When one thinks of Disney World, chances are your mind immediately thinks Mickey Mouse, fun rides and fireworks, but after your first visit, your mind quickly races to food anytime you visit thereafter, at least, that's how it is for my family anyways.
After our first meal last year, we were hooked. Each meal we had was incredible, but we all looked forward to dessert. Every meal you get in Disney, comes with dessert if you are on a dining plan. Pretty sweet right? Pun intended.
With our 2016 Disney vacation quickly upon us, I am set to make our dining reservations some time in mid-October, which had me reminiscing on some of our most favorite sweet treats from last year.
I thought I'd share...
Our very first day in Disney was one spent in Hollywood Studios, formerly known as MGM.
We ate a quick service lunch at Pizza Planet. We were immediately drawn in by all of the Toy Story decorations and the true Pizza Planet ambiance. Naturally they serve pizza (which was delicious by the way) but they had an array of desserts to choose from, particularly cupcakes, and this cupcake was a nice surprise.
I thought that it would taste like any other store bought cupcake. One that tastes as though it has been sitting on the shelves for months with no flavor and dry cake underneath all that icing, but I couldn't have been more wrong.
The cappuccino chocolate cupcake at Pizza Planet was divine. It was moist cake with a creamy frosting, drizzled with a chocolate ganache on top. The cupcake itself had small hints of coffee, or cappuccino, which really brought out the chocolate flavor.
Another tidbit of information. This picture does not do this cupcake justice. It's huge in person.
Chef Mickey's was fantastic. We loved meeting the original characters (Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Goofy and Donald), as well as taking the monorail directly to the restaurant, since the restaurants located in Disney's Contemporary Resort, and if you didn't know, the monorail runs directly through it!
I love a table service meal where you get to sit down the entire time and order directly off the menu verses standing in line to get food off of a buffet but the great thing about Disney buffet's, the desserts. There are endless options, and they are all surprisingly sweet and incredibly delicious.
Not only are the desserts great to eat, but the presentation of them looks like something out of a magazine, no sloppy banana pudding here!
yellow plate-bread pudding with a caramel sauce
white plate-red velvet cupcake, carrot cake, chocolate cupcake tart, lemon tart, cheesecake, choclate tarte filled with fresh fruits including raspberries, blueberries and a mandarin orange
My favorite dessert from Chef Mickey's buffet was the warm bread pudding drizzled in caramel sauce. Another great thing about that bread pudding, you are in control of how much caramel sauce you get to put on top! Yum!
Port Orleans French Quarter Resort beignet's may have been my favorite treat from the entire trip, but that's only if you tortured me to pick just one. Pillowy little pockets of sweet air covered, literally covered, in powdered sugar. I am so looking forward to getting my hands on some more of these come April! Plus we are staying in Port Orleans this time, so I'll be in walking distance!
Disney Dining Plans come with snack credits. Pretty self explanatory, but just in case you are unfamiliar, it's where each person in your party gets one snack for each night of your trip. We always ended up getting a sweet treat each night using our snack credit, and on day two of our trip last year, we ventured to Epcots, Kringla Bakeri Og Cafe, located in Norway where I chose this massive berry cream puff to snack on right before Illuminations began.
Fireworks and a fruit filled pastry? Sign me up!
Remember that douche, Gaston, from Beauty and the Beast. Well he actually owns his own Tavern, located in the heart of Magic Kingdom. One thing you may remember about Gaston, is how large he is. Not large like a marshmallow, but tall, "manly" as he likes to call himself. Well let me tell you one thing if you don't take in any other information from this blog post, get Gaston's Tavern cinnamon roll! Seriously, get one! It can be used as a snack credit, and it's gigantic! It's full of cinnamon, covered in icing and absolutely delicious. One snack credit satisfied Cadence, Tarl and myself until dinner that evening!
Cinderella's Royal Table... sigh!
What a gorgeous place to eat. You know that huge castle in Disney World, you know which one I'm talking about, the big blue castle as soon as you walk in the gates, well inside of that castle is a restaurant called Cinderella's Royal Table and it's a must do for us every single trip!
The number one reason is obviously so Cadence can see her besties, you may know them, Cinderella, Jasmine, Aurora, Ariel...but the number two reason, the food, in particular, the desserts!
when the clock strikes twelve dessert
whipped topping with chocolate, pistachio mousse served with a biscotti cookie, and powdered sugar dusted brownies
L'Artisan des Glaces, found in Epcot's, France, has some of the creamiest ice cream and gelato you ever did taste. Flavors start anywhere from Pomegranate sorbet all the way to Profiterol ice cream.
I went with trusty old chocolate, Cadence went with plain vanilla, and we gobbled our ice creams up before we were even out the door. Tarl had a dessert made on site, and I wish I would have done the same. He ordered the Croque Glace, any flavor ice cream served in a warm brioche bun, topped with your choice of chocolate or raspberry sauce, and placed in an iron (looks similar to a waffle maker) to get that brioche bun nice and toasty warm, but keeping that ice cream nice and cold inside.
It was incredible.
As a side note, look at those Mickey head shapes they make out of ice cream. Disney is all about the details!
When I planned our meals for last years trip I knew I had to try my best and get reservations at Be Our Guest, located in another castle, except this time, it's Beast and Belle's castle (Cadence's favorite)! I couldn't score dinner reservations but I did luck out and get lunch ressies, and this Passion Fruit Cream Puff hit the spot! It's filled with Passion fruit mousse, and topped with whipped cream and a decorative, but edible, chocolate chip.
If you have seen Beauty and the Beast, than chances are you know the song that Lumiere sings (the candlestick). "Be our Guest" (which is also the name of the restaurant) has a famous line in it's song, "try the grey stuff, it's delicious, don't believe me, ask the dishes...".
Well I believe you Lumiere, because we ordered the Grey Stuff cupcake, not for the chocolate cake, but for the grey stuff icing, because let's face it, that's what anyone wants to try when they go, and y'all, it was great. I was worried, because grey icing isn't necessarily the most appetizing looking thing, but it was wonderful! Another must-do for us come April.
Some consider this final pastry a breakfast item, and I agree, but Mickey waffles are a must, and covered in syrup, they are a perfectly sweet concoction. I wouldn't say they taste any different than a regular waffle if I'm being honest, but they are better, because they are Mickey shaped :)
So tell me, have you been to Disney, if so, what are some must eat treats for you and your family?
xo
