A couple of inescapable facts about eating at Walt Disney World come to mind when I write about food. Disney World has lots of great places to eat and the food at Disney is expensive no matter where you are eating. I truly believe the dining plan helps defer a good bit of the cost, Especially if you can snag a plan for free. Even with the dining plan, if you like to eat at the nicer restaurants in Walt Disney World, the dining plan won't cover all the options you may want to entertain. We usually go into a week at Disney thinking that we will probably have to pay for a few meals instead of using the dining plan for all the meals. Most of the time we plan on paying for a signature restaurant, allowing us to spend 2 credits for a different signature restaurant. At the end of the day, our bill for eating isn't too bad and we had the opportunity over the week to eat at many different delightful restaurants. I know that we save quite a bit of money if we get the dining plan for free but even if we ever have to pay for the plan, I suspect that we are still getting a pretty good deal. The plan we most commonly use is the standard dining plan that includes a snack, a quick service meal and a table service meal per day. Signature restaurants such as the Flying Fish on the Boardwalk require two table service credits per meal. As I talk about the restaurants where we have eaten, I will try to include the cost in Dining credits.
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| The best place for seafood I've found in Disney so far. |
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| This is the best dish at the Flying Fish Potato wrapped Snapper! |
Speaking of the Flying Fish, We might as well start there as anywhere else. My wife and I have dined at the flying fish twice over the past couple of years and I think I can safely say it numbers among our favorite places to eat. The first time we ate at the Flying Fish Cafe, my wife had the scallops and I had their signature potato wrapped snapper. Wow, what a terrific meal it was. The Snapper was flaky and sweet. the potato crust gave it just enough crunch to change the texture of the fish a bit. The sauce is a reduction of Veal stock and of course adds a bit of beefiness to the flavor. Now I must admit that the first time we went to the restaurant we had a wine flight of Pino Grigio which is rapidly becoming one of my favorite varietals of wine. Some of the wines left a hint of sweetness some were very dry. All of them were a perfect match for the seafood. Our wine flight might have colored our opinion of the food but I don't really think so. The second time at the Flying Fish Cafe was as delicious as the first. The second time we went on of the specials was a brazed Burkshire pork dish. The pork was tender and juicy and I thought it was delightful as well, but as good as the pork dish is, The Flying Fish is known for great Seafood and if I get the chance to go back, I'll have the potato encrusted snapper again. The side dish I had with the pork was very memorable. The Truffle laced Mac-and-cheese was over the top. It was cheesy and earthy covered with a think crunchy crust of sauteed bread crumbs making the dish just delightful. For desert I had the bread pudding and that was really good as well. I'm very fond of bread puddings and this one was delightful. The banana napoleon that I had on my first visit is amazing as well. My wife had the no sugar added desert once and she enjoyed it. Personally, I like a little sugar in my desert. The Flying Fish is a Signature Restaurant and cost two dining plan credits but is well worth it.
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| Todd English's Bluezoo is beautiful on the inside. |
I don't know what it is about celebrity chiefs but I am certainly attracted to their restaurants. I have eaten in restaurants owned by Emeril Lagassi, Rick Bayless, Cat Cora (more on her restaurant in the next installment of my blog.) and Todd English. My wife has eaten and even more Celebrity restaurants than me. Among the delightful meals we have had at Walt Disney World was Todd English's Bluezoo Restaurant in the Dolphin hotel not far from where we stayed last December. Of all the wonderful food we had at Bluezoo the dish I remember most was the Raw oysters with the unusual sauces that were served with them. My wife and I are big fans of sea food and for the most part, we have found the freshest and best
seafood on the Gulf Coast of the United States. Its hard to beat the fresh shrimp caught wild off the coast of Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Florida and the oysters from Bon Secure bay are some of the best around. The big, plump briny treasures encased in a Alabama oyster are hard to beat when just hours before they were still in the bay. Traditionally, oysters are served simply with cocktail sauce and slices of lemon, wonderful stuff. Being enamored with this delicious bivalve, we chose to see what the oysters from other parts of the United States would taste like. We bought 6 oyster, three each of different kinds. I remember them tasting delightful although the size of the oysters were not as big as we were use to and the sauces were vinaigrette instead of the tomato based cocktail sauce we normally had with oysters, the flavors were good with the tartness of the vinaigrette. Personally, as good as they were, They didn't beat the good ol' oysters we eat down on the beaches of Gulf Shores, Orange Beach and Perdido Key. My main course was the Dirty South Sword Fish which I remember as tasty but that's about all. I liked Bluezoo but for my Disney seafood dollar, I liked the Flying Fish Cafe better. Bluezoo, because it it affiliated with the Swan and Dolphin hotels, is not part of the Disney Dining plan. While you can get many of the perks of staying on a Disney World property not all the amenities are available at the Swan and Dolphin.
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| Tutto Italia surprised me with how good it was. |
The last trip to Walt Disney World seemed to be themed around Sea Food and Italian food. There are some great Italian places scattered all over Disney World and we didn't even visit Via Napoli which is my favorite place for pizza in almost the whole world, Disney or otherwise. When making plans for the Candlelight Processional we have always combined the Processional with a Dinner. This gives us great seats at the Candlelight Processional and the added bonus of a terrific viewing spot for Illuminations, Reflections of Earth. Our fist choice was to dine at Le Cellier in the Canadian pavilion then go to the second of three presentations of the Candlelight Processional. Much to our dismay, every time we attempted to book a reservation for the dinner combination, Le Cellier wouldn't have any availability. We were trying to book our dinner packages with the online dining reservation system available on Disney World's Website. Later, we found out that Le Cellier didn't offer dinner packages for the Candlelight. Le Cellier offered lunch packages only which would have put us at the early seating of the Candlelight Processional, in addition to costing us 2 dining credits anyway. So, We chose a different route for our dinner package. We had never eaten at Tutto Itialia though we had passed it often on our way to eat at the pizzeria toward the back of the Italian pavilion. Well we probably won't pass Tutto Itialia by as often. The food there was classic Italian and was just pretty much out of this world. I ordered the Polenta Valsugana, a succulent beef short rib dish that was cooked low and slow and served over polenta. Tutto Itialia puts a wine infused brown sauce over the short rib that only added to the richness of the dish. We ordered the Grand antipasto misto that was a delightful medley of pickled veggies and olives and Italian meats. The olives were of a kind that I hadn't had before and were delicious. We probably could have made a wonderful meal from the Antipasto alone. For desert I had a Pistachio pana cotta which I loved. Tutto Itialia required two table service credits for the dinner package with the Candlelight Processional. For a normal meal, only one table service credit is require.
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| Mama Melrose's restaurant is a great place in Hollywood Studios. |
Our other Italian experience took place in Hollywood studios. My wife and I had several times gone to the Fantasmic show offered at Hollywood studios. Unsurprisingly, Disney offers a dinner package with Fantasmic. We always enjoy the prefered seating that booking the dinner package affords and there isn't any additional cost to booking a dinner package. Our choice this time around was Mama Melrose's restaurant near the Streets of america. I must have been on some sort of braised meet kick when we were down in Disney world because i ordered an other piece of pork cooked low and slow in a sauce. I think it was a special because I don't see it on the menu now. Anyway, I thought the food was good, the atmosphere was fun and our waitress was delightful. Of course all the cast members at Disney world are delightful. I believe we had fried calamari for an appetizer and it was good. It wasn't overcooked, but,to be honest, it was also nothing to fuss overly much about. For desert i chose the tiramisu. Light and creamy, it made the perfect end to the meal. Actually i thought the tiramisu was the best part of that meal even though I enjoyed all the food we had. This meal was probably the least costly in terms for dining credits of all the dinner packages that we have booked. The meal only cost a single dining credit and was well worth it.
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| Ohana is very close to a Churrascaria. |
Another place that only cost a single dining credit and is probably one of the best values at Disney world are the wonderful meals at O'hana restaurant at the Polynesian resort across the seven seas lagoon from the Magic Kingdom. I've written recently about seeing the fireworks at the magic kingdom from table in the dining room of O'hana. Reservations for Fireworks times are difficult to get and even if you get them there is no guarantee that you will get to see the fireworks from your table. People wait around after their meal to watch the fireworks, thus backing up the flow of patrons in and out of the restaurant. We have had to wait as long as an hour after our reservation time to get our table. By the time we were seated the fireworks were long gone. Fortunately, you can see them quite well from the waiting area near the restaurant. While the fireworks are quite spectacular and well worth seeing from the restaurant, the food is just as spectacular and almost as much fun. The meal starts with a big serving of the Pineapple welcome bread followed quickly my a very good mixed green salad dressed in a honey lime dressing. Delicious wings are brought out as one of the appetizers and to be honest I could make a whole meal of these sweet tangy savory wings. Served along side the wings were some wonderful pot stickers served with a dipping sauce. My wife is very fond of pot stickers and these pot stickers were good ones. Then the fire roasted Skewers of meat started showing up soon after the appetizers. O'hana isn't a true Churrascaria but it will satisfy the carnivore in any person. Oak grilled Chicken, Fire roasted BBQ pork loin, marinated sirloin steak and spiced peal and eat shrimp wander through the dining room on steel Skewers. The waiters are constantly around serving more of these delicious meats insisting that diners take another piece of steak or eat a few more shrimp. These meats are served with chimichurri sauce, peanut dipping sauce and a delightful pineapple sweet and sour sauce. Each sauce complements the meats in different ways. I would recommend the peanut with the chicken , the sweet and sour sauce with the pork and the chimichurri sauce with the sirloin. Of course I enjoyed all the sauces with all the different meats. In addition to their carnivorous bombardment, waiters ply diners with tasty egg noodles that are served with a pineapple peanut sauce and stir fried veggies. I am very fond of the noddles. Even though I had eaten myself into a food coma by the time the meal was over, I couldn't turn down the O'hana bread pudding. This desert is legendary among Disney deserts and I really enjoyed it. The bread pudding comes with ice cream and a warm creamy banana sauce. Only a single dining credit is required for O'hana making it one of the best deals at Disney. But be sure to bring an appetite.
The food and Disney is varied and tasty and great restaurants are scattered all over Walt Disney World. I haven't even touched on some of quick service eateries or the variety of restaurants in Down Town Disney. The restaurants of Disney World are too numerous for me to cover in a single blog, So I'll break this up into however many posts it takes to cover the topic. Besides, It gives me an excuse to revisit these restaurants in my mind. Next time I want to talk about the California Grill, Raglan Road, Le Cellier (one of our favorite steak places) and other great places for meals.
