Che Fartsmith's Is the (Starts with B) Trash! No, BEST! 2 weeks of Disney Dining! Update: 10/28

*Prepare yourself for the most exciting food review to ever grace the Disboards... :rotfl::rotfl2:

Flame Tree BBQ - January 2, 2018

We were feeling a little hungry, and decided we wanted a snack around 11:30am, so we headed over to Flame Tree BBQ. We didn’t want anything big, so we ordered some fries to split.

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It was also really cold out, so Luke ordered a coffee and I got a hot chocolate.

Our fries tasted like fries, and our drinks were warm. It was everything we’d hoped for.

Cost: $7.57 after using my Tables in Wonderland card ($1.77 saved)
Tables in Wonderland Original Cost: $150
Break Even Point Before this Meal: $119.80
Savings this Meal: $1.77
Total until Breaking Even: $118.03

Predicted food budget: $2631.67
Estimated Cost of this meal: $0 (not planned)
Actual Cost: $7.57
Over/Under: Over by $7.57
Remaining: $2135.81
 
Nomad Lounge - Snacks - January 2, 2018

It was really cold, and really packed on this day, so we decided to take a break at Nomad Lounge. Of course, there were no tables inside, but we found a 2-top table outside against the railing. Luckily, the railing is quite high, so it provided some relief from the cold wind and it wasn’t too terrible sitting outside.

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The drink menus are really nice here, designed to look like a travel journal. It has a really interesting drink menu, with lots of options you can’t find anywhere else. I actually took pictures of each page, so enjoy a million pictures of it:

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Luke wanted alcohol, so he ordered the Snow Leopard Salvation: snow leopard vodka, belle de brillet pear liqueur, mint and lime juice topped with ginger beer $12.50

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We both liked this, even though it was strong. Luke likes ginger beer more than I do, but I’d probably say vodka is my alcohol of choice.

I wanted something non-alcoholic, so I went for the Hibiscus Henna– watermelon, hibiscus and lime juice $5.75

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This was really good! Not too sweet, filled with flavour and was a really fun, bright pink colour. Even Luke, who hates watermelon, gave this drink a thumbs-up.

We wanted to share something from their Small Plate Menu, so we ordered the House-Smoked Kobe-Style Brisket Poutine – steak fries, house-made mozzarella, pan sauce $12

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This is a small serving (hence the name, ‘small-plates’), but was very good! I’m not typically one who likes steak fries, I prefer my fries shoestring style, but these were cooked well and were not soggy like some larger-cut fries tend to be. The smoked brisket was really tasty, as was the mozzarella. I wasn’t sure what to expect from the “pan sauce”, but it complimented everything very well! We did dump it over everything, they just bring it out separately so nothing gets soggy (and I forgot to take a picture once we had dumped the sauce on). Being Canadian, I like to think I know what a good poutine is – this is definitely not a traditional poutine, but it is something I wouldn’t hesitate to order again!

While we were sitting there nursing the rest of our drinks, I saw a server walk by with the churros from the dessert menu, and I decided that I needed them in my life – so we ordered Churros – served with vanilla crema and chili-strawberry $9

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This came in the cutest little serving dish! It was basically the equivalent of two and a half churros purchased from elsewhere in the parks (which are typically $5/each) – so this was actually a good deal! They were warm, which is a must for a good churro in my books, and covered in a very generous layer of cinnamon. The sauces were very good as well – which surprised me since I normally think churros are delicious enough on their own. The chili-strawberry was the consistency of a runny strawberry jam, but then it did have a spicy chili kick at the end. The vanilla crema was a runny vanilla sauce, and definitely my favourite of the two options.

Total cost for our bill was $40.52 after using my Tables in Wonderland card, or $33.45 excluding the auto-gratuity.​

Tables in Wonderland original cost: $150
Break Even Point Before this meal: $118.03
Savings this Meal: $7.85
Total Until Breaking Even: $110.18

Predicted food budget: $2631.67 (does not include tip)
Estimated Cost of this meal: $115.55 (original plan was Tiffins)
Actual Cost: $7.57 (Flame Tree) + $33.45 (Nomad Lounge) = $41.02
Over/Under: Under by $74.53
Remaining: $2102.43
 
You make Nomad’s Lounge look so tasty! We only have one day at Animal Kingdom on my April trip (there for the Star Wars races and to see Flower and Garden), but now I’m sad we don’t have time for Nomad’s. We do have dinner at Tiffin’s, which may help with that craving.

Can’t wait to read more.
 
Hey everyone - remember this report that I completely abandoned?! It's only been well over a year and a half - but I am still determined to finish it! Let's keep this party going -

Saana - Supper - January 2, 2019

Possibly my favourite meal from our 2017 trip was at Saana, so it was a no-brainer for us to return there. We did the same thing we did on the previous trip, and made a late reservation for after the park closed. (Technically I think Animal Kingdom was open until 9pm that night, but we left after the early show of Rivers of Light and headed over to AKL for our 8pm reservation).

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We arrived a little early to check in, around 7:40, but they were running behind and we were handed a pager. We found a bench to sit on, and then we waited. It was pretty much 8pm on the nose before we were called and led to a two-top table by a window. It would have been a fantastic spot to animal watch if it wasn’t already dark out…

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First up were drinks. I kept it simple with a Coke, but Luke ordered a Kande Coconut Cooler – a refreshing combination of Starr African rum, coconut, vanilla ice cream and orange juice, $10.

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We knew exactly what we wanted to eat, and wasted no time ordering their Indian Style Bread Service – Traditional Naan, Garlic Ginger Naan, Spiced Naan, Onion Kulcha and Paneer Paratha with Red Chile Sambal, Cucumber Raita, Coriander Chutney, Mango Chutney, Tomato-Date Jam, Garlic Pickle, Spicy Jalapeno-lime pickle, Roasted Red Pepper Hummus and Tamarind Chutney, $16. There is one type of bread I don’t care for, but I can never remember which one it is so we just order them all (Luke likes all of them). I do wish they offered a coconut naan though, that’s my absolute favourite whenever I go to an Indian restaurant.

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This was just as delicious as we remembered, and we really enjoyed taking our time trying out each bread with each dip – I even tried the super spicy ones. The hummus was much better than I remembered it being, but my favourite was probably the Tamarind Chutney – which isn’t a huge surprise, I eat that all the time with Vegetable Pakoras. Luke loves spicy, and his favourite was the Garlic Pickle.

For our main meal, we decided to share the Potje Inspired. I don’t see it on the menu, but they allowed us to choose 3 items (2 meat, 1 veg) for an additional cost – I don’t know if this has been discontinued or if you just need to ask for it. We were charged $37 for this. We actually ordered the exact same three items as we had the year before, the butter chicken, the chickpea wat and the braised beef. I somehow forgot to take pictures of any of it, we were hungry and started digging in as soon as it was brought to our table haha. So, here is a picture of what it looked like in 2017 when we ate there…

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I love chickpeas but I typically eat them as Chana Masala (an Indian dish, Chickpea Wat is an Ethiopian dish) - but I love this dish! It's full of flavour without being overly spicy. The butter chicken is ok, I’ve had better (we live in a neighbourhood that is predominantly Indian, so there are some amazing restaurants around us with incredible butter chicken, vindaloo, tikka masala, etc). The braised beef is tender and delicious.

This was another great meal at Saana, and it is one I’d have a difficult time skipping. Maybe on one trip we’ll book an earlier supper so we can see the animals!​

Tables in Wonderland original cost: $150
Break Even Point Before this meal:
$110.18
Savings this Meal:
$12.60
Total Until Breaking Even: $97.58

Predicted food budget: $2631.67 (does not include tip)
Estimated Cost of this meal: $98.52
Actual Cost: $53.68
Over/Under: Under by $44.84
Remaining: $2048.75
 


I always think I want to go to have the bread service, but my husband and I neither one do spicy well, so I'm afraid the majority of the dips would be lost on us. Maybe someday...
 


Hi! That's okay, mine was also abandoned midway. Darn life getting in the way :) I want to get back to Sanaa, we had the same as you but didn't share and we should have when we last went. I feel like all we have around us are chain restaurants mostly which makes me sad :(
 
The bread service at Sanaa is amazing!!!!

Agreed! Those dips are sooo good!

I always think I want to go to have the bread service, but my husband and I neither one do spicy well, so I'm afraid the majority of the dips would be lost on us. Maybe someday...

There's three or four dips that are extremely mild! So you could always just eat those ones?

Have a lunch booked in a few weeks and I may only have the bread service!

I know you posted this message months ago - so how was your meal at Saana a few months ago?!

Hi! That's okay, mine was also abandoned midway. Darn life getting in the way :) I want to get back to Sanaa, we had the same as you but didn't share and we should have when we last went. I feel like all we have around us are chain restaurants mostly which makes me sad :(

It's so much food! That bread service alone is more than enough to fill me up at a meal!
 
Trail's End - Breakfast - January 3, 2018

This place was on Luke’s list, so we found room to fit in a trip to their breakfast buffet (while also having a bit of a sleep-in day). We called an Uber to take us from Old Key West over to Fort Wilderness – and upon entering Fort Wilderness the Uber driver managed to get incredibly lost. After driving around the campground for about ten minutes, we found ourselves back at the main entrance – so we just hopped out and caught an internal bus to take us back to the Pioneer Hall area where the restaurant is located. It would have been much faster if we had just hopped out and done that as soon as we arrived – live and learn I guess.

We made it there for our 9:45am reservation and checked in. We only had to wait a few minutes before we were called and led to our table. Breakfast is a buffet, so after giving our waitress our drink orders (coffee for Luke, a Coke for me because #vacation), we headed up for our first tour of the buffet.

I wasn’t very hungry, so my plate looked a little boring – a warm pecan cinnamon roll that was covered in a buttery-syrupy-type sauce, tater tots, breakfast hash(hash browns and beef I think), biscuit and sausage gravy, grapes, strawberries and watermelon, a single random piece of deli meat I guess? and a mini corn muffin.

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I was also clearly really lazy this morning, and didn’t take a single picture of the buffet or even the restaurant itself…

My food was fine. It was mainly standard breakfast fare on the buffet – which is definitely not my thing. I don’t really like eggs, or bacon, and I’d be happy with something small like a cookie to hold me over until lunch. But, Luke loves breakfast, and since I loved him enough to marry him, I suffer through breakfast just for him.

Luke’s first plate – deli meat, sausage, cheesy eggs, pulled pork, tater tots, bacon, smoked salmon and a hard boiled egg.

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Luke also hit up the “Create-your-own yogurt parfait”, and got a bowl of plain yogurt and topped it with chocolate chips, craisins, coconut and walnuts.

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Luke was very impressed by the size of the selection on the buffet here, and he really liked his food.

I did go back up for a second plate – more tater tots and breakfast potatoes, a biscuit with gravy and another amazing corn muffin (if you’ve ever been to Hoop dee doo, this is the same cornbread!), and I also grabbed some more fruit. Very boring, but as you can see I like bread products and potatoes haha.

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Luke also went up to have a second plate, but I didn’t actually take a picture of it – I was really failing at blogging on this day….

This place is actually one of the best values on property – at this point, it was only $22 per person for breakfast. I’m sure we will make the trip back over there again at some point on a future trip – maybe to try out their supper buffet…
Tables in Wonderland original cost: $150
Break Even Point Before this meal: $97.58
Savings this Meal: $8.80
Total Until Breaking Even: $88.78

Predicted food budget: $2631.67 (does not include tip)
Estimated Cost of this meal: $42.60
Actual Cost: $37.49
Over/Under: Under by $5.11
Remaining: $2011.46


 
Hey there pregnant lady! Great to see you back here.

I'm so in the no breakfast camp with you. Jason loves it so I usually given in and we have 1-2 breakfasts each trip but they are normally a waste on me. We've done trails end once though and it was good. So glad to see Luke was happy. The things we do for our men!
 
January 3, 2018 - Crew's Cup Lounge

Crew’s Cup Lounge, located directly beside Yachtsman Steakhouse at the Yacht Club had been on our list of places we wanted to try, and we decided to finally make it happen.

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We arrived just after 4:40pm (it opens at 4:30) and we had no trouble finding a table. The server immediately brought us over menus and a bowl of… snacks? I don’t actually know what to call these, but they were delicious! They were basically fancier bar nuts – I ate them, loved them, but couldn’t actually name what anything was beside peanuts – corn nuts maybe? Other…nuts? (we’ve been back to Crew’s Cup since this, and this was never an option again sadly)

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I wasn’t feeling like alcohol, so I ordered a Watermelon Lemonade – Odwalla lemonade and watermelon topped with lemon-lime foam, $4.79

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This is available at most table service locations on property, and it’s really good! I love sweet drinks, and this fits that description. I’ve had it multiple times since then, and it’s been good every time.

Luke ordered the Ultimate Long Island Iced Tea – Bacardi Superior Rum, Tito’s Handmade Vodka, Hendrick’s Gin, Corazón Blanco Tequila, Cointreau, and Sweet-and-Sour with a splash of Coca-Cola $11.50

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Neither one of us remember anything about it, so it clearly wasn’t very special, but Luke did finish it…

Luke immediately knew what he wanted, the item he had come for – the Crew Burger – cheddar cheese, bacon, regatta sauce, shoe string onions on house-made toasted bun served with french fries, $18

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The lettuce and tomato came served on the side, so you could add them to the burger yourself (which Luke did). Here’s a picture of it all loaded up –

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(Also, Luke apparently got a glass of water at some point).

Luke LOVED this burger, and declared it the best burger he’d ever eaten on Disney property (as of that point, he’s had a few since then that have edged above it).

I couldn’t decide what I wanted to eat, and I felt like being a little piggy – so I ordered two things off the menu. Item #1 was theYachtsman Signature Bread – sourdough, pull-apart onion rolls, roasted garlic and salted butter, $7

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These are the same rolls they serve next door at Yachtsman Steakhouse for free, but we didn’t have any plans to eat there on this trip and I really wanted to try them after hearing great things. I don’t like onions, but I’m ok with onion-flavouring, toasted onions, etc (it’s the texture of a raw/cooked onion that throws me off). That said, these pull-apart rolls were amazing! Especially if you smeared it with a bit of that roasted garlic, which was as soft and spreadable as the salted butter beside it. I love sourdough, and this stuff was good – it just paled in comparison to the onion rolls.

My attention was also drawn to the Baked Cheese Dip – manchego and parmesan, house chorizo, peppers, artichoke hearts, pretzel bread, $13, so I ordered that as my second item.

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This was rich! Really great flavours, but I couldn’t even half of it – it’s a lot of cheese, and I do try to watch my dairy intake. The pretzel bread was great, it was served warm and was the perfect density to rip pieces off for dipping into the cheese. I did pack this up to go, and ate it for bed lunch one night in our hotel room! (Also - I'm originally from the Maritimes in Canada, and it's been pointed out to me that the term "bed lunch" is specific to us haha. It's what we call the snack you have before bed).​

This lounge does not offer Annual Passholder discounts, but they do accept Tables in Wonderland.


Tables in Wonderland original cost: $150
Break Even Point Before this meal: $88.78
Savings this Meal: $10.86
Total Until Breaking Even: $77.92

Predicted food budget: $2631.67 (does not include tip)
Estimated Cost of this meal: $73.49 (our prediction had us ordering more alcohol)
Actual Cost: $46.26
Over/Under: Under by $27.23
Remaining: $1965.20
 
That said, these pull-apart rolls were amazing! Especially if you smeared it with a bit of that roasted garlic, which was as soft and spreadable as the salted butter beside it.

Yummmmm…that's like my perfect food right there 😋


I did pack this up to go, and ate it for bed lunch one night in our hotel room! (Also - I'm originally from the Maritimes in Canada, and it's been pointed out to me that the term "bed lunch" is specific to us haha. It's what we call the snack you have before bed).

Hah! I was wondering what you meant when you said that! Makes sense now!
 
We tried Crew Cup for the first time and really liked it!

so I ordered two things off the menu. Item #1 was theYachtsman Signature Bread – sourdough, pull-apart onion rolls, roasted garlic and salted butter, $7

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You can never go wrong with bread!

My attention was also drawn to the Baked Cheese Dip – manchego and parmesan, house chorizo, peppers, artichoke hearts, pretzel bread, $13, so I ordered that as my second item.

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That looks soooo good right now! Yum!
 
Yummmmm…that's like my perfect food right there 😋

Bread might be my favourite food haha...


Hah! I was wondering what you meant when you said that! Makes sense now!

Haha, bed lunch is a very important meal of the day!

We tried Crew Cup for the first time and really liked it!

We love it there!

You can never go wrong with bread!

Agreed! Yum!

That looks soooo good right now! Yum!

I'd love to be eating at Crew's Cup right now....
 
January 4, 2018 - Contempo Cafe

We arrived early at the Contemporary for Highway in the Sky, so we decided to check out the hotel for a bit. We knew we’d have plenty to eat during Highway, but we were feeling a bit hungry now and decided to check out Contempo Cafe. This quick service location is located on the fourth floor of the Contemporary Resort, adjacent to Chef Mickey’s. As you sit and eat, you can watch the monorail come through the building which is quite entertaining. This quick service can get a little loud, since Chef Mickey’s is a lively character buffet, but the noise isn’t a huge deal to us - if we wanted peace and quiet we would go to a signature restaurant.

We decided to just share something, and ordered the Meat Flatbread – Italian sausage, pepperoni and Nueske’s bacon topped with mozzarella, $11.49.

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This was good! The crust was nice and crispy, there was lots of cheese and it really hit the spot! I’ve obviously had better pizzas, but for a quick serve location – I’d order this again. Now I’m craving pizza…

For drinks, I had a bottle of Coke, $2.99, and Luke had a Schofferhoffer Grapefruit beer, $9. This is the same beer they sell in the German Pavilion at Epcot, and it’s very light – even I’m ok with the taste of it, and I hate beer!

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We also decided we each needed dessert, everything looked so good in the display case!

Luke, to no surprise, went for the Peanut Butter Pie, $4.79.

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He loved this! He’s talked about it more than once since this trip, but for some reason we didn’t make it back here on our next two trips after this one so he could have another one… This thing was huge, and filled with a peanut butter mousse-custard stuff. I’ve seen this described before as peanut butter cookie dough, and that’s actually a great description of it! It’s inside a crispy tart, drizzled with chocolate and topped with chocolate bits and crunchy balls. This is probably Luke’s favourite Disney quick service dessert.

The item that caught my eye was the Smores Brownie, $4.29

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This was another huge dessert, with a chocolate brown base (shaped like Mickey, how cute!), topped with chocolate icing (almost fudge-like in its consistency), marshmallows, graham crumbs and drizzled with more chocolate. This was a chocolate lover’s paradise! I really enjoyed this!

Our total was $34.68 after tax – no discounts were accepted here unfortunately.
Predicted food budget: $2631.67 (does not include tip)
Estimated Cost of this meal: $26.61 (Capt’ Cooks breakfast) + $41.81 (Pecos Bills lunch) = $68.42
Actual Cost: $34.68
Over/Under: Under by $33.74
Remaining: $1910.33
 
Hello Enjoying your trip !
Really hope you went to The Kitchen at the Hard Rock for their amazing brunch and wonderful service! I think you had plans for Universal.
They are so generous with discounts...even on our family Christmas Day Brunch. We made reservations in advance thru Open Table...
This was after Covid so served family style w/ more than enough bacon .Reallly recommend this place. Brunch includes option to order their fresh omelette too. If I lived in their neighborhood, they would be seeing me almost daily Very decent price w/discount.
And take the boat ride So relaxing and beautiful scenery More scenic than Disney... Actually love walking too
Happy Lifetime for all your dreams Thanks for sharing .
 

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