Shenanigoat
I shall call him squishy. And he shall be mine. An
- Joined
- May 20, 2009
A note from your friendly neighborhood Shenanigoat:
I'm going to skip over the Riverside Mill and do Tutto Italia first. Before I get into the meat of things I want to let it be known that this was my favorite dining experiance of the whole trip. Better even than Flying Fish, but the wall of flames could have something to do with my preference here.
I am Italian on my father's side, even though for some reason recessive traits took hold and I came out with reddish blonde hair and skin so white Voldemort would look quite swarthy by comparison. Those Irish genes are powerful I guess- at least I got the drinking ability too.
With my Italian genes, growing up in South Jersey, and a Nana who taught me how to turn out meals for at least 12 (there was never less than twelve) in a postage stamp kitchen, I am super picky about my Italian food and it takes a bit to impress me. So this meal was a more than pleasant suprise.
------
This was my last full day in the park
, and I was up and ready for the EPCOT ropedrop. Once again all of the "open" turnstiles had lines, so I enquired about the row to the right and was told they would be opened as well.
The cheese stands alone
After an exciting morning where I got ot ride Soarin 3 times suck it everyone else! and a showing of the World Showcase players, I was able to meander down the still pretty empty World Showcase to the Italy Pavillion.
Shrek voice:Maybe Italy's compensating for something.
Italy looked like the zombie alarm had gone off and was completely deserted. I was probably the first person in the restaurant. The Host inquired how many were in my party and like the nerd that I am I replied "Oh Solo Mio".
After 5 or so very awkward seconds I was led to my table.
Other patrons started coming in as well and we were all seated in the main room, instead of the outside seating area. This place is gorgeous. It looks exactly the same as when it was Alfredos. (RIP Alfredos, your artery clogging goodness is missed!) The tables seem to be a bit close together, but this is really all that the Italy pavillion has going for it, so i suppose they have to cram in as many people as they can.
I shared a lovely meal with this guy's back.
Now here's where things get awesome. My server was named Leonardo (and I managed not to alienate him by withholding making any lame ninja turtle jokes). He was the most attentive server I have had on a disney vacation. My water glass was always filled. He recommended items, he small talked, but wasn't overly chatty, he was prompt returning my card after payment. He was just the best ever. Sometimes as a solo person you can feel like you're getting the bums rush, but not in Italy and not on Leonardo's watch.
For my beverage I ordered the Bellini: Prosecco and peach puree
The Bellini, as we all know, is named after the great Canadian: Paul Bellini.
The Bellini was perfect and is a total when in Rome or a resonable facsimile there of type things that you have to get. I also recieved a very nice assortment of bread, with the usual for Italian digs- crunchy crackers. You must have bread with Italian food for all the sopping!
For my starter Leonardo recommended the Parmisian Melanzae: Baked Eggplant, Fiora di Latta Mozzarella, Tomato, and Parmesan.
My thoughts on this can be summed up thusly: humina humina humina humina
The Eggplant was perfect and had just enough cheese, sauce, and it just completely melted in your mouth.
My entree was Pan Zotti: Ricotta Cheese Ravioli, Zucchini, Basil, Pancetta, and Cream Sauce.
mmmm fancy bacon
The pancetta is what sold me on this. I freakin love pancetta. It added the right amount of saltyness to this meal. You might think that it's be too heavy, but it really wasn't for me. I'm used to eating larger meals at lunch, rather than at diner, so your milage may vary. Everything about this was perfect and I licked the plate clean.
After that I got myself a nice little espresso. I just love the tiny biscotti! And look- actual crema! In WDW of all places. Dreams really do come true.
There were lots of really good looking dessert options, but Tiramisu is my favorite dessert of all desserts. This one was a bonus- Chocolate Tiramisu.
Thank you sir, may I have another?
The Tiramisu was awesome. It wasn't overly sweet- even with the chocolate in it. It seems like at every step of this meal I just really made the right choices for myself and it turned out wonderful.
Here are some shots of the lobby, it's really a pretty place:
Even the bathroom is good looking here:
And so ended my favorite meal in WDW. Leonardo was awesome, and it was because of him that I have my dining review title. Because my mind just always has pop culture references running around in it. Televison has warped my fragile little mind.
I have read that lots of people are miffed that Alfredo's is gone, or are iffy on Tutto Italia but in my opinion this place is a worthy successor. If like Highlander there can only be one I'll take this place. It's menu is really varied and changes seasonally and the servers are great, even if they don't understand your wonky sense of humor.
Next up: a review of Riverside Mill. Where I never really ordered a meal, just snacks, but will still be offering my opinion and pictures anyway.
I'm going to skip over the Riverside Mill and do Tutto Italia first. Before I get into the meat of things I want to let it be known that this was my favorite dining experiance of the whole trip. Better even than Flying Fish, but the wall of flames could have something to do with my preference here.
I am Italian on my father's side, even though for some reason recessive traits took hold and I came out with reddish blonde hair and skin so white Voldemort would look quite swarthy by comparison. Those Irish genes are powerful I guess- at least I got the drinking ability too. With my Italian genes, growing up in South Jersey, and a Nana who taught me how to turn out meals for at least 12 (there was never less than twelve) in a postage stamp kitchen, I am super picky about my Italian food and it takes a bit to impress me. So this meal was a more than pleasant suprise.
------
This was my last full day in the park
, and I was up and ready for the EPCOT ropedrop. Once again all of the "open" turnstiles had lines, so I enquired about the row to the right and was told they would be opened as well.The cheese stands alone
After an exciting morning where I got ot ride Soarin 3 times suck it everyone else! and a showing of the World Showcase players, I was able to meander down the still pretty empty World Showcase to the Italy Pavillion.
Shrek voice:Maybe Italy's compensating for something.
Italy looked like the zombie alarm had gone off and was completely deserted. I was probably the first person in the restaurant. The Host inquired how many were in my party and like the nerd that I am I replied "Oh Solo Mio".
After 5 or so very awkward seconds I was led to my table.
Other patrons started coming in as well and we were all seated in the main room, instead of the outside seating area. This place is gorgeous. It looks exactly the same as when it was Alfredos. (RIP Alfredos, your artery clogging goodness is missed!) The tables seem to be a bit close together, but this is really all that the Italy pavillion has going for it, so i suppose they have to cram in as many people as they can.
I shared a lovely meal with this guy's back.
Now here's where things get awesome. My server was named Leonardo (and I managed not to alienate him by withholding making any lame ninja turtle jokes). He was the most attentive server I have had on a disney vacation. My water glass was always filled. He recommended items, he small talked, but wasn't overly chatty, he was prompt returning my card after payment. He was just the best ever. Sometimes as a solo person you can feel like you're getting the bums rush, but not in Italy and not on Leonardo's watch.
For my beverage I ordered the Bellini: Prosecco and peach puree
The Bellini, as we all know, is named after the great Canadian: Paul Bellini.
The Bellini was perfect and is a total when in Rome or a resonable facsimile there of type things that you have to get. I also recieved a very nice assortment of bread, with the usual for Italian digs- crunchy crackers. You must have bread with Italian food for all the sopping!
For my starter Leonardo recommended the Parmisian Melanzae: Baked Eggplant, Fiora di Latta Mozzarella, Tomato, and Parmesan.
My thoughts on this can be summed up thusly: humina humina humina humina
The Eggplant was perfect and had just enough cheese, sauce, and it just completely melted in your mouth.
My entree was Pan Zotti: Ricotta Cheese Ravioli, Zucchini, Basil, Pancetta, and Cream Sauce.
mmmm fancy bacon
The pancetta is what sold me on this. I freakin love pancetta. It added the right amount of saltyness to this meal. You might think that it's be too heavy, but it really wasn't for me. I'm used to eating larger meals at lunch, rather than at diner, so your milage may vary. Everything about this was perfect and I licked the plate clean.
After that I got myself a nice little espresso. I just love the tiny biscotti! And look- actual crema! In WDW of all places. Dreams really do come true.
There were lots of really good looking dessert options, but Tiramisu is my favorite dessert of all desserts. This one was a bonus- Chocolate Tiramisu.
Thank you sir, may I have another?
The Tiramisu was awesome. It wasn't overly sweet- even with the chocolate in it. It seems like at every step of this meal I just really made the right choices for myself and it turned out wonderful.
Here are some shots of the lobby, it's really a pretty place:
Even the bathroom is good looking here:
And so ended my favorite meal in WDW. Leonardo was awesome, and it was because of him that I have my dining review title. Because my mind just always has pop culture references running around in it. Televison has warped my fragile little mind.
I have read that lots of people are miffed that Alfredo's is gone, or are iffy on Tutto Italia but in my opinion this place is a worthy successor. If like Highlander there can only be one I'll take this place. It's menu is really varied and changes seasonally and the servers are great, even if they don't understand your wonky sense of humor.
Next up: a review of Riverside Mill. Where I never really ordered a meal, just snacks, but will still be offering my opinion and pictures anyway.
My mouth watered over your Tutto meal. We enjoyed it there last year also and I LOVED the Eggplant Mezzalane. I too am way picky on my Italian food and this totally filled the bill for me. I'm a bit jealous...your entree was not on the menu when I was there. I can't remember what my entree was 
but the eggplant and Tiramisu were very memorable. Now I'm in the mood for some good Italian (not hard to find in Jersey). May have to drag Fred and the kids out tonight. Not kidding either. 
Thanks! 
ancestor and your like; what was he doing here?
POR has 2 dining establishments- Boatwrights Dining Hall, a table service restaurant, and Riverside Mill, a food court. I didn't eat at Boatwrights- too many ADRs elsewhere. 
Perhaps it's because I was in an incredibly good mood after my fantastic lunch. Perhaps it's because it was getting really warm out and this was nice and cold. Perhaps it was that my heart grew three sizes that day. But for whatever reason I thought this was awesome. It was lemon-y, not too sweet, and even though it didn't have a real "kick" to it, it was good.
