Popeye's Louisiana Kitchen

Not wanting to do the overpriced theme park food thing again, we decided to rely on snacks to make to the end of the day - not particularly the best idea when dealing with 2 hungry and tired kiddies. So we sustained ourselves on Cheez-Its and Blue Diamond almonds when we really should've been eating dinner.  Therefore, we took the easier route possible when returning to our hotel and stopped by Popeye's for some takeout.

I've had the stuff before at home (before they closed it) and in San Jose.  I can't say it was all the memorable despite their loyal following.  Since it has been awhile, it was as good of a time to try it again. We ended up with the family meal that came with 6 Biscuits.  These were a bit crisp on the outside and fluffy within.  They were a bit salty though.  In addition, I got a side order of Popcorn Shrimp which was a bit small for the price.  They were crunchy though with a slight kick.  Not bad, but hardly worth it.

Onto the main event, the Fried Chicken pieces were a mix of white and dark meat.  All were pretty big in size and fried until super crunchy.  Naturally, the white meat was not as juicy as the dark meat, but at the very least, it wasn't completely dry.  I thought the chicken as well as the batter was properly seasoned.  For the included sides, we got Coleslaw and Mash Potatoes & Gravy.  I particularly liked the gravy as it had nice meaty bits and had some spice.  If my memory serves me right, this was a far better experience than the last time and at the very least, Popeye's is a good alternative to KFC (in my opinion).

The Good:
- Chicken skin is crunchy and well-seasoned
- Chicken is not dry
- Good sides

The Bad:
- Not exactly cheap
- A bit salty

Sweet Tomatoes

Often, whilst on vacation, the likelihood of running into a fresh fruit or vegetable is as good as another meaningful American Pie movie (or a tasteful Miley Cyrus performance).  Hence I was on a mission to rid ourselves of this unhealthy condition.  Enter Sweet Tomatoes.  No, we didn't go down to the nearest grocery store and pick up some raw tomatoes to eat (my son would have an immediate gag reflex in that case).  Rather, we made our way to a unique buffet that could be considered somewhat healthy.  With all the soups, salads and other items you can eat for under $10.00, it was refreshing to find a meal that would not be in a shade of brown.

The first thing to great us was an extensively long line of freshly made salads, veggies and fruit. In fact, the Caesar Salad dressing was somewhat freshly made (the creamy Worcestershire was pre-prepared).  After I loaded up my plate with these strange things called vegetables (really fresh and aesthetically-pleasing), I was pleasantly surprised to see a house-made blue cheese dressing.  It was chunky, fresh-tasting and thick. I also liked how they kept everything stocked all-the-time.

Prominently featured, the 8 different soups available were made from scratch.  I tried the Chicken Noodle and unlike many restaurant versions, it was not yellow with dried parsley floating around.  Instead, it was clear with big chunks of chicken and noodles.  It was not salty at all and had the natural taste of...  wait for it...  chicken.  Novel concept eh?  Chicken soup tasting like real chicken soup! I also thought the Creamy Corn Chowder to be pretty good as well.  It was rich, but not overly so and full of plump sweet corn and tender potatoes.  The Spicy Sausage with Orecchiette was probably my favourite as it was flavourful without being salty and had a definite kick.  The sausage was both plentiful and meaty while the pasta could've been a little less dense.  I liked how they skimmed the grease before serving. In addition to soups and salads, there was a section with some heartier offerings such as Baked Potato, Flatbread and Pastas.

In addtion to some muffins, cornbread, brownies and other breads, there was a dessert section consisting of Chocolate Mousse, Tapioca Pudding, Fruit and Ice Cream. Although none of the food blew us away, we were impressed at the overall quality for the price.  Definitely a good alternative to expensive theme park fare or greasy fast food.

The Good:
- Somewhat healthier alternative
- Well-priced
- Fresh

The Bad:
- Could lack substance for big eaters

Padrino's Cuban Cuisine

Being in Florida for a good 3 days and all we had to show for it was a chain restaurant and Disney grub - not exactly an impressive array of eats.  Hence, we needed to find something more representative of the local cuisine.  However, staying at a theme park for the whole day left a black hole of options for food.  So we ended up at Padrino's Cuban Cuisine, which served to be a quasi-interesting dinner in comparison our previous meals (and yes, you don't need to point out that this was yet another chain restaurant...).

We were greeted by a friendly woman who was very pleasant to deal with throughout our meal.  Arriving as a complimentary starter, the Fried Plantains were pretty good in our opinion.  They were super crunchy, not greasy and nicely salted.  The accompanying garlic dipping sauce further amped up the flavours.  For my first dish (yes, I got another), I had the Cubano which was quite acceptable considering the type of restaurant.  The bread was crunchy and not too heavy while there was an ample amount of ham, roasted pork and cheese.  Personally, I would've liked more pickles and mustard, but that could've been easily rectified.

For my second dish, I had the Pollo Asado served with rice, black beans and sweet plantains.  Although the chicken was roasted with a well-rendered and attractively hued skin, the meat itself was rather dry (including the thigh).  I did like the sweet plantains though as they were nicely caramelized.  Viv opted for the Lechon Asado with arroz moro and yucca.  As much as the shredded pork was pretty dry, it was really flavorful and benefited from the light kiss from the flattop.  The acidity and garlickiness from the citrus mojo brought the dry pork to life.  We also liked the yucca as it was garlicky and soft (in its sticky way).

Another reason we picked Padrino's was that they had a reasonably-priced kid's menu.  Our kids were not very adventurous and decided to go with the Grilled Cheese (grilled cheese & ham pictured).  By looking at the picture, if you thought a quasi-Cubano without the pork and pickles, you'd be right.  In the end, Padrino's did the job in a comfortable environment.

The Good:
- Comfortable
- Friendly service
- Decent portion sizes

The Bad:
- A bit pricey
- Proteins were a bit dry

50's Prime Time Cafe (Walt Disney World)

With us being stuck at Disney's Hollywood Studios for lunch, we bit the bullet again and shelled out the big bucks to eat at 50's Prime Time Cafe.  At the very least, the kids were having a good time at the Toy Story ride which was essentially a glorified animated shooting corral.  Seemingly simple, this was one of our favourite rides at WDW. Back to the restaurant, the main draw is its 50's decor emulating "mom's kitchen" complete with black & white TVs playing the classics.  Furthermore, the menu featured some pretty typical 50's dinners.

Instead of ordering the boring kid's meals, we decided to get some items to share as a table.  We started with the Fried Herb and Garlic Cheese on raspberry sauce.  It wasn't stated on the menu as Boursin, but it sure tasted like they fried a puck of it with herb breading.  In that sense, it was good with it's signature taste and soft texture which contrasted the crunchy breading.  I'm still not sure about the sauce, but it didn't offend.  We also had the Chicken Noodle Soup which was nothing special.  There was the usual ingredients such as pasta, carrots, celery and chicken in a bouillon-laced broth.  Okay I suppose.

For Viv, she went for the Chicken Pot Pie that came as a very generous portion with big chunks of chicken.  The white meat was predictably chewier than the dark meat.  I found the gravy to be rather light for a pot pie as it was not too thick nor too floury.  In terms of taste, it was sweet and okay on the salt.  For myself, I couldn't decide, so I went for A Sampling of Mom's Favorite Recipes including fried chicken, pot roast and meatloaf.  It was served with veggies, mash potatoes and gravy.  The best item on the plate was the fried chicken in my opinion.  The meat was relatively moist (while not juicy though) and well-seasoned.  The skin was fried nicely being not-too-fatty and crispy.  It tasted somewhat like a watered-down KFC (which was a good thing).  The pot roast was pretty decent being moist and not too stringy.  Good rich meat flavour though.  The meatloaf was moist and meaty while being very easy to chew.  Flavours were muted though as I couldn't pick out anything other than salt and ketchup. Again, nothing ground-breaking but decent eats nonetheless.  This was a pretty expensive meal though.

The Good:
- Food is a bit more interesting than counter-service
- Loved the decor
- Loved the themed-service

The Bad:
- As expected, expensive
- Okay food, but not worth the price

Earl of Sandwich

Eating anything at Walt Disney World is generally best described as highway robbery.  Depending on which restaurant, it may not be a culinary experience either.  Hence, I had Earl of Sandwich on my itinerary to give us a less costly option for eats.  Furthermore, it seemed like a good value considering the high ratings on various websites.  Unfortunately, I parked at the farthest point from where it is located in Downtown Disney which meant we had to listen to our kids whine all the way there.

We decided to go for 4 sammies (actually it was me who decided) including the Earl's Club made with turkey, bacon, Swiss, sandwich sauce, lettuce & tomato.  This typical and simple sandwich was decent with plenty of ingredients including lots of meat.  What made it better than the average was the bread.  It was slightly crusty on the outside, but plenty soft on the inside without being mushy or too dense.  I went for the Full Montagu consisting of roasted beef, turkey, Swiss, sharp cheddar, lettuce, tomato & mustard sauce.  The highlight of this sammie, beyond the bread, was the super tender and moist real roast beef.  It was buttery soft while tasting like, well, roast beef.

We also tried the Holiday Turkey with all the fixins'.  It included turkey, stuffing, cranberry and gravy.  Suffice to say, this was a messy proposition.  However, that was the point of it all with a turkey dinner in a sandwich.  With the plethora of thick gravy and stuffing, the whole thing was a bit salty though.  Finally, we got the Tuna Melt with albacore tuna salad (celery and onions) and a tonne of Swiss.  Another messy eat, but that meant there was more than enough tuna to overflow the sides.  This was pretty good as there was just enough mayo and other ingredients to compliment.

For dessert, we got a Brownie and it was surprisingly good.  The outside was crispy while the inside was chocolaty and chewy.  It was sweet but overly so.  This meal including 2 drinks was under $30.00 and we were stuffed.  Although the sandwiches weren't life-altering (and not many things are), they were very good especially for the price.  Definitely a cost-efficient and tasty option for WDW.

The Good:
- Inexpensive
- Lots of fillings
- Good bread

The Bad:
- Located at the end of Downtown Disney, you have to park at the end or it's a walk

Ming Court

Having lived in Vancouver my whole life, I've been spoiled by some of the best Chinese food on the planet.  Hence, everything else in my travels have paled in comparison.  With that in consideration, that hasn't stopped me from bravely trying Dim Sum where Dim Sum really shouldn't stand a chance.  Besides, my DNA prescribes that I eat Chinese food at least once a week, despite my location.  So on our trip to Orlando, we headed over to Ming Court to "yum cha" even though they boldly advertised Chinese food as well as sushi...

With a beautiful entrance way complete with a Koi pond, the restaurant was spacious and comfortable.  We started with the Haw Gow (Shrimp Dumplings) which were very small with a chewy wrapper.  The shrimp filling had a slight snap but was on the rubbery side.  It was predominantly seasoned with salt with little in the way of any sesame oil or white pepper.  The Sui Mai (Pork & Shrimp Dumpling) was not very good as the texture was far too soft and mealy.  At the same time, the chunks of meat were dry and chewy which created a strange feeling when eaten.  Again, the main seasoning we could taste was salt.

Up next, we tried both the BBQ Pork Rice Noodle Roll and Beef Rice Noodle Roll.  We liked how the noodle itself was quite thin.  It was relatively soft while being chewy at the same time.  The BBQ pork filling was meaty exhibiting minimal fat.  In that sense, that was a good rice noodle roll.  As for the beef, it was too soft where it merely blended in with the rice noodle.  Furthermore, it was quite bland, but the sweet soy sauce helped alleviate that somewhat.  My son actually enjoyed the BBQ pork rice noodle roll and ate most of it.  He also liked the Lo Mei Gai (Sticky Rice wrapped in Lotus Leaves).  It was a tad wet, yet benefited from the ample amount of dried shrimp which added both flavor (saltiness) and aroma.

Looking like it had a suntan from the hot Florida sun, the Seen Jook Gewn (Bean Curd Skin Rolls) exhibited a chewy exterior.  The color was probably due to old cooking oil rather than being result of over-frying.  The ground pork filling was on the drier side and chewy.  On the other hand, it did taste okay with a good amount of wood ear mushrooms and bamboo shoots. We weren't huge fans of the Pan-Fried Dumplings as the wrapper was far too thick and doughy.  Furthermore, the bottom of the dumplings were not crispy despite the pan-frying.  The pork and vegetable filling was too soft with barely any meat texture.  To top it off, the accompanying sauce should have been red vinegar, instead it was sweet soy.

On the menu, there was a weird item called "Beef Chop" which didn't match the picture.  To me it looked like Beef Tripe and Daikon...  and indeed it was.  Then it occurred to me they did a phonetic translation (but it was still wrong because it would be assorted beef offal instead of just tripe).  I found the tripe to be soft while still retaining a chew.  It was properly cleaned where there was no gaminess.  Rather, there was a pleasant gingeriness to the dish.  The Steamed Pork Spareribs were pretty decent except that there was far too much fat and cartilage. There was a good balance of flavors including a good amount of garlic.

Our last savory dish consisted of the Stuffed Eggplant with shrimp mousse. The eggplant itself was fried crispy while being tender inside.  The mousse was not as bouncy as I would've liked and the black bean sauce was pretty bland (not sure if there was actual black bean in there).  For dessert, we tried the Egg Tarts and they were too buttery.  Moreover, the custard was floury rather than silky as well as being too sweet.  Now to be fair, we can't possibly compare this with some of the very best Dim Sum I've had.  While we were heading out of the restaurant, an Asian tourist from Georgia asked us if the food was any good.  We remarked it was pretty average and the response we got was, "it will probably be better than what we get back home".  I guess everything is relative.

The Good:
- Spacious and comfortable environment
- Good service

The Bad:
- Below average Dim Sum, but okay for Orlando

Pinocchio's Village Haus (Walt Disney World)

This was the situation: we were stuck at the Magical Kingdom at Disney World without food.  We briefly considered leaving the park in search of eats, but seeing how we'd either have to take a ferry or monorail just to get the parking lot, it didn't seem like a good idea.  On the other hand, we ended up staying 15+ hours straight at the park which was not a great decision either... Begrudgingly, we made our way to Pinocchio's Village Haus for dinner.

Viv and I decided to share some items stating with the Chicken Caesar Salad.  Unfortunately, despite its good looks, the sliced chicken breast on top was not thawed out properly.  Viv couldn't really even chew through it.  I took it back and they gave me new one with the same issue and with only 2.5 pieces.  When I brought this up, the lady that was helping me declared it was a cold chicken salad.  I realized that, but nowhere did it say it was a semi-thawed chicken salad!  Happiest place on Earth my arse...  Fortunately, another employee decided to just replace the salad with a Meatball Sub and a side of fries  I got to keep the salad which finally thawed out 20 minutes later.  It was alright, but left a bad taste in our mouths literally and figuratively.  The sub was pretty filling with 4 large moist meatballs.  Despite the amount of melted cheese, it was rather bland in need of more tomato sauce.

We also had the Chicken Nuggets and Fries, which I though was pretty decent.  The fries were the typical generic version but the nuggets were whole chunks of moist white meat that was breaded and fried really crunchy.  The kids had the very reasonably-priced children's meals for $5.99 which included drink, entree, grapes and yogurt.  My son had the Mac n' Cheese and it was really cheesy, if not lacking in creaminess.  My daughter had the Cheese Flatbread and it was alright.  The crust was crunchy, but a little dry.  In the end, it filled our tummies with very little fanfare.  I guess that is why we didn't get the Disney Dining Plan...  If we were forced to eat this stuff every now and then (there are nicer places too), we would be longing for McD's...

The Good:
- It's convenient
- We got to enjoy A/C

The Bad:
- Typical theme-park food
- Frozen chicken doesn't constitute a cold salad...