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Review: Chipotle Chicken Flautas Frontera Cocina Disney Springs

Restaurant Reviews By Jon Self January 11, 2023 Tags: authentic Mexican cuisine, chicken flautas, chipotle chicken flautas, Disney dining, Disney Springs, flautas, Frontera cocina, rick bayless No Comments

Have you ever had a craving for some cheese-filled, sour cream-covered Tex-Mex food? What about some chips and salsa? Some queso sounds good with a side of rice and beans, too. If you have lived in areas with a prominence of Tex-Mex style food, you can relate a little. However, when I crave Tex-Mex-style cuisine, I never think I am enjoying authentic Mexican cuisine. Authentic Mexican food shares some traits with Tex-Mex, but it looks and often tastes very different. Rick Bayless, the celebrity chef, knows this difference very well. His Disney Springs restaurant, Frontera Cocina, offers authentic Mexican cuisine. During a recent visit, I ordered the “Chipotle Chicken Flautas” from there.

Rick Bayless could be declared famous in the culinary world for many reasons. His primary connection with the theme park world would be his restaurant, Frontera Cocina, in Disney Springs. This restaurant offers flavors from all over the regions of Mexico. A dining experience at Frontera Cocina Mexicana allows guests to explore all types of Mexican food. Guests will also experience that the cuisine here will look different from the Tex-Mex described earlier. Guests should expect more upscale Mexican dining. While I appreciate the world of Tex-Mex Dining, a meal here will be at a different level and price point.

On one trip to Disney Springs, I looked for a table service option for a light meal. After examining my options this weeknight, I decided to visit Frontera Cocina. Being a solo diner, I found a seat at the bar. I perused the appetizer menu for a light meal. I ordered the Chipotle Chicken Flautas for $15. These consist of crispy chipotle chicken tortilla flautas, Chihuahua cheese, red beans, and roasted tomatillo-avocado salsa. They are then garnished with crema, Cotija cheese, and fresh herbs. A serving of salsa verde accompanies these flautas also.

Like most items here, the presentation earns high marks. When this plate arrives, you know you are not at some average Tex-Mex place but an authentic Mexican restaurant. These flautas come with plenty of extra toppings. One should expect something other than a basic flauta when ordering here. Due to the toppings, these flautas might be challenging to eat without silverware.

The salsa verde tastes excellent. Yet, guests who expected a red Tex-Mex style salsa might not enjoy this. You receive three flautas with your order. These flautas will be corn tortilla based. Some guests dislike corn tortillas in terms of texture and taste so prepare for that. I found the corn tortilla flavor to be enjoyable. The flautas contain a well-constructed flavor-bursting filling. Mixing the cheese, sauce, tortilla, and other components displays solid Mexican table service quality. The right amount of crunch and creaminess balances these out nicely. One should not have complaints about the multiple excellent flavors with these flautas. The topping, tortillas, and filling create a wonderfuil dining adventure.

The critical issue with Frontera Cocina rarely involves the quality of food. The price point raises questions about the value of the meals here. For example, I received three flautas. Do those offer enough value for $15 plus tax and tip? When you factor in that these might not be easily sharable, one wonders about the worth of purchasing these. Frontera Cocina struggles with this price point negative image since they charge $5 for chips and salsa. Most people associate this type of cuisine with complimentary chips and salsa, so for first-time guests, this creates confusion. However, everyone around me ordered chips and salsa on the night I went. In a previous review, I purchased chips and salsa.

The dining experience at Frontera Cocina always succeeds in being a good event. However, I cannot assess if dining here is good value for you. Yet, if you are looking for authentic Mexican food, you will have a tough time beating this place. The question involves whether you desire authentic Mexican cuisine or if “Americanized” Mexican food will suffice. If you are looking for the flavors of the regions of Mexico, these flautas will provide that. Just be prepared to pay more than you do in your local town for Mexican cuisine. As always, eat like you mean it!

Review: Fried Chicken & Doughnuts Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’ Disney Springs

Restaurant Reviews By Jon Self January 8, 2023 Tags: advance dining reservations, chef art smith's homecomin, Disney dining, Disney Springs, fried chicken, fried chicken & doughnuts, homecomin, table service dining, the magic is calling No Comments

On Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’ website, you can learn important information about the Disney Springs restaurant. On that website, they declared that “THE COMFORT FOOD IS CALLING YOUR NAME. OR MAYBE IT’S THE MOONSHINE.” If it is comfort food, then the chicken here calls to many people. Since this is Walt Disney World, we know “the magic is calling.” I suspect some version of Disney magic happens with the Homecomin’ kitchen. Clearly, Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’ generates some delicious chicken. If you desire comfort food, they also offer their own play on chicken and waffles. Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’ offers “Fried Chicken & Doughnuts.”

Photo courtesy of Main Street Magic podcast

Yes, you read that correctly. The concept of fried chicken & doughnuts can be found in many places. Yet, one of the best versions resides at Homecomin’. Of course, people claim the comfort food style at Homecomin’ calls their name. Once again, that could just be the moonshine talking. The “Fried Chicken & Doughnuts” entrée here consists of two pieces of Chef Art Smith’s famous fried chicken served with house-made sugar doughnuts and a choice of side item. This item comes with a price tag of $32.

The server suggested side usually is mashed potatoes. I recommend mac and cheese, but you have numerous choices here. This entrée comes with syrup mixed with your chicken and Everglazed doughnuts. I have also seen it come out with some sawmill gravy, especially when having mashed potatoes as a side. Depending on when you order this, you may get one large doughnut or two small doughnuts.

Okay, before discussing the pros and cons of this entrée, I need to mention an essential detail for your planning. Always be careful since Disney’s online menu for this place tends to lag far behind the actual in-person menu. For example, I know one appetizer no longer appears on the menu at the beginning of August. Yet, I can still find it on Disney’s online menu as of mid-December. I suggest always going to the official Homecomin’ website for menu information, especially pricing. That one tends to be very accurate.

So how does this version of comfort food taste? As you might expect here, the meat brings high-quality preparation and flavor. The breading offers excellent flavor based on the preparation method. In addition, the skin remains light and crispy. For fried chicken, this variety creates a limited greasy feeling. Sure, there is some greasy feeling but less than you would expect. The breading is light and crispy. The doughnuts bring the desired Everglazed flavor. They arrive soft and warm. Some guests like to combine a bit of chicken, some doughnut, and syrup in every complete for a whole experience. Whichever way you choose to enjoy this entrée, expect plenty of flavors.

On a less positive note, the price point might lead one to doubt if this is worth it. In fairness, I generally choose other entrées here over this one based on price point. Still, the high quality and uniqueness of this entrée might be worth the price point. In addition, everything comes out very warm. I struggle to decide which part t, fearing it might cool down too much. Maybe that explains why people suggest eating all components of this savory and sweet entrée together.

I have three other reminders for when you visit Homecomin’. First, the service here is very polite and thoughtful but can be slow even by southern USA levels. Second, this place offers a military discount, even on alcohol. Third, reservations can be tough to get here. Please be ready at 5:45 am Florida time 60 days in advance and/or use an advance dining reservation service like MouseDining..

Sure, the moonshine could be calling you. Yet, comfort food like Fried Chicken & Doughnuts attracts many people also. Whatever calls you here, enjoy your time at Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’. As always, eat like you mean it!

Rock and Roll Brunch at City Works Disney Springs

Restaurant Reviews By Jon Self January 2, 2023 Tags: brunch, chimi hendrix, City Works, City Works Eatery, city world eatery & pour house, Disney dining, Disney Springs, Jon Bun Jovi, rock and roll brunch, tex mex, The Clash Smash No Comments

With the demise of the ESPN club in the Boardwalk area of Walt Disney World Resort, guests ponder where they can find a place to watch the game when on property. Though many options exist, the best one currently resides in Disney Springs. The City Works Eatery & Pour House restaurant offers plenty of screens to view whatever game you desire. This sports bar-style table service dining option often goes unnoticed based on its location on the West Side of Disney Springs. During my most recent trip to Orlando, I decided to review some weekend brunches. The Rock and Roll Brunch at City Works earned a visit.

Due to my primary profession, that opportunity eludes me often. With an unexpected change in my work schedule, I found myself available for a weekend in the Orlando area. City Works, like many Disney springs restaurants, offers a weekend brunch menu. Thus, I decided to scope this out and explore the environment of this sports bar.

City Works offers indoor and outdoor seating. The outdoor seating provides a pleasant dining setting. However, these seats will not be able to view the large screens within the restaurant. When I visited this location the following week when my trip received an extension due to Tropical Storm Nicole, I scheduled another visit here seated indoors. Yet, for this brunch dining review, my dining companion, Seth Kubersky of The Unofficial Guides, elected to dine outdoors for brunch. The pleasant outdoor setting increased the quality of the dining experience.

Chimi Hendrix
Photo By Jon Self

The City Works brunch menu is available from 10 am to 3 pm on weekends. A wide variety of options appear on this Rock and Roll Brunch menu. The menu reflects a “Rock N’ Roll” theme with items such as the “Jon Bun Jovi” cinnamon roll and “Sweet Child O’ Mine” French toast. We asked our server, Jenna, for recommendations. She recommended the “Chimi Hendrix”, the French toast, breakfast tacos, and “Mother’s Little Helper”, a “hangover bowl. Being a sucker for any merging of breakfast items and Tex-Mex style food, I went with the Chimi Hendrix.

The Chimi Hendrix costs $19. This chimichanga also comes with a side of cheesy potato casserole. That casserole makes a nice addition to the entrée. However, the flavor of it serves more as a cheesy palate cleanser when enjoying the chimichanga. The “Chimi Hendrix” features scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, green onion, pico de gallo, smoked cheddar, and chipotle salsa Roja. This fried flour tortilla looks and tastes as you would expect. The appearance matched my expectations for this style of entrée. The chipotle sauce provides some kick and real flavor though. Some guests will find this sauce a bit too spicy. The rest of the components simply serve their role in this chimichanga.

Photo by Jon Self

This chimichanga falls in the category of a good brunch meal. Yet, this entrée should also face the criticism of some Americanized Mexican food where it’s just a bunch of stuff thrown on top to mask ingredients. As a fan of Tex-Mex food, I enjoyed this. However, this chimichanga consists of several powerful ingredients carrying the show. Yet besides the chipotle salsa roja, nothing qualified as a high-quality component. This does, however, make a solid breakfast burrito if not looking for Rick Bayless Frontera Cocina-level cuisine.

Seth ordered the “The Clash Smash.” This avocado toast presented several strengths. The eggs came well prepared, and the avocado tasted fresh creating a delicate taste balance. The pickled red onions make sure you know they are there also. Yet, those same onions with their acidity perk up the corn and radishes. Though this could have been better, the major flaw, on this day, relates to the toast. The challah bread offers a reasonable flavor. Yet, this morning, the bread was cold even though toasted. This preparation error hindered the overall quality of this entrée during the Rock and Roll Brunch. “The Clash Smash” costs $17.

Overall, my evaluation of our brunch leads to a very non-specific conclusion. This brunch makes a good option. Yet, nothing that we experienced classifies as a great meal. Still, this is a brunch at a table service sports bar after all. I would gladly visit again. Still, Disney Springs offers so many quality brunches. I suspect I will prioritize the other ones before coming back here again for the Rock and roll Brunch. Well, that is unless I crave a “Jon Bun Jovi.” As always, eat like you mean it!

New Britton’s Chicken Salad Sandwich from Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’ Disney Springs

Restaurant Reviews By Jon Self December 28, 2022 Tags: britton's chicken salad sandwich, chef art smith's homecomin, chicken salad, chicken salad sandwich, Disney dining, Disney Springs, duke's mayo, homecomin, sipper No Comments

Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’ often pays homage to his ancestor, Britton Smith. Britton Smith might be known more for his moonshine recipes, but apparently, he also had some solid food recipes. In a recent addition to the menu, we found one of those recipes being used. Britton’s Chicken Salad Sandwich would be the name of that new menu item. During a December visit, I ordered this unique sandwich. This sandwich started being served along with several other new menu items at Homecomin’.

Britton’s Chicken Salad Sandwich costs $19. The menu description informs guests that the recipe includes pulled chicken, celery, grapes, Duke’s Mayo, and savory spices. This chicken salad mix also comes with lettuce and tomato on artisan bread.

This sandwich comes standard with BBQ chips. Those chips tasted solid, as usual. I prefer more sauce drizzled on them, however.

The presentation of this sandwich reflects what you would expect from Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’. As you might have expected, the portion size of this sandwich exceeds standard sandwiches.

Yet, in unexpected fashion, my sandwich came with some circumstances that should be considered. I sat at the bar and ordered this sandwich to avoid my name coming up in the Walt Disney World reservation service. Yet, I failed to consider how often I walk into this place to have my refillable sipper cup filled with diet soda. That gave me away.

A guest sitting near me stated, “Your sandwich came out fast! You must know what to order.” They ordered well before me, and their appetizer arrived after my sandwich. When the talented server knew I preferred Coke Zero Sugar over Diet Coke, I realized I had been made and probably got my meal moved up in the kitchen queue. If you do not know, Diet Coke is behind the bar, so easy to provide. The bar does not have Coke Zero Sugar, so the server must go to another station for that.

However, I do not think the staff knowing me as a theme park food blogger influenced the quality of my sandwich. Yet, it never hurts a restaurant to avoid having a food blogger wait too long.

So how was the sandwich? As mentioned, the portion of chicken salad overflowed from the bread. You will need a fork for this one at some point in your meal. A new food challenge would be eating this sandwich without any chicken salad falling out. The bread must be sturdier to support a large amount of chicken salad between the two slices. Still, I enjoyed the flavor of the bread. The bread compliments the chicken salad nicely.

However, I expected a more robust flavor in the chicken salad mixture. In fact, with Duke’s Mayo listed in the menu description, I expected far more “twang” with this sandwich. In this case, I did not find that.

Despite that, I found the chicken salad provided a great texture. In addition, the flavor of the chicken salad was consistent and pleasant. Britton’s chicken salad offers a positive experience for your taste buds.

My initial reaction to this sandwich did not match my expectations. Therefore, I often only read menu descriptions after a review. Yet, I had already written about the list of new menu items, so I expected “twang.” This chicken salad recipe focuses on the chicken more than depending on the mayonnaise.

The tomatoes tasted very fresh. The lettuce was good quality and helped balance the sandwich.

On the negative side, this sandwich will make a mess as you eat, so be careful with the chicken salad falling out. Also, they gave me two pickle spears. They may know I write food reviews but did not appreciate my preference for no pickles. Yet, as a food reviewer, I tasted them. They were good-quality pickle spears, for the record.

This is what fell out of one half of my sandwich

Overall, this sandwich matches the high expectations for one at Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’. The portion size surpasses other comparable sandwiches. Even without the expected excessive mayonnaise, the chicken quality brings excellent flavor. The bread could hold up better, but this sandwich would be worth your time if you are not looking for fried chicken here. If you are looking for more than the Thigh High Chicken Biscuit appetizer, this sandwich might be large enough to be shared. As always, eat like you mean it!

How Would I Describe the Vegan Breakfast at Ohana Restaurant?

Restaurant Reviews By Jon Self December 18, 2022 Tags: breakfast, dining review, ohana, Polynesian Resort, vegan, walt disney world No Comments

I have a confession to make. I listen to lots of podcasts. Some of them are faith-based podcasts. However, most of them revolve around theme park discussions like dining vegan at Ohana for breakfast. As you might imagine, I tend to focus on the theme park podcasts that discuss theme park food the most. My confession relates to something more embarrassing than that obsession with podcasts. Apparently, I accidentally deleted a podcast during a rather hectic week in my life, when it was released. In between returning from a “work” trip to Orlando and discovering an employment change regarding my “real job”, I deleted an important podcast in my tiny little world of theme park food. I discovered after checking my social media feed that I must have deleted a podcast episode released on September 28^th, 2022. I accept all the blame and criticism for this debacle.

If you are still reading this, you must wonder if I will ever get to talking about theme park food. Please stay with me. The reason this deletion possesses great embarrassment revolves around the fact that the guest for that show mentioned that Ohana, at the Polynesian Resort, recently became the most searched-for advance dining reservation according to users of his product. What product would that be? I suspect you can guess. Yes, Dustin Checketts, co-founder of MouseDining.com served as a guest for that episode. I joked in a social media group that this mistake would lead to an awkward conversation.

Since Ohana serves as focus of this dining review, I should mention that I noticed the same change that Dustin mentioned on the podcast about Ohana being most searched for advance dining reservation via MouseDining. Obviously, that relates to the fact that I use data supplied to me by Dustin to plan dining reviews. Based on that data, I have been testing over the last few days whether the reservation demand at Ohana involves just dinner or breakfast also. Using MouseDining, I saw some very limited reservation availability for breakfast as well as for dinner at Ohana. In fact, I have a reservation alert set with MouseDining right now or Ohana for breakfast and dinner. Because of that data, I wrote a recent article suggesting Sebastian’s Bistro as a less expensive alternative. Also, on MouseDining blog, I previously wrote about my recent experience at Ohana for breakfast.

During my most recent all you care to eat dining adventure, I ordered every vegan dining option available. Yes, I knew at some point I would write about the vegan breakfast at Ohana. This article serves as the fulfillment of that plan.

So how was breakfast at Ohana in terms of vegan dining? As someone who often dines vegan when doing theme park food reviews, I found the breakfast quite good. Of course, some weaknesses emerged as evident during that segment of the meal.

The vegan breakfast version here opens with fruit as the standard option does. Yet, instead of pineapple-coconut breakfast bread, vegan diners get a vegan/gluten free cinnamon sugar donut. I enjoyed the donut. However, many of my vegan and gluten free friends do not think highly of this donut.

The vegan skillet comes with scrambled “eggs”, “sausage”, fried island-style potatoes, and character-shaped waffles. Overall, I enjoyed this vegan skillet. Yet, my dining companions disliked it considerably. The vegan eggs came well prepared but lacked the cream that the non-vegan ones possess. The “eggs” worked fine in combination with everything else though. The vegan waffles tasted about as good as the non-vegan waffles. However, on this day, the vegan waffles only came in Stitch shape not Mickey. There seemed to be confusion about if that was always the case. I found the potatoes with the vegan skillet offered more flavor than the ones within the non-vegan skillet. The “sausage”, a vegan chorizo, functioned as only true disappointment for my dining experience.

All in all, even as someone not dining exclusively vegan, I felt this breakfast offered enough merit to be considered for vegan diners without hesitation. In fairness, I have several vegan exclusive dining friends that do not have as high of an opinion of this vegan meal as myself. I apologize for that detail adding confusion but want to state all facts available at the time.

One last note, character breakfast with Stitch and friends returned in September. When I visited, character dining had not returned for breakfast. My meal cost $25 plus tax and tip before characters. Now, the price has risen to $45 with characters included. If considering this solid breakfast option bear that in mind. If it were me, I would opt for Topolino’s Terrace breakfast over this one at that price point. Also, if expecting the old-style parade where your kid joins in with the characters, they currently do not do that. If going for a character breakfast, expect about a minute each with Mickey, Pluto, Stitch, and Lilo during the breakfast.

Could the return of characters be a reason for high demand in terms of advance dining reservations at Ohana? Does the variety of breakfast and dinner options lead to demand? Could it be some combination of both? I think all these work as factors. I would gladly go back and pay for breakfast here without characters at $25 I struggle to be thrilled to pay $45 for this breakfast no matter how cool Stitch and friends might be. However, if someone in your family is a big Lilo and Stitch fan, then the money may well be worth it. Stitch qualifies as a hard-to-find character in the parks, except for special events. Lilo pretty much only appears here. I hope this helps you understand the situation if searching for Ohana reservations. As always, eat like you mean it!

Review: Eggs Benedict Grand Floridian Cafe at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa

Restaurant Reviews By Jon Self December 13, 2022 Tags: deluxe resort, Disney dining, eggs benedict, Grand Floridian Cafe, grand Floridian resort and spa, walt disney world No Comments

Have you ever walked into a place wondering if you belong there at all? This could be because you feel under-dressed. Maybe you feel underqualified. Perhaps you feel you made a wrong turn and accidentally entered a restricted area. Did you know any person may visit a deluxe-level Walt Disney World Resort hotel? I feel most readers will know that, but I am always surprised by the number of people that do not realize resort hopping is a real thing. I hear Walt Disney World visitors state that they do not belong at those deluxe resorts. However, sometimes I relate to that feeling of not being worthy when doing dining reviews at Walt Disney World Resort deluxe-level hotels. The hotel that gives off that vibe to me the most would be Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. Can you imagine eating eggs benedict at the Grand Floridian Cafe one morning?

See, they will let anyone visit at Grand Floridian Resort

Trust me, they will let anyone dine there. Of course, as Walt Disney World’s website says, “Victorian elegance meets modern sophistication at this lavish Disney Resort hotel.” When you read those words, what do you think? Do you hear fancy and maybe too elite for you? Okay, maybe that is just me. In fairness, this hotel features some of the best and highest prices restaurants on Walt Disney World property. However, the Grand Floridian Café offers elegant dining that will not damage your budget quite as much. During a recent Orlando area trip, I dined for breakfast at this table service option. An advance dining reservation eluded me for a few weeks. Yet, eventually, MouseDining set me an alert for breakfast here.

I showed up for my early morning breakfast reservation time. My server Jenny greeted me at the entrance and guided me to my table. As usual, I scheduled several other food and beverage reviews for this day. Thus, I preferred not to partake in a full breakfast. I decided to order the “Traditional Eggs Benedict” for $17. Grand Floridian Café also offers a Lobster Benedict for $5 more. Based on my plans for the day, I decided to play it safe with the traditional version. Of course, I faced temptation since the Lobster Thermidor Burger here might be the best burger on the property.

Menu November 2022

Speaking of burgers, Grand Floridian Cafe offers a hybrid breakfast and lunch menu each day. In other words, you can buy a traditional lunch menu like a burger at 7:30 am for breakfast. The breakfast and lunch hybrid time happens from 7:30 am to 2:00 pm each day. For the record, they do not call it brunch here but breakfast and lunch have separate times according to their online menu.

Back to my breakfast, my meal started with complimentary USA-style biscuits. I found these to be a great start to my morning. These small biscuits did arrive at my table smelling quite good. They were very soft and warm for my early morning dining experience.

Soon after, my breakfast entrée arrived. The “Traditional Eggs Benedict” consists of two poached eggs, Canadian bacon, and hollandaise sauce served on toasted English muffins. This entrée also comes with a marinated tomato salad. The eggs benedict arrived at my table very warm and fresh looking. Grand Floridian Cafe should earn high marks for that. Though when I ordered it, I was perplexed about how the salad would balance with the eggs benedict. However, the salad brought light refreshing flavors to this entrée. The salad fails to be the star of this breakfast but makes a good sidekick. Still, the dressing and onions in the tomato salad may be a little off-putting to some theme park resort diners. Yet, I enjoyed it.

My reaction to the eggs benedict creates a mixed review. My notes say in bold letters that the portion size rates as small. However, the hollandaise sauce tasted almost perfect. This sauce will make or break an eggs benedict dish. The skill of doing this properly should not be undervalued. Those factors canceled each other out in my opinion.

However, the worst part of this entrée by far involved the English muffins. They tasted just okay. In my opinion, they did not complement the rest of the entrée. After eating half of my entrée, I decided to experiment. I asked my server for some more biscuits. I moved everything off one of the English muffins onto one of the biscuits. Maybe I lived in the southern portion of the United States of America for too long, but this made the entrée eight times better. The English muffins, on this day, failed to provide a strong enough starch to balance the other components. Yet, the biscuit fit that role perfectly.

Yes, I know eggs benedict should not be made with biscuits. However, after this experience, I would vote we try that for a while. The excellent flavor combination this way enhanced the meat, sauce, and egg dramatically.

This made a wonderful breakfast in an elegant setting. Clearly, this breakfast would not pass the test if desiring a full hearty breakfast for a long theme park day. In my case, this well-balanced meal worked perfectly (even if I prefer it with a biscuit) for my “work” day. Under similar circumstances, I would order this again. Yet, I cannot give this a full endorsement since many theme park resort guests will want a larger breakfast than I did on this day.

Even though I often wonder if I belong when visiting Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, this breakfast option provides a pleasantly relaxing dining experience. Advance dining reservations here rate as sometimes hard to get like the morning I visited. You should plan accordingly. Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa offers so much to see. Your group could have a fun morning visit here, especially during the holiday season with the large gingerbread house display. As always, eat like you mean it!

“New” Me Ma’s Best Chicken Raglan Road Disney Springs

Restaurant Reviews By Jon Self December 11, 2022 Tags: bell and evans chciken, dining review, Disney Springs, raglan road, walt disney world No Comments

Once upon a time, I sat in a chain restaurant having lunch. On that day, I looked much younger for a simple reason—I was much younger. On that day, an elderly couple sat down in the booth next to me. They discussed loudly what to order that afternoon. After some loud discussion, the gentleman said he did not see anything he thought he would like. At this point, the lady voiced obvious frustration saying “Just get the chicken. You like chicken.” As insignificant as that encounter might seem, I have never forgotten it. Thus, some days when I do not know what to order, I simply order the chicken. To facilitate this, Raglan Road in Disney Springs consistently offers excellent chicken entrees. A recent addition to their menu would be “Me Ma’s Best Chicken.” During my visit, I ordered this chicken entrée.

Me Ma’s Best Chicken will cost you $28. Included with that price, you receive an entrée described this way, “roasted Bell and Evans chicken breast with a chicken, spinach, wild mushrooms, and a leek pie in roast chicken jus, topped with herb stuffing crumble with champ mashed potato.” The overall presentation of this entrée should receive high marks. Now, the one I received when I dined there did not look like the promo photo. Still, when does dinner look like the promo photo? Anyway, I felt the presentation was good even though my photos may not reflect that. We were seated very close to the stages, so I did not want to endanger the performers with flash photography.

Promotional Photo from Raglan Road

On that evening I enjoyed this entrée, I had a 6:45 reservation on a rainy night. The organizational system at Raglan Road lacked the normal pattern. Eventually we were seated after waiting some time. Of course, when we were seated, we quickly got some of the Raglan Road soda bread.

After some appetizers, the main entrees arrived. As always here, the special brand of chicken served here comes very well prepared. I guess that is why I order chicken often here. In fact, I found all aspects of this entrée very well prepared. Any issues I may have with this entrée relate to ingredient choices not preparation by chefs.

The most unique facet of this entrée revolves around the leek pie. When ordering new items for a dining review, I scan the menu description briefly. Before dining, I do not usually examine menu description too intensely. This allows me to avoid anticipating certain flavors based on what I read in the description. However, when typing the review, I examined the menu description very carefully. The leek pie offered some of the best flavors at our table that evening. In fairness, when I tasted this that evening, i could not tell this was a leak pie. The pastry like shell holding it together looked and tasted good. I did not expect that before ordering this new menu item.

On the less positive side, this dish lacked a solid flavor profile. The chicken and potatoes were well prepared though. Yet, they lacked enough seasoning to be a stellar entrée. In simple terms, everything tasted a bit bland outside the leek pie. For perspective, I am comparing this to other entrées at Raglan Road. I respect the fact that this style of food might seem bland to some. However, I am comparing it to similar entrees on the same menu. Also, just so you do not think I am simply hiding behind a keyboard, I discussed this with staff there. Our table discussed this with the manager on duty, Steve, that evening. For the record, he showed great appreciation and interest in our thoughts.

I think a simple adjustment of adding the au jus directly on the chicken would enhance this entrée significantly. That goes against the usual preparation pattern at Raglan Road for their chicken though. All the components functioned nicely. This needed more power to the overall flaor profile. Once again, the entree preparation was great. In fact, the chicken tasted perfect for standard chicken but lack seasoning as its downfall. I desired more from Me Ma’s Best Chicken.

Even though I joked about the appearance of the promotional photo, that photo reflects a change in presentation and probably preparation. If you go visit Raglan Road deciding to order this, I would be curious what you think. Please leave a comment below if you do. As always, eat like you mean it!

Signature Dining at Topolino’s Terrace

Restaurant Reviews By Jon Self December 7, 2022 Tags: Disney's Riviera Resort, ricotta, signature dining, sole, topolino terrace, walt disney world No Comments

The term, signature dining, conveys many images in people’s minds when at Walt Disney World. Walt Disney World calls signature dining its fine dining establishments. Many of these reside within their deluxe resort hotels but not all. These generally provide the best food and service on the property. Of course, signature dining usually comes with high prices. Though we can debate the quality of some of the signature dining options available at Walt Disney World, signature dining at Topolino’s Terrace continues to stand out.

Topolino’s Terrace – Flavors of the Riviera located on the top floor of Disney’s Riviera Resort serves breakfast and dinner. The breakfast offered here fits the signature dining level. However, that quality breakfast counts as a character breakfast so it is a bit more casual. In contrast, the evening dinner at Topolino’s Terrace fits most people’s idea of signature dining. There exists a basic dress code. During my November 2022 visit here, I wore a collared shirt and long pants. However, many people in the indoor bar area wore more formal attire. If you connect signature dining with fancy, then this place meets that expectation.

Photo Credit: Walt Disney World

Recently, Topolino’s Terrace added some new menu items. Our server in November informed us that this might be happening. For example, the “Burrata” returned to the menu. The burrata antipasto option features black truffle, grapes, artichoke, verjus gel, and burrata cheese, of course. This antipasto option also comes with some focaccia bread. Initial reports indicate that this meets signature dining standards for $19.

Other new menu options include a “Red Kurl Squash Soup”, “Pork Shank Blanquette Milk Braised Pork”, and a new version of their sea scallops. Based on my suspicion of which items would disappear from the menu, I ordered the “Ricotta” and the “Classic Sole Meunière” back in November. Theme park food bloggers live in fear of the item ordered being taken off the menu the next day.

In fairness, I shared the ricotta with my three dining companions. I also shared the sole entrée with Tom of Vacationeers Podcast. Since I knew I would be having the seasonal dessert for a review, that made sense for our 5:00 pm seating. Also, I already ate breakfast and lunch at Kona Café earlier that day. I decided to show restraint as a food blogger.

When we arrived at Topolino’s Terrace after some significant human error, by me, we checked in. After an interesting wait, we were seated. We sat at a table by the window offering a great view. Still, even with the shades drawn at the beginning of our meal, the dining area temperature was very warm. Yes, I know this is Florida. However, Florida believes in air-conditioning. If you are part of the conspiracy theory claiming the air conditioning across the property seems set for a higher temperature than in the old days, this might provide more evidence.

So how was the meal? Excellent as always would count as an understatement. The ricotta tasted wonderful as usual. The ricotta appetizer costs $16 and provides a tomato jam of sorts, aged balsamic, cracker pepper, basil, and epi bread. The creamy flavorful ricotta creates a wonderful beginning to your meal. The ricotta is prepared in-house for maximum freshness. This will probably be the best ricotta you have ever tasted. Yet, if you have ever enjoyed great ricotta, this will match or exceed that level of ricotta. The ricotta tastes fresh and smooth. I have one friend that calls it silky. The classic combination of bread and cheese wakes up your taste buds during signature dining at Topolino’s Terrace.

The Classic Sole Meuniere costs $50. This large entrée arrives at your table as an entire fish. The entrée features sea beans, capers, asparagus, English peas, toy box tomatoes, and potatoes. According to Taste Atlas, “meunière” refers to a French cooking technique in which a whole fish or fish fillets are lightly dusted in flour and then sautéed in butter.” My main concern with ordering this revolved around the amount of oil and butter involved. My worry involved whether I needed that much butter. I know butter makes food taste better, especially in French cooking, but did I need that much?

Photo courtesy of Main Street Magic Podcast

When the entrée arrived, my concern lessened. The anticipated overflow of oil and butter failed to be with this order. The fish provided a crispy outer layer. Still, the fish inside delivered a flaky texture and solid flavor. All the vegetables prepared with this fish enhanced the dining experience. The vegetables brought the right amount of tenderness and contrasting flavors to the fish. The meunière preparation at Topolino’s Terrace deserves signature dining status.

If looking for signature dining while at Walt Disney World, Topolino’s Terrace rarely disappoints. Whether you order a new menu item, this Classic Sole Meuniere, or just appetizers and desserts, your experience should be lovely. When you visit, do not forget to visit the outdoor terrace for the beautiful views.

As you might imagine, reservations disappear from this signature dining location quickly. Feel free to set an alert at MouseDining.com to aid in your quest to dine here. I know I have been successful a few times in making a reservation here with an alert from MouseDining.com. As always, eat like you mean it!

Where Everybody Knows Your Name

Restaurant Reviews By Jon Self December 2, 2022 No Comments

If you are old enough to remember ancient times, also known as the 1980s, a character on a television show known as Norm grew in popularity. George Wendt, who played the character Norm on the television show Cheers, appeared in every episode. He would enter the fictional Boston bar, and everybody knew his name. Based on my most recent trip to the Orlando area, everybody knows my name at Kona Café. Well, at least for the short term they do. I returned to Kona Café for another review one week after the reopening day. Since I had been to this place for two different meals on reopening day, what would cause me to visit again so soon? I think the staff wondered that also since they may not have known my face that morning, but they recognized my name. The Walt Disney World dining reservation system makes it challenging to sneak in for a dining review.

Well, I considered entitling this review “It Was All Jeremy’s Fault!” but decided against that. A friend of MouseDining, Jeremy Stein of the Main Street Magic Podcast, decided to visit Magic Kingdom that morning. He wanted breakfast nearby before braving the crowds on a Monday after a race weekend. He mentioned Kona Café. After a bit of time, I found a reservation via MouseDining for that morning. On my previous breakfast venture to Kona Café, I ordered the new salmon breakfast entrée. Since during my previous breakfast visit, my group tried all the new breakfast items at Kona Café, I searched for my choice for this morning.

I knew that Jeremy would be ordering the “Plant-based Loco Moco” for breakfast. I decided to try the Macadamia Nut Pancakes this morning. These pancakes distinguish themselves as a tried-and-true menu item at Kona Café. In Disney Parks Blog about restaurants reopening, these pancakes were listed alongside Tonga Toast as an item returning due to popularity.

Jeremy and I were seated. We bantered about the state of theme parks. Our server, Matti, performed her responsibilities very well. Soon after, our food arrived. The initial appearance of my pancakes promised a good start.

These “Macadamia Nut Pancakes” cost $15. They come with a choice of protein. Guests may select between ham, spiced ham, bacon, or sausage. Since this was Kona Café in Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort, the spiced ham made the most sense. In case you miss the coded language, spiced ham is “Spam.” If you visit a Polynesian restaurant, you should get spam to be in the Polynesian spirit. Also, the pancakes feature macadamia nut butter and pineapple sauce.

I received three large pancakes for this entrée. The spam came well prepared also. Sure, many guests will not prefer that meat choice. However, the version served here makes a good side dish for these pancakes. The combination of savory meat and sweet pancakes enhances this entrée. The texture factor with the nuts works better than I expected. This texture factor might throw some guests off, but I enjoyed it. I added very little syrup to these pancakes. The pineapple sauce provides a good amount of sweetness. I appreciated these nontraditional-style pancakes. Dining in a theme park resort bubble can lead to some boring choices. These pancakes make a good choice for breakfast while avoiding standard pancakes. The macadamia nut flavors combined with pineapple fits the Polynesian theme very well. Anyone looking for a sweet breakfast but not brave enough for Tonga Toast will enjoy these pancakes.

Jeremy ordered the “Plant-based Loco Moco.” This vegan dining option modifies a traditional Polynesian dish. Jeremy described the presentation as “like an egg volcano.” This presentation failed to look like any version of Loco Moco I had seen before. This vegan item features plant-based eggs, plant-based sausage gravy, rice, and pico de gallo. This breakfast entrée costs $16.50.

Despite appearances, the flavor of this item worked very well. The “eggs” offer decent flavor as well as the “gravy.” Based on my sampling of this item, even non-vegan diners will appreciate this. Like many vegan items based on non-vegan items, these lack enough cream or gravy compared to a traditional Loco Moco. Those of us that do not dine exclusively vegan often forget how important milk and egg-based products impact our taste buds. Yet as of the time of writing, I have three sources telling me that a non-vegan beef version of this item may be making its way onto this menu.

Both entrées we ordered make solid breakfast options. If looking for a top-of-the-line table service breakfast here, you will be disappointed. Still, if looking for a solid more budget-friendly table service breakfast, Kona Café should be a reservation option for you. Maybe if you love the food here, everybody at Kona Café will know your name too. As always, eat like you mean it!

Finally Made it to House of Blues for Brunch

Restaurant Reviews By Jon Self November 30, 2022 No Comments

Based on my predominant vocation for decades, the chance of enjoying a Sunday brunch at any restaurant on Walt Disney World property happened rarely. Thus, for my most recent trip to the Orlando area, I made sure to have reservations for brunch. Walt Disney World offers a larger number of brunch options. In fairness, I have trouble keeping track of all the various brunch options. About half the Disney Springs table service restaurants offer a weekend brunch. Even though the “Gospel Brunch” at the House of Blues Disney Springs location has not returned, guests still find the brunch here enjoyable. The brunch menu runs from 10 am to 2 pm on weekends.

When I mentioned to many of my theme park friends that I was deciding on brunch, they often encouraged me to try the House of Blues. Thus, I decided to do a review for MouseDining.com there.

On this Sunday morning, I had already attended a theme park meeting, attended a Christian worship service, and popped into Universal Orlando to check on the news there before arriving at Disney Springs for the 1:00 pm reservation made via MouseDining.com. I met my dining companions for brunch. The usual awkward check-in process happened again at House of Blues. However, we were eventually seated. Our server performed his duties very well. Of course, one large perk of the brunch menu involves “Bottomless Mimosas and Bloody Marys” for just $16. I did not order any alcoholic beverages, but my dining companions did. They voiced mixed feelings about the quality of their beverages.

Though one of my dining companions mocked my morning burger selection, I elected to try the House of Blues version of a breakfast burger. They call it the “Morning Smash Burger.” The menu description reads “Two smash patties, aged cheddar, thick-cut bacon, bacon ketchup, bacon aioli, fried egg, brioche bun, (and) honey sriracha sauce.” The morning smash burger comes with a side of fries. This brunch menu item costs $17.

The House of Blues franchise calls its menu a Southern (USA) inspired one. This entrée offers that tradition. Many powerful positive flavors reside within this breakfast-style burger. However, for this review, I will start with the less positive aspects of this brunch entrée.

My experience with burgers and sandwiches here already starts with the buns they use. The size of the bun limits the amount inside the buns. Also, the buns used provide nothing special in terms of texture or flavor. I know it says brioche bun in the menu description. However, the quality of the bun itself would be below average for a brioche bun. This tends to initiate a poor start for the burger or sandwich. In addition, I expected a larger egg portion with this “morning” burger. Yes, I ordered it around 1:30 pm but it is still called a morning burger. As expected, the fries with this burger taste like the standard shoestring fries served all over Walt Disney World property.

Overall, I enjoyed this burger. I understand as you were reading that you were probably wondering if I enjoyed it. For a table service burger at Disney Springs, this offered some decent flavors. The cheddar cheese enhanced many of the other components of this burger. The burger patty itself came well prepared. The bacon brought good texture and flavor. The honey siracha sauce added a subtle amount of enhancement also.

If you visit House of Blues for brunch wanting a traditional-style burger, do not get this. House of Blues’ menu displays some solid traditional burger choices. In fact, a far better smash-style burger may be found at Steakhouse 71 if you want that type of burger. If you want a play on a traditional burger, then this brunch item could be for you. For a breakfast-style burger, this meets that expectation despite the stated weaknesses. As always, eat like you mean it!

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