Follow me to the Boardwalk! 10/23 - 11/7 UPDATED 4/13 BEACHES & CREAM

[momof3princes]

I would think that Starring Rolls will be getting busier now that the Writer's Stop is closed. They had some very yummy looking choices. The cheese danish is always a good idea

 

[smiths02]

Maybe it's just my perception of your photos, but we got a butterfinger cupcake in 2011, and while the one in your photo looks big...ours was HUGE. Have they downsized the cupcake and upped the price?

 

[pigletgirl]

I would think that Starring Rolls will be getting busier now that the Writer's Stop is closed. They had some very yummy looking choices. The cheese danish is always a good idea

EEK, the Writers Stop is going to remain open!

http://www.wdwinfo.com/news-stories/writers-stop-at-disneys-hollywood-studios-to-remain-open/

 

[vettegirl]

Starring Rolls has such a nice selection of decadent sweet treats. The danish sounds so delicious. We have had a cupcake from there before and really enjoyed it.

 

[Disneyhayes]

Oh my I am loving all of this!!!!

 

[Landslide305]

Marking my place! I'm loving the variety of places you've gone to, you've really opened my eyes to some new places to try!

 

[Rafikifan]

On Monday, Nov. 2nd, I had breakfast at the Sci-Fi and lunch at the Epcot F & W Festival booths, both of which I've already reviewed earlier in my dining report. Therefore I'm moving on now to dinner, but first before leaving Epcot I want to give a shout out to Boys II Men for the awesome Eat to the Beat concert they gave that evening.





After using my FP+ to see their 6:45 concert from the Fast Pass reserved section, I killed some time at Epcot before heading to the Beach Club for my late dinner at...





Luckily they were able to get me in about 1/2 hour earlier than my ADR. I was seated at a table for 2, not far from the juke box...





And practically right underneath the sign with the take-out menu for ice cream...





But I was here for an actual meal this time, which I chose from their regular dine-in menu...










I started by ordering a Coke, and "made it heavenly by adding vanilla syrup" for an extra $.50. For my entree, I followed a recommendation made by Jeri (jerseytinkerbell) during her last dining report and ordered a hot dog. But unlike Jeri I didn't order mine plain. Instead I added both cheese and chili, with an added cost of $.99 for each topping.





Although I was tempted to substitute onion rings (at an extra charge) for the french fries (as I love the onion rings here), I'm glad I didn't because the fries were great. I thought they were actually as good as, if not better than the french fries at the Plaza Restaurant. As for the hot dog, it was fine. I think it would have been better if the generous amount of shredded cheese that was piled on top had been melted. The hot dog itself though was pretty good, so maybe Jeri has the right idea with ordering it plain here.


Though I was pretty full after the hot dog and fries, I find it impossible to go to Beaches & Cream without ordering ice cream.




Despite the fact that someone at the table next to mine had the most wonderful looking banana split delivered to them just before I ordered my dessert, I still had to go with my favorite Beaches & Cream ice cream sundae, the No Way Jose (in it's smaller, two scoops instead of three version). Now I've ordered this sundae several times here and it normally looks beautiful, like this...






But this time a better name for the sundae I received would have been "Ugly but Good", as this sundae was uglier than any sundae I've ever seen from Via Napoli.

​

However, I'm happy to report that despite its rather "ugly" appearance it tasted as delicious as usual. Oh, and in case you were wondering just exactly what a No Way Jose sundae is, in it's smaller version you get two scoops of ice cream (one vanilla, one chocolate) topped with peanut butter and hot fudge, a mound of whipped cream, peanut butter and chocolate chips, and perched at the very top is a maraschino cherry.


So even though the chili cheese hot dog wasn't anything special, the french fries, vanilla coke, and "Ugly but Good" (aka No Way Jose) sundae were all great. In fact, they were so good that I ended up returning to Beaches & Cream for Round II a few days later.

​

Next up: Breakfast from Starring Rolls

 

[anniebean]

jabead--in regards to Biergarten--my husband said it was authentic from what he could remember. I think his grandmothers are the ones that cooked the German meals and that was when he was a child growing up.

 

[jabead]

Mmmm, beaches and cream. We finally got to try it on our last trip and it was so good. Though I couldn't resist the onion rings ; ) You definitely win the ugly ice cream award but glad it was good.

Speaking of glad and good, you finally got your cheese Danish. Every time I see one in the world I think of it as the Barb Danish

While I did get my cheese danish, would you believe that I was there for two weeks (most of which time I was staying at the Boardwalk) and I didn't get my much-loved napoleon from the Boardwalk Bakery?!?!

I'm kicking myself for not stopping at Starring Rolls on our trip. That pumpkin cupcake looks yummy. I LOVE pumpkin.

I've actually only tried one cupcake from Starring Rolls (the red velvet one) and that was several years ago. I really need to give some of the others a try but I just can't seem to tear myself away from their cheese danish.

I hate to say it, but a cheese danish with that much icing would be a total turn-off for me.

A danish is all about the filling. The more stuff they put outside the filling, whether it's raisins and spices in the dough or extra sugar icing, the less interesting it becomes. The best danishes have no sugar icing, just a slightly sticky coating.

I must admit that I am a fan of the icing, but I'd be willing to give your kind of danish a try to compare. Have you found any that you like at Disney World?

Mmmmm, the closest I got to a Disney cheese danish on our March trip was one at the airport on the way home! Not the same at all! Must try to rectify that in August!

For me, everything always seems to taste better at Disney World, including the cheese danish.

The bakery items look so yummy. I have to try the famous cheese Danish everyone talks about, it looks so simple but I do love cream cheese Danish, is it similar? Your sundae did look a bit of a mess, but I bet it was delicious! We stayed a BCV last April and had ice cream at BC, it was good. It sure is small in there lol!

Yes, it is cream cheese filled. The pastry is always moist and the icing is sweet, but not "sickly sweet". And yes, Beaches & Cream is very small, with only a few booths and tables plus a few seats at the counter for seating. Now that they take ADRs, it's nearly impossible to get in without one. However, if you just want ice cream there is always their Take-out counter. The one problem with that is it's usually so hot outside that your ice cream melts super fast once out of the air conditioning...so you have to eat it quickly!

I would think that Starring Rolls will be getting busier now that the Writer's Stop is closed. They had some very yummy looking choices. The cheese danish is always a good idea

EEK, the Writers Stop is going to remain open!

http://www.wdwinfo.com/news-stories/writers-stop-at-disneys-hollywood-studios-to-remain-open/

I hadn't heard anything about the Writers Stop closing until you mentioned it. While it seems that it will reopen soon (thanks for the heads up, pigletgirl), it doesn't look like it will be serving the same items that it used to, like the carrot cake cookies, muffins, etc. According to the article it sounds more like a lounge with appetizers and drinks. It will be interesting to see when they reopen on Sunday what they do and do not have.

Maybe it's just my perception of your photos, but we got a butterfinger cupcake in 2011, and while the one in your photo looks big...ours was HUGE. Have they downsized the cupcake and upped the price?

I've only tried the red velvet one and that was too many years ago to remember how big it was, but maybe one of the readers can answer your question?? I do know though (like everything else at WDW), the cupcake prices have increased here and at other locations like the Boardwalk Bakery. And sadly, it wouldn't really surprise me if the cupcake size is smaller.

Starring Rolls has such a nice selection of decadent sweet treats. The danish sounds so delicious. We have had a cupcake from there before and really enjoyed it.

I used to always be partial to the Boardwalk Bakery, but on this last trip the CMs at Starring Rolls were so very nice while at the BW Bakery they weren't. So for now anyway, my allegiance has switched.

Oh my I am loving all of this!!!!

Happy to hear it! Thanks for reading!

Marking my place! I'm loving the variety of places you've gone to, you've really opened my eyes to some new places to try!

My goal on this trip was to try new (to me) restaurants or revisit ones I hadn't been to in a long time. I of course still went to many of my WDW favorites, but I tried my best to switch it up a bit and try new foods. I'm glad to hear you are enjoying my strategy so far. Thanks for following along!

jabead--in regards to Biergarten--my husband said it was authentic from what he could remember. I think his grandmothers are the ones that cooked the German meals and that was when he was a child growing up.

I had the same experience as your husband, except Italian instead of German. Most of the Italian food that I have now days can never quite compare to the delicious food prepared by my sweet little Italian grandmother.

 

[Epcotgal8]

On Monday, Nov. 2nd, I had breakfast at the Sci-Fi and lunch at the Epcot F & W Festival booths, both of which I've already reviewed earlier in my dining report. Therefore I'm moving on now to dinner, but first before leaving Epcot I want to give a shout out to Boys II Men for the awesome Eat to the Beat concert they gave that evening.





After using my FP+ to see their 6:45 concert from the Fast Pass reserved section, I killed some time at Epcot before heading to the Beach Club for my late dinner at...





Luckily they were able to get me in about 1/2 hour earlier than my ADR. I was seated at a table for 2, not far from the juke box...





And practically right underneath the sign with the take-out menu for ice cream...





But I was here for an actual meal this time, which I chose from their regular dine-in menu...










I started by ordering a Coke, and "made it heavenly by adding vanilla syrup" for an extra $.50. For my entree, I followed a recommendation made by Jeri (jerseytinkerbell) during her last dining report and ordered a hot dog. But unlike Jeri I didn't order mine plain. Instead I added both cheese and chili, with an added cost of $.99 for each topping.





Although I was tempted to substitute onion rings (at an extra charge) for the french fries (as I love the onion rings here), I'm glad I didn't because the fries were great. I thought they were actually as good as, if not better than the french fries at the Plaza Restaurant. As for the hot dog, it was fine. I think it would have been better if the generous amount of shredded cheese that was piled on top had been melted. The hot dog itself though was pretty good, so maybe Jeri has the right idea with ordering it plain here.


Though I was pretty full after the hot dog and fries, I find it impossible to go to Beaches & Cream without ordering ice cream.




Despite the fact that someone at the table next to mine had the most wonderful looking banana split delivered to them just before I ordered my dessert, I still had to go with my favorite Beaches & Cream ice cream sundae, the No Way Jose (in it's smaller, two scoops instead of three version). Now I've ordered this sundae several times here and it normally looks beautiful, like this...






But this time a better name for the sundae I received would have been "Ugly but Good", as this sundae was uglier than any sundae I've ever seen from Via Napoli.

​

However, I'm happy to report that despite its rather "ugly" appearance it tasted as delicious as usual. Oh, and in case you were wondering just exactly what a No Way Jose sundae is, in it's smaller version you get two scoops of ice cream (one vanilla, one chocolate) topped with peanut butter and hot fudge, a mound of whipped cream, peanut butter and chocolate chips, and perched at the very top is a maraschino cherry.


So even though the chili cheese hot dog wasn't anything special, the french fries, vanilla coke, and "Ugly but Good" (aka No Way Jose) sundae were all great. In fact, they were so good that I ended up returning to Beaches & Cream for Round II a few days later.

​

Next up: Breakfast from Starring Rolls

 

[Epcotgal8]

We arrived in WDW on 11/2 and were at Epcot that night watching Boys II Men also! We didn't have a seat but watched from outside the American Pavillion. They were awesome! I love your reviews. Thanks so much.

 

[jabead]

Reservation Details:

Donald's Dining Safari Breakfast at Tusker House Restaurant
Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park
Date: Tuesday, 11/03/2015
Time: 10:40 AM - Breakfast
Party Size: 1

My first experience with Tusker House was a pre-park opening breakfast in Oct. 2014. I really enjoyed the breakfast food, but was curious about what their lunch buffet was like. So on my next visit in May 2015 I scheduled a 10:45 breakfast there. With lunch starting at 11:00, I figured I could turn breakfast into brunch and satisfy my curiosity. However, in reality, I ended up filling up on breakfast foods and only had room to try a few of the lunch offerings. So this time I was determined to have only my absolute favorites from the breakfast buffet and concentrate more on the lunch foods when they were brought out at 11:00. Well, let's see how I did this time, shall we?



I checked in about a half hour early for my 10:40 ADR and was seated and taking my first photo at the breakfast buffet by 10:30. But before leaving my table I was greeted by my server and ordered both coffee and Jungle Juice to drink...



I really like this juice, which I believe is a combination of passionfruit, orange, and guava juices).


Now on to the food, where I started at the pastry station and found these Cinnamon Rolls (which didn't have enough icing for my taste )...




There were many other choices here though, including these Chocolate Twists...




And one of my favorites, Krispy Kreme-style Donut Holes (aka glazed, yeast donut holes)...




The Corn Bread also looked pretty good too...




Then on to some of the hot breakfast foods, starting with this Ham & Cheese Frittata...





Tater tots...




Buttermilk biscuits and Mealie Pap...






Spit-Roasted Bone-in Ham...




Then there was Beef Bobotie...




Sweet Plantains...




And Coconut Sweet Potato Casserole...





There were also Oven-roasted Red Skin Potatoes with Rosemary...





Bacon...







And last but certainly not least, the Mickey waffles...





Keep in mind these were only some of the many things offered on the Tusker House breakfast buffet. So don't sweat it too much if your favorite is missing, as it may have just been camera shy that morning.


So anyway, here was my Breakfast Plate #1...


​

This held most of my past Tusker House breakfast favorites including ham with sweet and spicy honey mustard sauce, a slice of bacon, a few sweet plantains, a spoonful of the coconut sweet potato casserole, and some tater tots. All were again delicious!


My 2nd plate held a few of my other favorites...



Grapes to satisfy my fruit craving, a donut hole to satisfy my sweet tooth, and a Mickey waffle...just because!

My only complaint regarding the Tusker House breakfast buffet is that they don't have a Made-to-Order Omelet station, which I love. But other than that, this is a great place to start your day at Animal Kingdom or take a brunch time break after doing some of the nearby attractions. Oh, and as an added bonus you get to spend some time with three out of the Fab 5 Disney characters in their safari attire...






Goofy even sat down with me at my table, but being the goofy guy that he is, couldn't hold still long enough for me to get a good photo...








Ahhh...finally!

And I completely missed getting a photo of Daisy Duck this time, as I was at the buffet taking photos and getting my food when she came around. However, here is a photo from my last Tusker House visit, when two of my kids were with me...



​

Next up: Tusker House Brunch - Part II

 

[disneyAndi14]

We love TH breakfast and for the first time in August I made a 10:45 ADR so we can also try the lunch along with our favorites! Looking forward to your take on the lunch portion. Love the carved ham and glazed donuts as well!

 

[Wood Nymph]

We went to Tusker House for breakfast last October with our daughter and two grandchildren and I discovered how good the ham and cheese frittata was. I also like the sliced ham. We are going back there in June with our other two children and grandchildren. It is a fun and delicious way to enjoy a character meal.

 

[Vernie822]

LOVE TH brunch!! We have a 10:30-ish ADR there in a few weeks. I love getting to AK early in the morning and getting on the safari so this will be perfect, and it will also probably hold us through lunch.

 

[jabead]

We arrived in WDW on 11/2 and were at Epcot that night watching Boys II Men also! We didn't have a seat but watched from outside the American Pavillion. They were awesome! I love your reviews. Thanks so much.

I got to see Boys II Men the year before during my Oct. '14 trip to the World and really enjoyed their show so I was thrilled to see that they were again scheduled during this trip. Now my fingers are crossed that I'll get to see them again on my 2016 F & W Trip.

And thanks so much for reading my reviews!

We love TH breakfast and for the first time in August I made a 10:45 ADR so we can also try the lunch along with our favorites! Looking forward to your take on the lunch portion. Love the carved ham and glazed donuts as well!

Tusker House - Part II is coming right up!

We went to Tusker House for breakfast last October with our daughter and two grandchildren and I discovered how good the ham and cheese frittata was. I also like the sliced ham. We are going back there in June with our other two children and grandchildren. It is a fun and delicious way to enjoy a character meal.

You have another trip coming up in June? I am sooo jealous!

LOVE TH brunch!! We have a 10:30-ish ADR there in a few weeks. I love getting to AK early in the morning and getting on the safari so this will be perfect, and it will also probably hold us through lunch.

That's exactly what I did. I did the safari and then walked through the Pangani Forest (I think) before checking in a half hour early for my 10:40 ADR, as I wanted to be sure not to miss out on the breakfast food. It seems like there is always a 10 - 15 minute wait to be seated at TH so I would play it safe and check in early too. They start putting out the lunch food right around 11:00 and some of what is left of the breakfast food is placed at the Pastry station (which switches to Dessert station for lunch). Enjoy!

 

[jabead]

Tusker House Brunch - Part II (Lunch)


So I will begin by apologizing.

Because even though I kept my choices from the breakfast buffet to a minimum (or so I thought anyway), I still felt quite full after eating the food on my two breakfast plates. Sadly this resulted in no lunch for me. I know, I know...an epic fail.


But the good news is that I still managed to take photos for you of some of the many offerings on the bountiful Tusker House lunch buffet. So let's take a look at those, shall we?


First up are a couple of their salads, starting with this South African Quinoa Salad...




And a Spinach Salad along with several dressing choices and other salad toppings...








Next a few side dishes that caught my eye, like this Tandoori Tofu...





Garlic Mashed Potatoes...




And Potato & Pea Samosas along with Mango Chutney...







There were a few chicken dishes, one that I can identify as Cape Malay Curry Chicken...





And another that I can't, so I'll just call it Chicken in Gravy...






They again were serving Kenyan Coffee BBQ Pork Loin at the carving station...





And my last stop for photos was at the Dessert station, where I found several tasty looking treats such as Spiced Fruit Tarts...





Pecan Chocolate Bars...





Carrot Spice Cake...




Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars...





And Coconut Macaroons...




If you would like to see more photos of the lunch offerings, check out the dining review from my May '15 visit to Tusker House.
Here is the LINK

​

Next up: Dinner at Flying Fish Cafe

 

[Wood Nymph]

You have another trip coming up in June? I am sooo jealous!

We were lucky enough to be at Disney in August when there was a free dining bounceback for select dates in June. I couldn't miss the opportunity to bring kids and grandkids with free dining and a stay at POR. My sister and her friend got the free dining offer, too. There will be ten or eleven of us in the group. I actually hate the dining plan because it isn't the way I normally eat. But it works out great for the rest of the family.

 

[rteetz]

I've only done breakfast at tusker house and I really enjoyed it. I may have to try a late breakfast early lunch like you did to try things out. I do love that juice they serve there.

 

[jabead]

We were lucky enough to be at Disney in August when there was a free dining bounceback for select dates in June. I couldn't miss the opportunity to bring kids and grandkids with free dining and a stay at POR. My sister and her friend got the free dining offer, too. There will be ten or eleven of us in the group. I actually hate the dining plan because it isn't the way I normally eat. But it works out great for the rest of the family.

Wow, a group of 10 or 11?!?! Sounds like it could be super fun but also a huge planning nightmare. I hope it's all of the first and none of the latter.

I've only done breakfast at tusker house and I really enjoyed it. I may have to try a late breakfast early lunch like you did to try things out. I do love that juice they serve there.

I'd say it's a win/win...you can have your breakfast and eat lunch too!