Sunshine Griddle: Brunch Bites and Beverages
Fried Cinnamon Roll Bites w/ cream cheese frosting and candied bacon ($4.50) - 5/5 stars. These sweet and decadent “bites” are deep fried with cinnamon/cream cheese filling. In my opinion they are a little too big to eat in a single bite but that’s not something I particularly minded because size helps ensure the inside is nice and soft while the outside is crispy. They are the messiest thing on the menu for this booth because the filling WILL drop out once you bite in so be prepared.
Avocado Toast w/ marinated toybox tomatoes and toasted ciabatta ($6.00) - 4.5/5 stars. Generous sized piece of ciabatta topped with avocado mash, tomatoes and watermelon radishes. The avocado is rich and the tomatoes give a surprising amount of acid balance. Not much flavor to the radishes but they lend a subtle crunch. Only critique is that the ciabatta could have toasted for just a little bit longer.
Farmer’s Feast
*IMPORTANT NOTE* this booth has a rotating food menu
Hibiscus Lemonade Cocktail ($11.00) - 5/5 stars. Contains Islamorada Brewery and Distillery Gin. First of all this is absolutely gorgeous to photograph - I basically gave this drink a photo shoot while waiting on the rest of my food. But after you take the obligatory photo, STIR. I always take a sip first even though I know better just to see if I need to give this recommendation… and I do. Once stirred, it’s a wonderfully refreshing and smooth gin lemonade.
Collective Arts Brewing Raspberry Lemon Hibiscus Verbena Whole Leaf Steeped Sparkling Hard Tea (6oz $5.00, 12oz $9.00) - 2/5 stars. Decently refreshing but I very much wanted this to be stronger, both in flavor and alcohol content. It’s a sparkling weak tea that feels like someone was thinking about raspberries and lemons while they made it. If you like La Croix, you will like this but it really wasn’t my cup of tea.
Goat Cheese Creamsicle Pop ($4.75) - 3.5/5 stars. Contains goat cheese crémeux, orange cream, olive oil cake, cranberry sauce, and praline. For me, this was a quirky little delight but I’m already predicting some people will have a problem with this- primarily with the texture. Be aware, this is not a popsicle. It is goat cheese and orange custard on a stick. The flavor is pretty light and reminds me a bit of a merengue pie. The olive oil cake was too dry to be saved by the tart base sauces but I might be unfairly biased because I’ve never particularly cared for olive oil cake. Only available through April 9th.
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Char-grilled Bison Ribeye w/ creamy leek fondue, roasted carnival cauliflower, romanesco, and port wine-goat cheese butter ($8.00) - 5/5 stars. One of my new favorite dishes. There is no part of this dish that can be ignored. The cauliflower and romanesco are perfectly roasted and the bison is tender and not at all gamey. The absolute stunner on this plate was the leek fondue, which I am going to be promptly learning to make at home. The only downside is that it is only available through April 9th.
Pineapple Promenade
Spicy Hot Dog ($8.00) - 5/5 stars. Topped with pineapple chutney, plantain chips, and spicy aïoli. This has been a festival favorite of mine for years. I find this full-size hot dog interesting because it really is spicy - both the toppings and the dog itself - but this in no way detracts from the flavor. You can taste each individual element separately with each bite as it toes the line of almost too spicy to be widely popular but with the occasional bright sweet note.
Frozen Desert Violet Lemonade ($4.50) - 5/5 stars. I’ve been struggling to decide how to write about something that is such a well known and loved festival icon. I decided the most useful thing would be to describe what violet lemonade actually IS and why it isn’t just purple frozen lemonade. While it is a lemonade, the distinctive flavor comes from violet simple syrup. This is traditionally made by boiling actual violets in water then straining the violets out before adding sugar and lemon juice. As a result, this drink is both tart and sweet with lovely floral notes.
Lotus House
Spicy Mala Chicken Skewer ($6.75) - 4/5 stars. Topped with a “spicy” sauce, sesame seeds and scallions. Not spicy at all but does have good flavor. The chicken was well cooked, crispy on the outside but tender and juicy in the inside.
House-made Cheesy Crab Wontons ($7.75)- 4/5 stars. Essentially the crab rangoon we all know. Creamy, sweet filling in a nice crispy deep fried wonton shell. The whole dish is drizzled with a sweet and sour sauce. Very good but nothing super special so could be skipped if you are trying to save stomach space.
Rose Bubble Milk Tea ($8.75) - 3.5/5. Really nice boba tea with a delicate floral flavor. Would I call it rose? Probably not. But that doesn’t mean it won’t satisfy a milk tea craving. This also comes with my usual disclaimer that it contains tapioca pearls so be aware for the texture averse.
The Honey Bee-stro
Tupelo Honey and Sweet Corn Spoon Bread ($5.00) - (5/5 stars) w/ jalapeños, bacon, and house-made whipped honey butter. Delicious moist cornbread with a strong honey flavor. It does contain a generous amount of whole kernel corn, so keep that in mind if texture is an issue. Also, don’t be wary of the jalapeños, you can’t taste them and it’s not at all spicy.
Florida Orange Groves Winery Orange Blossom Honey Wine ($6.00) - (4.5/5 stars). A light, sweet wine with a very mild orange blossom honey flavor. Only critique is it’s a very small pour, similar to when Canada has Icewine.
Bauernmarkt Farmer’s Market
Potato Pancakes w/ house-made applesauce ($4.75) - Two savory, salty potato pancakes topped with sweet applesauce. The applesauce is house made so it isn’t as smooth as what you buy in the store and has some apple chunks, which I like. The pancakes could have been griddled for just a little longer to get a crispy shell because they were just a touch soggy.
Magnolia Terrace
Grilled Oysters w/ Cajun Butter ($7.50) - 5/5 stars. Grilled right at the stand these hot and fresh grilled oysters have never been gritty or had a strong fishy flavor any time I’ve had them. The Cajun butter has a mild heat but these are also served with an adorably small bottle of Tabasco for an additional kick.
Bayou Cocktail ($12.00) - 5/5 stars. Bayou spiced rum, coconut rum, fruit punch and Minute Maid orange juice. Tasty tropical cocktail that belongs on a beach somewhere. Was a little fruit punch heavy this time but I have had it mixed with a heavier hand in the past so it really depends who is behind the counter.
Danielle has been a resident of Orlando, FL for 3 years but prior to moving to the area she had been making a least one annual trip to Disney with her best friend for close to a decade. She’s had a passion for food and cooking most of her life but has only recently started sharing her passion with others. When she isn’t working her regular job, she tries to spend as much time in Disney World or Universal Studios as possible!
Do you love what you read? You can also follow Danielle on her personal instagram page @wdwfoodreviews
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