Disney Dining – The Writer’s Stop

The Writer’s Stop at Disney’s Hollywood Studios

 By: Nick (This article originally appeared on the Disney Musings blog.)

Back in a quiet corner of Disney’s Hollywood Studios is one of our favorite spots in all of Walt Disney World.

The Writer’s Stop is located next to the Sci-Fi Dine In Theater Restaurant.

Doing some research, I’ve discovered that this was originally built to resemble the set of the  bookstore in Ellen DeGeneres’ sitcom Ellen, which was named “Buy the Book,” which is why you will find many items, such as the ceiling lights, that convey a TV set atmosphere.

The Writer’s Stop is a small bookstore, cafe, and gift shop all in one.

You’ll find many of the prepackaged goodies you can find at many other gift stores throughout Disney property here.

In the center of the store you’ll find comfy seats, a television playing Disney related programs, Disney themed games, a good selection of DVDs, Blu-rays, and books.

The book selection is pretty terrific; appealing to a wide audience, representing many of the Disney owned properties and assorted attractions, such as The Twilight Zone, that you’ll find at the Studios, as well as books about Walt Disney, Disney art, and children’s books.

Proceeding to the back, you’ll find an even more eclectic book selection, including best sellers and biographies, among others. You’ll also find tables and and more seating.

This cozy area is also where you’ll find kitchen items displayed beautifully: mugs and tea and biscuits that you’ll find at other stores as well.

They also offer a wide selection of drinks, including coffees, teas, espresso, cappuccinos, waters, juices and sodas.

Lastly, but certainly not least, are the bakery items, such as bagels, muffins, pastries and cookies, including one of my favorite snacks in the World, the Carrot Cake Cookie.

As far as I’m aware, The Writer’s Stop is the only place on Disney property to get the Carrot Cake Cookie.

It’s approximately the size of my head, but I have NO trouble finishing it off myself, but you may want to share it with a friend or 3!

Have you tried the Carrot Cake Cookie at the Writer’s Stop?

Joy! Gelato in Epcot’s Italy Pavilion

RM-Epcot-Italy-Gelato-CounterAs I’ve mentioned many times before, I’m kind of ambivalent about desserts.  I don’t crave sweets like most people do and while I will enjoy an occasional cookie, slice of pie, or ice cream cone, those are not items I’d put at the top of my “must have” foods while on vacation.  Sometimes, though, I’ll find something sweet that really makes an impression on me – something I like so much, that I’d make a point of eating it again.  This is the story of one such discovery.

Back in October, as Raymond and I were making our way around the World Showcase sampling the different flavors in the food booths and kiosks, he said, “When we get to Italy, there’s something that you’ve got to taste!”  Sneaky guy – he’d managed a visit to this particular eatery on his own back in May and had found a wonderful treat.

Espresso Gelato “Affogato” ($9.75) “Italian Espresso poured over Fior Di Latte Gelato, topped with chocolate coffee beans.

According to Wkipedia, “An affogato (Italian, “drowned”) is a coffee-based beverage. It usually takes the form of a scoop of vanilla gelato or ice cream topped with a shot of hot espresso. RM-Epcot-Italy-Gelato-AffogatoSome variations also include a shot of Amaretto or other liqueur.”  According to the Culinary Institute of America, Fior De Latte (Italian, “Flower of Milk”) gelato is “a simple gelato, very versatile; enjoy it plain, with fresh fruit, or to accompany a cake. This gelato is often used in the preparation of affogato al caffè, where the gelato is covered with brewed espresso and topped with whipped cream.”

So now that we know what it is, technically speaking, let’s talk about how it tasted – incredible!  I’d be remiss if I didn’t add that as far as a cup of ice cream is concerned, this one’s about as adorable as one could ever find.  Possibly, mere words cannot describe the subtle nuances of flavor, the well matched textures, the sophisticated combination of creamy gelato, espresso, cookies, and chocolate coffee beans, but I’ll try:  This stuff was mighty tasty!!!  Very delicious!  Scrumptious!  A festival of flavors for your taste buds! …get the idea?

RM-Epcot-Italy-Gelato-EspressoBecause we were working our way around the Food & Wine foods and wines, we split this little paper bowl of deliciousness – which actually turned out to be a bit dicey.  We each got one “ear” cookie, we broke the pirouette cookie in half, used two spoons for the gelato, but there were only three chocolate coffee beans (and those babies are incredible).  There were a few tense moments once we realized the situation.  We each contemplated the potential outcomes of being the one to selfishly consume that third, and last, tiny morsel.  Then I came to my senses and ate it.  Problem solved!

If you like the flavor of coffee and are in the mood for a sweet treat, next time you’re in Epcot, making your way around the World Showcase – stop at the gelato stand, lay down that $10 bill and prepare to be amazed.

Have you tried a gelato in Epcot?  Which one did you get?  How was it?

Celebrating at Disney’s California Grill

RM-California-Grill-Place-SettingRaymond and I toyed with several options for our “official” 25th Anniversary Dinner.  Nothing was off the table (see what I did there?) including Victoria and Albert’s.  Not gonna lie, I was tempted.  But then I thought about how much we love the Contemporary and what a big role that resort has played in our Disney past and how many years ahead we’ll enjoy it as DVC members at Bay Lake Tower.  I think we were both a bit surprised when I passed on V&A’s in favor of the California Grill.

It had probably been ten years since we’d enjoyed the California Grill and we were excited to see the updated version.  You check in on the resort’s second floor and are escorted up to the restaurant.  I don’t mind this process – it adds to the “specialness” of the occasion.  We were pretty excited to be riding in the elevator with a couple celebrating their 40th anniversary.  We could easily picture ourselves in another 15 years.  They were very sweet and obviously still very much in love.  They told us they’d be back next year to celebrate in the same way.RM-California-Grill-Bar

Once we checked in, we were given the flashing buzzer thing and told it would be just a few moments and we were free to sit at the bar if we liked.  The bar looked great – very welcoming with an open design that showcased the impressive selection of libations.  Just as we touched the backs of our barstools preparing to sit down, our flasher/buzzer went off.  On to the table!RM-California-Grill-InteriorRM-California-Grill-View

Here’s where I got distracted.  The table for two by the window with a breathtaking view of the setting sun was perfect.  As were the magical touches we noticed throughout the evening – meant to make our anniversary dinner all the more special.  RM-California-Grill-Patron

Because I was distracted, I failed to make a note of our server’s name. I also forgot to snap a quick picture of our appetizer – I’d say I was sorry, but it’s hard to regret shutting out all distractions for a little while to enjoy Raymond’s company, soak up the atmosphere, and savor the incredible sushi we ordered as our first course.  The Mickey-shaped confetti sprinkled on our table was very festive!RM-California-Grill-Celebration

We’d ordered a bottle of wine, sampled the assorted breads served before the sushi arrived. ate ever grain of rice in our sushi (Spicy Kazan Roll: Crab, Shrimp, Scallops, Tuna, Fireball Sauce) and were ready for our entrees! Raymond ordered the “Spanish Seafood Pilaf – Cold Water Lobster Tail, Clams, Gulf Shrimp, Chorizo Picante, Saffron Rice” and I opted for the “Seared Rare Ahi Tuna with Lo Mein Noodles, Baby Shiitakes, Crispy Broccolini, Cilantro Soy Broth.”  See full menu hereRM-California-Grill-EntreeRM-California-Grill-TunaAfter our plates arrived, we were very quiet for quite a while.  I couldn’t finish my tuna, but it was exactly what I’d hoped it would be – maybe even a little bit better.  Raymond felt the same way about his choice.  We were happy!RM-California-Grill-Dessert

Selecting a dessert was hard!  Raymond always gravitates towards anything cheesecake and that evening was no different.  He ended up choosing the “Blueberry-Lemon Cheesecake (No Sugar Added) Local Florida Blueberries, Huckleberry Sauce, Almond Tuile, Lemon Whipped Cream”  RM-California-Grill-FritterMost of the time when I say I want dessert, I end up not ordering anything but coffee then I’m happy with a bite or two of Raymond’s cheesecake.  That night though, I saw something on the menu that really piqued my interest. “Warm Homemade Fritters – Banana-stuffed, Cinnamon-dusted Fritters complemented with a Trio of Dipping Sauces”  Can I just say that this is my most favorite restaurant dessert ever ordered – in the history of my life?!?  The fritters were like dense, cake-doughnut holes with the slightest hint of banana-bread-ish-ness, rolled in cinnamon-sugar.  They were served in a paper cone and were, indeed, warm as promised.  RM-California-Grill-Dessert-SaucesThe dipping sauces, our server explained, were chocolate, peanut butter, and caramel.  I could shower you now with descriptive words in a lame attempt to convey the utter perfection of those fritters dipped in their accompanying sauces, but no matter how hard I tried, I wouldn’t be able to adequately share with you the perfection of that dessert.  RM-California-Grill-Dessert2Holy Moly.  Every single bite was amazingly delectable – Made even more special by the complimentary glasses of champagne that were served with our desserts in honor of the occasion. RM-California-Grill-Champagne

We. Were. Stuffed.  Coffee was in order to enable us to actually get up and move away from the table.  This is when I was even more happy we’d decided on the California Grill – we had only a short stroll across the walkway between the Contemporary and Bay Lake Tower to get back to our cozy little studio and sleep off our incredibly delicious and very special 25th anniversary dinner.

Have you been to the California Grill lately?  How did you enjoy your experience?

 

Disney Dining – Be Our Guest Restaurtant Review

We always make sure to book our Advance Dining Reservations (ADRs) exactly 180 days before our Walt Disney World vacations.  This most recent trip was no exception.  Usually, we book one table service meal per day, but because we wanted to make the most of the Food & Wine Festival offerings (food booths and special events), we only booked four dinners.  One of those was at Be Our Guest.RM-Be-Our-Guest-Entrance

Dinner booked, I was pretty excited to finally be able to go inside The Master’s lair and see for myself all those amazing Disney details and magical touches.  Then, about 24 days before our trip, we received THE email – the email from Disney inviting us to book a FastPass for lunch at Be Our Guest!  We were not sure if we should cancel dinner in favor of lunch, pass on the lunch, or do both.  I quickly posted the question to Facebook and Twitter and the advice we received was nearly unanimous – do BOTH!  And that’s just what we did.

RM-Be-Our-Guest-Stained-Glass

So here’s the scoop.  I try to always give balanced feedback and today’s no different.  Be Our Guest is not perfect.  It’s very visually interesting and in most of the rooms, very beautiful.  It’s also a little gimmicky and regimented – there seemed to be a lot of rules, procedures, routines from which no deviation must occur.  I found that just a tad off-putting.  Perhaps if we had not been two adults alone we would have had a better time?  The food was hit and miss – for the price, it should be better.

Be Our Guest Dinner

The evening started by standing in line to check in (outdoors) at a booth on the outside edge of the bridge that leads to the castle.  Once we received our pager, we were told to just wait on the bridge – this made me wonder about bad weather and how RM-Be-Our-Guest-Gargoylemiserable it would be to wait in the rain.  We didn’t wait very long before our little device started flashing and we were escorted inside by a very cheerful and pleasant young lady named Sue.  Sue handed us a Lumiere toy to carry that was supposed to help light the way to our table – except Lumiere was not turned on. RM-Be-Our-Guest-LumiereLooking around I noticed that none of the Lumiere’s were glowing and I asked Sue why we were carrying them if they weren’t turned on and she informed me that they usually are turned on and she didn’t know why they weren’t working that particular evening.  Okay, so non-lighting Lumiere in hand, we followed Sue, who was very excited to tell us we’d be dining in the West Wing.RM-Be-Our-Guest-West-Wing-Ceiling

The West Wing is just as it appears in Beauty and The Beast.  Dark, decaying, with moldy-looking ripped curtains and shredded tapestries, the rose hovering by the window in its glass case. RM-Be-Our-Guest-Rose The West Wing is also really dark – as in pitch black, hard-to-see-anything dark.  We were seated not far from the room’s entrance and had a great view of the double doorways through which The Master made his entrances and exits during the evening.RM-Be-Our-Guest-PortraitAt dinner only, the Beast appears several times and makes his way to the library to receive guests – BUT only guests who have finished their meals are allowed to visit the library and meet The Master.  The announcer reminds guests of this repeatedly over the course of the meal.  Visitors are allowed to tour the other rooms in the castle to see them and take pictures at anytime during their visit (which I did).RM-Be-Our-Guest-The-MasterRM-Be-Our-Guest-Ballroom

Our server was Michelle and she was cheerful and professional – the kind of Cast Member who likes her job and isn’t afraid to show it.  We liked Michelle very much.RM-Be-Our-Guest-Place-SettingShe took our order for a bottle of wine (oh, yes indeed – we felt so wicked imbibing in Magic Kingdom!) and an appetizer for two called “Assorted Cured Meats and Sausages” – turned out we were not fans of this starter!RM-Be-Our-Guest-MenuRM-Be-Our-Guest-AppetizerFor our main courses, we both ordered the “Thyme-scented Pork Rack Chop with Au Gratin Macaroni, Seasonal Vegetables, and Red Wine Jus”.  We both thought it was delicious.  I was completely happy with my entrée – the seasonal vegetable was green beans with red bell pepper and they were firm and crunchy and delicious.  Raymond doesn’t eat green beans (would starve to death first) but enjoyed the bell pepper, the chop, and the macaroni.  The Red Wine Jus was very delicious on the pork.RM-Be-Our-Guest-Porkchop

While we were eating, we noticed this big wooden cart with a giant glass domed top being rolled all round the restaurant.  I nicknamed it the battering ram of desserts.  When guests are finished eating, the battering ram of desserts is rolled over for their perusal of the dessert selection – this is NOT a dessert display!  The dessert you end up eating has been rolling around in the cart, at room temperature, and, I’m sorry – didn’t give the impression of being as fresh as it would have been if it had been brought straight from the kitchen.  We decided to split the chocolate torte topped with “Gray Stuff”.  We tasted it and left the rest alone.  As I’ve mentioned before, I don’t have much of a sweet tooth and this dessert did nothing for me.RM-Be-Our-Guest-DessertAfter that, we visited with Michelle for a few minutes while we finished our wine, paid the bill (about $120 before tax and gratuity – food $70, wine $50), then made our way outside.

The very next day, we went back for lunch and our experience was very different!  We’d taken advantage of the ability to pre-order our meals.  Upon arrival, we checked in at the same booth-on-the-bridge and were told to go on inside and get in line.  Unlike the previous evening, the restaurants doors were wide open in welcome.  Once inside, we were directed to the right into a very well-themed hallway lined with suits of armor.RM-Be-Our-Guest-ArmorAs the lined moved slowly forward, it became clear that those suits of armor weren’t just for show!  They’re enchanted (and enchanting!) and a lot of fun.  At the end of the hallway, we entered a room full of payment booths where we paid for lunch and were told we could sit wherever we wanted!  Our lunch would be brought to our table shortly.

While we were helping ourselves to drinks, utensils and napkins, we heard a friendly voice ask, “Weren’t you two here last night?” – It was Sue the friendly Cast Member who’d showed us to our table at dinner!  Feeling very special after that, we chose the room with the giant Belle and Beast turning music box and found a table.  Our lunch did appear shortly after that, as if by magic (or magic BAND).  RM-Be-Our-Guest-French-Onion-SoupThe French Onion Soup was just meh.  The soup had no flavor, was a thin broth, and the soggy bread under the melted cheese was completely unappetizing.  Raymond ate his soup, I did not.  Entrees were a mixed bag – Raymond had the “Croque Monsieur on Millet Bread -Grilled Sandwich of Carved Ham, Gruyere Cheese and Béchamel on Millet Bread with Pommes Frites.”  It was a grilled cheese sandwich and fries – all of which was extremely mediocre to me (I had a taste).RM-Be-Our-Guest-SandwichI was VERY happy with my selection and happily ate the “Braised Pork (Coq Au Vin Style) – Eight Hour Slow-cooked Pork with Mushrooms, Onions, Carrots and Bacon served with Mashed Potatoes and Green Beans Jardiniere.”  RM-Be-Our-Guest-Lunch-PorkAll of which was perfectly delicious.  Our desserts were the Master’s Cupcake (mine) and Crème Puff (Raymond’s) and were nothing either of us found exciting.  Lunch finished, a few pictures snapped and it was time to get outside and find a place to sit for the Festival of Fantasy Parade (my favorite!).

Be Our Guest – Counter Service by day, Table Service at night, is a magnificent display of all the Disney details we know and love.  I would eat there again, most likely for lunch if I could get in, and would just order the Braised Pork.  If you want to go, the atmosphere is what makes the experience rather than the food – keeping that in mind might make your meal, be it lunch or dinner, more enjoyable.  For current online menu information, go here.

Have you visited Be Our Guest?  What did you think about it?