Gaston's Tavern -- Quick Service -- Lunch -- Fantasyland Expansion

*This dining review took place in October 2012 during the "Dress Rehearsal" and Preview period for the New Fantasyland Expansion.

Gaston's Tavern in the New Fantasyland Expansion

Wow, here it is the official first view I've had of the New Fantastyland Expansion. I was lucky enough to be at WDW when a "dress rehearsal" i.e. pre-preview period opening occurred. We took a chance on visiting thinking it might be really busy (it wasn't as bad as expected) and wanted to see if any of the restaurant choices were open. Be Our Guest Restaurant was not, but luckily the new Gaston's Tavern was. A quick service with mostly snack items, we wanted to specifically check out the new LeFrou's Brew the signature drink which many have been comparing to the Butterbeer from the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal. I was intrigued, especially since the Butterbeer is gluten free but not dairy free. So we decided to pop in.First up, I asked for a manager who came over while we were in line. He explained to me that because we were in the "dress rehearsal" phase, they were still refining some of the food and not officially giving out ingredients and did not have an ingredient binder on hand either. But, he said he's tried to help if he could. I explained I was most interested in the roast pork shank and the LeFou's Brew. He said that the roasted pork shank was made with olive oil, salt, and pepper, and then roasted but he again didn't have that ingredient sheet with him. He said it was possible they had changed the "recipe" without telling him too. Seemed like it was probably going to be a turkey leg scenario of ingredients.

Roasted pork shank--small but tasty

My mom and step-dad decided to try the pork shank out, and I tried a bite. It was definitely nothing major in terms of ingredients, it tasted like just pork, salt and pepper. I don't think this one was heavily processed in terms of the ingredients. I will say, it was puny! For $7.99 it was not worth the price in my family's opinion. In fact, we all said you could spend the extra $1 or $2 for a turkey leg. Much more substantial and flavorful.The other item that the manager and I discussed was the LeFou's Brew. He said he knew for sure that it was dairy free (still not 100% comfortable with that since he gave no binder listing) but he didn't know about the gluten free part. He actually offered to bring out the ingredient bottles for me to look at! This was great, as I knew this would help me determine its safety or not. First up was an ingredient for the topping called Fomz. Um, this is weird. It's like whipped topping but not. My major concern came in the area of "natural flavors" on the ingredients list. I'm still not 100% certain after a web search, but it looks like it is dairy free according to the Fomz site and gluten free according to some others. Still, I would check the binders and do some additional research before I felt confident in this one.

Fomz topping for the LeFou's Brew & Toasted Marshmallow syrup for the apple juice mixture

Fomz ingredient list from the website

Next up was the toasted marshmallow syrup. This is what is mixed in with the 100% pure apple juice which according to the manager was Mott's brand. According to the website for the syrup, this is gluten free & dairy free.

So, based on the ingredients, I decided to give it a try. It was really tasty. A slushy frozen apple juice concoction. Though the foam was weird, it was good. Oddly marshmallowy in texture. I did find that I got wicked brain freeze from drinking it too fast. I will note that I only drank part of it and not the whole thing. And I think I had some latent stomach discomfort. Still not sure if it was the ingredients (felt very overprocessed for me; I don't do that well with highly processed stuff) or the temperature because it was almost instantaneous brain freeze every time, so I imagine my stomach didn't feel so hot. I did eat lunch after this and I felt much better after I ate. I also didn't feel sick later in the evening, so I'm wondering if it was a combination of things more so than the gluten free/dairy free issue. Still, I would check the binders once they get them out to confirm GF/DF status. I might try it a second time if it's deemed 100% safe just to see if the tummy troubles were a fluke or related to something else. (highly possible with Crohn's!)

LeFou's Brew--definitely got a leg up on Butterbeer (so I've been told) and Pear Cider (which I agree with)

In terms of the other options, mixed fruit cup might be ok, though I didn't ask about it or see it. The mixed vegetable cup with dip might also be ok for just GF folks, though I'd ask. I did notice that all of the other items except the croissant and cinnamon roll were prepackaged items, so I would definitely double-check.Overall, it seems like there might be a few options at Gaston's Tavern and that the LeFou's Brew looks highly likely to be gluten free/dairy free. It's definitely dairy free which is a leg up from Butterbeer, which as I mentioned earlier is not. This will make a highly desirable item for those of us who can't imbibe in the Harry Potter favorite! You can also get the brew in collector cups for guys and gals, though at a steep $9.99 a pop!A 6 out 10 until I more know about the ingredients.Here's some other fun pics of the location:

Menu

 

**Updates as of 1/2013. Thanks to a blog reader for this info!The items above have remained the same, and both the LeFou's Brew & Pork Shank are GF/DF.This location also now has Kikkoman Pearl Vanilla & Chocolate Soy Milk but I would hesitate to consume this based on Kikkoman's own statement on their website:PEARL Original Organic Soymilk is sweetened with malt syrup which is derived from barley, so it contains gluten. PEARL Coffee, Chocolate, Creamy Vanilla, Green Tea and Unsweetened Soymilks do not contain ingredients that are known to be a source of gluten, but they have not been tested to confirm they are gluten-free.

Liberty Tree Tavern -- Dinner -- Table Service -- Magic Kingdom

*This dining experience took place in September 2012.

I was just recently at Liberty Tree Tavern for lunch, and here we are just a month later for dinner. Liberty Tree is my go-to place for all of the holiday parties. I always get ADRs to eat here and then it's off to party! This year was no different for the Halloween Party. Of course, I was curious to see if there were any new changes to the rolls, as had heard there were some switches from Udi's rolls (which oddly are the only Udi's product that I'm not that excited about) to GNI brand rolls. I wanted to see if that had taken place. Plus, it's been a while since I've had the full dinner there.Upon arrival, I was greeted by the chef who gave me the rundown. Essentially, nothing had changed. I could have all of the meats (though I don't eat beef), steamed vegetables, dairy free mashed potatoes, the salad without modifications, GF/DF rolls, Earth Balance vegan margarine and raspberry sorbet with fruit for dessert. Pretty standard, and I've eaten here enough that I knew the drill.Up first was the salad and rolls. I was a bit underwhelmed by the salad, which I usually like a lot. I love the strawberry vinaigrette, but this time it wasn't that great. It seemed like the salad was overly dressed and the dressing was under-seasoned. 

Not the best version of this salad--usually one of my favs!

Then the chef came out and dropped off the rolls, before I could even ask him what they were, he had high-tailed it out of there. Um, guess they were busy! I knew right away they weren't Udi's. They looked totally different, and had been heated up too. The texture seemed a little weird just by touching them. Upon adding the Earth Balance to it, I took a taste. I must say, the taste wasn't terrible (sort of a sweet, brown rice flavored roll), but the texture was just plain weird. It was an odd mix of spongy (almost Ener-G like texture), but totally crumbly. Weird. I gave my mom a bite because she tends to really like GF/DF breads, but she really really did not like this. I didn't think it was quite as bad as she did, but she hated the texture. Overall, it was OK, but not great. And the rolls sort of turned to hockey pucks as soon as they cooled down. Interesting. I haven't encountered these rolls anywhere else, so I'll be curious to see where they pop up and what others think. If it is GNI brand there is some cross contamination issues that are potential, but I didn't hear any reports of this from the chefs. So, probably something to consider.

New rolls on property probably GNI Brand

Then it was on to the main meal. As usual, nothing spectacular, but it was good. I liked the turkey and this year, they seemed to have changed the pork loin for the better. Last year, it had a cinnamonny sweet flavor, and a fruit compote. Not my favorite. This year, it was sage rubbed and much more appealing to me. The mashed potatoes were also very good this time. The steamed green beans were pretty boring, but the winner of this meal was the sauteed zucchini and squash. Wow, this was really good. I ate like half of our table's plate (this was safe for everyone). Very very good. Thank you for adding this one LTT! The gravy was a good batch that night--sometimes it's not as seasoned as it could be. Good enough in fact, that my family had to eat that instead of the "regular" gravy. We went through 2 gravy boats!

Thanksgiving dinner on a plate

Sauteed zucchini and squash--my favorite of the meal!

Dairy free mashed potatoes

One of these gravy boats is not like the other! The one filled to the brim is the "regular" gravy and the two empty ones are the GF gravy! Can you tell which one our table preferred?

Raspberry sorbet with fresh fruit

For dessert, I had the sorbet (they don't have another GF/DF option). Overall, I found it to be pretty good. I like the sorbets they have on property, and quite frankly after a big meal, this is a nice dessert option.Overall, I like LTT, but I'm glad I only go here a few times out of the year. I wish they could make a GF/DF dressing/stuffing, that I think would be a nice addition to this Thanksgiving-like meal. And bring the ham you guys! I miss it!!A 8 out of 10.

The Wave -- Breakfast -- Contemporary Resort -- Table Service

*This dining experience took place in September 2012.

View of Bay Lake in the morning...

Bay Lake Towers in the morning...

Ah, the Contemporary Resort. It's one of my favs. And Bay Lake Towers is my DVC home-away-from-home. We often stay here, especially for holiday parties. It's so convenient, and no long waits in line for buses! Plus, it's a stunning hotel with great views and wonderful food options. Case in point...the Wave at the Contemporary side of the resort. Just a hop skip and a jump away from my "home" is the Wave, which offers a lot of great, seasonal choices. The first time I came here, I wasn't overly wowed, but now it's slowly becoming a nice treat for breakfast, especially when I get to get custom pancakes. Yum!On this trip, we were met by Chef Dave, who was very nice and really wanted to help provide something tasty. He seemed pretty swamped that morning, so I will give him credit for keeping up with the craziness. He asked what I wanted, and I said essentially I wanted pancakes (they don't do GF/DF Mickey waffles here, but they do make pancakes), some eggs, potatoes, GF/DF Udi's toast if they had it, and whatever else he wanted to surprise me with (yes, sometimes I live on the edge with breakfast lol). It wasn't too clear if I was getting the buffet price with everything made in the back (he said he didn't feel comfortable with me getting things out there due to cross contamination--very good of him) or a plated price. I did end up with a plated price, which was nice! (a savings on a GF/DF meal, a rarity more often than not, especially outside of Disney).As far as the pancakes, I had recently had a bummer of an experience at Kouzzina in that they didn't have the Bob's Red Mill mix and it didn't taste very good. This time, I asked before I ordered. Luckily, they had Bob's Red Mill on hand! Thank goodness!!! Now we were in business! I asked if he could do the sweet potato pancakes modified, and he went to check if they had sweet potatoes set aside, but alas it was not meant to be yet again. He did offer to make some other kind of pancakes, with fruit in it. I asked if he could make a banana walnut pancake (stood to reason it couldn't taste too terrible), and he said he'd be willing to try. He also said they had Udi's cinnamon raisin toast (a fav of mine) but no plain toast (weird--I think they were just out), Udi's blueberry muffin and Earth Balance vegan margarine.

Banana walnut pancakes, potatoes, Udi's cinnamon raisin toast, and Udi's blueberry muffin

First out came the pancakes, toast, muffin, and potatoes (um, where did they eggs go?). I then asked the chef for some eggs and bacon too (a girl's gotta have her protein with her sweet stuff). Sorry no pics of the additional foods here, but I was too busy scarfing down on the pancakes.First up, the cinnamon raisin toast, as usual, was awesome. I love this stuff. I actually make this at home for a treat with Earth Balance and a little bit of sugar on top (maybe not so healthy, but quite delicious!). The muffin I had never had before. Now, I will say I'm not a huge blueberry fan, but this tasted really good. Not overly blueberry. And the top was amazing--turbinado sugar that had sort of caramelized. Yummy! Then onto the pancakes. OMG these were amazing. Heaven in pancake form. It was like a banana nut muffin morphed into a pancake. Talk about delicious. I will definitely ask for these again, and I'm going to try to duplicate them at home! Soooo good.The eggs were nothing to write home about, just scrambled eggs. And the bacon was the typical bacon you get in the restaurants. Good, but nothing special.Overall, I was really pleased with this meal, especially with the pancakes. Sure, it wasn't the sweet potato pancakes (sometime I will get to try them!) but these were definitely a good substitute. This place is really starting to be a good standby for me. Plus, it's so easy to get to from Bay Lake Towers and much less crazy than Chef Mickey's!On a side note, Chef Dave talked to me about the Udi's and vendor changes. Fear not, the Udi's is here to stay. According to the chef, they are on a permanent contract there. They also still carry the OMG I can't believe it's GF! brand as well, and it looks like the GNI brand is contracted out for rolls (more on that in a Liberty Tree Tavern review). Thank goodness Udi's isn't going anywhere. I love, love, love them, though I do hope they start to carry a brand that can be used for those who can't have egg (like Ener-G), so there is a good balance and variety for folks.A solid 8 out of 10!

Contempo Cafe -- Lunch -- Quick Service -- Contemporary

*This dining experience took place in September 2012. This experience also includes a gluten, dairy, and soy free review.

Contempo Cafe located at Disney's Contemporary Resort

It's been a while since I've been to Contempo Cafe for a meal. I often stay at Bay Lake Towers since it's my home resort in DVC and also because it's really convenient for the seasonal parties that are held in the Magic Kingdom. This time we were going to the Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party, so it made for a natural choice to stay there. I tend to visit Contempo Cafe when I stay there because it's a nice convenient place to stop by for a meal. Plus I get a lot of different choices, which I love.On this trip, I met up with a friend who also has food allergies (his are gluten, dairy, and soy). First up, for my order I was craving some type of hot sandwich. The manager on duty said she could make the Spice Crusted Mahi sandwich gluten & dairy free. Awesome! I love fish sandwiches, so I was great with this. Plus, it sounded like something different, which I was really in the mood for.

Spice crusted mahi sandwich with french fries, coleslaw and remoulade on the side.

I also got fries with this, and I asked for the coleslaw and the spicy mayonnaise (i.e. remoulade) which were supposed to top the sandwich to be on the side. I admit, I tend to order on the side in case I have a reaction, plus if it is a sauce and I have fries I tend to dip them. Hey, what can I say? A girl's gotta have her dipping sauces!The french fries were nothing spectacular, just fries. The sandwich didn't come on a Udi's bun (which was slightly weird), but on Udi's bread. Still, it tasted just fine to me. I personally love the Udi's products. The fish was really good. I love mahi mahi, so I was excited about this with the spices. It was a blackening seasoning on it. Very good. The manager did show me the jar with the ingredients, but unfortunately, I'm blanking on the brand. It was GF/DF though. I admit, I kind of skipped the slaw because my stomach was a little touchy (Crohn's), and I don't often react well to raw veggies. I did dig into the mayonnaise though, and it was delicious. Very good. It was spicy and relishy, and overall very tasty. I put some on the sandwich and I used the remaining portion to dip the fries in. I was a happy girl! Overall, I would not hesitate to order this sandwich again. It was really good and the sauce was divine. I liked that it had some flavor to it and wasn't just a plain Jane grilled fish sandwich. Definitely a new favorite sandwich for me!*Note: As of December 2012, the tartar sauce (remoulade) is now not dairy free. It contains dairy in the form of sour cream.My friend had a little more difficulty with options because of the soy allergy. However, he opted for a chopped salad. He had a variation of the chicken chop salad on the menu, with the addition of bacon. He also got oil and vinegar on the side instead of a regular dressing.

Chicken chop salad - modified

Overall, he said it was really good, and looking at it, it looked pretty tasty. And considering that his salad bowl was empty by the time we were done with lunch, I'd say it was a winner.In general, I'd say Contempo Cafe is a solid place for a meal. It's a good value with lots of options, and I find this more "upscale" than regular fast food. Another solid 8 out of 10. I'm looking forward to heading here to eat in December for the Christmas party!

Kouzzina -- Breakfast -- Table Service -- Boardwalk

*This dining experience took place in September 2012.

Kouzzina dining room

Ah, Kouzzina. One of my all time favs. You've probably read a lot of my reviews on this restaurant. I'm a big fan of their breakfast. I visited this time to grab some Mickey waffles and Udi's toast. I had also heard recently that there had been some bread vendor changes adding in GNI brand products and I wanted to find out if this was a complete replacement or only partial (I'm still not clear on that one). So, I figured one of my standby restaurants with some of my standby chefs would be a good place to start!Chef Sergio, who helped me on my last visit, was on hand today. I kind of miss Chef George. It's been May since I last saw him, and he was really good. I wonder if he's doing more dinner service now? In any event, Chef Sergio said we could do the Udi's toast and Earth Balance vegan margarine. I also ordered a side of Mickey waffles. This turned out to be a bummer, but more on that later. I also got eggs over easy (I like to dip the egg yolk in the bread--yum! And rarely get to do this in restaurants) and plain potatoes with no peppers and onions.

Eggs over-easy, bacon, and plain potatoes

First up, the eggs were quite good, but I find that lately they are using a little more extra virgin olive oil than I personally would like. The potatoes were awesome today. Sometimes they are so-so, depending on who's cooking them and how they cook them. These were deep fried with sea salt. Yum! The bacon is also always a winner here. No stringy bacon at Kouzzina!

Udi's GF/DF toast

Then the toast. I am soooo happy they have this here now. This is the second time I've had it, and I was very excited for it. Add Earth Balance to it, and it's divine. Chef Sergio said that as far as he knows that Udi's toast is a current addition that he didn't see being changed and that the GNI brand is being used there for the rolls (replacing the Udi's rolls, which sorry Udi's rolls were not real great--weird because I like all of their other products!). Good to know, and I need to follow up on this at other restaurants.

Not-so-yummy Mickey waffles...

Now on to the disappointing part of the meal. I ordered Mickey waffles and I was really looking forward to them because Kouzzina has some rocking waffles. My mom also ordered "regular" Mickey waffles and when they came I thought they were hers. Um not a good sign. I tasted one bite and knew immediately something was wrong. They looked different, they tasted different. My mom said they were clearly GF/DF after she ate them, but that they didn't taste the same. I tried a second bite and I just couldn't even eat them. They tasted really bland and bitter. Not so good. Now, maybe someone else might not think they are that bad, but for me they were yucky. I have been so spoiled by the amazing Mickey waffles made with Bob's Red Mill mix. I told the server that I just didn't want to eat them and asked to speak with the chef. This has to be pretty bad for me, because I've only ever sent something back at Disney once and that was at a terrible meal at Jiko (a selective experience I think).Chef Sergio came out and we talked about the waffles. He said he didn't know if the mix was a permanent change or a replacement for the Bob's Red Mill temporarily. It was Namaste mix, and I was pretty shocked about this because Disney's Catering used Namaste in all of the items and none of them tasted like this. Plus I use some of their mixes at home! I think it was not knowing how to use it the mix. I was pretty perplexed after this and wanted to know if this was a company wide change. Yikes! Yes, it's GF/DF but not so good on the taste (at least in this version).I headed to the Polynesian later and talked to Chef Johnny at Kona and he assured me that no this was a temporary change for Kouzzina and that the Bob's Red Mill is still there and not going anywhere. Phew! A sign of relief!!Overall, the meal at Kouzzina was still great. Just disappointing about the waffles. Still a solid 8 out of 10! In the future though, I'll be asking restaurants what mix they are using before I get the waffles! Good to know!

Kona Cafe -- Lunch -- Table Service -- Polynesian

*This dining experience took place in September 2012.

Kona Cafe

Just a brief review from Kona Cafe with a new menu item that I tried. As many of you know from previous reviews of Kona, I discovered their Island Chicken Sandwich with the fabulous curry mango mayonnaise. This time though, I decided to do a little something different. I was actually craving stir fry or something with rice and soy sauce. Of course, I was really craving Ohana, so I was hoping that Kona could make something that would sort of satisfy the craving (nope, it can't compare to those grilled shrimp!!!).Chef Johnny, who helps me a lot there (and at this point doesn't even have to ask me my allergies, he just says, so what are you in the mood for today?) said he could whip up a stir fry and I asked for rice though I could have had rice noodles. He essentially made pan Asian noodle dish for me, but modified. I got chicken in it.The dish was very good, but spicier than I anticipated! The chicken was more sauteed than grilled, but I think I would have preferred the grilled chicken from the grille chicken sandwich in it. Yum, that would have been really good. I was also pleasantly surprised by the variety of veggies in this. Loved the cabbage and the broccoli (I think it was actually broccolini). Overall, very tasty. It was mostly a ginger/garlic based sauce, and I did ask for a side of GF soy sauce (they carry San-J there), which they were happy to provide. I personally love soy sauce, and the soy sauce in my opinion complimented this dish really well. The portion of this dish was also very generous and would make a great filling dinner (I had it for late lunch and didn't eat dinner that night!)

Chicken stir fry with sticky rice and gluten free soy sauce

I'd say this dish was a solid 8 out of 10, and I would definitely get again. I think I'd stick with the rice too, even though the options included rice noodles. Yum!

Sunshine Seasons -- Snacks -- Quick Service -- Epcot

*These dining experiences took place in July and August 2012.I mentioned in Podcast Episode 004 that one of my favorite places at Walt Disney World for gluten free and dairy free snacks is Sunshine Seasons in the Land Pavilion at Epcot. This review shows you a variety of items that I have found at this quick service location that are allergy friendly. What I find the most appealing at Sunshine Seasons is it's ability to provide a lot of individually packaged and quick to-go allergy friendly options. They have, in my opinion, the largest selection of such products and they even have gluten free beer! Here's a run-down of some of the products that might good for food allergies.First up are the Enjoy Life products. I love this company because they provide really tasty products that are very inclusive of food allergies as they are free of the top 8 common allergens. How awesome is that? Recently, I've noticed that Sunshine Seasons (and many other locations on property) have begun to include more variety of Enjoy Life products. Here are some that I found:

Variety of Enjoy Life Products

Only a few lonely boxes of cookies on this shelf--they get scooped up fast!

Chocolate chip cookies in individual packages and individual candy bars

As you can see, you can purchase full-size boxes of Enjoy Life products. From Lemon, apple, chocolate brownie and chocolate chip cookies, there are definitely a variety of flavors that you can purchase. My personal favorite are the chocolate chip cookies and the chocolate brownie cookies, but then I'm a sucker for chocolate!You can also see that they offer individually sized chocolate chip cookies and rice milk chocolate candy bars. The chocolate candy bars are awesome and on the last trip, I enjoyed one while taking a break from the hot weather.

Crunchy chocolate chip cookies! Yum!

Ricemilk crunch candy bars...

My snack one afternoon...before I scarfed it down!

Surf Sweets Candies

Another company that provides allergy friendly snacks on property is Surf Sweets. They are great because their products are allergy friendly, peanut free, and gluten free. These really hit the spot when you are looking for something that's sweet, but not chocolate.

Caramel corn

Another product you'll find is Rocky Mountain Popcorn Company. This is a great one if you like that salty sweet combination in a snack. Their products are gluten free and nut free. They do make dairy free flavors (and the caramel corn is one of them), but it is processed in the same facility as products with dairy, so possible cross contamination could occur.

Nestle Triple Blast Ice Pop

If you're looking for something cool, you can always check out the Nestle Triple Blast Ice Pop. This is one I like to get when it's really hot outside!This quick service location also has fruit and applesauce as other great options for snacks. I didn't take a photograph, but they also have Redbridge Gluten Free beer.Overall, Sunshine Seasons has a terrific amount of allergy friendly offerings. This is just a few of the items you can get if you are looking for a snack while in Epcot. My hope is that in the future other quick service locations will follow suit and add more allergy friendly products. I did check out the new food court at Art of Animation and I found that they offered a fair amount of products, but still not quite as good as Sunshine Seasons. A definite 8 out of 10!

Boma -- Breakfast -- Table Service -- AKL

Boma: Flavors of Africa!

View of the seating area and buffet

*This review is from a dining experience that took place in August 2012.Jambo! Here's an updated review from Boma--one of my favorite breakfast spots. If you've listened to my podcast on breakfasts, you'll have heard a lot about this place. Here's an update on what I got this trip, and some reports on additions to their vendor products here.First off, I was greeted by Chef Chris, who helped me when I was there in May 2012. He's a bit of a jokester, but very nice. He walked me around the buffet and pointed out things that were safe. The roasted asparagus, grilled tomatoes, chakalaka, and pap are all in the same pod and were all safe this trip (sometimes they put dairy in the pap). The carving station I was allowed to have the ham, but not the corned beef (it has gluten/wheat in it). Quinoa is ok. Breakfast potatoes and breakfast meats are also ok. Fruit is ok, unless it has yogurt in it. There are two cereals that are safe, and they have soy milk if you want that. The chef said he would also make me an omelet in the back (I chose a ham omelet), Mickey waffles, and then he was going to look for the Kinnikinnick (one of our sponsors for the dessert party!) chocolate chip muffins and donuts. He thought the muffins were not in stock that day. He also said that they didn't carry the Udi's toast (bummer!) but they had the multigrain rolls. So here's what I ended up with:

Ham, grilled asparagus, pap, bacon, and breakfast potatoes

Fruit--grapes and pineapple

View of the bounty! Along with unsweetened iced tea and Jungle Juice (yum!)

Ham omelet, Kinnikinnick chocolate chip muffin and a Mickey waffle

I really enjoyed all of the foods and definitely did not leave hungry. I would have liked to have had some more Mickey waffles, but I'm sure I could have asked for more. Chef Chris also did bring me a Udi's roll to go and an OMG I can't believe it's GF/DF chocolate chip cookie.

Udi's dinner roll (One of our sponsors for the Dessert Party!)

 

 Overall, the meal was very good as usual. If you'd like to see some past reviews, you can check out my blog by searching for Boma. You'll find several more reviews here. I'd say a solid 8 out of 10 for this experience, and I'm curious to get in touch with them before my next visit. Chef Chris gave me his email and said he could whip up something special next time (hmmm,, gluten free/dairy free Bobotie?!)

Sanaa -- Table Service -- Dinner -- Animal Kingdom Lodge -- Kidani Village

Dinner at Sanaa at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge-Kidani Village

*This review is from a dining experience that took place in August 2012.Ah, Sanaa...as many of you know, this is one of my favorite restaurants on property. I happen to love Indian food, and this place offers some amazing versions of Indian dishes. There have been some changes recently, well this past March to be more precise. Also, Chef Trish has recently come on board, having been at Boma before. She assisted me in my visit in May 2012, and we had just an amazing meal. She didn't disappoint this time either, and I'm thrilled that she is on board as a permanent member of the culinary team there. In fact, one of the reasons for the shift has to do with the Landscape of Flavor food court at Art of Animation, which I ate at on the same day. They have an entire tandoor section, including homemade naan, etc. Our server mentioned that because of Sanaa's expertise in this area, one of the chefs headed over there to work and train folks, hence the chef changes. It's great news for the Landscape of Flavors as they will get a great chef experience in Indian cuisine (and by the looks of it, it was pretty fabulous) and we also get to experience Sanaa with Chef Trish!One of the changes that Chef Trish mentioned this visit is the change in the Durban Chicken and addition of some newer dishes on the menu--including Butter Chicken, which is not safe for dairy allergies, but is gluten free. The Durban chicken is good, but I usually don't get it because it is really really spicy, and I like spice, but when my tongue is on fire for a while, I avoid it. However, Chef Trish said they changed/tweaked the recipe and made it more flavorful, still full of heat, but less painful. So, I decided I would try that along with one of my favorites, the green curry shrimp.But first, it was on to the appetizers! I love the bread service here. They give you poppadoms and choice of 3 dips. In this case, we were able to split the appetizer between me and my party, they got the naan breads and 3 dips and then I got my own 3 dip choices + poppadoms. Yum! I chose my favorite 3--the roasted red bell pepper hummus (omg to die for!), coriander chutney, and mango chutney. They have such depth of flavor and varying degrees of spiciness. I would say the coriander chutney is the most spicy out of the three.

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus, Mango Chutney, Coriander Chutney

Poppadoms

I was still chowing down on our appetizer when the entrees came out. I was greeted by a wonderful aroma, and I was very excited to try out the new version of the Durban chicken. I was definitely not disappointed. Ok, I admit, I did still go through a lot of liquid while eating it, but man that stuff is delicious. I agreed with Chef Trish in that this version had more flavor and definitely less overall lasting burn from the heat of the peppers. So, my mouth wasn't on fire an hour after we left!! The shrimp with green curry is delicious--I'm actually very tempting to just get it alone the next time. If you like green curry, this is a winner.

Green curry shrimp, basmati rice, Durban chicken

Green Curry Shrimp--you can see the richness of spices in this

Durban chicken--spicy and delicious!

I can't believe after this meal I actually decided not to get dessert. I almost always get dessert at Sanaa, but I was a bit full especially after a late lunch at Art of Animation. No worries though...I left satisfied and full!Another solid 9 out of 10--this place is such a hidden gem, I almost don't want to tell everyone how good it is, so it doesn't end up packed! lol But seriously, this is a must do, especially if you like Indian food! 

Landscape of Flavors -- Lunch/Dinner -- Quick Service -- Art of Animation

*This dining review took place August 2012

Landcape of Flavor -- Art of Animation

The Art of Animation just recently opened and with it comes a new food court experience called Landscape of Flavor. I had heard from many people prior to my visit that they had Babycakes cupcakes and were going to be pretty good at food accommodation. I also had seen the menu, which had a lot of variety and customized dishes. Very cool. So, we decided to pop by for lunch on while at WDW for a long weekend break. We had never been to the hotel at all, so there are going to be a lot of pictures here showing the resort, as well as my first experience descriptions. I have to apologize for not taking more pictures of the menus, etc. I have to say, I was 1) hungry and 2) a little shell-shocked at the new resort. It's pretty impressive!

 The entrance is very much like the other value resorts, especially Pop Century. Lots of great color and larger than life images of Disney characters. Though you can't see it in this picture, I noticed that the bus wait queue's were covered with awnings unlike some of the other value resort bus queue's. This is a very nice addition!

I loved the colorful entrance and the images of favorite Disney characters!

The first thing you notice is this mural of Disney animations and a huge chandelier! The lobby area is so bright and vibrant. The color was amazing. Through the Ink Paint Shop, you find Landscapes of Flavor.

Just directly ahead of the Ink Paint Shop is this lovely mural of Disney drawings in various stages. So cool! You get to look at these while waiting to checkin or visit Concierge.

RAWR! Adorable drawing of Simba from the Lion King!

Lobby checkin area. The picture doesn't do the colors justice. It was a gorgeous transition of colors of the rainbow.

Now onto the food!!! As I said before, Landscape of Flavors is located through the Ink Paint Shop. You'll see the big sign! First off, I have to say, this food court has striking interior design. It's really colorful and vibrant, and I loved the different areas that represented different sections of the hotel. We sat in the first area--the Lion King! The paintings here were magnificent--I wish I could have them in my own home--wow!!!

Lion King seating area in Landscape of Flavor! Beautiful colors and paintings.

Check out area at the Landscape of Flavor

Wow, look at all the Babycakes!

The first thing I did upon arrival was rush to find Babycakes! I had heard that they go quickly and since it was already around 12:30 pm, I wanted to see if they still had them. They did! I found them in the refrigerator section of the food court. There were a lot there, so I was glad to see that. Now the Babycakes in this package are the brownie bites with different flavors of frosting. They include: mint, mocha, vanilla (dyed with natural dyes in shades of purple, pink, and yellow), and chocolate. It was $3.99 for a 4 pack, which means you could use your snack credit to purchase these! That's great news. Here is the back of the package with the ingredients:

Close-up of the cupcakes! My favorite is chocolate mint!

So after I acquired the Babycakes (see I have priorities--dessert first!!!), I went to look for a chef. Now, if you know most of the food courts, you will know that they typically have different sections or areas for ordering. Landscape of Flavor works in mostly the same way. They have 4 areas that I remember--a custom burger station, a mongolian bbq section, Indian/tandoor section, and a sandwich/salad section. I thought about getting in line somewhere and asking for a chef, but I saw a chef standing in between the sandwich/salad and tandoor section, so I went over and asked her for some assistance. Boy, she was really helpful and friendly. She asked what I want, and when I asked for recommendations she said "whatever you are in the mood for" which is nice. I was in the mood for a chicken burger, which I saw on the menu. I also asked if they had the Udi's gluten free/dairy free buns because I had heard that they only had gluten free buns and maybe the Ener-G tapioca rolls. I was curious. She said that they had the Udi's buns, which I kept asking "are they dairy free?" "are you sure they are dairy free?" and she said yet. Normally, I wouldn't have questioned so much, but since I had heard they didn't have dairy free buns, I was a little more worried than normal. She said she would check on the chicken burger because she knew it had a binder in it. While she checked on it, I decided to browse a bit for allergy friendly items.First up is the alcoholic beverages. I found Angry Orchard which is a hard cider (and very good) and Red Bridge Gluten Free Beer.

I also saw that they had a variety of snacks like apples and grapes.

The chef came back and said that unfortunately, the chicken burgers were not safe. Sounded like it was a wheat binder. Rats! I don't eat beef, so I was a little bummed about the chicken burger--perhaps if I had been staying there or had some time, they could have made one that was safe. I know they made them in-house. Tandoor items were marinated in yogurt and I really didn't want to wait a long time, so that section was out. I did then notice that there was a BBQ pork sandwich on the sandwich side, so I asked if that was safe. Turns out it was. So, I got the BBQ pork on a Udi's bun with french fries...yep fries! Chef said that the fries are in a dedicated fryer (even without allergies) and that they only cook fries in it. Woohoo! I love fries!While I waited for her to prepare my food (yeah I did a lot of waiting here, which was ok) I looked around some more. I found Rice Chips (Lundberg) and Surf Sweets Candies (one of our sponsors for our Special Diets Dessert Party!!) Nice to see some more options there. I think the only GF/DF rice crisps that were safe were the sea salt ones.

 Then, my sandwich arrived! Yeah! I was so impressed because unlike many of the other food courts, the meal was on real china! Wow...very cool. They also have real silverware. I like it because it definitely has the fast casual vibe like Pei Wei or Panera Bread.

French fries and BBQ pork sandwich on a Udi's bun!

So onto the actual food eating...I had whipped up some serious hunger by this point. I admit, I ate a few fries in line...what can I say, a girl's gotta eat! The fries were very good. They were seasoned with a spice that looked like the same spice they used on their house-made potato chips. The BBQ sandwich was really good. Very saucy, if you like BBQ sauce on pulled pork. It was different from Flame Tree BBQ which is more smokey and a dry rub with no sauce. This was more sweet in its flavor and fairly generous in the saucing, which was good because the bun soaked up a lot of the sauce. The bun was good--seemed bigger to me than the other Udi's buns that I've had on property. But, I will say that I didn't get sick, so I think it must been OK with the dairy. Sorry, I realized later I should have taken off the bun and had a picture sans bun top, so you could see the BBQ pork better. Guess I was just too hungry.

Close-up--you can sort of see the BBQ pork and seasoning on the fries

I will say that the portions here are pretty generous--this was $8.99 and there did not seem to be an up-charge on the sandwich price with the dietary bun, so that was good. My mom had a smoked turkey sandwich which was huge and decently priced at $8.99 too.I will say that I wish I had looked a little more at the options, but this is just another reason to go back to visit. All three of us eating here found the food to be very high quality and reasonably priced. I also liked the variety--and I'd be curious to see if I could get Mongolian BBQ or some type of stir fry there. I also wonder if you could contact them ahead of time for something related to the tandoor area. Looked really good. I know that the chef who was at Sanaa (where I ate dinner that night) just came over there to work with the Tandoor side, so I would say you are getting Sanaa quality Indian food at a slightly more affordable price. It looked amazing!Overall, I was really pleased with my first experience at Landscape of Flavor! It was really nicely set up and there are a ton of choices. They focus on customizable, and I think that's important for those of us with special diets. I also love the products related to special diets there, especially Babycakes! One of the blog readers said that they also carry Babycakes cookies and they are housed in the kitchen, so you would need to ask. They also have the Enjoy Life crunchy cookies and OMG I can't believe it's GF products in the back too. I'm definitely planning on coming back to try out some other options when I have more time! Between the very accommodating chefs, selection, and variety--I will definitely be back. I'd say a solid 9 out of 10 for my first visit there! Folks with special diets are going to love this place!

Liberty Tree Tavern -- Lunch -- Table Service -- Magic Kingdom

Mugs of iced tea from Liberty Tree Tavern

Liberty Tree Tavern

Hear ye, hear ye! Here is my most recent review of Liberty Tree Tavern. This was my first time eating at Liberty Tree Tavern during the lunch time when they have an a-la-carte menu. Usually, I head to dinner for their Pilgrim's Feast of turkey, ham/pork loin, roast beef, mashed potatoes, veggies, and gluten free gravy! But this time, we decided to head their for lunch to check out the a-la-carte options, of course I ended up with the Pilgrim's Feast lunch version anyway, but at least I tried!Lunch seems a lot less crowded than dinner here. In fact, it was fairly slow (of course it was late afternoon), which was nice. It was a hot August day, so perhaps not the best choice for summer, but at least it was all filling food.The chef greeted me, and I had been debating between the Colony Salad (which sounded very good and easily modifiable) or the Pilgrim's Feast (i.e. turkey dinner) and I ended up not asking about the salad because I thought it might disturb my Crohn's a little (as many of us with Crohn's know sometimes cruciferous vegetables can be hurtful to the stomach). So, the chef really didn't give me options, I basically just asked if they had the dairy free mashed potatoes (they did) and the gluten free gravy (they did) and gluten free/dairy free Udi's rolls (they did) and then Earth Balance (another yes). So, it was all fairly simple. Since I'm well versed in what they offer, that made it easy, but if you haven't been here before definitely ask. This particular chef wasn't very forthcoming in info. He did offer to make me steamed veggies and some roasted veggies too. That seemed like a good idea since the roasted veggies might be more done (see my above statement about crunchy veggies).Well, I have to say, the food came out fast here! They must keep dairy free mashed potatoes and gluten free gravy on hand all the time because I didn't give them any real advance notice (i.e. I made the ADR the night before, but did note all allergies) and because of the swiftness with which the food came out.

 

GlutenFree/Dairy Free rolls from Udi's with Earth Balance vegan margarine

Pilgrim's Feast...i.e. turkey dinner!

Dairy free mashed potatoes, turkey, steamed carrots and green beans, and roasted veggies

Gluten free gravy! Best part of the meal!

The turkey dinner essentially tasted just the same as it always does here. Mild, filling, and homey. It's a great ode to turkey dinners. I miss stuffing/dressing, of course, but I make a good version at home, so it's not a huge loss. The mashed potatoes are OK here. I find them to be very under-seasoned most of the time. I wish they would at least add some more salt! The turkey is nice and moist. The steamed vegetables are ok. Nothing spectacular. The roasted veggies were actually very flavorful. I liked them a lot; the carrots were nice and roasted and mushy--the way my tummy likes them! However, the other roasted veggies were crunchy, so I mostly picked through to eat the carrots. The gravy is the best here. It's not overly seasoned, but I actually like the nice mild flavor of the brothy gravy. It makes for great dunking. Just add a little more salt and pepper and you're good to go. The rolls were good, though not my favorite Udi's product. Is it weird that I'd rather have one of their buns here instead? Of course, add Earth Balance and gravy and it pretty much didn't matter what the roll tasted like :)Overall, I found the meal to be OK. Nothing spectacular. Nothing to rave about, but good. I'm eating here for the Halloween and Christmas parties (it's my party go-to-place), although I'm highly tempted to try to get the new Be Our Guest Restaurant for the Christmas party when the ADRs open up!I'd say a 7 out of 10 for a solid and safe meal.

Kona Cafe -- Breakfast -- Table Service -- Polynesian

 Ah Kona...if you are a regular reader of the blog or you've listened to Episode 002 of my podcast, you know I'm a pretty big fan of Kona Cafe for breakfast! It has been a while since I've had my favorite entree here, the Big Kahuna! With gallbladder problems and then surgery, it was pretty difficult to eat a lot of fat or high portions of food. Yuck! But gallbladder free, the Big Kahuna is just A-OK with me.I was greeted by my regular chef (sorry I never seem to pay attention to his name) who knows me so well that we don't even have to do the standard "what allergies do you have, etc." He just knows. "Gluten and dairy" is pretty much his standard statement. So, I told him that I wanted the modified Big Kahuna with scrambled eggs and no sausage (love the sausage but it does not love me) and Mickey waffles in place of the pancakes and french toast. He was also going to add Earth Balance vegan margarine, which many places are starting to have--this is good (but note, not the soy free version).While waiting for our meal, the chef came back out and he asked if I wanted pancakes instead of Mickey waffles because they are now providing pancakes. I prefer the Mickey waffles to the allergy pancakes (even though it's the same batter), and he agreed. We also had a nice discussion about Kona having the best Mickey waffles on property (and he's heard others say the same) and he said it's partly because they of the varying uses of the mix on property. He said every restaurant does it just a little bit differently. They use Bob's Red Mill pancake and waffle mix with canola oil and rice milk. That's it. Other restaurants sometimes add things like honey to the mix, which I thought was interesting. It explains why some taste a little bit different (and that it's not just my imagination).After he left, I thought about it, and my mom actually suggested that I could do the pineapple macadamia nut pancakes in the future since they could now do pancakes. I thought that was a really good idea, so the next time I'm there, I'm going to ask the chef about it and see if we can test it out!Of course, the Big Kahuna was as good as ever. The breakfast potatoes are so good, with a wonderful seasoning on them. The ham is delicious--some of the best on property. And the Mickey waffles, as usual were excellent. Although, my mom and I both noted that they weren't as crispy as normal (and we had just been talking about it with the chef), which was odd. First time ever that has happened there. We think they needed to cook just a tad longer. Overall though still very good. I had Earth Balance vegan margarine too, but as you see in pictures, it was melted by the time it got to me (not a bad thing sometimes though!)

Big Kahuna!

Lots of Mickey Waffles!

Overall, another 9 out of 10 for Kona. It's always my go-to breakfast spot, and I was so happy to be back in my Big Kahuna groove!

9 out of 10 Menehune prefer Kona Cafe!

Kouzzina -- Table Service -- Breakfast -- Boardwalk

Entrance to Kouzzina by Cat Cora

Another view of Kouzzina

*This review is from July 2012.Kouzzina is one of my favorite table service breakfasts. I love the food, the ambiance, and the location. It's nicely situated between both Epcot and Hollywood Studios, which makes it a nice way to start a day of touring.I must admit, I don't really try anything exotic here, but the breakfast I get is so solid and tasty, that I don't really want to veer too much off the path. However, I have in the past had allergy friendly Mickey waffles with honey and pecans; that was nice. Usually, I get a modified version of "The American;" this means, eggs (scrambled for me), bacon, and breakfast potatoes. Sometimes I like the house breakfast potatoes, which are composed of regular potatoes and sweet potatoes with red peppers and onions and sometimes I just request plain breakfast potatoes. This trip, I went with plain potatoes. They were tasty, could have used a wee bit more seasoning, but overall very good. The eggs are always amazing here, as they use extra virgin olive oil in them (and a very high grade Greek evoo). Kouzzina happens to also have some of the best bacon on property. Yum!I always get allergy friendly Mickey waffles with regular maple syrup. This time though, the chef asked me if I wanted to also get some gluten free/dairy free toast. Say what?! Toast!? This was a first for me at Kouzzina. I was ecstatic. Yes, please with toast. I also asked if they had Earth Balance vegan margarine. They did (the regular version, not the soy free). Hurrah! The toast did not disappoint. I love, love, love Udi's bread. The only downside is that I ended up paying extra for the Mickey waffles, and usually, I don't. But, I was ok with it because the toast was so amazing.

Modified version of "The American." The Udi's toast was awesome.

Here's a close-up of my toast with Earth Balance vegan margarine

I have to say that the Mickey waffles and toast were the highlight (yes, I admit it, I love bread type carbs). I actually was so full that I had about a 1/4 of one piece of toast left, and my mom tried it. She's still talking about that toast! She said she actually preferred it to the regular non-allergy friendly toast. What a testament that this bread is tasty for all palates.

Allergy friendly Mickey waffles

As usual, Kouzzina is a solid meal, and it remains one of my standard restaurants. I missed seeing Chef George this time (he's always really nice), but I'm sure I'll be back there soon. Another solid 9 out of 10.

50's Prime Time Cafe -- Table Service -- Hollywood Studios -- Lunch/Dinner

Welcome home! 50's Prime Time Cafe is just like mom's house...

*This review is from July 2012Here we are again for another review of 50's Prime Time Cafe. I love this place; the atmosphere and the hijinks are always great. In fact, I look forward to visiting with Cousin Tom and the rest of the delightfully in-character crew at 50's PT. It doesn't hurt that the food here is pretty good too. Nice homey, old fashioned 50's - 60's food with a modern flare (no jello molds here!). While I have tried other items on the menu, the main reason I head to 50's PT is for the one and only gluten/dairy (and soy free, likely egg and nut free too) fried chicken, dairy free mashed potatoes, and the brownie sundaes! They also carry dairy free milkshakes here too, but I'm usually too full to add that to my order!For this trip, I had emailed Chef Williere Justin who used to work at 50's PT (and always made sure we had a great meal); however, I found out he had moved to Whispering Canyon Cafe (see my July 2012 review of WCC--it was excellent!), but the great thing is that he got in touch with Chef Brandon who is at 50's PT.Working with Chef Brandon, I was able to work out what I wanted. I made sure to request gravy this time, because I've only ever had it one time (and I had not requested it).When we arrived at the restaurant, we sat and enjoyed the retro vibe (although I must say vinyl/pleather chairs and really hot humid Florida weather do not mix!) and I noticed that a seating ticket came up and a chef came out and spent a lot of time with the hostess going over it. Hmmm....ten bucks says that has to do with me! Yep, I was right. The chef was waiting for me and said he'd let us settle in to the table and then he'd come over to go over the food.

Retro seating and decor

Once seated, Chef Ivan came back out to speak with me. Wow, they were prepared! He had a stack, and I mean a stack of stapled correspondence from me to them. Too funny. He said that he was ready for me; he went over the ingredients with me, which was nice. He explained that this was the first time he was making it, and he wanted to make sure it turned out well. The chicken uses rice flour and the mashed potatoes (which are AMAZING) are made with extra virgin olive oil, garlic, salt, little bit of water, pepper. The greens were sauteed in evoo and also had bacon in them. Then the gravy he used rice flour to thicken it. This all sounded good to me. We also discussed the brownie for dessert, and he said that the brownie was still safe (they make it in-house) and they could do chocolate or vanilla tofutti. Naturally, I went with chocolate. The only odd part was that he asked me if M&Ms are ok. I had to remind them that they have dairy in it, which he said he forgot about. They said the sprinkles would be ok and that the popcorn doesn't have anything related to dairy or gluten in it. (For those who don't know, the traditional "Dad's brownie sundae" comes loaded with whipped cream, sprinkles, ice cream, M&M's, and a caramel corn of some sort.)The food came out pretty quickly. My mom and stedpad also had the non-allergy friend chicken meal, so there was a lot of fried chicken at our table. Yum! Mine came out on completely different dish-ware and also had a place marker that said "Allergy" on it. I've never seen any other WDW restaurant do this, and I really like it because it allows for less confusion (in the past I've been brought regular non-allergy friendly fried chicken b/c they weren't marked). It would be nice to see this in other restaurants in the future. It's also nice that they use different dishes because that is another way to distinguish a special diets meal.

Gluten Free/Dairy Free/Soy Free awesomeness--fried chicken, mashed potatoes, greens, and gravy!

After they brought the food out, the chef did come back to check on me to see how it was. It was excellent. Although, I think it might have been a tad greasier than I've had in the past, it was still really good. Moist and tender and the fried chicken crust was amazing. The mashed potatoes here are something spectacular. Seriously! In my humble opinion, these are consistently the best mashed potatoes on property. So flavorful and rich. Whispering Canyon Cafe's are a close second. The ones at Liberty Tree Tavern are also good, but they don't have the depth of flavor that they do here. I need to find out exactly what they do to these potatoes to make them so darn good. My attempts with evoo haven't turned out quite as well. The greens were also good here. Anything that involves bacon is A-OK with me. I personally like them cooked down more, but that's me. I grew up on mushy greens and green beans, etc. Then we get to the gravy. Yum! I liked the gravy I got here the first time better, but this one reminded me of my mom's chicken gravy. It was almost identical. I had her taste it, and she even agreed. So, it was nice to have something taste so familiar. Double Yum!

Close-up of the chicken with potatoes and greens. That's a lot of chicken!

Close-up of the chicken gravy. Yeah, I ate the whole thing...

I didn't quite make it to the "Clean Plate" club...that was a lot of food!

Sarah's awesome gluten free/dairy free brownie sundae. Delish!

Then it was on to dessert. The chef prepared a great sundae (and another nice touch that the allergy market was on it. It was also in a different type of dish than the traditional sundae). I didn't really eat the popcorn (doesn't always settle well with me), but I scarfed the rest down. Somehow, it doesn't matter how full I am here, I can always make room for dessert. Well...that happens a lot at WDW!

Our Cousin Janice was singing "Happy Birthday" to my stepdad...she was a hoot!

Overall, I had a really good experience at 50's Prime Time Cafe. Chef Ivan was very kind and very attentive to make sure that everything was done just right. Just remember whenever you go someplace to be mindful of ingredients and ask if you think the offering doesn't sound safe. (i.e. M&M's on a sundae here is a no go for dairy free folks).I can't wait to head back again...another solid 9 out of 10. Love the ambiance, the staff interaction, and of course the food!!! Definitely a continued must-do for me.

Kona Cafe -- Breakfast -- Table Service -- Polynesian Resort

**This dining experience took place in July 2012.Aloha! As you all know, I love Kona Cafe at Disney's Polynesian Resort. I can't help it. Their allergy friendly Mickey waffles call my name! It's been a while since I've had my Kona Cafe Mickey waffle fix, so I decided this was the place to head to on my day trip to WDW.First up was a ham omelet (hold the cheese), and the chef subbed out the potatoes and biscuit for Mickey waffles. Normally, I would have asked for more Mickey waffles, but I knew I was having an early dinner at Whispering Canyon. The ham omelet was good, but I actually think in the future I will get what I normally do which is scrambled eggs and ham on the side. Their grilled ham is delicious, and I preferred that over the more shredded version in the omelet (though it's likely just the same ham).Overall, another great meal at Kona.

Close-up of those incredible allergy friendly Mickey waffles!

Ham Omelet and Mickey waffles...yum!

 

Whispering Canyon Cafe -- Lunch -- Table Service -- Wilderness Lodge

Yeehaw! This was quite a meal!

**This dining experience took place July 2012.Howdy! Who's ready for a rootin' tootin' review of Whispering Canyon Cafe?! I know I'm sure ready to head back here for another meal. Yum! I haven't eaten here for dinner since 2003 (and that was pre-allergies), so I was looking forward to this meal. On top of that, I had been in contact with Chef Williere Justin, formerly of 50's Prime Time (and who many of you know has provided some really amazing experiences and darn good GF/DF fried chicken there) who is now at Whispering Canyon Cafe. I will say that there are a few chefs on WDW's property that I will follow from restaurant to restaurant because they are that good. Chef Williere might just possibly be my favorite of all chefs on WDW property. His dedication to providing safe and tasty dining experiences for guests is unparalleled. In fact, there was another guest there with allergies at the same time was so happy, our server said she must have hugged Chef Williere for 5 minutes! He's that good! So, I was very excited about this meal. We had been in contact prior to my visit, and I knew I was able to get GF/DF cornbread, and that there would be a chocolate cake made. Wahoo! Cornbread and chocolate cake sounded A-OK to me!Upon arrival, we were greeted almost immediately by Chef Williere who said he was ready for us. He just confirmed that we were having the lunch skillet (a slightly, and only slightly because it's huge, smaller version of the dinner skillet) with cornbread. He also said that he had the bakery make me a special cake. Yum! I was excited. We were also greeted by our server Jeffro, who Chef Williere said was just great. We were off to a good start!Now for those of you unfamiliar with Whispering Canyon Cafe, you should know that there are lots of fun hijinks that happen here. The chefs kid around a lot and tend to be "surly." Just ask for some extra ketchup some time. You'll see what I mean! :)We really didn't have much time at all to wait for food, which was good because we were hungry! Chef Williere brought out two huge pieces of GF/DF cornbread. Wow, it looked good!

GF/DF Cornbread! So good my family kept trying to eat it!

The cornbread was extremely moist (which those of us who bake GF/DF know that can be sometimes difficult) and delicious. It was dense and almost cake-like. The taste was phenomenal. I gave my family some to sample (they had regular gluteny cornbread), and they loved it. In fact, later they asked for some more because they liked it so much.Next up was the coleslaw. This was not mayonnaise based, so it was nice and light. But, be warned it had a slight kick to it. So, if you don't like spicy food, just keep that in mind. Still, it was extremely good.

Coleslaw

Up next, was the mammoth skillet that we were served. Mammoth is an understatement. Jeffro told us to make sure to make room, and he sure wasn't kidding! Wowie! Initially, I made the assumption that I would be brought a separate skillet; that usually happens at most restaurants, so I didn't dig in immediately. I asked our server, and he said, no the whole skillet was safe. Wow. That was pretty amazing because that never happens, not even at WDW. But, we could all share. I loved this. The skillet consisted of: BBQ pork ribs, chicken, and sausage, baked beans, garlic smashed potatoes, and corn on the cob. That's a lot of food.

A mighty skillet filled with GF/DF goodness!

My first plate consisted of chicken, ribs, potatoes, and beans. OMG. So good. The chicken was very good and moist. It tasted like it had some rosemary in it. The beans were also very good, nice BBQ flavor. Then there were the ribs. Those were a surprise, because I'm always on the fence with ribs. I either love them or hate them. These were of the love kind. Very smoky and tasty. Then there were the potatoes. Those were to-die for. I ate about 3 servings of the potatoes...seriously.

Round one of my meal...there were several!

So between the cornbread and the skillet, I was one full girl. But, we knew there was cake coming. Oh boy was there cake coming. I was talking to Jeffro, our server, at the time, but my stepdad and mom said that Chef Williere peeked out from the kitchen and gave the thumbs up signal to see if we were ready for dessert. Yep, we were! And what a surprise dessert it was! Chef said that he had the baker make a special chocolate cake. It was so amazing. The most artful and special looking GF/DF cake I've ever had on property (and the most tasty, I must say). It was also pretty huge! The cake consisted of chocolate cake, strawberry jam layered in the cake, and a strawberry jam layer on the top of the cake with white frosting and fresh strawberries. I'm still not sure how I packed all the food away or made space for the cake, but I did. It was so amazing. My family was raving about how good it was and how it did not at all taste like a "special diets" dessert.

Full view of the gorgeous cake.

Close-up view of the cake top

Cake serving. Yum!

I am telling you, when I need a special occasions cake, I'm contacting their bakery again. They have officially blown any other WDW bakery out of the park. Divine! Luckily, we were able to take the cake home with us; otherwise we would not have been able to eat the whole thing (and admittedly, I ate some for breakfast the next day!).A word about special cake orders. These have varying costs, and you can arrange this ahead of time with the bakery or chefs at the various restaurants and hotels. Typically, desserts at restaurants are usually gf/df non-dairy ice cream, cookies, house-made brownies, and sorbets. So, this was a specially prepared cake. So, if you want something like this, you'll want to contact the restaurant ahead of time and consider that there will likely be an additional cost incurred. Restaurants are also now able to order cakes from Babycakes at Downtown Disney if you prefer.Overall, I can't say enough good things about this experience from the servers to Chef Williere and his amazing staff, my whole family was blown away by this meal.Definitely a 10 out of 10! Run don't walk to this restaurant and expect a really great meal. Hijinks definitely included :)

The Wave -- Breakfast -- Table Service -- Contemporary

Entrance Podium Sign at the Wave

I've been to the Wave once with food allergies, around the time they first opened. As you'll see in my previous review, the meal was ok, nothing special. One of my friends recently recommended the Wave to me, as they told me they had received gluten free, dairy free, and soy free sweet potato pancakes. For that, I was willing to make another trip to the Wave.

Menu from the Wave

I recently had the opportunity to visit. One of the new additions was the option of the breakfast buffet. This meant you could order off the menu or choose the buffet. The chef kindly took me through the buffet to tell me what was safe and also checked to see if they could make the sweet potato pancakes. The trick with them is that the sweet potato puree may have already been used for the day on the regular non special diets pancake batter. If they have extra (or if you give them enough notice), they will make the sweet potato pancakes for special diets guests. Unfortunately, they were out that day (it was close to 10:30 am, so nearly the end of breakfast), but I was able to get gluten free/dairy free pancakes.The chef then made my eggs in the back and also offered me cinnamon raisin toast and/or blueberry muffins. I chose the cinnamon raisin bread. I haven't had any since going GF/DF over 3 years ago!

Buffet pods

Fresh Fruit from the Buffet

Bacon and breakfast potatoes

Of the few items I could have directly from the buffet were the fresh fruit (which was far away from other gluten/dairy items) and breakfast potatoes and bacon. I found the breakfast potatoes to be quite tasty. They had red peppers in them but were not too spicy. The bacon was the standard WDW bacon. The fruit was actually very fresh and very tasty. I was impressed with that.

Scrambled eggs with GF/DF Cinnamon Raisin Toast

GF/DF Pancakes with Earth Balance Vegan Margarine

The chef brought out scrambled eggs, GF/DF cinnamon raisin toast, and GF/DF pancakes with Earth Balance Vegan Margarine. The eggs were good, but it was the cinnamon raisin toast that wowed me. It was the Udi's brand bread, and it was very, very good. Good enough that I went home and bought some (sorry, I'm shameless when it comes to consuming good bread. If it's good, I'll buy a ton of it!). The GF/DF pancakes were also very good. It was interesting because I found them to taste almost exactly like the Mickey waffles. I think they must use the same mix. I was also excited because they brought me Earth Balance vegan margarine. Great on the pancakes and on the toast!

Full View of the Spread

View of the Restaurant

Overall, I was very pleasantly surprised with the Wave. I liked the option to order off the menu or choose the buffet. I found the additional options for GF/DF to be quite nice. I truly enjoyed the cinnamon raisin bread and the pancakes. I'm really hoping to head back here to try to get the sweet potato pancakes soon!I would give it a solid 8 out of 10. Can't wait to check out some of the other offerings from this restaurant.

**This dining experience took place in June 2012.

Turf Club Bar and Grill -- Table Service -- Lunch -- Saratoga Springs

One of the two entrances to the Turf Club Bar and Grill at Saratoga Springs Resort

I've had quite a few people recommend Saratoga Springs' table service restaurant Turf Club Bar and Grill. Everyone I've received the recommendations from have told me how wonderful this restaurant is at accommodating special diets. For me, I've never been likely because I have felt it was off the beaten path, and I've also never stayed on a vacation at this resort. But, I really wanted to try something different on my way back from MCO airport, so I decided to check it out.

Open air patio seating is readily available

One of the first things I noticed about this restaurant is its options for outdoor seating. Although I opted to stay indoors due to the heat, I thought this would be a perfect place to have a leisurely lunch or dinner on a cooler day. It has spectacular views of the lake and of Downtown Disney.

Indoor seating. Very club-like atmosphere.

Lunch menu. I ordered the GF/DF modified "Crispy Chicken Breast Sandwich"

After being seated inside, I was greeted by the chef, who went over the menu with me. He said there were a lot of options, and he was correct. I was pretty pleased that I had such a variety of entrees to choose from. Appetizer-wise, there wasn't really anything short of salad that was gluten free and dairy free. He did mention the buffalo chicken dip is gluten free, but contains butter (so those of you who are strictly GF can enjoy this). For entrees, all of the burgers were good. The chef said he could do a modified GF/DF version of the shrimp scampi pasta. The crispy chicken breast sandwich could actually be made with the crispy coating. (yes, I was sold on this one!). The Reuben sandwich was ok, as was the barbeque pork tenderloin sandwich. There were a few other options, but I sort of tuned them out once I heard the crispy chicken was safe! I ordered mine without the goat cheese or the rosemary focaccia. Instead it came on a Udi's roll (I still am obsessed with these. Thank you Udi's for making these!). I also got the french fries.

Crispy Chicken Breast Sandwich on a GF/DF roll and minus the cheese with fries

Close up of the crispy chicken breast sandwich. Yum!

I must say, this sandwich was to-die for! As you can see, it was quite large. I actually had to cut it in half to eat it. The GF/DF coating was actually very crispy, as well as being very tasty. My only slight suggestion was to add a little more salt to the breading, but otherwise, it did an excellent job of creating that crispy chicken sandwich taste and texture. I don't think I've actually had a sandwich like this since going GF/DF over 3 years ago (chicken tenders don't quite count). It was fantastic. The balsamic marinated onions and tomatoes were very good. I loved this. The arugula was a nice touch for the choice of greens, mixing well with the balsamic dressing. Believe me, I scarfed this down. The fries were good. Nothing spectacular, just plain old good french fries. Next time, I might try the homemade chips. I know the slaw they had was not mayonnaise based, and the server mentioned that it was a sweeter slaw. Not sure I'd do that, but it might be a good option, if you like slaw.

Mango sorbet with fresh fruit

I also decided to get dessert. The sorbet flavor that day was mango. The chef said they would add some fresh fruit. I like the mango sorbet a lot. It's something different than the traditional raspberry, which I get a lot. Although there wasn't a lot of fruit accompanying the sorbet, it was all very fresh and very tasty.Overall, I was pretty impressed with this restaurant. They really did seem to have a lot of GF/DF options. I was especially impressed considering that my lunch was a walk-in, having not made an ADR. So, this is a great option regardless of advanced notice (but definitely make an ADR whenever possible). I didn't get to meet Chef Ron, who I've heard a lot about, but the other chef on duty was fabulous.Definitely a solid 9 out of 10 for excellent options and service.

**This dining experience took place in June 2012. 

Kona Cafe -- Breakfast -- Table Service -- Polynesian

**This dining experience took place in May 2012. 

 

Just a quick update post on Kona Cafe. Thought I'd show a slight variation of offerings there. I recently had gallbladder surgery and prior to the surgery I needed to watch the fat content. Eggs really weren't working well for me (at least not the yolks). So, I was able to order egg whites which worked out really well. Of course, I had to have some Mickey waffles, even if my tummy wasn't too happy later. We ended up doing the "eggs your way" menu choice and subbed the biscuit for mickey waffles. I had grilled ham too. Yum!

Scrambled egg whites, ham, and Mickey waffles!

Mara -- Quick Service -- Dinner -- AKL

*Note this review was prior to the vendor changes that took place in November 2011.The Mara is a really great counter service for a variety of options. I love that they have allergy free chicken tenders here, safe fries, and a bevy of other traditional counter service type fare. However, they also have some nice options for African inspired food.This particular dish was really yummy. Grilled (and marinated chicken) with basmati rice and succotash. I enjoyed the grilled chicken immensely. It had really good flavor. They had to make this in the back, as the chicken out front was not safe (I think it was marinated in yogurt).Overall, a good solid dish.

Grilled chicken with rice and succotash