Our Weekly Disney News!

What’s going on in Walt Disney World, folks?  To hear it all, catch the WDW Main Street Podcastthe place where rants were born!  

What are Doug and John excited about this week?  Hah!  From Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort to Toy Story Land.  From new World Showcase entertainment to holiday party pricing details.  There’s tons to discuss!  Does any of it deserve a rant?!  They  cover it all at …

Episode 440 – Our Sunday News!

Dining Recon: Ale & Compass Lounge

Hello, my friends!  Did you miss me?  I hope you did!  Well, OK.  Hopefully, you missed me at least a little bit.  Anyway, I’m back!  For how long?  Who knows.  “Real life” has me very busy!

It took me a couple of weeks to figure out how to respond to Disney’s decision to start charging their defenseless Guests for the privilege of parking at all of their highfalutin’ (that was for you, Judith) resorts.  Here’s my opinion … book a Marriott.  At least you’ll earn points.

Hey!  Check out Doug Davis and John Peters as they rant about Disney’s nefarious parking lot “cash-grab”.  Catch it on the WDW Main Street Podcast –the place where rants were born!

Episode 438 – Parking Rant!

Now, let’s let’s talk about something fun … FOOD!  On our most-recent visit to “Mickey’s World”, Mrs. All in WDW and I made it a point to drop by the Yacht Club’s brand-new Ale & Compass Lounge.  Uh, a couple of times, actually!

Mrs. All in WDW considered these expensive and ordinary, but I loved them.  True, at $12, Ale’s Parker House Rolls and Spreads were a bit costly.  With Bacon Jam, Pub Cheese,and Smoked Trout Spread, however, they were pretty darn good!

We’ve found a place, in Nashville, that serves a phenomenal Nashville Hot Cauliflower.  This lounge’s version – a Roasted Buffalo-style Cauliflower – is reasonably-priced ($9) but not as good.  Maybe we’re spoiled by Nashville’s recipe, but Ale’s cauliflower was a bit too al dente for us.

Of all that, though, this one was the $18 pièce de résistance … one of their Hearth Oven “Pies”!  Check this baby out, folks!  Adorned with caramelized leeks, chorizo, and an egg, this pie was phenomenal!  We had it twice!  In fact, it’s one of our favorite dishes on property … now that we’ve experienced it!

It’s true that I was very disappointed when Disney decided to close the Yacht Club’s Captain’s Grille.  But, even I have to admit that WDW notched a ‘home run’ with this refurbishment.  When it comes to this lounge, we’ll definitely be back … for that “pizza”!

“Food” & Garden ’18 Flash Report: Pulled Pig Slider – THE SMOKEHOUSE: Barbecue and Brews (American Adventure)

An annual favorite of most, this dish made a huge comeback this year.  How so, you ask?  Well, in its first years as a “Food” & Garden offering, this Pulled Pig Slider was presented with a solid amount of pork on a full size “burger” bun.

In 2017, Epcot dialed the bun – and meat – back to “slider size”.  It was quite a disappointment, to be honest.  Well, I’m happy to report that, although 2018’s version still sports a true slider bun, the portion of pork was very delicious and quite generous!  Score, Smokehouse!

“Food” & Garden ’18 Flash Report: Toasted Pretzel Bread with Ham and Melted Gruyère Cheese – Bauernmarkt: Farmer’s Market (Germany)

Germany’s Toasted Pretzel Bread with Ham and Melted Gruyère Cheese was less impressive than I had hoped.  In fact, to my surprise, I found Bauernmarkt’s potato pancakes to be much more enjoyable.

Imagine a miniature pretzel roll that is squashed flat.  Toast it with a slice of ham and some cheese and you have this dish.  Although the meat and cheese were tasty, I found the roll to be a bit too dry and chewy.  Go with the pancakes, folks.

“Food” & Garden ’18 Flash Report: Fried Cauliflower with Chili Ranch Sauce – Taste of Marrakesh (Morocco)

I know.  Fried Cauliflower with Chili Ranch Sauce.  It sounds like an incredibly mundane and simple dish, doesn’t it?  Well, it was.  It was also pretty darn good!  The coating was pleasantly crispy.  The cauliflower was quite tender.  Very good with or without the sauce, folks!