Gluten Free & Dairy Free at WDW - Dining Reviews from the Walt Disney World Resort & Beyond
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Table Service

Biergarten — Lunch — Table Service — Epcot — World Showcase

December 4, 2013 by Sarah 7 Comments
Biergarten Lunch

*This dining experience took place in November 2013.

 

The Germany pavilion in Epcot makes you feel like you are in Munich for Oktoberfest. There’s a lot of charm to this spot in the World Showcase and Biergarten, the pavilion’s table service location, really embodies this essence. The restaurant is set to resemble a German Oktoberfest celebration, complete with an Oompah Band and communal dining. I had heard lots of great reviews for vegetarian dining from the Disney Hipsters, Adam and Andrew, and also lots of gluten free diners. Believe it or not, I had never been to Biergarten, so I decided to stop by for lunch as a part of the Candelight Processional Dinner Package (more on that in another post).

Biergarten is set far back in the pavilion. It’s located next to Sommerfest which is the quick service location that serves bratwurst, currywurst and macaroni & cheese among its offerings. I occasionally pop by this location because I really enjoy the bratwurst on a gluten free/dairy free bun (which varies) and sauerkraut (you can read a review about this restaurant HERE). When we went to check in to this location, I saw the prices for meals—for an all-you-care-to-eat location, I thought it was pretty reasonable! Way cheaper when you compare some of the other buffet or family style locations. Plus, if you are a Tables in Wonderland card holder, you get 20% off or 10% off for Annual Passholders.

 

The restaurant check-in was super busy, and we tried to check in 30 minutes early but were told to come back 15 minutes before our ADR. Wow, that was actually a first for us. So, we wandered around the World Showcase for a bit, and then came back to check-in. The cast members give you the spiel about siting with other diners (which we knew ahead of time) and also climbing stairs. As we saw when we got in the restaurant, it would be slightly more difficult if you had mobile challenges, as there were levels of seating. Once our pager went off, we were taken into the restaurant with a group of 5 plus our group of 3.

I’m not going to lie, seating is a little weird, especially if you have an odd numbered party.  We sat towards the railing at our table and our table-mates sat closer to the walk-way. Once seated our server clarified who was in each party and then took drink orders. She also told me she would get the chef for me. The rest of the table went to get in line – which was a good idea because it was crazy busy in there. Evidently the Candelight Processional dinner package meant the 1 p.m. time frame was nutso!

 

The chef came over and offered to walk me around the buffet. He basically went over the options which were safe and which to stay away from. Pretty much all of the non-breaded meats were safe (i.e. bratwursts, sausage, cold cuts, pates, etc.) Most of the veggies were safe too with the exception of the cold potato salad, macaroni gratin, and some other items. All but one sauce for the carving station were gluten free & dairy free (aka sweet mustard). Soups were definitely out–dairy and gluten filled cream based soups! Dessert basically off-limits except the fruit compote which came in individual ramekins. Then the chef pretty much was going to walk away; but I wanted to ask if they had bread or buns (which I knew they had) and dessert options. He said he could get be a bun and maybe some cookies. I’ve heard really wonderful things about the chefs here from others, but this chef was pretty disinterested. I’m sure he was totally slammed in the back, but I felt like he was just trying to get through with me as quickly as possible.

Heading back to the buffet, I saw several areas that felt like big cross contamination risks to me, especially because it was so busy. I actually waited and asked for fresh plates and serving spoons as they came out because they were replenishing things really quickly. For instance, I scored fresh roasted chicken (which was in between fish in a sauce, meatballs, and schnitzel – a gluten free nightmare!) and also fresh sausages and even fresh German potato salad (my favorite thing of the day). So, it definitely pays to ask. I stayed away from the salad area as much as possible.

 

While walking back from the buffet stations, the Oompah band started. Did I mention how amazing these guys were? Totally charming and totally awesome. Not only was it great to have some live entertainment, but they also got the audience involved too. Plus, they sang Christmas songs. Talk about getting in the holiday spirit!

Really bad photo of the Oompah band!

As far as the food goes, it was actually fairly good. First off, I adored the plates and bowls. How cute are they? Loved the designs, and they very light plastic plates, so you wouldn’t feel too horrible if you dropped one. As you can see from my plate, I had a menagerie of food items plopped into one. This was because I honestly didn’t want to make a second huge trip (although I did go back for more bratwurst and German potato salad).

 

Here are some of the things I got: Bean salad (which was green beans and other white beans with some type of vinegar sauce), pickles (FYI these were amazing! They were like a spicy bread & butter pickle that they make in-house), German potato salad (can you say lots of bacon?!), roasted root vegetables (parsnips, carrots), sauteed green beans and red onions (I’m still not sure what was in this but wow, it was good), roasted chicken, carved pork tenderloin, Bratwurst, some other type of wurst (which I hated and promptly gave to my family), sauerkraut, applesauce, mustard (not sweet), and curry ketchup (I adore curry ketchup!!). I did got back for seconds on several things, so I was definitely very full by the end of the meal!

I will say that it’s a good thing that I eat meat because I’m not sure a gluten free vegan or vegetarian would have many options. There are good options for vegetarians but add in another special diet and it seemed much harder.

I love the tea in the “beer” steins!

 

The roll that was brought to me was Ener-G and it was not at all heated well. I’m fairly convinced they shoved it in a microwave and it turned hard instantly. Still, smother anything with some curry ketchup and it’s good! (which is obviously what I did!).

For dessert, I sampled the fruit compote (sorry I forgot to take photos), which were really yummy. Sweet but tart at the same time, I found the mixed berries (including strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries) to be really nice after a heavy meal. I also got Enjoy Life cookies and a Boom Boom Bar (which I love) for the road. That Boom Boom Bar was the perfect snack on my drive home from Disney!

Overall, I liked Biergarten for the ambiance and the decor. Our table mates were not at all chatty and really weren’t interested in interacting with our party, so it made for a weird vibe. It would be awesome if you had your whole family there or a big group of friends (which I plan to do). Food-wise, I would say it was OK. I liked a lot of the dishes but I also didn’t love all of them. The roasted chicken was dry and bland and some of the sausages were just plain gross but I did find things I liked. I also wish the chef on this visit would have made more of an effort to help ensure cross-contamination risks by perhaps bringing me more items from the back–though I was able to work around that myself. Of course, the Oompah Band alone makes me want to go back again! We caught not one but two shows that afternoon!

For this visit, I would give it a 7 for ambiance, charm, and fairly decent offerings.

Have you been to Biergarten? What was your experience?

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Special Events

2013 Lunch & Learn Recap

December 4, 2013 by Sarah 1 Comment
Raglan Road Lunch & Learn
http://www.raglanroad.com/

 

Perhaps the event that I was the most excited about during the Dessert Party Weekend that food allergy cookbook author Laurie Sadowski & I hosted was the Lunch & Learn with Laurie at Raglan Road Irish Pub presented by Magners Irish Cider and sponsored by Mary’s Gone Crackers. I mean anything that involves gluten free & dairy free fish and chips and hard cider is a win-win, right?

The lunch & learn was presented by Magners Irish Cider
and sponsored by Mary’s Gone Crackers

We were so thrilled that Raglan Road Irish Pub allowed us to use a portion of their restaurant for this lunch. It was a perfect place to host a Food & Wine Festival inspired meal with a gluten free & food allergy session added to it. Lorraine, Alan and the rest of the Raglan Road team worked with Laurie & I ahead of time to create a custom menu, based on their regular special diets menu offerings for the guests to choose from, as well as provide us with a really great space.

In addition to hosting the event at Raglan Road, we were thrilled to work with Magners Irish Cider, our title sponsor for this event. They helped us provide great gift bag goodies for guests and also gave them a chance to have a tasting of an array of Magners ciders. We also had Ashley, a Magners Irish Cider representative on hand to assist guests with the tasting and give them information about the Magners brand, including facts and tips for cooking with hard cider.

photo courtesy of Ashley Elliott
photo courtesy of Ashley Elliott
photo courtesy of Ashley Elliott

I did get a chance to sample some of the hard ciders myself, as the event ended, and I have to say that the pear cider is definitely my favorite. I know others were really enjoying the cider as well, and I saw one guest order the drink Jay’Gail Sangria: A refreshing blend of Magners Cider, Peach Schnapps and Fruit Liqueurs & squeezes. Sounds delicious!

In addition to the tasting and information from Ashley, who was a wealth of Magners knowledge, Laurie also spoke about ways in which guests could pair hard cider in their cooking & baking. We also gave out a recipe booklet that included recipes featuring Magners Irish Cider— including a cider bread and a honey cider chicken, a recipe created by Raglan Road Chef Kevin Dundon (see my blog post about my fantastic Food & Wine Festival experience with Chef Kevin HERE). After the event, I actually made the cider bread, the honey cider chicken and a homemade apple crisp all with Magners Irish Cider. I’ll be posting a review of that with a link to it here. Suffice it to say, I adored all of these dishes and found them perfect for the fall season!

After tastings, guests then got a chance to order a lunch (*Note: guests paid for any food or drink they consumed) which featured those amazing fish & chips, along with several vegetarian and vegan options.

Our custom menu for the lunch & learn
A view of our lovely lunch area before our guests arrived

I have to say that our servers Toni & Jennifer were fantastic. Right from the very beginning, they were there with a smile offering our guests any assistance that they needed. It was a busy event and they also had other tables to work with throughout the restaurant! Kudos to all of their hard work and for their diligence with special diets offerings for the guests. They rock! If you get the chance to head to Raglan Road for a meal and are lucky enough to get them as servers, you will be well taken care of.

After guests ordered, Laurie began a portion of her talk on gluten free flours. Many guests came specifically so they could hear Laurie speak and to ask her questions, and I know that the information that she shared was really useful for me as well.

In between the talk, the head chef for Raglan Road came out to speak with our guests about the special diets options and why Raglan Road focuses on gluten free dishes. It was truly a treat to have the chef come out and speak with the guests about this. As someone who has a special diet myself, I always really appreciate the time that chefs take to come out and discuss options, as well as share the restaurant’s food philosophy.

Chef speaking to our group about gluten free offerings at Raglan Road; Photo courtesy of blog reader Patrick B.

After the chef came out, Laurie finished the remaining portion of her discussion on gluten free flours, as well as recipes highlighting Magners Irish Cider, as well as our other sponsor Mary’s Gone Crackers. Laurie created separate recipe booklets for both of our sponsors, which included tons of great recipes. The recipe booklet for Mary’s Gone Crackers contained a vegan cheeseball recipe (I’ve got to try this!), as well as a Mary’s Gone Crackers crusted chicken or tofu dish. We also had Mary’s Gone Crackers Just the Crumbs on hand for guests to sample. Overall, guests were able to get a lot of great baking and cooking tips and tricks and recipes that they could take home with them!

The food was a wonderful addition to lunch & learn. Paired with a Magners Irish Cider, these dishes really gave guests the essence of terrific Irish food. I myself had to get the gluten free & dairy free fish and chips. I just can’t go to Raglan Road without getting these. I adore the tartar sauce that accompanies this dish.

And of course, no event is complete without gift bags & raffle items. We had generous gift bags that included swag from Magners Irish Cider as well as Mary’s Gone Crackers. Guests also had the chance to win really great raffle prizes from our various special diets & Disney related vendors. Here is a list of the vendors who generously provided items for our lunch & learn:

  • A Wish Upon a Charm
  • A&J Bakery
  • Ah!laska
  • Allerbling
  • Allermates
  • Crafts by Courtney
  • Crunchmaster
  • Dreaded Wheat Designs
  • Enjoy Life Foods
  • Fun & Eclectic Home Furnishings
  • Gluten Free To Go
  • Glutino
  • Goldbaums
  • Honest Tea
  • Jenneal Designs
  • Just My Angels
  • Kinnikinnick
  • Liquid Therapy
  • ljbminis2021
  • Mary’s Gone Crackers
  • Namaste
  • Paradiso 37
  • Picturing Disney
  • Popsalot
  • Schar
  • Taste Up Foods
  • Two Prince Bakery
  • Udi’s Gluten Free
  • Way Better Snacks

 

Overall, this was a really fun event. It was totally different from the other events that we hosted, and I loved that. It really highlighted the amazing gluten free offerings and special diets accommodations that Raglan Road Irish Pub offers and allowed us to combine, not only great GF food but also great GF drinks and snacks. Magners Irish Cider was a real treat for our guests, and it really was great during Epcot’s International Food & Wine Festival which can often be difficult for those of us who have a special diet. There were certainly no restrictions at this event! And, of course, Laurie‘s terrific talk inspired guests to bake confidently gluten free & food allergy free!

Big thanks again to Lorraine, Alan, Shannon, Toni, Jennifer and the rest of the Raglan Road Team for helping us make this event happen. And thanks to our sponsors, Magners Irish Cider and Mary’s Gone Crackers. They made our event much tastier!

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