Is That A Crab Leg In Your Pocket? 10 Days of Dining with Pics!
- Thread starter DLFan123
- Start date
DLFan123
living the dream-literally!
- Joined
- Jan 4, 2012
I want those grapes now! My favorite thing at WDW or DL is a Minnie Mouse caramal and chocolate apple...so caramal, chocolate, fruit HAS to be good.
About the Beverly. I made DH and DS try it when we visited World of Coke, and they were made at me. I didn't try itDH and I had our genes tested through 23 and me, and supposedly, my genes say that I can't taste bitter (DH can). So maybe you and your DP have that same trait where bitter doesn't bother you as much
I thought I liked caramel and chocolate apples until I had the grapes!
Seriously they are like the best parts of the apples, because they come in these perfect little bite sizes. I guess ounce for ounce they are more expensive, so that is their one downfall. But I love them! You have to try them!As far as the Beverly goes, I'm not sure if we don't taste the bitter as much, or maybe we were just totally prepared for it to be the worst taste ever, so it didn't bother us so much.
What is 23 and me? I mean is that some sort of DNA testing? I haven't heard of it. 
DLFan123
living the dream-literally!
- Joined
- Jan 4, 2012
Kona is the best!
Welcome!
It's nice to have you reading along. More to come shortly. Those pesky weekend chores keep getting in my way. 
DLFan123
living the dream-literally!
- Joined
- Jan 4, 2012
After our lovely view of the parade and fireworks, we headed back to Beach Club with an idea for a late night dessert snack in mind.
We arrived at Beach Club Marketplace just prior to closing, and we were so excited to see these for sale in the fridge:
We knew we wanted to have some of these on our trip, ever since our dinner at Cape May last year. Since that time, the bon bons are no longer available on the buffet, but must be purchased separately from the shop.
Ooh I was so excited.
I don't know what motivated me to read the ingredient list; I think it was mostly curiosity to see what ingredients they use to make these the best dessert ever. So I turned the box over and started reading.
It wasn't long before I saw the word I dreaded seeing: gelatin.
That's right. Our beloved oreo bon bons contain gelatin. I was pretty disappointed, and we just put them back in the case. 
Instead, we chose this:
I was just dying for a repeat of the best white chocolate macadamia nut cookies ever (from AKL CL), and I was so hoping this cookie would be it.
It was not. I don't know how the recipes could be so different, but this cookie was just sort of ok.
Ah well. While we were still a bit disappointed about the oreo bon bons, we would survive to eat some more excellent meals and desserts before leaving WDW!
We arrived at Beach Club Marketplace just prior to closing, and we were so excited to see these for sale in the fridge:
We knew we wanted to have some of these on our trip, ever since our dinner at Cape May last year. Since that time, the bon bons are no longer available on the buffet, but must be purchased separately from the shop.
Ooh I was so excited.
I don't know what motivated me to read the ingredient list; I think it was mostly curiosity to see what ingredients they use to make these the best dessert ever. So I turned the box over and started reading.
It wasn't long before I saw the word I dreaded seeing: gelatin.
That's right. Our beloved oreo bon bons contain gelatin. I was pretty disappointed, and we just put them back in the case. Instead, we chose this:
I was just dying for a repeat of the best white chocolate macadamia nut cookies ever (from AKL CL), and I was so hoping this cookie would be it.
It was not. I don't know how the recipes could be so different, but this cookie was just sort of ok.
Ah well. While we were still a bit disappointed about the oreo bon bons, we would survive to eat some more excellent meals and desserts before leaving WDW!
disnut1149
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 8, 2006
Great reviews. Oh no!! I didn't know that the Oreo bon bons have gelatin in them. Now I won't be eating them anymore.
DLFan123
living the dream-literally!
- Joined
- Jan 4, 2012
The next morning, we were up early and headed over to MK for RD. I'm not sure what we had for breakfast, but we must have had something in the room.
After taking a spin on several of our favorite rides, as well as watching a couple of our favorite shows, we headed over to Main Street to check in for our reservation at Tony's. This is what greeted us on arrival:
Even though they were seating walk-ins, we were told it would be a few minutes before our table was ready. We took a seat in the waiting area:
Love this place! And we caught the best scene of the entire movie!
Here is a shot of some of the artwork in the waiting area:
After just a few minutes, we were taken to our table. We walked through the patio room with this lovely fountain:
Ah so cute!
We had requested to sit outdoors, after enjoying the view and Main Street atmosphere from the year prior. Even though it was a warm day, we were cool enough in the shade. This is the view from our table:
While we waited for our server, we caught a glimpse of the trolley show.
We perused our menus:
We ordered a couple of boring drinks, a diet coke for DP and an iced tea for me:
We both always think the diet cokes taste weird at this restaurant, like soap or detergent or something.
We decided to split the calamari to start:
We both enjoyed this.
The breading is pretty light, and in general I prefer a little more on my calamari, but the calamari itself was very tender. The marinara sauce was a nice accompaniment, and one of my favorite parts was the olive garnish on this. I'm not sure exactly what they call it, but it is a nice addition to this dish! We ate every last bite!
Because we had split the appetizer and didn't want to be too full on such a hot day, we each ordered a Caesar salad as our main dish.
DP ordered hers plain. She enjoyed it. We both agreed the Caesar dressing was really strong. We'd need mints after this meal!
I ordered my salad with shrimp:
This was the same thing I'd had last year at Tony's, and it was fantastic. This year...not so much.
My shrimp look perfectly fine on the outside, but they were actually completely raw inside. They were solid gray. I always cut my salads before I eat them, so by the time I realized what was going on with the shrimp, I had cut them into pieces all over my entire salad. At first, I hoped it was maybe just one shrimp that didn't get cooked all the way, but when all was said and done, all but one shrimp was basically totally raw. I removed them from the salad, pointed them out to the server, and ate the rest of the salad without them.
The whole time I was worried I was going to catch food borne illness from all the raw shrimp juice that was probably in my salad, but thankfully, I did not. The server offered to make me a new salad (with new shrimp or without, my choice) but I declined, since I didn't want to waste this salad. Although I tried to shake it off, the raw shrimp situation definitely limited my enjoyment of this meal.
We finished our salads and had decided on a way to let Tony's redeem itself for us: DESSERT!
We chose the pistachio crème brulee:
I'm a huge fan of crème brulee, and DP is a huge fan of pistachio, so we thought this was perfect!
The crème itself didn't have a strong nutty flavor to it. It was almost just like standard crème brulee with a green tint to it.
Here is an inside shot to give you an idea:
For me, there was probably a little too much brulee to this dish. The crust on top was just a bit strong (maybe that was the burnt bits of nut I was tasting).
It was served with some berries which were yummy, and then a little wafer like cookie made out of pistachios and seeds. DP loved that candied little dish! She still talks about it. For me, it was just pretty garnish. I didn't really like the texture or the flavor.
Dessert wasn't really a stand out for us, and overall the meal was fairly average. However, we really enjoyed the ambience and some parts of the meal were good. Because it's such a nice reprieve from the heat and so pleasantly themed, I definitely think we'll return. We'll probably branch out and try a different dessert next time, and now I know to order my shrimp well done!
As we wrapped up and settled our bill, this little guy came to give us a chirp chirp:
So cute!
Next up, a snack update and dinner at La Hacienda!
After taking a spin on several of our favorite rides, as well as watching a couple of our favorite shows, we headed over to Main Street to check in for our reservation at Tony's. This is what greeted us on arrival:
Even though they were seating walk-ins, we were told it would be a few minutes before our table was ready. We took a seat in the waiting area:
Love this place! And we caught the best scene of the entire movie!
Here is a shot of some of the artwork in the waiting area:
After just a few minutes, we were taken to our table. We walked through the patio room with this lovely fountain:
Ah so cute!
We had requested to sit outdoors, after enjoying the view and Main Street atmosphere from the year prior. Even though it was a warm day, we were cool enough in the shade. This is the view from our table:
While we waited for our server, we caught a glimpse of the trolley show.
We perused our menus:
We ordered a couple of boring drinks, a diet coke for DP and an iced tea for me:
We both always think the diet cokes taste weird at this restaurant, like soap or detergent or something.
We decided to split the calamari to start:
We both enjoyed this.
The breading is pretty light, and in general I prefer a little more on my calamari, but the calamari itself was very tender. The marinara sauce was a nice accompaniment, and one of my favorite parts was the olive garnish on this. I'm not sure exactly what they call it, but it is a nice addition to this dish! We ate every last bite!
Because we had split the appetizer and didn't want to be too full on such a hot day, we each ordered a Caesar salad as our main dish.
DP ordered hers plain. She enjoyed it. We both agreed the Caesar dressing was really strong. We'd need mints after this meal!
I ordered my salad with shrimp:
This was the same thing I'd had last year at Tony's, and it was fantastic. This year...not so much.
My shrimp look perfectly fine on the outside, but they were actually completely raw inside. They were solid gray. I always cut my salads before I eat them, so by the time I realized what was going on with the shrimp, I had cut them into pieces all over my entire salad. At first, I hoped it was maybe just one shrimp that didn't get cooked all the way, but when all was said and done, all but one shrimp was basically totally raw. I removed them from the salad, pointed them out to the server, and ate the rest of the salad without them. The whole time I was worried I was going to catch food borne illness from all the raw shrimp juice that was probably in my salad, but thankfully, I did not. The server offered to make me a new salad (with new shrimp or without, my choice) but I declined, since I didn't want to waste this salad. Although I tried to shake it off, the raw shrimp situation definitely limited my enjoyment of this meal.
We finished our salads and had decided on a way to let Tony's redeem itself for us: DESSERT!
We chose the pistachio crème brulee:
I'm a huge fan of crème brulee, and DP is a huge fan of pistachio, so we thought this was perfect!
The crème itself didn't have a strong nutty flavor to it. It was almost just like standard crème brulee with a green tint to it.
Here is an inside shot to give you an idea:
For me, there was probably a little too much brulee to this dish. The crust on top was just a bit strong (maybe that was the burnt bits of nut I was tasting).
It was served with some berries which were yummy, and then a little wafer like cookie made out of pistachios and seeds. DP loved that candied little dish! She still talks about it. For me, it was just pretty garnish. I didn't really like the texture or the flavor.
Dessert wasn't really a stand out for us, and overall the meal was fairly average. However, we really enjoyed the ambience and some parts of the meal were good. Because it's such a nice reprieve from the heat and so pleasantly themed, I definitely think we'll return. We'll probably branch out and try a different dessert next time, and now I know to order my shrimp well done!
As we wrapped up and settled our bill, this little guy came to give us a chirp chirp:
So cute!
Next up, a snack update and dinner at La Hacienda!
DLFan123
living the dream-literally!
- Joined
- Jan 4, 2012
Glad you're enjoying the reviews. I feel terrible that I spoiled the bon bons for you.
Sometimes ignorance is bliss...at least when it comes to the oreo bon bons. I wonder why they need gelatin in them; I definitely think they could achieve the same consistency without. Maybe someday they'll modify the recipe. I was almost crying when I read the ingredient list in the Beach Club Marketplace!
DLFan123
living the dream-literally!
- Joined
- Jan 4, 2012
After our day at MK, we returned to our resort to refresh and relax. We found a couple of cute towel animals waiting for us. First, we had this little guy:
This made us go Aww! and then we talked about how much we missed our two sweet little dogs back at home.
We also found this guy:
A birdie in a nest! I'd always seen these on the disboards and wished for my own, and now I finally had one!
After a brief respite, we walked over to Epcot for our reservation at La Hacienda. We hadn't made the reservation for La Hacienda until just the day before, because we were torn between trying Coral Reef or eating at La Hacienda again. Obviously, La Hacienda won out.
We checked in and were seated right away. Just like last year, they were turning away walk-ups. We were so glad we had made a reservation!
We were seated in a nice rounded half-booth, and although it was not the Frida booth I'd been hoping for, we were still right next to the Frida booth:
Love the monkeys!
Right away we received the complimentary chips and salsa:
The chips are good. The salsas are just ok. If this place had delicious salsa, it would just be over the top for me.
We decided to split an order of guacamole, just like last year:
I was so pleased to find the guacamole this time wasn't as spicy as last time. Last time I could barely eat it, it was that hot. This was much better, still very spicy and little bits of jalapenos in there, but not too hot.
We also decided to split the Rosita margarita:
I have to admit, I mostly just wanted to try this because it is so beautiful. I hadn't really given much thought to the idea that this might taste like flowers...which it did. It wasn't my favorite. It had a very strong rose flavor, and then a very strong tequila flavor. Don't worry-we didn't let it go to waste. We both agreed we wouldn't order it again, though. By this time, I was just craving a plain old margarita. Ah highsight is 20/20...maybe next time.
For our meals, we decided to split an entrée. Last year, with the chips and salsa and guac, we were just too full to really eat an entire entrée each. Hoping to keep from feeling stuffed, we ordered the shrimp tacos:
Yum yum yum!
These are just so good. I can confidently say, now that I've eaten these twice, that they are my favorite shrimp tacos ever!
I love the tiny little flour tortillas, and the cabbage is nice and crispy. The chipotle sauce in these is delicious with a bit of heat and a lot of creamy smokiness to it. The shrimp themselves are the best part:
Perfect, bite-sized little breaded gems!
Sorry, I know that picture is kind of gross, but you get the point. Part of enjoying a meal is being able to eat it easily/without mess, at least in my opinion. These shrimp make it so easy to eat these tacos, because they are literally the perfect size! Ok I could go on, but I won't. You get the point.
Besides the 3 tacos, the plate is served with rice and beans. We had chosen black beans over refried, after our server reinforced that the black beans are vegetarian while the refried beans are made with pork.
Much to our great pleasure, the Spanish rice is vegetarian also! And I just love when my Spanish rice has peas in it!
The rice and beans here are both delicious, very flavorful and a nice accompaniment.
Here is my first portion:
And finally, here is the picture of our check:
Even splitting the entrée, we were too full for dessert.
All tolled, it was an absolutely delightful meal, and we can't wait to return!
This made us go Aww! and then we talked about how much we missed our two sweet little dogs back at home.
We also found this guy:
A birdie in a nest! I'd always seen these on the disboards and wished for my own, and now I finally had one!
After a brief respite, we walked over to Epcot for our reservation at La Hacienda. We hadn't made the reservation for La Hacienda until just the day before, because we were torn between trying Coral Reef or eating at La Hacienda again. Obviously, La Hacienda won out.
We checked in and were seated right away. Just like last year, they were turning away walk-ups. We were so glad we had made a reservation!
We were seated in a nice rounded half-booth, and although it was not the Frida booth I'd been hoping for, we were still right next to the Frida booth:
Love the monkeys!
Right away we received the complimentary chips and salsa:
The chips are good. The salsas are just ok. If this place had delicious salsa, it would just be over the top for me.
We decided to split an order of guacamole, just like last year:
I was so pleased to find the guacamole this time wasn't as spicy as last time. Last time I could barely eat it, it was that hot. This was much better, still very spicy and little bits of jalapenos in there, but not too hot.
We also decided to split the Rosita margarita:
I have to admit, I mostly just wanted to try this because it is so beautiful. I hadn't really given much thought to the idea that this might taste like flowers...which it did. It wasn't my favorite. It had a very strong rose flavor, and then a very strong tequila flavor. Don't worry-we didn't let it go to waste. We both agreed we wouldn't order it again, though. By this time, I was just craving a plain old margarita. Ah highsight is 20/20...maybe next time.
For our meals, we decided to split an entrée. Last year, with the chips and salsa and guac, we were just too full to really eat an entire entrée each. Hoping to keep from feeling stuffed, we ordered the shrimp tacos:
Yum yum yum!
These are just so good. I can confidently say, now that I've eaten these twice, that they are my favorite shrimp tacos ever!
I love the tiny little flour tortillas, and the cabbage is nice and crispy. The chipotle sauce in these is delicious with a bit of heat and a lot of creamy smokiness to it. The shrimp themselves are the best part:
Perfect, bite-sized little breaded gems!
Sorry, I know that picture is kind of gross, but you get the point. Part of enjoying a meal is being able to eat it easily/without mess, at least in my opinion. These shrimp make it so easy to eat these tacos, because they are literally the perfect size! Ok I could go on, but I won't. You get the point.
Besides the 3 tacos, the plate is served with rice and beans. We had chosen black beans over refried, after our server reinforced that the black beans are vegetarian while the refried beans are made with pork.
Much to our great pleasure, the Spanish rice is vegetarian also! And I just love when my Spanish rice has peas in it!
The rice and beans here are both delicious, very flavorful and a nice accompaniment.
Here is my first portion:
And finally, here is the picture of our check:
Even splitting the entrée, we were too full for dessert.
All tolled, it was an absolutely delightful meal, and we can't wait to return!
DLFan123
living the dream-literally!
- Joined
- Jan 4, 2012
It kind of did taste like perfume!
I've had lavender flavored ice cream and chocolate, and I like that, so I wanted this to be like that. But it wasn't. 
MrsB1228
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Feb 15, 2006
Really enjoying your reviews! You've eaten at many of our favourite places and I'm always intrigued by the vegetarian selections. It seems you had a mix of hit and miss this trip, but the pictures of your meal at La Hacienda has my mouth watering!
Thanks for sharing, I'm looking forward to more!
Thanks for sharing, I'm looking forward to more!
kastoney
Disney foodie served with a side of sarcasm
- Joined
- Jul 18, 2010
I've been mulling over going to La Hacienda and I think your description of the shrimp tacos just put me over the ledge. Plus love that you got ressies just the day before. I like to be more spur of the moment so it looks like this is a great option.
FosterLovesMickey
Ready for Disney......
- Joined
- Dec 9, 2012
What wonderful reviews! I enjoyed them so much!
ksromack
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 14, 2012
I'm subbing.....WDW is our home park but as I mentioned in your DL dining report thread, hubby and I are headed to DL/DCA for the FIRST TIME this December!
I think there are so many dining options at WDW with all of the parks and resorts, it's impossible to get in all of your favorites! The only meal I regret not having last December during our 8 nights at WDW was a Kona breakfast.
I had it scheduled but we really over-did it food-wise (who knew that was even possible?) and we needed a reprieve. I'm excited to read your report and maybe relive some happy memories!
ksromack
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 14, 2012
We also decided to split the Rosita margarita:
I have to admit, I mostly just wanted to try this because it is so beautiful. I hadn't really given much thought to the idea that this might taste like flowers...which it did. It wasn't my favorite. It had a very strong rose flavor, and then a very strong tequila flavor. Don't worry-we didn't let it go to waste. We both agreed we wouldn't order it again, though. By this time, I was just craving a plain old margarita. Ah highsight is 20/20...maybe next time.
After reading reviews on the DIS I decided to try the avocado margarita when we were at the Mexico pavillion last year......yum yum yum! I agree, the flower margarita sure did look pretty, though!
disneyquilter
It's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow...
- Joined
- Nov 14, 2006
I am just getting caught up and I will say that the family and I have decided that Tony's and La Hacienda would have to be on our dining list next go 'round 
Two wonderful reviews! You absolutely sold me on the shrimp tacos. They look lovely!!
Two wonderful reviews! You absolutely sold me on the shrimp tacos. They look lovely!! 
DisneyJo
Missing my tags!
- Joined
- Oct 22, 2006
Loving your reviews so far, especially CL at AKL the food looked delicious
I had to laugh at this as I thought we took it from you
DLFan123
living the dream-literally!
- Joined
- Jan 4, 2012
Hi everyone! I'm back after a bit of a hiatus...and can't wait to respond to all your comments and finish this review up! We are down to a couple more day's worth of yummy Disney food, and I'll get the next review posted soon. Sorry for the long distraction...we were busy spending a little time with the gang over at the happiest place on earth! 
I'm back after a bit of a hiatus...and can't wait to respond to all your comments and finish this review up! We are down to a couple more day's worth of yummy Disney food, and I'll get the next review posted soon. Sorry for the long distraction...we were busy spending a little time with the gang over at the happiest place on earth!
DLFan123
living the dream-literally!
- Joined
- Jan 4, 2012
Really enjoying your reviews! You've eaten at many of our favourite places and I'm always intrigued by the vegetarian selections. It seems you had a mix of hit and miss this trip, but the pictures of your meal at La Hacienda has my mouth watering!
Thanks for sharing, I'm looking forward to more!
La Hacienda was definitely one of the hits of this trip, but there were lots of excellent meals. Maybe that's why we were so hard on some of the other meals. We had several really great stand-outs, so places that weren't great just didn't seem to measure up. Glad you're enjoying the reviews!
I dream about those shrimp tacos. Seriously they are that good (IMO). I think you can get a ressie near your dates at La Hacienda, unless you like to dine later and/or hope to see Illuminations. I think those time slots fill up faster, and of course if you're there on a weekend or during peak times, it might be harder. My suggestion would be to make a ressie in advance, as last I checked, there is no fee for cancelling at La Hacienda. Then if you feel more spontaneous and need to move things around, you will probably still be able to eat there a different night.
Glad you enjoyed them! Thanks for reading along.
I'm subbing.....WDW is our home park but as I mentioned in your DL dining report thread, hubby and I are headed to DL/DCA for the FIRST TIME this December!
I think there are so many dining options at WDW with all of the parks and resorts, it's impossible to get in all of your favorites! The only meal I regret not having last December during our 8 nights at WDW was a Kona breakfast.
I'm excited to read your report and maybe relive some happy memories!
Welcome! I'm so glad that you and your hubby will be able to check out the western Disney original soon! I'm sure you have lots of plans in the works, but one thing that is so nice about DL is that you can dine more spontaneously, without needing a reservation for every meal.
Sadly we didn't eat Kona for breakfast either, although we always say we will. In fact, we keep saying..."on our next trip, we will definitely..." but then it gets here and we, too, seem to over-do it food-wise. I guess maybe it says something about which meal is our least favorite, because we always forego big breakfasts in order to try to save room for lunches and dinners.
With a little
, I will be finishing up this report soon! Glad to have you reading along.Share this page
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