Mcoes on Gourmand Syndrome

Space 220

Sun, 06 Mar 2022 14:28:27 -0400

Space 220 was such a difficult reservation to get. I was able to get reservations for it on the very last day that we were flying out for lunch. When we arrived, there already was a line for walk-ins. Fortunately, we had the 11:30 AM reservation with out flight being at 5:00 PM, so we were looking forward to this new experience. When you arrive at the bottom, you have to stand in line (under the sun) until they check you in. Once they check you in, you enter a room where they ask you to wait for the “elevator”.

Bluezoo

Sat, 05 Mar 2022 23:30:17 -0400

We were at Universal Orlando today, and we made a reservation via OpenTable super late for Todd English’s Bluezoo in the Disney World Dolphin hotel. We learned that we could valet our car and get it validated for free with the restaurant. If you opted to park yourself, you not only have to drive away from the restaurant and park at another lot, but you would have to pay (I vaguely remember) $15. It’s much better to just valet your car. My cousin selected this restaurant because they enjoyed Todd English restaurants generally, whereas I have never been to one.

Three Broomsticks

Sat, 05 Mar 2022 10:58:58 -0400

We rode the Harry Potter train from Diagon Alley into the other park which was a really cool experience. This side of the park also has the Harry Potter castle (I forget the name), and the decor definitely was more spaced out and open. We went to the Three Broomsticks restaurant to just grab a quick bite (or in my case a quick drink) to help us last to 9 PM for our dinner reservation.

Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour

Sat, 05 Mar 2022 10:54:19 -0400

I’ll be honest that I was pretty excited going into the newish Harry Potter section (Diagon Alley) of Universal Orlando. I had heard this area was large and well done. When I walked in, the decor of this area was simply incredible. The walkways, the paths, and the shop exterior decor were all very well done and on theme. We decided to wait in line for 15 minutes for this ice cream shop.

Krusty Burger

Sat, 05 Mar 2022 10:49:12 -0400

This was my first time ever to Universal Orlando, so I was pretty excited to see how this differed compared to Universal Hollywood. One of my favorite rides over there was the Backlot Tour, and behold, we realized there is no such thing as a backlot in Universal Orlando. This was purely a theme park. After we rode The Minion ride, my cousin wanted to show me the Simpsons area.

La Hacienda De San Angel

Fri, 04 Mar 2022 23:59:21 -0400

The finale for our Epcot night was this very last minute reservation for 5 at La Hacienda De San Angel. At this time, I’ve just barely recovered from being full, so I am ready to give this a try. Unlike the Mexican restaurant next to the Caballeros ride, this one was more like your typical restaurant without the smell of chlorine water or being overly dark. Per a recommendation and not normally eating Mexican food in NYC, this was something on my list to try.

Epcot Flower and Garden Festival 2022

Fri, 04 Mar 2022 22:14:11 -0500

Just like 2021 at Epcot, they had this lovely Flower and Garden Festival. Unfortunately this time around, I was simply too full to eat around. I had enough room to maybe try a snack or two but that’s about it. I noticed that the indoor area between the British and Canadian pavilion was not open, so it felt like there were just a few less options.

Unlike 2021, it felt like there were significant more crowds as a whole everywhere. It wasn’t uncomfortable, but it did make it annoying to have to wait for some things.

La Creperie De Paris

Fri, 04 Mar 2022 22:20:34 -0400

We entered Epcot around 10 AM on this Friday from the north end of the park, and we had to walk all the way down to the France pavilion to try and ride Remy. The unfortunate part when we got there was that the wait time had already exceeded 90 minutes. I checked my Disney World app, and low and behold, we could do lighting passes for $11 per person. That felt worthwhile to do and not bake under the sun. Right next door was this crepe restaurant that had no one inside, so we thought we’d grab some brunch.

Toledo

Thu, 03 Mar 2022 15:58:16 -0400

In our last year’s trip, we ate at Topolino which was pretty good. I had similar expectations for this restaurant because the menu looked even more exciting. The whole game plan here was to go for the prix fixe menu. We typically enjoy these types of menus because it helped us think less and just enjoy the experience. The entire menu, ingredient wise, seemed very accessible and still fit along the lines of Spanish style flavors.

Satu'li Canteen

Thu, 03 Mar 2022 10:22:56 -0500

Mobile orders are probably some of the best “features” that Disney World has to offer. Being able to order something while you’re walking towards the area is super convenient. Hopefully one day, every Disney World fast food area will support it. This one was near the Avatar river boat ride and was a quick stop for us. The food on the menu looked pretty decent, so let’s see how it went.

Boma

Wed, 02 Mar 2022 14:51:48 -0500

Boma is the last African centric restaurant that we’ve made reservations for on this trip. It sits across from Jiko on the first floor of the Animal Kingdom Lodge. Around dinner time, this area was quite busy and seemed to have a lot of people. I didn’t have much expectations at all since it was just a buffet, but it was interesting to see how they laid the food outside and let people get what they want instead of being served.

Steakhouse 71

Tue, 01 Mar 2022 14:17:22 -0500

When I first tried to make my reservations more than 60 days ago, this restaurant had no availability. Fortunately through my shameless Touring Blog subscription, it notified me there was a spot open just 2 days before my trip! I was excited about this reservation for 2 reasons: the price seemed very affordable, and I always enjoy a decent prime rib. This has to be good, especially for a new Disney resort restaurant, right?

Docking Bay 7 Food and Cargo

Tue, 01 Mar 2022 13:59:34 -0500

This place in Galaxy Edge is close to the area where the Rise of the Resistance ride is located. We actually waited the full 2+ hours for the ride at around 10 AM, so coming out of it we were hungry. We walked all the way over to the 50s Diner, but our walk in time had passed. Fortunately, this place accepted mobile orders for lunch, and the availability window was pretty fast. By the time we walked from the diner to here, the food was already ready for all 5 of us.

Jiko

Mon, 28 Feb 2022 13:07:51 -0500

Jiko recently reopened a few weeks ago, and we were fortunate to nab a reservation for 5. The unfortunate part was that it was real late at night at around 9 PM. Despite this inconvenience, we were very much looking forward to this dinner because we had heard great things about it prior to its closure. African cuisine is unfamiliar to my palette, so it was quite exciting to see how Disney would present it.

Sanaa Lounge

Mon, 28 Feb 2022 11:13:50 -0500

This is our first day of our 2022 Disney World trip and what a rush this day was. Our flight from NYC was delayed by 3 hours, and it was inevitable that we were going to miss our original booking for Sanaa. Fortunately when we arrived very late, the restaurant accommodated us into the lounge. We had reservations much later in the evening for Jiko, so we didn’t want to get too full. Sanaa is located in the Kidani village which is further down the road as you enter the Animal Kingdom Lodge area. There is a convenient shuttle that goes back and forth between the Kidani Village villas and the main Animal Kingdom Lodge.

Epcot Flower and Garden Festival 2021

Sat, 06 Mar 2021 23:24:11 -0500

In 2021, it was by pure coincidence that the week we were going to Disney World happened to also have this International Flower and Garden festival. There are a myriad of flower and grass decorations of some of your favorite Disney characters displayed. It was our first time ever going to a destination with a lot of variety of little tastings scattered throughout. In different sections of the park, Disney has set up little booths that have different themed items, each ranging from $5 to $10. We didn’t drink much, but we’re going to share some of the cool foods we ate.

Jaleo

Fri, 05 Mar 2021 21:46:29 -0500

Summary

In terms of unique restaurants in Disney Springs, there aren’t too many. I think this is one of them that was a little different than the normal suburbia / city type of restaurant. This is Spanish influenced and is one of Jose Andres’ restaurants. Having been to his other restaurants like The Bazaar (where molecular gastronomy was a focus) in LA, I had some expectations for this. The restaurant itself is actually very noisy and dances around the line of being trendy and hip. The decor has a lot of colors that pop with a festive vibe.

Hollywood Brown Derby

Thu, 04 Mar 2021 22:14:38 -0500

Summary

This is located in the central area of the Hollywood Studios theme park. Having dine in similar restaurants in Los Angeles, this definitely does bring back vibes from there. The restaurant decor has a ton of celebrity facial caricatures hanging on walls with an old 1910s to 1950s like decor. They placed us in our own booth, so they took care of social distancing. This restaurant is definitely not as upscale as some of the other restaurants we’ve been to, but it’s supposed to be regarded as the one to go to in this park.

Oga's Cantina

Thu, 04 Mar 2021 17:57:00 -0500

Summary

Oga’s Cantina is a Star Wars themed bar in the Galaxy Edge section of the Hollywood Studios park. It was a little confusing in figuring out where it actually was because there’s no visible sign, so we had to double check the online map on how to get there. The availability for this is insane in that you need to make reservations for this months in advance, in fact it’s advised that when you are eligible to make reservations you should do this first. Due to COVID protocols, there was a lot of social distancing and space between guests and party, but the music and theme inside was still very cool. They played cheesy Star Wars cantina themed music, and even the bartenders would roleplay a little too. We ended up seating at the bar close to the kitchen.

Tiffins

Wed, 03 Mar 2021 19:10:54 -0500

Summary

Tiffins is one of those restaurants that to me seems rather unique in general. While most people go straight for the typical French or New American style, I think the African Asian themed ingredients presents quite an interesting take. The restaurant’s decor was actually quite nice and open. During the first week of March when we went, there weren’t many people, so it was nice to dine casually in tranquility.

Regal Eagle Smokehouse

Tue, 02 Mar 2021 23:04:53 -0500

Summary

For dinner, we stopped by the American pavilion. This BBQ restaurant only took orders via mobile. After you placed your mobile order, they will text you when it’s time to pick up your food. Outside there are a bunch of tables, but you can also sit indoors too. Like other COVID menus, the choices were not as abundant. People have shared menus that you can order 3 meats, but the mobile menu only had single meat combos.

Sommerfest

Tue, 02 Mar 2021 22:33:50 -0500

Summary

Located in the German pavilion at Epcot, this has a bunch of beer on draft and some German snacks. After looking at the original menu on Yelp, it looks like in the COVID temperament the menu is much smaller. When we went, there weren’t that many options, but there was no line. Just mainly a bratwurst with paprika chips or a pretzel. Right outside, there was a fountain with social distanced tables and chairs, and I needed something to pair with my Würzburger Hofbräu pilsner from the Weinkeller shop.

La Cava Del Tequila

Tue, 02 Mar 2021 22:18:00 -0500

Summary

This is located in the Mexican pavilion at Epcot. When you enter the pyramid, there’s a little store to the right next to the fountain. In this COVID environment, there are social distancing lines as you enter here. Unfortunately you can’t sit inside the bar, so you have to buy the drink and sit outside. I do not know if (or how much of) the drinks are pre-mixed, but it was served super fast.

Yorkshire County Fish Shop

Tue, 02 Mar 2021 22:01:08 -0500

Summary

This shop is located in the British area of Epcot. After you enter the park, steer left, and it’s your very first shop on the right. What’s nice about this area is there are some tables and seats that overlook the center fountain of Epcot. On a nice cool day, it’s quite pleasant to snack on this and enjoy the scenery. Keep in mind, we went when the park had 35% attendance, so it was way more spacious and enjoyable. Your miles may vary.

Beaches & Cream

Tue, 02 Mar 2021 18:29:08 -0500

Summary

Nestled between the Yacht Club and Beach Club resort is this laid back restaurant that has American burger and dessert vibes to it. Note that you must make a reservation for this which was pretty annoying, but the food looked pretty good for an on-campus restaurant. We had just done a full day at Epcot and decided to finish the day with a nice dessert helping. The restaurant is very lively with a ton of kids. All the desserts are definitely sizeable and shareable.

Be Our Guest

Mon, 01 Mar 2021 17:43:19 -0500

Summary

The Be Our Guest restaurant is located in the Magic Kingdom park in the Beauty & the Beast section. When you enter the main hall, it looks similar to the movie but not as grand as I thought it would’ve been. To the left is a dark room where you can see the rose with falling petals, and to the right where we ate was the kitchen room. We had our expectations set reasonably given that there will be lots of kids here. Lastly, everything was served a prix fix menu – meaning we get 1 appetizer, 1 entree, and the trio of desserts.

California Grill

Sun, 28 Feb 2021 16:35:58 -0500

The California Grill is located in the Contemporary Hotel right outside of Magic Kingdom. Supposedly, one of the most alluring features of this restaurant is not just its breathtaking view of the Magic Kingdom castle but also during the fireworks at night, when they pipe the music in and you can view it from afar. Unfortunately, there were no fireworks at night because of COVID, but that pushed us to give more attention toward the food.

Topolino's Terrace

Sat, 27 Feb 2021 15:25:34 -0500

Summary

This is the first restaurant we visited on our first trip together to Walt Disney World. Topolino’s Terrace is located on the 10th floor of the Riviera Resort in Walt Disney World. Outside on the patio, the resort pump’s French music which remind you that you are on vacation. While taking in that breath, you’re also viewing a breathtaking panorama of some parts of Disney World. There are some social distanced lounge seats that you can relax on while waiting for the restaurant to text you that your table is ready.