Raglan Road -- Lunch/Dinner -- Table Service -- Downtown Disney

*This dining experience took place in December 2012.

View of Raglan Road in Downtown Disney

I've been getting recommendations from blog readers for a while for Raglan Road at Downtown Disney. Everyone has been raving about gluten free/dairy free fish and chips and onion rings. If you're gluten free/dairy free, you know that getting anything fried out in a restaurant is often a tricky situation--especially when cross contamination is concerned. Disney is probably one of the rare exceptions where you can occasionally get french fries, fish and chips, and other deep fried dishes with a lower cross contamination risk.I've had the fish and chips at Cooke's of Dublin, the quick service location next to Raglan Road. Having really enjoyed them, I hoped to check out the dinner at Raglan Road for more offerings. We ended up heading here for a mid-afternoon lunch/dinner. We got there just before 3pm, so we were given the lunch menu but after looking at both menus they don't seem that different. Since Raglan Road is non-Disney owned their allergy procedures are just slightly different (but still very good compared to most restaurants outside of WDW!). Our server asked if anyone had an allergy (I noted it on our reservation, but it didn't translate to the table--they don't print out sheets like Disney owned locations). I told him that I can't have gluten or dairy. He took our drinks and then told me that most of the entrees are easily made gluten free and talked about the gluten free fish and chips and onion rings. He also said he would get the manager.

Raglan Road main dining room

The manager came over and was very helpful. He told me that they can easily work with gluten free and that dairy free would also not be too difficult. He asked what I was interested in, and I told him about the onion rings and fish and chips. He said they use sparkling water and chickpea flour for the mix. I decided that it made sense for the first time to check out those fish and chips--and since other blog readers had raved about the onion rings, I should try those too (turned out a little too much deep fried goodness). He said I was a really easy order but that I should enjoy the meal. (On a side note, I loved his Irish lilt--always nice to see someone who is Irish working at an Irish restaurant!).

GF/DF Onion Rings

First up were the onion rings. Yum! I admit, I don't eat something like this very often and I found these a little greasy. But they tasted divine. I wish they had some sort of dipping sauce, but in general, they were really good. You can see from the picture that they use some sort of greens in it (parsley, I think); it added a nice zip to the batter. The batter was very light and flavorful and the onions were sweet and tender. Very good! At first, I asked the server if these were the GF/DF ones (ok, I'm suspicious when it looks so "normal") and he said yes. My family test tasted them too and they assured me that they were GF/DF batter (evidently my taste buds have changed so much, I have difficulty telling when it tastes really good! lol). I would definitely order these again, but maybe not order the fried entree to balance out the grease.

Bar in Raglan Road

Next up came the entree. Oh yeah!! I could tell the fish and chips used the same batter for the fish. This was good, as I really enjoyed that. The chips looked pretty much like the ones I had at Cooke's of Dublin (and also tasted the same). First up is the fish. It was a large portion! I found the taste to be really good and the fish to be flaky. I did like the batter a lot. The fish was less greasy than the onion rings. The french fries really didn't seem greasy at all to me. They rocked. I loved these--they had the perfect amount of salt too. And then, the best part--the tartar sauce. OMG this was so good. I admit, it was my favorite thing of the meal. I should have asked for a second dish of it (seriously, I was drowning my fries and fish in it). It tasted like it could have been homemade mayonnaise. So good. This was definitely the big winner for me. In fact, if I go there I will ask for it for french fries even if I don't order the fish and chips. Seriously!

Fish, Chips and that amazing tartar sauce!

Overall, I wouldn't hesitate to head back to Raglan Road. I loved the restaurant decor and the food. The service and manager assistance was also very good. I like that it's a good option at Downtown Disney and that they can easily accommodate. And fish & chips and onion rings!? Why that's a big plus for many GF diners. Now, I have heard that Rose & Crown has a fish & chips that they can do too--I need to head there to compare :) The only downside to this meal for me was the greasiness, but that's because I normally don't eat fried foods much. With gallbladder removal, my stomach's a little more sensitive to it, so I think I'd do one or the other next time.I'd give this a solid 8 out of 10! Definitely a DTD must-do!!

Other Bar section of Raglan Road

Olivia's -- Breakfast -- Table Service -- Old Key West

*This dining experience took place December 2012.

Entrance to Olivia's at Old Key West Resort

If you've ever been to Old Key West Resort (Disney's original vacation club villas), you're familiar with Olivia's. It's this resort's table service location and a well loved DVC restaurant. Prior to this visit, I had only been one other time, but had had a good experience and was looking forward to visiting again. What I most loved about this restaurant was the quiet relaxed atmosphere. Many restaurants on property are filled with hustle and bustle, and sometimes it's nice to be in a quiet low-key environment. Olivia's definitely reflects the atmosphere and vibe of the Florida Keys.On this trip, I headed there with my family for breakfast. We were headed to Universal Studios that day, but I'd been after eating at Universal on the last several trips, so I wanted to eat at Disney. Old Key West was fairly accessible and easy for us before our trip over to Universal.The first thing you'll notice about this resort is that you almost feel like you're in the Florida Keys. Lots of great island flair. It was also nicely decorated for the Christmas holiday with island inspired wreaths and ornaments.

It's an island inspired Christmas!

We got to the restaurant fairly early because of our travel time over to Universal, so it was pretty quiet in there. We had a nice corner table, so we could really take in the decor.

Dining room at Olivia's--Love the fans!

We were quickly greeted by Chef Brian who started to give me some options. I more or less knew what I wanted, and I asked about the Olivia's Breakfast which is like American at most Disney breakfast locations. It came with eggs, breakfast potatoes, toast and choice of breakfast meat. Chef Brian said their regularly served breakfast potatoes were loaded with dairy but that he could easily make me breakfast potatoes without dairy. He also said that they could do the Udi's toast or bagel. They also had Earth Balance on hand. I also inquired about the allergy friendly pancakes/waffles and he said they could make them. I asked which they use Namaste or Bob's Red Mill and he said that they do have both on hand. This is good to know if you have certain allergies like corn or potato because Namaste is a better at covering more than just gluten and dairy free. I asked if they could do the Bob's Red Mill (my personal taste preference) and he was happy to oblige. So, I ordered a side of Mickey waffles. Yum!

Olivia's Breakfast Platter

First up was the breakfast platter. It was good--nothing really special per se--solid breakfast. The scrambled eggs were slightly overcooked, not the best I've ever had. The ham was also just OK, but I was glad to have it as an option because in a lot of places it's just bacon and sausage. The breakfast potatoes were excellent. They were deep fried and nicely seasoned with salt. The Udi's toast was great as usual, but probably my only slight complaint was that it needed to be toasted more. I love that they had Earth Balance. Anytime I get Earth Balance, I'm so happy!

Mickey Waffles!

The Mickey waffles were pretty good. Not as crispy as Kona or Kouzzina, but good. I always love a good Mickey waffle. These fit the bill quiet nicely.

My breakfast--quite the bounty!

Overall, the breakfast was really pretty good. If you compare it to a lot of non-Disney owned restaurants, it down-right rocks. I'm just always glad when I get to eat breakfast at Disney because I get gluten free/dairy free toast and waffles and even vegan margarine. It's just such a treat.

Photos throughout the restaurant

I would definitely recommend Olivia's to anyone. It's got a great vibe and lovely atmosphere. It's not just for DVC members either--It's just a great all around place to enjoy and relax.A solid 8 out of 10.

Landscape of Flavors -- Breakfast -- Quick Service -- Art of Animation

*This dining experience took place November 2012.

Disney's Art of Animation Resort at Christmas-time

It seems like I've been at Disney's Art of Animation Resort a lot since it opened. In fact, I've visited and dined there 4 times now. I can see why it's becoming such a popular resort. The decor is amazing and it offers a lot of value and service. One of the biggest draws is Landscape of Flavors, the quick service location. This restaurant offers a lot of traditional options (like burgers, fries, etc.) with a great variety of other offerings, like the Tandoor station and pasta station. I like that they focus on customizable dishes, and I've heard such great things from other guests about how they've handled special diets. It's been great to get some recommendations from other guests too so that I can go back and check things out (I've been wanting to head back for lunch or dinner soon!). This trip, we headed there for breakfast in between me meeting up with some folks.

Entrance to Landscape of Flavors

The last time I was here for breakfast, I had a GF/DF waffle that was regularly sized and some turkey bacon with some very sugary fruit. I hadn't been wowed by it, especially the waffles which tasted OK but not great in my opinion. Last time Chef Dan had told me they were a mix of Bob's Red Mill and Namaste. This time, I wanted something more protein based because I had one heck of a sugar crash the last time. Too much sugar in the morning makes me cranky! (Just ask my poor family members and friends. They can attest to that!)I was greeted by the manager who helped me the first time I came to Landscape of Flavors. She said the eggs aren't normally made with dairy, so I ordered eggs and bacon (regular not turkey) and the potatoes it appeared were smothered in dairy. Ah bummer! I'm sure they could have made regular potatoes, but I was fine without it. I asked for a side of GF/DF waffles--to give them a second chance. This time, I asked if I could have the mini Nemo waffles (what can I say, I'm a girl who loves character shaped waffles!!). She said she could do that. Yeah!

Scrambled eggs, bacon, and GF/DF Nemo waffles

I wasn't overly wowed by the breakfast, but I thought it was really solid. The eggs were rather good. The bacon is the usual "stringy" bacon that is served at WDW--I was hoping for a meatier bacon, but alas it was not to be. I will say the surprise of the breakfast was the Nemo waffle. I expected to not love these this time, but I thought they were much better than the batch I had the first go-around. Weird? Surely the shape can't make them taste better...can they?! :) They tasted more like the Bob's Red Mill but I could tell the batter was mixed.

Holiday cups!

Overall, I find Landscape of Flavors to be a really good quick service location. Even my fellow diners said the same. They tried a lot of the other adventurous meal options for breakfast. I wish I could enjoy the Indian inspired breakfast like the Naan bread, but I'm happy to know that there are at least a fair amount of safe offerings for me at the restaurant. It's a location that does a really excellent job catering to folks with food allergies! Make sure you ask for Chef Dan if he's there. Though I didn't get to see him this time, I found him to be really enthusiastic and helpful!A solid 8 out of 10!

Brown Derby -- Lunch/Dinner -- Table Service -- Hollywood Studios

*This dining experience took place in November 2012. This also includes a gluten/dairy/soy free review in addition to my regular GF/DF reviews.

 Ah the Hollywood Brown Derby. The name harkens back to the golden age of Hollywood when famous movie stars frequented the restaurant of the same name in California. I've long wanted to visit the Brown Derby, but never have mostly because I wasn't always wowed by the menu options. I had heard great things about the Cobb Salad, but since it was an appetizer I didn't think it would be worth the trip. Oh how wrong I was! I met up with a friend to celebrate their birthday. They love the Brown Derby and have been many times, so I was looking forward to the meal after hearing them rave about it.

Menu at the Brown Derby

The first thing I noticed when we arrived was that this restaurant feels more upscale--like California Grill or Jiko. I joked that I felt like I needed to be dressed up, but it was true! I did. Of course, everyone one else was in casual wear, so I didn't feel out of place in jeans and a t-shirt. But, it would be really neat to go here with everyone dressed up to the nines. Tables in Wonderland could totally do an event like that!

Wall of caricatures

Dining room in the Brown Derby

After being seated, we were greeted by the chef who was very friendly and helpful. He was basically happy to help tweak any dish we might want. I was excited about that! For the appetizers he said he could Andouille-crusted prawn but without the grits. Which means he'd have to sub something out. The cobb salad is gluten, dairy, and soy free after removing the blue cheese. My friend who is soy free thought he'd have to do oil and vinegar on the side, but the dressing turned out to be OK for him. For entrees, he said the charred beef filet would be easy to modify (but I don't eat beef) and he said the risotto didn't have dairy in it (which I'll be honest, I didn't believe). The grouper was an easily modified option as was the pork chop. He said the salmon dish would be a nightmare to change (so I think that means no GF soy sauce on hand). Both myself and my dining guest decided to get the cobb salad since it comes as an entree choice. My friend also ordered a side of french fries (because they don't use soybean oil in the fryers--they use canola oil there) and ketchup. The chef said he could make a more interesting dipping sauce if we wanted. He offered to make a truffle mayonnaise. I also asked about dessert options and he said he'd work with the bakery to create something. I said I wanted something chocolate. He first mentioned creme brulee but I had to remind him that it's dairy (though he said the bakery could create some crazy allergy friendly things, I just wasn't comfortable with that).First up, we were brought some rolls with extra virgin olive oil. The rolls were the GNI brand rolls. I will say that they were really warm and soft, as opposed to the dry mess that I've had at a few locations. My guess is that it has to do with the way it's heated (the ones at Liberty Tree Tavern were like sawdust and were the same rolls!). I will say they aren't horrible this way, but not great either. I still prefer the Udis. I hope that in the future they are able to balance out the bread vendor changes. It feels like a guessing game at every restaurant I go to! :)

GNI Brand Rolls

Next up came our salads. Now as someone with Crohn's Disease I have to be very careful with salad. It can really give me a doozy of a stomach-ache. Part of it is that my body has a hard time digesting crunchy veggies. However, I was really excited to see that the lettuce was chopped super fine and that their was an abundance of toppings that balanced out the lettuce. They put the dressing on the side for us and we mixed it in. The salad was amazing! I loved it as did my friend. We were both chowing down. I love the texture of the salad where everything is minced. The flavor was great and the dressing was excellent. This was a new fav for me. I will say too that I actually didn't get much of a stomach-ache at all, which means it's a good salad option for me on those rare occasions when I want a salad. Sooo good! The toppings were excellent too. I adored the avocado mash on it. Of course, I love all things avocado, but this was a great fit to the meal and nicer than just chopped avocado pieces.

Entree Cobb Salad

Next up came the french fries. I definitely got to sample them, even though it was not my order. OMG I loved the truffle mayonnaise!! So good. If you like truffle oil, you would like this. My friend isn't a fan of the truffle oil, so they didn't enjoy it (it has a very earthy taste to it). In fact, they didn't finish all of the fries, so I got to really enjoy the truffle mayonnaise. Later after talking to the chef, it turned out that they made the mayonnaise from scratch. They keep Hellmann's on hand which has soy in it. So, they made it soy free by making a batch themselves. That was a great touch and really lent to the velvety rich texture of the truffle mayo. It was also nice that they took an off the menu creation and really did a nice job to make it right.

French fries and homemade truffle mayonnaise

Next up came dessert. The chef said that the bakery put together a flour-less chocolate cake, strawberry/mango sorbet, and fresh berries with dark chocolate. They also included a gorgeous piece of chocolate tuile that was spray painted with hot pink edible paint. It was gorgeous! I really enjoyed this dessert. Again, they really took the time to make something a little different, rather than just dumping a piece of flour-less chocolate cake on a plate and charging me $9 for it (this particular dessert cost $9). I really appreciate it when restaurants make something a little different because so often we just get something pre-packaged or plain. It was also quite tasty. The flour-less cake was good, dense but delicious. I really enjoyed the flavors of the mixed sorbet. Yum! The raspberries with chocolate on it was a nice touch too (they really listened when I said I would like chocolate) and the chocolate tuile was divine! It looked almost too pretty to eat...almost!

Flourless chocolate cake, strawberry/mango sorbet, fresh berries with chocolate and chocolate tuile

Overall, I was really pleased with this meal. I enjoyed the ambiance at the Brown Derby--it was a gorgeous restaurant that really transported you back to Hollywood in the 1940's. I waited for Lana Turner, Judy Garland, and Clark Gable to come through the doors! The food was excellent and the accommodation for food allergies was very good. I like it when chefs are willing to go above and beyond and make your experience exceptional. This was a good example of that. I would definitely head back again, especially for that cobb salad!A solid 9 out of 10 for on my first trip. A definite must-do again.

A view of the servers and the bar area

Be Our Guest Restaurant -- Dinner -- Table Service -- Magic Kingdom

*This dining experience took place November 2012.

Entrance to Be Our Guest Restaurant

With the official opening of the New Fantasyland Expansion on December 6, 2012, many of us have been waiting patiently for a peek into the new restaurants located there, especially Be Our Guest Restaurant. Located next to Enchanted Tales with Belle, Be Our Guest Restaurant (BOG) transports diners into the French Countryside and to the Beast's castle. ADRs for this restaurant have proved to be difficult and highly coveted. In fact, I originally didn't get any reservations until January 2013! However, special previews have been happening for press, cast members, and select guests during the preview period. As a Tables in Wonderland member (a discount card for dining at Walt Disney World restaurants), I received an email a few weeks ago to get a special preview of the restaurant. I was so excited, but didn't have any high expectations that I would get an ADR due to the difficulty Annual Passholder previews had been for the Fantasyland expansion itself (it was crazy!). However, I was lucky enough to score a reservation at 4pm on November 18. I should note that the restaurant is also open for lunch, but that lunch is a quick service meal--similar to how La Cantina de San Angel and La Hacienda de San Angel in Epcot run.With that in mind, I began busily planning out my meal (or at least what I thought might be my meal!!). The menu for BOG is decidedly French, as one might expect from the French inspired decor. Lots of gratins and sauces. In looking at the menu ahead of time, I had suspected that the Rotisserie Cornish Hen was likely the safest option. And so I patiently waited for our ADRs!

Lunch and dinner menus outside of Be Our Guest

On the day of our reservation, we headed to the new Fantasyland area. We got there about 30 minutes early, so it was a good time to check out the sights and sounds. We tried to check in early, but were not able to do so. At this time (due to high capacity and requests), they ask that you check in at exactly 15 minutes prior to your ADR. In fact, we were not taken in to the restaurant until exactly 4pm when the restaurant opened.

Waterfall by Be Our Guest Restaurant

Waterfall and Mountains

The Beast's castle off in the distance...gorgeous!

While we waited, we were given a pager and told to wait in front of the bridge and that once our pager went off we would be seated inside. During this time, we took a look around and took some pictures.

Our pager

Details on the bridge

Beast gargoyle..

Entrance to the restaurant

Finally, the time came for our pager to go off! We were so excited to head into the restaurant. I had been able to check it out during the Annual Passholder preview but was not prepared for the amazing ambiance in the restaurant. It was truly breathtaking. The dining room is a mammoth ballroom with huge chandeliers (like in Beauty & the Beast) and amazing murals. There is a side room that is dedicated to the Beast (more on that later) as well. The one thing that I will note is that the lighting is not particularly great for taking photographs, so some of my photos may seem a little dark, especially in the Beast's room.

Ballroom

Chandeliers and Mural

View of the ballroom from our seats

We were seated at the very back of the ballroom, next to the large windows with scenes of the French countryside. Wow. This was so amazing. The windows made it feel like we were transported to France. The mountains were in the background with beautiful pine trees and snow. Yes, it was snowing. The way Disney Imagineers designed this was brilliant, and really made the ambiance come to life. It was gorgeous, and we were so excited to be seated there. The table settings were also lovely. The napkins were folded into gorgeous red roses. Beautiful!

Napkins

Our server greeted us, and she could not have been more in character. Disney has done some wonderful training and character background for these servers. Ours was very polite and conscientious--we had lots of refills on our drinks and excellent service. She took our drink order and said she would get the chef. This was exciting to be in a new restaurant and to see what French inspired foods might be available.

View of the countryside--you can almost make out the snow

The chef greeted us by asking what I might like. The first thing I asked about was the appetizer. We had been very hungry (having missed lunch due to a very busy day at the Orlando Premium Outlets) and wanted something to nosh on before our entrees. I had been eying the Assorted Cured Meats and Sausages appetizer. The chef told me that this would be gluten free with the change out of bread but that he needed to see if the pates were dairy free. He said he would include the regular baguette for my guests and include gluten free/dairy free bread for me. I forgot to ask him what the bread was (sorry, I was in awe of the restaurant). We then talked about the entrees. He said that we could do the rotisserie Cornish hen without any modifications--so if you're gluten and dairy free, this is the easiest one for you. He also said he could do the thyme scented pork rack chop (which I later wished I had ordered) and sub out the sides with roasted fingerling potatoes and a roasted vegetable. The steak is also a very good option for gluten and dairy diners. The only modification would be the removal of the garlic herb butter. He indicated that the ratatouille would be OK, but since I didn't want that one, he didn't go into major details with this. The salmon and sauteed shrimp and scallops were the two hardest to accommodate for the special diets. I decided to play it safe the first time and go with the rotisserie Cornish hen.I also asked the chef about the dessert options, knowing that there is a gluten free lemon-raspberry cream puff. This is not safe for dairy allergies (as I expected). The only options they had at this time for gluten and dairy was sorbet and fresh fruit. Since neither really appealed to me, I opted for no dessert.First up came our appetizer. Wow, this was actually my favorite part of the meal. I loved it. The chef said when he brought it out that the only thing he couldn't include was some type of pate/mousse which contained dairy. Everything else was safe. So, we definitely dug right in!

Cured meats and sausages board. Gorgeous presentation!

The board contained a variety of meats and accompaniments. If you look at the picture, I'll start from left to right on the items. The first is the cornichons. I love all things related to pickles. These had a lovely flavor, good crisp and weren't overly salty. These went fast! Next up was the salami. This was nothing to special--good but your basic salami. Next up was the prosciutto. Love! One of my favs. Then you see the two sausages. The one on the top had a slight sweet taste to it. I still can't put my finger on the flavor, but it was quite good (some of the folks at my table did not like it as well). The other sausage was more savory. This was excellent. I might have to stake my claim on all those the next time! Next up were the pickled onions. I admit, I skipped this one, but the rest of my table really enjoyed them. In the front, you see the pate. This was not such a winner for me. I tried it, but not a fan (sorry, liver is an acquired taste that I don't seem to have every acquired!).  Luckily, we had one guest at the table who loved it. The stone ground mustard was fabulous. I was scarfing this down with the meats and bread. And the last cured meat was a type of ham that was very smoked and divine. Another one of my favorites.

Unidentified brand of gluten free/dairy free rolls. They weren't bad!

The rolls I had with this I could not place. They were not Udi's and not GNI brand. I still can't figure it out! I didn't get a chance to query the chef again because it was so busy in there. However, next time I will ask for sure! I'm wondering if it's the frozen dough that I've heard about from other Disney guests who said they are using it for pizza dough and rolls. It really had an interesting combination. I think it must have had a fair amount of tapioca in it because once they cooled down, they got pretty hard. They had a slightly spongy texture and were a cross between an Ener-G roll and Udi's. If anyone knows what brand these are, I'd love to hear about it!Then it was time for the entrees. I will say that Cornish hens are kind of a pain to eat! Little birds equal difficulty cutting and eating. My poor plate was not holding up well while trying to cut it; it kept sliding on the tablecloth. Taste wise, it was OK. I wouldn't say it was the best rotisserie poultry that I've ever had, but it wasn't the worst. It was pretty basic roast hen. The roasted fingerling potatoes were also nothing to write home about. Just basic, but good. Same with the roasted asparagus. I will say I like the grilled asparagus at Boma much better, but I also love asparagus, so I didn't dislike it. It also came with a pan jus, which was quite good and added some needed moisture to the plate. The portions I think are fairly good. Between the appetizer and entree, I was very full. The other diners at my table had dessert and they were stuffed. I will say that one guest had the thyme scented pork chop and they raved about it. I wish I would have ordered that instead. I've included a picture of it, so you can see what it looks like (but note that the sides are NOT safe).

Rotisserie Cornish hen, asparagus, roasted potatoes and pan jus

Thyme scented pork chop is safe--other items on this entree are not deemed gluten/dairy free (at least the mac & cheese)

Lastly, we came up to the dessert portion. I was slightly bummed they didn't have a more creative dairy free option, but no worries. I was pretty full. I did however take a picture of the gluten free cream puff. Note that it was in the same cart as the rest of the desserts. Not sure how I feel about a gluten free dessert in with the rest of the others. Seems like a higher chance of cross contamination in my opinion. Still, it looked delicious.

Dessert cart. Gluten free cream puff is on the left side.

Close-up of the gluten free cream puff

Overall, I thought BOG had a really good variety of options for gluten and dairy free. I wouldn't say I was overly wowed by my entree, but I thought it was a solid meal. I loved the appetizer. I think this will be a terrific option for anyone wanting table service without eating at a buffet or a very costly 2 credit meal in the Magic Kingdom. I'm looking forward to going back and trying out some of the other items on the menu and seeing how the restaurant evolves in the future.I would give it a solid 8 out of 10 at this time for good service, food allergy accommodation and general ambiance.If you get seated in the main dining room, don't forget to check out the Beast's room, located on the side. It's fairly dark and perhaps slightly scary for children but a real visual treat if you get the chance to see it. Here are some pictures from it: 

Fireplace with a torn painting of the Beast before his transformation

Unfortunately the flash warped the image, but this is the rose. The animation on this was incredible.

Ladies restroom at BOG

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

*This dining experience took place in November 2012.

Wilderness Lodge

Howdy! I just got back from a rootin' tootin' good time at Whispering Canyon Cafe. For those who have never been, it's a table service restaurant located in the Wilderness Lodge resort. It's known for its "antics" -- just make sure you ask for ketchup and you'll see what I mean! One of my favorite chefs on property, Chef Williere moved here a few years ago from 50's Prime Time and I've been so happy to see him over here (of course I still miss him at 50's!). In fact, it's been great because I've been able to eat a lots of the same items as my family. And the gluten free/dairy free (allergy friendly) corn bread is to die for! Get the dinner skillet with it, and you'll see what I mean.This was my first time ordering a la carte, as we always get the skillets. Chef Will was there that day and he helped me navigate the menu. I will say that a lot of the menu options are gluten free, which is great. I like that this restaurant has a lot of allergy friendly options. He also told me that despite the removal of the skillet for lunch, you can still get it along with many of the old options like the vegetarian quinoa cake. Being that it was early, we opted not to go for the skillet (a good choice because I was very full by the end of the meal).I ordered the appetizer of Western Chips with Buffalo Chili, Cheese Dip, and Fresh Salsa. The only thing I couldn't have was the cheese dip, so that was placed on the side. What we got was a really large portion of chips and dips. The buffalo chili was pretty good--almost had a sweet taste to it. Very hearty and went will with the chips. I imagine with the cheese dip it was great (the other guests had it with both and liked it a lot). Then there was the salsa. This was a big hit at the table. Chef Will had given us an extra portion I think of the salsa, which was great. It didn't taste like the traditional salsas to me--had again a sweet taste to it. I think we managed to scarf all of that down!

Western Chips with Buffalo Chili and Fresh Salsa

For my lunch, I ordered the Slow-smoked Pulled Pork Sandwich with Cowboy-style Baked Beans, Sweet Ancho-Barbecue Sauce, and Western Slaw. I asked if they had the Udi's buns and Chef Will said they had the sliced bread. This made me happy because that meant if I came for breakfast I could get the toast. I'm always looking for what locations serve Udi's.The sandwich was really good. I loved the smoked pork.  It had a great smoke flavor and the BBQ sauce was delicious (though admittedly I could have asked for a small dish of it on the side--was great to dip fries in). The beans are also quite good. I used the bean sauce to dip my fries--what can I say, I like a good dipping sauce! The slaw was good but a little spicy. For me, especially with the Crohn's and the fact that I ate salsa that day, I opted to forgo the slaw more than just a taste. Fine because others at the table ate it. I also got regular fries as my side dish.

Slow-smoked Pulled Pork Sandwich with Cowboy-style Baked Beans, Sweet Ancho-Barbecue Sauce, and Western Slaw.

Overall, I was really pleased with my meal. The choices were great, and the food as always was really good. I was surprised how busy it was there for lunch. Means it's a great lunch option, especially if you're staying in the lodge. It was great seeing Chef Williere again and getting a great meal. Next time, I'm going to make a plan to eat dinner there because as much as I liked the a la carte options, I really missed the skillet and the cornbread!!!A solid 9 out of 10, for a great meal.

Don't forget to ask for ketchup!!!

Plaza Restaurant -- Table Service -- Lunch/Dinner -- Magic Kingdom

*This dining experience took place in November 2012.

 Nestled between the Main Street Bakery and Tomorrowland is the Plaza Restaurant. It's connected to the ice cream parlor, and I must admit, that I often have overlooked this restaurant. It didn't seem like anything very special. And on top of that, it's primarily sandwiches. In the past, there weren't great options for gluten free/dairy free bread so I tended to avoid sandwich type places. Now that some different options for bread are available, I thought I'd give it a whirl. Plus, I'd heard some good reviews from some of the blog readers that involved great luck with dairy free ice cream...can you say banana split?! 

We arrived at the Plaza a little early for our ADR, and I admit, we waited a bit. When we were seated inside, I understood why. It's pretty small. In fact, it almost reminds me of a slightly larger Beaches n' Cream. The first thing that struck me was that they brought me a binder along with my menu. Weird. That doesn't usually happen at a table service--I found the Plaza to be an interesting hybrid of QS and TS. Quick Service locations always bring the allergy binder to go over ingredients, so in one way it was a good thing. I also took some pics of some of the sheets.

Ingredient binder

I was hoping (based on some recommendations) that I'd get to see Chef (aka Cousin) Ken because I'd heard that he was really good. But, I was greeted by Chef Constance, who was very nice. Unfortunately, her niceness didn't necessarily translate into good allergy service. I went over the sheet with her and she said she had gluten free/dairy free bread which I thought she said was Udi's (since that was what was listed in the sheets of the binder). I was back and forth between the turkey club and the tuna salad sandwich. Because I sometimes have issues with crunchy vegetables because of my Crohn's disease, I was very torn with the tuna salad. Chef Constance let me sample it, and I decided against it because of the onions. So, we went with the turkey club. I also asked about the fries. I knew from others that they probably did not have a dedicated fryer, but Chef Constance kept insisting they did. Um, didn't feel very comfortable about that one...more on that later.I was pretty excited about this, until it came out. It looked like a multi-grain toast--not at all like Udi's. Then I looked at the other sandwiches at the table, and I knew immediately it was so not gluten free. I asked the server about it and said that I needed to talk to the chef and she insisted that it was safe. I was adamant that it was not. She finally went and got the chef and I told her this did not appear to be gluten free bread and she said immediately it was not. "Whoops sorry about that" she said. Um, whoops?! Good thing I'm pretty diligent about food because if I weren't a regular diner at Disney I might have thought it was ok at first. She said she would go fix it right away. Unfortunately, I was not very confident in this whole experience at this point. She did bring back another sandwich, and it was on a hot dog type bun. It did not look at all like Udi's and it was very thin. On top of that, it appeared to have been placed on the flat-top and griddled (which worried me for 2 reasons 1) cross contamination and 2) dairy). Chef Constance said she uses the flat-top (still wasn't clear on cross contamination), but that she uses canola oil. She said she has to do that because otherwise the buns are very dry and don't heat up well (and become gummy). She also insisted the type of bun was Umi, which I couldn't seriously find any information on. I asked her if she meant Udi's but she said no. She said they were sent this bun instead of the Udi's because it has no egg in it. It sort of reminded me of the old Ener-G rolls, but with a different texture. On top of that, I thought based on the taste that they were the GNI brand bread which have been floating about at Disney (still don't know the actual locations). They tasted very similar to the rolls that I had at Liberty Tree Tavern and looked similar too. I looked at GNI's website and they looked very similar to the hot dog buns on their site (which is NOT egg free; it has egg whites in it). Hmm... If anyone knows anything more about these buns, I'd love to hear about it! I saw that in the binder they listed GNI brand hamburger buns as being egg free. Hmmm...I think this definitely needs some further investigation!

Turkey club on a gluten free/dairy free bread with fries.

Taste wise, the sandwich was ok. Nothing great. It was a basic turkey club sandwich (although it was missing the ham that the menu described)--I did like the griddled bread, but still felt a little uncomfortable about the cross contamination. I also felt very uncomfortable about the fries. I tried a few, but they were really greasy. My family tried them, and they said they tasted different than their fries, but I didn't want to take a chance. Plus, the sandwich was large enough that I was pretty full. I also got dessert too.After lunch, I ordered the ice cream sundae (I was too full for a banana split--which is huge!!). I asked for vanilla and chocolate Tofutti with chocolate syrup, nuts, and cherries. Unfortunately, Chef Constance seemed to be really forgetful in my ordering. She brought me chocolate only and no nuts. I wasn't about to quibble over it, and enjoyed the sundae minus my requests. It was really quite a large portion, and delicious! Gotta love a sundae!

Chocolate Tofutti with chocolate syrup, sprinkles, and cherry on to

Overall, I didn't dislike the food at the Plaza, but I wasn't wowed with the service or the allergy accommodation. Next time, I'd try to contact them ahead of time to make sure that Chef Ken is there because it sounds like he is awesome! Chef Constance didn't really set my mind at ease, and while she tried, she didn't do a very good job at accommodating in a safe manner (in my opinion).I'd give it a 6 out of 10 for this particular visit, but might give it another chance in the future.Here are some pics from the binder:

Snacks -- World Showcase

Hi everyone! This will be an ever-evolving post about pre-packaged snacks at the World Showcase countries at Epcot.Updated 10/28/2012United Kingdom:When I recently visited the UK pavilion at Epcot, I checked out some of the offerings at the some of the stores for gluten free/dairy free snacks. I found a few options at The Tea Caddy located across from the Rose & Crown Pub. They not only have a great selection of Twinnings tea but they also have a lot of offerings from the UK. Most of the items are not gluten free (lots of biscuits and flavored crisps), but they do have some candy bars that are gluten free (not dairy free). They also have a lot of gummy type candies that would work for quick snacks. The ones I found are the Robinsons Tropical Fruits and Taverners Wine Gums. 

Robinsons Tropical Fruits

Taveners Wine Gums & More Robinsons Fruit Snacks

I read the labels and double-checked online for these products. I couldn't find any conclusive information about the Robinsons products being GF/DF but I did find info on the Web that Taveners wine gums are GF/DF. I wouldn't say there are a ton of GF/DF options at this pavilion, but there were some additional GF only options. Weirdly enough all of the crisps (i.e. potato chips) I found were not gluten free. Walkers brand used to be gluten free and there is now a cross contamination warning about these.Japan:At the Japan pavilion, I located a variety of items at the Mitsukoshi Department Store. Because most of the items come directly from Japan, it can sometimes be a bit difficult to figure out the ingredients. Luckily, there are English labels for the ingredients to help out. I didn't note every item that's available there, but here are a few things that appear to be safe (of course, always double-check before consuming).

Variety of gummies

Lots of gummies to choose from! Lychee and Mango sound interesting!

I initially thought these were all GF/DF, but after investigating online, I'm not sure they are all DF. The Kasugai Gummy Candy is the brand that most of these are. The lychee for example lists the following:Ingredients Corn Syrup (Corn Starch, Water), Sugar, Concentrated Apple Juice, Gelatin, Milk Calcium, Concentrated Lychee Juice, Oblate Powder (Potato, Corn, Soybean), D-Sorbitol, Citric Acid, Pectin, Artificial Flavor, Carnauba Wax, Emulsifier [Glycerol Esters of Fatty Acid, Lecithin (Soybean)]. The Muscat candy also indicated it had milk in it. In general, it would appear the gummies might be GF but not all are DF.  Without much information on these candies, I might be a cautious consumer.

Hello Kitty marshmallows

I also found some Hello Kitty flavored marshmallows that appeared to be GF/DF but I couldn't find any information that confirmed this 100%.

Monchhichis! Oh so soft and cuddly! Not food, but they are so darn cute!

Overall, there seem to be some options in the Japan pavilion, but I would reserve some caution in consuming these since there is little info about allergies on these.

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

*This dining experience took place in October 2012.

Menu Changes at Kona

Just a quick review of Kona Cafe. My original plans for the day was to try Plaza Restaurant at the Magic Kingdom since we were there for the new Fantasyland "dress rehearsal" preview. However, I didn't make an ADR and found them to be quite busy. They said they had a 45 minute wait, so we chose to find someplace else and ended up at Kona (one of my favorites for lunch).Upon looking at the menu, I could see that Kona has had some recent menu changes. One of them includes a Kona surf & turf burger with brie, fried shrimp & black garlic aioli. Sounds interesting. I was happy to see that my favorite Kona Island sandwich was still on the menu (I would be so sad if they got rid of that curry mango mayonnaise!!), so I decided to get that. I ordered it with no cheese and no fried onions on a Udi's bun and the curry mango mayo on the side (yes, I shamelessly could eat this out of the dish, plus it's great for dipping fries in). I also ordered plain french fries over the sweet potato fries.Overall, I was very pleased with my sandwich, as per usual. I have ordered it in the past without bacon, but ordered the bacon this time which was excellent. Very nicely grilled sandwich and I love the Udi's buns. I added curry mango mayo to the sandwich and still had quite a bit to dip my fries in. Yum!

Kona Island Chicken Sandwich--one of my favorites on property!

I'll be curious to check out some of the new menu offerings in the future, but for now this is always a great and flavorful standy for me.A solid 9 out of 10!

Landscape of Flavors -- Breakfast -- Quick Service -- Art of Animation

*This dining experience took place in October 2012.I had the opportunity to head to Landscape of Flavor again for the Gluten Free & Dairy Free at WDW Blog meetup! It was great to meet with some other folks who also have special diets. We decided to meet for breakfast to check out the offerings.When we arrived in the food court, I found a manager who then brought out Chef Dan. I think Chef Dan might have been over at Pop Century before and has now moved over to AoA. He was very nice and quite peppy (me? not so much. I'd had only about 4 1/2 hours of sleep!). There were two of us ordering with a special diet. First up was a blog meetup guest who is a child. Chef Dan explained that he could make gluten free/dairy free Nemo waffles with fresh fruit and breakfast meats. For the children's meal, my companions ordered gluten free/dairy free waffles with fruit & turkey bacon. Thinking this sounded like a good idea, I ordered the same but added turkey bacon and chicken sausage.When Chef Dan brought them out, I noticed that mine was a regular shaped waffle and that the children's meal was Nemo waffles. I thought this was very interesting--usually there's no difference; they make everything on the same maker whether it's for a child or adult. In any event, it was definitely GF/DF. I'm glad I got to see the Nemo waffles too--they are adorable!First up was the children's breakfast meal of the waffle and turkey bacon with fruit. The blog meetup guest seemed to really enjoy it. She even let me take a picture of it for the blog, which was really nice of her :)

Children's breakfast meal--Check out those cute Nemo waffles

Adult allergy waffles with turkey bacon, chicken sausage and fruit

The chef told me before getting the waffle that he made it with Bob's Red Mill & Namaste mixes together. I will say, it was an OK waffle--not the worst I've ever had but not the best either. It was just OK. Mostly the taste was a bit bland and the texture was kind of chewy and dense. I'm not sure I'd get this again, personally, but mostly because I know of some other really good Mickey waffles on property. The fruit was good, though it was mixed with sugar or some type of simple syrup. Add that and maple syrup and I was flying on sugar for quite a while! The chicken sausage was not my favorite, but I'm pretty particular about sausage seasonings so that's more of a personal taste. I loved the turkey bacon, and I usually am not too keen on it. That was thanks to a recommendation from a blog reader--and I was so glad to hear that review! Thanks so much for that tip.Overall, I'm not sure I'd go for the waffle again, but I think I'd try something more egg/protein based like an omelet. I would definitely get the turkey bacon though again. That was a real winner for me. A blog reader also told me that she got the "steak and eggs" breakfast sandwich. She said they can make it on an Udi's hamburger bun with Tofutti cheese and they have both the American and mozzarella versions of the Tofutti to choose from. They served it with fries as the breakfast potatoes have dairy. That's really good to know because I think I might go that route next time! Overall, I found the chef to be very accommodating and friendly and the options to be fairly good. For me, I do better when I eat more protein based breakfasts and less sugary ones (or ones that have a better ratio of protein to sugar), but I enjoyed the meal overall. Also on a note about the prices. They were really reasonable. Mine was $5.99, which was a bargain in my opinion. I think it's a really affordable place to eat for breakfast and dinner.A 7 out of 10 for this trip. Here are some pictures of the menus before you get in the food court:

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!