Dining Wars: Drinking's Edge - An August 2018 Dining Report - Updated 2/18: Completed

Bummer about not getting pool time :drinking1. Usually when it has happened to us it has been an "accident " involving a small child. So all the pool staff is busy adding chemicals and taking samples but we have been able to hang at the pool. Guess they are being overly cautious with the possibly of lightning.
Love the tipsy notes & I am sure fret is a good thing since it was used with Stag's Leap.
You got my favorite meal at Yatchman's including the Potato gratin. But really 2 onion rolls for 3 people :confused3. Glad you got a good server.
 
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We've got ADR's for Yachtsman before we are all going on the Illumintaions cruise MAy 4th.



Thankfully we got over it because we started with the cheese plate.
OH YES gotta get us one of these. NOM NOM
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"leap blackberry uper jammy need to open legs for days ned to age but fret with steak."
These have got to be the funniest tipsy notes yet.....open legs:lmao:
 
This was our 4th or 5th summer trip in recent years and I can never recall a pool being closed this much. I'm not sure if Beach Club is overly cautious or if Disney changed their policy, but my dreams of lounging (aka drinking) by the pool daily were never met.
I found the same thing at All Star Music. We took afternoon breaks most days but the pool was almost always closed. It must be a policy change.

Love the Tipsy notes as usual! Yachtsman looks fantastic. Unfortunately I live with three non steak eaters so I don’t foresee a visit there in my future.
 


Episode I: Nomad’s Cantina


It’s Disney Day!!!!!!!! Casey had been diligently counting down the days to our trip and we all needed it. As some of you know this has been an extremely difficult year for me and some Disney in our lives was exactly what was needed. Plus it was almost my BIRTHDAY and Jason had made me my very own fancy magic band for the occasion.


We were out the door by 4am and taxi’d it to the airport in just 15 minutes. Given that this is of course a dining report, check out our Nation’s Capital’s finest airport eats.


I took a firm pass on that one.

We were airborne soon enough

And in Orlando before 9


J and D were driving down from Georgia and surprisingly we beat them to the Boardwalk. While our rooms weren’t ready this worked out well as we walked over to the International Gateway entrance and were able to upgrade to annual passes and get our tables in wonderland card before they even arrived.

After a very long wait for a bus, accompanied by a socially awkward Russian cast member with no definition of personal space who constantly kept asking us if we’d seen her squirrel, we were finally on our way to my most favorite park: ANIMAL KINGDOM.



Despite it being after 11 and none of the adults yet eating we knew if we didn’t get Casey on a ride first she may have just combusted. Thankfully sitting in the bottom of a tree with a bunch of bugs was enough to appease her and before noon I was in my most favorite hidden base, Nomad’s Lounge, with a drink in my hand and all was right with the world.


For anyone who has read my dining reports before there are two things you will without question see. 1. Tipsy Notes and 2. An Anapurna Zing from Nomad’s Lounge.

Meet my most favourite (shout out to my Canadian peeps) and simply the best drink in Disney World. This is Bombay Sapphire East Gin, Passion Fruit Purée, Mint, Simple Syrup, and Lime Juice topped with Ginger Beer. Slightly tart from the passion fruit, nice and fizzy from the ginger beer, and most importantly good and ginny this was the perfect start to my vacation.

Side note they upped the price on this by $5 recently so it can come with what I am sure is an amazing light up flower (insert oooh’s and aaahh’s here). Thankfully you can order it without and save a few bucks!

Jason got his usual the Tempting Tigress, Russell's Reserve 10yr Bourbon, St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram, Tamarind Syrup, and Lime Juice.

It’s a tigress, she’s tempting, I hate it, but he was a happy camper.

Speaking of happy campers the rest of the crew was enjoying their first introduction to Disney Drinking.

That’s a Lamu Libation - Starr African Rum, Cruzan Banana Rum, Guava Purée, with Orange, Lime, and Pineapple Juices topped with Gosling's 151 Rum – for D, a Leaping Lizard - Malibu Pineapple Rum and Augusta Cachaça with Orange, Passion Fruit, and Mango Juices – for J, and a Kiama Mama – Watermelon and Sprite – for the little one. I’m not the biggest fan of rum drinks so these weren’t my cup ‘o tea but everyone seemed to enjoy.

Speaking of enjoying since most of us had empty stomach’s the first round of drinks hit us quickly so some sustenance was required. You’ll see throughout the trip that J and D are grazers and drinkers like us who’d rather belly up to a bar with a few apps than sit down to dinner so we ended up sharing most food.

Up first we have the Truffle Poutine with Truffle Tremor Cheese, Fries, crispy Onions, Black Truffle Salt.

I’m a sucker for truffle – who may have once tried to convince Jason to buy me a pig so we could forage for our own – and these did not disappoint in flavor. Crispy fries, truffle gravy, cheese!!!! These were delicious but for $12 ridiculously small and barely shareable.

What was however shareable was their Bread Service.

This comes with three types of bread – not recalling what they are we’ll just call them flatty, crispy, and fluffy – and 3 dipping sauces, Tadka (an Indian spiced tomato chutney), Smoked Baba Ghanoush (Eggplant), and Blatjang (Apricot Chutney).
We had never had this before and, while no Sanaa bread service, it was still exceptional. “Crispy” bread was my favorite (sorry flatty you made a good run at it) as it was light and airy as was the baba ghanoush but I love all things eggplant. Both the chutneys were great as well as they mixed with some familiar ingredients with more exotic spices.

Up next we have the Spiced Chickpea Falafel with Mint-Pistachio Pesto, Cumin-scented Garlic Yogurt Sauce, and Pickled Vegetables.

These blew the very good Skippers Canteen falafels out of the water, with a great texture and delicious accompaniments. Like the fries it was a bit on the small side and we probably should have gotten 2 to share.


Last up we have the Spicy Chicken Satay with Spicy Peanut Sauce and Cucumber Salad.

Despite my birthday being only two days away someone (who I may or may not have carried in my womb for 9 months) thought it would be a good idea to order this to “share” despite my peanut allergy. Needless to say I didn’t eat it but the Judases said It was good.

Bellies somewhat satisfied some more nectar of the gods was in order.

Jason, D and I know good things when we find it so we stuck to our Tempting Tigress, Lamu Libation & Annapurna Zing refreshers.

J took a walk on the wild side and went for the Boto Rita.


This is Zignum Reposado Mezcal, Combier Grapefruit Liqueur, Guava Purée, and Lime Juice and it’s a winner. It had a slight smokiness from the mescal and a bit of a spice (if I recall there was some peppercorn on the rim) but was still really refreshing.

Not wanting to be left out Casey went with the kiddie version of adult beverages: SUGAR!!!!

She’d gotten these fancy churros on our last trip to Nomads and made it known she wasn’t leaving without more.

Overall this was another fantastic trip to Nomad’s Lounge. Our server was top notch, the food and drinks delicious, the atmosphere cozy, and you can’t beat being in the middle of the biggest theme park in the country yet feel like you’re a thousand miles away. J and D really enjoyed it and thought perhaps there was more to this Disney thing than Minnie Ears and crowds. With our trusty dusty Tables in Wonderland card stolen from the Empire we saved $27

Up next , we get our Yeti on
Absolutely loved the way you have written the reviews in a fun way.
We followed all the links & just sat here in front of the TV( we have it hooked up to my lap top so 55inches on the screen) & read each one in turn following your foodie saga meal by meal.
Bless his heart how sweet

Great start to vacay

Oink oink
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Laughing out loud as I lie in my bed this Saturday morning ,lazy hallion that I am, and savouring every morsel of your Yachtsman Steakhouse meal. Love those tipsy wine notes :rotfl2:
Mind you they were more than a wee bit stingy with the onion rolls but I suppose at least it meant you had room for that massive fillet steak!:thumbsup2
I think that's the only photo I've seen where Casey looks less than thrilled but it's definitely made me smile nonetheless. Her expression is just priceless!:rotfl:
 
On a different note, I :rotfl2: very time you say "Scaffolding Club." We're going to YC in April and I hope we have better luck with the pool and the construction.

Your trip report has basically convinced me to get a TIW card on our next trip. I mean, all those drinks do add up!
I can't speak for Yacht Club but I know they are done with the scaffolding work at Beach Club so hopefully you won't encounter any of the "fun" we had. Though it does make for a great jungle gym and lots of :rotfl2:

Great news on the TIW front. We've done one trip without it and I don't think I could ever do that again. Its so nice to order what you want and know you are going to pay 20% less for it all. Ours normally pays for itself within just a few meals.

Bummer about not getting pool time :drinking1. Usually when it has happened to us it has been an "accident " involving a small child. So all the pool staff is busy adding chemicals and taking samples but we have been able to hang at the pool. Guess they are being overly cautious with the possibly of lightning.
Is it bad that I would rather have had an accident than the lightening? Every time they completely cleared the pool area so we couldn't even continue to lounge with a drink. We ended up going the next morning before we checked out since we'd never had an opportunity to enjoy it.

Love the tipsy notes & I am sure fret is a good thing since it was used with Stag's Leap.
Clearly you have had some Stags Leap :drinking1

But really 2 onion rolls for 3 people :confused3
I remember when that was all they used to give you. With some of the non-signature not doing bread at all now I fear this is yet another way of Disney trying to cut back.

We’re staying at the Beach Club and so help me if the pool is closed I’m gonna throw a fit lol
Be sure to throw one for me too while you are there!!!

We've got ADR's for Yachtsman before we are all going on the Illumintaions cruise MAy 4th.
Brilliant idea!!!!!!!!

These have got to be the funniest tipsy notes yet.....open legs:lmao:
Funny I didn't even know they existed until I opened these notes up a few days ago. I'm thinking using some punctuation would hep me in the future though. Of course "needs to open. Legs for days." Isn't nearly as fun :rotfl:

I found the same thing at All Star Music. We took afternoon breaks most days but the pool was almost always closed. It must be a policy change.

Love the Tipsy notes as usual! Yachtsman looks fantastic. Unfortunately I live with three non steak eaters so I don’t foresee a visit there in my future.
Yikes I was hoping this was a Beach Club specific thing but alas it appears they have gotten uber conservative. I'm sure in some way they are saving money from this (maybe making life guards get off the clock) so they are gonna milk it :P

Even if Yachtsman isn't in your future you need to at least get to another signature so you can enjoy a filet and the rest of the gang something of the non-beef variety. Jiko and California Grill have amazing ones too.

Absolutely loved the way you have written the reviews in a fun way.
We followed all the links & just sat here in front of the TV( we have it hooked up to my lap top so 55inches on the screen) & read each one in turn following your foodie saga meal by meal.
Wow, thank you so much. I'm so glad to hear that you all enjoyed. Hopefully you read with a :drinking1 in your hand as I'm not sure I want to see me at 55 inches :P

Laughing out loud as I lie in my bed this Saturday morning ,lazy hallion that I am, and savouring every morsel of your Yachtsman Steakhouse meal. Love those tipsy wine notes :rotfl2:
What do you know I am following lazy hallion suit this morning just substitute the couch for the bed. Lazy Sunday mornings on the DIS are my favorite.

I think that's the only photo I've seen where Casey looks less than thrilled but it's definitely made me smile nonetheless. Her expression is just priceless!:rotfl:
Thankfully it is a rarity but when she goes there she goes all the way :-) Sadly she is turning 8 in just a few days and I think we're going to see a lot more of this in the future.
 


Your meal at Yachtsman looks amazing! This is still one of my favorite restaurants at Disney...So nice after such a great meal to be able to enjoy your outstanding balcony/view...LOL!!!:rotfl2::rotfl2::rotfl2:
 
but my dreams of lounging (aka drinking) by the pool daily were never met.
:headache: Well, at least you had that incredible balcony view to make up for it :thumbsup2

"leap blackberry uper jammy need to open legs for days ned to age but fret with steak."
:rotfl2: One must exercise caution whilst reading that sentence :rotfl:

Jason got the 16 oz Ribeye with Truffle Fries with Black Garlic Aïoli and Blue Heaven Shallot Butter for his entree.
Ahh, I like for all my Blue Heaven rendezvous to have truffle fries ;)

but not before stopping for a photo that Casey was thrilled to be a part of.
:rotfl2:

Eeee! Your next trip is so close!!! :hyper::hyper::hyper:
 
Your meal at Yachtsman looks amazing! This is still one of my favorite restaurants at Disney...So nice after such a great meal to be able to enjoy your outstanding balcony/view...LOL!!!:rotfl2::rotfl2::rotfl2:
It is definitely one of our favorite places too. One of these days I'll try something besides steak, but its so hard when it is so good.

Wait until my next post you'll get one more shot of our "amazing" view.

:headache: Well, at least you had that incredible balcony view to make up for it :thumbsup2
Yes it was so nice to come back to a balcony with beautiful views and covered with sawdust and nails every night. True Disney deluxe style :-)

Ahh, I like for all my Blue Heaven rendezvous to have truffle fries ;)
I mean who doesn't? After reading this now I wonder what exactly that mean? There is an amazing restaurant in Key West that we love called Blue Heaven but I have no idea how that would/could relate to this.

Eeee! Your next trip is so close!!! :hyper::hyper::hyper:
I KNOW!!!!!! Just 10 days. Thankfully (I think) work is completely insane right now so it should fly on by.
 
Episode XVII: Dining Wars – The Last Jedi Meal

After 8 glorious days in the World it was sadly our last day. But we intended to make the most out of it. Before checking out we finally got some pool time in and then bid the Scaffolding Club farewell.

Yes the balcony behind all of that lovely scaffolding is in fact our room. Disney "deluxe" at its best :P

We walked over to Epcot and immediately saw Belle coming out with no line. So we said bon jour…

…and only later did I realize that @suse66 was in line in front of us. We talked for a few minutes, but didn’t get a picture. Like the a falling tree in the forest if two diser’s meet without a photo did it happen? :confused3

For lunch we were able to score a reservation that morning for one my favorite places in all of the world: Via Napoli.

Meet my boyfriends, otherwise known as the Via Napoli Pizza Ovens, Stromboli, Vesuvio, and Etna. I'm mostly of a Vesuvio kinda girl but don't tell the others :P

We were seated quickly and soon enough we had our last Disney drinks in hand.

That’s a Pinot Grigio that looks deceptively like water for me and a Meroni for Jason :drinking1

To start I spied a new item on the menu that I had to try.

This is the Cimarola a fried artichoke stuffed with stracchino cheese and prosciutto. Those of you who know me well know that artichokes are my absolute favorite food and thankfully this did not disappoint. The artichoke was fried to perfection in a light tempura like batter and it went well with the melted cheese and salty prosciutto. It was one of my favorite dishes of the trip and my only complaint was that I needed MORE!

For our entrees this is the one and only place that Jason and I consistently get the same things to eat, because to separate from the most perfect pizzas ever would be sacrilege.

For Jason his usual is the Brocolini with cherry tomatoes, mozzarella, porchetta, robiola, and broccolini. The porky and salty porchetta is the perfect compliment to the slightly bitter broccollini and ooey gooey cheese.


In a surprise to no one I got the Carciofi Pizza with artichoke, fontina, mozzarella, truffle oil and as always I added arugula.

The rich and creamy fontina and mozzarella are the perfect foil to the fresh artichokes and luxurious truffle oil. The arugula adds a bit of bitterness and some crunch to an already perfect combination. Serve all of this on top of a decadent crust that somehow manages to be simultaneously both dense and crispy and is chared in only the best of ways. I’ve eaten a lot of pizza in my life (you don’t look this good by only eating salad) and this is unequivocally the best I have ever had.

I’m told Via Napoli has something besides pizza on the menu but no chance I could ever divert from pizza perfection. Casey on the other hand went out on a limb this time and got the kids Bocconcini aka mozzarella bites.

I didn't try them, but she was clearly a satisfied customer.

Too full for anything else we paid our bill, got our last Tables in Wonderland discount of the trip (18.20 this time), and bid adieu to Disney dining with the most content of bellies.

After lunch we wandered around world showcase for a while, met some "Norwegian" Princesses....



....Raced around a track...

...And met an apocalyptic moon????


.
At this point it was time to head towards the Scaffolding Club to catch the Magical Express but faced with getting to the airport 3 hours early for no apparent reason and more Disney time, we of course picked….

...Getting our best Disney Mr. Roboto on!!!


We then explored earth on a spaceship and then soared around it...

Before filling our bellies with a last bit of Disney yumminess.

We then hung out with our imaginations and did some more world showcase wandering.

Eventually we went back to the hotel and ubered to the airport getting there a very acceptable 90 minutes early. We made it home with no issues and before too long were on our couch drinking more wine and reflecting on our amazing adventures.

Up next we’ll recap this tipsy trip and more importantly catch you up on our trip in just 10 days!
 
We walked over to Epcot and immediately saw Belle coming out with no line. So we said bon jour…
Perfect timing! I always want to meet this belle, but it is always hot and a line..


This is the Cimarola a fried artichoke stuffed with stracchino cheese and prosciutto. Those of you who know me well know that artichokes are my absolute favorite food and thankfully this did not disappoint. The artichoke was fried to perfection in a light tempura like batter and it went well with the melted cheese and salty prosciutto. It was one of my favorite dishes of the trip and my only complaint was that I needed MORE!
I am not a big Artichoke fan, but this sounds delish!

For Jason his usual is the Brocolini with cherry tomatoes, mozzarella, porchetta, robiola, and broccolini. The porky and salty porchetta is the perfect compliment to the slightly bitter broccollini and ooey gooey cheese.

In a surprise to no one I got the Carciofi Pizza with artichoke, fontina, mozzarella, truffle oil and as always I added arugula.
Both of these sound really good!

Casey on the other hand went out on a limb this time and got the kids Bocconcini aka mozzarella bites.
I remember when we ate at Trattoria Al Forno, Gwen was so excitied that she got to have mozzarella sticks as her meal.

Those two.

Eventually we went back to the hotel and ubered to the airport getting there a very acceptable 90 minutes early. We made it home with no issues and before too long were on our couch drinking more wine and reflecting on our amazing adventures.
How much was the uber? We talked about staying off site sometime. But wasn't sure how much it would cost.

Up next we’ll recap this tipsy trip and more importantly catch you up on our trip in just 10 days!
YEAH!!!! I can't wait. 12 for us! Those 2 days before us will be just plain evil!
 
Your post just reminded me how much I love Via Napoli. I just made a reservation for our upcoming trip! Loved your report. Thanks for all the fantastic photos and the even better commentary :)
 
Just read through this thread, thanks for spending the time to update! It always baffles me when people complain about Via Napoli. Their wood burning ovens are the real deal and they import ingredients from Italy... what’s not to like? I’ve had pizza in Chicago, NYC, LA, DC, Pizzeria Bianco in Phoenix... all over (except for Italy sadly, although some of the best oddly enough was had in Oaxaca Mexico) and VN is legit. Not the best I’ve ever had anywhere but absolutely traditional neopolitan and delicious. My guess is those who don’t like it must prefer Domino’s. Great end to the trip. We also avoid the tragical express and Uber to MCO every time.

Oh and thanks to your solid documentation we are purchasing TiW ahead of our next trip!
 
Before checking out we finally got some pool time in and then bid the Scaffolding Club farewell.

Yes the balcony behind all of that lovely scaffolding is in fact our room. Disney "deluxe" at its best :P

:laughing:

There's a thread here on the boards, "the worst room view…" You MUST add your scaffold pics. I think you win!

Like the a falling tree in the forest if two diser’s meet without a photo did it happen? :confused3

Nope, I don't believe you :sad2:

This is the Cimarola a fried artichoke stuffed with stracchino cheese and prosciutto. Those of you who know me well know that artichokes are my absolute favorite food and thankfully this did not disappoint. The artichoke was fried to perfection in a light tempura like batter and it went well with the melted cheese and salty prosciutto. It was one of my favorite dishes of the trip and my only complaint was that I needed MORE!

Yum! Those look delicious ::yes::

...Raced around a track...

I love Casey's face :rotfl2:

Up next we’ll recap this tipsy trip and more importantly catch you up on our trip in just 10 days!

Yay! Lucky you!
 
There's that million dollar view!!!! JEALOUS!!!!

Yep, Via Napoli is one of the better restaurants on property. I also have a difficult time ordering anything but pizza here. It's just sooooo good!!! Darn, but those artichokes look delicious!!!!
 
I’m told Via Napoli has something besides pizza on the menu but no chance I could ever divert from pizza perfection. Casey on the other hand went out on a limb this time and got the kids Bocconcini aka mozzarella bites.
I feel the same way. I am curious to try some of the pasta on the menu, but it is so hard to turn down Via Napoli pizza!
It sounds like a wonderful last day.
I must admit I like to start and end the trip at MK, although if I was staying at a resort in walking distance to Epcot, I would be tempted to end there too.
 
Well now I just want pizza. Looks like a perfect last day! (P.S. I am still so offended by the scaffolding in front of my room. Yes, that room is MINE. I owned that balcony last September! :laughing:)
 

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