Sometimes in life, things do not add up correctly. Logic dictates that the more expensive products will be better. The adage “you get what you pay for” sometimes fails to be true. For example, ever bought a new more expensive cellphone only to find out it could not do the things your old one did? Ever priced the cost to move that heavy expensive piece of furniture or a piano wondering if owning that was worth it? Theme park fans know the pain of this sometimes at $65 character meals. You do not always get what you paid for. More expensive and/or more desired sometimes leads to disappointment. Today’s dining review revolves around that concept.

Promotional Photo from T-Rex Cafe

Writing in partnership with MouseDining, I utilize the data gathered by MouseDining regarding searches for advance dining reservations. In terms of the most searched for advance dining reservations in Disney Springs, as of time of writing, first place belongs to T-Rex Café. I know many factors add into this place having more desirable reservation than Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’ and the Boathouse. Yet, no one should ever argue that T-Rex offers better food than those places. Why is this place more desired even though it offers inferior food to almost every other place in Disney Springs?

Well, Disney Springs targets adults. T-Rex Café and Rainforest Café target kids. Many grandparents, for example, want to visit Disney Springs. They tend to appease the grandchildren by going here. Some guests see the big themed exterior and heard about the themed interior as a draw to dine here. However, let us be clear—you do not go to T-Rex Café for the food. The food here costs as much, if not more, than many of the other excellent restaurants within Disney Springs. In fairness, T-Rex café offers food around the level of many table service level chains like Applebee’s and Chili’s. However, T-Rex Café tends to cost more for similar products.

For example, during a recent trip to T-Rex Café, I attempted to find a good “safe” option for adults dining here. I traditionally suggest a burger or one of the pasta dishes. Neither of those classify as great. Yet, they qualify as “safe” here. On this trip, I decided to order a Cobb Salad. Yes, it felt wrong to order this type of salad from anywhere besides Hollywood Brown Derby. Yet, I did. For record, the price of the Cobb Salad at Hollywood Brown Derby went up two dollars on the day I am writing this.

So, what did I think of the Cobb Salad from here? The portion size of this salad deserves praise. For the $22.99 price point (about same price as at Hollywood Brown Derby), I would have wanted more ingredients, but I knew I was at T-Rex Café. The menu description reads “grilled Chicken, tomatoes, black olives, blue cheese crumbles, chopped egg, bacon, (and) balsamic vinaigrette dressing.” The dressing comes on the side with this salad. I found the appearance and construction of this salad different than I expected.

All the ingredients of this salad provided decent flavor with two exceptions. The bacon tasted below normal expectations. In less polite terms, the bacon lacked real flavor. For all my bacon lovers out there, please forgive me for having to tell you that. Also, the dressing, on this evening, failed to add anything positive except a bit of moisture to the salad.

Even though I was surprised by the flavor of some of the ingredients like the cheese and eggs, the overall flavor was just okay. For same price as one at Hollywood Brown Derby, this needs to taste better. Also, for a Cobb style salad, some of the lettuce pieces were far too large. This reduces the dining enjoyment a bit.

If you select T-Rex Café for a meal during your time at Walt Disney World, then you should expect average food. Do plan for loud noises also. The best reason to visit T-Rex Café relates to enjoyment for your kids and grandkids. Having said that, this salad might function as a good option if you find yourself here. As always, eat like you mean it!

Celebrity chefs fail to be a new thing within the Orlando area. The theme park resorts continue to have a fascination with these chefs and their cuisine. Two of the most highly searched for advance dining reservations at Disney Springe relate to famous chefs, Iron Chef Morimoto, and Art Smith. The ups and downs of celebrity chef restaurants can be seen throughout the world. Concepts change and/or get replaced as time goes on. One example revolves around Wolfgang Puck. Back in 2020, A counter service dining location known as Wolfgang Puck Express closed in Disney Springs marketplace area. Of course, many places closed or greatly modified their operations because of the pandemic. However, for Wolfgang Puck fans, the Bar and Grill table service version still exists. By the way, the food has always been far better at the table service version than the former counter service location, especially the pizza.

Promotional Photo from Wolfgang Puck Bar and Grill Disney Springs

The conundrum for some Disney Springs visitors connects to how to enjoy Wolfgang Puck cuisine when not desiring a full table service level meal and/or that expense. The counter service location used to aid in that endeavor. I lack a perfect solution. Yet, in doing research on the table service Wolfgang Puck location I learned a few facts that might help. In addition, this site already published a review here of the Heirloom Apple Salad if you would like to read that.

Wolfgang Puck offers a lunch style menu from 11am-3pm Monday through Friday. They also offer a lunchtime menu on the weekends but a far shorter amount of time since they serve a brunch menu then also. For those missing the counter service variety of Wolfgang Puck, the lunch options here will offer far more quality without hurting your vacation budget as much as you would expect. For example, during a weekday lunch time visit here, I ordered an appetizer and entrée. Together they cost $31 plus tax and tip. These could have been shared between two people making a very cost-effective lunch.

On that afternoon, I ordered an appetizer of Roasted Meatballs. For my entrée, I selected the Salmon Burger. Deidre, my server, did a fabulous job of putting up with my food blogger antics and constant queries. For example, I asked her specifically for items exclusively on the lunch menu. This combination serves as the final solution on this afternoon.

The Roasted Meatballs appetizer costs $12. Based on the menu description, they only contain tomato sauce, basil, and ricotta cheese. Obviously, this starter comes with three larger meatballs.

When it arrived, it offered a nice aroma. At first, the large spoon that came with this threw me off. Yet, as I examined this appetizer, the spoon provides perfect assistance to enjoy these meatballs. The basil brings a clear flavor. The tomato sauce tastes okay but the main purpose is to bring other flavors together in this combination. I would have preferred more ricotta but that might have thrown off the balance of appetizer. The meatballs in the sauce arrive on your table very warm. They remain warm for some time. This appetizer could end up being messy with the sauce so be careful. Still, I used the large spoon provided. That reduced the mess factor. Also, this helped with getting the right balance of sauce with each bite of meatball.

After completing that appetizer, I started eating my entree. The Salmon Burger costs $19. This burger comes with avocado, butter lettuce, onions, tomato, and tartare sauce. Once again, this does not appear on the dinner menu.

This burger comes stacked high. The avocados and tomatoes on top of it can fall out as you eat this as a burger. I ate this like a burger until the last four bites. The construction of it holds us nicely for a tall burger. I received a nice portion size of salmon. The tartare sauce adds a solid but understated flavor. My biggest criticism of this burger involved not enough sauce in contact with the salmon. Based on burger construction, the avocado resides closest to the top layer of tartare sauce. I felt the burger tasted better without the layer of avocado blocking tartare sauce on top. Still, the burger offered solid flavor either way. The salmon itself brough good flavor and reasonable texture. In fact, I had two bites of just salmon at the end of my meal which shows the salmon came well prepared.

The burger came with a side of fries. They were shoestring style. I received a large portion, but they were seasoned nicely.

Based on my order, this meal could have been shared between two people for lunch. Feeding two people for $31 before tax and tip for a quality lunch at Disney Springs is no small feat. This lunch menu gives you several ways to accomplish feeding two people with an appetizer and entrée. Do not forget about Wolfgang Puck’s weekend brunch as a fun experience if visiting Disney Springs on a weekend. As always, eat like you mean it!

When one ponders signature dining at Walt Disney World, Topolino’s Terrace must be included in that conversation. Since Topolino’s Terrace – Flavors of the Riviera opened, the menu there increased the class of dining on the property. In addition, this table service location continues to be a highly searched-for dining reservation. Guests should be ready 60 days before this one. Of course, you could set an alert on MouseDining.com as I did. I acquired a recent dining reservation for this place two weeks before enjoying the food there, On that evening, I planned to enjoy the new seasonal dessert offered there.

Disney Parks Blogs released a list of Thanksgiving-themed food and beverage items. The “Caramel Chocolate Mousse with Hazelnut Cheesecake” appeared on this list from Topolino’s Terrace. The menu description, in typical Disney fashion, leaves out some information about the menu item. The menu description reads, “apple walnut cake, chocolate sea salt crumble, and cherry foam.” I suggest that the description undersells this item. Being a Topolino’s Terrace dessert, it features a great design and a larger-than-standard price tag. This seasonal dessert costs $14.

On the positive side, this desert looks great even before you start to eat it. The mousse comes well-prepared. The combination of flavors creates a pumpkin-like flavor that will not turn away even people who dislike pumpkins. The caramel and hazelnut flavors get their place to sparkle also within this dessert. The light but sweet flavors provide a satisfying end to a meal here. Though hard to nail down the exact percentage of each component, the imagery of a pumpkin works well for this Thanksgiving treat. The mousse itself shines as the star of this dessert. The cherry foam added a nice fruity element to this dessert also.

On the less positive side, the apple walnut cake worked with this dessert. Yet, it failed to be able to stand on its own. This cake portion on the bottom needs the other ingredients to be high quality. The chocolate sea salt crumbles were of high quality but added very little on this night. The chocolate piece on top of the mousse brought decent quality but was below Topolino’s standards.

If looking for a different seasonal dessert, this one provides a very solid option. If dining with a large group, this dessert might make a good one to share along with others for dessert time. This dessert will be available through November 27th, 2022.

Of course, you will need a reservation here unless you are lucky enough to find a slow enough night to enjoy the bar area. Even if this dessert lacks appeal for you, the entrees here exceed expectations. However, a discussion of my entrée will need to wait for another review. As always, eat like you mean it!

The beautiful Kona Café reopened on November 1^st, 2022, after about two-and-a-half months of refurbishment. Walt Disney World’s website stated, “Kona Cafe at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort is currently unavailable due to refurbishment. We will reopen on November 1, 2022, with an enhanced table-service experience. What does an enhanced table-service experience look like? Depending on when you read this, the breakfast review will already have been published. I had breakfast and lunch advance dining reservations at Kona Cafe for reopening day. I then sat in Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort typing about my experience. This is the result of that quick typing.

A few weeks in advance, Disney Parks Blog gave us some clues about menu adjustments starting November 1^st. For breakfast, we received more information. However. very little information was gained from that report about lunch and dinner. Thus, I arrived with limited preparation for appetizer and entrée choices. I did enlist the help of Goo to You! in evaluating the dining options on reopening day. Disney Parks Blog told us that several items would be returning to the menu like the Big Kahuna Burger and Seafood Pu Pu Platter. Those words confused me since neither of those items currently exists on the lunch and dinner menus. Of course, then I remembered that the burger at least was on the menu before virus times. However, the Seafood Pu Pu Platter has been an on-again then-off-again type menu item.

Still, the new lunch menu looks like a very scaled-back version of the dinner menu. For example, only two appetizer options appear on it, pot stickers and chicken wings. Sure, you can get various options of sushi if you desire. In fairness, the Kona Café menu fluctuates. My comparison connects to the menu right before closing for refurbishment as shown on Disney’s website a mere few days before the November reopening.

The lunchtime menu offerings do come with a bread service at the beginning making a nice touch. For lunch, our group ordered the Big Kahuna Burger and the Kona Stir-Fry with Chicken. These cost slightly under $25 each. The stir fry tasted very similar to the previous version of stir-fry here. If you like a strong Teriyaki sauce-based stir fry, then this one will be great for you. The stir-fry features plenty of vegetables with large slices of carrots. The chicken provided a needed protein. Yet, I found this chicken a bit dry and did not have as much flavor as other places on-site at Walt Disney World, like Raglan Road for example. Overall, stir-fry makes a nice meal but would not be a meal to race to get.

The Big Kahuna Burger returned. It resides on the lunch and dinner menu. This well-prepared burger comes with sautéed pastrami, corned beef, pepper jack cheese, mustard aioli, and a tangy cucumber, on a brioche bun. This will be served with standard Walt Disney World fries. Yet, the portion size of the fries looked very filling. This burger provides a nice meaty taste. On this day, the combination of meats created a salty aftertaste on several bites. The burger qualifies as juicy which is always a good thing with a burger. The brioche bun made a nice touch but gets overwhelmed by other components. My GooToYou! companion thought this burger was a good option at the Polynesian Village Resort.  My hesitation about this burger relates to the $24 price point. That might be a bit high for this type of burger.

Overall, I thought my lunch experience failed to live up to the level of breakfast experience earlier in the day. The scaled-back menu does not offer enough variety for most guests in my opinion. On the GooToYou scale, I would give this a 3.3 out of 5. Yet, Kona Café serves its purpose at this resort. If I were wanting to dine here, I would select breakfast or dinner instead. As always, eat like you mean it!

The food and beverage options at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort shine as an impressive group, This deluxe-level resort has something for any taste. The current most-searched-for advance dining reservation, Ohana, serves as the flagship of the dining options. Whereas people line up for hours just for the opportunity to enter Trader Sam’s. Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort contains numerous pool bars. Of course, the Tambu Lounge calls to others. Capt. Cook’s provides a decent counter service option within this resort. However, a fan favorite Kona Café has been closed since August 15^th. Yet, the Kona Café reopened on November 1^st.

This reopening was lauded as coming with a new and improved Kona café. Disney’s website said, “We will reopen on November 1, 2022, with an enhanced table-service experience.” What would be enhanced about it? Would the menu change? What would happen to the highly regarded Tonga Toast, if anything?

Disney Parks Blog gave us a bit of an update about the menu on October 18^th. They reassured fans that some breakfast favorites have cemented their place on the menu. These included the Tonga Toast and Pineapple Macadamia Nut Pancakes served at breakfast. Disney stated that these two are fan favorites for a reason. In addition, guests can see new lighting fixtures, better seating, improved signage, and plenty of tropical flowers decorating Kona Café now. This more open concept aids in dining enjoyment.

Kona Café did “soft open” two days early with a limited new menu. This provided some test runs with the new menu in addition to the special private events held there in the days leading up to the official reopening. A small glimpse into what reopening day would look like was gained on those days. Yet, the official reopening day functions as the real test.

Well, lucky people including me, enjoyed breakfast at Kona Café on November 1^st. Thus, I can give you my perspective on the changes and some of the menu items in this updated Kona Café.   Since the Tonga Toast and Pineapple Macadamia Nut Pancakes remained on the menu, I selected some other options for my breakfast. Also, I requested help from Knights Treks in evaluating some of the new breakfast options. I appreciate them joining me.

I ordered the new Spice Rubbed Salmon Plate. This costs $17. This unique breakfast item arrives with an incredible presentation. The appearance of this entrée will lure diners into this dining experience. The menu description sounds very plain. I suspect that it is to allow chefs to change recipes after guest feedback since is a new item. The description simply reads that the salmon comes with pan-Asian accompaniment. That description undersells and oversells certain aspects of this breakfast entrée.

Regarding the taste of this breakfast entrée, the salmon was good quality. The cheese wrapped in it complimented it nicely, adding a good flavor. Despite the appearance of my photo, I thought the portion size of the salmon to be adequate for this type of entrée. Yet, the other components do not add as much to this entrée. Also, I found the cheese and thin bagel-like bread failed to match all the powerful flavors of the rest of the entrée. In fairness, those may have been intended to be a balancing feature for this entrée. I just did not think it worked very well on this day

As mentioned, I feel this new item served today will be tweaked as time goes on. Yet, I suspect some guests will find the texture difficult. This breakfast item offers some excellent distinctive flavors but may be far too unique for most theme park diners. I found this to be an excellent departure from the standard eggs and sausage breakfast though.

My dining companions ordered the signature Tonga Toast and the Ham & Cheese Omelet as entrees. They also ordered the “Freshly Brewed Joffrey’s Coffee™ Hawaiian Kona Maragogype Press Pot.” They found the pressed pot wonderful. We even spent some time looking for that coffee blend in the gift shop. The Tonga Toast continues to be a wonderful breakfast entrée if you do not mind a heavy sugar-filled breakfast. The omelet serves as one of the “safe” dining choices. My dining friends said that the omelet and potatoes provided a solid flavor.

The newly reopened Kona Café fulfills a need a Disney’s Polynesian Resort for breakfast. This table-service dining option will not kill your budget. All our entrées were $17 each. For a breakfast of this quality at a deluxe-level resort hotel, this makes reasonable value. In fairness, this place is not Ohana. Yet, Kona Café does not try to be Ohana (or cost as much as Ohana). The adjustments to the breakfast menu, at Kona Café, and the old favorites provide guests with some outside-the-norm breakfast dining options. All three of us dining together on reopening day agreed that we would eat here again. Since it is too early to determine the demand for advanced dining reservations here yet since reopening, I suggest making an advance dining reservation to enjoy this food and setting. As always, eat like you mean it!

When you think of your favorite types of cheese, which ones come to mind? Do you think cheddar, Swiss, gouda, or gorgonzola as your first choices? How long would it take before you thought of burrata cheese? Do you know what burrata cheese is? According to Cheese.com, Burrata, meaning “buttery” in Italian, cheese is made fresh from a mix of mozzarella and cream. Burrata cheese often includes a thin shell of a pasta filata curd made of buffalo and/or cow’s milk mozzarella, while the insides contain a soft, doughy, stringy mixture of curd and fresh cream, according to cheese.com.

Maybe it is just me, but I started noticing Burrata based entrees and appetizers popping up all over Walt Disney World and the Orlando area in general.  Perhaps they have always been there. Yet, I found far more during my October trip to Orlando than in previous months. I know several of the ones I tried in October were recently added to the menu. One such appetizer came suggested by my server, Deidre, at Wolfgang Puck’s Bar and Grill in Disney Springs.

Wolfgang Puck Bar and Grill sits near the Coco-Cola store in the Town Center area of Disney Springs. This location recently added an “Heirloom Apple Salad” to the menu. The menu description reads “local burrata, red oak lettuce, pumpkin seed pesto, (and) apple butter. Of course, as the title of item states, this comes with apples also. This appetizer/salad costs $18 before any applicable discounts.

Since I tried three different food items containing burrata cheese during my trip during the first week of October, I have gained some new perspective. Of the burrata dishes I ate, the cheese itself tasted the best with this one. Overall, the flavors of this salad worked very well together also. Each ingredient looked and tasted fresh. Every component displayed the high quality expected from a table service place at Walt Disney World. The apple butter found in bottom of bowl provides just enough sweetness to enhance this salad. I expected the apple butter not to hold up, but it did in this salad.

In annoying food blogger mode, I tasted each ingredient separately before having the salad as it was designed. Even the pumpkin pesto and seeds offered enough flavor to enjoy them on their own. The lettuce might need an additional dressing on it. Still, the lettuce plays a very secondary part in this salad. Yet, it plays that part very well. I would be curious why the selection of this type of lettuce. Of course, I will only write about food. Chefs design masterpieces of food so I am just curious about the choice.

The apples and burrata function as leading actor and actress in this production. Also, the portion size of both of those increases the general enjoyment of this salad. For the record, the apples provided my favorite part of this salad. In addition, this salad might be large enough to share.

As with most burrata, some people will struggle with the texture. The consistency of the burrata itself started to break down a bit quicker than I expected with this salad. This issue failed to take away from the taste. Yet, I think people with texture issues with their food might find that consistency issue troubling. Of course, this phenomenon commonly happens with burrata style cheese.

Finally, I can easily see why my server recommended this salad. It shows off creativity and flavors you would expect from a celebrity chef restaurant. Some people might scoff at the $18 price point. Still, the flavor combinations and quality should live up to expected levels for that price point. This salad could make an excellent light lunch or a great start to a pleasant meal. I, for one, hope this new menu item sticks around for a while. As always, eat like you mean it!

Once upon a time, this part-time theme park food blogger posted a photo of his meal in a Facebook group making Main Street Magic. This Facebook group does not talk exclusively about food. Still, many members of that group enjoy food talk immensely.  This food blogger posted a photo of an appetizer from a seafood place located in Disney Springs. This food blogger commonly does this when visiting Walt Disney World. As with most social networks, people can leave comments. One commentator said how much they liked that appetizer. The next commentator wanted to confirm the identity of that appetizer and whether I, and another person, approve of it. Well, this dining review serves as official verification of the acceptable quality of this appetizer for said commentator with the initials of DC. Folks, it never hurts to keep the co-founder informed.

If you figure out the identity of DC, then you will understand why this appetizer moved up in my writing queue. Based on unusual circumstances, I have gotten the privilege to visit Orlando far more than expected over the last several months. As a result, I selected a place to have lunch one day that I had not visited before. So, Paddlefish restaurant in Disney Springs earned the selection. I desired to order an appetizer and an entrée that day with the full intention of doing some dining reviews. For full disclosure, the “Crab Topped Fries” were the only appetizer that appealed to me that afternoon. Thus, I ordered them. I also enlisted the help of Vacationeers Podcast in this dining evaluation.

Crab Topped Fries functions as a simple appetizer. In fact, the crab fries came out of kitchen very quickly. They arrived so quickly that I doubted the freshness. However, my concern lacked validity. The elements of this starter tasted fresh. These covered fries cost $18. These qualify, according to menu, as gluten free also. The menu description reflects the simple nature of this starter. Paddlefish lists only skin-on fries, blue crab, and “Louie” dressing as ingredients to form this mixture.

If you are unfamiliar with Louie style dressing, this generally appears on crab and shrimp dishes. For example, if you see a Crab Louie salad or Shrimp Louie on a menu then it will use this style of sauce. This sauce normally contains mayonnaise, red chili sauce, mined green onions and green chili peppers. As you might expect, this sauce pairs well with seafood items.

So how did the crab topped fries taste? Well, the Louie sauce worked very well with this creation. I would have preferred a bit more spice with the sauce though. Still, based on most Walt Disney World visitors, I suspect they tone it down some. These fries came with plenty of that sauce. A reasonable amount of crab existed with this appetizer also. The crab flavor matched well with the fries and sauce. The crab itself tasted okay but nothing spectacular for crab meat.

However, the fries tasted just like standard fries. In fact, they offered less flavor than the fries that came with my entrée later. Yet, the fries did hold the sauce and crab nicely when taking a bite.

Overall, I found the flavor of this starter quite good. Yes, the concept builds on something very uncomplicated. However, sometimes in cuisine, it is about doing something very simple with great skill.

Besides the quality of the fries, I see two possible negatives about this item. The price point appears a bit high for this appetizer. However, the portion size exceeds standard amount for an appetizer around Disney Springs so that could explain some of higher price point. In addition, this appetizer presents a challenge for sharing with groups containing germ adverse people. Our server brought us plates to place portions upon. However, this could lead to a significant mess. Thus, it might encourage people to eat directly from the original bowl.

All in all, this straightforward appetizer makes a good way to open your meal at Paddlefish. If looking for an appetizer that picky eaters will even enjoy, this requires a view. As always, eat like you mean it!

Assuming you read the title of this food review, you know this article will be primarily about a burger. Sometimes, when you go out to eat, you just want a good burger. Perhaps, that is just me, but I planned during my September 2022 trip to Orlando to find some quality cost-effective table service dining at Disney Springs. I kept coming back to visiting Terralina Crafted Italian. Yes, they have a burger. That burger qualified for my “Top 6” burgers article earlier this year.

If you have never been to Terralina Crafted Italian before, I understand. When writing for MouseDining, I attempt to focus on the most searched for restaurants for advance dining reservations. Based on people searching for dining at Walt Disney World, Terralina Crafted Italian ranks as one of the least searched for restaurants. Based on its location, I would have expected more traffic for dining here when I visited on a weekday evening recently. Since it is not far from The Boathouse and Gideon’s Bakehouse, I suspect many guests see this place. Either way, I doubt most would expect a quality burger to be found at Terralina Crafted Italian.

The “Crafted Burger” here does not taste like your average burger. The flavors within this burger qualify as unique. In fairness, if you want a quality traditional burger, this would not be the best choice for you. However, I enjoyed this burger. The “Crafted Burger” costs $21. The menu description tells us to expect a ground chuck and brisket burger patty. I found the burger patty offers an excellent flavor all on its own. The mix of chuck and brisket creates a nice burger patty displaying different flavor combinations than most burger patties served at Walt Disney World.

The patty comes topped with arugula, tomato, pickled red onion, cheddar, and chili-sage aioli. I visualized an Italian style salad being placed on my burger. The aioli creates an excellent additional flavor that keeps it from overwhelming everything else. The pickled red onions do shine with this burger adding a large amount of flavor in combination with the aioli. The toasted bun completes this burger.

The burger comes with truffle potato chips and garlic pickles as sides. The pickles tasted average. I expected more from the truffle chips in terms of flavor. They worked fine with this burger but they were nothing special. You can substitute a baby green salad or fries for an additional $3. If you want to upgrade your meal, you can pay $5 for Italian fries instead of potato chips.

Overall, this burger fails to be easy to quantify compared to burgers at other table service dining. Based on the preparation style and toppings, you will not want to add additional condiments to this burger. I found the bun quality even added to this burger. The small amount of Italian seasoning (or kick) that enhanced this burger makes it worth considering. The burger patty came well prepared and very tender. I found this burger easy to eat.

As an added touch, they brought bread out while our food was being prepared. The bread tasted average but did come with some oil to fit the Italian theming.

Photo courtesy of Vacationeers Podcast

Also, on the evening I ordered this burger, I split this and one of the pizzas at Terralina Crafted Italian with Tom of Vacationeers Podcast. With his annual pass discount, before the tip, the burger and pizza cost under $38. I think that might not be the best meal to eat all the time. Still, two grown adults easily found themselves satisfied portion size-wise. Some pizza was taken home in fact. In addition, both the pizza and burger offer plenty of solid flavor for that price point.

Now, this combination of a burger and pizza would not be the kind you sit in front of the TV to watch a football game with (as Tom said that evening). Yet, based on my experience, this often-overlooked Disney Springs table service restaurant might have a good sit-down version for you to enjoy. As always, eat like you mean it!

Well, I finally got around to doing it. What is that you ask? Well, I went to Splitsville in Disney Springs to try the “new” Buffalo Egg Rolls. Okay, they were new when I first planned to try them. Higher priority items like Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party, Halloween Horror Nights, Howl-O-Scream, and even The Haunted Road event slowed me down. I have tried to go on four different occasions over the last few months. Still, this place fails to make the cut each time. Yet, I finally made it to book a reservation here and enjoy this appetizer.

If you are unfamiliar with Splitsville Dining, this restaurant has a large dining area and a bowling alley. This restaurant is run by the same parent company as Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’ and Everglazed Doughnuts. In addition to the indoor seating and bowling alley, this place provides an excellent outdoor bar area, usually offering live music. Recently, I sat in the outdoor area with my advance dining reservation. On that occasion, I finally ordered the Buffalo Egg Rolls.

Promotional Photo from Splitsville Dining

This newer appetizer costs $15 before any applicable discounts. The menu description tells us to anticipate hand rolled egg rolls. These egg rolls come filled with buffalo chicken, cream cheese, celery and carrots according to the menu. The menu description also tells you they are served with scallions and avocado ranch for dipping. In fairness, the scallions appear on your serving plate topping the egg rolls. Well, the ones that do not fall onto your plate sit atop the egg rolls. Also, the celery and carrots arrived in some lettuce during my experience.

Promotional Photo from Splitsville Dining

Regarding presentation, this appetizer looks solid. The more bar and grill style cut egg roll presentation works for these. The avocado ranch comes in a container suitable for dipping. The vegetables sit at the side of plate asking for attention.

I tried the first portion of egg roll by itself without vegetables or dipping sauce. I found the flavor pretty good. If you enjoy these egg rolls this way, you will experience a solid amount of kick from the buffalo flavoring. As I was eating this first portion, I pondered if the sauce functions as a cooling agent for these egg rolls. Now, the spicy kick of these egg rolls does not exceed theme park theme spicy levels though. Yet, as mentioned, you will notice it if only eating egg rolls with nothing else.

Next, I tried a portion of egg roll with some of the sauce. My expectation of the sauce acting as a cooling agent proved true. The sauce all by itself presented a refreshing flavor. If someone in your group voices concern about the heat level of the buffalo flavor, this dipping sauce will solve that problem. In fact, I think if you do not overdo it, the dipping sauce increases the taste bud experience of these egg rolls. For full transparency, I used all the dipping sauce when I had these.

Even though the vegetables on the side looked like a make-shift lettuce wrap, they did add to the dining experience. The freshness of the vegetables showed promise. The crunchy texture given by them when added to the egg rolls helps also. In addition, in my opinion, the scallions add a needed supporting flavor to this appetizer. Yet, anyone adverse to scallions will want to avoid that aspect of these.

The egg roll “shell” itself tasted reasonably good. The texture matches the other components nicely. I suspect that some guests will find its texture less than positive still.

In terms of dining experience, I sat outside in the bar area. Tara, my server, did a good job caring for me and other guests. I went on a weekday for lunch before heading to Halloween Horror Nights across town. The live music started around noon increasing value of dining here.

Regarding the standard question if I would order this again, I find myself torn. I would not come here specifically for this appetizer. Still, if a group wanted to dine here, I would happily propose this appetizer. These egg rolls would be easy to share. Despite the name, I doubt any guests using the dipping sauce would struggle with the spicy nature of the buffalo chicken. Overall, these make a good addition to the menu here. As always, eat like you mean it!