restaurants

Road Trip Honeymoon: The Really Big Restaurant Round-Up

Wedding Recaps

Sustenance being kind of important, the decision of where to eat each meal on our honeymoon was a matter of some discussion early on. Disney makes it both easy and hard by offering plenty of dining options at various levels of service and price points. (After all, they don’t want you leaving the parks for anything if they can help it, so they try to cater to (yes, I went there) as many different tastes as possible.) They also offer the Disney Dining Plan as a way to pre-pay meal and snack credits and on the plan we chose (Deluxe Dining) it gave our trip the feeling of being at an all-inclusive resort (well, almost–tips and booze were extra, just like on most cruises).

Let’s face it: very little is cheap at a Disney park or resort, but you go more-or-less expecting the mark-up. The Dining Plan isn’t always a money-saving device, but it is a hassle-saving device, and a no-sticker-shock device if you’re the type to get antsy at the thought of $30 entrees. It was just nice not to have to think too much about it in the moment.

Rather than go day-by-day, here’s a breakdown of where we ate by category and a few thoughts on (and plenty of pictures of) our experience with each. Who knows, if you’re still on the fence about where to dine on your Disney honeymoon, this might help sway your decision one way or the other.

Quick Service/Counter Service

jvanderbeek_disneyqsbreakfasts

(left) Sassagoula Floatworks and Food Factory breakfasts (right) Sunshine Seasons

This is the Disney-equivalent to fast food and we used it mainly for breakfasts at the resort and once in EPCOT (Sunshine Seasons in The Land). Breakfast fare at Disney is pretty standard: eggs in various ways, breakfast meats and sandwiches, with some specialties depending on your resort. For instance, there were beignets available at our resort seeing as it was French Quarter-themed. I stuck to simple, safe dishes like cheese omelets and oatmeal most mornings rather than having to go through the allergy procedure of calling over one of the chefs or managers and going through the big book of ingredients.

Be Our Guest | (top) T's Carved Roast Beef Sandwich & Triple Chocolate Cupcake (bottom) my Gluten-Free Lemon-Raspberry Cream Puff & Tuna Nicoise Salad

Be Our Guest | (top) T’s Carved Roast Beef Sandwich & Triple Chocolate Cupcake (bottom) my Gluten-Free Lemon-Raspberry Cream Puff & Tuna Nicoise Salad

The one non-breakfast Counter Service meal we had almost doesn’t even count: lunch at Be Our Guest is sort of in limbo between Counter Service and Table Service. You stand in line and order your meal via touch-screen kiosks but then they seat you and bring out your food using either a “rose” pager-like device to match your meal to your table or, in our case, your Magic Bands. The fare is also somewhat elevated compared to most CS lunch menus and (it’s a small thing, but a nice one at that) is served on actual china; no paper plates or plastic cutlery. It was worth the 45-minute wait in line to eat here (the longest wait of the week for anything), but I’ll be really happy if they go ahead with the FastPass option for lunch. (It was being tested during our stay but we weren’t part of the random sample picked: rats!)

Table Service

This was where most of our dining fell, both in deference to my food intolerances (easier to work around in a full kitchen vs the abbreviated CS-location facilities) and as a nice break from walking around the parks. It’s a good idea to allow 1-1.5 hours for a table service meal.

Yak and Yeti (left) T's Pork Pot Stickers, Duck with Anandapur Glaze, and Fried Wontons (right) my Seared Ahi Tuna, Kobe Beef Burger, and fruit cup

Yak and Yeti (left) T’s Pork Pot Stickers, Duck with Anandapur Glaze, and Fried Wontons (right) my Seared Ahi Tuna, Kobe Beef Burger, and fruit cup

In Animal Kingdom we had lunch our first park day at Yak & Yeti and, unfortunately, it was the let-down of our trip. Despite my best efforts to notify the special diets department in advance of our trip, none of my information had been passed along to the restaurants and at Yak & Yeti they had the least flexibility due to the type of cuisine they served. Now, I will say that the chef who “helped” us could have been a bit better in his delivery of my options–describing everything as “plain” doesn’t exactly make my heart go pitter-patter, you know? But service counts for a lot, and our waitress as well as the manager who stopped by to chat after the meal really saved this experience for me, at least. This was also the only location to have a problem scanning our Magic Bands and they were having plumbing issues that day so they were just having a bad day, all around. What can you do?

SciFi Dine In (whose lighting does not make for good photography and I didn't want to be that girl using her flash in a darkened room) | (top) T's Onion

Sci-Fi Dine In (whose lighting does not make for good photography and I didn’t want to be that girl using her flash in a darkened room) | (top) T’s Onion Rings, Picnic Burger, and Candy Bar (bottom) my Area 51 Salad (adjusted), Smoked Turkey Sandwich, and fruit salad

That night we headed over to the Studios for dinner at the SciFi Dine-In which is known more for it’s atmosphere and milkshakes than amazing food, but we have no complaints. I was able to get a tasty turkey sandwich on a gluten-free wrap and T dug into their “Picnic Burger” (which features a burger topped with a split hot dog and sauerkraut) followed by their SciFi Candy Bar dessert which looked amazing.  Of course we ordered milkshakes (lactose being the one problem “food” I can medicate for) and a tip for the dining plan: milkshakes can count as a beverage OR a dessert, you get to pick.

Tokyo Dining | (left) my Green Salad, Matsu sushi.sashimi plate, Green Tea Soft Serve (right) T's Karaage, Ginza plate, and Chocolate Ginger Cake (bottom right) A celebratory candy and origami ring

Tokyo Dining | (left) my Green Salad, Matsu sushi.sashimi plate, Green Tea Soft Serve (right) T’s Karaage, Ginza plate, and Chocolate Ginger Cake (bottom right) A celebratory candy and origami ring

In EPCOT we chose Tokyo Dining in Japan. When I started the Low-FODMAP diet to combat my IBS, I was overjoyed to find that most sushi (one of our favorite night-out treats) is generally safe and if there are problematic ingredients they’re easy to switch out or avoid. Because of this I wasn’t anticipating any problems at Tokyo Dining and we had exactly that along with a very good meal. One thing to know about Tokyo Dining: it shares a building with Teppan Edo, the Japanese steakhouse, a popular choice among families with small kids for the entertainment factor. This led to slightly higher-than-expected noise levels but not uncomfortably so. If you’re not generally a sake fan but you enjoy Moscato and other sweeter wines, give the Hana Awaka sparkling sake a try–it was so good we picked up a bottle to take home with us!

Tony's Town Square | (top) T's Calamari and Chicken Parmesan (bottom) my Prosciutto-Wrapped Melon and NY Strip

Tony’s Town Square | (top) T’s Calamari and Chicken Parmesan (bottom) my Prosciutto-Wrapped Melon and NY Strip

Before the Christmas Party we had reservations at Tony’s Town Square in the Magic Kingdom. An Italian-style eatery with touches of Lady & the Tramp, this restaurant was extremely busy and I don’t think it was just because of the party. One woman who walked up to the hostess stand after us was told it was an hour and a half wait without a reservation! We’d had a late in-room lunch that afternoon which turned out to be unfortunate as Tony’s is one of the few eateries we encountered with the over-sized portions most American restaurants are known for (all of our other Table Service meals served much more reasonable portion sizes). We couldn’t do our entrees justice, though they were incredibly tasty, and I skipped the inevitable fruit bowl dessert. T got his tiramisu to go.

Character Dining

A bit of a subset of Table Service dining at Disney are the character meals, many of which are buffets or otherwise prix fixe. You’re paying as much for the character interaction as you are for the meal, but we think they’re worth it for the experience. There aren’t many places where Tigger comes over and sits down next to your new husband and starts checking his plate for leftovers. (Tigger was out of luck on that score.)

Crystal Palace | (top) T's smorgasbord, celebratory cupcake (bottom) my salad and salmon plate

Crystal Palace | (top) T’s smorgasbord, celebratory cupcake (bottom) my salad and salmon plate

Wednesday night we ate at the Crystal Palace in the Magic Kingdom, which is home to Winnie the Pooh and friends. I’m actually not big on buffets in general (food quality usually suffers from holding under heat lamps, after all), but for characters I’ll make an exception. T definitely found enough to keep him happy and the chef made me a plate of salmon, rice, potatoes, and green beans that were all sans onion and garlic. (Seriously, those are the two hardest ingredients to avoid at restaurants and I hated telling the chefs that was one of my restrictions almost as much as I hated giving up the ingredients themselves!) They sweetly sent out a celebration cupcake at the end of our meal, as well.

Chef Mickey's | His & Hers Mickey Waffles!

Chef Mickey’s | His & Hers Mickey Waffles!

Our other character meal was at Chef Mickey’s in the Contemporary Resort. Again, it’s a buffet , and at breakfast you find all the usual suspects (waffles, pancakes, sausage, bacon, fruit, pastries, potatoes in various forms, etc.). I was able to get some fruit and smoked salmon from the buffet but the highlight of this meal for me was getting some wheat-free Mickey waffles and maple syrup. I know it’s just a waffle in a fun shape, but it’s quintessential Disney to me. We all have our things.

Chef Mickey’s was also where our PhotoPass+ came in handy once again. Not only did we get to take advantage of every photo taken of us in the parks by the park photographers as well as many ride photos, PP+ also included the souvenir photos from Chef Mickeys (and other select Character Meals) both in digital form and print, the spiffy folder of which was delivered to us at the end of our meal. (For the curious, we pre-ordered our PhotoPass+ for $149. That sounds like a lot until you do the math: the 158 pictures we received on the PhotoPass disc would normally be $14.95 each, so we “saved” over $2000 in souvenir photos. Granted, we wouldn’t have bought them all if that had been the case, but now we don’t have to worry about it!)

Signature Dining

You could almost consider Signature Dining as Table Service+. With the exception of Victoria & Alberts (which is a level unto itself), Signature Dining restaurants are the upper tier of Disney dining (and on the Dining Plan count as 2 TS credits per person). Originally we’d only scheduled one Signature meal, the Jiko experience I mentioned in part 1 of the honeymoon recaps. But when we changed some of our plans around during the week we realized we had extra dining credits that would otherwise go to waste, so switched on of our Hollywood Studios reservations from 50’s Prime Time Diner to the Hollywood Brown Derby and opted for a last minute reservation at Wolfgang Puck Cafe in Downtown Disney’s West Side before heading home on Saturday.

Wolfgang Puck Cafe | Crab Cakes, Mac & Cheese, Brownie Sundae, Sunomono Salad, Pellegrino, Fruit Salad, Sushi Platter

Wolfgang Puck Cafe | Crab Cakes, Mac & Cheese, Brownie Sundae, Sunomono Salad, Pellegrino, Fruit Salad, Sushi Platter

Actually, there’s still some debate about the Wolfgang Puck reservation. When we searched for DTD lunch Signature Dining on the My Disney Experience App it came up, but our check only reflected 2 credits used instead of 4. Oh, well, it’s not the end of the world. And it was a very good meal, regardless, and that’s what matters. I went with sushi again (safe and delicious) and continued my love affair with Pellegrino–I was never a huge fan of mineral water before, but I wanted something carbonated that wasn’t soda and I know it sounds silly but the more delicate bubbles in Pellegrino vs. any other mineral water I’ve tried make all the difference. But I digress. Mr. RT went with the more American side of the menu and got the Mac & Cheese and a delectable Brownie Sundae.

Hollywood Brown Derby | (clockwise from top left) Banana White Chocolate Toffee Tower, Lobster Bisque, Cobb Salad, Duck with Herbed Goat Cheese Polenta Cake, Champagne

Hollywood Brown Derby | (clockwise from top left) Banana White Chocolate Toffee Tower, Lobster Bisque, Cobb Salad, Duck with Herbed Goat Cheese Polenta Cake, Champagne

Service at the Hollywood Brown Derby is everything you’d expect from such a storied location (well, a replica of such a storied location), and the food matched the atmosphere to a T! My petite Cobb Salad followed by Duck with Herbed Goat Cheese Polenta Cake was divine and T went with a seafood theme and followed his Lobster Bisque with the Seafood Cioppino. We were seated at a corner banquette and had an excellent view of the dining room for people-watching, including one woman who wanted to know if she could be seated any farther away from a nearby child. Look, it might be the Hollywood Brown Derby but it’s still Disney!

Sipping the complimentary Champagne after lunch was a nice touch, too.

Snacks

Each version of the Dining Plan comes with a certain number of snack credits, in addition to the meal credits, that can be used for ice cream, pop corn, sodas and bottled water (among other things). We, however, used most of our snack credits (the DxDP credits 2 per person, per night’s stay, so we had 24) for use at the Food & Wine Festival booths. Grazing away 2 meals is why we also ended up with so many leftover meal credits to use on Signature Dining.

Small Plates from the EPCOT Food and Wine Festival

Small Plates from the EPCOT Food and Wine Festival

We had a ball going from booth to booth of the Festival, though we didn’t try nearly as many items as we thought we might when looking over the lists at home. We also didn’t indulge in as many adult beverages as we might have–we just weren’t in the mood to drink much on this trip. Several people have asked us for favorites from the Festival and I’m here to say it’s just not possible to choose a favorite. We do want to go back next year, though, and do more of the Festival events that we didn’t make time for this go-round.

Okay, if you’ve made it this far (I know, it was long, but I wanted to wrap this up), I apologize for any hunger pains this post may have instigated. The tl;dr breakdown: Disney does a very good job of feeding people at various levels of service and cuisine. We really enjoyed the convenience of the Disney Dining Plan. PhotoPass+ is an awesome thing if you really like souvenir photos and want to make sure both you and your new spouse are in some together.

Thus concludes the Road Trip honeymoon recaps. As soon as the rest of the wedding photos are in I’ll be back with the wedding recaps in all their errant (yes, that’s really the word I meant to use) glory.

Dining Out on a Low-FODMAP Diet

Nibbles

Hands-down, eating at home is the safest way to ensure compliance on any sort of restricted diet. But it’s not always the most fun, and sometimes you just plain want to go out and have someone else do the work.

Is that even possible on a Low-FODMAP diet? Absolutely.

Steak Toscano and Grilled Vegetables from Olive Garden

Steak Toscano and Grilled Vegetables from Olive Garden

Once you’ve finished the elimination and challenge phases (the diagnostic portion) of the diet, the only limitations are your personal trigger-foods, and everyone is going to be a little different in that respect, and there’s nothing that says you cannot have something that might cause you some upset, if you’re willing to accept the intestinal consequences. The more numerous your intolerances, the tougher it might be to find suitable items on the menu, but it’s far from impossible.

Plan Ahead Whenever Possible

If you know you’re meeting up with friends for a celebratory dinner on Friday night, check out the restaurants menu online (if possible), or give them a call a day or two ahead of time (in the late afternoon, before the dinner crowd comes in) and ask about any substitutions that might be available. There are plenty of websites and apps that keep track of allergy-friendly restaurants with star-ratings, reviews, and sometimes links to their menus. Some of the apps will even use the gps-locator to find restaurants in your vicinity–useful for when you’re travelling.

If reservations are required, that’s also a good time to bring up a restricted diet situation.

Chain Restaurants are Your Friend

As much as we love to support local, independent restaurants, we’ve found that the chains are usually better equipped to handle special-diet requests, as the corporate office is able to figure out and disseminate the needed information and ingredients. For instance, Panera has a “Hidden Menu” of gluten-free entrees (salads and egg bowls) that you can find on their website and request to order from at any store nationwide.  Olive Garden has gluten-free pastas available as well as items from their grill that are suitable for a low-FODMAP client. And Five Guys Hamburgers and Fries has a bunless ordering option that turns your choice of burger and toppings into a sort of patty salad that, frankly, is more tasty than it sounds!

A bunless Bacon Cheeseburger from Five Guys

A bunless Bacon Cheeseburger from Five Guys

That’s not to say that you won’t find local establishments willing to serve your needs, but when it doubt the chains can help you out.

Beware of Soups and Sauces

This is probably one of the tougher things to work around in a restaurant setting as soups and sauces are going to be pre-made in large batches (for the most part) and will likely have onion and garlic–common trigger-foods for people sensitive to fructans (also the family of FODMAPs that contain wheat). So while you might be able to get gluten-free pasta at an Italian restaurant, the sauce options might still prove problematic.

Dine at Non-Peak Times

Regardless of where you choose to eat, if you go during the dinner rush it’s going to be harder for the restaurant to accommodate your needs. Eating early or late, when the rush has died down and there’s more room to breathe in the kitchen, might make the chef more inclined to whip up something special for you. It can also help to become recognized regulars at one or two places–in the interest of keeping your steady business the staff will often go the extra mile.

Keep It Simple

As always, the less complex a dish the easier it will be to spot problematic ingredients. While it may not be the most exciting menu item, a simply grilled cut of salmon or steak will provide a satisfying supper with little chance of triggering an IBS episode (just watch out for marinades), especially when paired with a side of steamed vegetable and rice or a baked potato.

Unless you’re someplace like Applebee’s who doesn’t serve baked potatoes in the “morning times” (which, apparently, extends to at least 4pm as that was when we were ordering on Saturday).

The infamous House Salad from Olive Garden, sans onions, with oil and vinegar dressing.

The infamous House Salad from Olive Garden, sans onions, with oil and vinegar dressing.

And, when in doubt, almost every place has a house salad on the menu that can be topped with some sort of grilled protein. With oil and vinegar for a dressing you can eat least eat healthily if nothing else.

So the next time a group of friends is going out, do some homework and see if there’s a workable solution before you decline. Just because you’re on a restricted diet, doesn’t mean you have to live a restricted life.

Dear Mr. Knowlton…

Nibbles

In the September 2010 issue of Bon Appetit, Andrew Knowlton (as the BA Foodist) responds to a reader’s question about the best way for a large party to split a check.

Dear Cecilia,

Unless you’re with only one other person (okay, maybe two–I’m feeling generous) or you’re 17 years old and out with a group of friends at a local chain, splitting a check is lame…

He then whinges on for a few more inches about how tough it was being a Brooklyn waiter and how you should just (wo)man up and put the entire thing on your own credit card and hope your friends pay you back.

But, really… the best word he could come up with is lame?

First of all, mingling money with friends is the fast track to ending a friendship. I speak from experience having been the point person on a bulk buy of fabric several years ago and one of the girls stiffed me for her portion. It took certified letters and untold stress to get the money from her and it was during a time just after my divorce when I didn’t have a lot of wiggle room in my monthly budget (this was after I’d dug myself out of credit card debt and canceled all of the cards I’d previously owned so we’re talking real dollars here, not credit). It wasn’t that she was a bad person or a bad friend in general, it just underlines the point that you should never lend money to friends unless you don’t want it back.

I cannot advocate anyone picking up the tab for a group of 6 or 8 friends when there’s the possibility that it will add to their credit debt. “Thoughtful and considerate” are gestures best left free of interest charges. It’s far easier, in contrast, to pick up the tab for one or two friends in a ladies-who-lunch situation with the express understanding that the next check will be picked up by someone else, that to do so for a large group.

Second, might I remind Mr. Knowlton and those like him the industry they are (were) in. It’s called the service industry for a reason, more specifically the hospitality industry. While I know, firsthand, just how difficult some customers can be and that “the customer is always right” is not always correct, your customers are paying a premium for food that comes with service and, yes, it should be with a smile or at least some civility.

If a server sees a large party without obvious familial hallmarks and doesn‘t ask, beforehand, if this will be on one check or separated then he deserves the check-splitting headache that’s to come.

Finally, if you are going out in a group with the plan to split the check, here are some ways to make the process easier:

  • Call ahead. Whether reservations are required or not, it’s always a good to give a restaurant a heads up that you’ll be arriving en masse and, while you’re at it, ask if they are able to split checks for large groups. Most will tell you it’s no problem but some will say no. If you run into one of the latter you can make plans to go someplace more group-friendly or advise everyone in your group to bring cash. If the restaurant has a website with their menu online, folks can figure out ahead of time what they’ll need to bring.
  • Tell the server you’ll need separate checks before the first glass of water is ordered. Forewarned is forearmed and it’s up to them how they want to keep track of the divisions.
  • Have patience. Not only do larger orders take longer to prepare, serve and clear, there will be extra time preparing the checks and processing them. If you’re on a time-line (like our ladies nights heading off to see a movie after dinner), make sure you give your server ample time to process 8 credit cards and still have time to get to your show. For that matter, ordering in waves–before everyone arrives–let’s the kitchen get a jump on those first few dishes.
  • Arrange large gatherings on nights other than Friday and Saturday or have an early dinner mid-afternoon on the weekends. A less crowded dining room means less-harried waitstaff and more flexibility for your group.
  • Tip well. Yes, it’s more work to process 6 smaller checks than 1 large one, so show your appreciation for their willingness to work with your situation. Large parties usually get gratuity added on to the bill, but a few dollars more per check adds up and may win you a favored server if you frequent the same establishments.

So go out and have your fun! And if you continue to receive less-than-stellar service from the hospitality industry consider turning those Girls Nights Out into Girls Nights In and keep your dollars where they will be appreciated.

The Melting Pot

Nibbles

Though a fairly popular chain of restaurants now, the first Melting Pot opened in 1975 in Maitland, Florida, with the first franchise following in Tallahassee, four years later. Since that time they’ve spread across the Unites States and will be crossing the US-Canada border in 2010 with 2 locations already in the works. If you haven’t tried out your local fondue hot-spot, maybe now would be a good time to give it a whirl?

Reservations are highly recommended, but not required. We’ve done it both ways and the wait’s not usually too long but we’ve also opted to eat in the bar area (aside from cozier booths, it’s really no different than being in the main restaurant. Keep in mind, though, dinner is a several-hour affair so plan accordingly.

The basic order of a full meal at the Melting Pot goes like this: you choose the type of cheese fondue you want from half a dozen choices which is then mixed in front of you. With the cheesy goodness comes assorted cubes of bread, raw veggies and apple slices which you then dip into the cheese and nibble on while enjoying the company of your dinner companion(s) and maybe sampling something from the bar. They’ll bring you more dippers if you run out or have a particular favorite.

The salad course is optional, but it’s also quite tasty and you really don’t have to worry about filling up on it because the length of dinner allows you to graze without over-filling yourself. When Todd and I were there, the waiter actually had an issue with our cheese mix–turns out the water level of the pot had dropped too low and wasn’t producing enough steam to melt everything together–so the salad course helped bide our time until the second chance at the cheese fondue had a chance to melt.

You can order your main course a la carte, with options for single meats or combinations, shared dinners for 2 or a larger “Big Night Out” feast. We like the latter because you tend to get a little bit of everything but there’s usually 3 different options even within that range. Your cooking style options include a number of flavored broths or oil. Our favorite part of dinner on our first visit was the Butternut Squash ravioli but, unfortunately, it’s a seasonal entree only and we’re currently not in season. But nothing is really bad here. The meats come out arranged nicely on a platter, cut in bite-sized chunks to promote quick, even cooking and your meal is totally guided by your own pace. Several sauces are served with the main course and a separate place, with wells for each sauce, are provided for the cooked meats and veggies.

Dessert is where they really shine, though. I mean, who can resist chocolate fondue!? Again, there are several mixes to choose from and some even feature a bit of flambe action. The dessert place is really something to see with cubes (as well as a separate slice) of cheesecake, fresh strawberries and bananas, different types of marshmallows, brownies and rice crispy-treat cubes that are great on their own or liberally slathered in chocolate. Many people I know have stopped in after a night out just for the dessert fondue and nothing else.

Now, I won’t lie, dinner here isn’t exactly cheap: a full meal for 2, with all the courses, is routinely $100 or more, especially if you add in cocktails or after-dinner drinks. But the experience is certainly worth the splurge. And, ladies, check your local Melting Pot for details, but on the last Wednesday of each month, a ladies-only table gets you a 3-course fondue dinner for $28 a person and THAT is a steal.