Tag Archives: Disney Dining

Le Cellier Steakhouse

Posted in Disney Stuff, Gluten Free in Florida, Gluten Free Living, Review, Travel & Adventures by

Brian finally managed to get lunch reservation to Le Cellier Steakhouse…. and I was so excited… until I woke up with a raging headache.

The nice thing about living near Disney and having Annual Passes is that it’s not like I’m ‘wasting’ a vacation day if I can’t get going…. but I really, really wanted to try Le Cellier and it’s not the easiest place to get reservations.

I took hot shower, aspirin and chugged a bunch of water….. then I moped around the hotel room and whined for an hour or two. Brian made me eat a banana and drink coffee… which because that cured my headache once, he assumes it should work every time.

I finally felt well enough to venture out… and I figured if the headache did finally kill me maybe the ghosts at the Haunted Mansion would take me in. You know there’s 999 ghost in the Haunted Mansion…. but there’s room for 1000!


Epcot was celebrating their International Flower & Garden Festival… which is GORGEOUS!!! They had a bazillion flowers and topiaries everywhere…. and food vendors. I love the food vendors at the Epcot festivals. The signs are clearly labeled with Gluten Free, vegan and vegetarian options. Most of the booths had at least one GF option. Since I was still whiny about my headache Brian stopped at every booth with a GF offering and made (oh, the torture!) me eat. And drink a bottle of water. I have a bad habit of getting my meals out of wack when I have a headache…. or letting myself get dehydrated…. so Brian just keeps shoving food and water at me until I stop whining.

I ate the scallops too fast to take a picture and Brian wouldn’t let me get another order even though I told him it was for the sake of the blog.

I did manage to restrain myself long enough to take a photo of the Raspberry & Chocolate Creme Macaron though.


We wandered around a enjoyed the topiaries until it was time for our lunch reservation.


Le Cellier Steakhouse is super hard to get a dinner reservation and only slightly easier to get a lunch reservation. It is one of Disney’s Signature Dining Experiences. (If you are on the Disney Dining Plan it will cost you two dining credits.) We’ve been wanting to try it for a while, but just haven’t gotten the chance. By the time we made it to our reservation my headache had mostly faded, but going from the lovely warmth outside to the air conditioned cool indoors made it flare up again. I felt guilty as I poked at my rather expensive chicken.

Poulet Rouge – Andouille-stuffed Chicken Roulade, Autumn Hash, Acorn Squash Purée, and Ginger-spiced Cranberry Glaze

Brian ordered the Rib-Eye.

Black Angus Rib-Eye – Crisp Fingerling Potatoes, Neuske’s Bacon Vinaigrette, Heirloom Carrots, Maple Bordelaise Butter

I didn’t get a photo of the Rib-Eye, but I did manage to steal and eat about half of it…. The chicken was good, but headache-tummy likes steak better. (I don’t understand it either… don’t even try.)

The food was fabulous… even with a headache I recognized that the food was delicious. The restaurant itself was beautiful. Dark and rich looking with gleaming wood and soft lighting. I really wish I’d been feeling better and could have tried more of the menu. My headache just really hated the air conditioning so we didn’t get to stay long. Once back outside I started to feel better. (I’m such a weirdo.)


Le Cellier is defiantly on my list of Must Visit Again places. I’ll try not to have a headache next time!

Advertisements

Breakfast in Disney World 

Posted in Disney Stuff, Gluten Free in Florida, Gluten Free Living, Review by

I love pretty everything about Walt Disney World. Dole Whips, Mouse Ears, Character Encounters, rides….. and the FOOD. Oh, the food. For a Gluten Free girl Disney World is absolute heaven. First of all, they actually have Gluten Free food…. and it’s GOOD. Even better… they have Gluten Free food available everywhere and the don’t treat you like a freak or punish you for asking for it. Disney is magical for anyone with food allergies. To be able to eat delicious, safe food and be treated like a normal human all in the same experience…. it’s just magical! 

Now that we’re Florida residents and Annual Passholders, Brian and I have been trying to work our way through a wider variety of the Disney restaurants. (It’s a real burden guys, but I’m doing it for y’all and the sake of the blog. 😉)


I LOVE breakfast… but not first thing in the morning.. too early. I’m more of a brunch kinda girl. Which works perfect in Disney!

Boma – Flavors of Africa, located at the Animal Kingdom Lodge has quickly become one of my favorite places for breakfast. It’s a buffet, which would normally mean certain death for someone with a gluten allergy (cross contamination central!), but not in Disney.

Disney doesn’t unnecessarily add flour or gluten containing ingredients to things. (I don’t have a dairy or nut allergy, but I’ve seen other people who do at the buffet and there seems to be a great variety for them too.) Did you know that a lot of buffets add pancake batter to the scrambled eggs to make them fluffier?  Yeah… wtf?! Not at Disney! Food just has ingredients that belong.

At Boma we told our waitress that we both had a gluten allergy. The chef came out and walked us around the buffet. He knew each item and the ingredients. The oatmeal is made with certified gf oats and water so it’s safe for GF and milk allergies.

The chef made us a special batch of Allergy Friendly Mickey Waffles and brought us a plate of gf donuts (Katz brand).

Be sure to try the Jamba Juice at Boma! Guava, pineapple and orange juices… yum.


We also had breakfast at the Grand Floridian Cafe. I ordered the Allergy Friendly Mickey Waffles (of course) and Brian tried to order the Allergy Friendly pancakes, but the waitress misheard and brought him waffles too.


As it turns out, the were celebratory waffles…  Just as we were pouring our maple syrup Brian got the phone call that we’d received an offer on the house that we’d just finished rehabbing. Woo hoo! Under contract in 24 hours!


The waffles were delicious. Crisp on the outside and fluffy perfection on the inside.

Not every restaurant gets the Mickey Waffles right. I’ve had them a few times where they are too crisp on the outside and still gummy on the inside. I think the Allergy Friendly batter needs to be cooked a bit longer and at a lower temp to get them just right. Dont feel bad about sending them back if they’re not right. Disney won’t know what’s working and what’s not if we don’t speak up.


On our last morning we had breakfast at Hollywood & Vine in Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

It was a character dining experience, but I didn’t know any of the characters. It was also a buffet…. but it was nothing like the buffet at Boma.

The buffet was very basic… and not especially tasty in my opinion.

The eggs and potatoes were especially salty.

And the Allergy Friendly Mickey Waffles were gummy on the inside.


The did give us an Allergy Guide…. which was a nice idea… even though it was fairly limited/boring.

Boma is still my favorite Disney breakfast. If you have the opportunity to try only one… visit Boma. The food, flavors, atmosphere and staff are all amazing.