Dining Wars: Drinking's Edge - An August 2018 Dining Report - Updated 2/18: Completed

[FSU Girl]

This taste like a really thick dole whip and was delicious. It just needed a wee bit of rum.

That sounds delicious. I love their milkshakes.

This was very much like a Rueben but so much better. The prime rib certainly added a complexity you don’t usually get from corned beef and the mustard slaw added both tartness and acidity that really made it great. Jason proclaimed this the best sandwich he’s ever had at SciFi which guarantees it will be 2050 before I get back to 50’s.

So I feel like this is the sandwich my husband ordered? Maybe lol.

I know SciFi doesn’t get a ton of love, but we always enjoy our experiences here and while the food will never blow you away it will at least transport you to another decade or planet.

I just love how unique this restaurant is, the food definitely isn't my favorite but I'll definitely go back.

Now why put this at the bus stop and not at the boat launch is beyond me. And in another case of Murphy’s law two boats passed us as we walked back!

I would hope they'd have that sign also at the boats otherwise that makes no sense.

 

[kastoney]

Thanks for the answer!

You are most welcome!

I love Casey' s Queen tee shirt , need to get one like it for my Sis & myself. We have yet to get to 50s as our DHS ( or the Park once known as MGM) meal is usually lunch at Mama Melrose for flatbreads and cannolis which are hard to pass up. But since I am always looking for a lunch location that serves "lunch" food will have to keep it on the radar.

I told Casey someone liked her queen shirt and now she is insisting on wearing it to school tomorrow so I have to sort through her summer storage to find it

I've seen a lot of good reviews of Mama Melrose but the good Italian in me can't fathom any Italian in Disney that isn't Via Napoli

Well, when I say "youngest" he'll be 17 next month and also loves the fried chicken, the antics and that fried cheese appetizer!!

it's all about the food for him!

I just read an article about semi-permanent tattoos to create freckles and Casey has exactly the look that people are going for. So lucky!

I have never heard of such a thing, but she does have the most perfect freckles. And curls in her hair. They lay perfect and require no maintenance. If she wasn't my own child I'd be big old green eyed monster

We love SciFi and have been neglecting it lately since we don't spend much (or any) time at the Studios. That prime rib sandwich looks fantastic though and I am digging the fried pickles in chips form rather than spears. I have a feeling that once Galaxy's Edge opens, we'll be spending a LOT more time at that park to satisfy my nerdy husband.

We've been neglecting it too and for good reason. I would pass it up all together, but even without her beloved Great Movie Ride, Casey loves it for reasons I do not understand.

Thank goodness for Jason

And in case it isn't evident ensuring I have on shoes and rubbed in my lotion is your job in may

The buffalo tenders and fried pickle sound divine! Finally! Something I would eat

WooHoo!!! And they have salad too

I've never been to 50's, so if it's your dream, we can go in May

I actually really want to go to Baseline Tap House and/or the lounge at HBD but we haven't done either yet.

The 13 year old boy in me so desperately wants to be able to use that acronym.

The 13 year old boy in me too

I was a bit opposite of this. I expected it not to do much, but was surprised it was more fun than I thought.
But I wouldn't waste a tier 1 FP or stand in line more than 20 minutes or so for it.

We had blown a FP on it for reasons I'm still not sure about and a waste it was.

I've only been to SciFi once and found it "OK". I've been to 50's three times and prefer it. But if I'm being honest, I got a bit tired of that one too.
Neither is like Via Napoli where I want to go every trip.

Oh I am so with you on Via Napoli. Best. Pizza. Ever.

Whew! Finally got caught up. I go away and you write many updates.

Let me know when you are going away next time and I'll be sure not to post anything while you are gone

Another Skolebrød thief caught red-handed?! I thought I felt a disturbance in the force!

Oh fancy really Skolebrød spelling!!! I suddenly feel more refined even if there is a thief in my mist.

We have never tried Sci-Fi in all our trips to the Mouse. But, we actually have an ADR for May. We read the so-so reviews over the years and came to the conclusion that drinks and a dessert couldn't hurt as we're there for the mise-en-scene and not the Michelin stars. That prime-rib sandwich may change that plan, though. It looks and sounds delish and so does the pineapple shake! Thank you for the tip! Now, what happened to that naughty (and probably always hungry) thief?!

I hope you all enjoy SciFi. It certainly sounds like you are going in with the right approach. Its basically glorified bar food so as long as you know what it is I think its a fun experience.

Oh and don't worry the thief rears her head again at dinner.

was reading your report out loud to my dad, who got all bright eyed when I read the description of the prime rib sammie to him. I then proceeded to make his day by letting him know it was indeed at Sci-Fi, where we absolutely already have an ADR for I think I got daughter of the year for that one.

First I must say I love, love, love your user name. I totally missed my chance at originality 10+ years ago when I signed up and now can think of so many good ones. Maybe I could have been Tipsy Royalty to your Toxic

But we may have to rescind your daughter of the year award. Because as the bad-dis poster of the year I can now tell you that apparently that item is not on the menu any longer. They do mix their menu up quite a bit though, so hopefully it will be back soon. If not their rueben and burgers are always really good too.

Since I'm not a huge drinker too, I was explaining to him that I enjoy your reports because Casey seems to always get the "cool" non alcoholic drink on the menu when I scrolled to her with the shake. I was like "SEE? See?!" I'm so grateful for her ordering all the weirder sounding drinks so I don't have to chance it! haha

Well I'm not sure I'd rely too much on Casey's palate but she does love her a mocktail. So much so that when I asked her where she wanted to go for her birthday next month her choice was Nomads Beyond all the sprite based drinks Casey gets they have NA versions of all of their other cocktails.

So I feel like this is the sandwich my husband ordered? Maybe lol.

I just love how unique this restaurant is, the food definitely isn't my favorite but I'll definitely go back.

Perfectly said. It is a ton of fun and as long as you lower your food expectations its a great experience.

I would hope they'd have that sign also at the boats otherwise that makes no sense.

There was no sign there which is why like a hundred of us were waiting. I was so annoyed I even tweeted Disney and I don't even know how to tweet

 

[thumper*]

Wow did I get far behind.

This looks and sounds so yummy.

So sorry to hear about a disappointing Tiffins service experiance.

 

[buzzrelly]

And in case it isn't evident ensuring I have on shoes and rubbed in my lotion is your job in may

Jason is a tough act to follow, I may have to FaceTime with him before the trip to make sure I know what I'm getting into

I actually really want to go to Baseline Tap House and/or the lounge at HBD but we haven't done either yet.

Either of those sound good to me. I love the Cobb salad at HDB

 

[kastoney]

This looks and sounds so yummy.

So sorry to hear about a disappointing Tiffins service experiance.

The sandwich was definitely great and hot. Sadly I cannot say the same for Tiffins

Jason is a tough act to follow, I may have to FaceTime with him before the trip to make sure I know what I'm getting into

I think I am much better experienced organically

 

[suse66]

I had my mind set on the School Bread I’d picked up the day before, but someone else had other plans for it.

Haha! Love the gleam in her eye!

Since only one of us had breakfast Jason and I decided to pop into Woodys Lunchbox to try the Chocolate Hazelnut Lunch Box Tart. And in typical School Bread form ….

Oh oh! Casey clearly is one step ahead of the game today.

I’d booked a day of reservation at Jason’s favorite SciFi. I’m much more of a 50’s girl, but to get him there is more trouble than its worth.

I think I'll get Bill to 50's this summer. The boys would never go for it.

This taste like a really thick dole whip and was delicious. It just needed a wee bit of rum.

Looks awesome, add some coconut rum and it would be heaven!

My favorite though was the fried pickle, because when you take an already perfect food and fry it nothing but good things can happen.

I feel the same way about deep fried zucchini!

This was very much like a Rueben but so much better.

Looks great!

I know SciFi doesn’t get a ton of love, but we always enjoy our experiences here and while the food will never blow you away it will at least transport you to another decade or planet.

Sci-Fi is always a family must do for us and we have never been disappointed.

Up next, an amazing birthday surprise. ​

Now I am curious!!

 

[Candycane83]

Loving this report!! I’m doing my ADRs now and want to switch many of them after reading this report haha! Casey is so cute and so adventurous! My little one is 4 and would eat a wide range of things but is becoming pickier now that he is getting older

 

[kastoney]

Haha! Love the gleam in her eye!

The gleam and the scheme is always there

I think I'll get Bill to 50's this summer. The boys would never go for it.

Be sure to get a reservation for 3 and I'll join ya

I feel the same way about deep fried zucchini!

Oh I love fried zucchini too and I'm now realizing its been years since I've had it and that must get corrected stat!

Now I am curious!!

Curiosity filled in my next post....

Loving this report!! I’m doing my ADRs now and want to switch many of them after reading this report haha! Casey is so cute and so adventurous! My little one is 4 and would eat a wide range of things but is becoming pickier now that he is getting older

Thank you so much! We are certainly very lucky that Casey is such a good eater. We keep thinking some pickiness will set in at some point, but so far that has only manifested itself as disliking ranch dressing. I'll take that

 

[kastoney]

Episode XIV: Kari’s Not So Scary Birthday Surprise

On my birthday a few days earlier (did I mention it was my birthday) Jason had surprised us with tickets for Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party. Because if it's August in Disney World it is clearly almost Halloween.

Seriously though this was a big surprise as this is very uncharacteristic of him – as I usually do the surprising – and he’d even thought ahead and had bought a costume for Casey and snuck it into the suitcase.


Because I didn’t know we were going to the party, I knew zip, zero, zilch, about what to expect so lower your expectations now as you will see no rare characters or any of those cool magic shots. But we at least knew to EAT! At the Christmas party the year prior we hadn’t done that and learned the hard way a bunch of crappy supermarket cookies dinner does not make.

We were able to snag a reservation to The Plaza earlier that day and were quickly seated and ready to eat. We weren’t all that hungry, but of course did need some beverages to ensure we kept our alcohol intake in balance.

That’s a very fancy Michelob Ultra for Jason and a Kenwood Sauvignon Blanc for me. I’m pretty sure a bottle of this stuff retails for what I paid for a glass, but when in Disney…

Feeling left out, Casey decided she would keep her sugar balanced with some “lemonade.”


For eats Jason got the Angus Chuck Burger.

He said it was a standard order burger but hit the spot.

I went for a cup of their tomato soup, which I’d had previously and recalled how good it was.

This was still as delicious and creamy as I remember, but for $8 I think the portion size needs some adjustment.

Casey and I also shared the kids Grilled Cheese.

As with the burger nothing amazing going on here, but it hit the cheesy spot and dunked perfectly in my soup. Speaking of which, Casey insisted she didn’t want any soup for herself but in true Casey form ended up eating at least half of it.

It had been a while since we’d been to The Plaza but as with past visits we enjoyed the food. Its nothing fancy, but hits the spot and offers solid food at (mostly) reasonable prices. With our Tables in Wonderland card we saved $10.20.

After dinner the party was kicking into full gear, but first Casey needed one last thing to make her costume perfect.

The cast member clearly did an amazing job and I’m shocked with the party starting we were the only parents taking advantage of this.

Now officially ready we did plenty of trick or treating, enjoyed non-existent lines for Pooh and Barnstormer, and let Casey see some of her mateys in Pirates.

They had added real pirates for Halloween, which was fun, though even funnier was Jason trying to take down the dinosaur? chicken? lizard? thing in front of us.

From there we hit up Big thunder and then got our splash on. Casey didn’t want to do splash as like @ariane37 with her bangs, she was afraid of messing up her face paint so……

Ariane, I think we found you a new bang saving methodology.


It was about time for the fireworks to start and unlike last years Christmas party this time I wasn’t missing them. We ended up finding a seat at Sleepy Hollow and enjoyed a Zero Pumpkin Sundae which is Pumpkin Waffles with Vanilla Ice Cream, Springs, and Caramel.

This was delicious and had a ton of pumpkin flavor!

Before too long the fireworks started

And we realized why we were able to get a seat at Sleepy Hollow.

A bit of a fireworks fail, but at least we were seated and not surrounded by the masses and hello pumpkin waffle!

We then took a couple of turns through space and of course got some Haunted Mansion in where I had the biggest fail of the trip. I had put our candy bags on the floor of the doom buggy and as we turned to go backwards heard a horrific noise. The candy was falling!!!! I didn’t realize the buggy didn’t close completely and out of our vehicle went an entire bag of candy. Casey of course ensured I knew this was my candy bag.

We ended up getting a great spot in Frontierland to see the second parade and it was amazing. I won’t scare you with my horrible photos, but this was hands down the best parade any of us had seen.

Party just about done, my little pirate wanted to get her Aargh on one more time before we headed out.

We even stopped and took our picture so at least there was proof someone besides Casey was there.


The line for the Scaffolding Club was huge so we ended up hopping on a bus to the Dolphin and walking back to the resort. It was a long walk after a late night, but eventually we made it.

Overall we really enjoyed the party. I think this was the 2nd or 3rd of the season and it really wasn’t too crowded at all. We got on a ton of rides, loved the parade (and I’m sure fireworks if we could have been them), and managed to leave with 2 bags of candy.

It certainly won’t be a must do for us, especially in August, but I’m glad we got to experience it.

Up next....More Counter Service? ​

 

[Dis_Yoda]

Your meal at Plaza seems like a good option before a hot party.

Looks like a great time at the party. Too bad about your candy!

 

[2xcited2sleep]

MNSSHP is a great birthday surprise! Casey makes a very cute pirate! And is your shirt HM themed? Not sure how I feel about these starting so early (can you believe they’re already on sale for this year and I think begin mid-August?!?) but I suppose it means more people have the chance to experience it. I LOVE the parade. I don’t often do a meal at MK for some reason but when I do, Plaza is usually my choice. Agree nothing super special but I love a burger and this always hits the spot. I just wish they’d return to steak fries. More counter service???

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Seriously though this was a big surprise as this is very uncharacteristic of him – as I usually do the surprising – and he’d even thought ahead and had bought a costume for Casey and snuck it into the suitcase.

Wow! That took some planning and thought! She looks great!

They had added real pirates for Halloween, which was fun, though even funnier was Jason trying to take down the dinosaur? chicken? lizard? thing in front of us.

I believe that is Bowser from Mario. Ha. That guy is hilarous!

she was afraid of messing up her face paint so……

Seems safe to me...

Up next....More Counter Service?

What?!? More counter service.

 

[DisneyyDaydream]

Jason trying to take down the dinosaur? chicken? lizard? thing in front of us.

That’s Bowser! Lol

 

[followthatmouse]

Aaaargh ... well, that explains the food theft! She's a pirate!

What a great idea for a birthday treat! Party! Ooh, that tomato soup does look creamy and that party looks so much fun!

 

[DLo]

Looks like a fun birthday . What a magical surprise. Sometimes I think it is better to not know everything so you can have an open mind and no expectations.(did I really just write that on the Dis boards ! )

 

[Jenny Sanders]

Ariane, I think we found you a new bang saving methodology.

This made me LOL!

The line for the Scaffolding Club was huge so we ended up hopping on a bus to the Dolphin and walking back to the resort.

This was also quite amusing!!!

What an AWESOME bday surprise!!!! MNSSHP parade is my fav too. And Casey looks adorable! Argh!!!!

 

[kastoney]

Your meal at Plaza seems like a good option before a hot party.

Looks like a great time at the party. Too bad about your candy!

The Plaza did work out great though I'm not sure that hot soup was appropriate for August

MNSSHP is a great birthday surprise! Casey makes a very cute pirate! And is your shirt HM themed? Not sure how I feel about these starting so early (can you believe they’re already on sale for this year and I think begin mid-August?!?) but I suppose it means more people have the chance to experience it. I LOVE the parade. I don’t often do a meal at MK for some reason but when I do, Plaza is usually my choice. Agree nothing super special but I love a burger and this always hits the spot. I just wish they’d return to steak fries. More counter service???

Yes that is a HM shirt. My best friend had bought me a shirt that was too big so I returned it and got that instead. That was as themed as I was going to get for Halloween

We are going a week earlier in August this year and they are starting the parties then. That is just crazy. I know they are money makers and all, but at least wait until September and a leaf to fall off a tree

And yes more counter service coming up. And a new one for us that we really, really enjoyed.

Wow! That took some planning and thought! She looks great!

It did and I love my husband, but planning and thought is not his thing He pulled it off seamlessly though.

I believe that is Bowser from Mario. Ha. That guy is hilarous!

I've got nothing on the Mario characters. Last I knew them he got a brother circa 1990 and he was super, but that is all I've got on it

Seems safe to me...

Extremely safe. I had to pull it off her head about 10 times during the ride because she kept being afraid her make-up was going to get ruined. Only my girl would prioritize saving her make-up over breathing

That’s Bowser! Lol

I've got nothing on that. And sadly Casey was in a Mario play over the summer and I still had no idea what I was looking at

Aaaargh ... well, that explains the food theft! She's a pirate!

What a great idea for a birthday treat! Party! Ooh, that tomato soup does look creamy and that party looks so much fun!

That is perfect. Me had a pirate matey stealin' me vittles

Looks like a fun birthday . What a magical surprise. Sometimes I think it is better to not know everything so you can have an open mind and no expectations.(did I really just write that on the Dis boards ! )

I think you summed it up perfectly and don't worry I won't tell anyone you said such dastardly words I think I went into the Christmas party the year prior with so many expectations that Casey had no desire to let me fulfill that to just know we were gonna play it by ear worked out well.

This made me LOL!

Seriously. I think Casey should patent this solution for her

What an AWESOME bday surprise!!!! MNSSHP parade is my fav too. And Casey looks adorable! Argh!!!!

It was an awesome surprise and so much fun. I'm definitely glad we got to go, even if it was still 2+ months to Halloween

 

[DisneyyDaydream]

've got nothing on that. And sadly Casey was in a Mario play over the summer and I still had no idea what I was looking at

A Mario play?? Never knew such a thing existed!

 

[kastoney]

A Mario play?? Never knew such a thing existed!

I should have put "play" in quotes as it was part of her theater camp and the kids wrote their own play based on video games. But I'm sure it will be on broadway any day now

 

[disneyAndi14]

I won’t scare you with my horrible photos, but this was hands down the best parade any of us had seen.

I can’t agree more, my all time favorite Disney parade!

Overall we really enjoyed the party. I think this was the 2nd or 3rd of the season and it really wasn’t too crowded at all. We got on a ton of rides, loved the parade (and I’m sure fireworks if we could have been them), and managed to leave with 2 bags of candy.

I’m glad you enjoyed the party, sorry you lost a bag of candy! We are trying The Plaza this trip coming up before the DAH event. A burger and malt sounds good!