Archive for February 8, 2011

Sweet Endings at Downtown Disney and the Boardwalk

Posted by Gidget Eats ⋅ February 8, 2011 ⋅ 2 Comments

Wolfgang Puck Express

Being slightly obsessive compulsive pays off.

By the end of our second day at Disney World we had hit all four parks and still had one and a half days left to go. Worn out from fast passing and dashing from ride to ride, we took it easy from then on.

I reserved a section on my food list specifically for places to eat in random locations, which came in handy at this point in our trip.

Wanting a break from kingdoms and all things magical, one evening our dinner destination was Downtown Disney. On our last night we were planning on watching the NFL playoff games, which turned into an exhausting debacle.

The other section on my food list
Name	What to get
Wolfgang Puck Express (Downtown Disney)	rotisserie chicken, pasta, wood fired pizza, froyo
Earl of Sandwich (Downtown Disney)	sandwiches
Cooke’s Of Dublin (Downtown Disney)	fried fish, seafood, meat pies
Capt. Cook’s (Polynesian Resort)	aloha pork sandwich
Gasparilla Grill and Games (Grand Floridian Resort)	breakfast sandwich
Pepper Market (Coronado Springs Resort)	steak, pasta
Riverside Mill Food Court (Port Orleans Resort)	carving station, create your own pasta
ESPN Wide World of Sports
Boardwalk Bakery (Boardwalk Resort)

Note: Click the name of the quick service restaurant to view their menu.

Wolfgang Puck Express: Downtown Disney
Upon arrival at Downtown Disney we immediately wanted to eat and then hit up the overpriced, super-sized DisneyQuest arcade. It’s confusing because there is more than one establishment bearing the Wolfgang name:

Wolfgang Puck Café in Downtown Disney West Side
Wolfgang Puck Express in Downtown Disney West Side (located in the same building as Wolfgang Puck Café)
Wolfgang Puck Express in Downtown Disney Marketplace (located near Disney’s Days of Christmas store)

(We ate at the location in the Marketplace; I’m not sure if the other Express accepts the quick service meal plan.)

Out of all the quick service meal locations, Wolfgang Puck Express was praised incessantly online. They offer a more high-end menu featuring fancy salads, sandwiches, wood-fired pizzas, pastas, and fish. It’s the only quick service location where you are seated, waited upon by servers, and receive meals plated on real dishes.

You order at the counter as usual, and then take your place holder to the host in the adjoining dining room, who will help find you a table. Not surprisingly, it’s crowded and popular, so we chose to sit outside. A waitress gave us rolls of silverware, brought our meals and continually refilled our drinks. I had a Rotisserie Turkey Club Sandwich with french fries, a tropical mango iced tea, and twist frozen yogurt with cookie crumbles for dessert. Ben got the Spaghetti and Meatballs and creme brulee for dessert.

Both of our entrees were better than what we had been eating, but I felt we mis-ordered. The sandwich was good and included avocado and bacon, but it was just a sandwich. The spaghetti and meatball were alright and needed salt. In hindsight, I should have stuck to the list and picked rotisserie chicken, pizza or the salmon. Desserts was the best part of the meal; the creme brulee was smooth, creamy and had a lovely caramelized exterior.

If you desire slightly superior food, and a real restaurant experience (for those on the meal plan) it’s worth seeking out. Wolfgang Puck Express is the nicest quick service location and one of the best values for your credits by far.

ESPN Bar and Grill: ESPN Wide World of Sports

Note: On a quest to watch the playoffs we learned an important lesson, the ESPN Bar and Grill is not the same as the ESPN Club on the Boardwalk of Disney’s Boardwalk Resort.

Feeling triumphant, by Sunday night we had three meal credits left on our plan which left just enough for Ben, his brother and I to eat dinner.

Our grand plan was to take a bus from the Pop Century Resort to the ESPN Wide World of Sports, eat at the quick service restaurant, use our final meal credits, and watch the NFL playoff game.

We got on a bus, made an extra stop at another resort, rolled into the complex parking lot, marched up to the entrance and our key to the world was rejected.

After some silent cursing we found out entry costs $14.50 per person, the quick service restaurant would close in an hour, and there was no where else to go in the to watch the game. (These rude realizations lead to more vocal cursing.) The ESPN Wide World of Sports is not wide nor worldly. Booo.

Reluctant to get on another bus we hailed a cab. Ten dollars later we were dropped off at the Disney Boardwalk in search of the ESPN Club.

Boardwalk Bakery: Disney’s Boardwalk Inn Resort
Our original plan to catch the playoff game imploded which is why we ended up at the Boardwalk. It’s a good thing I had my food list because although the ESPN Club has many televisions, it doesn’t not accept the meal plan.

By then it was late, the third quarter of the game had started and there was an idle line of people waiting to get in the ESPN Club. (No one was going anywhere.) We scrounged for seats and plunked ourselves down outside. I went hunting for food and discovered the only quick service meal location open a mere twenty feet away. Shining like a beacon among the sea, the Boardwalk Bakery came to our rescue.

Cashing in our final meal credits, I placed a massive order to go: a Roast beef Sandwich, a Smoked Turkey Sandwich, a Boardwalk Salad with chicken, grape tomatoes, veggies and cheese, two bags of chips, a Strawberry Cupcake, a Key Lime Tart, a Tiramisu, two bottles of water and one Sprite.

Again, the desserts rose above the sandwiches, the Strawberry cupcake and Tiramisu were best. The sandwiches did the job and I was so happy to be eating a fresh, green salad. This is when I knew our time at Disney had come to an end.