16 nights of festive nom nom noms! - December 2014

[Hannikins]

Originally Posted by Jnyfrk8

That pizza looks sooooooo good My other half doesn't eat cheese though and I don't think I could manage it alone so fate is against me
Thanks for sharing,
Jen xx

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ooo they do individual pizzas! you could have one of those instead :P

Originally Posted by KittyBlackDog

Great update, although I think I would have been tempted by the berry margarita instead 😜

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that does sound yum!

Originally Posted by cybermum

Our favourite pizza in Orlando by miles. Hubby is Sicilian and this is always a must visit. Great pics !

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lol my husbands lot come from just across the way in calabria

Originally Posted by FairyNuff

Well worth knowing, lovely looking pizza and looks huge.

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I could eat one right now!

[Mia_]

oh, love your reports and your new score system. looking forward reading more

[Hannikins]

Originally Posted by Mia_

oh, love your reports and your new score system. looking forward reading more

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thanks

[Hannikins]

Backlot Express - Hollywood Studios



I vaguely remember eating here on our first trip when food wasn’t really something we planned (I was young, naive, and a dibb virgin… I don’t even think I took a food photo… I am ashamed!).

We had

Pressed Turkey & Cheese - $10.49
Multigrain bread with arugula, bacon, swiss, roasted red peppers served with French fries or carrot sticks.

It looked small, hidden beneath all those fries



but it turned out to be very substantial. The only negative was the the bread was a little soggy in places, which considering it was toasted wasn't that great. You did get a lot though, we could easily have shared one of these.




Spicy Buffalo Chicken Breast Nuggets (8 pieces) - $9.69
served with French fries or carrot sticks



These were covered in buffalo sauce making them a little soggy by the end, they were tasty though.

Overall I think this is a great counter service location. I imagine it's chaos when busy but for us it was a quiet retreat and as the outside seating is under cover it's also nice and cool.

[Hannikins]

Citricos - Grand Floridian - Dinner
This was one of our anniversary meals. An early one for us with a 6pm seating.

We had a lovely two top and here we met our most amazing waiter of the holiday, darling Ray

He was all charm, made us feel at ease and was just generally very charming. So fab in fact I made sure to let disney know, something I've never done before.

We started as all good meals should with COCKTAILS. Adam had

Salted Caramel Manhattan $15.00- Palm Ridge Whiskey, Carpano Antica Sweet Vermouth, Salted Caramel Syrup, Bitters, and Pineapple Juice





This was VERY strong, I hate whisky so this was never going to be a fav but as the piece of fudge served with it started to melt the sweetness really helped.

and I had

Nolet Silver Sicilian $10.25 - Nolet's Gin, Limoncello, Bitters, and Mint





This on the other hand went down a treat :P but Boy they it was strong!

Then the bread service came out which we devoured in minutes, it was luuuuurly, warm fresh and light



For apps I order the Sauteed Florida Rock Shrimp $15.00
fresh squeezed lemon, Chardonnay, ripe tomatoes, hint of garlic and sharp Feta



This was very nice! the feta and shrimp went well together which I wasn't expecting, and oh my, the sauce! heaven! I used the bread to mop it all up :P

Adam went with the PEI mussels $13.00
with Poma Rosa Spiced Tomato Sauce, crisp Chardonnay and caramelized garlic



Adam really enjoyed them and again the sauce was very tasty and required bread to get the most from it


As I mentioned before, those cocktails were going down a treat… so naturally we ordered a few more :P


they were

Newport Mojito $12.75 - Thomas Tew Rum, Simple Syrup, Lime Juice, Club Soda, and Mint


A standard Mojito really, but very tasty!

and I had

Citricos Golden Margarita $15.50 - Don Julio Tequila 1942, Grand Marnier, and Lime Juice


A very strong Marg, I don't think I could manage many of these! A very tangy taste though, Delish!

For out entrees I orders the Red Wine Braised Beef Short Ribs $46.00
Melted Leek and Parsnip Puree, Wilted Spinach and Hand-Harvested Mushrooms with Natural Jus



The meat just fell apart and the puree was so smooth that together they melted in the mouth. I could have eaten this all day, amazing comfort food

and adam went with the Berkshire Pork Two Ways $36.00
Cannellini Cassoulet - Rotisserie Roasted Tenderloin, Slow-Braised Belly with cannellini beans, brasied Escarole and Pork Natural Reduction



Adam declared his dish the nicest pork he’d ever eaten, we aren't massive pork eaters but this was very moist and flavourful.

I was stuffed by this point but one item on my list was the chocolate and banana tart which I HAD to try. There was no fellow diner to offer me a spoon of their’s so we ordered one between us

Warm Chocolate-Banana Torte $12.00
with Vanilla Ice Cream and Handcrafted Belgium Couverture Chocolate Crown


Now I did enjoy it, just not as much as I think I would have had I not drank so much. It was very rich and if I'm honest a little dry :/ It needs cream or something to stopped the chocolate gluing your mouth shut really!

This truly was an amazing meal

COST
$220 including tip


NOM - O - METER SCORE
nomnomnomnomnomnomnomnomnomnom

SCORES

• Atmosphere - 9/10 - Great, we were right in the middle of the dining room yet it still felt intimate
• Quality - 10/10 - Amazing. The menu here is so strong I had trouble deciding what to have for many of the courses
• Presentation - 10/10 - All good
• Service - 10/10 - The BEST ever, Ray was amazing I could love to have had Ray serve us at all our signature dining experiences.
• Value - 8/10 - I can't really say it's good value, it's not. But is was worth every penny!

BEST DISH
The short rib!

[Jnyfrk8]

Fab update I really fancy a signature restaurant but me and the OH just would not fit in! lol
Thanks for sharing,
Jen xx

[Hannikins]

Originally Posted by Jnyfrk8

Fab update I really fancy a signature restaurant but me and the OH just would not fit in! lol
Thanks for sharing,
Jen xx

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thanks Jen,

I wouldn't worry about fitting in, we often went in park gear and we weren't the only ones!

[Hannikins]

Create your own Cookie @Goofy's, Downton Disney



We had an amazing create your own crispy rice treat last time so I couldn't WAIT to try some thing different this time around

Although what I chose wasn't all that different, I went for exactly the same toppings as before!

I think the gingerbread cookie had the edge though, a little easier to eat!

[Hannikins]

Wolfgang Puck Express, Downton Disney
lthough we hadn’t originally planned to stay at SSR, the minute I knew we were I started planning for a breakfast at downtown disney. Having missed out on our last trip because of a menu change there was only one thing I wanted… CORN FLAKE FRENCH TOAST!


We were waiting outside WPE ready and eager at 9am to be let in, as we were first in we went straight to order having already decided, french toast for me, OBVIOUSLY! and a waffle for Adam.

Since the place was empty we had the pick of seats and grabbed a nice table right in the middle. After a little wait our food arrived.





OMG I was in heaven, I cannot begin to explain how AMAZING it was, I drowned it in syrup, asked for more, drowned it again and dug in. I think I have found my new favourite thing, it was that GOOD! I can’t understand why it was removed from the menu on our previous visit, it’s heavenly!

You got three pieces but I only managed two, not bad going really considering they are essentially bagels covered in crunchy nut cereal and deep fried…. but there was fruit… so it was healthy…

Ask for take away cups when you leave, that way you can grab a take away coffee on the way out

[Bellasmummy]

Yummy

Love looking at foodie photos, they make me so hungry though!

Cornflake French toast is on my list of must dos this time. We only did Wolfgang puck for dinner last year but as we're at SSR it would be rude not to pop over for brekkie