Fry Flights, Pizza Skulls, & More!-A Disney/Universal DTR-Completed 11/5

[Raeven]

Fun! Can't wait to hear more​

Thanks for following along! ​

 

[Raeven]

Cocktails & Screams

I'd heard a lot about the great Halloween theming at Cocktails and Screams, and I'd meant to go on an earlier trip but we never made it there before. For this trip I decided to book brunch so we wouldn't have to miss any of HHN (since normally it's only open at night). I made our reservation about 2 months in advance, and then on the day of we Lyfted to the location.



There was so much cool decor there and so many awesome little details.








Some of the themed areas are used for seating larger parties, but when we first got there they were empty enough to take pictures in.

Brunch there takes a bit of time (it says so in the details when you make the reservation), but they play movies during the brunch (ours was Halloween) to watch while you wait. They also brought out some little donuts while we waited:



I love this plate too.

To drink I got the:

Witch's Brew
Frankly Organic Apple Vodka, 151 Flambeed Cinnamon Apples, Sour Apple & Fresh Apple Cider



I did like this drink and it had a lot of fun flavors. The presentation was also really cool. The only cons were the cup was so tall it was hard to drink out of, and the flavor was really heavy on the cinnamon.

Josh got the:

Freddy Krakken
Spiked Hot Coffee with Kraken Black Coffee Rum, Cinnamon, & Salted Whipped Cream



Josh said this was really good. I also think the mug it was in is really cute.

For an entree I got the:

Praise Cheezus
Grilled Cheese with Five Different Cheeses, Crispy Cheesy Crust on Sourdough Bread with bacon



This was so good! And definitely cheesy! The different cheeses gave it a lot of flavor (one had chives in it and that was really delicious). Unfortunately the bacon was a little on the ham-y side. (Bacon was an add on and I usually hesitate to get it in breakfast sandwiches because it's never crispy enough for my liking).

Josh got the:

Big Bad Wolf
Juicy Bacon, Thick Canadian Ham, & Succulent Sausage on top of a Giant Buttery Croissant finished with House Avocado Paste, Fluffy Scrambled Eggs, Pepper Jack & Mozzarella Cheese



I loved the presentation with the little fangs Josh really enjoyed his sandwich, and said it was his favorite meal of the trip.

We had a great time at the Cocktails & Screams brunch. All the decor was so cool, and the food was so good! Service was a bit on the slower side, but we both really enjoyed the brunch and I'd definitely recommend checking it out if you have a Sunday morning/afternoon free.​

 

[Raeven]

Bar 17 Bistro & HHN Snacks Pt 4

For dinner we headed up to the rooftop bar at Aventura. We thought the dishes were appetizer sized so we ordered a few of them.



To our surprise they were pretty large portions! So you definitely get your money's worth here.

We got the:

CHOP CHOP
Romaine lettuce, house-made ranch, bacon, all the goods.

CRISPY FINGERLING POTATOES
Garlic duck fat, whipped crème fraîche, chives.

&

FRIED RICE
Baby vegetables, shiitake mushrooms, fried egg.

Our favorite was actually the salad. I was still kind of full from brunch so it was nice to have a lighter option. The house made dressing was really good, and I enjoyed everything in the salad too. I also liked the fried rice, but didn't love everything in the dish, and I thought it needed more egg. Josh didn't really care for the fried rice. To my surprise the potatoes were my least favorite. They were pretty bland, and there seemed to be an endless amount of them. Josh thought these were okay, and he's the one that ate most of that dish.

Overall the food we had was pretty good, and the view at Bar 17 Bistro can't be beat. (Although we were only a few floors below so the view on one side wasn't that different than our room's view). Service was on the slower side though, and our server had some trouble getting Josh the correct drink order. I'm not in an hurry to rush back there, but if I wanted a good salad on Universal property this is a good pick.

Later that night I went to HHN with Alyssa and Zack. We didn't do a ton of snacking this night, but we did get the Mummy Sugar Cookie. My favorite part of ordering was when the TM said "Now you're cursed! Have a nice day!" when she handed me my cookie.

As you can see these cookies are very sparkly:



These weren't bad cookies, but weren't great either. They were basic sugar cookies, but they weren't warm or freshly made. I liked it, but I also don't think it was worth it for the price. (Which I think was $4 a cookie). ​

 

[BroadwayHermione5]

Really enjoyed reading about the cocktails and screams-looked delicious!

 

[ThreeBoyMama]

Ack I got behind! What a fun place for brunch. All your pictures are making me hungry!

 

[Raeven]

Ack I got behind! What a fun place for brunch. All your pictures are making me hungry!​

It really was a fun place! ​

 

[Raeven]

The Daily Poutine/Polite Pig

For lunch we went to Disney Springs to get some of our favorites.

I got the:
​

Canadian Poutine​

French Fries, Beef Poutine Gravy and Cheddar Curds



As always this was delicious & is my favorite poutine. The thick cut fries are perfect and the warm gravy causes the cheese curds to get the perfect level of melty. Although since they moved it out of the bowl it used to come in it does seem like the portion is a little smaller.

Josh got the:

USDA Prime Brisket
Coffee Rub USDA Prime Brisket served with Jalapeño Cornbread, Signature Polite Slaw and choice of one Market Side (fries)



Josh loves this brisket, and gets it every time we get QS in Disney Springs.

Club Level Snacks Pt 1

So to our surprise when we checked into YC, we were given a club level room. We didn't book CL so this was quite a surprise, but we really enjoyed our stay. We weren't there long, but we did try to sample the CL snacks when we could. I also took some pictures to help show what they offered. They were semi different daily, but here's what they had for dinnertime the day we checked in.












Here's what we got:



I liked the sourdough bread, red pepper hummus, and cheese & crackers. But my favorite was the chicken nuggets with the buffalo ranch sauce. Sadly, they didn't have those again the following day, but I ate plenty of them on this day. ​

 

[Raeven]

Food & Wine Pt 1

On our journey around Food & Wine the first thing we decided to get was a Cider Flight at Appleseed Orchard.



The Bold Rock Imperial Cider had a weird aftertaste we thought. The Original Sin one was my favorite. It had a light, crisp apple taste. & the final hard cider was Josh's favorite. I thought I'd dislike this one, but the cherry flavor was a little lighter than I'd thought so it wasn't too sweet.

We also each grabbed one of the Braised Beef dishes from the Belgium booth, and the Brazilian Cheese Bread dish from the Brazil booth.



The Braised Beef dish has been my favorite for many years, and still continues to be my favorite. The beef is tender and well flavored, and the gouda mashed potatoes are cheesy and delicious. The only thing is this year there seemed to be a lot less beef and more potatoes, but it was still very good. The Brazilian cheese bread is incredibly fluffy and cheesy, and has also been a favorite of ours in the past.

Club Level Snacks Pt 2

When we got back to our room after Epcot they were still serving dessert in the club lounge so we decided to check out what they had.







I got the Chocolate Truffle Cake, Pineapple Carrot Cake, and a cannoli.



Both the small cakes were really moist, but I felt like the Truffle Cake had a bit of a strange flavor to it. The cannoli was my favorite, and I thought they had a nice selection of little desserts. ​

 

[ThreeBoyMama]

I don’t think I’d pay to stay club level but their offerings look really nice. What an awesome upgrade!

 

[Raeven]

I don’t think I’d pay to stay club level but their offerings look really nice. What an awesome upgrade! ​

No I wouldn't either, but it was nice to be able to sample them. We checked in on the app, and when I saw that it said Club Level, I thought it was a glitch at first. ​

 

[BroadwayHermione5]

We love an upgrade!


I really want pao de quejo (the cheese bread) now

 

[Raeven]

We love an upgrade!


I really want pao de quejo (the cheese bread) now​

Yes! I know it's so good! ​

 

[Raeven]

Beaches & Cream

This morning we woke up and headed over to Beaches & Cream. Since the remodel it's been much easier to get an ADR for the restaurant, but I do miss some of the decor from the old Beaches & Cream. Besdies it being really close to our hotel we wanted to get burgers here because we've heard the burgers are amazing and we've had ice cream here before but never a full meal.

We each got the:
​

Angus Beef Burger​

with Cheddar, Lettuce, and Tomato on a Freshly Baked Bun but Josh got fries & I got the:
​

Chili and Cheese Tots​

Tots with Chili, Cheese, Sour Cream, and Green Onions



I found that the burgers were okay, but not $19 good. They don't ask how you want them done, they just come well done. I didn't find them all that different than QS burgers. For only a minor step up from most QS burgers (although I would say Dluxe Burger is better) I didn't really find mine worth the price. The tater tots were pretty good, but the real winner was actually the fries. They were crispy, salty, and delicious.



For dessert we each got an ice cream cone. I got chocolate and Josh got rainbow sherbet. Again these were pretty good, but it was just average ice cream on a cone and each was $7.



Overall I think Beaches & Cream can be a good option if you're staying in the area, but I think it's better to just go there for the shakes and sundaes than the food. We had a great service and a great waitress, but the burgers definitely aren't worth their price, and definitely wouldn't go on my list of top burgers at Disney.​

 

[Raeven]

Club Level Snacks Pt 3/Peco Bill's

Throughout the day we checked out the snacks in the club level at different times. In the morning Josh went to grab some fruit, and grabbed me some strawberries:



During the afternoon they had some snacks out:





Around dinner time they had some different choices than the day before:









I was disappointed the chicken nuggets weren’t an everyday thing because they were my favorite.



My favorites today were the apple slices with the caramel cups, and the gruyere and crackers.

Later that night during MNSSHP we went to Peco Bill's. I figured we'd grab the corn cake they had for the party and some nachos, but they were all out of the corn cake . The nachos were fine, but the toppings were not spread evenly so once we ate a few all the toppings were pretty much gone.

Also I forgot to take a picture right away



Overall this wasn't the most exciting day of food reviews, but we really wanted to try all the club level snacks throughout the day since this was our last full day at the YC. I also thought we'd try more party snacks, but were disappointed to find they were out of certain ones and others had really long lines that didn't seem worth wasting party time waiting for. ​

 

[TwingleMum]

Where was Cocktails & Screams ????

 

[amalone1013]

That's how our nachos were too. I feel like they were better at spreading the toppings before, when they had the topping bar.

 

[Raeven]

Where was Cocktails & Screams ????​

In Downtown Orlando​

That's how our nachos were too. I feel like they were better at spreading the toppings before, when they had the topping bar.​

I miss the toppings bar! ​

 

[Raeven]

Food & Wine Pt 2

We started our Disney check out day back at Epcot.

The first thing I decided to get was this Caramel Butter Bar at Karamel Kuche because the line was the shortest I'd ever seen it.



The caramel was really good. Definitely better than any other caramel I've ever tasted. But this was A LOT. Just a lot of caramel, and a lot for my first snack of the day. I kind of wished I'd got something smaller that had chocolate in it too. (I was hoping to get something that wouldn't melt all over my hands). With all that said this was really good if you're a caramel fan, but probably not something I'd get every time I go.

Josh got the:

Kenyan Coffee Barbecued Beef Tenderloin
with sweet potato and corn mealie pap and kachumbari slaw



He really liked this!

He also wanted to try one of the tequilas at La Cava:




I'm not sure what this one was, but Josh likes to try different tequila and rums on vacation so this was all him. I thought the little setup on the plate was cute. I understand these are more expensive brands, but I thought it was a little much for a shot, but I also don't enjoy straight alcohol.

Next up we grabbed two different flights.

From Brew Wing I got the cider flight. (You can see the flavors on the card but they're Honeycrisp, Guava, and Strawberry Lemonade).

From the Fry Basket we got the fry flight. Which has salt and vinegar fries, BBQ, bacon fries, and sweet potato fries with nuts and marshmallow.



I had, had the Honeycrisp in the flight last year and it was really crisp and refreshing. I did like that one again, but my favorite was the Strawberry Lemonade. It had a very light and fruity taste, and wasn't too heavy on the lemonade which was my concern. The guava on the other hand was too heavily flavored and had a weird aftertaste so that was our least favorite. I love trying the flights even if we don't like them all because there's always one that I'd never think to order that surprises me by being really good.

From the fry flight I loved the salt and vinegar fries. I knew I'd love these since salt and vinegar flavoring is one of my favorites. I didn't care for the BBQ bacon at all. Josh ended up eating those. And the sweet potato were okay, but not my favorite. All in all I loved the idea of the fry flight, but wished you could've ordered bigger portions of certain ones as individual items. I knew going into it the salt and vinegar ones would probably be my favorite, and I would've rather had a larger portion of those than the other flavors I didn't enjoy as much.

My F&W rankings for this year:

1. Belgian Braised Beef
2. Brazilian Cheese Bread
3. Brew Wing Flight
4. Salt and Vinegar Fries from the Fry Flight
5. Appleseed Orchard Flight

NBC Grill & Brew

Later that night we went back over to Universal, and decided to do dinner and a movie since it was raining and HHN was not on that night. I made a reservation for NBC Grill since there wasn't a ton available last minute and I really wanted the buffalo chicken mac and cheese.

It was insanely busy in the restaurant this night, and we were seated upstairs. We ordered a hot pretzel for an appetizer, but it never came. When dropping off our other food the cook (who was not the server we had) said they forgot to make it/never put the order in. So we said that was okay, and we'd just skip it since our entrees were already on the table and we wanted to make sure to get to the movie on time.

Shortly afterwards our normal server came to the table with the hot pretzel and tried to make us take it. She insisted the order was put in even though the cook who dropped the food off said it wasn't. But we were already eating our meals and told her they told us they hadn't made it. She still tried to get us to take it, but we said we were fine and she left. I thought this was weird, and the only thing I can think is she didn't want to have to take it off our bill?



Josh got the:

Smoked Pork
Hickory smoked pork, coleslaw, housemade BBQ sauce, toasted brioche bun

& I got the:

Buffalo Mac & Cheese
Crispy buffalo chicken bites, applewood smoked bacon, smoky cheddar, blue cheese crumble



Josh enjoyed his sandwich and my mac and cheese hit the spot! I had this dish last year, and thought it was really good. I will say the portion size seemed a little smaller this year, but it felt like the perfect size for me. The mac and cheese was very creamy, and I love the blue cheese and buffalo sauce combo in the mac and cheese. We enjoyed our meal at NBC Grill despite the weird exchange with our waiter, and the food came in a timely way despite the large crowd. It's not one of our favorites, but they do have some dishes that are worth going for. ​

 

[BroadwayHermione5]

So weird about the pretzel at NBC-like……very weird.

Those salt and vinegar fries sound amazing.

 

[Raeven]

So weird about the pretzel at NBC-like……very weird.​

It was weird!​

Those salt and vinegar fries sound amazing.​

They were so good! I wish you could just order those. ​