Walt Disney World Dining – The Swan’s Il Mulino

RM-Il-Mulino-Menu“Lively ambiance, attentive service, delicious Italian fare – Il Mulino in Walt Disney World’s Swan resort is a treat to delight both the appetite and the spirit.”…Me, once more channeling my inner food critic.

August, 2014:  We were 180 days from our February trip to Walt Disney World and  I wanted ADR’s (Advance Dining Reservations) at some places we’d never been before.  I’d been thinking about one particular restaurant for a long time.  Raymond and I both love Italian food and I’d heard great things about Il Mulino at the Swan – what better time to eat pasta than the night before running the Princess Half Marathon?  Checked the available times and YES!  Scored a 6:00-ish dining time.  Early? Sure – but I was going to be getting up mighty early every morning of this trip to participate in my first three runDisney events.  I wanted a place to relax and enjoy a leisurely dinner before turning in for the evening.

February 21st, 2015:  I’d run the Enchanted 10K that morning and spent the afternoon at RM-Studios-Boat-to-SwanDisney’s Hollywood Studios – a combination guaranteed to work up a heck of an appetite!  We caught a boat from the Studios to the Swan and walked into Il Mulino right on time.  Immediately we noticed that Il Mulino was a hopping place!RM-Il-Mulino-Dining-RoomRM-Il-Mulino-InteriorAn energetic, happy crowd filled the dining room and our table for two was right in the middle of the action next to a glass wall that separates diners from the kitchen.  We had a great vantage point for watching the dining room, the entrance, and the goings-on in the busy kitchen all at the same time!RM-Il-Mulino-Kitchen-ViewWe didn’t mind the noise in this particular location, but I’d suggest asking for a table in another section of the restaurant if you’re in the mood for some quiet conversation.

Rather than a single server, we had a serving team.  Personable and professional, each person that we interacted with throughout the evening demonstrated an obvious pride in both the restaurant and the level of service provided.  The team of Tony (from Italy) and Svet (from Bulgaria) worked together flawlessly to make sure we had an outstanding experience.  Once seated, it wasn’t long before we received some bread and also a complimentary appetizer!RM-Il-Mulino-Bread RM-Il-Mulino-CapreseThe delicious starter was courtesy of the chef who wanted us to enjoy our meal in spite of the kitchen running a little slower than usual.  Honestly, the place was great and there was such a terrific atmosphere, we probably wouldn’t have noticed the slow kitchen at all, but we did enjoy the Caprese salad very much.  RM-Il-Mulino-WineTony was happy to help us with our wine selection – suggesting a bottle from the extensive wine list that was both delicious and in our price range.  We took our time reading over the menu before deciding on our entrees.  RM-Il-Mulino-EntreeRaymond ordered the Spaghetti al Frutti di Mare (Baby shrimp, scallops, clams, mussels, and calamari in a spicy red or garlic white wine sauce) and I opted for the Linguini alle Vongole (Linguini with red or white clam sauce) – both of us chose the red sauces for our pasta.  RM-Il-Mulino-LinguiniWe were extremely happy with our choices!!!  We also ordered a plate of spinach in garlic and olive oil (pictures do not do it justice – it was delicious!)RM-Il-Mulino-SpinachYou’d think we’d have been stuffed after all of that, but we had to try the gelato.  We love gelato!  It was the perfect dessert after such a fantastic meal.RM-Il-Mulino-Gelato

Great food, great service, wonderful wine AND Il Mulino has…..a bucket of limoncello.  Yes, you heard me – a metal pail of lemony goodness which is ladled into a little glass that appears right in front of every adult guest when their meal is finished.  And this little, but certainly not insignificant detail was not immortalized for you by my camera.  I’ll blame the wine.  I can’t believe I failed us this way – no picture of our limoncello…which didn’t last long anyway.  I did get a picture of the bucket though!RM-Il-Mulino-LimoncelloCarbs consumed in sufficient quantity to see me through the next morning’s 13.1 mile run, we bid goodnight to Il Mulino and the Swan.  We’ll be back, though, this dining experience shot Il Mulino straight to the top of the must-do list for our next Walt Disney World vacation.

(Note:  The Swan is located on Disney property, but is a Westin resort, not operated by Disney.)

Have you visited Il Mulino?  What was your dining experience like?RM-Swans-in-the-Swan RM-Swan-Closeup

Just Back From Disney World – 10 Things I Learned

RM-WDW SignWhat an amazing, surprisingly unusual trip to Walt Disney World we just had!  I knew it was going to be different because I was participating in my very first runDisney events, but so many wonderful and unexpected things happened that have forever earned this vacation a special place in my heart.  I’ll be writing individual reviews on restaurants, attractions, and activities over the next couple of weeks, but if you read anything here and you have questions or want more information – shout it on out in the comments section and I’ll do what I can to oblige.

Just Back From Disney World – 10 Things I Learned

1. The Walt Disney World sign still makes my heart beat faster – Even after all these years, there’s nothing more thrilling that visual proof that you have arrived at your favorite place to be (away from home).RM-Frozen-5K-2015

2. It can be freezing in Florida in February – I live in Louisiana, I know we get an occasional cold snap, but in Florida?  I honestly wasn’t expecting wind chills in the 20’s.  Luckily, we packed for just about every possible weather and were prepared.  I only wished my homage-to-Donald “costume” for the Frozen 5K (appropriately named, for sure) had included a bit more coverage for my knees.RM-Flag-Retreat

3. The Flag Retreat in Magic Kingdom makes me cry – I’ve heard about it for years and have never found myself in the right place at the right time to experience this unbelievably touching, patriotic ceremony.  I tried to sing along to God Bless America with the Dapper Dans, but I was too choked up to croak out even a few bars.  This is a must-see and you should put it on your Disney to-do list right now.RM-Lisa-and-Glass-Slipper-Sign

4. The hype you hear about runDisney events is well-deserved – I have participated in dozens of races over the past 17+ years and some of them were pretty amazing and well organized.  Nothing – not even in my wildest imagination – could have prepared me for the truly magical execution that makes a runDisney experience far superior to any other event.  Unless you have your heart set on a personal record, then you should know, that goal would be very challenging during a runDisney race.RM-Fiesta-Donald

5. Donald Duck is still my favorite Disney character.  And that’s all I’ve got to say about that.

6. Il Mulino at the Swan is an absolutely fantastic restaurant – This place was so special – everything about it was perfect to us and a full review of our dining experience will be written very soon.

7.  Being Stranded at Walt Disney World induces euphoria – I’m sure for some people, being iced-in and unable to get home, even from Orlando, would be a major inconvenience.  For us, at this particular time, it was the gift of not one, but TWO extra Disney days to enjoy – and enjoy them we did!  Ferris Bueller-style, we packed so much extra happiness into those two days, you won’t believe it…story to follow, so check back.RM-Polynesian-Village-Resort-Lobby

8. The Polynesian Village Resort’s renovated lobby is gorgeous – I’m not insensitive to the long-time Polynesian fans who are heartbroken by the changes to their favorite resort, but to me, the new Poly is a beautifully improved Poly.  I think the colors, furniture and décor, and overall feeling of welcome is lovely.RM-Hat-Shopping-Downtown-Disney

9.  Disney Springs is coming right along.  Sure, the construction walls are a big ugly pain to maneuver around, but something in the atmosphere has changed – there’s now an air of expectation and excitement.  We can tell the Downtown Disney area is going to be better than it ever was before.  The new hat shop’s a gem – of course I’ll write a post on that too.RM-New-Tree-of-Life-Roots10.  Animal Kingdom is starting to reveal what the future holds – and if the new details to the Tree of Life are any indication, this park (that I love SO much) is going to be even more incredible.

Please let me know what you want to hear most about in greater detail.  Check back over the next couple of weeks for more scoop on what made this latest visit to Walt Disney World a truly extraordinary Disney vacation.