sauce.

That did the trick and he was able to eat it. I thought the pasta carbonara tasted pretty good. I did not like the oyster mushrooms though - wayy too tough. I cook them at home and they are way yummier than they made it here.



The kale salad was bitter with some kind of dressing I didn’t care for. Not sure what else they added - maybe nutritional yeast or some other seasoning that I didn’t like either. And then they sprinkled the whole thing with salt. Blech. I choked 2/3 down to get my vegetables. I do think that some others may like it but it was NOT for me.

They add an auto 20% tip when dining in which I had seen on their website. But the machine was rather deceptive. It shows the food charge and then the tip and then asks you if you want to add on MORE tip. The choices were 2%, 5% and a couple other options or NO TIP. I was a bit worried I would remove the 20% already added but by then had received way less service as the evening progressed so didn’t feel like tipping more and just wanted to leave. Anyway NO TIP just meant no added tip. So that was fine.

I’m seeing more restaurants consider 20% the baseline for tips and pushing for 22-25% now.

I’m ok with tipping as I understand it’s the culture in the US and I wouldn’t want someone to be paid less than they expect - but I come from a country where tips are rare and not “necessary”. And in Canada, our baseline for tips is lower.

 

[olliesmom]

That BBQ plate looks sooooo good.

The additional tip on top of the 20% would throw me as well!

Do you and your DH have plans to return in the near future? I am missing your updates!