Served with Flair, My Culinary Cabaret (Solo May 2016 DR), updated 11/12, Earl of Sandwich

[Saphire5742]

Now on to some character interactions.

The characters are announced and come out one at a time with a few minutes between each.

I was a little apprehensive about being a solo diner since I would have to ask others to take photos for me and I felt a little uncomfortable interrupting someone else’s meal. Turns out I had nothing to worry about. Everyone was very gracious and the characters helped too.

And as with all the rest of my character meals I tried to be on the lookout for any solo or couple diners near my table so I could return the favor. This meal there was a couple on their honeymoon right behind my table.

First came Prince Charming who commented that the stepsisters will be jealous of my tiara. This got me thinking on what to say to the stepsisters when they arrived.





Cinderella:



She commented that I was brave to venture out on my own but did recommend protection from royal guard. When I asked if she could help me with that she replied that Jaq and Gus have friends all over the kingdom and will be happy to hook me up.



Lady Tremaine:



She was going on about how she had plans for using the pumpkins and that Cinderella stole the biggest one and didn’t even finish her chores. Wanting to remain in her good graces I replied with “That is just so inconsiderate and ungrateful”. She appreciated my sentiments and mentioned that at last someone sees this her way as no one else does.



Anastasia:



I complemented her on the color of her dress to which she made the snide comment that flattery will get one anywhere. I then showed her my pink highlights so she understood that I was genuine. She admired my tiara and lamented that she wanted one as well. So I replied that I used the Fairy Godmother’s wand. When she complained that the Fairy Godmother refuses to help her, I told her that she had misunderstood me and informed her that I “borrowed” the wand and then returned it with the Fairy Godmother none the wiser. She liked the way I think!



Drizella:



She too admired my tiara. This time I said that I made it because I decided that I am a princess. When she asked me where I got the “diamonds” for my tiara I replied that I have my sources. She was so impressed that she said we must discuss this over tea and to look out for an invite which would be delivered via pigeon.

Somewhere in the middle of the character meets Cinderella and her Prince had a dance together:​

Overall a most wonderful experience!

Stay tuned….​

 

[Saphire5742]

Love your reviews so far.

Enjoying your reviews so far.

to my food party. Nice to have you both here. Glad you're enjoying!

 

[DonnaBeeGood]

.

 

[suse66]

So fun! Thanks for sharing!

 

[Dentam]

Loving your DR! You are doing a great job of describing the entire experience from food to character interactions to the atmosphere of each restaurant! I've never been to 1900 Park Fare but I think I need to add it to my wish list!

 

[alohamom]

LOVING your report!

 

[GoofySon'sMom]

I am very late to your party! LOVE the reviews so far! DH and I are going to V&A's for the first time in October to celebrate our 25th anniversary (ok, so it was actually June 1st but we purposely did not celebrate because we are saving our celebration for our trip!) Your pictures are fantastic and making me want to go even more!

Love the interaction with the Tremaine family! We had an awesome meet & greet with them in the MK last August. So very sad that they have ended that M&G. May have to give Park Fare a try!

 

[kastoney]

Wow 1900 looks like so much fun and the food quite good. Gotta get there one of these days for the Tremaines if nothing else

 

[Saphire5742]

Wow those are great pictures with the characters! Thank you for recapping your conversations, sounds like you had a really good time.

Thank you. It was fun

So fun! Thanks for sharing!

You're very welcome.

You are doing a great job of describing the entire experience from food to character interactions to the atmosphere of each restaurant!

Thanks. I appreciate the kind words.

I've never been to 1900 Park Fare but I think I need to add it to my wish list!

It most certainly is fun. The Tremaines are great!

LOVING your report!

Welcome and thanks!

I am very late to your party!

Not at all! I've only just begun. Welcome!

DH and I are going to V&A's for the first time in October to celebrate our 25th anniversary (ok, so it was actually June 1st but we purposely did not celebrate because we are saving our celebration for our trip!)

Happy Anniversary! V&A's is definitely a fantastic way to celebrate

Wow 1900 looks like so much fun and the food quite good. Gotta get there one of these days for the Tremaines if nothing else

Oh yes, the Tremaines are totally worth it! And I'd love to read Casey's interactions with them someday.

 

[klacey1]

Love this DR and looking forward to more!

 

[toocherie]

thank you for the Victoria & Albert's review--I am also going as a solo diner in November--did you feel odd or were you made to feel welcome being by yourself? Which room were you seated in?

 

[SarahDisney]

I'm glad the strawberry soup lived up to the hype!
All the food looks great ... but the desserts definitely look the best

And I love your character pictures - sounds like you had some awesome character interactions!

 

[Saphire5742]

Love this DR and looking forward to more!

Welcome and thanks!

thank you for the Victoria & Albert's review--I am also going as a solo diner in November--did you feel odd or were you made to feel welcome being by yourself? Which room were you seated in?

You're very welcome!
I chose the Main Dining area. QV seemed too intimate for me.
And you have nothing to worry about. I felt very welcome and all the staff were wonderful.
I think it also depends on whether you are comfortable dining alone. I do most things on my own so this didn't bother me at all.
But if you go there with the intention of thoroughly enjoying the experience you will have a wonderful time.

All the food looks great ... but the desserts definitely look the best

The desserts were definitely the stars of the meal. Especially the cobbler. I could so go for that again!

And I love your character pictures - sounds like you had some awesome character interactions!

Thanks. I really enjoyed interacting with the Tremaine family, especially Anastasia and Drizella.

 

[Saphire5742]

Flower and Garden Outdoor Kitchens

I will preface this by saying that I had big plans for the outdoor kitchens. Had a list of what exactly I wanted to try. Kept the ADR’s to a minimum – of my two planned Epcot days had an ADR for the first day at Via Napoli and the second day a pre park breakfast at Cape May.

Unfortunately the heat got to me and I sampled very little of what I had planned to, so this will be a short update. On the plus side you get two updates today.

Ok, now on with the show…..

1)Fleur de Lys


Cassoulet au Confit de Canard – Pulled Duck Confit with braised Flageolet Beans

I liked this ok. The duck was tender and had a tasty sauce to it. Some of the beans were a little dry though. Overall not bad.



2)La Isla Fresca

Passed this on my way back to World Showcase appr 2 ½ hours prior to my Via Napoli ADR. I really wanted to try some offerings here though and at this point I was rather hungry.


Jamaican-braised Beef with Pigeon Pea Rice and Micro Cilantro

Wow, this was amazing! The beef was soft and tender, perfect amount of gravy with a spicy kick, the rice and lentils were the perfect accompaniment. Absolutely delicious!




Frozen Simply Tropical Juice Drink (non alcoholic b/c heat and alcohol are not a good combo for me)

A wonderful, refreshing, tasty frozen drink topped with pineapple and mango pieces.




And for dessert, Tres Leches with Guava Purée

Fantastic cake! Wonderfully moist, sweet, and light. And I loved the guava puree it was served with.

La Isla Fresca is clearly a winner!


3) Hanami


Frushi

Fresh Pineapple, Strawberry and Melon Rolled with Raspberry Coconut Rice, sprinkled with Toasted Coconut and Whipped Cream on the side

This was a must have item for me and it didn’t disappoint. In fact I almost went back for a second later on but got lazy.

Everything about this was fantastic! What’s not to love? I would have preferred more whipped cream and two more pieces though.

And that folks sums up my experiences with the Flower and Garden outdoor kitchens. Pitiful, I know. Wish I would have tried more, but at least what I did eat I enjoyed, so that's a consolation.

I would love for my next time to be during Food and Wine. Good thing that event is held in autumn. Although to be fair, F&G did start in March. I just wasn’t available then.


Next up: Via Napoli​

 

[Saphire5742]

Via Napoli

The original plan was Marrakesh but after reading Kari's (@kastoney ) glowing report I had to change that plan in favor of Via Napoli. Best decision ever!

Checked in right on time for my 7:30 reservation. Love the light fixture at the entrance!​

A few minutes later I was seated by a window overlooking this view:​

Placed my order for an app and pizza and while I was waiting snapped a couple more pics:









For the app I ordered the Fritto di Verdura, crisp fried vegetables, marinara picante. I find fried vegetables very hard to resist. Forgot to take a picture so this one is courtesy of google:



Let’s start with the good: was crisp and hot and I loved the spiciness of the marinara dipping sauce.

My only issue was that I would have preferred them to be breaded. Had I known they come battered I would not have ordered it.

That said it was good for what it was and I ate it all.


For the pizza I went with Kari’s pick of Carciofi Pizza (white pizza, artichoke, fontina, mozzarella, truffle oil).

Take a look at this beauty:



O M G !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


WOW! My mouth is watering just thinking about it. I don’t think there are words to describe how utterly DELICIOUS and FANTASTIC this is (next time I'm asking for extra artichoke though)!

I was not expecting the individual pizza to be quite so big and those last few bites were not easy, but there was absolutely no way I was going to leave anything behind.

I also really enjoyed the thin, crispy, slightly charred crust.

This pizza has ruined all others for life.

Unfortunately I had no room left for dessert. However since there can be no future trip without that pizza, next time I’m just going to skip the app.

Stay tuned next time for Universal Studios…. ​

 

[Dentam]

Bummer that the weather wasn't too conducive to eating at the F&G booths. Back when I worked at Epcot, the F&G Festival didn't have food booths, and I haven't been back during that time of year since they added them. I think my next trip will be during March one year to check these out though - and hopefully to beat the heat!

I've never been to Via Napoli. We had an ADR during our Sept trip but I got sick and couldn't go. My parents went and said it was just okay, but they are spoiled by the pizzas my sister makes on the grill using her homemade pizza dough. I still want to try this restaurant someday!

 

[Saphire5742]

I've never been to Via Napoli. We had an ADR during our Sept trip but I got sick and couldn't go. My parents went and said it was just okay, but they are spoiled by the pizzas my sister makes on the grill using her homemade pizza dough. I still want to try this restaurant someday!

I'm sure your sister's pizza is fantastic. Although what made this pizza so incredibly good for me was more the toppings than the pizza dough itself.

 

[Dentam]

I'm sure your sister's pizza is fantastic. Although what made this pizza so incredibly good for me was more the toppings than the pizza dough itself.

She uses veggies from the garden or morels picked from the mountains in Oregon (where my family lives) so they are pretty amazing. She's always been a good chef and baker. That pizza at Via Napoli looks really good though! I'm sure I would love it!

 

[DonnaBeeGood]

.

 

[ariane37]

Sorry you didn't get to sample more F&G kiosks! DH and I were there in 2015, we sampled more than you did but still not as many as I wanted to. I missed out on the Frushi though and it looks & sounds delicious!

We also love Via Napoli. I will say I don't think you would've gone wrong with Marrakesh, we've had 2 great meals there and are looking forward to a 3rd in Nov.