You down with O.O.P? Yeah you know me! March 11-15, 2017 Updated 4/7 Final Day-COMPLETED
- Thread starter nco91590
- Start date
nco91590
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jun 23, 2014
The avocado margarita has never appealed to me. It looks too thick. Blech. Get the cucumber margarita and report back STAT.
Hiiiiiiiiiii!!!!!!!!
Thanks! I'm that mom in the SUV that blasts rap after I drop the kids off. I gotta keep it real.
R&C is a must do for us as well. And that view.....fabulous! Love the report so far
Such an amazing view! The roof covered some of the big fireworks, but we were thrilled!
Loving your report
Hey there! Thanks for reading
I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!
LOL! That was from my last trip. That Ger's bread pudding is ridiculous.
I am having major problems with the dis and my phone but I'm still here and loving it! Will catch my quotes this weekend
Yay! Glad you're still here
It's a really perfect dish. Egg, sausage, fried goodness. If only they could add bacon.....
My husband loves lard too lol.
I'm seriously so annoyed about that. My last cup from UK is my bedside water glass. I thought about going back the next day to explain but we never got around to it
FEA was great I thought. I mean, it's controversial because of the whole Norway turning into Arenedelle, but it was really cute and well done.
Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!! The drinks there are amaaaaazing. Such a fun place to eat!
WildGinger
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Oct 19, 2012
Love your report! Your kids are so cute. The fish and chips from England is soooo good!
oceanmarina
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 10, 2004
Joining in here, your dining review thread title is just everything!! 
Loved the kids suitcases, may I ask where you got them?
Thanks for posting the receipts - as our first OOP trip is coming up, it's helpful to have an idea of what meals costs - on the deluxe dining plan, ive been blissfully unaware of what meals cost - I track points, not dollars on the plan ( ;
Looking forward to reading more!
Loved the kids suitcases, may I ask where you got them?
Thanks for posting the receipts - as our first OOP trip is coming up, it's helpful to have an idea of what meals costs - on the deluxe dining plan, ive been blissfully unaware of what meals cost - I track points, not dollars on the plan ( ;
Looking forward to reading more!
nco91590
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jun 23, 2014
Joining in here, your dining review thread title is just everything!!
Loved the kids suitcases, may I ask where you got them?
Thanks for posting the receipts - as our first OOP trip is coming up, it's helpful to have an idea of what meals costs - on the deluxe dining plan, ive been blissfully unaware of what meals cost - I track points, not dollars on the plan ( ;
Looking forward to reading more!
The suitcases are from Pottery Barn Kids. There are 2 sizes and we got the bigger one. They are really nice. Fit all their clothes and are carry on size. They also roll sideways. We got them for Christmas for them last year.
Charging everything to the room created some blissful unawareness lol. I started panicking a bit the day before check out. But I was actually really surprised at our final bill!
Neverland_Girl
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Aug 17, 2016
Just joining in! Your kids are adorable. Can't wait to hear about the rest!
pepperandchips
[melinda]
- Joined
- Mar 16, 2014
Oh yes, I had this one even before I ever had the avocado margarita and that's when I fell in love with la cava
Sounds yummy and looks great. Does this have alcohol in it or no?
YES! This is so adorable. I love all the photos with your kids and the characters. Alice and Alice is adorable and so was Alice with her Elsa doll and Elsa the princess! You can just see how happy the kids are. So basically, dead.
Yummy! And my condolences on the loss of your new beautiful mug
Saaaweeet!!!
Okay that dessert looks seriously amazing! Yum. Gotta add that to my list.
Tess
DIS Veteran - 1997
- Joined
- Aug 19, 1999
Sounds yummy and looks great. Does this have alcohol in it or no?
Black Cherry Lemonade is my favorite post-pool drink! Oh heck, it is pretty much a favorite anytime I walk by Hurricane Hanna's or Leaping Horse Libations although it is offered at most of the pools on property. I tried to get someone in Martha's Vineyard to make me one after Hanna's had closed--no such luck unless you know exactly what goes into it and the ratios. Poor bartending skills from that CM.
nco91590
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jun 23, 2014
I am fashionably late, but here. I had no idea we both had 6 year olds. Us boozin' Mama's gotta stick together
I know! Our girls are too cute! This was probably her first trip where she really "got it", ya know? She just loved the whole thing.
It's really my 4 year old that drives me to drink! We put the kids on a point system for souvenirs and treats while we were there. 1pt for getting dressed without complaining, 1 pt for eating a good dinner, 1/2 pt for a nice picture (this was specific to Rowan). It worked pretty well that we decided to reinstate the behavior chart....IT'S HAMMER TIME lol.
nco91590
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jun 23, 2014
DAY 3 - Magic Kingdom 
Happy Monday everyone! We finally got to the movies to see Beauty and the Beast yesterday and LOVED it! It took a bit to get used to seeing Emma Watson as Belle and not Hermione, but I got there eventually. That Gaston tho.....
Ok, so Monday was our first Magic Kingdom day. I still can't figure out when that park actually opens. The website said 9am, and then all the sudden it said 8am, which I thought was the whole thing where the park is open, but the ropes are still up for the different lands. But at 8:30am when we entered Fantasy Land, everything was open and people were already in line for rides. Confusing.
Security went pretty fast. It's always so chaotic and with all the extra security it really feels like you're being herded. We were also trying to stay together with my sister and her family and my DH who took the kids through the "no bag" line. Miraculously, we all caught sight of each other and were able to take a few pics before entering. LOL. Can you look at Rowan's face??!?! He's impossible sometimes.
Our first stop was The Chapeau to get Rowan his first set of mouse ears. We also promised Alice a new set. While walking, we saw that the Tinker Bell line only had a 5 minute wait and we had some time before our 10:00am FP to kill. We went in and while Rowan's ears were being embroidered, we went over to meet our favorite pixie
Then my boy got his first set of ears.....as crazy as he makes us....he is really just the cutest!
We made our way to Fantasy Land and the kids wanted to go on the carousel, then Small World which was a walk-on
Before we knew it, it was time for our 7DMT fast pass!!! Originally I was hoping to do RS figuring Rowan wouldn't want to go on. But it turned out, Alice refused to go on, and Rowan was totally into it!
OMG. Dying over this picture. Gets me every time. He really did enjoy it! Scott took Alice on Under the Sea and met us when we got off Mine Train.
After we did some teacups and Dumbo
Cont. on next post....
Happy Monday everyone! We finally got to the movies to see Beauty and the Beast yesterday and LOVED it! It took a bit to get used to seeing Emma Watson as Belle and not Hermione, but I got there eventually. That Gaston tho.....
Ok, so Monday was our first Magic Kingdom day. I still can't figure out when that park actually opens. The website said 9am, and then all the sudden it said 8am, which I thought was the whole thing where the park is open, but the ropes are still up for the different lands. But at 8:30am when we entered Fantasy Land, everything was open and people were already in line for rides. Confusing.
Security went pretty fast. It's always so chaotic and with all the extra security it really feels like you're being herded. We were also trying to stay together with my sister and her family and my DH who took the kids through the "no bag" line. Miraculously, we all caught sight of each other and were able to take a few pics before entering. LOL. Can you look at Rowan's face??!?! He's impossible sometimes.
Our first stop was The Chapeau to get Rowan his first set of mouse ears. We also promised Alice a new set. While walking, we saw that the Tinker Bell line only had a 5 minute wait and we had some time before our 10:00am FP to kill. We went in and while Rowan's ears were being embroidered, we went over to meet our favorite pixie
Then my boy got his first set of ears.....as crazy as he makes us....he is really just the cutest!
We made our way to Fantasy Land and the kids wanted to go on the carousel, then Small World which was a walk-on
Before we knew it, it was time for our 7DMT fast pass!!! Originally I was hoping to do RS figuring Rowan wouldn't want to go on. But it turned out, Alice refused to go on, and Rowan was totally into it!
OMG. Dying over this picture. Gets me every time. He really did enjoy it! Scott took Alice on Under the Sea and met us when we got off Mine Train.
After we did some teacups and Dumbo
Cont. on next post....
nco91590
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jun 23, 2014
Day 3 (cont.)
We hopped on the railroad and went over to Splash Mountain and stayed for the 12:10 Muppet Show in Liberty Square. We all loved it. It's funny because kids these days just don't get the Muppets really. The crowd was comprised of 30 somethings and up. LOL.
It was time for our 12:25pm reservation at Be Our Guest. As you can see, we were able to get quite a bit done with kids in tow before lunchtime. It was crowded, but I guess because it was kinda chilly, it didn't seem so bad?
This was a crazy lunch with all 8 of us. I'm a bad Diser because I didn't take any pics! Both sets of adults got a croque monsieur and a roast beef and three kids got pasta and Rowan got the meatloaf. This was a pretty disappointing lunch. The roast beef was REALLY rare and the croque monsieur was a cold grilled cheese with ham. The kids enjoyed their lunch. Funny enough, Rowan's meatloaf was the best tasting of the bunch!!! The kids really liked touring the different rooms, but I think I'm going to skip it on our next trip. We pre-ordered and because my sister was on the DDP, and we were paying cash, we paid her cash to use 4 of her QS meals. I believe it was $55 for all 4 of us.
After lunch, we had a 1:30pm FP at Haunted Mansion. I kept reassuring my kids that it wasn't scary just a little spooky and silly. Well, I was not really thinking about that ride through the eyes of a 4 year old lol. It's kinda scary. I was in a buggy with Rowan and I looked down and poor thing had his little hands over his eyes! When we got off he burst into tears and told me off for taking him on it. He said "DON'T EVA MAKE ME GO ON THAT RIDE EVA EVA AGAIN" Bad mom moment lol.
Rowan managed to earn his 10 points for a toy and after shopping around, we thought he would most likely find what he was looking for over in Tomorrow Land. We were right!
I had a mega hankering for a pineapple dole whip, so off to Adventure Land for us explorers! But first we caught some sort of show at the Castle. It was cute.
Once in Adventure Land, the kids saw the flying carpets and begged to go on. I tried to convince Scott to let me skip it in favor of a dole whip, but he wasn't having it lol. Now, this is a fun fact that there are TWO local ice cream shops that sell dole whips. And not just in pineapple flavors. I've had lemon, orange and raspberry dole whips. I can get the pineapple flavor at least 2 times each summer. My equally obsessed Disney friend and her family came over last summer for a BBQ with like 6 pints of pineapple dole whip and a bottle of mango rum to make Spikey Pineapples. AMAZING. Anyway, here is my obligatory dole whip shot for insta.
My nails look atrocious.
The kids each got a Mickey Bar and were very happy with it. We stuck them in the stroller and made our way back to the buses around 3pm.
We wanted to get back to freshen up for our adults dinner at Homecoming!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I want to give plenty of time for that review, so I'll try to get to it tomorrow morning
We hopped on the railroad and went over to Splash Mountain and stayed for the 12:10 Muppet Show in Liberty Square. We all loved it. It's funny because kids these days just don't get the Muppets really. The crowd was comprised of 30 somethings and up. LOL.
It was time for our 12:25pm reservation at Be Our Guest. As you can see, we were able to get quite a bit done with kids in tow before lunchtime. It was crowded, but I guess because it was kinda chilly, it didn't seem so bad?
This was a crazy lunch with all 8 of us. I'm a bad Diser because I didn't take any pics! Both sets of adults got a croque monsieur and a roast beef and three kids got pasta and Rowan got the meatloaf. This was a pretty disappointing lunch. The roast beef was REALLY rare and the croque monsieur was a cold grilled cheese with ham. The kids enjoyed their lunch. Funny enough, Rowan's meatloaf was the best tasting of the bunch!!! The kids really liked touring the different rooms, but I think I'm going to skip it on our next trip. We pre-ordered and because my sister was on the DDP, and we were paying cash, we paid her cash to use 4 of her QS meals. I believe it was $55 for all 4 of us.
After lunch, we had a 1:30pm FP at Haunted Mansion. I kept reassuring my kids that it wasn't scary just a little spooky and silly. Well, I was not really thinking about that ride through the eyes of a 4 year old lol. It's kinda scary. I was in a buggy with Rowan and I looked down and poor thing had his little hands over his eyes! When we got off he burst into tears and told me off for taking him on it. He said "DON'T EVA MAKE ME GO ON THAT RIDE EVA EVA AGAIN" Bad mom moment lol.
Rowan managed to earn his 10 points for a toy and after shopping around, we thought he would most likely find what he was looking for over in Tomorrow Land. We were right!
I had a mega hankering for a pineapple dole whip, so off to Adventure Land for us explorers! But first we caught some sort of show at the Castle. It was cute.
Once in Adventure Land, the kids saw the flying carpets and begged to go on. I tried to convince Scott to let me skip it in favor of a dole whip, but he wasn't having it lol. Now, this is a fun fact that there are TWO local ice cream shops that sell dole whips. And not just in pineapple flavors. I've had lemon, orange and raspberry dole whips. I can get the pineapple flavor at least 2 times each summer. My equally obsessed Disney friend and her family came over last summer for a BBQ with like 6 pints of pineapple dole whip and a bottle of mango rum to make Spikey Pineapples. AMAZING. Anyway, here is my obligatory dole whip shot for insta.
My nails look atrocious.
The kids each got a Mickey Bar and were very happy with it. We stuck them in the stroller and made our way back to the buses around 3pm.
We wanted to get back to freshen up for our adults dinner at Homecoming!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I want to give plenty of time for that review, so I'll try to get to it tomorrow morning
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nco91590
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jun 23, 2014
Hahahah! Oh of COURSE it has booze in it silly! Black Cherry Lemonade Grey Goose Cherry Noir Vodka, Odwalla Lemonade, fresh Lime Juice and Grenadine topped with Sprite® $9.00. I don't waste calories on sugary non-alcoholic drinks.
I remember you like a chocolate banana dessert too! From Citricos?? I remember thinking it looked good. I love chocolate and banana together. It's a nice little dessert. People rave about the sticky toffee pudding there, but the banoffee tart is the bomb.
Is it bad when you start recognizing the bartenders in WDW? I swear there's this bartender that's been working at Hurricane Hannas forever. He's tall, blondish hair, maybe in his early 40s?...his drinks are amazing!Black Cherry Lemonade is my favorite post-pool drink! Oh heck, it is pretty much a favorite anytime I walk by Hurricane Hanna's or Leaping Horse Libations although it is offered at most of the pools on property. I tried to get someone in Martha's Vineyard to make me one after Hanna's had closed--no such luck unless you know exactly what goes into it and the ratios. Poor bartending skills from that CM.
sleepydog25
Been here awhile
- Joined
- Aug 27, 2004
Like many others, I was drawn in by my nominee for the wittiest trip/food report title of the year. That you opted for a Sauv Blanc from New Zealand later in your report solidified my enjoyment. Thanks for the reviews so far.
nco91590
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jun 23, 2014
If it ain't from Marlborough, I ain't havin' it. I just got a double pack of Kim Crawford this weekend. It's my favorite summer time wine. Or anytime wine.
I hope to continue to provide an enjoyable reading experience.
Raeven
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Sep 15, 2015
Sailormoon2
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Mar 10, 2015
It warms my heart to see how happy your children look (barring the HM fiasco)!! What lovely family time you are having. Sorry BOG was a bust, I think it's because you didn't order cupcakes 
nco91590
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jun 23, 2014
Day 3 part 2 - Homecoming!
There was really only ONE thing that I absolutely, positively HAD to do on this trip to Disney. Eat at Chef Art Smith's Homecoming: Florida Kitchen and Shine Bar. I've been wistfully drooling over pics of the food and couldn't wait to try it out. Unlike our last family trip to Disney, both our kids are fully potty trained, so we could finally stick them in a kids club and have a grown up night out lol. We used the in-room service before, which was great...but very pricey. Staying at the Beach Club, we had access to the Sandcastle Club steps from our hotel room.
A few weeks before we called and made our reservation and paid the fee of $55/kid (or $110) which included childcare from 4:30pm until midnight, dinner and snack. The evening would be a combo of playing, a science experiment, baking and a movie. We brought the kids down right at 4:30 so we would have time for our 6:30pm reservation at Homecoming. We filled out some paperwork, met the club counselors and said goodbye to the kids. They were like "beat it". Seriously, they were really excited just to have some normal play time in Disney. To like, play with trucks and dolls. Funny. You spend so much money taking kids to Disney and they're almost just as happy with a bucket of used toys lol.
After drop off, we got spruced up for dinner, had a glass of wine and went down to the bus stop around 5:30pm. We waited for the Disney Springs bus. And waited.......and waited.....and waited. At 6:05 I had to call Homecoming and explain that the buses were behind and we would be late. She assured me it would be fine and she would hold our table. There were some really mad parents trying to contain kids that are going stir crazy waiting 45 minutes at a bus stop. These two dads were like, beside themselves when the bus finally came. One dad shouted "OPEN THE DOOR" when the bus pulled up. It's easy to roll your eyes at this kind of behavior from guests, but I didn't have my kids with me and I was annoyed. I would have been fit to be tied if I had kids climbing all over the place waiting that long.
The bus stop for Disney Springs is convenient enough. It lets off in front of the shopping area. Would have been nice to actually have more time there. It's gorgeous. Reminds me of a mall in San Antonio I used to frequent (before kids obvs). I love an outdoor shopping center. You basically head straight back to The Landing where the lagoon is, Frontera and Homecoming.
When we got to the hostess station she checked us in, gave us a buzzer and told us it would be a 30 minute wait. Ugh. I know we were late...and yes, technically even if we got to that bus stop 90 minutes before our reservation we still wouldn't have made it. That bus was LATE. Well, at least we could grab one of the amazing cocktails I've been dreaming about at the bar!
I lifted this pic from Disneyfoodblog.com and the menu looks to be the same. My sister and I ordered the Fig and Berries, Fresh muddles strawberries with Dobel Diamonte Reposado Tequila, fig jam, agava and lime juice and Scott ordered the Old Fashioned Elder, Michter's bourbon, St. Germain Elderflower, dash of bitters garnished with orange peel and cherry and my brother-in-law ordered some sort of tropical drink. He was afraid it wouldn't look "manly" lol. But it didn't come in any kind of crazy glass with umbrellas.
I love their coasters!
The fig and berry drink was AMAZE. You could taste the fig and strawberry and the tequila wasn't too overwhelming. It was sweet without being clawing. Light and refreshing. It's only 9:40am and I would literally kill for one right now. Delish.
True enough, we were led to our table after about 30 minutes. The staff here was great. Very nice and friendly. I loved their outfits too. I'm a past bartender/waitress and I've had some hideous uniforms before--no flair thank goodness. But just like, shapeless men's polos and the like. They looked so cute in their gingham shirts and jeans. Adorable.
In the back of the restaurant is a large pick up and expediting window. The kitchen isn't open, but you can see the line and the food coming up. Now, next to said window is a door leading to the dishwashing area. Wanna know how I know this? Because our table was RIGHT IN FRONT OF IT. Lol. I had to choose the seat with my back to it, because it would really drive me crazy to try and have a nice dinner with doors swinging and all the noise and clanking. I didn't want to make a big deal of it. But like, we literally got the WORST table in the entire place. Scott and I have a running joke that the two of us are always led to the worst table in the restaurant. Either by the bathrooms (which I absolutely will refuse to sit at), or the waitress station. Are we some sort of hideous beasts they want to keep hidden???
Our waitress was absolutely lovely (I don't remember her name unfortunately), but she was there when we needed her and gone when we didn't. She gave good recommendations and was very friendly--but not too familiar with us. We ordered appetizers and a round of drinks. I got the cucumber cooler, Scott a Jai Alai and my brother-in-law got a blue moonshine drink. I don't remember the name but I had a taste. It was good and boozy.
My drink tho....the angels were singing when she set this down
St. Augustine Vodka with lime juice, simple syrup and cucumber slices. The garnish had a limey, peppery salt on it. Like that stuff in TX that you can dump in your beer to make it taste better...what's that called again??? Omg. TWANG!!!!!!!!! LOL. That's a blast from the past. Ha! It was kinda like twang.
We ordered the church lady deviled eggs which were good, but not like, the best deviled eggs I've ever had. They needed salt I think. I loved the addition of bacon tho.
Scott and the rest of the table enjoyed the Tropical Shrimp Cocktail. Again, lifted pic but this is how it came out. A very large portion of shrimp with mangos and avocados. They all raved about it. I don't really like shrimp so I passed.
Because we were all paying OOP on this one, we had a bit more freedom with our entrees. My sister and I decided to split the fried chicken chicken plate and requested all white meat and she ordered the something I think called a kitchen plate?? But it was 3 of the sides listed at the bottom of the menu. We chose collards, cucumber salad and the mac and cheese. Scott ordered the chopped BBQ plate and BIL ordered the a short ribs dish.
Behold....the fried chicken. This was quite literally the best fried chicken I've ever had in my life. Honestly. It was crispy, the meat was taken off the bone and for breast meat it was VERY tender and moist. The drop biscuits were awesome. Not too dry, very flavorful with a nice rise on them for drop biscuits. I've begun to make my own biscuits lately and these are the things I notice now lol.
The sides....sigh. Ok. So, I really haven't seen one negative review or criticism on this restaurant. So it feels weird to be the first. Buuuuut, I will say that I didn't actually love the sides. The mashed potatoes were too smooth...almost artificially smooth. I thought because they had zero consistency, that the gravy on top didn't really add anything to them. I felt like I was gumming the potatoes and was really wanting some texture.
The mac and cheese was good. Again, not great tho. It LOOKED like it would be the best of my life. I liked that they used a ribbed corkscrew pasta because it really held up under the cheese sauce. But I was really wanting a sharper cheese in the mix. It was very gooey, but didn't have a ton of depth of flavor. I make my mac and cheese with extra sharp cheddar, Gruyere and maybe some colby jack for the melty factor, so if that sounds too sharp for you, you will probably love this one.
The collard greens and the cucumber salad had way too much vinegar. I expected the cucumber salad to be vinegary, but not the collards. That could be a regional thing as our beans and greens in NY are more garlicky and spicy.
The guys loved their BBQ and short ribs. We hardly heard a peep out of them once the food arrived.
Sadly, we were all way too stuffed for dessert! Overall we had an amazing meal. Great pace, great drinks and entrees. I think next time I would visit for lunch and have the chicken sandwich and maybe a dessert instead of a full on dinner.
It had started to rain and thankfully I brought ponchos with us. We paid our bill, went over to World of Disney to pick up a few sweatshirts for the kids and souvenirs and hiked the 2 miles to our bus pick up. LOL. Seriously, it is FAR from where you get dropped off. That's a long walk when you're full of booze and fried chicken. By the time we got back it was 9:30p, so we picked up the kids, who had a GREAT time and went up to bed. Everyone was pretty tired and before 10, we were all hunkered down for the night.
Shoot! I forgot to add the pic of the bill. The waitress split it up for us
Day 4 coming up - Magic Kingdom, Columbia Harbor House, Crews Cup Lounge
There was really only ONE thing that I absolutely, positively HAD to do on this trip to Disney. Eat at Chef Art Smith's Homecoming: Florida Kitchen and Shine Bar. I've been wistfully drooling over pics of the food and couldn't wait to try it out. Unlike our last family trip to Disney, both our kids are fully potty trained, so we could finally stick them in a kids club and have a grown up night out lol. We used the in-room service before, which was great...but very pricey. Staying at the Beach Club, we had access to the Sandcastle Club steps from our hotel room.
A few weeks before we called and made our reservation and paid the fee of $55/kid (or $110) which included childcare from 4:30pm until midnight, dinner and snack. The evening would be a combo of playing, a science experiment, baking and a movie. We brought the kids down right at 4:30 so we would have time for our 6:30pm reservation at Homecoming. We filled out some paperwork, met the club counselors and said goodbye to the kids. They were like "beat it". Seriously, they were really excited just to have some normal play time in Disney. To like, play with trucks and dolls. Funny. You spend so much money taking kids to Disney and they're almost just as happy with a bucket of used toys lol.
After drop off, we got spruced up for dinner, had a glass of wine and went down to the bus stop around 5:30pm. We waited for the Disney Springs bus. And waited.......and waited.....and waited. At 6:05 I had to call Homecoming and explain that the buses were behind and we would be late. She assured me it would be fine and she would hold our table. There were some really mad parents trying to contain kids that are going stir crazy waiting 45 minutes at a bus stop. These two dads were like, beside themselves when the bus finally came. One dad shouted "OPEN THE DOOR" when the bus pulled up. It's easy to roll your eyes at this kind of behavior from guests, but I didn't have my kids with me and I was annoyed. I would have been fit to be tied if I had kids climbing all over the place waiting that long.
The bus stop for Disney Springs is convenient enough. It lets off in front of the shopping area. Would have been nice to actually have more time there. It's gorgeous. Reminds me of a mall in San Antonio I used to frequent (before kids obvs). I love an outdoor shopping center. You basically head straight back to The Landing where the lagoon is, Frontera and Homecoming.
When we got to the hostess station she checked us in, gave us a buzzer and told us it would be a 30 minute wait. Ugh. I know we were late...and yes, technically even if we got to that bus stop 90 minutes before our reservation we still wouldn't have made it. That bus was LATE. Well, at least we could grab one of the amazing cocktails I've been dreaming about at the bar!
I lifted this pic from Disneyfoodblog.com and the menu looks to be the same. My sister and I ordered the Fig and Berries, Fresh muddles strawberries with Dobel Diamonte Reposado Tequila, fig jam, agava and lime juice and Scott ordered the Old Fashioned Elder, Michter's bourbon, St. Germain Elderflower, dash of bitters garnished with orange peel and cherry and my brother-in-law ordered some sort of tropical drink. He was afraid it wouldn't look "manly" lol. But it didn't come in any kind of crazy glass with umbrellas.
I love their coasters!
The fig and berry drink was AMAZE. You could taste the fig and strawberry and the tequila wasn't too overwhelming. It was sweet without being clawing. Light and refreshing. It's only 9:40am and I would literally kill for one right now. Delish.
True enough, we were led to our table after about 30 minutes. The staff here was great. Very nice and friendly. I loved their outfits too. I'm a past bartender/waitress and I've had some hideous uniforms before--no flair thank goodness. But just like, shapeless men's polos and the like. They looked so cute in their gingham shirts and jeans. Adorable.
In the back of the restaurant is a large pick up and expediting window. The kitchen isn't open, but you can see the line and the food coming up. Now, next to said window is a door leading to the dishwashing area. Wanna know how I know this? Because our table was RIGHT IN FRONT OF IT. Lol. I had to choose the seat with my back to it, because it would really drive me crazy to try and have a nice dinner with doors swinging and all the noise and clanking. I didn't want to make a big deal of it. But like, we literally got the WORST table in the entire place. Scott and I have a running joke that the two of us are always led to the worst table in the restaurant. Either by the bathrooms (which I absolutely will refuse to sit at), or the waitress station. Are we some sort of hideous beasts they want to keep hidden???
Our waitress was absolutely lovely (I don't remember her name unfortunately), but she was there when we needed her and gone when we didn't. She gave good recommendations and was very friendly--but not too familiar with us. We ordered appetizers and a round of drinks. I got the cucumber cooler, Scott a Jai Alai and my brother-in-law got a blue moonshine drink. I don't remember the name but I had a taste. It was good and boozy.
My drink tho....the angels were singing when she set this down
St. Augustine Vodka with lime juice, simple syrup and cucumber slices. The garnish had a limey, peppery salt on it. Like that stuff in TX that you can dump in your beer to make it taste better...what's that called again??? Omg. TWANG!!!!!!!!! LOL. That's a blast from the past. Ha! It was kinda like twang.
We ordered the church lady deviled eggs which were good, but not like, the best deviled eggs I've ever had. They needed salt I think. I loved the addition of bacon tho.
Scott and the rest of the table enjoyed the Tropical Shrimp Cocktail. Again, lifted pic but this is how it came out. A very large portion of shrimp with mangos and avocados. They all raved about it. I don't really like shrimp so I passed.
Because we were all paying OOP on this one, we had a bit more freedom with our entrees. My sister and I decided to split the fried chicken chicken plate and requested all white meat and she ordered the something I think called a kitchen plate?? But it was 3 of the sides listed at the bottom of the menu. We chose collards, cucumber salad and the mac and cheese. Scott ordered the chopped BBQ plate and BIL ordered the a short ribs dish.
Behold....the fried chicken. This was quite literally the best fried chicken I've ever had in my life. Honestly. It was crispy, the meat was taken off the bone and for breast meat it was VERY tender and moist. The drop biscuits were awesome. Not too dry, very flavorful with a nice rise on them for drop biscuits. I've begun to make my own biscuits lately and these are the things I notice now lol.
The sides....sigh. Ok. So, I really haven't seen one negative review or criticism on this restaurant. So it feels weird to be the first. Buuuuut, I will say that I didn't actually love the sides. The mashed potatoes were too smooth...almost artificially smooth. I thought because they had zero consistency, that the gravy on top didn't really add anything to them. I felt like I was gumming the potatoes and was really wanting some texture.
The mac and cheese was good. Again, not great tho. It LOOKED like it would be the best of my life. I liked that they used a ribbed corkscrew pasta because it really held up under the cheese sauce. But I was really wanting a sharper cheese in the mix. It was very gooey, but didn't have a ton of depth of flavor. I make my mac and cheese with extra sharp cheddar, Gruyere and maybe some colby jack for the melty factor, so if that sounds too sharp for you, you will probably love this one.
The collard greens and the cucumber salad had way too much vinegar. I expected the cucumber salad to be vinegary, but not the collards. That could be a regional thing as our beans and greens in NY are more garlicky and spicy.
The guys loved their BBQ and short ribs. We hardly heard a peep out of them once the food arrived.
Sadly, we were all way too stuffed for dessert! Overall we had an amazing meal. Great pace, great drinks and entrees. I think next time I would visit for lunch and have the chicken sandwich and maybe a dessert instead of a full on dinner.
It had started to rain and thankfully I brought ponchos with us. We paid our bill, went over to World of Disney to pick up a few sweatshirts for the kids and souvenirs and hiked the 2 miles to our bus pick up. LOL. Seriously, it is FAR from where you get dropped off. That's a long walk when you're full of booze and fried chicken. By the time we got back it was 9:30p, so we picked up the kids, who had a GREAT time and went up to bed. Everyone was pretty tired and before 10, we were all hunkered down for the night.
Shoot! I forgot to add the pic of the bill. The waitress split it up for us
Day 4 coming up - Magic Kingdom, Columbia Harbor House, Crews Cup Lounge
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Sailormoon2
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Mar 10, 2015
Sides may have been mediocre, but I still can't wait to try this restaurant even if it ends up being for the drinks alone!!! Kid's Club sounds brilliant (if a little bit expensive).
sleepydog25
Been here awhile
- Joined
- Aug 27, 2004
The sentence in bold is absolutely true: got no time for CA, Chile, or Aussie versions. . .occasionally find a good French one, though. Like KC but have found some quality SBs at, of all places, Trader Joe's for half the price. Okay, back to reading. . .
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