Just the two of us...no dining plan, no discounts, no allergies...lots of pics! COMPLETE

tweetylori

DIS Veteran
Joined
Jul 12, 2004
It didn't take me long to learn the mantra that spared Servers breath and time: "no dining plan, no discounts, no allergies". (although I did end up with one very nice discount, and one not-so-very-nice allergic reaction) . I am also a bit of a Dis'ers groupie. I've read all the reviews, seen all the pics, read all the menus. Honestly, 99% of the time I knew what I was going to order in each place before we left Raleigh NC. (although one place had the nerve to drop the one item I was going to order...gasp!) On our 6 night Orlando vacation that turned into 7, we ate and drank and were merry most of the time. We experienced some "most-bang-for-the-buck" moments, as well as some "never-again-waste-of-money" times. I am a food porn lover, so I have pics of everything, and assuming I don't have problems uploading them, they are coming as fast as I can do this thing while being back at work.

What can I say? I love food & drinks. As much as I would like to say this review will be California Grill, Takumi-Tei and Albert & Victoria, neither of us have won the lottery yet, so this review will be more like The Edison, Grand Floridian Cafe and Via Napoli. We are more "bang-for-the-buck" kind of people. I love to score deals on travel, food and drinks. Which is not easy to do in Mouseland. A few years ago we did get a "free" dining plan four-night adventure that we enjoyed very much, staying at Port Orleans. But let's face it, there doesn't seem to be an off-season anymore, so this January vacation meant no free anything. Husband managed to score a somewhat decent price for a stay at the All Stars Music, so off we went.

Yes, just the two of us celebrating my darn big birthday with the big zero. (thank you Husband!)

Leaving Raleigh we start at the only sit-down restaurant in the Southwest Terminal at RDU with drinks and the Pimento Cheese Fritters.IMG_20200119_111115915.jpg
 


But our magic bands failed us so it took some time to actually GET in our room. My food-point is that by the time we got to Disney Springs, our bar-hopping intentions dwindled to just two. The first of which was to try The Edison! This was definitely Husband's kind of place. Loved the old movies playing, the steam-punk kinda atmosphere. It was early evening Sunday when we arrived with no reservations. No problem getting a two-top upstairs overlooking down. It was also happy hour, with a limited menu, but we took advantage of it, with a glass of wine for me and a bourbon drink for Husband. I thought I had taken a pic of the happy hour menu but apparently I did not and I don't see it online. Guessing it probably changes. IMG_20200119_172111516.jpgIMG_20200119_172341254.jpg
 


Again thinking we were going to be bar-hopping the night away, we opted to share the Edison burger:

THE EDISON
signature beef blend of sirloin, short rib, and brisket topped with white cheddar, crispy onions, smoked bacon, house-made pickles, lettuce, tomato, special sauce, with hand cut fries | 23

All I can say is YUM. This burger ROCKED with flavorIMG_20200119_173727880.jpg
 
Let me tell you these Edison folks know their bacon. It MADE this burger. The burger was perfect for sharing. Cooked a bit more than the medium requested, but still moist and delicious. (they were kind enough to bring us an extra plate). A great start to our Disney dining adventures! Service was terrific. Onward to bar-hopping stop 2!
 
Next up it was over to an old-time favorite of ours...Jock Lindsey's Hangar Bar! Gee Whiz this place was packed! We have never had a problem getting a decent seat in the past, but this time we grabbed the last seats we could find, which was a high top right inside the main door. In the past we've managed to sit in the bell, and at the bar, both more comfy than this table with no-back hard stools. We did have a pleasant gal waitress. No deals to be found on the menu. I ordered a glass of wine and I don't remember what Husband got. For some reason I didn't take a drink pic, but I did snap a pic of the one food item we shared. The queso: IMG_20200119_182058893.jpg
 
Sadly my reaction to this was it had to have been out of a jar. You know that nasty queso stuff they sell by chips in the grocery store? That's exactly what this dip tasted like. The chips were good though, and the peppers on top saved it from complete disaster. They added just enough intrigue and freshness to make me question whether my jarred assessment was accurate or not. Either way, this dip did in our bar-hopping ways for the night. That, and the fact that we had to get to Hollywood Studios early in the morning for the Rise of Resistance lottery. So we did some shopping, then hopped the bus back to our Value Resort for our first night. Coming up next, Hollywood Studios eats and drinks!
 

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