A Little of This, A Little of That - updated 11/23

[SmallWorld71]

Looks like a great meal at Satuli. Those bowls are always so good. Wish all Disney counter service was this good.

Right?
Thanks for following along.

 

[SmallWorld71]

Moving on to what was my favorite day on our February trip, and honestly one of my top ever Disney days, is our day at Epcot. We rode the Skyliner from Pop to Caribbean Beach and then waited for the Epcot line to open and then we were quickly on our way.


One of the best things about WDW during all the pandemic restrictions, was no rope drop. Once you arrived at the gates, they let you in to avoid a bottleneck of people, and we were able to enjoy a relaxing stroll through a mostly empty World Showcase. Just such a relaxing, special Disney moment that we won't forget.





We also had fun with all the little festival touches around the park. It was day full of simple, yet unforgettable, Disney memories.

 

[SmallWorld71]

Of course, we weren't just there for the rides and atmosphere! We came to eat!

First up, we stopped inside the World Showplace.
From Festival Favorites: Remy’s Ratatouille with Eggplant, Zucchini, Yellow Squash, Tomatoes and Red Pepper Piperade (Plant-based Item). This was quite good! 4 out of 5 stars and a good way to get in some veggies.

From Painter's Palate: Salt-roasted Beet Tartare with Pickled Vegetables, Parsley Salad and Béarnaise Aïoli (Plant-based Item). This one was quite odd and definitely not for everyone as the pickled flavor was quite strong and beets are not for everyone. But, we really enjoyed it! The photo doesn't do it justice; it was very pretty in person. This is a dish that might be a bit much if you were on your own, but sharing it felt like I had the perfect amount. 4 out of 5 stars.

Our next stop was L'Artisan des Glaces in France where I got a scoop of chocolate ice cream and DD got a scoop of mango sorbet. Yum! 5 out of 5 for the food and bonus points for being able to sit by the lovely fountain while eating. Today was also Mardi Gras and we got a big kick out of some of the outfits we saw. There was purple, green, and gold everywhere and we enjoyed people watching while we ate.

We also stopped off in Japan and got the Vegetable Gyoza: Vegetable-filled Spinach Gyoza with Tofu atop Mashed Potatoes with a Kamaboko Fish Cake, Pepper Strings and Tonkatsu Teriyaki Sauce. As you can see by the picture, we got just the gyoza without the accompaniments which made it a vegan dish. Not as exciting that way, but the gyoza were decent on their own. 3 out of 5 stars.

 

[SmallWorld71]

Next, DD got something from the Refreshment Outpost that I was not interested in trying as I do not care for plant based 'meat' and I don't like coffee. This looked the part though and they did not skimp on the toppings. DD enjoyed it. 4 out of 5 stars.
Plant-based Bratwurst with Spicy Turmeric Aïoli, Coffee Barbecue Jackfruit and Slaw


After that, I tried two dishes from Deconstructed dish that I have had my eye on for ages.

Deconstructed Reuben: Rye Popover, Corned Beef, Gryuère Panna Cotta and Brined Brussels Sprouts with Broken Thousand Island Dressing

Deconstructed Strawberry Cheesecake: Whipped New York-style Cheesecake with Fresh Florida Strawberries and Sugar Cookies

Both were quite good! 3 out of 5 for the reuben and 4 out of 5 for the cheesecake. I loved the plating!

For our final treat before heading out of the park, we had a yummy smoothie. 5 out of 5 for this one.
Vibrante and Vivido: Coconut and Passion Fruit Smoothie (non-alcoholic)

Up next: Epcot in August!

 

[SmallWorld71]

DD18 just sent me her update (she's away at college). So, back to Epcot we go!

When BFF and I were booking our trip, we originally were planning for mid June, right after we got out of school. However, due to a later track season and then our work schedules, we had to push the trip back to August. While we were sad we had to wait two months longer, we were really excited to go to the Food and Wine Festival, and I was especially excited as I would then have gone to all of the EPCOT festivals!

Flower and Garden Festival in April, 2013 (I really want that Violet Lemonade again)

Festival of the Holidays in December, 2014

Festival of the Arts in February, 2021

And now… Food and Wine Festival in August, 2021

EPCOT is probably my favorite park, so I was so excited for the rides and the atmosphere in general, and of course, matching my buddy Figment.

We stumbled upon the JAMMin’ Chefs in Canada, drumming on pots, pans, and even more kitchen utensils.


I will say in my opinion, as far as atmospheres of the festivals themselves, this is probably my least favorite one. As amazing as it was, I think the other three festivals have a little more to add theming wise, as this one’s central point is food. Speaking of food… let’s get to the food!

 

[SmallWorld71]

DD and her BFF at Epcot, continued...

I will say that while I was satisfied with the vegan options at the Food and Wine Festival, it most definitely has less options than the other festivals, but it is to be expected as what pairs with wine typically? Cheese and meat. It also did not help that there were some booths that did not open until October (which did end up opening early but not early enough sadly). Even so, I enjoyed most of the food I got.

First up, at Tangerine Cafe in Morocco is the Friend Falafel Pita with Tahini Sauce. The falafels were really good, not as good as the ones from Skipper Canteen, but they were still good, and not too dry like falafels can sometimes be. I will say it was hard to get a bite of everything at once, as the falafels were very big, and all the other veggies were hidden in the bottom of the pita. Even so I very much enjoyed this, and it gave us something to do to get out of the quick thunderstorm. 4 out of 5 stars.

Up next is the food from Earth Eats, which includes two options with Impossible plant based meat products.
I was a bit nervous about the Impossible Burger Slider as I tend to not be a fan of Impossible Burgers. However, likely since this was a slider and was much smaller than a whole burger, I actually enjoyed this. It also had vegan wasabi cream and spicy asian slaw on it, which I did not find too spicy, and as someone who does not like spice, appreciated it. 3 out of 5 stars.
Then there was the Impossible Three-Bean Chili, which also had fritos and vegan cheese on it. This chili was really good, and was actually not spicy, which again, was something I was worried about. The only complaint I had about it had nothing to do with the chili itself, and simply with the fact that I ate it in Florida in August, meaning it was about 100 degrees out. I would love to have this chili in the cooler weather, but for taste itself it most definitely gets 5 out of 5 stars.

Then there is probably the favorite thing I had all day, which is the Spiced Apple Twinings of London Chai Tea (non-alcoholic). This tea was absolutely amazing, and BFF and I actually went back to this booth later in the day just to each get another tea. I also finally gave in and ordered this tea online as I can’t find a single store with it, we’ll see if I can make it as well as Disney can. Is it possible to give this a 6 out of 5 stars?

I then got the Tofu Pho with Enoki Mushrooms and Thai Basil from The Noodle Exchange. The flavor of this was probably good, but I honestly couldn’t tell from how spicy it was. I really don’t do well with spicy foods, and 100 degree weather just makes it worse. If you like really spicy foods you would probably enjoy this, but it just wasn’t for me. 2 out of 5 stars.

I got the Banana Bread with Mixed Berry Compote from Shimmering Sips, and this one was a total winner. I love banana bread so much, and have made my own too many times to count, but I never thought of putting berry compote on top. The extra sweetness of the berry compote and the coconut whipped cream was perfect, and this definitely gets 5 out of 5 stars.

Finally, I had to go back to L’Artisan des Glaces in France to get sorbet again, as it was so delicious in February. This time I got the Raspberry sorbet, which gets 5 out of 5 stars. BFF was a little disappointed, as she was looking forward to trying the Brioche Ice Cream Sandwich, and while we were in line a Cast Member announced that they ran out of Brioche. She still enjoyed her ice cream though, and eating them while walking around World Showcase before watching EPCOT Forever was a great way to end the night.

We are almost to the end! Only Hollywood Studios and Disney Springs odd and ends to go.

 

[erinch]

Plugging along! Thank you!

 

[kastoney]

One of the best things about WDW during all the pandemic restrictions, was no rope drop. Once you arrived at the gates, they let you in to avoid a bottleneck of people, and we were able to enjoy a relaxing stroll through a mostly empty World Showcase.

Oh I loved this so much. We only had a few days of it, but so much better than hope drop

From Painter's Palate: Salt-roasted Beet Tartare with Pickled Vegetables, Parsley Salad and Béarnaise Aïoli (Plant-based Item). This one was quite odd and definitely not for everyone as the pickled flavor was quite strong and beets are not for everyone. But, we really enjoyed it!

Oh this sounds delicious and definitely a bit adventurous for Disney. I love beets and beef tartare so this would be right up my alley

Deconstructed Reuben: Rye Popover, Corned Beef, Gryuère Panna Cotta and Brined Brussels Sprouts with Broken Thousand Island Dressing

We had something similar at the FARTS festival a few years back and it was really good. I love a good reuben

Flower and Garden Festival in April, 2013 (I really want that Violet Lemonade again)

❤ ❤ ❤ Love the throw back and all the Phineous and Ferb gear

I will say that while I was satisfied with the vegan options at the Food and Wine Festival, it most definitely has less options than the other festivals, but it is to be expected as what pairs with wine typically?

Glad to see she had a good time and they had a decent amount of vegan options for her. Disney certainly seems to go out of their way to make sure all dietary restrictions are represented

 

[SmallWorld71]

Plugging along! Thank you!

Thank you for reading along!

 

[SmallWorld71]

Oh I loved this so much. We only had a few days of it, but so much better than hope drop


Oh this sounds delicious and definitely a bit adventurous for Disney. I love beets and beef tartare so this would be right up my alley


We had something similar at the FARTS festival a few years back and it was really good. I love a good reuben


❤ ❤ ❤ Love the throw back and all the Phineous and Ferb gear


Glad to see she had a good time and they had a decent amount of vegan options for her. Disney certainly seems to go out of their way to make sure all dietary restrictions are represented

I wish they would just keep the no rope drop. So much less stress!
I believe they had a beef tartare as well. I would have enjoyed trying it, but with limited stomach space I didn't venture on my own too much. They really have gotten better over the years with the all the different dietary restrictions. I wish more of my local restaurants would!
Phineas and Ferb was such a great kids' show!

 

[SmallWorld71]

Just wanted to let all you readers know that I have not forgotten you and fully intend to finish this report. DD has been super busy at college and she will be writing the Hollywood Studios report. Then we will finish Disney Springs when she comes home for Thanksgiving.

In the meantime, here's a shirt that I saw in the M & M store at Disney Springs that I really wanted, but they didn't have my size. Anyone else feeling like this these days?

 

[SmallWorld71]

Off to Hollywood we go!

While we were not able to fit Hollywood Studios into our February trip, BFF and I had two days there in August (it felt necessary as two huge Star Wars fans who had never been to Galaxy's Edge before). Of course, we spent over half of our time in the park at something Star Wars, we totally did not go on Smugger's run four times and Star Tours at least eight times . We were absolutely amazed by Rise of the Resistance, it most definitely is not just a ride, it is an experience.


But of course, on to the food.
*as a impatient person who just wants to eat the food, some food pictures I found on the internet because mine are either too blurry or of mostly eaten food.

We ate at Ronto Roasters twice, once for lunch and once for breakfast.

For lunch, I got the Zuchii Wrap, which has grilled zucchini, a smoky chickpea-onion slaw, and creamy garlic-tahini sauce wrapped in pita bread. It was a little spicy and definitely messy, especially when you couldn't even find a table to sit at, but it tasted great. 4 out of 5 stars.


We also both got Tatooine Sunsets to drink, which is unsweetened tea and lemonade with melon and blueberry. Very simple taste, but it was very refreshing. 4 out of 5 stars.


For breakfast I got the Triple Suns Breakfast Wrap, which has plant-based egg with the same smoky chickpea-onion slaw as the Zuchii Wrap, and roasted tomato sauce in pita bread. This one was really good too and once again messy, we managed to snag a table for this meal though. 4 out of 5 stars.

*picture from google

I also tried the Andoan Fruit with Muja Sauce, which has sticks of jicama, cucumber, pineapple, melon, and dragon fruit with tamarind sauce and peppercorn ash. This was very odd, especially the mixture of sweeter fruit with a more savory and spicy sauce, but it worked. 3 out of 5 stars.

*picture from google

We of course had to try the Blue and Green Milk. Both are a blend of coconut and rice milk, the blue milk with flavors of dragon fruit, pineapple, lime, and watermelon, and green milk with flavors of mandarin orange, passion fruit, grapefruit, and orange blossom. We loved both of them, but have to agree with most other people that blue milk is better than green milk. Green gets 4 out of 5 stars, Blue gets 5 out of 5 stars.


We also got the Outpost Popcorn Mix at Kat Saka's Kettle, which is red and purple popcorn that is sweet and spicy. It is very similar to kettle corn, and the purple pieces were good, however the red ones tasted too "fake". While it looked really pretty, I wouldn't get it again. 2 out of 5 stars.


Now on to Toy Story Land. I got the Plant-based Totchos, which is vegan chili and cheese with green onions and corn chips over potato barrels, aka tater tots. This was really good, the chili wasn't spicy and I loved the idea of putting it over tater tots. 5 out of 5 stars.


I also got the Plant-based Toasted Cheddar Sandwich, a vegan grilled cheese on sourdough bread that came with a side of tater tots. It was nothing special, but perfect for something to get quickly when realizing you're hungry and the park closes in 10 minutes. 3 out of 5 stars.

*picture from google

Up next: Disney Springs and Pop Century (which I had forgotten about...)