Here is my mini review of our eating and drinking throughout the world over Veteran's Day! My boyfriend and I, both 30, stayed at the Dolphin for 5 nights and had an incredible time!!
Blue Zoo (Swan)
We arrived at the Dolphin around 9:15 pm. We were tired, but hungry! We had never eaten at Blue Zoo before before so we sat at the bar and tried the crab nachos. Oh my goodness. Lump crab meat with a deliciously mild cheese sauce, black beans and fresh salsa... the best part were the chips at the bottom that were a softened (not soggy!) by the crab and cheese liquid deliciousness... a must try!
The drink menu didn't thrill me this time around like it has in years past. I did have some sangria that was served on dry ice. Looked really cool but didn't pack much of a punch. My guy, who is a big martini fan, hates a short pour, and that's what he got here. All in all an awesome atmosphere and snack, but Il Mulino is now my favorite place at the resort to grab a drink.
Starring Rolls
We headed here after waiting on line for TSM for over an hour - and boy we were famished! It was crowded, and the way the line inside wrapped around the restaurant was sort of confusing. There were no empty tables, but a bench was quickly found on Sunset Blvd. I just had to try the red velvet cupcake I had heard so much about. I really liked it, but I am a purist and I think that the nuts were unnecessary. Just give me cake and frosting! The cupcake was chilled and the frosting was a little was cold and firm, but for me the taste really delivered. My guy had the basic Disney cinnamon roll, which I love because it's light and flaky (for a cinnamon roll! HA!)
Sci-Fi Dine In
Hadn't been here in years, and it was my guy's first time. Just for the holidays, they had a bar set up outside at the check in podium. It was a sunny day and we enjoyed a cocktail while waiting for our table. This place is the same as it's ever been - so much fun! I had the angus cheeseburger. Very tasty, and I really loved the french fries here. My boyfriend had the ruben which he also enjoyed. I thought he would go for the illicit picnic burger but he wasn't up for it! The servers here were really playing their characters well.
Il Mulino (Dolphin)
This place is a tradition for us as we always stay at the Swan or Dolphin. This place never disappoints. Our waiter brought our an amuse bouche of eggplant caponata which was so flavorful, you could tell it was prepared with a really good olive oil. As if that wasn't enough, we split an order of the meatballs. The sauce was so delicious that it was necessary to sop it all up with the breadbasket. I had the spaghetti carbonara for my main course, my third time out of three times at Il Mulino! It's incredible, and prepared the traditional way with egg - no heavy cream here! My boyfriend had the veal saltimboca, which was actually pretty light and served over spinach. Each think piece had the thinnest slice of prosciutto and and a sage leaf tucked under melted cheese. That was his second time ordering that dish.
Top it all off with complementary limocello and then a nightcap at the bar. Best meal of the trip, any trip actually, taken in the past 5 years.
Kimonos (Swan)
We popped in here one night for a drink and some gyoza. It was very tasty. Also it was 11/11/11 and there were a couple of wedding parties in there having some fun singing karaoke. Also it's open til midnight, which is the latest of all the S&D bars. The sushi menu looked great - we'll hit it next trip.
Paradiso 37 (DTD)
We headed to DTD with no plan. So we ended up going here because it was Friday night and we could get a table. It was chilly out yet we decided to sit on the patio... first strike. There was a DJ that was blasting music at 8 pm and we could barely hear each other. We decided just to get an appetizer and we split the trip of dips... guac (too smooth, I like some chunks), chili and queso. All pretty tasty. The menu was on the small side
Mizner's (Grand Floridian)
We didn't eat here but we enjoyed the bartender and the cocktails! Also made some friends sitting at the bar. Cosmos for me and gin martinis for my guy. The GF is just so elegant, I would love to stay there someday.
California Grill
We loved it here. This place is huge, filled with hustle and bustle. Had the cheese plate to start. Excellent pairings! I had the pork tenderloin - the polenta was INCREDIBLE. I am not really a goat cheese person (it would be weird if I was!
so our waiter brought over a sample of the polenta for me to try first. My boyfriend had the bison and is still talking about the truffle mac and cheese.
Flying Fish
Sat at the bar and had, no joke, the best crab cake I have ever tasted. Crispy on the outside, succulent inside. I ordered some grape martini and I don't remember much about it. Just that crab cake.
Il Mulino (again!)
Liked it so much we went back! Sat at the bar and chatted with Chris and Alana all night... literally. Chris asked us what we liked and he created some unique cocktails for us. First we split the meat and cheese board, which was excellent. It had your expected meats and cheese and a few surprises like mortadella and buffalo mozzarella. Then we split an order of the spaghetti amatricana, which is a tomato based sauce with pancetta and onions. It was incredible!
And then there was Food and Wine... it's just the greatest ever! So much CHEESE! GLORIOUS CHEESE! and other delicious nibbles. Sure there are other festivals, but where else can you have the culture of the WS and the Disney magic at the same time?? The only thing we didn't care for was a calamari civiche type thing from I don't know where. It was just fishy... in a bad way. And the griddled Greek cheese was sold out all weekend.
All in all it was a great trip and now I am on DETOX! GYM! WEIGHT WATCHERS! LOL.
Next year we want to try the S&D Food and Wine Classic!
Any questions, please let me know!
Blue Zoo (Swan)
We arrived at the Dolphin around 9:15 pm. We were tired, but hungry! We had never eaten at Blue Zoo before before so we sat at the bar and tried the crab nachos. Oh my goodness. Lump crab meat with a deliciously mild cheese sauce, black beans and fresh salsa... the best part were the chips at the bottom that were a softened (not soggy!) by the crab and cheese liquid deliciousness... a must try!
The drink menu didn't thrill me this time around like it has in years past. I did have some sangria that was served on dry ice. Looked really cool but didn't pack much of a punch. My guy, who is a big martini fan, hates a short pour, and that's what he got here. All in all an awesome atmosphere and snack, but Il Mulino is now my favorite place at the resort to grab a drink.
Starring Rolls
We headed here after waiting on line for TSM for over an hour - and boy we were famished! It was crowded, and the way the line inside wrapped around the restaurant was sort of confusing. There were no empty tables, but a bench was quickly found on Sunset Blvd. I just had to try the red velvet cupcake I had heard so much about. I really liked it, but I am a purist and I think that the nuts were unnecessary. Just give me cake and frosting! The cupcake was chilled and the frosting was a little was cold and firm, but for me the taste really delivered. My guy had the basic Disney cinnamon roll, which I love because it's light and flaky (for a cinnamon roll! HA!)
Sci-Fi Dine In
Hadn't been here in years, and it was my guy's first time. Just for the holidays, they had a bar set up outside at the check in podium. It was a sunny day and we enjoyed a cocktail while waiting for our table. This place is the same as it's ever been - so much fun! I had the angus cheeseburger. Very tasty, and I really loved the french fries here. My boyfriend had the ruben which he also enjoyed. I thought he would go for the illicit picnic burger but he wasn't up for it! The servers here were really playing their characters well.
Il Mulino (Dolphin)
This place is a tradition for us as we always stay at the Swan or Dolphin. This place never disappoints. Our waiter brought our an amuse bouche of eggplant caponata which was so flavorful, you could tell it was prepared with a really good olive oil. As if that wasn't enough, we split an order of the meatballs. The sauce was so delicious that it was necessary to sop it all up with the breadbasket. I had the spaghetti carbonara for my main course, my third time out of three times at Il Mulino! It's incredible, and prepared the traditional way with egg - no heavy cream here! My boyfriend had the veal saltimboca, which was actually pretty light and served over spinach. Each think piece had the thinnest slice of prosciutto and and a sage leaf tucked under melted cheese. That was his second time ordering that dish.
Top it all off with complementary limocello and then a nightcap at the bar. Best meal of the trip, any trip actually, taken in the past 5 years.
Kimonos (Swan)
We popped in here one night for a drink and some gyoza. It was very tasty. Also it was 11/11/11 and there were a couple of wedding parties in there having some fun singing karaoke. Also it's open til midnight, which is the latest of all the S&D bars. The sushi menu looked great - we'll hit it next trip.
Paradiso 37 (DTD)
We headed to DTD with no plan. So we ended up going here because it was Friday night and we could get a table. It was chilly out yet we decided to sit on the patio... first strike. There was a DJ that was blasting music at 8 pm and we could barely hear each other. We decided just to get an appetizer and we split the trip of dips... guac (too smooth, I like some chunks), chili and queso. All pretty tasty. The menu was on the small side
Mizner's (Grand Floridian)
We didn't eat here but we enjoyed the bartender and the cocktails! Also made some friends sitting at the bar. Cosmos for me and gin martinis for my guy. The GF is just so elegant, I would love to stay there someday.
California Grill
We loved it here. This place is huge, filled with hustle and bustle. Had the cheese plate to start. Excellent pairings! I had the pork tenderloin - the polenta was INCREDIBLE. I am not really a goat cheese person (it would be weird if I was!
so our waiter brought over a sample of the polenta for me to try first. My boyfriend had the bison and is still talking about the truffle mac and cheese.Flying Fish
Sat at the bar and had, no joke, the best crab cake I have ever tasted. Crispy on the outside, succulent inside. I ordered some grape martini and I don't remember much about it. Just that crab cake.
Il Mulino (again!)
Liked it so much we went back! Sat at the bar and chatted with Chris and Alana all night... literally. Chris asked us what we liked and he created some unique cocktails for us. First we split the meat and cheese board, which was excellent. It had your expected meats and cheese and a few surprises like mortadella and buffalo mozzarella. Then we split an order of the spaghetti amatricana, which is a tomato based sauce with pancetta and onions. It was incredible!
And then there was Food and Wine... it's just the greatest ever! So much CHEESE! GLORIOUS CHEESE! and other delicious nibbles. Sure there are other festivals, but where else can you have the culture of the WS and the Disney magic at the same time?? The only thing we didn't care for was a calamari civiche type thing from I don't know where. It was just fishy... in a bad way. And the griddled Greek cheese was sold out all weekend.
All in all it was a great trip and now I am on DETOX! GYM! WEIGHT WATCHERS! LOL.
Next year we want to try the S&D Food and Wine Classic!
Any questions, please let me know!
