Was It Too Hot to Eat? Never! A Holiday Dining Report Complete! Raglan Road and Paddlefish

[Niki Andiokno]

Hi all. Niki here again. We had a nice Memorial Day vacation in the World but man, was it HOT HOT HOT!! We have been to Orlando over this holiday weekend many times, but never had it been this hot. While the weather impacted our time in the parks, it really didn't change our dining reservations.

Here is our crew:

Me - I am a 50-something lover of Disney, particularly food and drinks. I am also a huge roller coaster fanatic. My favorite ride is Expedition Everest.
Mike - my dear husband. We have been married 28 years. He has put up with my Disney obsession since 1994. He has a bit of a Disney obsession himself, although the price increases and no smoking policies have been stealing his magic a bit.

Sandra - also a 50-something Dianey fan. She convinced me to come with her on our first trip in 1994. We haven't stopped ever since. Haunted Mansion or Pirates of the Caribbean are her favorites.

Ray - Sandra's BF. He is a chill dude, who seems to always have fun. He is not the fanatic we are, but he likes it alot a d puts up with our passion.


This trip I decided we were going to try all new dining experiences. These were either places we hadn't visited in more than 20 years and the experience had changed, or places we had never been. The only exception was Be Our Guest for breakfast so we could get into the park early. Here is the line-up.

Cape May Cafe dinner
Voodoo Donuts
Woody's Lunch Box lunch
50's Prime Time
Be Our Guest breakfast
Pecos Bill's Cafe
Storybook Dining at Artist's Point
Mexico booth at Flower & Garden Festival
La Cava de Tequila
Ale & Compass dinner
World of Beer
Raglan Road
Paddlefish

Did we make a mistake, foregoing all our favorites? Wait and see.

 

[lovemickeyshouse]

Can’t wait to read this !

 

[nicoleakr]

Looking forward to your report

 

[disneyAndi14]

Joining in, love dining reports!

 

[kastoney]

Hi Niki! Hope you are doing well. Can't wait to hear about your dining adventures

 

[LavishWig]

Joining in, you have a few places on your list that I’m planning on visiting next month so excited to see what you think!

 

[Valerie22]

Looking forward to your reviews .

 

[CrankyDad]

Count me in

 

[Niki Andiokno]

QUOTE="lovemickeyshouse, post: 60856441, member: 119055"]
Can’t wait to read this !
[/QUOTE]
Hope to get started today

Looking forward to your report

Thank you for coming along

Joining in, love dining reports!

Hope you enjoy this one.

Hi Niki! Hope you are doing well. Can't wait to hear about your dining adventures

Hi Kari. All is good. Getting back to normal. Finally having time to write this. I need to play catch up on your report.

 

[Niki Andiokno]

Joining in, you have a few places on your list that I’m planning on visiting next month so excited to see what you think!

My reviews will be mixed this trip, so I hope you picked the good ones.

 

[Niki Andiokno]

Looking forward to your reviews .

Thanks for reading.

Count me in

Counted.

 

[Niki Andiokno]

Our car ride from Chicago was a bit slow going. We arrived at our destination much later than we had hoped. The weather was stifling hot. Mike and I stayed offsite at my favorite Hilton Grand Vacations Club Tuscany Village.

 

[queenofthehill]

Showing up for reading duty!

 

[Niki Andiokno]

Oops didn't mean to hit post LOL. Anyway, the rest of our crew stayed at the Dolphin.
Mike and I had hoped to meet them in Epcot, but we were so hot, and the room was so cool. We decided we would just keep them for dinner at CAPE MAY CAFE. We hadn't been there since 1999. A full 20 years had gone by since we had visited. Last time there were no crab legs. We stopped going because we had decided that it was overpriced for a buffet. We are not really buffet people. i can eat my weight in crab legs, so we hoped that this would be a game changer. We decided to give it a try. I will warn you, no good photos. My phone died, so I pulled a couple from TripAdvisor.


Cape May is a seafood buffet. I started out with clam chowder. I am very picky about chowder, but I always loved this one. This was just as good as 20 years ago. The broth was creamy, and had large clams and veggie pieces. This was really the best thing I ate all night. Loved it.

Next was what I had hoped to be the headliner. Crab legs. They were ok. Better than the local Chinese buffet, but not by much. They certainly didn't look like the ones in the picture above. I also had peel & eat shrimp. They were very big and flavorful for peel & eat. Another biggie for me were the clams. They were also good, but many were empty shells. Nonetheless, they were good. I had a mussel, which was bland and a little grainy. There were fish sticks and mac n' cheese on the oids menu I liked.

I believe the others also had a Krab-like salad, ribs and some other pasta. Everything was just ok. Nothing stood out.

I was really happy to get Coke Zero.

Desserts were ok. The only thing I remember were the Oreo Bon Bond. LOVE those. I swear I ate 4.

Overall, the food was ok. Service was pretty typical for a buffet. We waited for drink refills and for plates to be taken away, but not long.

Maybe I will try this again in another 20 years. For now, it just isnt worth almost $50 per person.

I promise I will have more photos of my food next review.

 

[Niki Andiokno]

Showing up for reading duty!

Awesome

 

[Niki Andiokno]

Our first full day in Orlando was set to "The Dark Side" aka Universal Studios. We met my buddy Captain Mark and family for breakfast at VooDoo Doughnuts! I have been looking forward to this place forever.


I honestly don't remember what the captain's family add, but I me myself had 3 donuts. Yes they were supposed to be for everyone else, but Mike is diabetic and Sandy and Ray had already eaten before leaving the resort. I was a trooper and ate it all almost entirely.

1st up was the Portland cream. This was the best of the 3. This was a fluffy yeast donut absolutely full of vanilla cream goodness. I swear it weighed a pound it was so full of cream. This doughnut put Boston creme donuts to shame. I can't wait to go back and get another.

Next up was the Apple fritter. This was the best Apple fritter I have ever had, although Apple fritters are really Mike's thing. The dough was a little more dense than the yeast donut, but still very fluffy. Huge chunks of apple's added to the great texture of this doughnut. This also weighed a ton.
Sorry about the photos. The captain sent these to me and I had to take screenshots. I'm not sure if they are his or ones he downloaded. They look like ours though.





Finally come a but not least, who can resist a voodoo doll donut. I love how it has been stabbed with a pretzel.This was the same yeast donut base as my Portland cream, only much cuter. It was filled with raspberry jelly. The jelly had awesome flavor. I loved it. The chocolate frosting was really good too.





I admit this is the official voodoo doll photo, as I immediately bit the head off of mine.I swear I was possessed. The doll made me do it

As excited as I was to come here the 1st time, I am even more excited to return. They have so many tasty donuts, I hope to try many more.

 

[disneyAndi14]

I can’t wait to have Voodoo donuts again in August, yummy!

 

[Niki Andiokno]

We had alot of fun at Universal, but it was so hot. Sandy tried some Butterbeer. We all concur that Lefou's Brew is far superior. Here are some great Potter pics.


After a grueling day at Universal, melting in the sun, waiting in lines that were over an hour, we called it quits. We went back to the resort and had a family BBQ. Cap and his wife came over and Mike's cousins came over as well. I love the BBQ area at Tuscany Village near the quiet pool. There is a wonderful gas grill, a nice tent and a table and chairs to picnic in the shade. While I didn't take any food pics, here is what we grilled/ate: salmon and shrimp in garlic herb butter, asparagus, Asian ginger rice pilaf and Snickers Pie. I wish I had taken photos because everything looked great and tasted even better. If anyone wants any of the recipes, just let me know. They are all super easy and taste great.

Ditas brought me a special surprise. Mickey Bars!!! I ate them all week.

I love a Dianey vacation, but one of my favorite parts is hanging out with friends and family.

 

[Niki Andiokno]

S



I also wanted to add that the 9 of us polished off 6 bottles of wine. Here is what we had. I don't know why the photos are coming out sideways. If
The first is Pappillon by Orin Swift. Mike and I had just gone to an Orin Swift wine tasting at Binny's the day before we left, getting us a 20% discount. On these bottles that can be substantial.

Anyway Pappillon is one of my all time favorites. It is a Bordeaux blend that tastes like cherries, blackberries and vanilla. My favorite flavors.

Next is Barefoot Pink Moscato. I picked this up at a great price at Publix for Mrs. Captain, who likes sweet wine. I drank a glass, because I also like sweet wine. I was really surprised by the nice flavor. Ditas hubby also drank some and liked the sweetness.

Next in line is The Faithful Hound. I first had this wine at a Wine Wednesday at Jiko. If you have never been to Wine Wednesday at Jiko, you MUST go. You learn about some really nice South African wines at this wine and cheese seminar. The hound is very much like the Bordeaux varietals, as the weather in South Africa is very much like the weather in Bordeaux France. This is a red blend with Canernet sauvignon. Cab Franc and I believe a Pinitage but not sure. It is very tasty and fruity. Much better price point than Pappillon with a similar flavor profile.

Next is Mannequin by Orin Swift. This is a nice light Chardonnay. Not okay. Kind of buttery, but not in your face like many others. This is my favorite Chardonnay.

Next is Catena Malbec. Normally Catena Malbec Reserva is my favorite Malbec. Nice Argentina wine that is spicy and heavy and rich with dark cherry, blackberry and nutmeg flavors. I didn't realize that Costco Catena Malbec Reserve is different than the one at my local wine bar/store. I guess Reserva v. Reserve? I don't know, and need to pay more attention. While this was good, it certainly showed that it was made for a discount. Still a nice Malbec. For the comparable price, Joel Gott's The Show is much better. I was the only one complaining.

Finally, Hermit Crab. This is a really great, refreshing white blend from Australia. The primary grape is Viognier, which gives this just a mild touch of sweetness. I first tasted this at my local wine bar during a tasting, and have loves it ever since. Dey, yet sweet. A little citrus, but barely. Just an all around great buy, at a good price. This paired with the seafood dinner better than anything.

There are the drinks. I know not Disney, but still Disney vacation. All of these can be picked up online or at local stores.

 

[Niki Andiokno]

I can’t wait to have Voodoo donuts again in August, yummy!

So good. So many options, you need more than one trip.