11/5/14 11/5/14

Cabanas -- Breakfast -- Disney Dream 2014

*This dining experience took place in October 2014.Cabanas is the Disney Dream's main buffet serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. While I had dined here on embarkation day, I didn't find it to be my personal favorite on the cruise ship. I much preferred Enchanted Garden for embarkation lunch or Royal Palace for breakfast and lunch a la carte.However, on our Castaway Cay day we wanted to be off the ship bright and early (around 8:30 a.m.) to really enjoy the full day at Castaway Cay. This meant that our best option was Cabanas for dining early. The restaurant opens at 7 a.m. with a continental breakfast and begins serving full breakfast at 7:30 a.m. We got there just around 7:30 so good timing on our part.I made sure to ask a cast member for a head server who could assist with special dietary needs and was greeted by Dogan who helped me at Cabanas on day 1 but whom I'd also seen at other restaurants. He immediately greeted me by name and knew my special dietary needs. It's kind of great how the cast members start to know you throughout your trip!I told him that I was interested in the gluten free and dairy free pancakes as I'd had some killer ones at Royal Palace the day before. I also asked for ham and scrambled eggs. Dogan asked me if I wanted any muffins or donuts, and I said that I'd like one of each (I ended up with more than that though). I was told they had blueberry and chocolate chip muffins on hand.My mom and I decided to sit out on the deck since we had docked at Castaway Cay and it was a gorgeous morning. I let Dogan know where I would be and off I went to grab some beverages and enjoy the amazing view.For my drinks, I grabbed some water and some apple juice. I like the variety of juices available at Cabanas.I'm not gonna lie, the wait was a bit long for breakfast. Dogan said he thought it would come out fairly quickly but it was probably 20 minutes, which in the grand scheme of things isn't long, but sure feels long when others are eating (and my mom finished her meal before I got mine).My scrambled eggs for breakfast were perfectly fine. Nothing exciting but tasty. The breakfast ham was a bit thin and reminded me of deli ham. I kind of joked that if you put the ham and egg on a gluten free English muffin, you'd have an egg McMuffin going on. That's what the flavors reminded me of.Unfortunately, the silver dollar pancakes were the worst part of my breakfast. They were just dreadful. Not at all like the light and airy (and crispy) version I had at Royal Palace the day before. These were tough and almost dead-baked inside. I gave my mom a bite and she agreed that they were not good at all. She had also tried the ones at Royal Palace and said that they were terrific. These were not.Dogan brought me two of each of the muffins and donuts. These were Kinnikinnick brand and definitely staples I enjoy and love. I would have loved a chocolate chip muffin (my favorite!) but the blueberry are good too. I loved the vanilla glazed donuts. Pretty sure I ate both of those. Put Kinnikinnick donuts in front of me and I will eat them!Overall, I found Cabanas to be an adequate breakfast but not my favorite by any means. Next time, I'd just wait until one of the a la carte options opens and head to Castaway Cay just a little later. It was very quiet at Serenity Bay until around 11 a.m. so, even leaving an hour later would be totally worth it to eat at the a la carte meal. Cabanas was also quite busy early in the morning, so if you dine here, plan ahead!Have you dined at Cabanas on the Disney Dream? What did you think of it?

11/5/14 11/5/14

Cabanas -- Breakfast -- Disney Dream 2014

*This dining experience took place in October 2014.Cabanas is the Disney Dream's main buffet serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. While I had dined here on embarkation day, I didn't find it to be my personal favorite on the cruise ship. I much preferred Enchanted Garden for embarkation lunch or Royal Palace for breakfast and lunch a la carte.However, on our Castaway Cay day we wanted to be off the ship bright and early (around 8:30 a.m.) to really enjoy the full day at Castaway Cay. This meant that our best option was Cabanas for dining early. The restaurant opens at 7 a.m. with a continental breakfast and begins serving full breakfast at 7:30 a.m. We got there just around 7:30 so good timing on our part.I made sure to ask a cast member for a head server who could assist with special dietary needs and was greeted by Dogan who helped me at Cabanas on day 1 but whom I'd also seen at other restaurants. He immediately greeted me by name and knew my special dietary needs. It's kind of great how the cast members start to know you throughout your trip!I told him that I was interested in the gluten free and dairy free pancakes as I'd had some killer ones at Royal Palace the day before. I also asked for ham and scrambled eggs. Dogan asked me if I wanted any muffins or donuts, and I said that I'd like one of each (I ended up with more than that though). I was told they had blueberry and chocolate chip muffins on hand.My mom and I decided to sit out on the deck since we had docked at Castaway Cay and it was a gorgeous morning. I let Dogan know where I would be and off I went to grab some beverages and enjoy the amazing view.For my drinks, I grabbed some water and some apple juice. I like the variety of juices available at Cabanas.I'm not gonna lie, the wait was a bit long for breakfast. Dogan said he thought it would come out fairly quickly but it was probably 20 minutes, which in the grand scheme of things isn't long, but sure feels long when others are eating (and my mom finished her meal before I got mine).My scrambled eggs for breakfast were perfectly fine. Nothing exciting but tasty. The breakfast ham was a bit thin and reminded me of deli ham. I kind of joked that if you put the ham and egg on a gluten free English muffin, you'd have an egg McMuffin going on. That's what the flavors reminded me of.Unfortunately, the silver dollar pancakes were the worst part of my breakfast. They were just dreadful. Not at all like the light and airy (and crispy) version I had at Royal Palace the day before. These were tough and almost dead-baked inside. I gave my mom a bite and she agreed that they were not good at all. She had also tried the ones at Royal Palace and said that they were terrific. These were not.Dogan brought me two of each of the muffins and donuts. These were Kinnikinnick brand and definitely staples I enjoy and love. I would have loved a chocolate chip muffin (my favorite!) but the blueberry are good too. I loved the vanilla glazed donuts. Pretty sure I ate both of those. Put Kinnikinnick donuts in front of me and I will eat them!Overall, I found Cabanas to be an adequate breakfast but not my favorite by any means. Next time, I'd just wait until one of the a la carte options opens and head to Castaway Cay just a little later. It was very quiet at Serenity Bay until around 11 a.m. so, even leaving an hour later would be totally worth it to eat at the a la carte meal. Cabanas was also quite busy early in the morning, so if you dine here, plan ahead!Have you dined at Cabanas on the Disney Dream? What did you think of it?

11/4/14 11/4/14

Palo -- Dinner -- Disney Dream 2014

*This dining experience took place in October 2014.Palo is the Disney Dream's second adult dining location. With an upcharge of $25 per person, it offers an adults only dining experience at a reasonable price. While my dining experience at Remy was decadent, it's not someplace I would dine on every cruise (I consider it a special occasion restaurant). Palo is one I would dine at every night if I could.Our regular rotational meal that night was slated for the Enchanted Garden. I'm a bit bummed we did miss dining here, as we only visited once during the embarkation lunch, but after dining at Palo, I'm not too sad. It was terrific! Palo's culinary theme is Italian, and while I didn't love the decor (it's a little too 80s Italian for me), the food was fantastic. When we arrived, we were directed to the Meridian Lounge (shared with Remy) and met up with my friends who were dining at Palo for the second night in a row (it's that good!). We enjoyed chatting with them for a bit and then were seated in Palo with a lovely window view. Our server Andrea was the highlight in service for our trip. She made the meal exceptional and really did a terrific job at making us feel comfortable and welcome. She went over the menu with us, noting that the restaurant was aware of my special dietary needs. Up first, were brought an antipasti cart - table-side. The only thing I couldn't eat was the parmesan cheese, so we had a heaping plate of marinated olives, red bell peppers, artichokes, prosciutto, and other cure meats. This was the best pre-course treat. My mom and I both raved and said we could eat this at every meal. I was also brought my favorite bread of the trip - Udi's Gluten Free pizza crust topped with extra virgin olive oil, garlic and fresh basil. It was heated and cut into wedges and was oh so delicious. I actually topped the bread with some of the antipasti which was delicious. While we enjoyed this, Andrea went over options for us. She had some recommendations for me that might be good choices. I opted for the cioppino as my starter and two entrees - the seafood risotto and the scallops with barlotti beans. The second entree was to be shared with my mom, as we learned this trick from our friends who said it worked great at their previous Palo meals. Before our appetizers, we were served a lemon sorbet as a palate cleanser. This was so fresh and light. I could eat this kind of sorbet all the time! The cioppino was a huge dish considering it was a starter. With a rich tomato broth and a variety of seafood in it, it was a great way to start the meal. I wouldn't say it was the best cioppino I've ever had, but it was quite good.My our entrees, I dove into the scallops first so that my mom could have the other half. I will say, this was my least favorite dish of the entire cruise. If you like fennel this would be your thing. I found the fennel entirely too overwhelming and the scallop & barlotti bean combination to be odd. The beans were more al dente than I would have preferred. They were nothing like the decadent and rich version I had at Ravello (which I adored). My mom also did not like this dish, so I'm glad we got it as a dish to split.My main course was the seafood risotto, which they had to modify some for me. I probably should have opted for something else, as I was missing the zucchini that came with it (which I really wanted). Despite that, the dish was very good. If you like seafood, it was filled to the brim with it. From mussels to scallops, calamari, and shrimp -- there was no shortage in this dish. At this point, I was very full and assumed my dessert option would be sorbet. However, I was pleasantly surprised when Andrea said they had an almond orange cake available to me. Cake?! Well, you know those were the magic words to me. Rarely do I get a dessert that is non brownie or sorbet based, so I was thrilled. And I was not disappointed. This dessert was beyond amazing. It was made with almond flour, so it was rather dense almost like a pound cake. The rich flavor of the almond and oranges blended together nicely. The cake itself wasn't very sweet but had some powdered sugar on top to add a touch of sweetness. On the side, I had fresh raspberries and orange segments which were perfect accompaniments. I liked this cake so much, I actually asked if I could have one to go. Palo doesn't have containers or bags, but they kindly plated up a new dessert for me after our meal was complete and gave me silverware so I could take it back to the room. How cool is that?Andrea also brought us another dessert - the strawberry basil sorbet with fresh fruit. This was so delicious too! It reminded me of the raspberry mint sorbet that I used to love at Sanaa. Dessert here blew Remy away!After our meal, we were given a digestif (after dinner palate cleanser) of prosecco and lemon sorbet. This was another winner at Palo. Overall, my mom and I both loved our meal at Palo (she had some amazing courses - pro tip - get the Palo signature steak dish if you like steak; you won't be sorry) and agreed that we wouldn't hesitate to go back again. For the upcharge, food quality, service, and ambiance, we thought it couldn't be beat. We actually said we'd eat here twice on a 3-4 day cruise because it was that good. I'm dying to try out brunch at Palo especially after reading reviews from my friends Sarah at Eating WDW and Alexis from Gluten Free in Orlando! Have you been to Palo? What did you think of it?

11/4/14 11/4/14

Palo -- Dinner -- Disney Dream 2014

10/29/14 10/29/14

Royal Palace -- Lunch -- Disney Dream 2014

*This dining experience took place in October 2014.Dining at the Royal Palace on the Disney Dream was perhaps my most favorite for breakfast and lunch of the cruise. Located on deck 3, this restaurant was a la carte for both breakfast and lunch when we dined there on day 2 of our cruise.Having dined at Royal Palace for breakfast earlier that day, I was familiar with the set-up and how the ordering would work here a la carte. In fact, the team actually remembered me from breakfast when we came in for lunch later in the day after our Nassau excursion.After having such a decadent dining day on day 1 with two lunches at Cabanas and at Enchanted Garden along with our 3 hour dinner at Remy, both my mom and I knew we needed to eat a little lighter on day 2.We were glad to see that the menu had some lighter options, including several salads. When our server asked what I was interested in, I asked if the assorted seafood sample for an appetizer was OK. For my entree, I requested the lemon chicken salad, and for dessert I ordered the citrus fruit cocktail that was on the appetizer section of the menu. I was in luck as none of my entrees needed modification for gluten free and dairy free.The assorted seafood sampler was very similar to the options available at the buffets on embarkation day with a crab claw and shrimp. The shrimp here was slightly seasoned which was very nice (and much better than plain peel and eat shrimp). I really enjoyed the bay scallops which were marinated in citrus. These were nice and sweet. The crab claw was good, though it could have used a sauce. Though it doesn't look all that appetizing, I loved the lemon chicken salad. With fresh papaya (yum!) and chicken marinated in coconut milk and lemongrass, the flavors were fresh and light. The salad was topped with a vinaigrette.Funnily enough, the chef did ask the server to ask me if coconut milk was OK for me to consume. It sometimes cracks me up when people assume coconut milk is milk because it has the the word milk in it. As one friend put it, "that would be a very interesting kind of cow if it produced coconut milk." If I had dined at Royal Palace again on the trip, I would have definitely ordered this entree salad. It was delicious! For dessert, I had the fruit cocktail salad. This was super weird. My mom and I both ordered it and neither one of us got the almonds that the dish claimed to have in it. The only mint was a small sprig on the top of the cup. It was literally a bowl of grapefruit segments and a couple of orange segments. I can't have grapefruit, due to medication, so I skipped this dish once I realized what was in it. To me, this was just not a citrus cocktail salad!Overall, my mom and I really enjoyed Royal Palace for lunch. We thought it was the perfect mid-day meal, especially since we had Palo reservations that night. We both said we'd love to go back to Royal Palace and have lunch again on our next Disney Cruise (and yes, we're already planning).Have you been on the Disney Dream? What did you think of Royal Palace?

10/29/14 10/29/14

Royal Palace -- Lunch -- Disney Dream 2014

10/27/14 10/27/14

Royal Palace -- Breakfast -- Disney Dream 2014

*This dining experience took place in October 2014.Royal Palace located on deck 3 of the Disney Dream is one of the ship's regular rotational dining locations. Inspired by classic Disney films like Cinderella, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Sleeping Beauty and Beauty and the Beast, Royal Palace serves French-inspired, continental cuisine fit for a king or queen for breakfast, lunch and dinner.My mom and I stopped at Royal Palace for both breakfast and lunch on day 2 of our Disney Dream cruise. Both meals were a la carte. For breakfast, we were seated at our own table and found the restaurant to be fairly quiet. It opened at 8:00 a.m., and we arrived shortly after the opening. (Note: on day 3 of our cruise, they opened at 8:30 a.m.) This was my favorite breakfast of the trip, both for my meal and the ambiance. The breakfast menu itself was fairly lengthy with options that included, yogurt, fruit, hot cereals, cold cereals, sweets (pancakes and waffles) and savory dishes. I was told by my server and many folks prior to my cruise that the ship could make allergy pancakes and had Van's waffles on-hand. Our server took our drink orders, while we looked over the menu. I got unsweetened iced tea and apple juice. Day 2 was our Nassau, Bahamas day and with an excursion planned, I knew I wanted a hearty breakfast.Since I did not pre-order my breakfast, having dined at Remy and not my regular rotational dining the night before, I consulted with my server and the head server Robert. Pre-ordering is not required for meals, though some servers suggested it to help speed along your meal process. I never pre-ordered any meal (and I actually tried a couple of times but my servers said it was not necessary) and didn't find it to be too cumbersome or too long of a wait. I decided to order the Express breakfast entree which is basically the same as the American entree at most Disney World restaurants. It contains eggs, breakfast meat and potatoes. I also asked for a side of allergy pancakes on the side. The breakfast entree that was brought out to me was huge. And extremely generous with the breakfast meat. I was not able to get the breakfast potatoes as they were hash browns that contained gluten, so the team doubled up on other portions of my entree to make up for the potatoes. I wouldn't say this entree was anything special. The scrambled eggs were good, as was the ham. I wasn't too keen on the breakfast sausage and the bacon served is the same stringy bacon you get at Disney World quick service breakfast. It was filling though, and I definitely did not go hungry.The star of my breakfast were the gluten free dairy free pancakes. These were delicious. Whoever cooked these did a stellar job. They were crispy on the outside and perfectly cooked. I think they used Bob's Red Mill pancake mix for the base. My only complaint? The server poured the maple syrup for me, and I could have used more! This girl loves maple syrup! Out of all of the breakfasts I had on the Disney Dream, this was my favorite. I thought they cooked the allergy pancakes the best, and I really enjoyed the atmosphere. We tried to go here again on day 3 but they opened later, and we had Castaway Cay to explore! I also dined here for lunch on the same day and had another good meal here, so stay tuned for that review! I never did get to eat dinner here, but I heard many guests say that this restaurant was their favorite rotational dining dinner.Have you been on the Disney Dream? Did you eat at Royal Palace?

10/27/14 10/27/14

Royal Palace -- Breakfast -- Disney Dream 2014

10/26/14 10/26/14

Remy -- Dinner -- Disney Dream 2014

*This dining experience took place in October 2014.As a first time Disney Cruise Line vacationer, I knew that I wanted to take advantage of the adult dining experiences available to guests on board the ship. These include Palo (which I also dined at) and Remy. Both adults only dining experiences are available for guests to book in advance (which we did) or while on the cruise (if still available). Each restaurant comes with an "upcharge" per person -- Palo is $25 per person and Remy is an extravagant $75.Because it was my first cruise, and I'm a foodie, I knew I wanted to dine at Remy. I had read amazing reviews of Remy from my friend Sarah at Eating WDW and Dawn from Mouse Chow. I also knew that Alexis from Gluten Free in Orlando had dined there and said it was one of the best meals she's ever had. Well, that sold me right there! Remy is French inspired - taking it's name from the Pixar film Ratatouille. It's fine dining at its best with luxurious courses and decadent cuisine. Essentially, this is the Disney Cruise Line's version of Victoria & Albert's. Our meal took a full 3 hours, and this review will be pretty lengthy! If you're the drinking sort, now's the time to pour yourself a glass of wine for this review read!We ended up dining at Remy on our embarkation day. With a reservation at 6 p.m., my mom and I packed our dress clothes in our carry on's just in case our luggage arrived in our stateroom late. Remy's dress code is fairly fancy (cocktail dresses and pantsuits), and in hindsight we would have been better off dining there on day two or three of our cruise so that we felt less rushed on day one.After we gussied up, we made our way to Remy, located on deck 12 (and a bit of a challenge to find the first time!). The lobby area of Remy is shared with the other adult dining, along with the Meridian Lounge. While we waited for our table, we sat in the lounge (meeting up with our friends who were dining at Palo that evening), taking in all the views and ambiance.The head server of Remy, David, came to seat us. We were both blown away by the elegant decor and refined look of the restaurant. The touches from Ratatouille were subtle and charming. We had an amazing view of the ocean from our table.The restaurant knew of my special dietary needs ahead of time and were well prepared for me, noting right away that they knew I was gluten free and dairy free and not to worry as they had lots of options available for my meal. This was one of those touches that both Remy and Palo had and that I really appreciated about the adult dining experiences.Our server Andre came to our table to prepare the cocktail "Collette" table-side. It's Remy's signature cocktail and is brought complimentary to your table as a welcome to the restaurant. Made with Taittinger Champagne and pear vodka, then garnished with fresh raspberry, dried apricot, and mint leaf, it looks and sounds sumptuous. Andre said that they would make me a safe version (interestingly, the dried apricot contains gluten). Essentially, I had champagne with a few garnishes. It was delicious!As we enjoyed our cocktail, Andre went over the menu at Remy. Remy's menu was created by Chef Arnaud Lallement, a Michelin 3-star chef whose famed restaurant is located outside of Reims, France, and Chef Scott Hunnel from award-winning Victoria & Albert's at Walt Disney World Resort. So when I say it's decadent, I'm definitely not kidding.The menu features a la carte options and two tasting menus created by both chefs - Saveur created by Chef Arnaud and Gout created by Chef Scott. You are able to mix and match, creating your own menu or choosing the prix fixe menus as is.Andre suggested that they combine both of these menus for me, with most of my options coming from Saveur with a few chosen from Gout. All of Andre's suggestions sounded great to me, except the duck. I'm not a huge duck fan, so I was skeptical. However, I told him I would give it a try, being adventurous. My mom also chose to mix and match tastings.Before our first course, we were treated to an amuse-bouche (bite-size hors d'œuvre). Remy is famous for their tomato soup cube amuse-bouche. I figured as a gluten free and dairy free diner that this one would be off-limits for me. And when our server brought out two of them to our table, I assumed this was a mistake. However, I was beyond thrilled when they told me that the restaurant had a special version for me using gluten free breadcrumbs.The server suggested we let it cool for 1-2 minutes, then place it in our mouth allowing it to melt without chewing (and FYI, don't bite down on it; you will have tomato soup explosion in your mouth - most unpleasant!).Dawn from Mouse Chow likened this to a Willy Wonka-esque experience and that is the perfect way to describe it. It literally exploded tomato soup in your mouth. Such a crazy and delicious experience. Starting the meal off with this certainly put our meal on a high note (bonus points to Remy for using gluten free breadcrumbs)Next up was our bread course. My mom enjoyed a variety of delicious breads, while I was served an Ener-G roll. I was a bit disappointed that they didn't do anything to this, except heat it up, as Alexis from Gluten Free in Orlando had an amazing version of the bread when she dined there. I will give the team bonus points for providing me with non-dairy butter. Adding coarse sea salt to the non-dairy butter made the Ener-G roll more palatable.Before our traditional tasting courses began, we were also treated to Remy's version of Ratatouille. My mom's version came with olive oil gelato which looked amazing. Mine came with a cherry tomato and some additional garnishes. This dish was light and fresh and the seasonings were perfectly balanced.My first dish was the tomato tarte. At first glance, it's beautiful but doesn't look like anything particularly special; however, it's the accompaniment that really brings the dish to a magical (and another Willy Wonka-esque) experience.Served with a glass of "essence," this cold broth was the key to unlocking this dish's unique flavors. I was instructed to take a sip of this cold broth first, then take a bit of the tomato dish presented to me. Repeating these steps would create a unique tasting and bring all of the components together.Now, I have to say the broth was out of this world. The amount of rich flavor in this was beyond compare. Adding the bites of tomato and tomato puree created another dimension and a taste I couldn't quite put my finger on. Andre said most people say it reminds them of deconstructed gazpacho, and I immediately recognized that familiar taste as soon as he mentioned this. This dish and the amuse-bouche were my most memorable dishes of the meal, creativity and taste.Up next came the lobster with chermoula. My mother had this as her first course, and she raved about it, so I was glad this came as a second course for me. The lobster was light and sweet and the chermoula was spicy and robust. Combined together, it made for a really flavorful course.Both my mother and I both had black cod as our next course. My mom is not a fish eater but she likes cod, so this seemed a good fit for her. I adore all fish, so I was happy to have a very seafood heavy tasting. Served with parsnips and a clam jus (mine made dairy free), this dish was excellent. It had a lot of earthy, umami flavors to it, particularly from the clam jus. The parsnips were divine. The cod itself was like butter, falling apart very easily.Now, this is where our meal took a slight turn. My mom found something in her fish that was both unpleasant and unappetizing (not a bone). While I won't go into too many specifics (suffice it to say, it was not particularly pleasant), the restaurant did take both of our plates away, bringing us a substitute course for the cod. It's a shame because the cod was delicious, though on the upside I was given what turned out to be my favorite course of the night.My substitute course was halibut served with a pea puree and a pea sauce. The halibut itself was perfectly seasoned and cooked. The pea puree and the pea sauce were the stars of this dish filled with intense pea flavor and containing a touch of brightness from lemon juice. The radish was a nice accompaniment, but for me, this dish was all about the peas. This dish was perfection.My last meat course was the duck. Served with fennel, oranges and sweet potatoes; it was reminiscent of duck a l'Orange. I'm not a huge fennel fan, but this was very subtle. The orange sauce and orange segments were delicious and paired well with the duck. The duck itself was well cooked and didn't taste as gamey as I often find duck. The sweet potatoes were bananas good, and I wished there would have been more on my plate.While I would say this was probably my least favorite dish of the meal, it was still expertly prepared and quite delicious. I'm just not a duck person.The next course was a cheese course. Sadly, I was not able to enjoy this one. I was surprised the restaurant didn't bring me something else as a palate cleanser to enjoy while my mom ate her cheese course (which she said was amazing). It's a bit of a bummer to be served an empty plate! Not that I was hungry, but it would have been nice to see that added touch.For my dessert course, I was served a fresh fruit salad. It was beautifully garnished with edible gold leaf and flowers. However, I didn't find this to be anything spectacular. The diced fruit was dressed with a bit of juice and black pepper. It was pleasant and a nice palate cleanser but I would have loved to have been given something decadent like my mom's chocolate dessert.The next evening we dined at Palo, and they made me a spectacular dessert that wasn't as pretty as this one but blew it away with taste.Next up was a candy course. My mom was served a huge platter of chocolates and other candies. Because of not being able to have dairy, I was brought 2 homemade marshmallows and 2 homemade lollypops. I was glad to see that I had these as options, though I would have loved to have been given a few more marshmallows to make up for the fact that I couldn't eat the chocolates. The marshmallows were delicious, and I could have eaten about a dozen of them, easy.During this course, I also ordered tea. They had several loose-leaf teas to choose from including the Monkey Picked Oolong which is what I chose. It was fresh and earthy and the perfect accompaniment to the sweet marshmallows. My mom chose coffee and said it was the best coffee she had on the ship.As our 3 hour meal came to a close, we were presented with roses and a box of chocolates for my mom. This is another one of those touches that I'd love to see Remy extend to those who have special dietary needs. It would have been lovely to take a box of marshmallows back to my stateroom with me.Overall, despite one hiccup in the meal, we found Remy to be an outstanding restaurant and an amazing experience. The food was beyond compare and the service was exemplary. I was impressed by how they handled my special diets and found the meal to be a once in a lifetime experience spent with my mom. I wouldn't say that I would dine at Remy on every cruise (certainly not at $75 a person) but it's a wonderful spot for a special occasion.For adult dining at a more reasonable price, I highly recommend Palo, and will be reviewing it here on the site, as well.I'm so glad I went to Remy and look forward to going back there again. I'd love to try the brunch sometime, as I've heard it's amazing. Have you been to Remy on the Disney Dream? What did you think of your experience there?

10/26/14 10/26/14

Remy -- Dinner -- Disney Dream 2014

*This dining experience took place in October 2014.As a first time Disney Cruise Line vacationer, I knew that I wanted to take advantage of the adult dining experiences available to guests on board the ship. These include Palo (which I also dined at) and Remy. Both adults only dining experiences are available for guests to book in advance (which we did) or while on the cruise (if still available). Each restaurant comes with an "upcharge" per person -- Palo is $25 per person and Remy is an extravagant $75.Because it was my first cruise, and I'm a foodie, I knew I wanted to dine at Remy. I had read amazing reviews of Remy from my friend Sarah at Eating WDW and Dawn from Mouse Chow. I also knew that Alexis from Gluten Free in Orlando had dined there and said it was one of the best meals she's ever had. Well, that sold me right there! Remy is French inspired - taking it's name from the Pixar film Ratatouille. It's fine dining at its best with luxurious courses and decadent cuisine. Essentially, this is the Disney Cruise Line's version of Victoria & Albert's. Our meal took a full 3 hours, and this review will be pretty lengthy! If you're the drinking sort, now's the time to pour yourself a glass of wine for this review read!We ended up dining at Remy on our embarkation day. With a reservation at 6 p.m., my mom and I packed our dress clothes in our carry on's just in case our luggage arrived in our stateroom late. Remy's dress code is fairly fancy (cocktail dresses and pantsuits), and in hindsight we would have been better off dining there on day two or three of our cruise so that we felt less rushed on day one.After we gussied up, we made our way to Remy, located on deck 12 (and a bit of a challenge to find the first time!). The lobby area of Remy is shared with the other adult dining, along with the Meridian Lounge. While we waited for our table, we sat in the lounge (meeting up with our friends who were dining at Palo that evening), taking in all the views and ambiance.The head server of Remy, David, came to seat us. We were both blown away by the elegant decor and refined look of the restaurant. The touches from Ratatouille were subtle and charming. We had an amazing view of the ocean from our table.The restaurant knew of my special dietary needs ahead of time and were well prepared for me, noting right away that they knew I was gluten free and dairy free and not to worry as they had lots of options available for my meal. This was one of those touches that both Remy and Palo had and that I really appreciated about the adult dining experiences.Our server Andre came to our table to prepare the cocktail "Collette" table-side. It's Remy's signature cocktail and is brought complimentary to your table as a welcome to the restaurant. Made with Taittinger Champagne and pear vodka, then garnished with fresh raspberry, dried apricot, and mint leaf, it looks and sounds sumptuous. Andre said that they would make me a safe version (interestingly, the dried apricot contains gluten). Essentially, I had champagne with a few garnishes. It was delicious!As we enjoyed our cocktail, Andre went over the menu at Remy. Remy's menu was created by Chef Arnaud Lallement, a Michelin 3-star chef whose famed restaurant is located outside of Reims, France, and Chef Scott Hunnel from award-winning Victoria & Albert's at Walt Disney World Resort. So when I say it's decadent, I'm definitely not kidding.The menu features a la carte options and two tasting menus created by both chefs - Saveur created by Chef Arnaud and Gout created by Chef Scott. You are able to mix and match, creating your own menu or choosing the prix fixe menus as is.Andre suggested that they combine both of these menus for me, with most of my options coming from Saveur with a few chosen from Gout. All of Andre's suggestions sounded great to me, except the duck. I'm not a huge duck fan, so I was skeptical. However, I told him I would give it a try, being adventurous. My mom also chose to mix and match tastings.Before our first course, we were treated to an amuse-bouche (bite-size hors d'œuvre). Remy is famous for their tomato soup cube amuse-bouche. I figured as a gluten free and dairy free diner that this one would be off-limits for me. And when our server brought out two of them to our table, I assumed this was a mistake. However, I was beyond thrilled when they told me that the restaurant had a special version for me using gluten free breadcrumbs.The server suggested we let it cool for 1-2 minutes, then place it in our mouth allowing it to melt without chewing (and FYI, don't bite down on it; you will have tomato soup explosion in your mouth - most unpleasant!).Dawn from Mouse Chow likened this to a Willy Wonka-esque experience and that is the perfect way to describe it. It literally exploded tomato soup in your mouth. Such a crazy and delicious experience. Starting the meal off with this certainly put our meal on a high note (bonus points to Remy for using gluten free breadcrumbs)Next up was our bread course. My mom enjoyed a variety of delicious breads, while I was served an Ener-G roll. I was a bit disappointed that they didn't do anything to this, except heat it up, as Alexis from Gluten Free in Orlando had an amazing version of the bread when she dined there. I will give the team bonus points for providing me with non-dairy butter. Adding coarse sea salt to the non-dairy butter made the Ener-G roll more palatable.Before our traditional tasting courses began, we were also treated to Remy's version of Ratatouille. My mom's version came with olive oil gelato which looked amazing. Mine came with a cherry tomato and some additional garnishes. This dish was light and fresh and the seasonings were perfectly balanced.My first dish was the tomato tarte. At first glance, it's beautiful but doesn't look like anything particularly special; however, it's the accompaniment that really brings the dish to a magical (and another Willy Wonka-esque) experience.Served with a glass of "essence," this cold broth was the key to unlocking this dish's unique flavors. I was instructed to take a sip of this cold broth first, then take a bit of the tomato dish presented to me. Repeating these steps would create a unique tasting and bring all of the components together.Now, I have to say the broth was out of this world. The amount of rich flavor in this was beyond compare. Adding the bites of tomato and tomato puree created another dimension and a taste I couldn't quite put my finger on. Andre said most people say it reminds them of deconstructed gazpacho, and I immediately recognized that familiar taste as soon as he mentioned this. This dish and the amuse-bouche were my most memorable dishes of the meal, creativity and taste.Up next came the lobster with chermoula. My mother had this as her first course, and she raved about it, so I was glad this came as a second course for me. The lobster was light and sweet and the chermoula was spicy and robust. Combined together, it made for a really flavorful course.Both my mother and I both had black cod as our next course. My mom is not a fish eater but she likes cod, so this seemed a good fit for her. I adore all fish, so I was happy to have a very seafood heavy tasting. Served with parsnips and a clam jus (mine made dairy free), this dish was excellent. It had a lot of earthy, umami flavors to it, particularly from the clam jus. The parsnips were divine. The cod itself was like butter, falling apart very easily.Now, this is where our meal took a slight turn. My mom found something in her fish that was both unpleasant and unappetizing (not a bone). While I won't go into too many specifics (suffice it to say, it was not particularly pleasant), the restaurant did take both of our plates away, bringing us a substitute course for the cod. It's a shame because the cod was delicious, though on the upside I was given what turned out to be my favorite course of the night.My substitute course was halibut served with a pea puree and a pea sauce. The halibut itself was perfectly seasoned and cooked. The pea puree and the pea sauce were the stars of this dish filled with intense pea flavor and containing a touch of brightness from lemon juice. The radish was a nice accompaniment, but for me, this dish was all about the peas. This dish was perfection.My last meat course was the duck. Served with fennel, oranges and sweet potatoes; it was reminiscent of duck a l'Orange. I'm not a huge fennel fan, but this was very subtle. The orange sauce and orange segments were delicious and paired well with the duck. The duck itself was well cooked and didn't taste as gamey as I often find duck. The sweet potatoes were bananas good, and I wished there would have been more on my plate.While I would say this was probably my least favorite dish of the meal, it was still expertly prepared and quite delicious. I'm just not a duck person.The next course was a cheese course. Sadly, I was not able to enjoy this one. I was surprised the restaurant didn't bring me something else as a palate cleanser to enjoy while my mom ate her cheese course (which she said was amazing). It's a bit of a bummer to be served an empty plate! Not that I was hungry, but it would have been nice to see that added touch.For my dessert course, I was served a fresh fruit salad. It was beautifully garnished with edible gold leaf and flowers. However, I didn't find this to be anything spectacular. The diced fruit was dressed with a bit of juice and black pepper. It was pleasant and a nice palate cleanser but I would have loved to have been given something decadent like my mom's chocolate dessert.The next evening we dined at Palo, and they made me a spectacular dessert that wasn't as pretty as this one but blew it away with taste.Next up was a candy course. My mom was served a huge platter of chocolates and other candies. Because of not being able to have dairy, I was brought 2 homemade marshmallows and 2 homemade lollypops. I was glad to see that I had these as options, though I would have loved to have been given a few more marshmallows to make up for the fact that I couldn't eat the chocolates. The marshmallows were delicious, and I could have eaten about a dozen of them, easy.During this course, I also ordered tea. They had several loose-leaf teas to choose from including the Monkey Picked Oolong which is what I chose. It was fresh and earthy and the perfect accompaniment to the sweet marshmallows. My mom chose coffee and said it was the best coffee she had on the ship.As our 3 hour meal came to a close, we were presented with roses and a box of chocolates for my mom. This is another one of those touches that I'd love to see Remy extend to those who have special dietary needs. It would have been lovely to take a box of marshmallows back to my stateroom with me.Overall, despite one hiccup in the meal, we found Remy to be an outstanding restaurant and an amazing experience. The food was beyond compare and the service was exemplary. I was impressed by how they handled my special diets and found the meal to be a once in a lifetime experience spent with my mom. I wouldn't say that I would dine at Remy on every cruise (certainly not at $75 a person) but it's a wonderful spot for a special occasion.For adult dining at a more reasonable price, I highly recommend Palo, and will be reviewing it here on the site, as well.I'm so glad I went to Remy and look forward to going back there again. I'd love to try the brunch sometime, as I've heard it's amazing. Have you been to Remy on the Disney Dream? What did you think of your experience there?

10/25/14 10/25/14

Enchanted Garden -- Embarkation Buffet -- Disney Dream 2014

*This dining experience took place in October 2014.Day 1 of my vacation on the Disney Dream began with lunch at Cabanas. While the meal itself wasn't anything spectacular, I was able to find some options to fill me up before I began exploring the cruise ship. I also wanted to find the elusive Special Dining Session supposedly found on the ship for guests with special diets.None of the staff seemed to know where it was, so my mom and I ventured to Enchanted Garden (after exploring the ship for a while) to see if we could find it. Enchanted Garden is located on deck 2 of the ship (where our stateroom was located, so it was convenient).My friends, the Disney Hipsters, had suggested an elevenses lunch while on the cruise ship, and my mom and I thought that was a great idea!The restaurant is set to resemble the gardens of Versailles, and it's a quaint and beautifully decorated restaurant. From the charming booths to the fountain in the middle of the restaurant, there were an impressive amount of small details and touches in this restaurant.Like Cabanas, lunch on embarkation day at the Enchanted Garden was a buffet. However, at this location, you were seated and had a server who took your beverage order.Before being seated, I let Rexon, our server, know that I had special dietary needs. He said this was not a problem, and he said he would walk with me through the buffet to see what I might be interested in. He also let me know that all of the food for my meal would be brought from the back and to not take anything off the buffet to avoid cross-contamination. I really appreciated this and found my experience at the Enchanted Garden vastly different from the chaos at Cabanas (understandable, as the only restaurant open at the time).There were some items that looked interesting, including a grilled chicken with a pineapple salsa and salmon wrapped in ham that I had seen on Gluten Free in Orlando's Disney Dream review. I asked about those, and I also requested some asparagus (which I adore) and some antipasti.On my way back to the table, I did take a bit of time to take photographs and look around the restaurant. I loved this restaurant's decor and wish I had enjoyed another meal there.Once I got back to our table, the assistant server (usually in charge of beverages at your table) took my drink order. I ordered unsweetened iced tea, and as I learned, they do not use Gold Peak tea like Walt Disney World does. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't great either. I drank a lot of water on this cruise!It didn't take long at all for my food to come out. Rexon brought all of my food and included a couple of desserts for me as well.I was a bit bummed to see plain chicken and plain salmon, having asked for the versions on the buffet. As I learned throughout the cruise, being very specific in your requests is important, as the restaurants will typically serve you the plainest food possible to ensure safety (at least in my experience on this cruise).My guess is as long as the sauces were safe, they would have served me the versions on the buffet instead of making me new items, but I do truly appreciate that they wanted to make me safe options. And for those wondering, they do cook items for special diets guests in a separate area of the kitchen on separate equipment. I was very glad to hear of that!The salmon and chicken were both fine; nothing special. The asparagus was dynamite, having been sauteed in extra virgin olive oil with some garlic.The antipasti was definitely my favorite part of this meal. The prosciutto and olives were the perfect light lunch (considering I was on lunch number 2!) The beef was not my favorite cured meat, so I didn't eat much of that one.For dessert, Rexson brought me Enjoy Life Snickerdoodle cookies (love them!) and the dreaded Jell-O. I'm not a huge Jell-o fan to begin with and especially not since there was a period during my initial Crohn's diagnosis where Jell-o and liquids were the only things I could eat. Add in that it's green Jell-o (gross) with fruit in it (double-gross) and meringue. Um, no thanks. I tried one bite and promptly decided that this Jell-o was not for me.But, I really appreciated that Rexson brought me some options! And I was very glad to see Enjoy Life cookies on board the ship.Overall, I thought Enchanted Garden was a much better option as an embarkation lunch than Cabanas. It was much quieter and definitely easier to navigate. The buffet itself was almost identical to the one in Cabanas (just smaller) and the staff went above and beyond to assist me with safe options.As I later learned from my friends, the special dining session on our ship was located at the Royal Palace restaurant. I never did get a chance to go there but I'm glad to have learned where it was held. I hope that the Disney Cruise Line does a better job in the future of keeping their staff up-to-date on these and where they are located (especially, since I was encouraged to attend it).With my stomach full from lunch number 2, my mom and I settled into our stateroom on deck 2 and then went to the DVC Member Welcome Reception. We sure kept ourselves busy until dinner the first night which was at Remy, one of the adult dining locations on the shipHave you been on the Disney Dream? What did you think of the Enchanted Garden?

10/25/14 10/25/14

Enchanted Garden -- Embarkation Buffet -- Disney Dream 2014

10/24/14 10/24/14

Cabanas -- Embarkation Buffet -- Disney Dream 2014

*This dining experience took place in October 2014.Cabanas is the Disney Dream's buffet style dining option for guests looking for breakfast or lunch options. Located on Deck 11 (near the top of the ship), it has incredible outdoor seating (as I found out while enjoying breakfast outside on my Castaway Cay day) and a fun beach vibe inside.During embarkation, Cabanas was the first restaurant open for dining when we boarded the ship. I was accompanied on my cruise by my mom and was also lucky enough to have some fellow GF friends also on board the ship. Before boarding the Disney Dream, we met up with my friends and all went to Cabanas together, particularly as we had heard from the Disney Cruise Line that there was a special dining session available on the ship (more on that later).When we arrived at Cabanas, we asked a cast member for a chef or someone we could discuss special dietary needs with. We also asked about the special dining session set to take place during embarkation, but no one on staff seemed to know about it (and it wasn't in our personal navigator i.e. the cruise ship daily program).Chef Christopher came out and spoke with my friend and I briefly, stating that we would be taken care of and that Dogan, the Head Server, would assist us. This began our first experience with Disney Cruise Line special diets accommodations, which I will be honest in saying is a bit confusing compared to Disney World's standard practice of handling special diets. Essentially, here's what happened to both myself and my friends (and we didn't dine together except this one meal) throughout the trip.You, as the special diets guest, consults with what's known as a head server (or the lead server over the restaurant and/or designated tables in a restaurant). The head server asks you what kinds of food items you would like (this can be something you saw on the buffet line or on a menu or something off-menu). They then take this to the chef who then confirms if what you requested is safe, then they relay this to the head server who then tells you if what you requested is OK. It's a bit of a telephone game but worked better once I figured out this is what was happening. Day 1? not so much!After Dogan took our requests (I asked for seafood, chicken, and a starch; my friend ordered chicken and gluten free mac & cheese for her daughter and chicken for herself), we took a look at the regular buffet.To me, the buffet seemed like a terrible cross-contamination nightmare. We were one of the first groups at the restaurant but by the time we walked by the buffet it had already been ravaged. As I learned later, the smaller restaurants are definitely the way to go (more on that when I review Enchanted Garden for Embarkation Lunch Round 2!).Dogan came back with chicken and French fries for me, but I was told that I should get my seafood (mussels, crab claws, and shrimp) from the buffet. I found the station that seemed the least likely to cause cross-contamination and used a fork to grab items from the back of the seafood presentation. I did not get any sauces and opted to eat everything plain (good thing, as I saw Chef Christopher, and he told me not to consume any of them because of cross-contamination).Later at Enchanted Garden, they told me that they would get everything from the back for me, so lessons learned - go with the smaller buffet (which opens about 30 minutes after Cabanas does).I can't say that the seafood was anything exciting. The shrimp were pretty bland as were the mussels. I enjoyed the crab, but they are a lot of work to eat. It's too bad that they couldn't get any safe cocktail sauce from the back at Cabanas.The chicken had some salsa-type marinade on it. It was a little spicy, almost like fajita-type chicken. The French fries were thick cut steak fries. Not particularly my favorite, especially without a dipping sauce.My friend's daughter also got the same chicken served alongside Amy's gluten free mac & cheese. She seemed pretty excited about this, as I know she was getting hungry while we waited.Cabanas and several stations on deck 11 are the only places with self-serve drink stations. I brought along my Tervis Tumbler (shout out to my local running store Fleet Feet!) and a Disney refillable mug to keep myself stocked in beverages. It's a long ways to travel from your room to deck 11 typically, so filling up refillable glasses while at Cabanas is a very good idea.I dined at Cabanas one other time during the trip for breakfast and will be recapping that here on the site. I can't say Cabanas was my favorite restaurant by any means while on the cruise. Given the choices, I would pick any of the other smaller rotational dining locations over Cabanas. My meal options definitely improved a lot as the cruise went on!My friend Alexis from Gluten Free in Orlando has also been on the Disney Dream and she shares her experiences her blog. I highly recommend checking out her site for Disney Cruise Line tips too!Stay tuned for all of my dining reviews from my Disney Cruise Line vacation. I'll also be sharing a tips and tricks post too!Have you been on the Disney Dream? What are your tips for vacationing on the Disney Cruise Line with a special diet?

10/24/14 10/24/14

Cabanas -- Embarkation Buffet -- Disney Dream 2014

10/14/14 10/14/14

La Hacienda de San Angel -- Dinner -- Table Service -- Epcot

*This dining experience took place in October 2014.La Hacienda de San Angel is my go-to for Mexican food in the Disney Parks and Resorts. I'm not as much of a fan of San Angel Inn, but I find the food at La Hacienda to be bright, fresh, and plentiful. Nestled on the World Showcase Lagoon, it has terrific views and is gorgeous when visiting around sunset. On this particular occasion, I stopped by the evening before the Happy Haunted 5K race. This seemed like the perfect pre-race dinner spot. I was pretty keen to order one of the platters available here because I've had them several times, and they are delicious!Once seated, our server took our drink orders and go the chef for me. That was a La Hacienda de San Angel first, as usually the server works with you on your order. I was pleasantly surprised and really appreciated that the chef came out to chat with me. He let me know that both of the salsas along with the chips were safe for me to consume, which is great. A few years ago only 1 salsa in the chips and salsa duo was safe so I'm glad they've maintained the safe options lately. For my entree, I ended up splitting the seafood platter which needed no modifications (the spicy mayo on the corn is mayonnaise based), except for the removal of the cheese on the corn and beans. I love the chips and salsa here, although be warned the red salsa is sweet, smoky, and spicy! I am a big fan of salsa verde which always hits the spot. Every time I eat here and get chips and salsa, I wish that La Cantina de San Angel would still serve safe gluten free chips. I haven't dined there since that happened, and I miss that as a good quick service option. Both of these locations are non-Disney owned, so they don't have to adhere to all of Disney's special diets policies. The view from our table was lovely. It's a great spot to catch IllumiNations or have a nice sunset dinner. The platter itself has changed ever so slightly since last year. Gone are the griddled onions (which I loved) and the corn now has a spicy mayo (delicious). Otherwise, most components are still the same. I love the zucchini and squash and the corn. All 3 of the seafood components were well cooked, though I have to say the scallops were my favorite. One other slight change was the rice. Gone is the red/salsa based rice. And thank goodness. I loved this version which was much lighter and matched the main entree so much better. The black beans are fantastic and great to dip your extra chips in! Served with corn tortillas, this was a huge meal. We did have second helpings of the rice and beans, but couldn't manage another bite by the time we finished. I definitely did a good job carb-loading that night!Overall, La Hacienda de San Angel is still a great table service location in the World Showcase. You can tell they've become more popular because the prices have raised and the portions have diminished slightly. Still, the platters are your best bang for you buck with tons of food to share among the table! Have you been to La Hacienda de San Angel? What do you recommend ordering there?

10/14/14 10/14/14

Flying Fish Cafe -- Breakfast -- Table Service -- Boardwalk

*This dining experience took place in October 2014. Hard to believe that after not visiting the Flying Fish Cafe ever, I've now been there twice in a span of a few weeks. My first visit was during their regular dinner, where both Alexis from Gluten Free in Orlando and I got to enjoy their gluten free menu offerings. On this visit, I was checking out their new (and temporary) breakfast which started on October 1st. The menu, as I learned from Chef Brad while dining at Kouzzina recently, was a preview of the new breakfast menu available at the soon to be opened Trattoria al Forno (replacing Kouzzina). With a decidedly Italian theme, I was curious to see what options would be available to be as a gluten free and dairy free diner. As you can see from the menu itself, it is limited. I'm told there will be a few more dishes on the breakfast menu when it's moved back to Trattoria al Forno, but by and large it won't be expanded too much.We were greeted by Chef Sergio who is a chef I chat with frequently at Kouzzina. They were extremely busy that morning (it was just after the Happy Haunted 5K run, and the restaurant was quite full), but I did get to go through all of the options with him.By and large, this menu is very dairy heavy. Gone is my beloved turkey sweet potato hash, and there really is no equivalent to that or any of the skillets that I used to enjoy. Chef Sergio was honest in that some dishes like the one with polenta were pretty full of dairy.I decided to go with the two eggs entree, which is roughly the equivalent of the "American" breakfast entree that most breakfast locations have. I opted for allergy Mickey waffles instead of toast. I also asked if there was any way I could try the fennel sausage used in the polenta dish. It sounded really good, and Chef Sergio said he could make that happen. I certainly didn't go hungry at this meal. The scrambled eggs were good, and I enjoyed the breakfast potatoes which were pan fried for me to avoid cross-contamination. The bacon is still Neuske's which is delicious. The stars of my breakfast were the fennel sausage and the allergy Mickey waffles. Even if they aren't in Kouzzina, I still contend that this team cooks up some of the best allergy Mickey waffles on property! The fennel sausage was fantastic. Super flavorful and delicious. Chef Sergio said they buy the pork in bulk and blend their own fennel spice mix in-house. Yum and yum! I would definitely ask for this again. My family tried all the regular, non-allergy versions of the dishes, and they raved. The polenta dish was a hit as was the scrambled eggs with fresh mozzarella and basil. Oh if only they weren't dairy-filled! Overall, I thought the new menu was interesting but not particularly dairy free friendly. There are definitely some options and modifications that can be done, but it's not the menu that I know and loved from Kouzzina which was so dairy free friendly for me! Have you had a chance to try out this new temporary breakfast at Flying Fish Cafe?

10/13/14 10/13/14

The Mara -- Lunch/Dinner -- Quick Service -- Animal Kingdom Lodge Jambo House

*This dining experience took place in October 2014.The Mara, located at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge - Jambo House, is one of my favorite quick service locations at Disney. Where else can you get African stew and gluten free (not dairy free) zebra domes?Because I have Disney Vacation Club, I often stay at the Animal Kingdom Lodge when I'm at the parks and resorts for a long weekend, especially during holiday events and runDisney races. This visit timed up with my first runDisney race of the season, the Happy Haunted 5K during the Tower of Terror 10 Miler race weekend. Sure, I don't really need to carb-load before a race, but that doesn't mean I don't enjoy a few pre-race treats.I decided to stop by the Mara for lunch and was greeted by Chef Frank, who recently made me some amazing allergy Mickey waffles with toppings at Boma. Good thing I'm going to visit there for a post-race breakfast after the Jingle Jungle 5K!On a previous visit to the Mara, Chef Chris made me the Barbecue Bacon Burger, and it was outstanding, especially the barbecue sauce. When I arrived a the Mara, I saw it was back on the menu. Yep, that sounded like the perfect lunch to me. Chef Frank asked if I wanted to try it on an Udi's Pizza Crust, as a bit of a twist along with some additional toppings. Always one to try something different, I told him I was game.What he presented to me, was a beautiful (if that's the right word for a burger) presentation. It just looked delicious! The burger was topped with barbecue sauce, sauteed peppers and onions, cucumber slices, fresh tomato and lettuce -- all wrapped neatly in an Udi's Gluten Free pizza crust that was perfectly heated. On the side, Chef Frank added extra barbecue sauce for the French fries. Talk about a condiment upgrade!The burger itself was delicious and the accompaniments were a nice twist. As much as a loved the regular barbecue bacon burger, this was as equally delicious. I would definitely order it again jazzed up this way.Chef Chris also popped by during my lunch and brought me a nice treat - an OMG It's Gluten Free (and dairy free) chocolate chip cookie. You know, to keep my race strength up!As always, the Mara continues to be a delicious quick service option. If you're staying at the Animal Kingdom Lodge (either Kidani Village or Jambo House), this is the place to go.Have you been to the Mara? What are your favorite offerings there?

10/13/14 10/13/14

Raglan Road Irish Pub -- Dinner -- Table Service -- Downtown Disney

*This dining experience took place in September 2014. When it comes to good fish and chips and a pint of cider, there's no place better than Raglan Road Irish Pub, located in Downtown Disney (soon to be Disney Springs). With dedicated fryers and proper fried fish and chips (and more!), there's a reason Raglan Road has been voted as one of the best gluten free places in Orlando. It's my restaurant of choice, whenever I visit the Downtown Disney area, not only for great food but also for great entertainment.On this particular occasion, I stopped by on a mid-week evening for a quick bite. I had originally planned to go to Cooke's of Dublin for their delicious shrimp and chips (also gluten free and dairy free fried wonderfulness) but the quick service location was beyond packed. I was with my brother and his wife, and we quickly headed back to Raglan Road to see if they had any bar seating open. Thankfully, they did!Of course, the first thing I did was order a Magners Irish Cider. I asked for their pear cider, which is my favorite, but they were out. So, plain cider it was. Not really needing to go through the menu, I quickly ordered the gluten free (and dairy free) fish and chips and onion rings to split with the group. I always double-check with the server or the bartender to confirm that the ingredients are still safe for me to consume. I have to say, sitting at the bar with a proper pint of Magners is pretty much my idea of heaven after a long day (especially, after a long day of conferencing, which I was doing for the next several days). I love Raglan Road's onion rings. They are fried well and are nice and crispy. They are not overly battered which I really appreciate. My only slight complaints are that the gluten free fried items tend to be under-salted (which is a matter of opinion, but I don't consider myself one to be adding salt frequently) and that they need to have a sauce to accompany the onion rings. My vote? The sweet chili onion jam. It's so good! I do usually ask for it on the side but just forgot that night.My fish and chips were delicious as always. If you're not a big steak fry fan, you may want to ask for Skinny Chips as a substitution or on the side. I know Alexis from Gluten Free in Orlando is a big fan of these! I absolutely adore their house-made tartar sauce which is just fresh and delicious. I think I need to do a top 10 condiments list one of these days. This would surely make the list (along with the sweet chili jam). Overall, Raglan Road continues to be the best non-Disney owned restaurant on Disney property (with Cooke's of Dublin being the best non-Disney owned quick service). Their attention to special diets and consistent offerings make this a location I will go to again and again!If you're not craving fried food, don't worry. They have plenty of non-fried options. I'm a huge fan of their citrus salmon salad, and their shepherd's pie has a huge gluten free following. Have you been to Raglan Road Irish Pub? What's your favorite dish to order?

10/13/14 10/13/14

Boatwright's Dining Hall -- Dinner -- Table Service -- Port Orleans Riverside

*This dining experience took place in August 2014.When it comes to my favorite restaurants on Disney property, I have to say it probably boils down to two. These are the two that I consider the ones I could eat at nightly and not be bored or disappointed. One is Sanaa and the other is Boatwright's Dining Hall. Both have decidedly unique culinary themes and both are a bit spicy (and condiment heavy, which I adore). I also consider both of them to be a bit of hidden gems on property; both very affordable and delicious. And they are equally popular with my family and friends. Case in point? This meal was requested by my friend for his birthday! Yep, people love Boatwright's. What I love most about it is the food is excellently prepared and delicious. Port Orleans resort restaurants in general are all about real food. Boatwright's, to me, is pure comfort food, with a Cajun and Southern twist. And they have crawfish bites and remoulade. Enough said.On this particular occasion, we were greeted by Chef Tony. He had been making up a beignet storm at the August Gluten Free & Dairy Free at WDW meet-up that afternoon; let's just say the meet-up and the beignets were very popular! It was a terrific meet-up, and I'm so glad the team at Port Orleans really worked to accommodate our group.At dinner, one of the first things that Chef Tony did was bring me out a basket of GNI rolls and some extra virgin olive oil with herbs. This is, as it always is here, a perfect combo. The GNI rolls were heated really well (more bonus points for Boatwright's!) and I love having some variation with the olive oil. Of course, I really can't go to Boatwright's and not get crawfish bites. I think it's literally impossible. Chef Tony served them up with a huge serving of remoulade (ah, the culinary team here knows me all too well). Our group shared these, and everyone agreed they are delicious.Every time I eat these, I have visions of a crawfish Po' Boy made at Sassagoula Floatworks & Food Factory using these in my head. That would be so amazing. For my entree, I ordered the sweet tea brined pork chop with sweet potato and bacon hash. The onion straws do normally contain gluten and dairy, but with advance notice (2 weeks through Disney's Special Diets Department), they are able to make these along with the crawfish bites gluten free and dairy free. I've had this dish several times, and this is officially my favorite dish on the menu. Those onion straws are my culinary jam. Breaded in Namaste pancake and waffle mix with some spice added to it, these were heavenly. And, as you can see from the photo I was not lacking in the portion department with these either. They truly add a nice crunch to the dish, and I'm so grateful that the team can make them for me here. Onion straws for the win!The sweet potato hash is excellent. Combined with the flavors from the pork chop and the onion straws, the dish just is perfection. And the portions are huge! One thing I know, you will never leave hungry at Boatwright's!Boatwright's continues to impress me. I can't believe it took me until this year to dine there. It has quickly come up the ranks as one of my favorite places to dine, and yes, I'm quickly going through the menu options! With big flavors and comforting dishes, I look forward to my next meal and more to come!Have you been to Boatwright's? What dishes do you order there?

10/13/14 10/13/14

Ravello -- Dinner -- Table Service -- Four Seasons Orlando

*This dining experience took place in September 2014.

*If you are looking for a more recent review of Ravello, including their character breakfast options, check out the review written by our friend Christy from Pack Your Pixie Dust.

Ravello located at the newly opened Four Seasons Orlando Resort (located in Walt Disney World in the Golden Oak community), is a modern Italian restaurant that recently opened this fall. I was lucky enough to attend the preview dinner of Ravello and was blown away by the level of service, attention to detail, and special diets offerings. It's not often that I get such a lovely meal outside of Disney World, and I was pleasantly surprised and delighted by the preview dinner. So much so, in fact, that I wanted to go back again after the menu had fully launched to try some of the other offerings. Both Executive Chef Fabrizio Schenardi and Executive Sous Chef Samuel Faggetti have mentioned rumblings of house-made gluten free pasta and pizza dough (made in dedicated areas of the kitchen), and I was hoping that they would have some on hand.

On this particular visit, I was joined by Alexis from Gluten Free in Orlando. We had spent the day visiting Epcot's Food & Wine Festival and attending the Back to Basics sessions offered for free during the festival. We had been busy at the parks, and we were ready for a nice relaxing meal.

We dined here early in the day (5:30 p.m.) and found the restaurant to be quite quiet. I adore the decor in this restaurant and love the modern contemporary feel. I like the touch of upscale, and I think it would be a great place for an adults only dinner or for date night.

When we were presented with the menu, we could see it had been expanded from the preview dinner, which was terrific. There were many more appetizers which also made me very excited, as I love ordering interesting starters to a meal. Our server, went over some of the options with us and did go back and forth to the kitchen to assist us with our questions. I didn't get a chance to say hello to Chef Fabrizio or Chef Sam, but our server did work to answer questions promptly for us.

For my appetizer, I ordered the grilled radicchio salad that came with pancetta, beets, and capers in a vinaigrette. To be honest, it wasn't what I pictured in my mind, but it was delicious regardless. It was very earthy, highlighting the beets and the grilled radicchio. As you can see, it was also gorgeously presented.

For my entree, I ordered the shrimp and lobster pasta. Ravello is not currently making house-made gluten free pasta (darn!) but they did have Italian imported gluten free pasta on-hand. I have to say that Italian gluten free pasta is ever so much better than some of the brands you buy here stateside. Some are great but others? Not so much. This dish normally comes with a pappardelle pasta but this came with penne. The pasta itself was cooked perfectly al dente and was delicious. The sauce was rich and flavorful, as was the seafood. I think my only complaint is that the portion was a wee bit on the small side for a $35 entrée. Still, the components were very fresh and well cooked. I'm glad I got to try this dish, though next time I may go back to the chicken dish I had on my first visit (which was beyond amazing) or another non-pasta dish.

Overall, I really enjoyed my meal at Ravello. The food quality is exceptional and the service is excellent. It may not be a restaurant for everyone, although I saw many families and children dining there, enjoying pizza, pasta, and the like. You can read Alexis review of Ravello on Gluten Free in Orlando .I can't wait to check out the breakfast. As a brunch fan, I'm dying to check out their gluten free section of the buffet. If you're looking for something more casual, head over to PB&G for excellent barbecue! If you do dine there, be aware that the resort is valet parking only. You can get parking validated when you dine at Ravello, making the cost $5 plus gratuity (at the time this article was written).

*If you are looking for a more recent review of Ravello, including their character breakfast options, check out the review written by our friend Christy from Pack Your Pixie Dust.