To some extent, we are all products of our life experiences. I know that I often show signs of my upbringing. Of course, sometimes I make decisions very differently than people my age with similar backgrounds. In fact, many people express shock with my decisions. As my current twitter handle (@pastorjonself) indicates, I express a certain worldview. For understandable reasons, ministers, like many vocations, get made fun of by comedians.

One of the classic examples of comedians making fun of USA church culture would be from Saturday Night Live. Yes, Dana Carvey introduced us to the concept of the “Church Lady.” The catchphrase “Well, isn’t that special” became part of pop culture during that time. For me, every time I hear about one of the very popular appetizers at Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’, that is all I can visualize. I realize for people of a certain age; I have ruined this excellent appetizer. If you are one of those people visualizing “The Church Lady”, I apologize. Please send all angry messages to my twitter account.

Photo Credit: Entertainment Weekly

Yes, I am talking about the “Church Lady Deviled Eggs” from Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’. Before I discuss this appetizer, I do not dislike deviled eggs. Yet, I fail to be a fan of them either. However, having served in vocational ministry in the USA and other countries, I have tasted my fair share of deviled eggs.

Also, I would like to apologize that more Homecomin’ dining reviews will be written over the next few months. I asked my spouse where she wanted to eat in Disney Springs. She quickly replies with Homecomin’. I may not know much. Still, if you ask your spouse a direct question and get a direct answer, respond appropriately. I quickly put in an alert at MouseDining for a lunch reservation for two. In fact, I have adjusted my lunch timeslot three times using MouseDining. If you are unaware, Homecomin’ presents some challenge in terms of getting a reservation.

Now, the Church Lady Deviled Eggs cost $13. Each appetizer order includes 6 of these eggs. You can order a half order if you only want three. However, you will want six! The menu description tells us to prepare to enjoy HFK-style whole deviled eggs. As mentioned, these eggs are not merely cut in half then filled like a common everyday deviled egg.  Some Art Smith voodoo happens making each deviled egg basically the size of a normal egg filled with yummy goodness. So do not visualize each one being half an egg. These deviled eggs will provide a nice solid portion size for groups of 4 or more to share.

The “filling” for each deviled egg functions with some voodoo power also. Why do I say that? Well, the filling offers an incredibly smooth texture. Even great tasting deviled eggs struggle with texture issues though. If you are person who avoids certain foods due to texture issues, these should be fine for you. Unlike most deviled eggs, the smooth consistency and steady flavor makes for incredible bites every time

Also, the flavor of the filling offers the expected mustard-based taste. However, the mustard, yolk mixture, and special HFK seasonings taste like they were intended to always be used this way.

Okay, I know I am overselling this appetizer at this point. Yes, sometimes guests find that these deviled eggs taste just average. However, those experiences work as an exception not the norm.

If these do not sound good enough, each egg comes with a piece of candied bacon on top. Yes, you just read candied bacon. Risking over over-selling again, visualize giving Chef Art Smith the ability to improve bacon. Clearly, no church potluck I have ever attended offered candied bacon on deviled eggs. However, I think that should be mandatory now.

In addition, the deviled eggs come delivered in a type of ceramic container. This container holds the eggs perfectly. Also with some Chef Art Smith voodoo, the container helps keep the eggs cool for your enjoyment.

The appetizer makes a great option if dining at the bar at Homecomin’. Now, I would not visit Homecomin simply for this appetizer. Yet, if you find yourself fortunate enough to have a reservation to dine here, this appetizer makes a great starting place for your meal. As I have written previously, Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’ creates a challenge to get a reservation. I got a reservation for my next trip (in addition to one with spouse). Yes, I woke up at 4:30am to be ready to select a time 60 days in advance. Yes, the spots went quickly.

Historically, I have shown great proficiency in acquiring boarding passes for Walt Disney World new “e-ticket” level attractions. Yet, I confess that getting a dining reservation to some Walt Disney World restaurants early in the morning 60 days in advance stresses me more. If you want to lower that stress, MouseDining can help. Of course, no guarantees exist when it comes to anything related to Walt Disney World technology. However, the success stories using MouseDining bring hope for that long sought-after dining reservation. Good luck in planning your Walt Disney World dining. As always, eat like you mean it!

Magic Kingdom offers so many wonderful experiences for guests. You can find attractions for all ages. You can find shows and character interactions to make everyone smile. The parades, cavalcades, and fireworks create a magical day. Still, a day at Magic Kingdom presents the difficulty of survival. When I say survival, I mean making it through the day without your feet giving out. This potential negative grows if staying off-site. Your day begins at the Transportation and Ticket Center. You then must navigate your way across the lagoon to the Magic Kingdom entrance. Since you wanted to arrive early, your day will be long to make it to fireworks that night.

As a theme park food blogger, my concern for people in this situation revolves around settling for overpriced below average quality counter service food inside Magic Kingdom. Sure, you could settle for a below average burger at Cosmic Ray’s. Yes, the basic hot dogs at Casey’s Corner will suffice. Yet, what do you do if you want a a good meal? You could make a reservation for a table service dining option within Magic Kingdom. This choice brings air conditioning, a beverage, and an actual place to sit.

If you decide to take a break from the business of Magic Kingdom with table-service dining, your choices are mostly average (The Plaza, for example) and/or expensive (Be Our Guest, for example). However, I would suggest an alternative. Have you considered taking an early afternoon break to go dine at one of the monorail resort hotels? Since you are already at Magic Kingdom, the monorail trip will be short. Also, you get to see a deluxe level resort hotel at Walt Disney World. To recharge yourself for the rest of the day and night, this excursion outside Magic Kingdom might be perfect.

As you might deduce, I suggest making a reservation at Steakhouse 71 located within the Contemporary Resort. When checking reservations 55-60 days in advance, lunch spots were open but very few.

As you may know, this restaurant used to be called The Wave. After some redesigning of the space and the menu, Steakhouse 71 became a highly desired reservation. Steakhouse 71 serves three different menus with a breakfast one, a lunch one, and a dinner menu. The lunch and dinner menus share some similar menu items but not many.

Crab Cake Sliders with petite wedge salad

In the first few weeks of Steakhouse 71 opened in October 2021, I visited here for lunch in a large group. My primary purpose that day involves testing out the burger here. Having been back a few more times, I can attest this place offers excellent lunch options. The “Crab Cake Sliders” here provide a great example. Even crab cake snobs find these crab cakes high quality. Now, this is Walt Disney World so you should expect high quality at their deluxe resorts. These sliders cost $19. The menu description sounds wonderful. It reads lump crab cakes, old bay remoulade, tomato, pickled slaw on a brioche bun. These sliders come with a choice of sides (petite wedge salad, parmesan fries, or pasta salad).

Before I describe the sliders, a few words should be said about the sides. Though improvement has happened, the sides pull the lunch down. In fact, with an incredible onion ring appetizer, these sides pale in comparison. For this entrée, I would get fries. If you decide to get the other two, beg for less dressing and/or oil. Both tend to get soggy. The flavors work but texture suffers.

Regarding the crab cake sliders, these sliders taste exceptional. The crab cake offers way better flavor than the previous version with The Wave. My main negative revolves around the sliders being a bit small. Still, you get two of them. Also, the piece of crab cake looks tall. I advise gently pushing the top piece of bread down on the crab cake before taking a bite.

Far away, the star of these sliders is the crab cake itself. The crunchy outer portion looks and tastes exactly as it should. The crab cake interior presents a soft texture. The sweetness of the crab meat balances well with the spice of the Old Bay Remoulade. Yet, Jeremy Stein, of Main Street Magic Podcast, would suggest the crab cake slider could use a little more “Old Bay” seasoning. Jeremy meets my crab cake snob definition. He knows good crab cake and approves of these.

Photo courtesy of Main Street Magic Podcast

The flavor and consistency of the brioche bun adds to the enjoyment of these sliders. This lunch menu item provides value, quality, and an overall light lunch. This lunch should charge you back up for rest of your day at Magic Kingdom.

Since Steakhouse 71 has been open less than a year, reservations are coveted here. MouseDining offers subscription plans to help you get this reservation as well as many others. If you want to enjoy excellent dining options like this for your Walt Disney World vacation, consider signing up for a subscription to get alerts when hard to find reservations become available. I respect that planning a table service reservation can feel like it takes away some of the magic. Still, eating nothing but counter service chicken tenders and below average burgers will not help the magic either. As always, eat like you mean it!

Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa reigns as one of the most prestigious resort hotels at Walt Disney World. The location, quality service, and deluxe level amenities attract guests to this hotel. Some of the best table service dining on Walt Disney World property resides at Grand Floridian Resort. Narcoossee’s and Citricos (and of course Victoria and Albert’s) headline the table service dining here. The more casual table service dining option here is the Grand Floridian Café.

Grand Floridian Café serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Normal operating hours are:

Breakfast – 7:30 AM to 11:00 AM

Lunch – 11:05 AM to 2:00 PM

Dinner – 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM

If you are unfamiliar with the Grand Floridian Café, Walt Disney World, on their website, calls this place a hidden gem. That wording always confuses me since how can you declare your own restaurant a hidden gem at your signature deluxe resort hotel? Despite that, reservations are recommended here. On the day of writing this article, around 7:00am Florida time, only two time slots were open for breakfast 60 days in advance. Yet, most lunch and dinner spots were still available. However, 30 days in advance, limited spots were available for breakfast and dinner. Based on that, it sounds like many people know about this place. Of course, Walt Disney World also says on their website that advance reservations are highly recommended.

So, what makes this place a “hidden gem” and a place where reservations are recommended? One reason relates to the fact that Disney calls a large portion of menu “Blunch.” I confess my lack of knowledge of that term until starting to write this article. Still, if you want a brunch menu with way more lunch style items on it, Grand Floridian Café provides that. Grand Floridian Café offers a wide variety of breakfast and lunch items.

However, they offer the Lobster ‘Thermidor Burger all day. If you want to have a high-quality table service burger for breakfast, then you can. You are on vacation, right? If the concept of lobster on a burger intrigues you, this one should be on your list.

Grand Floridian Café Lobster ‘Thermidor’ Burger costs more than your average table service burger at $25. Yet, as I compile an updated list of the best burgers at Walt Disney World, this one deserves to be named. This artisanal burger patty comes with a lobster-parmesan thermidor sauce. Yes, that type sauce at this “hidden gem” comes with a burger. If that is not enough, guests get a seared brioche bun and actual quality lobster inside it. This burger does come with signature seasoned French fries. However, you did not order this table service burger for the fries.

So how is this burger? First, the overall flavor of the burger patty wins high adoration. This artisanal blend, as Disney calls it, proves that Disney can do better than below average quick service burgers. Yes, this burger patty is covered with scrumptious toppings. Disney likes to use the trick of covering below average burger patties with a bunch of toppings hoping you do not notice. The artisanal meat blend used in this burger could be better and perhaps have more seasoning. Still, the burger could shine by itself if needed without the toppings. Based on my sources, this burger also gets help with incredible preparation. For example, if you ask for a medium-rare burger, that is what you get.

A unique touch of a parmesan cracker resides on top of this burger also. That aspect does not appear in the menu description. The cracker provides a solid contrast in terms of texture. The parmesan flavoring could have been more for me. Yet, this burger comes with plenty of flavor already.

Now, how do I describe the sauce and the lobster? I cannot tell which of those offers the most satisfying taste. As you might expect, this flavor of lobster and sauce presents a rich decadent shock to your taste buds. The combination of the unique blend burger patty, the cream sauce, some actual lobster, and the salty parmesan wafer delivers near perfection within the brioche bun.

The negatives of this menu item, in my opinion, are three-fold. First, the fries sometimes taste inconsistent in quality. Second, the price point might alarm the person in charge of your budget. Third, the sauce often leads to probable mess factor. If you tend to leave restaurants wearing some of your meal, get your napkins ready.

Photo courtesy of mainstmagic.com

The final question revolves around the issue of the worth of this burger (and fries) at $25? As theme park fans, we find ourselves asking this question so often these days in terms of a Walt Disney World vacation. If you want a high-quality table service level burger, then this should be near the top of your list (if not the top!). Some Walt Disney World restaurants offer burgers with better overall value. Still, very few burgers anywhere provide better taste than this one.

Obviously, if you dislike parmesan and/or lobster, skip this one. However, if you want a larger burger with great flavor, this one should be tested. You might find larger burgers off-property, but this is large enough to share if you are willing to do that. Once again, this burger resides on the menu for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. In theory, you can eat this exclusively while at Walt Disney World. If you choose to accept that contest, you might need to get a few reservations. I understand that MouseDining can assist with that. As always, eat like you mean it!

Before the addition of several high-quality counter service places in Disney’s Hollywood Studios, many used to say how horrible getting hungry would be there. In my opinion, the worst Orlando area theme park to solve hunger within would be Magic Kingdom. Many would suggest when at Magic Kingdom to take a monorail trip to one of the excellent dining options along the monorail. I support that choice. However, in my time writing theme park food reviews, I find most people refuse to leave the park for a break even for lunch. Even over at Universal Orlando where multiple high-quality full-service dining options reside within easy walking distance in CityWalk, people select to dine inside the park.

If you feel this way while at Magic Kingdom, your dining options present a challenge. You might select below average burgers or pizza at a counter service place. Of course, you might try average counter service Mexican-like food. Now, you could decide to enjoy a Prix Fixe meal at one of the signature dining options at Magic Kingdom. However, those meals may come with some characters, but your wallet will be damaged even beyond normal Disney level.

If it were me, I would go dine at Jungle Navigation Co. LTD Skipper Canteen. In fact, I plan to dine here in August before Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party. Of course, most people call this place Skipper Canteen for short. In some of Walt Disney World’s marketing of this table service option, they describe it having three rooms. Skipper Canteen has three quirky dining areas: the crew’s colonial-era Mess Hall; the Jungle Room, former parlor of Dr. Albert Falls himself; and the S.E.A. Room – a once-secret meeting place for the Society of Explorers and Adventures.

The restaurant comes complete with unique décor fitting of a place that Jungle Cruise workers would eat within. The menu comes with jokes so bad that a Jungle Cruise skipper would elect not to say them. However, your server here may choose to tell those jokes so be prepared.

One of the most popular items here displays this corny joke style. The “Tastes Like Chicken” Because it is! shows off Jungle Cruise level humor. Based on many reviews and guest reports about this one menu item I have read and/or edited, this chicken dish continues to be very popular here.

The “Tastes like Chicken” Because it is! currently costs $26. For table service dining within Magic Kingdom that price point comes in about average. The menu description tells us to expect crispy-fried chicken with a sweet chili glaze, stir-fried vegetables, and seasoned rice. If that sounds like a theme park version of sweet and sour chicken, you would be correct. Though the entrée works better with the glaze/sauce topped on the chicken in standard preparation. Guests may select to have sauce/glaze on the side.

So how does this chicken taste? In the typical bad Jungle Cruise joke pattern, it tastes like chicken! In fairness, the chicken tastes well above average. The decent portion size offers diners hope in a good meal. Guessing, I would estimate the chicken size to be about a ¼ of a chicken. The batter lightly covers the chicken. The flavor of the batter adds to the experience nicely. The chicken tends to avoid dryness issues. I resist saying not dry at all since chicken often gets a bit dry. However, I suspect if you order this, that will not be a concern. However, you should expect potential of some bones with your chicken. If you desire table service chicken tenders, then this entrée is not for you.

Many guests find the chili glaze the most enjoyable part of the entrée. I feel the glaze in combination with the chicken works very well creating an excellent flavor.  The seasoned rice in combination with the vegetables creates some balance also.

Though Skipper Canteen offers some unique flavors with their other entrées, this high quality sweet and sour style chicken fails to overwhelm people with any real spicy kick. Some guests read chili sauce expecting spicier flavor. The sauce flavor provides a touch of sweetness, as opposed to spicy kick, with this dish.

Photo Courtesy of Main Street Magic Podcast

If this sounds intriguing to you, you may need a reservation for this restaurant. I have been looking at reservations of this place as my 60-day window approaches. Depending on the time of year you visit, this could be a challenge. If you struggle with getting a reservation for the time you want, you may want to consult a reservation finder service. As you might suspect, I recommend MouseDining for ease of use. Whatever you need, enjoy your time at Walt Disney World. Thanks for reading this blog. We will endeavor to continue to write reviews so you can make wise dining choices. As always, eat like you mean it!