Bird’s Eye View of a Magic Breakfast

Gearing up to celebrate a monumental birthday is likely different for everyone. Some people plan lavish parties with lots of excitement, but for me, there was a lot of crying, panic, and anxiety. When I found myself with a work-free day on my 30th, I decided to make the best of it and celebrate WDW style! If you have to turn 30, you might as well turn 30 at Disney’s Polynesian Resort, right?

A few days prior, I made a reservation for myself at Kona Cafe, and promptly sent an e-mail to the WDW Special Diets team (thank you Disney Hipsters Adam and Andrew for the advice!). You see, I had heard tell of vegan Tonga Toast. Though I had never had traditional Tonga Toast, I figured: if there’s any way to celebrate a birthday, it’s with vegan deep fried bread and cinnamon, so I might as well give it a whirl!

I received a reply from WDW Special Diets the day following my request. They assured me it wouldn’t be a problem, and to just notify the host or hostess that I had spoken with them. Bingo bango, right? I can’t say I wasn’t skeptical, or preparing myself for potential disappointment, but I figured if nothing else, there was Kona coffee in it for me, so it would be a win/win either way!

Pressed Pot Kona Coffee

When I arrived, it was like they had all been waiting for me! Mind you, there were only two other families eating breakfast at 11am on a Monday at Kona Cafe, but everyone was so welcoming and courteous (heck no, I didn’t tell them it was my birthday, are you crazy?!). My server, who was just the nicest young man (I can start calling people “young man” now that I’m 30), immediately got the chef (also a nice young man). Since my e-mail to Special Diets had detailed that I was specifically hoping for vegan Tonga Toast, the chef knew exactly what I had come for and let me know it wouldn’t be a problem. He said it would take just a few extra minutes to change the oil. Take as long as you want, buddy, just bring on the Toast!

As I sat consuming an entire pressed pot of Kona coffee, the most wonderful looking breakfast food item I had ever seen was placed before me. Ladies and gentlemen, it was French Toast, it was as big as my head, there were bananas inside, and a little cup with a spout filled with some magical strawberry concoction. Was this heaven? I think it was. A delicious, cinnamon sugar heaven. It was extremely filling, but so good that I wanted to keep eating forever. The strawberry compote was the perfect compliment to the French Toast. Maple syrup, maple schmyrup.

There were bananas. Inside!

I managed to eat about half of my portion, leaving all of the poor side-of-fruit to get packed up to go along with the second half of my toasty breakfast. I ate the second half secretly, in small spaced out bites throughout the day. This was so filling I didn’t have an appetite for anything else the rest of the day. Don’t forget about the entire pressed pot of coffee just for me, but still!

This has to be one of my all-time favorite meals I have ever eaten at WDW. I promise, I am not exaggerating. If you find yourself seeking out an amazing vegan breakfast or early lunch option, please be sure to contact Special Diets ahead of time so the chef can be prepared to make you this amazing meal. Also, if you’re going, make the reservation for one extra person and invite me, ok?

A Slice of Vegan Tonga Toast Heaven is a post from the TouringPlans.com Blog. Signup for a premium subscription today! Or get news via Email, Twitter, & Facebook.

“This is a French restaurant.” That is what my server felt necessary to point out when I asked what the vegan options are at Monsieur Paul. A French restaurant? Really? I had no idea! The fact that it’s a) called “Monsieur Paul b) located in the France Pavillion at Epcot and c) a mere few feet away from a giant replica of La Tour Eiffel did not tip me off.

I realize that traditional French fare is not typically plant-centric. Being in a theme park and not traipsing around the 5th arrondissement, however, I figured I would be met with the typical Disney restaurant procedure: ask if anything is vegan, explain what “vegan” means, then usually talk with a chef about things that can be created, or menu items that can be modified. Instead, at Monsieur Paul, I was told that there was nothing available to meet my requests, but the server guessed they could make me a salad (a French salad, I hoped!).

Unfortunately, there was no vegan option for an appetizer, or an amuse bouche so I settled on sparkling water, until my entree arrived. The entree was good, and may deserve an extra bunch of kale on top of the rating given, but the journey to said entree was disappointing.

So, what did I eat? I was served hash brown potatoes, over grilled potatoes, over asparagus and carrots, over leeks, with a side of potato beignets. Yes, lots of potato. The presentation was pretty, and I must say the triple potato whammy was the best part. Though everything was a bit overly greasy and salty, in the end, I appreciated the effort and managed to eat every bite. 

For dessert, I was served raspberry sorbet, strawberry sorbet with raspberries.  This is a fairly standard vegan dessert option at just about every Walt Disney World restaurant, and is always a delightful end to any meal.

Now, I get it. I understand menus are written to please the general public, and not always with special diets in mind. I also am well aware that the vegan diet is not always the easiest to accommodate on the fly. I would have like to feel that someone was trying to give me a good dining experience, though. I’ve had good meals and bad meals while dining in Walt Disney World, but I was extra surprised at the lack of feigned effort at this restaurant. Best part of my meal? The swanky fizzy water.

Unfortunately, I wouldn’t recommend this restaurant for vegans or vegetarians based upon this experience. Maybe we would have better luck in real France.

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Speaking of the 2012 Food and Wine Festival (because really, you’re currently either talking about that or the Fantasyland expansion), we should venture over to the Festival Center and explore some hidden vegan eats featured this year!

Located in the Wonders of Life Pavilion, the Festival Center is buzzing with all things food and all things wine throughout the Fall months. This year, the Festival Center features the Chase Lounge (where there is not one chaise lounge, which is a missed opportunity in my book) for those who have a Chase credit card. Here, you can get wristbands for priority seating for the Eat to The Beat Concerts, and also wristbands for entrance into a special Illuminations viewing area. Also, the lounge features complimentary coffee and soft drinks, along with a big touchscreen map of the park. Pretty cool!

Throughout the Festival, there are a number of talks, seminars, and demonstrations that take place throughout the day, everyday in the Festival Center. If you find yourself visiting for any of these reasons, I’d like to direct you over to Intermissions Cafe, the coffee and snack counter on your right as soon as you descend the ramp at the entrance to the building.

Intermissions Cafe showcases a number of different champagnes and wines, but also has some quick meal options including something called a Vegan Trio. There’s that word again! Am I dreaming? Is the word “vegan” finally becoming part of the WDW menu vocabulary? I certainly hope so!

The Vegan Trio costs $6.75 and would be great to share as a snack, or have all to yourself for a light meal. The platter includes: couscous with raisins and almonds, tabouleh, hummus, a roasted red pepper puree, and pita bread. The winner here is probably the roasted red pepper puree, but the whole dish is great. It also comes in a re-sealable container, so you can take it with you and save some for later if you’d like! It’s so good, reasonably priced, and I highly recommend checking it out. 

It’s so nice to have this other option as an addition to the Food and Wine Festival this year at Epcot. It seems that the components of the Vegan Trio are all things they serve elsewhere in the park, just not necessarily together in one platter. It would be great to see this option stick around, and hopefully become available in more quick service locations throughout property. If you find yourself in the Festival Center, not on a chaise lounge, give this trio a try-o!

More Vegan Eating at Food and Wine is a post from the TouringPlans.com Blog. Signup for a premium subscription today! Or get news via Email, Twitter, & Facebook.

The Epcot International Food & Wine Festival is many things. A drinker’s paradise, an adventurous eater’s heaven, and a vegan’s worst nightmare. I know, it’s blasphemy to not be completely head-over-heels in love with the yearly foodfest that draws so many visitors to The World Showcase Promenade, so hate me if you must. I have to admit that up until this year, the Food & Wine Festival was probably my least favorite time of the year at Walt Disney World. Why, you ask? It boiled down to pure jealousy. Hearing everyone rave about all of the options they were exploring from different countries, spooning edible culture into their mouths as I sat chomping on a plain pretzel just seemed unfair. That is, of course, until this year.

Now, I can’t claim to have singlehandedly strong-armed Epcot into having vegan options at the International Food & Wine Festival. However, I also can’t deny sending numerous e-mails, and making a few (ok, a lot of) “suggestions” regarding the lack of vegan options available around the ‘Showcase. And as Disney magic would have it, the fine folks at F&W dreamed up Terra, a brand new marketplace for 2012 in which all of the food options, yes, I said all of the food options, are vegan!

The marketplace itself is presented by Gardein, a brand of mock meats with which I am quite well acquainted. Gardein is a favorite among vegans for meat alternatives, and offers meatless meatballs, chick’n strips, and barbecue riblets just to name a few. The Terra menu features two items: Trick’n Chick’n Curry and Chili Colorado, each priced at $3.75. Each item is paired with a wine option, but please be forewarned: neither of the wines offered, the Paul Dolan Sauvignon Blanc nor the Paul Dolan Pinot Noir is vegan. The Honest Kids Super Fruit Punch and Silk brand Berry Smoothie, however, are totally vegan so you can get your G-rated drink on!

The Trick’n Chick’n Curry is a vegan version of a chicken cutlet, covered in a mild-with-a-kick red curry sauce served over basmati rice. The texture is hearty, and the taste of the curry sauce complimented the grilled cutlet, which has a mild taste reminiscent of actual chicken. The rice is a nice option to go along with this dish to be used as a sauce vessel. This option left me wishing for this as a mainstay at any Walt Disney World restaurant, I highly recommend trying this!

The winner from this booth, though, is The Chili Colorado! The only downside is that it is served with house-made chips, instead of the aforementioned basmati rice. I found the chips to be greasy, too salty, and an underwhelming pairing for such a good main dish. The chili itself is topped with a delightful, but very sparse helping of cashew cheese, and has the mouth feel of beef with an excellent taste. I managed to isolate a small helping of the cashew cheese and try it on its own, it was so, so delicious and rivals nut-based cheeses that I’ve tried in some really amazing raw food restaurants. If you only have room for one vegan dish, go with this one. Despite the chips, it is unique and a great example of vegan food done right. 

If you’re looking for a drink to go along with these fine options, opt for the Honest Kids Juice over the Silk Berry Smoothie. Unfortunately, the “smoothie” part of the name is slightly misleading, as the drink’s consistency is more milk-like, less smoothie-like. It does kind of taste like liquid berry yogurt, so if that’s your thing, by all means go for it! You can also go for it on the cheap at home, as you can find this in your grocery aisle near the soy milk.

Finally, of course, we can’t forget about dessert! I was thrilled to learn this booth would feature a vegan dessert option other than Tofutti or Rice Dream Ice Cream. Don’t get me wrong, I adore the vegan ice cream options served throughout the parks, and have a very close relationship with both of them, but I was excited to see something unique for the event. The dessert option is a Chocolate Cake with Passion Fruit Sorbet and Coconut Foam. The coconut foam taste overwhelms the dessert with an overly sweet coconut flavor. The chocolate cake, on the other hand, had a very mild taste. The winner on the plate was the passion fruit sorbet which had a light but tangy taste, and was refreshing on a really hot day. I would prefer the dessert sans coconut foam, but overall it was a nice dessert option.

There we have it! Terra in a lot more than a (cashew) nutshell. I am still in shock that Walt Disney World has embraced vegan dining in this way, and decided to offer this options to Guests this year. Hopefully, this means that the message is getting out and there will someday be vegan options as far as the eye can see at WDW dining locations. Finally, a (portion of the) festival for the rest of us!

Terra, Everyone’s Favorite Vegan Marketplace is a post from the TouringPlans.com Blog. Signup for a premium subscription today! Or get news via Email, Twitter, & Facebook.

Roaring Fork
5 Bunches of Kale

Maybe you’ve just finished a long bike ride around the trails at the Fort Wilderness Resort and Campgrounds, or you’re just hungry for one of the best quick service options on property. If either of these is the case, you will find yourself stumbling into Roaring Fork at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge.

Roaring Fork might only have one vegan option on its menu, but it’s a delicious one! The sandwich formerly known as the “Vegetarian Quinoa Wrap” recently went through a name change, and a minor attitude adjustment. Now called the “Mediterranean Wrap,” the item is no longer made-to-order at the sandwich station. It is, instead, found pre-packaged in the refrigerator between the sandwich station and grill area.  The plus? You’ll never have to wait for your meal! The minus? You no longer receive the choice of Cucumber Salad or House-Made-Chips on the side, like the other made-to-order sandwiches on the menu. Bummer!

The wrap features red pepper hummus, seasoned quinoa, lettuce, tomatoes, and zucchini tucked together in a cozy spinach wrap. If you’ve enjoyed it before, there has also been a slight recipe change, too! The pinto bean hummus of yester-wrap had a unique spicy kick to it, and a lot of flavor. The new red pepper hummus is very mild, and not as tasty as its predecessor. The quinoa/hummus combo still makes for a great, and filling sandwich even without the side item. This choice is also a departure from the usual quick service vegan fare (aka veggie burgers), so it’s a great option if you’re looking for a little variety during your visit.

Venture over to Wilderness Lodge next time you’re in the area, and let me know your thoughts on these changes to my favorite on-property sandwich!

Vegan Dining at Roaring Fork is a post from the TouringPlans.com Blog. Signup for a premium subscription today! Or get news via Email, Twitter, & Facebook.

Welcome to our newest blogger Emily Woesthoff! Emily is the General Manager of BabyCakes NYC in Downtown Disney and has been vegan for most of her adult life. She is going to be rating and reviewing restaurants around Walt Disney World and recommending some top picks for vegan and vegetarian readers.

Sanaa, located in the Kidani Village section of Animal Kingdom Lodge is probably one of, if not the, best location for vegan dining on property. It’s not just because the food is tasty, and the atmosphere is pretty, it’s also because Sanaa makes it easy to eat vegan. Sanaa has its own vegan menu; that’s right, an entire menu rather than just one option! It may not sound like much to an omnivore, but for a vegan in Walt Disney World, more than one option is quite a luxury.

Salad Sampler

Just about everything that Sanaa churns out of its kitchen is delicious. To start off, the Potato and Pea Samosas which come with mango or tamarind chutney (I always say, go mango or go home) are a great option. There are two of them, so it’s a sharable appetizer. Something on the lighter side? Try the Salad Sampler! It’s actually really filling, since you are able to choose three salads, and a better value for your money than the Samosas. Do me a favor and please try the Bhel Puri as one of your salad choices. It’s so good, and incorporates noodles along with a bunch of cold vegetables, you will not be disappointed. The tomato soup is also good, but it’s tomato soup and you can get that anywhere, so live a little!

Bread Service

The Indian-Style Bread Service for Two is also an excellent way to start off a meal at Sanaa. The vegan Bread Service option does not include naan, only the pappadum bread, which is similar to a cracker and has a bit of kick to it. Of the three accompaniments, the best choices are: the Mango Chutney (again, go mango or go home), the Roasted Red Bell Pepper Hummus, and the Coriander Chutney. If you prefer to add a little spice, go for the Red Chile Sambal.

For the main course, the Stewed Lentils are a must have. The Vegetables and Chickpeas with Green Curry Sauce is a heartier, almost creamy option; and the Spicy Peas, Chickpeas, and Potatoes also get two thumbs up. After trying just about all of them, the only option that didn’t blow me away was the Vindaloo-style Vegetables. If you’re dining with someone else also ordering off of the vegan menu, be sure to get four different things and split them! Another tip? Use the long, rectangular plate under the three serving bowls as a plate to share your options.

There are also actually three different options for vegan desserts here, too! No one is dusting off an old package of cookies for you at Sanaa! Skip the Tofutti Ice Cream, as you’re sure to get it for dessert elsewhere on property. Instead, go for the Mango Sorbet which is served alongside raspberries, strawberries, and blueberries. It also helps to cure any leftover spiciness you may be experiencing. Do yourself a favor and get the Kenyan coffee pot as well, you won’t be sorry.

If you’re vegan and you have not yet ventured to Sanaa, make an Advance Dining Reservation now and plan your next trip to Walt Disney World around that reservation. Seriously though, this restaurant is a nice change of pace for those who are used to asking a million questions and over-explaining their diet before they can so much as order dinner. Be sure to thank your host and server for the awesome vegan options their restaurant provides!

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5 Bunches of Kale

Vegan Dining At Sanaa is a post from the TouringPlans.com Blog. Signup for a premium subscription today! Or get news via Email, Twitter, & Facebook.