September 16, 2016 - Disney Treats & Eats

Elisa's Daily Scoop

Yay Food! Disney Delights

Did I say it or what on Tuesday...once Tuesday hits, the entire week just flies by!!
And boy, did this week fly by!

Here we are - Friday; the end of the week.

I must say, yesterday was a GORGEOUS day here on Long Island!! It was a truly Autumn weather day! Sunny, brisk, cool, breezy. My kinda temps!

I bet you can guess what my First Favorite "F" word is..

F O O D!!!

And I'm in luck since today is Foodie Friday here on T.C.!

This has been a week focused on Disney World in  anticipation of our "Cousins Disney Trip" next month.

For Travelin' Tuesday, we focused on the itinerary details of our Cousins Disney Trip and Tanya's Bahamas Cruise.  

We did a little Disney World Throwback yesterday to its humble beginnings on October 1, 1971.

Today, we are excited to feature good eats in Disney World.

I will be telling you about some of my favorite Disney World restaurants, while Tanya gives you the inside skinny on Vegan food options in the theme park.

A veteran Disney World traveler, I have experienced most of the Disney dining experiences throughout all the parks, and as such, I've got my favorites!! 

Here are THREE of them...

THE CRYSTAL PALACE
​MAGIC KINGDOM

The Crystal Palace, Magic Kingdom (charactercentral.net)

The Crystal Palace Restaurant in the Magic Kingdom features a victorian-themed setting with a glass atrium and is best known for its wonderful "all you can eat" buffet.

From Mickey shaped waffles to down home comfort foods like mac & cheese, hot entrees and a full salad bar, this is always on our list for dining on EVERY trip to Disney World.

It's also the perfect place for a meet & greet character meal with the beloved Pooh and and his friends from the Hundred Acre Woods!

With the beloved Pooh at The Crystal Palace in Magic Kingdom (c)travelincousins.com

YAK & YETI
ANIMAL KINGDOM

Yak & Yeti, Animal Kingdom (c)travelincousins.com

I've loved this restaurant from the first time I dined here, during my very first visit to Animal Kingdom in 2003.

In fact, I did an entire Foodie Friday about Yak & Yeti with it's eclectic variety of appetizers and entrees, many of which are creative twists on traditional Asian-menu favorites. 

One of my all-time favorite appetizers from Yak & Yeti - Wok-Fried Green Beans (c)travelincousins.com

Crispy Honey Chicken (c)travelincousins.com

Two of my favorites from their menu are the Wok Fried Green Beans and the Crispy Honey Chicken - YUM!!

Located right in the heart of "Asia" in Animal Kingdom, this is the perfect place for lunch or dinner and features authentic artifacts and decor from the Orient.

LES CHEF DE FRANCE 
FRANCE PAVILLION, EPCOT

Les Chef de France, EPCOT (tripadvisor.com)

This family-friendly brasserie has all the charm of a Parisian bistro, featuring novella french cuisine.

We've dined here several times throughout the years and have enjoyed a variety of dishes, including the dee-lish macaroni and cheese featured below!

Gratin de Macaroni with cream and gruyere at Les Chef de France (c)travelincousins.com

Plat de côtes de boeuf au Cabernet (short ribs) (c)travelincousins.com

Our meals were always consistently good and I just love the atmosphere.  One thing my gang always enjoys is the creme brûlée for dessert. 

Since my kids visited Paris three years ago, they have had an even greater appreciation for Les Chef de France since it oozes french charm!


Today Tanya has a special feature - her Top Ten Meals on her Magical Anniversary Trip throughout Europe last month.

I'm off to go look at cars today, as my lease is up next month.  I'll keep you posted on what I see and my opinions of them!

Have a magical day!!

-E
xoxo

Tanya's Daily Scoop
NEXT TRIP DEPARTS IN: 8 DAYS

Being Vegan at Disney World

Heya Folks, we have another weekend upon us and more fun to be had.

I hope that the week wasn't too hard on ya, and that you are ready for some R&R or to turn on your weekend warrior!

I kinda sorta started packing yesterday, but not really - still so much to do, and lots-o lots-o organizing. For the sake of transport, I'm trying to fit all 3 weeks of wardrobe and everything else in a carry-on sized bags.

​Let's just say I was inspired by this video that Elisa showed me:

Crossing my fingers I can manage. I mean summer clothes aren't all big and bulky like warm fluffy winter ones.  So we'll see what happens...

Now let's chat about what I'm packing for. If you've been following along, you'd know that we are heading to New York and then to Florida and cruisin' to the Bahamas in 8 short days.
And since you all you that:

And since today is FOODIE FRIDAY I figure that we should talk about food. Right?

When I travel, I research up the yin tang on everything to do with the locations where I'll be, and some of the most fun research is when I'm searching out local eats and treats.

If you don't know it about me by now, I'm a food loving and picky Vegan.

While I have all of our plans set for this upcoming trip, one thing that I was most eagerly awaiting (and I'm not a very patient person to say the least), was the list of dishes to be served at the Epcot Food and Wine Festival. 

Well I finally found the list, and I've got to say that I was and am a bit disappointed by it.

They are ONLY featuring 2 vegan dishes at the festival - ONLY 2! Do you realize that when I went to this festival 4 years ago they featured 2 vegan dishes back then.

Where on earth is the progress here?
Come on Disney, you could do better than that!

After writing to the Walt Disney World Special Diets Team here's what I found out: 

All of the restaurants at the Walt Disney World Resort offer at least one vegetarian option and most can be modified to be vegan.

They also sent me a list of which I had already come across online of their vegan product offerings.

Oh well, I went ahead and got referrals as to some of the best dining options in the parks and for Epcot the restaurant with the best vegan reviews is Coral Reef Restaurant.
Again, it is only 1 dish - so we'll all be ordering the same thing, but the up side is that at least we'll be eating!

CORAL REEF RESTAURANT

Credit: wdwinfo.com

The dish offered is a ​Marinated Grilled Vegetables and Vegetarian Chick'n Breast which actually looks pretty good! I'll let you know what I think!

Credit: vegandisneyworld.com

While we are adventuring throughout the rest of the parks there is no shortage of Vegan Treats throughout.

According to peta.com they have listed that we can munch on several goodies and these are the ones I've narrowed down that I have my eyes on:

​​Vegan gumbo

Need something hearty that just hits the spot? Stop by the New Orleans district at Disneyland and get yourself a giant warm bowl of vegan gumbo. Yes, you can eat the bowl itself!

​Soft salted pretzel

I LOVE PRETZELS!

Let’s be real here: The best part about going to Disney parks is walking through the hypnotizing smell of freshly baked pretzels. Well, guess what? They‘re vegan—AND shaped like Mickey Mouse. A win-win situation!

​Vegan chili

Some restaurants—such as Columbia Harbour House in the Magic Kingdom—at the parks and resorts have vegetarian chili on their menus. Just be sure to pass on the cheese, and you’re good to go!

Dole Whip

Dying from the heat? Head on over to the Tiki Juice Bar and get yourself a Dole Whip—a most refreshing frozen pineapple treat!

I just indulged on this yummy sweet confection at the Los Angeles County Fair this past weekend!

Baked treats

If you’re visiting Walt Disney World in Florida, be sure to check out Erin McKenna’s Bakery NYC for some delicious vegan and gluten-free baked treats such as cookies, cupcakes, and doughnuts.

Thanks to Peta.com for the full list check out: 
        11 ways to go vegan at Disney

And if that made you hungry be sure to check out my newly published:

A peak at DELICIOUS Vegan eats in Europe!

Rome, Italy (c)travelincousins.com

Well, I'm off to the stables with Cosette. We hit the mall last night and found NOTHING she liked for her Birthday Outfit, so we'll be going to Kohl's later to try our luck!

Wishing you a Fabulous Foodie Filled Fun Day,
​-T