Space 220 Offers Galactic Level Meals, But at Out-of-this-World Pricing

 by Beth Keating

Review

DisneyBizJournal.com

June 16, 2024

 

When you dine at Disney World, you have a choice of more than 200 different eateries. Many of them are uniquely themed, and Imagineers went all in on some of the details. 

 

Want to dine at Beast’s castle?  You’ll feel like you are in the movie by dining at Be Our Guest.  Want to take an expedition across Asia?  Yak & Yeti will offer you and your fellow travelers a place to rest and refresh on the journey.  Waiting for a cruise through the jungle?  Skipper Canteen will help you prepare for the journey amidst a plethora of puns.

For a family member’s recent birthday, the choice was to dine in space.  (He said it made him feel like he was dining in Ten Forward on the Enterprise.)  After years of trying to snag a reservation for the nearly three-year-old Space 220 restaurant in EPCOT, we were able to grab one, probably because someone else had to cancel, as this lone available reservation popped up on a random day and time.  Everything else had been booked up for weeks on end.  For our purposes, though, the random date was close enough to the actual birthday to warrant scooping it up.

Your meal will be served 220 miles above earth (Space 220, get it?), and you’ll need to take a space elevator to get up to the space station. Viewports provide an aerial view of EPCOT as you travel, and you’ll see the Florida landscape below you as you rush upwards in the “stellarvator,” as well as the view to the space dock as you approach the station above you.  When you reach your destination, you’ll pass by a window into the grow lab where lettuce rotates in preparation for harvest.

As you enter the dining room, you’ll understand why Space 220 is one of the hardest reservations to get on Disney property.  Floor to ceiling glass at the front of the room allows you to look back on Earth, and to watch the various spaceships and astronauts floating by.  There’s even a space dog going for a walk.

Dining at Space 220 is a thrill, but a costly one.  While our meals were good, overall, and the service was better than most Disney restaurants, it’s still a pricey night out.  You are paying for those giant windows into space.

Meals at Space 220 are a fixed price affair. Adult dinner pricing is $79.00, and you get to select one of each: Lift-Offs (Appetizer); Star Course (Entrée); and Supernova Sweets (Dessert).  Lunch is a slightly cheaper prospect at $55.00 (and you can use an Annual Passholder discount for lunch. Dinner is a DVC discount only.).  For lunch, you’ll select one of each: Lift-Offs (Appetizer) and Star Course (Entrée).  If you are lucky enough, you can also grab a walk-up at the small bar, where you can order a la cart.

For our meal, we chose the Neptuna Tartare and the Big Bang Burrata for the appetizer course.  The Neptuna Tartare was made from Yellow Fin Tuna, with an Avocado Crema, Mango Coulis, Edamame, Wonton Crisp, and a Yuzu Dressing.  The tuna itself was sashimi grade, extremely light and fresh.  The dressing was unexpectedly sweet, but in a delightful way that added contrast.  There was also a smidge of wasabi that brought a bit of heat to the dish, but not so much that those who are less tolerant of heat would be uncomfortable. There was a little bit of spice to the dish,  but it was not what we would call “spicy.”  Our very attentive waiter was sure to check on the wasabi adaptability before we finalized our order!

The Big Bang Burrata was a dish of panzanella and watermelon salad, with a lovely tarragon dressing for garnish.  This appetizer was one of two plates for the evening that were different from what other guests had ordered in the past, and what we’d seen online.  Where previous iterations of this appetizer had been a full ball of burrata, tonight’s version was just a half ball.  Nonetheless, the burrata was soft and milky, and the freshness of the cheese absolutely came through.  A crunchy bread stick (akin to a biscotti) served as the panzanella, and it had a brush of tomato chutney across the top, similar to a bruschetta.  It wasn’t the best part of the dish, though, because it was super hard to bite into, and we left most of it on the plate.  Sweet multicolored cherry tomatoes and small cubes of watermelon completed the dish, with everything arranged on a bed of arugula, which added a nice “salad” touch and a bit of a peppery flavor.  The light tarragon dressing was delicious, and had a hint of citrus, in our opinion.

  
We would have ordered both of our appetizers again.

  
For our Star Course (entrées), we requested the Grilled Swordfish and the Galactic Miso Salmon. Our waiter said those were both popular, and delicious, choices, and he was right.

The fennel-crusted Grilled Swordfish was plated on a bed of Mediterranean couscous and creamy puttanesca.  The excellent piece of swordfish was a thick, steak-like fish, rather than the flakier version that you get with some white fish, and well grilled.  The accompanying couscous was seasoned with tiny, diced vegetables and a bit of an oil drizzle.  The tomato based sauce accompanying the fish was like a smooth, high quality bisque, sweet and deeply “tomatoey.”  We would have been happy to have an entire bowl of that sauce. Our waiter checked to make sure that we enjoyed fennel when we ordered the entrée, explaining that it took some guests off guard, but we thoroughly enjoyed the addition of that flavor profile.  Thumbs-up for the swordfish!

Our other entrée was the Galactic Miso Salmon, a hearty-sized piece of glazed salmon, on top of sautéed leeks, served with a tempura-fried mushroom and a curry blood orange beurre blanc.  We can honestly say that this was one of the best salmons we’ve been served on Disney property, and it was perfectly grilled, with a tender, fork flaky texture.  The miso glaze on top added a hint of sweetness and a little bit of a crunchy outer layer, but underneath, the fish was moist and mild tasting, an excellent combination of contrasts.  A deep fried mushroom was a nice accompaniment, adding a crunchy, earthy texture alongside the softer fish.  Served on a bed of vibrant vegetables made of shredded sautéed leeks, the dish was a lovely mix of flavors.  The beurre blanc sauce was not at all sweet, but had a tiny bit of heat on the follow through.  With a light background of citrus (and maybe turmeric), the sauce was a yummy addition to the fish without overwhelming the salmon’s more delicate flavor or sweet outer crust.

Then it was on to the dessert course. One of our choices was the Blue Planet, a chocolate cheesecake, with cookie crumbs, vanilla truffles, and raspberry gel.  This was a good dessert, but certainly not cheesecake by any means.  In fact, it wasn’t even the dessert I was expecting, based on the same named dessert that another family member had ordered several months ago.  Their version was a large circle of chocolate cheesecake with a swirl of chocolate mousse that upheld a trio of large flat triangular chocolate “sails” on top.  And that was what we were expecting. I even asked the waiter when he brought the plate if that was the “cheesecake.”  He assured me it was, and that the menu had changed since last one of our family members had been there.

  
Alas, it was a nice dessert, but not really cheesecake.  The blue gel over the top (hence the “blue planet” name) didn’t really have much flavor, just lots of bright color.  There was also an adorable raspberry gel in the shape of Mickey on top of a green chocolate “lace” decoration. A set of three white chocolate truffles decorated the sprinkle of chocolate cookie crumbs surrounding the “planet.” The crumbs were meant to resemble space dirt, and the inside of the truffles were as liquid-y and creamy as any truffles ever offered. As a fan of white chocolate, they were a nice touch.

Our second dessert choice was The Astra, a honey cake with almond mascarpone mousse, orange marmalade, orange cream, and an adorable honeycomb cookie. This dessert was also a lovely choice, but a bit unexpected as well.  It was advertised as a honey cake, but was really more of a pudding.  This cute dessert was very sweet, and orange to the extreme, with real orange pieces in the mix.  If you are a visitor to Florida, and looking for the hit of citrus, this is your dessert.

The drinks at Space 220 were pricey, even by Disney standards, and they were obviously geared toward staying galactically themed.  They were beautiful to look at, and we probably would have skipped them at the higher prices, but as we were celebrating a birthday during the meal, we threw caution to the wind and ordered up.  The smooth Gamma Burst ($19.00) was Grey Goose Strawberry Lemongrass, Midori Melon Liqueur, and Strawberry Popping Pearls.  The pearls were definitely a fun twist, and it was a unique drink that you probably won’t find at other locations.  The Command Center ($17.00) was Conniption Kinship Gin, St-Germain Elderflower Liqueur, Lemon Juice, and Freeze-dried Raspberries.  The freeze-dried raspberries looked like a sprinkle of space dust across the surface of the drink.  While the raspberries were an interesting addition, the Command Center itself was a more standard gin-based drink.

While it is located inside EPCOT, in the World Discovery section of the park, the restaurant is actually operated by the Patina Restaurant Group, which runs dozens of eateries across the country.  At Disney World, their restaurants include Tutto Italia, Tutto Gusto and Via Napoli in EPCOT; and The Edison, Maria & Enzo’s, Enzo’s Hideaway, Pizza Ponte and Morimoto Asia in Disney Springs.

The difficulty of obtaining a dining reservation aside, we probably won’t be back to Space 220 any time soon. The food was good, but at the fixed three-course prices, and the inability to use passholder discounts, means that this dinner was a steep price point for a meal.  We had great service from cast members, and the views from the massive windows were really entertaining, waiting to see what space citizens would show up next. But a return to space station Centauri will be a “special occasion only” trip in the future. 

 

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Beth Keating is a theme parks, restaurant and entertainment reporter for DisneyBizJournal.

 

Get The Disney Planner: The TO DO List Solution by Ray Keating. More information at

https://raykeatingbooksandmore.com/shop/ols/products/disneyplanner.  A PDF version is available here.  And please listen to the Daily Dose of Disney with Ray Keating podcast. 

Flamingo Crossing Restaurant is Disney-Adjacent… And Oh, So Good!

by Beth Keating

Review

DisneyBizJournal.com

March 29, 2024

 

Flamingo Crossing is a still under-construction shopping and hotel complex in Winter Garden, Florida, but it is probably better known to locals as the home of Disney’s College Program dorms. Anchored by a quartet of hotels and an abbreviated-size Target store, the recently built store fronts are beginning to fill up with a variety of small retailers and quite a few eateries, including a Skyline Chili on one side of the roadway, and an interesting dessert-only café called White Rabbit Dessert Experience and a scratch-made BBQ place called Ellie Lou’s Brews & BBQ on the other.

Opened in November, one of the pristine new restaurants in the complex might just be one of the best hidden gems adjacent to the Disney Bubble.  Located at Disney World’s western gate around the corner from the Magic Kingdom, and a mere five miles from Animal Kingdom, Simply Capri is a remarkable restaurant that serves up the cuisine of Southern Italy’s Amalfi Coast. Wood-fired pizza, house-made pastas, lots of tantalizing seafood dishes, and creative cocktails are on order, made from specially imported ingredients. The restaurant is also known for its Negroni bar, and there’s a Spritz bar as well.

Its Disney-adjacent location isn’t its only Disney connection, however.  Simply Capri’s Nick Valenti is the gentleman who brought you the restaurants in the Italy pavilion at EPCOT, Space 220, The Edison, Morimoto Asia and other Disney locales. He is the CEO of the Patina Restaurant Group, and has served as Chairman Emeritus at the Culinary Institute of America. General Manager Benito Sevarin was the Head of Operations in the Italy Pavilion at EPCOT. He was also Director of Operations for Le Cirque in New York. (That’s high praise, indeed, to those of us from the north!)  Executive Chef Giovanni Aletto was born and raised in Italy, where he also owned his own restaurant, and his previous role as Executive Chef in the Italy pavilion at EPCOT makes him no stranger to restaurants in the tourist corridor.

   
And while Simply Capri’s executive team may have Disney connections, there’s a bit of a familiar feel with the staff as well – a good number of them are cultural exchange program participants from Italy, just like many of the cast members at EPCOT, giving the restaurant an even greater feel of authenticity. (Check their nametags for their hometowns!)

While the people plating up your lunch and dinner and shaking up your drinks no doubt give the room its Italian flair, the décor does its part as well. Hand-painted Italian fixtures and an imported pizza oven pull it all together in this light and airy space.  The only drawback to the beautiful room? Its high ceilings allow the atmosphere to be a little loud during certain times of the night as the tables pack out.  If the weather is nice, though, there’s also an outside patio that is a bit quieter.

 
Now, on to the food…

 

Our waitress dropped off a plate of sliced bread that had a lightly seasoned olive oil topping. Resist the urge to scarf it all down while waiting for your meal, because this soft, fluffy bread might better serve you when your meal arrives, especially if you’ve ordered one of the entrées with a sauce or broth. (We’ll explain later.)  The only thing that would have made this bread better would have been if it had been served warm.

For our appetizers, we chose the Fior Di Latte Mozzarella ($15) and the Polpette Capresi ($14).  Both were delicious, but the Polpette Capresi is something we would return for again and again.  The Fior Di Latte Mozzarella was plated with a smattering of multi-colored cherry tomatoes, drizzled with a light olive oil and Italian seasonings. The trio of mozzarella balls was extremely fresh, but in hindsight, it wasn’t anything particularly creative.  We should have tried one of the many other appetizers that were a bit more inspired (and also delicious looking as they passed by to other folks’ tables.)  Next time, we might opt for the Fritto Sorrentino ($12), a combination of fried pizza dough, stuffed with ricotta, mozzarella, salami, and marinara. Or maybe the Parmigiana Di Melanzane ($14), a dish of thin-sliced fried eggplant, marinara sauce, mozzarella, and Parmigiano Reggiano. If you are more of a seafood fan, the Carpaccio Di Tonno Agli Agrumi ($22) might be more your style, with its fresh tuna marinated with Valencia orange, lemon, black pepper, olive oil and arugula. That was also intriguing.

The clear winner for our appetizer choices, though, was the Polpette Capresi, the homemade meatballs smothered in a bright tomato sauce and topped with fresh ricotta, mozzarella, basil, and Parmigiano Reggiano. The sauce was perfectly made, not too sweet, but also lacking in any acidic notes. There was just a hint of a garlic undertone. The fresh made ricotta, which added so much flavor,  melted right into the sauce, and we wanted to scoop up every last drop in the dish. (This is what you needed to save some of that bread for!)  The meatballs had a slight, but very welcome, firmness to them - we don’t like mushy meatballs!  This appetizer was a definite “get this again.”

The main entrées for the night were where Simply Capri really shined.  Both of our picks were spectacular, and worth the drive to Winter Garden.  

 

The first selection, the Scialatielli Dei Faraglioni ($30), was a large bowl of house made egg ribbon pasta, tossed with shrimp, clams, mussels, calamari, and cherry tomatoes, seasoned with parsley and Italian herbs, and drizzled with olive oil.  With the thick, fettucine-like egg pasta, you’d expect this to be a heavy dish, one that you’d avoid in the Central Florida heat, but you’d be wrong.  This dish was put together with a broth that was light and tasty, and didn’t detract from the various shellfish piled into the pasta.  The entrée was the kind of dish that you’d imagine eating if you were sitting in Italy, staring out at the Mediterranean.  The dish also works in a place like Florida, though,  simply because of its seafood-laced broth, rather than a sauce that is heavy with cheeses.  The broth was strongly flavored of the ocean, and the dish was teeming with plenty of fresh seafood.  No complaints there! The various kinds of seafood were perfectly cooked, not overdone in the least, and we thoroughly enjoyed this dish.  Our suggestion to you as the diner?  This is the other place for which you might want to save your fresh bread, because it would be a great vessel for sopping up the rest of that delicious broth.  We left too much of that goodness behind, even after trying to scoop it up with a spoon.

Entrée #2 was also a delight…. And only available on Wednesdays!  We opted for the baked Ogni Mercoledi Lasagna Bolognese ($28). The multiple, uber-thin and truly delicate sheets of pasta were filled with plenty of tender meat sauce, Parmigiano Reggiano, and beschamel, and served in a perfect red sauce.  This was, perhaps, the best lasagna we’d ever had, and we make a pretty good homemade lasagna ourselves!

If our two choices aren’t what you are looking for on your visit, there’s also a series of salads ($14-$20), soups ($10-$12), and woodfired pizzas ($18-$26) that looked great. Linguine with clams ($28); more traditional spaghetti and meatballs ($24); Pennette Al Salmone (Smoked Salmon in white cream, $26); house made Ravioli Caprese ($27); Filet of Florida Red Snapper ($38); and Seabass ($36) are among some of the other choices.

We almost skipped dessert because we were reaching capacity at that point, but since it was our first time at Simply Capri, we threw caution to the wind and ordered two to share.  

 

The Coppa Tricolore ($15) was an enormously tall glass of high-quality gelato, served with a spoon so long it stretched from our hand to our elbow (no lie!).  There are several different gelato combinations on menu, but we chose the vanilla, chocolate, and cookies and cream gelato, topped with whipped cream and chocolate sauce. There are also pieces of chocolate cannoli crumble sprinkled in, and while some folks might like the added texture, we’d have left them out and just enjoyed the super creamy gelato.

Our additional dessert was the Tiramisu ($11), because if you are in an Italian restaurant, you have to get the tiramisu.  (There’s also a cannoli available for $12 if you are so inclined.). The tiramisu was good, but not great. Served in a small glass canning jar, it had a layer of dark cocoa powder over the creamy custard.  Unfortunately, the custard was a bit on the watery side, and not as sweet as we’d expected.  The Lady Fingers were light, and almost disappeared into the custard.  The coffee soak was also a light touch, so even those who aren’t as big of a coffee aficionado won’t be overwhelmed.

There are lots of adult beverages on the menu, from the Negroni bar, to the imported Italian wines, and some designer cocktails.  We opted for one of the mocktails, though. It’s springtime, and as former northeasterners, we thought the Cherry Blossom ($8) would be fun.  Made from fresh lemonade, cherry juice, and vanilla syrup, this drink was just as tasty as it was pretty.  It was refreshing, without being too sweet, and though it was made from a lemonade base, it wasn’t overwhelmingly tart.

Service at Simply Capri was well-paced, and the food came out consistently (and correctly!). Our wait staff was cheerful and friendly, offering explanations (and pronunciations) of the menu details.  We also got an unexpected follow-up text from Simply Capri the next day, inquiring about our visit and providing a chance for feedback.  Our response?  We’ll definitely be back. Our meals were much appreciated.

Simply Capri is located at 114 Ruby Red Place in Winter Garden, Florida. They are open seven days a week, serving lunch from noon to 3:30 p.m., and dinner from 4:00 p.m. until 10:30 p.m.  Sunday Brunch is available from 11:30 a.m.  to 3:00 p.m.

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Beth Keating is a theme parks, restaurant and entertainment reporter for DisneyBizJournal.

 

Get The Disney Planner: The TO DO List Solution by Ray Keating. More information at

https://raykeatingbooksandmore.com/shop/ols/products/disneyplanner. And please listen to the Daily Dose of Disney with Ray Keating podcast.  

A Tale of Two Restaurants… A Visit To Mama Melrose

 by Beth Keating

Review

DisneyBizJournal.com

December 31, 2023

 

It had been ages since the last time we’d dined at Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano in Disney’s Hollywood Studios… waaay pre-pandemic, in fact.  The last time we’d eaten there was for a Fantasmic! dining package, and it was so long ago that none of us remembered what we’d eaten, or whether the food had even been any good.  So, with Christmas crowds descending on the park, and dining reservations around Hollywood Studios in short supply, we decided to give Mama another try.

And we’re here to tell you, it really is a tale of two restaurants.  Our appetizers and desserts were very good, but the entrées in the middle?  Only so-so.  It was as if we’d eaten in two different restaurants during our meal.

Mama Melrose’s harkens back to the days when Disney Imagineers gave everything a backstory. Disney says Mama Melrose’s is “where Italy meets California in the heart of the Backlot,”  and the restaurant is a mash-up of Old World Italian and Hollywood celebrities.

The restaurant itself reminds us of the old-style Italian eateries (real Italian restaurants, not the pizza joints that happen to throw a few Formica tables up and call themselves a “restaurant”) that we’d been to growing up in New York.  The checkered curtains, the photos and memorabilia on the walls, and the strings of lights hanging from the ceilings all brought a sense of nostalgia to the room.

 
In this case, Mama is said to have been from a small village in Italy. As a young girl, she moved to Hollywood with dreams of becoming a star. The stardom never happened for her (at least not in the “actress” sense), but she soon became famous for her cooking, serving up her papa’s secret recipes for the local actors who happened by.

 

Reaching a certain level of success, she eventually opened a restaurant in a vacant backlot warehouse, and the film industry insiders began calling her “Mama Melrose” for the nearby Los Angeles street.  Now that you know her backstory, it’s on to today’s version of Mama’s establishment.

Like in any good Italian restaurant back home, a basket of warm rolls landed on our table first.  It was accompanied by a bowl of herbed dipping oil, also served warm.  We were off to a good start!

Our evening continued with a set of appetizers, both of which were excellent and gave us hope for a great meal.  We began with the Fried Fresh Mozzarella with Marinara, Ricotta Salata, and Lemon Oil ($12.00), and the lemon oil was a really nice touch that we wouldn’t have thought of.   The dish came with two small squares of mozzarella, with a crispy (and not at all oily) outer coating and a thin, but smooth and melty, cheesy inside.  The crunch of the breading let us know that these tasty bites were fresh out of the deep fryer.  A small sprinkle of fresh parmesan completed the look.  We should have doubled our order on these!

Our second appetizer was the House-made Italian Meatball with Marinara, Fresh Ricotta, and Basil ($14.00). No, that wasn’t a typo.  It is a single, albeit very large, homemade meatball.  It was perfectly shareable for two of us, since we were also splitting the mozzarella, but don’t expect to split this dish with the whole family.  That being said, it was delicious, and we especially enjoyed the scoop of fresh ricotta served alongside.  One of our diners “isn’t a big fan of meatballs,” but they were impressed by this offering.  The meatball was firm, but very flavorful. Lightly garlicky, it had a touch of saltiness to it, but felt like it came right out of grandma’s Sunday kitchen. The marinara itself was also bright and fresh (and was a perfect topper for the extra bread on the table.)

Both of our appetizers were delicious, and we would order each of them again.  Also available on the menu are a Minestrone Soup ($10.00); Mama’s Caesar Salad ($12.00); Crispy Calamari ($16.00); Vine-ripened Tomatoes and Fresh Mozzarella ($13.00); and a Margherita Flatbread ($17.00).

 

But as much as we enjoyed the appetizers, our entrées were just… meh.  We’d ordered the Oven-baked Chicken alla Parmigiana ($28.00), which came with spaghetti. Honestly, it was more along the lines of something you’d get at a fast-casual eatery in your local mall (Yes, you know the chain I’m thinking of.) While it was acceptable, it wasn’t stellar. And it seemed like a big departure from the higher quality of the appetizers.  The spaghetti accompanying the dish was just there as filler, really, and while the chicken was crispy beneath the sauce, it didn’t seem like the chicken and sauce had been baked together to give the flavors time to meld.  There are much better chicken parmesans to be had on Disney property. (Try Trattoria al Forno on the BoardWalk!)

Both of our diners agreed that in the future, they’d order a different entrée. Other menu options include a Charred Strip Steak ($36.00); Shrimp Campanelle ($31.00); a fettuccini based Mama’s Italian Pasta ($24.00) with Roasted Tomatoes and Garlic, Artichokes, Butter, and White Wine Sauce (you can add shrimp to bring it to $31.00); Grilled Pork Chop ($30.00); and traditional Spaghetti and Meatballs ($27.00).  The plant-based option is a Polenta Cake, Mushroom, and Herbed Cauliflower ($24.00), and the evening’s sustainable fish was a Salmon with Spinach-Basil Pappardelle Pasta (market price).

After that, it was on to dessert, and things improved again.  We opted for the Tiramisú ($8.50), a creamy square with several layers of mascarpone and espresso-soaked Lady Fingers. The dessert was soft and light, and a nice sweet treat to end the meal.  The chocolate flavor came through first, with the coffee lingering a little more delicately in the background.  The biscotti was crunchy without being “stale,” as some biscotti can be, and the chocolate-dip on the end of the cookie was a yummy embellishment.  The top of the tiramisú was sprinkled with a dusting of cocoa powder.

Other dessert items include a very tempting Mini Cannoli Trio ($11.00) with Orange Cream, Caramel-Butterscotch, and traditional Cannoli; the Colors of Italy Cheesecake ($8.50), a Lemon Cheesecake layered with a raspberry marmalade and olive oil cake topped with a whipped raspberry panna cotta and finished with a raspberry-basil sauce; a Blueberry-Frangipane Tart ($10.00); Lemon Sorbet ($6.75); Cherry-Chocolate Cake ($9.00); and vanilla or chocolate Gelato ($6.75).

A pretty full complement of the usual cast of beers, wines, wine flights, and cocktails is available, but if you are leaning toward some of the more typical Italian-restaurant liqueurs, there are 2 ounce pours of Limoncello ($14.50), and Sambuca Romano, Disaronno Originale and Frangelico ($15.50 each).

 

All in all, we liked the theming of Mama Melrose’s. The open kitchen was hopping, and interesting to watch while waiting for your meal.  The photos on the walls kept us entertained as well, trying to figure out who some of the celebrities were in the pictures and reminiscing about some of the record albums and memorabilia on the walls. (We spotted photos of Bob Denver- Gilligan of Gilligan’s Island - and a smattering of Star Trek stars in the front foyer, among dozens of others.)

 
Would we come back?  Yes, but we might opt for other entrées next time.  In a park that has great themed restaurants (Sci-Fi Dine-In, 50’s Prime Time Café, and the pricier Hollywood Brown Derby, just to mention a few), fun theming isn’t enough to keep the crowds returning. Next time, we’ll give a different set of dishes a shot, while still enjoying Mama Melrose’s backlot warehouse digs. 

 

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Beth Keating is a theme parks, restaurant and entertainment reporter for DisneyBizJournal.

 

Support the Daily Dose of Disney with Ray Keating podcast at https://www.buzzsprout.com/1724143. Subscribe at the $8 or $10 level, and get The Disney Planner: The TO DO List Solution by Ray Keating. Remain a supporter and you'll get a FREE BOOK by Ray Keating every six months going forward. Thanks!

Grand Floridian Café Offers Relaxed and Varied Menu

 by Beth Keating

Review

DisneyBizJournal.com

March 24, 2023

 

The first time we went to the Grand Floridian Café, we were expecting the dining room to match the rest of the Grand Floridian Resort – upscale and maybe too fancy for our theme park t-shirts. But we were new to Florida at the time, and hadn’t yet been able to get annual passes, so we had been making the rounds of the various Disney Resorts, getting a Disney fix without breaking the bank buying individual park tickets, biding our time until the annual pass sales resumed.  Grand Floridian Café turned out to be a lovely evening, and so much more relaxed than we’d anticipated.

Now, a few years later, we were heading over to the Grand Floridian to take in the chocolate Easter egg display (see our article and video here), and we decided to check out the Grand Floridian’s lunch offerings.  It was once again a lovely, albeit extended, meal.

 

The Grand Floridian Café does offer breakfast, lunch and dinner seatings, but there is a brief closure between lunch and dinner. The café is closed from 2:00-5:00 so the cast members can prepare for the meal switchover.

 

Lunch at the Grand Floridian Café is served as “Blunch,” as our cast member explained. It’s the opportunity to order lunch items, but breakfast items continue to be offered as well. It’s not a large menu, but the widely varying offerings include everything from Banana Foster Oatmeal, steak and eggs, avocado toast, quiche, pancakes, and Brioche French Toast, to Reubens, salads, burgers, salmon, and Lobster Benedict.

 

We were hoping the famed Strawberry Soup from the not-yet-reopened 1900 Park Fare next door was available, but alas, it wasn’t on the day’s menu.  Instead it was a butternut squash soup ($12.00), which we skipped in favor of the Chilled Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail ($16.00) and the Heirloom Apple Salad ($13.00).

Normally, you would see a shrimp cocktail served draped over the edge of a stemmed glass, hovering over a splash of cocktail sauce.  But this delicious appetizer was far from the ordinary presentation of shrimp cocktail.  The Grand Floridian Café’s rendition featured five very large, very chilled shrimp, perched on top of a bed of greens and a layer of grapefruit sections, paired with a side of freshly sliced avocado.  It was, indeed, served with the obligatory cocktail sauce, but the dish was so fresh and citrusy tasting that you really didn’t need it. 

The Apple Salad was also an unexpected treat, a pretty substantial starter-sized salad of organic baby lettuce, tossed with heirloom apples and sharp cheddar, and topped with crunchy pecan brittle and a salty prosciutto.  It was dressed with a sweet honey-apple vinaigrette that I would love to have again and again.

Our entrées had a delightful twist as well.  I ordered the Buttermilk-fried Chicken and Waffle ($26.00), which came with two hand-breaded crispy chicken cutlets served with a sriracha-honey drizzle that was just delicious.  The drizzle was sweet, with the barest hint of a kick from the sriracha, and it was expertly applied, because it was the perfect amount of glaze. The chicken wasn’t drowning in the sauce, but it also had an adequate amount that flavored the chicken without overwhelming the crunchy texture.  But the big surprise was the malted waffle that was the centerpiece of the dish.  It was one large waffle, fluffy and uniquely flavored… and in the shape of Mickey!  How can you not love Mickey-shaped food at Disney World?   My son, who was dining with me, thought I was nuts because I was so excited over the Mickey waffle.

 

My son chose the Lobster 'Thermidor' Burger ($26.00), a dish that the Grand Floridian Café is famous for, and it did not disappoint. A 7-oz burger patty topped by a creamy lobster-parmesan Thermidor sauce, the burger is served on a seared brioche bun, with a bonus cheese crisp perched on top. The burger came with a small handful of seasoned fries on the side.  The Thermidor sauce was exceptional, and was happily more lobster than sauce.  There were large, whole pieces of tender lobster, which made for a decadent feel to our lunch. It was more “luncheon” than “lunch.”

Sadly, we were so full by the time we finished that we did not make it to dessert, which was disappointing because there were several interesting choices, including a Key Lime tart, and a cookies n’ cream Mickey Dome.   

 

The Grand Floridian Café is a good choice for lunch, with its very diverse menu, but for us, we were glad that we were not staring down Lightning Lane reservations at the Magic Kingdom for the afternoon.  While the service was excellent, the kitchen was very slow, with an hour and a half meal time for us.  To be fair, it was Spring Break week, and there wasn’t an open seat in the restaurant, and I suspect there were also conferences going on because we watched large trolleys of food trays heading down the sidewalks during our meal, but meals were slow to come out of the kitchen.  It wasn’t a problem for us because we were meandering our way through the chocolate egg displays that afternoon, but just be aware that your yummy lunch may take longer than you thought.  Take it as a sign that you should relax and stay awhile.

 

The restaurant itself was clean (in the care taken at the restaurant, as well as the architectural lines of the room) and bright, with lots of huge windows looking out on the beautiful grounds of the Grand Floridian.  It was a lovely, peaceful meal, and I am sure we’ll find ourselves dining here again in the future.  Especially knowing there’s a few Mickey-themed foods waiting for us!

 

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Beth Keating is a theme parks, restaurant and entertainment reporter for DisneyBizJournal.

Unexpected Ambience at Maya Grill

 by Beth Keating

Review

DisneyBizJournal.com

November 9, 2022

 

We’ve eaten at most of the dining establishments at Disney World’s Coronado Springs over the years. Coronado, despite its high incidence of convention attendees and a more business-like appearance, has always been one of our favorite resorts, even though it really lacks any overt “Disney theming.”  Rather, it has a more subdued atmosphere, with soft music playing throughout the resort, and gorgeous southwestern colors everywhere, from the muted desert tones of the Casitas and Rancho buildings, to the jeweled tones of the newer Gran Destino Tower. The sizable center lake, “Lago Dorado,” also adds to the charm and peacefulness of the Resort.

The one restaurant we hadn’t visited yet was the Maya Grill, a “grand Mexican dining room featuring ancient-modern styling and Nuevo Latino cuisines.”  With the enticing sunset water views of Coronado’s Three Bridges Bar & Grill a stroll away, we just hadn’t made it over to Maya Grill before COVID closures, and sadly, Maya took a while to reopen.

 

The restaurant has a relaxed atmosphere, with terra cotta colored walls, southwestern theming that gives a “pyramid” kind of vibe, fire and sun motifs, and grand columns soaring to the ceiling.  The restaurant is a good size, but feels “homey” because the dining areas are sectioned off into smaller “room” type groupings. 

 

An unexpected bonus was the live guitar music during our meal.  The musician was really good, and we didn’t realize initially that the music was live until the guitar player strolled around the corner toward our little section of the dining room.  He shared a mix of popular and Disney tunes while walking around, even singing birthday greetings to guests at a nearby table.

Maya Grill’s menu leans Tex-Mex, and has a plethora of unique cocktails and specialty drinks, including, of course, a selection of tequilas.  For our appetizer, we went with the Empanada de Barbacoa ($15.00), a serving of two empanadas filled with Barbacoa beef, and topped with Ranchero sauce, Mexican crema and Cotija cheese.  A side of street corn relish accompanied the empanadas.  The empanadas were warm and fresh, just a bit of a bite from the Barbacoa, which was delicious, and the empanada dough was firm rather than flaky. The little crescents were not in the least bit greasy, which sometimes happens with fried dough.  They were just the right size for an appetizer, a smidge bigger than bite-sized, but not too large to interfere with the main course.  They were just shy of “crunchy” (but in a good way), and the Ranchero sauce alternated with the coolness of the crema.

 

For our entrées, we chose the Traditional Taco Salad ($18.75) and the Baja Fish Tacos ($25.00). 

The taco salad was served in an edible crispy tortilla shell, filled with greens, nacho beef, Monterey Jack cheese, bell peppers, black olives, Mexican crema, and a lovely avocado dressing.  It was an excellent salad, if somewhat lacking in dimension.  There wasn’t much variety to the salad, as it was primarily greens with a layer of spiced meat and dressing. The taco meat had a hint of a kick, but still gentle enough for those who might be spice adverse. After digging down into the salad, we discovered the black olives hiding on a bottom layer, and two lone strips of red peppers. The olives added a nice, salty component, and gave the salad a bit of earthiness. After reading the salad description when we got home, though, we wondered if parts of the salad had been left out of our assembly, since the ingredients list also claimed “avocado and pico de gallo,” which definitely didn’t make an appearance in our salad.  That being said, we would order this salad again, but it would be improved with a touch more variety, maybe something along the order of black beans? Of course, if the few ingredients were indeed missing from our salad, that could have changed the depth of the flavor, too. The tortilla bowl itself was freshly made, warm and not at all oily, and made for a nice crunch along with the greens.

The Baja Fish Tacos were a big hit.  Incredibly soft tortillas were filled with Tempura battered cod that was light and tender, with a crunchy outer breading. The rest of the taco was filled out with shredded cabbage, and a Chipotle lime aioli and pineapple relish that gave a nice sweet and spicy mix to the sauces.  The lime brightened the dish, and the fruit accompaniment in the tacos created a great flavor mix with each bite.  The Esquites that accompanied the tacos was a unique side dish, a bit crumbly, yet with a smooth flavor that was, at the same time, sweet yet tangy.  

 

We finished off our meal with a fun choice, the Fried Baby Churros ($10.00).  The tiny little bite sized churros were served warm and crispy (without being either too hard or too soggy), and had a high quality vanilla ice cream melting its way into the crevices of the churros.  The combination of the warm churro and melty ice cream, along with caramel dulce sauce drizzled over the top, was a yummy combination.  Strong and comforting cinnamon tones were a nice end to dinner.  

We’re sorry to say that we simply waited too long to visit this restaurant, tucked away down the end of a hallway at Coronado.  Most guests may not even realize it’s there. Between the excellent food, the delightful music and warm ambiance, and an attentive and friendly cast member as our waitress, we had a great experience, and will definitely be back to visit again.

 

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Beth Keating is a theme parks, restaurant and entertainment reporter for DisneyBizJournal.