“Beef Ragout, Cheese Soufflé, Pie and Pudding en Flambé... ”

[julybride]

Enjoying reading your gastronomic adventure. Thank you for taking the time to share it x

[Guest]

Captain Cook’s Snack Company – Polynesian Resort





Captain Cook’s is one of our favourite places for a Quick Service meal. We’ll often stop by on the way home from the Magic Kingdom. The menu is quite small but I always manage to find something tasty to eat, whatever my mood.

You place your food order using these touch screens.
With the touch of a button you can view the regular menu, a kids menu, a vegetarian menu, even a menu in Spanish.
It’s an easy system to use, but if you do make a mistake or change your mind you can just start over. On completion the machine spits out a receipt which you then take to the cashier, along with any other items picked up, such as desserts, drinks, bakery items etc.

Once you’ve paid, you are given a pager and the kitchen gets the OK to prep your food. I really like this system. It doesn’t actually take as long as it sounds and I’m happy knowing that my food is always freshly cooked to order.







Paul’s number one dish from Captain Cook’s has to be the Stir-fried Vegetables with Udon Noodles.
This tasty mix of stir-fried veggies (peppers, celery, onions, carrots and sugar snaps) and noodles cooked in a savoury, slightly spicy sauce topped with crispy wonton noodles always hits the spot!

Veggie Stirfry




I enjoy the stir-fried noodle dish too, but prefer to have mine cooked with chicken.

Chicken Stirfry






On another visit to Captain Cook’s Paul got the Polynesian Tossed Salad - mixed greens, cucumbers, golden pineapple, cherry tomatoes, chives, blue cheese and crisp wonton noodles in a citrus-sesame dressing.
He said it was a very satisfying salad (much bigger than it looks in the photo). Everything tasted nice and fresh and he loved the contrasting flavours of the sweet pineapple and salty blue cheese.

Polynesian Tossed Salad




I’d intended on having the Polynesian Salad too (with chicken) but after a long morning at MK, the dreaded tiredness had caught up with me and I was in need of something more comforting.
I chose the Hawaiian Flatbread – a combo of smoky ham, fresh sweet pineapple, red onions, a smidgen of tomato sauce and some mozzarella and parmesan cheese.

Hawaiian Flatbread




I was right to change my mind. This was exactly what I was in the mood to eat today.

[Guest]

You can serve yourself a Pineapple Dole Whip for dessert at Captain Cook’s.




I do like the odd Dole Whip, they can be very refreshing, but I don’t love them the way some people do. Paul enjoys them much more than me and will occasionally indulge, but as we usually get our food to take away, a more practical dessert option is required. We often get a bowl of pineapple chunks (always really fresh and ripe here) or a mixed fruit salad, which we save for breakfast the next day. Or perhaps a pastry from the small bakery section.

Apple Danish



Chocolate Croissant




They are still calling this pastry a “chocolate croissant”. I’m not sure why, because it’s definitely more of a Danish pastry than a croissant. Whatever... It still tastes fantastic. It’s chock full of chocolate chips and drizzled with sweet icing.
I always intend to save mine for breakfast but rarely manage it. I can’t resist tearing off a tiny morsel to taste and then before I know it, I’ve eaten the whole thing!

[Guest]

If you’re in the mood for something light, Captain Cook’s have a nice selection of sushi rolls. I’ve seen spicy tuna, shrimp tempura and crab varieties in the fridge, as well as a veggie version - but rarely all at the same time. I was told the sushi is prepared at the Kona Island Sushi Bar upstairs and they only bring down a limited amount each day. Experience has taught me to seize a pack as soon as we see them, because when they’re gone, they’re gone!

I’ve not tried the spicy tuna or shrimp rolls as yet, but I can certainly recommend the crab ones. They’re fabulous! The filling is made with fresh white crab meat, soft avocado and sweet pineapple. Like a California Roll, but with a tropical twist!

If I’m not in a seafoody mood I get the veggie rolls; I enjoy them almost as much as Paul does!
Quite a few quick service places sell sushi nowadays, but I think that Captain Cook’s serve the best veggie version. The filling is a simple combo of carrot, cucumber and soft cream cheese.






As I say, very simple but oh so delicious and always fantastically fresh. We quite often pop into Captain Cook’s if we are passing by, just to see if we can pick up a couple of packs. They make an ideal poolside snack.

[Guest]

Artist’s Palette – Saratoga Springs Resort





I've always been a big fan of this place, but to be honest, we weren’t quite as impressed with Artist’s Palette this time around. Apart from being much busier, with long lines to both order and to pay, we felt there was a drop in food quality compared with previous years. The portions were noticeably smaller and the presentation was a bit sloppy at times. Some CM’s were helpful and friendly, others seemed very disinterested.

Don't get me wrong, all the food we had was still pretty good, just not as good as either of us remembered it to be.

Apart from the omelettes that is, they were as delicious as they’ve always been!

Western Omelette with Breakfast Potatoes




Here’s what else we had...


Roast Beef& Blue Cheese Sandwich with Saratoga Chips




Grilled Vegetable Chiabatta (special) with Saratoga Chips




Side Salad



Pepperoni Flatbread




Grilled Vegetable Flatbread




Chilli




Grilled Vegetable Sandwich with Saratoga Chips




Beef and Blue Cheese Sandwich/Chilli Combo with Saratoga Chips

[Guest]

Paddock Pool Bar - Saratoga Springs Resort


We also ate at the Paddock pool bar one day. Paul had the Grilled Vegetable Sandwich with sun-dried tomato pesto and goat’s cheese.
The bread was very greasy but he said the veggies inside the sandwich had been cooked well. I can't recall exactly what the veggies were, but I remember him saying there were a lot of mushrooms. He likes mushrooms!


Grilled Vegetable Sandwich




I rarely order a burger, but having been so impressed with the one I had from Picabu last week I decided to have the Bacon Cheeseburger. It was not a patch on the one from Picabu. The burger from Picabu was moist and juicy and delicious and actually tasted like beef. This one was like cardboard – thin, dry and tasteless. A couple of bites and I was done. The fries were OK though - fresh and hot. It made a nice change to have fries to accompany the sandwiches rather than the chips they serve at Artist’s Palette.

Bacon Cheeseburger




In fairness to the Paddock Pool Bar, everyone else seemed to be enjoying their food, especially the teenagers. Perhaps I should have spent the morning whizzing up and down the slide a few hundred times, in order to build up more of an appetite

[sha9]

We were thinking of going to the MK resorts for lunch this year for a wee change. I think getting Dole whip as a dessert at the poly may have swung it!

[Guest]

Olivia’s – Old Key West




Dinner tonight was meant to be at the Flying Fish on the Boardwalk, followed by a visit to Epcot to catch the last 'Eat to the Beat' concert of the evening and then watch the fireworks. Hours and hours of unrelenting rain scuppered those plans though. Once we realised the driving rain was in for the duration we decided to cancel our reservation for the Flying Fish and make one for Olivia’s at Old Key West. The menu is very simple compared to the one at Flying Fish, but we weren’t the mood for gourmet food tonight. We wanted something homey and comforting and we didn’t want to travel far. Olivia’s fitted the bill perfectly, the service is always warm and friendly and the atmosphere has a casual, cosy feel that somehow suited this weather.

OKW looked almost deserted when we arrived but once we stepped inside, Olivia’s was jam-packed and we joined the long line to check in. There was a constant stream of cold, dripping wet people arriving at the restaurant expecting to get a table, only to be turned away. I was so glad we’d booked an ADR today as we don’t usually bother.

We asked for a booth (Olivia’s doesn’t feel right unless we have a booth) and were told it might be a while before on became available. We expected that to be the case and went off for a mosey round the little shop next door to pass the time.
We were paged after about 20 minutes, so not too long a wait considering how busy they were tonight.

Paul has to have a Strawberry Milkshake when we go to Olivia’s. It’s one of those weird traditions that seems to have stuck over the years. I stayed with a tradition of my own – sparkling mineral water, soon to be accompanied by a nice glass of wine!




Our server Cynthia brought us some bread and butter and took our dinner order. She was snowed under with all the extra guests eating tonight but she always made time to have a little chat and nobody was kept waiting for anything.





Paul had a pasta dish tonight. . .

Olivia’s Pasta Creation – Pasta served with Tomatoes and White Beans tossed in a Garlic-Cream Sauce and topped with Fresh Herbs




Paul enjoyed some very good veggie dishes on this holiday – sadly this was not one of them!
It was basically a pile of penne pasta with some sautéed veggies and a few cannellini beans mixed in and a “garlic-cream sauce" that tasted primarily of bean water. No topping of fresh herbs but there was some grated cheese (for which Paul was grateful).
The ingredients in the menu description sounded good, so I’m not sure whether it had been ruined by a bad recipe or a bad chef. Anyway it didn’t turn out very well and Paul struggled to eat half. It was a humungous portion though.


I fared much better. My dinner was absolutely delicious. I had a thick, juicy pork chop, cooked to a perfect medium, served with creamy mac & cheese and some nice fresh spinach. I think the Chipotle Barbecue Sauce came from a bottle, but that was my only criticism. Still tasted lovely!

Pork Chop - Grilled Pork Chop with a Chipotle Barbecue Sauce with Smoked Cheddar Macaroni and Cheese







Pud was good! For some reason we decided to share this dessert. We really should have had one each - it was exceptionally scrummy and reminded us of the bread pudding from ‘Ohana.

Banana Bread Pudding Sundae served warm with Banana Fosters topping with vanilla bean ice cream




We took our other dessert 'To Go'. Big mistake – popped it in the fridge when we got home and forgot about it.

Key Lime Tart with Mango and Raspberry Sauce




Even though Paul’s pasta was a bit grim we still enjoyed our evening at Olivia’s.

See. He's still smiling!




It’s laid-back and casual and homey and the service is always warm and welcoming. We always try to fit in a visit and we will eat there again next time I’m sure. Especially as we are thinking of staying at Old Key West for at least part of the trip next time.

[Juliemack]

Great info and fab photos as always Su, glad to read that you have another trip planned...come on, get your countdown up so we know how long we have to wait

[sha9]

Originally Posted by mcsue

Olivia’s – Old Key West

Dinner tonight was meant to be at the Flying Fish on the Boardwalk, followed by a visit to Epcot to catch the last 'Eat to the Beat' concert of the evening and then watch the fireworks. Hours and hours of unrelenting rain scuppered those plans though. Once we realised the driving rain was in for the duration we decided to cancel our reservation for the Flying Fish and make one for Olivia’s at Old Key West. The menu is very simple compared to the one at Flying Fish, but we weren’t the mood for gourmet food tonight. We wanted something homey and comforting and we didn’t want to travel far. Olivia’s fitted the bill perfectly, the service is always warm and friendly and the atmosphere has a casual, cosy feel that somehow suited this weather.

OKW looked almost deserted when we arrived but once we stepped inside, Olivia’s was jam-packed and we joined the long line to check in. There was a constant stream of cold, dripping wet people arriving at the restaurant expecting to get a table, only to be turned away. I was so glad we’d booked an ADR today as we don’t usually bother.

We asked for a booth (Olivia’s doesn’t feel right unless we have a booth) and were told it might be a while before on became available. We expected that to be the case and went off for a mosey round the little shop next door to pass the time.
We were paged after about 20 minutes, so not too long a wait considering how busy they were tonight.

Paul has to have a Strawberry Milkshake when we go to Olivia’s. It’s one of those weird traditions that seems to have stuck over the years. I stayed with a tradition of my own – sparkling mineral water, soon to be accompanied by a nice glass of wine!




Our server Cynthia brought us some bread and butter and took our dinner order. She was snowed under with all the extra guests eating tonight but she always made time to have a little chat and nobody was kept waiting for anything.





Paul had a pasta dish tonight. . .

Olivia’s Pasta Creation – Pasta served with Tomatoes and White Beans tossed in a Garlic-Cream Sauce and topped with Fresh Herbs




Paul enjoyed some very good veggie dishes on this holiday – sadly this was not one of them!
It was basically a pile of penne pasta with some sautéed veggies and a few cannellini beans mixed in and a “garlic-cream sauce" that tasted primarily of bean water. No topping of fresh herbs but there was some grated cheese (for which Paul was grateful).
The ingredients in the menu description sounded good, so I’m not sure whether it had been ruined by a bad recipe or a bad chef. Anyway it didn’t turn out very well and Paul struggled to eat half. It was a humungous portion though.


I fared much better. My dinner was absolutely delicious. I had a thick, juicy pork chop, cooked to a perfect medium, served with creamy mac & cheese and some nice fresh spinach. I think the Chipotle Barbecue Sauce came from a bottle, but that was my only criticism. Still tasted lovely!

Pork Chop - Grilled Pork Chop with a Chipotle Barbecue Sauce with Smoked Cheddar Macaroni and Cheese




Pud was good! For some reason we decided to share this one. We really should have had one each - it was exceptionally scrummy and reminded us of the bread pudding from ‘Ohana.

Banana Bread Pudding Sundae served warm with Banana Fosters topping with vanilla bean ice cream




We took our other dessert 'To Go'. Big mistake – popped it in the fridge when we got home and forgot about it.

Key Lime Tart with Mango and Raspberry Sauce




Even though Paul’s pasta was a bit grim we still enjoyed our evening at Olivia’s. It’s laid-back and casual and homey and the service is always warm and welcoming. We always try to fit in a visit and we will eat there again next time I’m sure. Especially as we are thinking of staying at Old Key West for at least part of the trip next time.

See more...

So much for last ever trip .

We ate at Olivia's last year as a walk up on a "lazy day" and really enjoyed it. So much that we've made an ADR this year to use up our last TS credit the evening we check in to OKW. Looking forward to trying that Banana Bread Pudding Sundae!