Treat Yo Self! October 18 Foodie Report ~ Offsite and DDP ~ DAY 6 ADDED

[Gill247]

Originally Posted by GezzasGem

Oo that breakfast at Hash House A Go Go...yum! We are doing similar trip to yourselves next year, 2 nights at Hard rock then 14 at AKL on DDP and our DD will be 7 - this is giving me some great ideas! 😊👍

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Its definitely the best of both worlds! Even when in Disney we had a couple of offsite meals which we loved. So jealous of your trip next year! Thanks for reading x

Originally Posted by Goldia

Your DD is so cute behind her shake!

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Aww thank you, she makes an appearance in a few foodie photos I don't think she understood why I would take a photo of food and not her in it! She was so funny by the end of the holiday though "Daddy you can't start eating until Mummy has taken photos of everything!" She was well trained!

[wilma-bride]

Great update. Loved the donuts from Voodoo (we went to the one in Portland a couple of years back so were so excited when they opened the one at City Walk). The Voodoo is my favourite, although the Orange Creamsicle was better than I expected.

Wow, you were brave going to Epcot on a Saturday during F&W I love the Festival but usually avoid it on weekends, it's a completely different vibe.

Great meal at Beaches & Cream. This is a 'go to' place for us, relatively cheap for Disney and good, tasty food. DH is in love with the No Way Jose sundae.

[ohana_mama]

Following! So far so good! those Milkshakes look amazing!

[Gill247]

We had an 8.05am QS ADR for Be Our Guest this Morning, however our first experience of using the hotel buses didn't go great with me massively underestimating how long it takes to get from hotel to park, through bag search etc, so we didn't get to the rope checkpoint at the castle until 8.25am The CM let us through and we ran round to BOG and thankfully the CMs were happy for us still to come in 25 mins late! We had pre-ordered so we were given a rose and found a free table - the ballroom was full and we got the one free table in the Rose Garden room (we later peaked into the West Wing which was much quieter and looked lovely too).

We were quickly brought out a plate of pastries to share which for us were more than enough, but the table of 6 sat next to us had also only been given one plate, yet the person sitting across from us on their own was given the same (what is the deal with that?!)

We ordered to share;

Feast A La Gaston - scrambled eggs, herb roasted potatoes, apple smoked bacon and sausage served with fresh fruit.

Croissant Doughnut - Fried Doughnut topped with banana caramel sauce, pastry creme and chocolate ganache served with fresh fruit.

The Master's Cupcake - Chocolate sponge cake topped with Lumiere's special 'Grey Stuff'

DD and DH tucked into the Feast a la Gaston and really enjoyed it along with the pastries and fruit. I had ordered the cronut just to tick it off my foodie bucket list but it was super delicious (though very sweet and sickly for breakfast). The cupcake was another of those things to tick off the list, we all tried the Grey Stuff, agreed it was nice, but were too full to eat the cake.

The total bill was $60.99 but we used 2 QS and 1 Snack Credit.

We enjoyed a great morning in MK and stopped at Big Top Treats to cool down purchasing;
A Slushy Drink
A Caramel Apple (which was chopped up for us)
A Millenial Pink Minnie Crispy Head
3 Snack Credits Used and it was all yummy.

Before we left MK DH said he was hungry (I was saving myself for Homecoming and DD had been snacking on fruit and snacks we brought with us). A quick look on MDE he decided on Friars Nook and used 1 QS Credit to get;
Loaded Fiesta Tots and Diet Coke

He really enjoyed these, I tried one and they were delicious!

On our way out of MK I stopped in Main Street Candy Co and used 2 snack credits to get;

Cookies and Crème Fudge

English Toffee

Both were lovely and nibbled on over the next couple of days.

Tonight’s ADR was at Chef Art Smiths Homecomin’ at Disney Springs.

We did wait quite a while past our ADR time for our table but once seated we had a great server and amazing service all night. He was very chatty, taking us through the menu and suggesting what to order and that any sides could be replaced out for what the main was served with etc.

We started with drinks and I went for Florida Crush (Titos Handmade Vodka muddled with orange and strawberries, a splash of freshly squeezed Florida Orange juice and agave syrup. It was really delicious, I could really taste the fresh oj and it wasn’t overly sweet.

DH ordered a draft beer (Cigar City Jai Alai) on recommendation from our server, and really enjoyed.

Belle ordered a lemonade and for her main; Fried Chicken Tenders. For her 2 sides she picked mac n cheese and a fruit cup. She loved this but was getting tired and didn’t finish it all so our server boxed up her fruit cup which she ate for breakfast.

DH ordered Chopped Pork BBQ Plate (Dressed with HFK sweet and spicy bbq sauce served with Momma’s mac n cheese and a cheddar drop biscuit. He declared this the best thing he had tasted so far this trip and was still raving about it a few days later!

I ordered Fried Chicken Sandwich (Buttermilk-brined for 24 hours and double-battered, dressed with hot sauce, aioli, iceberg lettuce, tomato and bread and butter pickles) I swapped out the house made bbq chips for a side of Momma’s Mac n Cheese. This was sooooo good! I don’t like chicken on the bone so don’t have fried chicken often, but this boneless chicken was gorgeous and definitely the best I’ve tasted. The hot sauce and pickles really complimented it all. The Mac n Cheese – oh my, sooo creamy, cheesy and flavourful, I loved this!

For dessert Annabelle was too full so got donuts boxed to go (she ate these with the fruit for breakfast) – sorry no pic but 4/5 mini sugar donuts.

DH ordered the Chocolate Pecan Pie – this was served warm with ice cream and candied pecans. Again he loved this (pecan pie is his all time fave dessert so the bar was high). I had a bite and it was indeed gorgeous.

I ordered the Hummingbird Cake (banana, pineapple sponge with cream cheese frosting). I asked for no ice cream as don’t believe ice cream and cake make a nice combo. The slice was huge, the photo doesn’t really show just how big this was. It was really delicious and full of pineapple and cream cheese flavour. I had a few bites but needed to get the rest to go as it was so much. We ate (fought over) this the next morning.

We loved our meal here, everything was perfect and straight away we started talking about how we could squeeze in another visit before end of holiday. I ended up cancelling a Boma Breakfast ADR the following week and we come back to Homecomin’ on our last day! So so good I would recommend it to anyone!

The bill was $122.69 and we used 3 TS credits here. We tipped 25% as the server was fab.

Day total – 3 TS, 3 QS, 6 SC - $224.01

DDP Trip Overview
6 TS Used
5 QS Used
7 SC Used
3 Mugs Activated
Total Value Used - $408.89

[GezzasGem]

Ah but that cronut though...😍😍😍!
Am considering Homecoming for our next trip, but DH is vegan so still unsure re choice.
That pineapple cake looks yum but imagine it was quite hard to attempt after those mains!
Thanks for sharing 👌

[wilma-bride]

Ah, every time somebody posts a review of Homecomin' I think about going again. We enjoyed our meal there but it wasn't quite worthy of the rave reviews it has been getting, in my opinion. Maybe I chose badly. The chicken sandwich does look really good. So maybe I'll give it a second chance on a future trip. The drinks are really good there though.

[Gill247]

We originally had an ADR for Garden Grill over at Epcot this morning, but we had decided last night that we would benefit from not setting an alarm and having a more relaxed morning. So last night I managed to amend the ADR to later in the holiday. We had a breakfast of leftover Humingbird Cake, donuts and fruit and had a few hours relaxing at the pool and a quick trip to the outlets.

For lunch we drove to Disney Springs and decided on D-Luxe Burger.

Although there wasn’t a queue to order we chose to use mobile ordering as they have some ‘secret’ mobile order menu items. We ordered;
DH - Classic Cheeseburger (Signature Blend Beef Patty topped with Cheddar, Lettuce, Tomato, Grilled Onion and Pickle)
DH didn’t really enjoy this, he thought it was very greasy. He normally loves burgers but he said he wouldn’t order this again.
From the Secret Menu DD and I ordered the Chicken Nuggets (Doughnut-breaded Chicken Breast Nuggets served with French Fries). These were lovely, a really big portion with about 8 or 9 tender style chicken nuggets. These were really crispy yet the chicken was moist inside. I couldn’t say I tasted the doughnut batter, but they were delicious! They also came with a portion of fries, so a really good use of a QS credit and more than enough for 2 to share.

Burgers / Entrees at D-Luxe don’t come with fries (except the nuggets), so we used a snack credit for a second portion of fries – these were served really hot and crunchy, loved these. There are about 8 different sauces you can try, they are stored in big dispensers and you help yourself. We tried honey mustard, ranch and bbq along with the usual ketchup and mayo, and they were all really lovely.

To drink DH and DD shared a Strawberry Gelato Shake – they both loved this, really thick creamy shake.
I had a Godiva Chocolate & Strawberry Malt Gelato Shake (Vanilla Gelato blended with Godiva Dark Chocolate Liqueur, Dark Chocolate Sauce, and Malt, topped with Whipped Cream and Strawberry Drizzle). This was GORGEOUS! It really did taste of chocolate strawberries, very creamy and so delicious. I so wish we had got another trip to D-Luxe if only to order another of these!

The bill here was $46.97 but we used 2 QS and 1 snack credit for the extra portion of fries. It’s such a good use of quick service credits and you feel you are having a proper meal. Can’t recommend enough, although DH didn’t enjoy his burger we would definitely return.

We stopped by The Ganachery for a look, this is a gorgeous chocolate shop with so many gorgeous looking confections. I picked up a Salted Caramel Pop ($6) and a Chocolate Orange Truffle ($3) (you can’t use DDP here) – I ate the truffle straight away, it was lovely, very tarte and smooth. I put the pop in the fridge and ate later that night, it was gorgeous, really smooth salted caramel ganache covered in milk chocolate and sprinkled with sea salt. I loved this and planned on going on the last day and bringing some home but ran out of time. On my list for next time!

We drove to another Super Target – we were trying to find a Halloween costume for DD to wear to MNSSHP that she wouldn’t melt in but didn’t have any luck. We did pick up more Dasani Water ($4.99 for 24 bottles) and some Halloween Oreo Cookies to bring home. I also got 2 packs of the Red Lobster Cheese Biscuit Mix. Having made these last weekend I can say they are gorgeous, and taste just like the biscuits from Red Lobster if anyone else is a fan of these!

Tonight we spent the evening in Hollywood Studios. Annabelle got a Toy Story Popcorn Bucket – this was $10 (not on DDP) and you can refill for $2 but we always forgot to bring back to the park and never did get it refilled!

On the way into Fantasmic we picked up a large diet coke and a Mickey Pretzel for 2 snack credits. I realise juice on DDP isn’t the greatest use of credits but we realised we weren’t using these as much as we thought we would. DD and DH loved the pretzel – I only managed to get one bite and it was lovely.

After walking back to Beach Club and feeling tired but in need of food we went to the Marketplace. They really don’t have the best selection of food, and I would say it’s the hotels biggest let down, we loved everything else about the hotel! DH decided on a Cheesesteak Sandwich, this was a large submarine type roll with minced beef and melted cheese. He said he enjoyed this. DD and I shared an Individual Flatbread, you can add what toppings you want, DD wanted her half with just cheese and tomato and I added some peperoni and onion to my half. This was ok, the base was quite dry and it just didn’t have much flavour. We were so hungry though so it filled us up and we enjoyed these back in our room.

As we had our refill mugs we were able to swap our drinks for dessert. DH picked a Caramel Cheesecake – this was yummy! I picked a Poison Apple Cupcake – this was spiced apple sponge cake with lots and lots of buttercream and then a shiny glaze decoration – it was sickly sweet but quite tasty, the sponge was particularly nice! DD picked some chocolate coins which we used a snack credit for.
Total would have been $36.46 but we used 2 QS and 1 snack credit.

Day total – 4 QS, 4 SC - $93.43 (plus about $25 oop on the popcorn, ganachery, and water at Target)

DDP Trip Overview
6 TS Used
9 QS Used
11 SC Used
3 Mugs Activated
Total Value Used - $502.32

[Gill247]

Originally Posted by wilma-bride

Great update. Loved the donuts from Voodoo (we went to the one in Portland a couple of years back so were so excited when they opened the one at City Walk). The Voodoo is my favourite, although the Orange Creamsicle was better than I expected.

Wow, you were brave going to Epcot on a Saturday during F&W I love the Festival but usually avoid it on weekends, it's a completely different vibe.

Great meal at Beaches & Cream. This is a 'go to' place for us, relatively cheap for Disney and good, tasty food. DH is in love with the No Way Jose sundae.

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Originally Posted by wilma-bride

Ah, every time somebody posts a review of Homecomin' I think about going again. We enjoyed our meal there but it wasn't quite worthy of the rave reviews it has been getting, in my opinion. Maybe I chose badly. The chicken sandwich does look really good. So maybe I'll give it a second chance on a future trip. The drinks are really good there though.

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The No Way Jose Sundae looked gorgeous, this is what I would have ordered if I had eaten dessert in the restaurant instead of taking cake away for later.

That's a shame that you weren't wowed by Homecoming, we loved it and as you say it gets so many rave reviews. I suppose there are so many good restaurants to try I would be reluctant to go back to one I didn't love.

Thanks so much for reading and commenting!

[Gill247]

Originally Posted by ohana_mama

Following! So far so good! those Milkshakes look amazing!

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Thanks for reading and following along!

Originally Posted by GezzasGem

Ah but that cronut though...😍😍😍!
Am considering Homecoming for our next trip, but DH is vegan so still unsure re choice.
That pineapple cake looks yum but imagine it was quite hard to attempt after those mains!
Thanks for sharing 👌

See more...

The cronut was gorgeous!

As was the pineapple Hummingbird Cake! DH keeps asking me to try to recreate this and bake one at home!

I really hope that DH can find something vegan friendly at Homecomin - it is sooo good!

Thanks so much for reading!

[Gill247]

We walked to the Boardwalk this morning for breakfast from the Bakery. It was a lovely walk around the lake which only takes about 10 minutes.

DH picked one of their hot sandwiches; Butter Butter Sandwich (Brioche Bread, Shaved Ham, Scrambled Eggs and Buttery Fontina Cheese Spread). He really enjoyed this although said he could have eaten two of them as it was quite small!

We had our refillable mugs with us so he swapped out the drink that comes with the QS sandwich for a croissant for DD. DD also picked a Chocolate Chip Cookie for later. I picked a Cinnamon Roll, this was served warm and really tasty.

DDs croissant wasn’t very nice, it tasted like a stale croissant that you would buy in a pack from a supermarket, not a bakery type if that makes sense. The cookie was also quite stale. I think she had picked wrong here, their cupcakes looked lovely.

This was around $20 but we used a QS credit and 2 snack credits.

We had a look in the shops at the Boardwalk. The candy counter in one of them looked lovely. I planned on coming back here to pick something but again ran out of time. While on holiday I would Whatsapp some photos back to my Mum and sister, their favourite was when I sent photos of the sweet counters so they could imaginary pick what they would choose if there

After a few hours at the pool we cooled down with take-out ice creams from Beaches and Cream. DD picked a Waffle Cone with two scoops of Strawberry Ice Cream

DH picked an Ice Cream Cookie Sandwich with Butter Pecan Ice Cream and Hot Fudge Sauce.

I picked a Coke Float with Diet Coke and Vanilla Ice Cream

These were delicious! These were all $7.50 but qualified for a snack credit.

Tonight we were going to MNSSHP, we got to MK before the party started to use some FPs and I had booked a 4pm ADR for The Plaza Restaurant on Main Street.

The restaurant is quite small, the Ice Cream Parlour is next door and they share a kitchen. It’s a lovely location, and has some lovely details and décor, but its looking a little grubby and I think in need of a refurb. Our table had a lovely view of the castle.

To drink DH ordered a Sangria which he said was lovely.

I ordered a Strawberry Milkshake, this was ‘all you care to drink’ but I didn’t manage more than one. It was lovely though.

DD ordered a lemonade and to eat the Grilled Chicken Strips. We didn’t have the option to add any vegetables and it looked rather beige. The chicken was coated in what was like ruskoline and really quite dry so she didn't eat much.

DH ordered Home-style Meatloaf (Hearty slices of Meatloaf served with Red Skinned Garlic-Mashed Potatoes and Seasonal Vegetables). He enjoyed this but said it wasn’t the nicest meatloaf he has and prefers my step Mums that she makes for him!

I ordered the Baked Honey-Barbecued Brisket Mac & Cheese (Baked Pasta in Cheddar Cheese Sauce sprinkled with Crispy-fried Onions and Scallions topped with a Barbequed Beef Brisket). This was ok, the Mac & Cheese was very stodgy and not very cheesy, it stuck together in one big lump. The Brisket was nice though so I ate this.

For dessert DD ordered the Mini Chocolate Chip Cookies and Milk which she enjoyed.

DH and I both ordered the Butterscotch Bread Pudding with Vanilla Ice Cream (Warm Butterscotch Bread Pudding topped with Caramel Sauce, Butterscotch Morsels and Vanilla Ice Cream)

On the menu this sounded delicious but we both only ate a couple of bites. It was extremely heavy / clangy, it was quite hard to put a spoon through it. The top had a burnt taste and was really dry even with the caramel sauce and ice cream. So disappointing and I wish one of us had ordered something different to try.

I had booked this as the menu looked lovely and I thought it was a good idea to have a sit down meal before a long night at the party, but if I was doing again I would have just had a QS somewhere or snacked around the party and kept our table service credits for another meal. It wasn’t an awful meal, but definitely the bottom of all the meals we had this holiday and I wouldn’t return.

The bill was $97.72 and we used 3 TS credits.

I braved the long line in Starbucks to get us a Very Berry Hibiscus drink using a SC. These are sooo refreshing!

During the party DH and DD snacked on some of the candy we collected at the trick or treat stops. We stopped to watch the parade and got a spot outside the Christmas Shop. While we waited I popped over to Sleepy Hollow and got us a Sweet and Spicy Chicken Waffle Sandwich to share. This came with house-made chips (crisps) and I got a diet coke. $14.50 but I used a QS credit.

I had been sooooo looking forward to trying this after seeing it on many food blogs and Disney foodie forums. Unfortunately the waffle was really soggy, not sure if it just hadn’t been given the time to go crispy or if the coleslaw made it like this. The chicken was really tasty though, it has quite a spicy kick, and the coleslaw was delicious so we ate this and binned the waffle.


We also used a snack credit to get a juice at Cosmic Rays while DD napped in buggy and we rested our feet for a bit. After an hours nap DD got a second wind and finished the last of the trick or treat stations – the CMs got very very generous with the candy as the night got later. We managed to get round all the stations before midnight. DD was excited to get back to our room to count her candy haul!

We brought most of this home (in hand luggage as it was too heavy for hold allowance). Despite giving lots away, and eating quite a lot, we still have so much. I suspect we will still be eating till Christmas!

Day total – 3 TS, 2 QS, 7 SC - $166.00

DDP Trip Overview
9 TS Used
11 QS Used
18 SC Used
3 Mugs Activated
Total Value Used - $668.00