I just got home not too long ago from Walt Disney World! My best friend Sarah and I spent a long weekend over the Martin Luther King holiday, exploring the parks and eating so much good food! For those of you who may not know, I’m a huge Disney fan. I participated in the Disney College Program in 2012 at Walt Disney World, I got engaged in the Magic Kingdom in front of Cinderella’s castle and I’ve traveled to Disney World nearly every year since I was born. This girl was born and raised on Disney and it continues to be a huge part of my life. Needless to say, I’m always excited when I get to go back and visit the mouse.
Sarah and I had a wonderful trip! We hit all four parks, got to explore Toy Story Land at Disney’s Hollywood Studios for the first time, which by the way is AMAZING! We hit all of the rides and of course we indulged in some good eats. Not all food at Walt Disney World is created equal. And what I mean by that is when I travel there, it’s been hit or miss when it comes to food. When I visit Disney there is usually a handful of meals that are great and others not so much. However, everything we ate on this trip was fabulous! For this blog post, I decided to do my own version of “The Best Thing I Ever Ate” inspired by the well-known TV show and share some of my favorite meals from my trip. Again, not all food at Disney is created equal, so I am picking my two favorite meals, one at the quick service level and one at the table service level.
Let’s start with quick service. For those who may be unfamiliar with some of this wonky Disney terminology, quick service is just a fancy way of saying “Fast Food.” Some of us Disney peeps use quick service and counter service interchangeably. All that you need to know is in most quick service restaurants you don’t need a reservation, it’s reasonably priced and you order your food at a cashier and pick it up at a counter.
The best quick service meal that I ate on this trip was the Baked Macaroni and Cheese with Pulled Pork at Flame Tree Barbecue at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. I’ve been a huge fan of Flame Tree BBQ for years. For one, it’s very reasonably priced for the amount of food you get. Also, its real food meaning you can order something other than chicken nuggets and fries. I’ve eaten here many times over the last couple years and this is the first time I’ve noticed the Baked Macaroni & Cheese with Pulled Pork on the menu, so I decided to give it a try. And oh my goodness I am so glad that I did because it was literally incredible.
I’ve had various macaroni and cheeses at quick service restaurants at Disney and historically they are more of a creamy, soupy texture similar to Stouffer’s frozen mac and cheese. Because this mac and cheese had a bit of a crust, I immediately knew it was baked as well as homemade. I really appreciated that it wasn’t overly cheesy because it let the amazing flavors of the pulled pork shine through. The pulled pork was super tender and flavorful. Lastly, two crispy onion rings were plopped right on top of the pulled pork and mac and cheese, which added some depth and texture to the dish. This dish also comes with coleslaw on top. I don’t like coleslaw, so I opted to omit that from my meal. Instead, I drizzled some BBQ sauce right on top and it was perfection. The best part about this meal? It was only $11.99! This meal was very delicious, very filling and so inexpensive. I will definitely be ordering this again on my next visit to Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
Onto my favorite table service meal. Table service essentially means a more formal sit-down restaurant. For the first time ever I dined at the Flying Fish, which is a fine/signature dining restaurant located on Disney’s BoardWalk. This restaurant is known for contemporary American cuisine and I would classify as a bit more upscale than other table service restaurants, which is why this falls into the fine/signature dining category.
My friend Alex and I dined at the Flying Fish on the night I arrived. Alex and I originally met on our Disney College Program in 2012, so it was so fun to catch up with her over dinner. I had very high expectations for this dinner since she is a server at Disney and it’s one of her favorite restaurants. She recommended that I try the Wagyu Filet Mignon, which is what she ordered, and I followed suit. The Wagyu Filet Mignon is priced at $57.00, which is very pricey. However, I can report that this steak was worth every single penny.
I am not exaggerating when I say this is literally the best steak I’ve ever eaten. Quite frankly, I think this is the best thing I’ve ever eaten in my life. The steak was seasoned perfectly, had an amazing crust on the outside and yet the inside was incredibly tender. The steak literally melted in my mouth, which Alex attributed to it being cooked on a wood-fire grill. The steak was served over a creamy mushroom risotto, which was very rich and filling. It was also drizzled with a truffle and red wine demi glaze that was to die for. I’m literally drooling just talking about this steak. This meal was incredibly expensive, however if you are willing to splurge on a fancy meal for a special occasion, I would highly recommend the Flying Fish. The service was amazing and in my opinion the food was worth every dollar spent. I’m most definitely going to take my husband to this restaurant when we return to Disney. So that wraps up “The Best Thing I Ever Ate: 2018 Disney Edition.” Gosh, I’m literally still drooling thinking about that steak…until next time.
