Gluten Free Epcot Archives - Gluten Free Mom To Be

April 27, 2015

Back To Epcot’s Flower & Garden Festival 2015 For A Lot More Flowers & A Tasty Gluten Free Dinner

Since our previous day at Epcot was on the chillier side we wanted to make sure we got back over there to enjoy the flowers, butterflies, and characters in a little bit of a warmer climate and thankfully we picked the perfect day for all of that. With the sun out and a little bit of a cool breeze first thing in the morning, we were off to explore some of the countries we missed the first time around and even squeeze in some of little one’s favorite rides! Before the World Showcase opened we finally made our way on Spaceship Earth which we had the pleasure of riding in French (makes for a funny ride and after story that’s for sure lol), Nemo and the aquarium which our little one loved exploring on her own, the butterfly garden which was just as much fun this time around as it was the first time, and I can’t forget our second visit to see Mickey, Goofy, and Minnie, friends that little one just had to revisit.

Mommy & little one love by the butterfly topiaries!

Once the World Showcase had opened it was time for us to head over and venture through some of the countries little one had slept through on our first Epcot day. Mexico was a big hit with the Donald featured boat ride along with actually getting to see the big guy himself right outside. Then we were onto Norway which was the perfect pit stop for a light lunch along with a sweet treat, not for myself unfortunately, sorry gluten free folks out there, but a winner for my daughter and husband. With someone’s belly filled with a little sandwich and a lot a sweet pastry, we were on our way again to explore a couple more countries before our planned early dinner in Italy.

Day 6 (6) — Lunch at Epcot’s Tutto Gusto Wine Cellar started with some SPECTACULAR gluten free bread by Rotella’s Italian Bakery.

After a fun filled morning, little one decided to close her eyes for a bit after an impromptu Snow White visit. While little one napped, Mommy and Daddy wondered through some gift shops and then parked in a perfectly shaded spot next to the lake to enjoy the cool breeze that almost put us down for our naps too. Before long, we were all up and going again and decided to head in for an early dinner at Tutto Gusto, the wine cellar in Italy that’s become by far of our favorite dining locations in Epcot. We were seated quickly and greeted by our waitress who brought along the manager to take my gluten free order. Not surprisingly I went with my usual favorite of Gluten Free Pasta Pomodoro with the Chocolate Cherry Panna Cotta for dessert, but not without a starter of gluten free bread.

The non-gluten free bread sticks and focaccia arrived for Dan and little one which made a certain somebody a happy camper with a bread stick in one hand and a cup of apple juice in the other. Not too long after, my plate arrived with some very appetizing new gluten free bread that I hadn’t had before. After some inquiries I found out that they weren’t too pleased with their previous gluten free offerings so they had chosen to go with a new brand of gluten free bread by Rotella’s Italian Bakery. This bread was by far the best gluten free bread I’ve ever had! It was fresh, soft, not crumbly in the slightest bit, and had some pull just like a normal slice of bread. It was SPECTACULAR, so much so I’ve already inquired on their website about hopefully ordering some for my enjoyment at home.

Day 6 (7) — Gluten Free Pasta Pomodoro courtesy of Epcot’s Tutto Gusto!

The gluten free bread was soon finished and this mommy-to-be couldn’t get over the sense of euphoria that the delectable bread put me in. It really was such a treat to enjoy a truly phenomenal gluten free bread that required no preparation and was just pulled straight from the bag! Anyway, soon after the bread delivery our main courses arrived and my Gluten Free Pasta Pomodoro looked just as delicious as always, so much so that little one decided to share my pasta with me instead of even tasting her chicken fingers. The pasta was cooked perfectly and was enveloped in a delicious tomato sauce with chunks of tomato and bits of burrata cheese scattered throughout. This is a perfect way to enjoy gluten free pasta and will keep us coming back for many trips to come.

Day 6 (9) — A Gluten Free Chocolate Cherry Panna Cotta is the perfect way to end a meal at Tutto Gusto!

And without further delay, my chocolaty dessert arrived making mommy and baby very happy. The Chocolate Cherry Panna Cotta is an amazing example of a gluten free dessert that goes above and beyond offering a plate of fruit or cup of sorbet. The cherries on top are delicious of course but the star for me is the chocolate panna cotta below which is light and airy but creamy at the same time, a delicious treat for any diner but especially a gluten free one who rarely gets to indulge in desserts like these.

Day 6 (4) — Mommy, Daddy, and Baby #2 while little one slept before dinner!

Dinner at Tutto Gusto was as always perfection. The staff there are phenomenal and perfectly attentive to the needs of a gluten free diner along with a little toddler who loves to say hello and show off her coloring and play-doh masterpieces. With another amazing meal under our belts at Tutto Gusto, it’s now become a must do dining experience with every vacation.

Day 6 (19) — A perfect ending to our Epcot experience during our 2015 Disney Vacation.

Since we had finished with dinner a bit earlier than usual we took our time meandering back through the rest of the countries and decided to hop on the monorail to enjoy some Magic Kingdom fun along with the parade later on that night. Our day in Epcot was such a relaxing one, allowing us to enjoy the warmer weather while exploring all of the Flower and Garden festivities with some Epcot fun in-between. We’re Epcot lovers so a little extra time there was perfect and definitely topped off an already special trip.

Sincerely,

Lindsay (30 weeks)

April 9, 2015

Some Hollywood Studios Fun With A Few Jackets And Lots of Delicious, Gluten Free Food

In all of my Disney travels over the years I can never remember having to wear a jacket, let alone pants. But our 4th day in Disney was definitely on the chillier side so jackets and pants were a must. The short spurt of chilly weather in the middle of our trip was certainly a rarity for us on our Disney vacations but I have to say I preferred it over the sweltering heat that we usually have experienced on our summer vacations. So with sweatshirts, jackets, and pants on we were prepared for our half a day in Hollywood Studios.

We usually don’t spend too much time in Hollywood Studios seeing as there’s a ton for our little one to do but we certainly packed a lot into our shortened day. We started off with a bang and twisted and turned on the Toy Story ride, which our little girl happened to love this time, attempting to pull the string and play the game with her too big 3D glasses on. On the way to Daddy’s Aerosmith rollercoaster, we had to make a quick stop to give some hugs to Pluto and Chip and Dale. We were back in route again and Daddy was off to ride his ride while little one and I picked up a new pressed penny book and added some new pressed pennies. After a little rest for Mommy and little one a warm bench, Daddy soon reappeared and we were off to catch the Disney Junior show, which is always a winner, followed by some hugs, kisses, and a little dancing too with Sofia and Jake. The last adventure before lunch was our little girl’s first time in the Honey I Shrunk The Kids inspired land which she absolutely loved; anything that includes climbing ropes, running around, and conquering twisty paths and slides is a winner for our courageous little girl.

Gluten free lunch at Studio Catering Co.. — Gluten free greek salad lunch at Studio Catering Co..

Since we were right next door we decided on Studio Catering Co. for lunch which in my book is a huge winner for gluten free diners. In the past I’ve taken advantage of their delicious gluten free roll choice and enjoyed a sandwich and fries, take a look at the Gluten Free Italian sandwich, but this lunch I was more in the mood for a salad so it was a gluten free greek salad this time around. My salad was put together safely and in a separate space and I was able to watch every bit of it being put together making me feel a lot more comfortable. Soon enough all of our meals were delivered and I was enjoying a Gluten Free Greek Salad with my favorite, an OMG Gluten Free Fudge Brownie for dessert. It was a perfect lunch, just enough to tide me over until a little snack that afternoon, a strawberry macaron maybe?

We finished up our day at Hollywood Studios with the Little Mermaid show, another winner for little one and headed out as our little girl had fallen asleep. We’d never taken the boats from Hollywood Studios but we decided it was a great opportunity especially since we had dinner at Epcot a little later and we could probably keep little one sleeping a little while longer that way. So with that we got a tour via boat of some of the other resorts between Hollywood Studios and Epcot and finally arrived at Epcot’s back corner near France. Since little girl was still sleeping and we happened to be in the right neck of the woods, I enjoyed another Gluten Free Strawberry Macaron from the snack stand while we put our feet up to enjoy some peace and quiet over in England.

Gluten free dinner at Rose & Crown Pub in Epcot's England. — Gluten free dinner at Rose & Crown Pub in Epcot’s England.

As nap time came to a close we decided to try to sneak in for an earlier dinner in England since it had warmed up enough to maybe enjoy an outdoor seat on the lake. Lucky us we were squeezed in early and got a great seat by an outdoor heater with a great view of the lake and the hustle and bustle on the main street, plenty to occupy our rambunctious toddler. Our waitress was phenomenal and made sure all of us were well taken care of, especially making sure the chef, Chef Joe, was out and tending to my gluten free needs without too much delay. We’ve dined at Rose & Crown before so Chef Joe actually remembered us, even recalling my order of a Gluten Free Filet with Garlic Herb Butter, Green Beans, and Garlic Mashed Potatoes. It was great to see a familiar face in the ordering process, especially one that remembered us too. So without further delay our orders were all placed and our food was soon on its way.

A Rose & Crown Pub gluten free filet with crispy green beans and garlic mashed potatoes.

The filet with the garlic, herb butter sauce was just as delicious as before, Chef Joe really did me proud. Each bite was just as tasty as the last and even though this pregnant mommy has really been off of meat this pregnancy I managed to eat a huge portion of my filet. I should mention that the accompaniments were just as delicious as the main star on the plate. The string beans were fresh and crispy and the garlic mashed potatoes were so creamy and had just the right amount of garlic. My main dish was delicious but I definitely was looking forward to a sweet treat at the end.

Rose and Crown gluten free English trifle with layers of fruit and custard, hold the cookie. — Rose & Crown gluten free English trifle with layers of fruit and custard, hold the cookie.

Per Chef Joe’s recommendation, I went with the Gluten Free English Trifle, sans the cookie, which is layers of fruit and custard. The custard was phenomenal and the strawberries were a perfect match. While I certainly enjoyed my dessert it was even better watching our little girl, who ordered the same treat I had but with the cookie addition, enjoy hers even more. Spoonful after spoonful elicited that grin and “mmm” sound making all of us smile along with her enjoyment.

All in all, I can’t say enough great things about dining gluten free at the Rose & Crown Pub. My whole family, along with our little girl, loves dining here each and every time, this time being no exception. Our meal outdoors, even though it was chilly, was so fun and made even better by our waitress who our little girl just loved talking and playing show and tell with. While the staff are truly fantastic as a whole, the highlight for us was the attentiveness of the chef. The chef himself brings out your meal and dessert and even checks on you to make sure all was to your liking. Chef Joe does a fantastic job catering to any request and deserves a huge thank you from my family and probably many others for the great work he does behind the scenes.

It was a perfect day in Disney, a little chilly, but from start to finish filled with good food and lots of fun. We had a great day in Hollywood Studios and an even better night in Epcot which we topped off with few rides. What we love about each of our Disney trips is that every day in Disney is special and holds so many different memories. This trip was no different and by Day 4 we had already created so many special memories and we couldn’t wait to enjoy even more the next few days!

Stay tuned for some Animal Kingdom fun!

Sincerely,

Lindsay (27 weeks)

March 30, 2015

Epcot’s Flower & Garden Festival To Start Day 3 & Dinner At Hollywood Studio’s Brown Derby To Finish

If you’ve never been to Epcot’s Flower and Garden Festival and you’re able to, I highly recommend planning your next Disney vacation between March and May to experience it. We were lucky enough to get down to Disney last May and we caught the tail end of the Flower and Garden Festival, but this year we were able to experience the kick off of the festival in all of its glory, from the concerts and food to the topiaries and our daughter’s favorite, the butterfly greenhouse! Each and every bit of Epcot we always love but the Spring additions made it that much better!

A day at Epcot's Flower & Garden Festival 2015. — A day at Epcot’s Flower & Garden Festival 2015!

In the past, we’ve experienced your typical Disney vacation with very humid and hot days trekking through the parks, so vacationing this time in March was a totally different experience. I’ve never had to wear a jacket or two while I was on vacation in Disney but that’s vacationing in March for you, never know what weather you’ll get. So while most of our days in Disney were much more mild warm to hot, sunny days, we had about 1 1/2 to 2 days where the weather was in the 60s warming up sometimes to the 70s. It was actually a really nice treat to be in Disney and not be in sweltering heat like we have been every vacation in the past, but all I have to say is thank goodness I packed some maternity pants and jackets because this mommy-to-be would have been rocking some men’s winter Disney attire for a few days!

Loved all of the topiaries, but this one by far was our little girl's favorite! — Loved all of the topiaries, but this one by far was our little girl’s favorite!

So with a few layers we were ready to start our chillier day in Epcot and enjoy all that the festival had to offer. First up was the creme de la creme for my little girl, she was going to meet her favorite friends, Mickey, Goofy, and Minnie, but not without a quick pit stop to see Pluto first, without a line I may add. Her visits were filled with frantic waves and jumping in excitement to tons of hugs and kisses galore, these are by far her best friends in the world and there’s certainly no denying how much she loves them. After paying her friends a visit we were on to experience Soarin’, well Mommy and Daddy anyway, meanwhile little one collected some pressed pennies for her new book. Afterwards it was back to rides for our little girl, from the The Land to Nemo and her favorite experience, the aquarium. By the time we finished up with the early morning rides we decided to head over and check out the butterfly greenhouse. This was amazing and really made our daughter’s Epcot day extra special. She just loved spotting all of the butterflies flying around her and landing in the flowers, so much so that we probably did a good three to four laps around the greenhouse.

A turkey leg lunch in America while Dan enjoyed some food stand treats! — A turkey leg lunch in America while Dan enjoyed his very first Fish and Chips!

After taking in the butterflies it was time for the World Showcase to open so we headed over to start our worldwide adventure which was going to be chock full of princess visits. Since opening time is around lunch time we managed to squeeze in Alice in Wonderland and Belle before we were all chomping at the bit for some lunch. While Dan headed over to try out the Fish and Chips in England and our little girl was kept satisfied with a German soft pretzel, I decided to go with another Turkey Leg in America. To be honest, gluten free lunch options that are up my alley are few and far between in Epcot so I’m usually stuck nibbling on snacks but this time around mommy and baby needed something more substantial. The turkey leg was just as delicious as always and made a perfectly filling lunch.

Gorgeous flowers around the water. Can you spot the Mickey? — Gorgeous flowers around the water.

Once we were all refueled, we wandered through some more countries and finally arrived at my little girl’s favorite princess. Thankfully by this time it had started to warm up so we could all take our jackets off while waiting in the sunny line for Snow White, which normally is extremely unpleasant when it’s blistering hot but it was warmly welcomed on this day. Finally the big moment arrived and our little girl could give that long awaited hug to Snow White.

A dream dessert for any gluten free, pregnant mommy!

It was a long morning so not surprisingly after Snow White our little one crashed giving Mommy and Daddy a chance to see the countries a bit more and then sit down for some much needed rest ourselves but not without a special snack for mommy. I eyed this treat up since I first saw the Flower and Garden Festival menu so to say I was a little excited that it was indeed gluten free would be an understatement. So on our way to find some quiet benches for the rest of nap time we stopped at the food stand in France and picked up a Gluten Free Strawberry Marshmallow Macaron!

A Gluten Free Strawberry Marshmallow Macaron!

This macaron was AMAZING! I’m normally not a huge macaron person but this one was perfection. A light cookie with just the right amount of strawberry sweetness stuffed with a delicious marshmallow and a surprise strawberry jam center. It was a perfect little snack for this mommy-to-be, so perfect in fact I may have gotten another while we were in Epcot later in the trip!

After a great half a day in Epcot it started to get more chilly so we headed back to Wilderness Lodge to get changed before dinner that night. Ever since we had made our dinner reservations months ago we’ve really been looking forward to experiencing the Hollywood Brown Derby for the first time. I’d read really good things about the food and we decided to splurge on a special meal for just us three this time around. Sadly though, from start to finish the meal was a disaster and the food did not live up to the hype. We arrived for our 5:15 reservation and were left chasing around our little one for about 45 minutes until we were seated, needless to say we were exhausted before dinner even started and weren’t too happy about the late start. Our waiter took forever to greet us and was less than pleasant the entire meal but nevertheless I held out hope that their Cobb salad would meet my high expectations. Well, I had a good hour and a half to build up more excitement for my salad because we hadn’t seen any food until then, not even bread. I even had to flag the manager down to complain and hurry things along so at least our little girl had her food in the meantime but to say I was starving would be an understatement.

Creme brulee trio at Hollywood Brown Derby.

Finally, our food had arrived without any apology of the severe delay. The Gluten Free Cobb Salad was okay, nothing that I’d be too thrilled about and Dan sadly felt the same way about his meal. We quickly ordered dessert so we could get out of there before it got too late but it seems quickly doesn’t exist in that restaurant. My premade Creme Brulee trio took quite awhile to arrive and was again pretty underwhelming. As a whole, we most certainly would never dine at Brown Derby again not only because the service was terrible, I mean literally the worst we’d seen in Disney where each and every meal we’d ever had has been fantastic, but also because the food we felt didn’t warrant 2 meals from the dining plan.

It was an unfortunate ending to a really great day but thankfully that night we were able to catch a glimpse of the Magic Kingdom fireworks from our nice and warm room. Can’t ask for a better ending to a day then that! Stay tuned for more Disney fun!

Lindsay (26 weeks)

February 23, 2015

Disney World Here We Come, Well Almost!

With Disney just around the corner, my weeks just keep getting busier and busier. On the top of my to do list this week is to share my belly pics from the last few weeks. I can hardly believe I’m 21 weeks right now, even though my belly and baby movement confirms just that. So needless to say I have some catching up on here to do. On top of sharing my pregnancy moments in time with you, I also wanted to go over my dining agenda for our Disney vaca coming up very soon. With my appetite halfway back to normal I’m so excited to dine at Disney and share with all of you my gluten free Disney dining plans! So for my Happy Monday post I thought I’d sprinkle my blog with a little Disney magic and share our dining plans!

We’ve taken a number of trips over our years together and the planning is always one of my favorite parts. No, we don’t have typed out itineraries planning every detail down to scheduled bathroom pit stops, but we do make sure we have a plan for each of our days figured out before we go. Thankfully, this practice came in handy when vacationing gluten free because there’s certainly no better way to travel gluten free then with a plan. Our Disney vacations are no different, in fact Disney themselves make it so you almost have to plan out every detail of your vacation before you even go, from dining 6 months out to picking your ride fastpasses 60 days prior to leaving. Yes, it takes a bit of the spontaneity out of your vacation which we still try to maintain with open-ended lunch locations and a dinner or two along with our park hopper passes, but for this Gluten Free Mom To Be planning most of my meals ahead is a must.

One of our topiaries last year! Wish we could've taken it home for our Bambi nursery! — One of our favorite topiaries last year! Wish we could’ve taken it home for our Bambi nursery!

This time around we’re venturing to Disney in a cooler season than we had originally planned thanks to Baby #2’s arrival early to mid- summer, but we’re so excited because we’re going to be there for the Flower and Garden Festival, an amazing Epcot event that we were able to catch at the very end last Spring. On top of the gorgeous floral topiaries, we’re so excited to revisit the butterfly garden with our little butterfly lover. enjoy some of the music that’s supposed to be there that weekend, and finally make a few pit stops to some of the food stands throughout the countries, which I’m crossing my fingers that there are some gluten free and pregnancy friendly treats for me to enjoy. But on top of the special event that we’re going to be around for, we’ve got some really exciting meals planned, some are favorites that we do every time, some are occasional meals that we like to enjoy here and there, and some are brand new places for us!

Day 1: We always try to head straight over to Magic Kingdom our first day after we arrive and sneak in a lunch and a few rides before an early dinner. We have an early dinner reservation at 50s Prime Time Cafe, which has kind of turned into a tradition of doing on the first night. What can I say, I look forward to that fried chicken for months before so why not ring in your vacation with as a great a gluten free dish as this one.

Disney Summer 2014 (12) — 50s Prime Time Cafe gluten free friend chicken.

Day 2: We’re heading back to Magic Kingdom to enjoy some more of our favorite rides, characters, and parades until our dinner at Ohana at the Polynesian. We haven’t been to Ohana the past few trips but we think our little girl will really like the food not to mention everything going on around her this time around. I just wish they could do a gluten free lomein when they bring that delicious looking bowl full of the gluten filled version but I’ll just be happy with that amazing salad to start!

Our first Ohana visit when I was pregnant with our little girl!

Day 3: One of our favorite stops when we’re in Disney World is Epcot, and especially now with the Flower and Garden Festival going on. With most of this day spent in Epcot, we planned a new dinner for us at the Hollywood Brown Derby in Hollywood Studios. It’s a two meal dinner so it’s a splurge but the menu is definitely up Dan’s alley and their infamous Cobb Salad is right up mine. I couldn’t resist trying it this time around thanks to the amazing reviews by Gluten-Free & Dairy-Free in WDW & Gluten Free in Orlando. So excited for this one!

Day 4: Hollywood Studios is usually our shortest day so we’re planning on doing a morning at that park and then maybe some pool time if it’s warm enough before our dinner at the Rose & Crown Pub in Epcot. Dan loves the Rose & Crown food, I’m more of a fan of the actual restaurant and the outdoor seating right on the lake even though they have made a delicious steak with garlic mashed potatoes.

Day 5: We’ve always wanted to see Animal Kingdom Lodge but truthfully haven’t made it over there because it’s kind of out of the way. We figured there was no time like the present and we’d take advantage of our Animal Kingdom day and just head straight over to Animal Kingdom Lodge for a new dinner. Our little girl loves animals so Animal Kingdom is always a highlight of her trip so we figured a dinner at Sanaa would be a real treat for her, especially if we catch a glimpse of animals grazing by while we eat. Even though I’ve read pretty good reviews on the dining here, I’m still a bit nervous because the cuisine is not necessarily up my alley but Dan is beyond excited.

Day 6: Time for our second Epcot day! While I’m not too keen on all of the walking that Epcot entails while I’m pregnant, I am really happy that this trip we’re not going to be doing the trek in 110 degree summer heat like we’ve done in the past. We decided this day to either take advantage of the food stands or do a delicious dinner at Tutto Gusto wine cellar in Italy. I’m leaning towards a nice sit down dinner where I can get my favorite gluten free Pomodoro Pasta or maybe something new!

Gluten Free Pasta Pomodoro at Epcot's Tutto Gusto — Gluten Free Pasta Pomodoro at Epcot’s Tutto Gusto

Day 7: We always try to do a character breakfast every trip, especially since we have a huge Disney lover on our hands. This time around we decided to do an early breakfast at the Crystal Palace in Magic Kingdom where you can meet Winnie the Pooh and friends. We’ve done this breakfast before and little one loved the humongous squishy characters who she couldn’t get enough hugs from, but now she knows who they are so I think it might be an even bigger hit.

Crystal Palace Breakfast — Crystal Palace gluten free breakfast in Magic Kingdom

After our breakfast at Crystal Palace we’ll spend our last full day in Magic Kingdom, day and night, with a break at dinner time for one of my favorite dinners at Kona Cafe in the Polynesian. This has become an every vacation tradition, and usually ends up being our last night’s dinner because we LOVE this dinner location! Anywhere where I can get a humongous bowl of their gluten free noodle dish with grilled chicken that reminds me of my favorite lomein of years past is phenomenal in my book!

Large bowl full of Kona Cafe's gluten free Pan-Asian Noodles! — Large bowl full of Kona Cafe’s gluten free Pan-Asian Noodles!

Day 8: Our last day in Disney is bitter sweet, we usually book our flight for later in the day/night so we can enjoy a fuller day at the end. We squeeze some of our last favorite rides, sit down for a nice lunch, and just relax back at the resort until our not so Magical Express arrives to take us to the airport.

We’re so excited to explore Disney one last time as a family of three but also with our second little one in tow in mommy’s belly makes it even more special. We vacationed in Disney in the heat of the summer when I was pregnant with our first little girl and we just love telling her that she was in Disney before she was even born and now we’ll get to do the same for this little one. Since we’ve had some hiccups the past few vacations, my fingers are crossed extra tight that we’re all happy and healthy for this adventure. We’re so excited for our big vacation, and as always I’ll be sharing my delicious meals with you when I get back so stay tuned to see how the dining goes but also to find out if our little girl will have a new brother or sister!

Sincerely,

Lindsay (21 weeks)

September 2, 2014

In The Mood For Some Authentic And Gluten Free German Sausages And Potato Salad? Try Epcot’s Biergarten In Germany.

After a great day in Hollywood Studios we were off to Epcot for a dinner in Germany. We debated on this one for a little while. We’d been there pre-baby and loved the environment and entertainment but were so so on the food. For me, the cuisine is not really up my alley, but I’m always willing to try new places for my husband who has much more of an adventurous palate than I. Even though our first experience at Biergarten didn’t quite wow us we decided to give it a second try, just the three of us, so our little girl might be able to enjoy a little German music and entertainment.

We caught a bus to head over to Epcot for dinner that night and in route our little one dozed off for her afternoon nap. We crossed our fingers that this nap would stick and hopefully get us through a little bit of dinner, just long enough so we could put some food in our stomachs. After pulling up at the distant bus stop, we began our trek towards the World Showcase. With temperatures in the high 90s and humidity levels off the charts, the walk from the bus to Germany in the World Showcase was brutal, making me light headed and nauseous. Little did I know that this wasn’t a promising sign for the rest of our evening and really for the next few days. The heat certainly got the best of me and made enjoying our dinner very difficult. Thankfully though, my little girl helped her mommy out by continuing napping through quite a bit of dinner, allowing me to relax and attempt to eat some of my meal.

A little Germany love with my little Snow White. — A little Germany love with my little Snow White (this was the day before our dinner in Germany, just had to share how pretty Germany is).

So back to the food. After being seated, we were told that the chef would be over to walk me through the buffet to review my gluten free options. While I waited with our peacefully sleeping baby, Dan went up to the buffet to retrieve a plate full of authentic, German cuisine. It was a busy night at Biergarten with several other food allergy diners so it did take awhile for the chef to come over, but the peaceful relaxation was warmly welcomed on my part. Once the chef appeared, she escorted me over to the buffet and reviewed the can and cannots along the line. After our quick walk through, I requested my menu choices to come from the kitchen rather than from the buffet line where gluten free items were sometimes surrounded by non-gluten free ones making cross contamination an absolute possibility. The chef was so happy to accommodate and promised to give me generous helpings of each of my requested gluten free items (In retrospect, I probably should have forewarned her that the extras might be wasted on this gal that night since I was apparently suffering from heat exhaustion.).

Epcot’s Biergarten in Germany, The Gluten Free Cold Selection

Whilst I waited for my food, the show began and caused a little rustling from inside the stroller, but thankfully our little girl continued to snooze for a little while longer. Soon enough, the chef reappeared with two full plates of almost everything gluten free from the kitchen. Had I had the appetite that I normally have after a full day of pushing around the stroller through Disney’s humongous theme parks, I would’ve been thrilled with the wide selection and overflowing plates. Sadly, the enormous amount of food was somewhat wasted that night.

That being said, I did manage to try bits and pieces of almost all of the dishes, especially since I knew they had come safely from inside the kitchen. On the cold plate above, I had a green salad with their house made dressing, tomato salad, and potato salad. I wasn’t a huge fan of the dressing on the salad so a lot of that remained. But, I really enjoyed the tomato salad which was very similar in flavor to summery tomato salads that I make at home. The real surprise on the plate though was the potato salad. This was deliciously creamy and the red potatoes were perfectly tender. Not quite as wonderful as my grandmother’s homemade gluten free version, but Biergarten’s potato salad was definitely flavorful and tasty just the same.

lhjl — Epcot’s Biergarten in Germany, The Gluten Free Warm Selections

This next plate was more of a challenge for my sensitive stomach that night, so I must admit I didn’t try everything on there. Okay, so the main gluten free entrees were the German sausages and roasted pork (there was also a fish option in there too that was gluten free but I don’t eat fish). As far as the gluten free sides go, there was a warm potato salad, green beans, and roasted potatoes. I took a few bites of the roasted pork and was really disappointed because it was exceptionally dry. There was a sauce on the buffet that was intended to be paired with the pork but that was off limits to me. Meanwhile the sausages were pretty tasty, actually one of my husband’s favorites on the buffet, but I could only stomach one or two bites of each kind. As far as the warm sides, I honestly didn’t try them, by that point in the meal I was pretty well spent. However, I’m happy to report that my personal gluten free taste tester, aka my husband Dan, happened to really enjoy the warm potato salad, so I’m pretty sure I would have too.

As I had finished my nibbling, I looked to my right to see our little one sitting up in her stroller, looking around with bewilderment. It must be very strange to go to sleep in one place and wake up in a totally new one, not to mention in Disney World where you can essentially wake up in a different country. Needless to say, she wasn’t too pleased with the music and singing going on around her that caused her nap to come to an early close so she was certainly ready to go at that point, cutting our time short in Germany. Afterwards we slowly made our way back around the World Showcase, grabbing dinner for little one and stopping at the Nemo ride and Spaceship Earth to make her night a little extra special.

Hot and steamy nighttime family picture in front of Epcot.

So unfortunately for us it appears as though we were going to hit another little sickness, thanks to the heat, while on vacation. Thankfully though, this one didn’t take Mommy out of the equation for too long. Sadly, the first night of my sick days happen to fall on our Germany dinner night which left a lasting negative impression on me. While the food that I did taste was pretty good, Dan and I both agreed that it just wasn’t our favorite place for dinner in Disney, so I think the ship has officially sailed on Germany for us. However, just like every other place in Epcot, the restaurant was so perfectly authentic to the country and the food was just the same. So if you love everything Germany be sure to stop at Epcot’s Biergarten, they certainly do offer a great experience along with a large variety of gluten free foods.

Stay tuned for more Disney gluten free fun from a Lefou’s Brew to some Mickey Waffles!

Have A Magical Day,

Lindsay

August 22, 2014

Deliciously Gluten Free Lunch For Just Us Three at Epcot’s Tutto Gusto

As the second day of our vacation rolled around so did our time at Epcot. We love our days and nights at Epcot, with the amazing food and drinks, the feeling of all of the different cultures around you, and some fantastic rides scattered in there too. We had big plans for this day in Epcot, an early start at Soarin’, then meeting Mickey and his friends at the Character Spot, then hopping on Test Track, and finally heading over to start the World Showcase, all summed up with a ride on Nemo and a walk through the aquarium in the afternoon before dinner.

Mommy, Daddy, and Little Snow White too!

The highlight by far, as always, was meeting everyone at the Character Spot. My little girl just loves Mickey and his friends. With a running start, she charges over to each of them and embraces them in a huge hug, then quickly about faces and sits down on their lap for a picture. Nothing beats watching her hug each of them so warmly like they’re her best friends and then bid them an equally warm farewell wave. It’s moments like that that make me want to go back to Disney over and over just to let my little girl see her friends again.

By the time we had completed our morning rides, our little girl had drifted off to sleep, so instead of squeezing in the Mexico and Norway rides we took our time meandering around the countries and their stores. By the time we had reached Italy, we decided to have an early lunch at Tutto Gusto Wine Cellar. We happen to really love Tutto Gusto, although it isn’t on the dining plan, it’s a nice alternative for lunch in Epcot. Literally, the moment we pulled the stroller up to the restaurant our little one was in the midst of waking up from her nap, it’s amazing how they have such good timing.

We were given a great table right in the middle of the wine cellar where we could admire the wall of wine bottles behind us along with the gorgeous authentic Italian touches everywhere, all while enjoying the wonderfully cool and dark environment that was so welcomed after baking in the Orlando heat and humidity all morning. Our server quickly met us at our table along with the chef to go over my gluten free options. They have gluten free pasta which allows for any of the pasta options on the menu, however everything on their tasting menu, meats, cheeses, etc. are gluten free too. Much to my dismay though, the chef informed me that all of these other options are kept in a communal case where their paninis and such are stored too, so there is a chance of cross contamination there. I was warned that if I was very sensitive that the case contents were pretty off limits, even though that’s a bit disappointing I was completely okay with skipping out on the gluten exposure. I decided to go with my favorite dish, the gluten free pasta pomodoro with burrata cheese, that they really do so well there.

While we waited for our dishes, the server dropped off our recommended wines, I went with a sweet, bubbly Moscato along with a bonus plate of gluten free breads. There was a raisin bread and two other plain breads. They were all quite good but my favorite was the raisin bread, of which I really only had a bite or two since I didn’t want to ruin my lunch. Meanwhile, our little girl couldn’t get enough of the delicious looking, non-gluten free focaccia bread and crunchy breadsticks that were placed in front of her and my husband. She loved every bit of that bread plate and would’ve taken it all home with us if we could.

Soon enough, our lunches arrived, my husband’s Tuscan pork ribs and my gluten free pasta pomodoro that would be split with my little bread monster. When we had visited Tutto Gusto before on our last trip, unbeknownst to me, the chef made me a dinner sized portion of the pasta which was way too much food and too expensive for lunch too, This time just confirmed my suspicions from before, as my tasting plate of gluten free pasta arrived and was just the right size (and price) for lunch and even to be shared with a little toddler. It was just as delicious as I remembered with whole roasted tomatoes scattered throughout, fresh basil, and creamy burrata cheese on top. Not to mention the pasta was phenomenal! It was cooked perfectly al dente and embraced all of the flavors of the sauce and cheese. Such a fantastic lunch option when you’re in Epcot, just gives you a little break from the fries, burgers, and sandwiches.

Okay, so what Disney meal is complete without a dessert? Our lunch at Tutto Gusto Wine Cellar was no different. My gluten free choice was the chocolate panna cotta with cherries on top. It was so soft and creamy, just how a panna cotta should be, and matched perfectly with the cherries. Needless to say, this dessert didn’t stand a chance in my group, even though I shared it with little one (who also happen to snag a few bites from Daddy’s dessert too), I’m sure the dish wouldn’t have been empty anyway if it had been left up to just me.

As our meal was coming to a close, I couldn’t help but look around and truly appreciate just how wonderful our vacations are together. Sure my little girl has her moments when her toddler age and impatience shows through but then there are plenty of those other moments too, where she’s all smiles and laughs, making Mommy and Daddy smile too. She’s a precious little gem our little girl and we couldn’t be more happy to share all of these exciting moments with her as she grows up.

So all in all, I can’t recommend Epcot’s Tutto Gusto highly enough. They offer delicious gluten free menu options, and non-gluten free ones too, that are sure to please everyone. The only downside that I did have was that I couldn’t get my hands on their recipes. Sadly, they weren’t really keen on sharing those which was really disappointing for me, seeing as Disney isn’t necessarily in my backyard and on my regular list of Friday night take out options. Even though I can’t recreate these exact dishes at home though, it just makes it that much more exciting and tastier when we get to go back!

Our little Snow White giving her favorite princess some love!

After lunch, we were all refreshed and ready to tackle the rest of Epcot. We headed straight over to Germany to meet my daughter’s favorite princess, Snow White. The meet and greet went just how we expected, a huge hug, followed by being held for bit, and finally a goodbye hug and wave that made the line behind us aww in unison. After her meeting, we took our little Snow White through the rest of the countries and finally to the Nemo ride, which she LOVES! The ride itself is great, but the aquarium afterwards is a great experience that we all love. By the time we finished Nemo, it was time to head over to Hollywood Studios for dinner. Stay tuned for my most exciting gluten free news from our summer Disney vacation! I’ll give you a hint, it has to do with fried chicken!

Have A Magical Day,

Lindsay

July 15, 2014

Gluten Free Guide To Navigating Disney’s Epcot

Personally my little family loves dining in Epcot. We always enjoy meandering around the World Showcase and ending a few of our vacation days with a dinner in one of the countries. While my husband would certainly love to hop between the different cuisines, we usually make our dining decisions based on the gluten free offerings at each restaurant. Although we haven’t dined at nearly all of them, out of those that we have, some are certainly better than others at putting together a tasty and diverse gluten free menu.

A day in Epcot for us usually starts bright and early and begins with ride hopping through Future World. My little girl’s favorite is Nemo and Friends and the amazing aquarium that surrounds the ride, not to mention her meet and greet with Mickey, Minnie, and some of their pals at the Character spot. After a full morning of meeting friends and riding rides, we either grab some lunch in Future World or head straight over to the World Showcase and grab something to eat later on our walk.

Lunch for me is always our hardest meal, mostly because dinners are organized and planned months in advance but lunch is on the go and we’re stopping in to restaurants that haven’t been notified ahead of time of my gluten intolerance. No fear though, Disney has made things so simple for allergy diners these days that all you really have to do is request to speak with a manager at any dining location that you choose and review your options with them. Also, thanks to Disney I put together a Gluten Free Guide To Epcot Dining that shows you what gluten free products they offer in the park and where they can be found.

Epcot Gluten Free Products. Click to enlarge.

As far as gluten free dinners go, with our advance dining reservations we’ve enjoyed a couple of meals, that you can check out my reviews on by clicking the restaurant names, at Rose and Crown Restaurant in United Kingdom and La Hacienda de San Angel in Mexico. Each was delicious in their own way and we definitely plan on returning to both in our future vacations. While these dinner’s were fantastic, it makes me wish that I could place advanced notice for quick service locations too. However, even though lunches are more spontaneous, after scouting out great places ahead of time, I’ve never had an issue finding something good and safe to eat in any of Disney’s parks, hence where my guide comes in handy.

For a midday meal, this guide will certainly be even more valuable to the gluten free diner. You can spot where your favorite rolls and sandwich bread, as well as desserts are located in both Future World and the World Showcase. When we traveled to Disney pre-baby, actually baby was in Mommy’s belly at the time, we had our little food allergy nephew with us at the time. We decided to have lunch at Sunshine Seasons in Future World on our Epcot day and I just remember how excited he was to find out that they had his favorite Enjoy Life Chocolate Bar (one of the only sweets this little boy can enjoy). Using this guide, you’ll know exactly where you can snag your favorite gluten free drinks, treats, pastas, breads, and chicken fingers (Note: a lot of these are free of many other allergens as too).

A newer dining location that wasn’t indicated on this guide, but can absolutely accommodate a gluten free diner, is Italy’s Tutto Gusto Wine Cellar. They’re open for lunch and dinner without dining reservations, so anyone can just stop in and get an authentic Italian dish along with a wonderful glass of wine off of their a humongous wine list. Check out my gluten free lunch at Tutto Gusto from our most recent Disney trip! It was a such a refreshing sit down lunch experience, a little different from your standard quick service, and I for one fully intend on stopping in again for a lunch or dinner on our next trip coming up later this summer.

So make sure you pin or print this guide for your next Disney vacation so you’re armed and ready to tackle Disney dining in Epcot. There are so many dining locations to choose from in Epcot, but with a little homework of reading restaurant reviews online and this handy guide by your side you’ll be good to go. My recommendations, go for a quick service lunch at Sunshine Seasons and maybe a dinner at Tutto Gusto Wine Cellar. Enjoy!

Sincerely,

Lindsay

June 4, 2014

From A Gluten Free Turkey Sandwich To A Strip Steak, Day 5 Had Tons Of Tasty Gluten Free Bites

After enjoying a good breakfast with Pooh and his friends, we headed straight over to Fantasyland to start our day. We visited Anna and Elsa at Princess Fairytale Hall, hopped on Cinderella’s Carousel, and road Winnie the Pooh’s ride; we then made our way over to Adventureland where we hopped on the Jungle Cruise and Pirates of the Caribbean. After such a jam packed morning, little one fell asleep leaving Dan and I to wander around and figure out our lunch plans as the time was drawing near. We had yet to dine in the West Wing of Be Our Guest, so we decided to head over in that direction and catch an early lunch while little one rested her eyes.

We stood in line outside only for a short while and then followed along inside to order our meals at the kiosks. A chef was called for me to place my order which was pretty simple this time. I went with one of my favorite sandwiches there, the Carved Turkey Sandwich which had a dijon mayo and pommes frites along with it, each and every bite of which could be made gluten free. For dessert, the gluten free Lemon Raspberry Cream Puff as always.

After ordering, we headed to the West Wing to see if we could grab one of the few and coveted tables in there. Low and behold we had success, thanks to the earlier lunch time I’m guessing. Note to anyone with a sleeping baby though, when you plan on dining here for lunch be aware that there is thunder in the West Wing which can get quite loud at times, so much so it caused my little girl to stir each time. No worries though, she slept the entire time through lunch allowing some Mommy and Daddy time. While little girl slept, our meals were rolled out in their enchanted fashion and I was greeted by the familiar allergy flags placed in two beautifully put together sandwiches.

Gluten free Carved Turkey Sandwich at Be Our Guest. — Gluten free Carved Turkey Sandwich, Dijon Mayo, and Pommes Frites at Be Our Guest.

I was so excited to dine here again for lunch, as for me, as far as Magic Kingdom lunches go, this location definitely falls in my top 3. This lunch was no different, a beautiful plate of gluten free food magically found me and we enjoyed a wonderfully tasty meal in an enchanting environment. Now, the turkey sandwich itself was put together on Udi’s bread I believe, and again, similar to the ham sandwich that I tried a few days prior, two gluten free sandwiches were given in place of the larger regular sandwich that others get. Sandwiched between gluten free slices of bread are large pieces of carved turkey with arugula on top. The turkey itself was moist and deliciously flavored, but my favorite is the gluten free dijon mayo that comes on the side!

Turkey sandwich with dijon mayo. — Gluten free turkey sandwich with dijon mayo.

The dijon mayo is perfection and I just love adding it to both sandwiches and then dipping my pommes frites in whatever’s left. It complements the turkey perfectly and adds a tremendous amount of flavor to the sandwich as a whole. TIP: Ask for extra dijon mayo, you’ll definitely be happy that you did! As far as the pommes frites that come along with the sandwich, well those were delicious as always.

All in all, we just love having lunch at Be Our Guest. The environment is perfect, and the food is just that as well. From a gluten free perspective, you have so many unique options here, different really from anywhere else in Magic Kingdom. You absolutely must try Be Our Guest for both the experience and the delicious food that they offer. Take a peak at Be Our Guest’s lunch menu now to see what catches your eye, and I’m sure you’ll find many an item that you’re interested in trying. Let me know what gluten free dishes you enjoy when you visit Magic Kingdom’s Be Our Guest!

After enjoying a cool and dark lunch in the West Wing of Be Our Guest, our little girl awakened with an empty belly so we stopped at Pinnochio Village Haus to grab her a delicious bowl of mac and cheese, grapes, and apple sauce. She devoured her sized portion of the mac and cheese and apple sauce and we were off again to enjoy the remainder of the afternoon at Magic Kingdom, including the Haunted Mansion, It’s A Small World, some of my husband’s favorites Space Mountain and Splash Mountain, and the new Festival of Fantasy Parade, which was amazing!

Shortly after the parade, we headed on out to Epcot to explore the butterfly exhibit courtesy of the Flower and Garden Festival before our dinner in England. In route to Epcot though our little girl drifted off into a short little nap, those monorails and boats work magic on her! So Dan and I admired the butterflies for her and then scooted over to England for our dinner reservation.

We were seated outside right next to the lake and had a perfect view of the World Showcase. The chef joined our table almost immediately after being seated and drink orders were taken. I ordered the Grilled New York Strip Steak (Contrary to my ordering on vacation, I do not usually order steak daily, however their chicken options were usually dressed in sauces that were not up my alley, so steak it was.). Seeing as the sauce that was supposed to accompany my steak had gluten in it, the chef agreed to put together some type of gluten free scampi like sauce to go with mine.

As we waited for our meals to arrive our little one began to move around and did not wake up in the best of moods; needless to say, in the midst of taming a toddler I blanked on pictures at the Rose and Crown Pub, sorry. Anyway, our meals arrived and we traded off gobbling down our dishes while occupying our little girl. My steak was perfectly well done and was topped with a delicious scampi like sauce! The chef truly did a fantastic job putting this one together for me so I didn’t have to have a dry steak. In fact, he even checked on me several times to make sure that the sauce was to my liking, such great customer service! For dessert, I was able to only get the fruit parfait off of the kids menu. By that point though, our little one had had it, so we took a few nibbles of our desserts and decided to head back to our home resort and enjoy some much needed pool time!

It was a fantastic day of gluten free food from a turkey sandwich and dijon mayo to a strip steak and flavorful scampi sauce. Each bite was just as delicious as the one before and the one after! I have to commend Disney’s Chefs, as most of them that I’ve ever spoken to have been incredibly flexible and willing to accommodate in any capacity that they are able. Thank you Disney Chefs for being incredibly creative and aiming to please all of your diners!

My Disney adventures are almost at an end so stay tuned for the last gluten free bites that I enjoyed at Animal Kingdom, Cinderella’s Castle, and all of the snacks inbetween!

Have A Magical Day,

Lindsay

June 2, 2014

Gluten Free Orange Blossom Macaron At The Flower And Garden Festival In Epcot

Disney Day 4 was filled with lots of rides and meet and greets at Magic Kingdom so it was certainly nice to end it with a relaxing dinner and dessert in Epcot! I had scoped out the Flower and Garden Festival food options awhile before being there in person so I had a general idea of what they had in the gluten free department. On my list of potential treats to try were the Candied Strawberries in China, Frushi in Japan, and the Orange Blossom Macaron in France. Since I’d already tasted the Candied Strawberries, I was eager to either go with the Frushi or Macaron. I was in more of a pastry mood that night than a fruit one so macaron it was.

It was a beautiful night despite the excessive wetness during the day, so we took our time heading over to France, making sure we caught all of the beautiful topiaries on the way. Some of our favorites by far were Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs in Germany,

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Germany, Epcot

Lady and The Tramp in Italy,

and finally Beauty and The Beast, and all of their enchanted friends, in France.

These were so beautiful and the attention to detail was amazing! Now, after we had taken a few photos of the gorgeous French topiaries we spotted France’s Fleur De Lys Flower and Garden Festival stand.

Flower and Garden Festival 2014 in Epcot

I quickly ordered the Macaron a la Fleur d’ Oranger which was an orange blossom macaron with white chocolate ganache in the center. These were kept separately and already on their individual plates so I didn’t have to worry about the person handling the other gluten-filled options at the stand also touching mine as well. After picking up my macaron, we headed through France to the Les Halles Boulangerie & Patisserie to pick out a sweet treat for our little girl. She picked an impressive fruit parfait which was yogurt mousse with berries, a combination of ingredients that she happens to adore at home so I knew this one would be a hit. We headed out and picked an outside table to sit and enjoy our desserts together.

Macaron a la Fleur d' Oranger, Orange Blossom Macaron with White Chocolate Ganache — Gluten Free Macaron a la Fleur d’ Oranger, Orange Blossom Macaron with White Chocolate Ganache

After watching my little one enjoy her first few bites of her fruit parfait I turned my glance to my sweet, gluten free macaron. It was put together so beautifully that I hated to take a bite and ruin the presentation, but no worries I certainly did my research.

Delicious! — Delicate, gluten free orange macaron!

The macaron was pretty large with a generous helping of the white chocolate ganache inside. It was incredibly soft and delicate, just how a macaron should be. The orange flavor of the cookie side was perfectly complemented by the chocolatey center. All together it was a sweet, gluten free ending to a wonderful day!

I must say, it was certainly special to be able to experience the Flower and Garden Festival for the first time. Disney did a fantastic job, as always, with all of the gardens throughout Epcot and added another exciting element with food stands in each country offering tasting size bites. I have to share just one more of my favorite topiaries that we spotted after walking through Canada, whose character was inspiration for my daughter’s nursery so this one holds a little sentimental value and really stole the show for me.

When we walked past, my little one nearly jumped out of her seat with excitement as she recognized Bambi, Thumper, and Flower. I think probably each of us had one of those moments as we walked through the countries, spotting favorite characters from childhood, depicted now in huge, flower displays. It was truly a remarkable event to attend! Thanks Disney!

Have A Magical Day,

Lindsay

May 30, 2014

Epcot’s La Hacienda de San Angel: Home To The Best Gluten Free Corn Tortillas

A typical vacation in Orlando wouldn’t be complete with a rain storm or two. Day 4 of our trip was the lucky day for a couple showers, but altogether wasn’t too wet considering the predicted high percentage of rain. After making it through a beautiful sunny morning and delicious lunch at Be Our Guest, we hopped on the Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean before little one couldn’t help but close her eyes. Nap time for us when we’re in the parks means that it’s time for Mommy and Daddy to sit down in the shade and relax or meander through air conditioned stores and soak up the nice cool air. While we started nap time shopping, we watched the dark clouds roll in and decided to find a nice place under some covering to rest our feet and keep all of us dry during the impending, classic Disney World downpour.

Sure enough, only moments after parking under the awning by The Hall of Presidents, the dribbles began. We covered our little girl with the rain cover for the stroller which kept her nice dry while the wind picked up and started whirling around the now pouring rain. Thankfully we had ducked under the covering early so we stayed pretty dry but not as dry as my little girl who slept safely and soundly in her reclined seat. A short while later and the clouds had begun to move along, leaving a still murky looking sky. We decided to hang around to see if an afternoon parade would occur despite the rainy skies but disappointingly they had to cancel for the day. So we headed up to Main Street and shopped a bit along the row of stores, picking a few toys out for our little one that we knew would make perfect birthday or Christmas gifts. All of the sudden we heard a chirping from in the stroller and were greeted by an ecstatic little girl who couldn’t have been more excited to spot all of the Minnie merchandise in front of her as she woke up.

As the rain picked up again, we armed ourselves with our ponchos and covered the stroller to head over to the monorail for Epcot. On tonight’s menu was La Hacienda de San Angel in Mexico, we hadn’t been before but we were interested to check the waterfront restaurant. I personally do not like spicy food by any stretch, but my husband, on the other hand, pretty much loves all food, especially spicy food. Last time we had dined in Epcot’s Mexico we ate at the San Angel Inn and Dan tried the Jalapeno Margarita which he raved about so he definitely wanted to give the other restaurant in Mexico a try too. I try not to let my very picky palate and not to mention my gluten free restrictions get in the way too much of Dan’s adventurous foody side, so I always keep in mind that I’ll definitely be able to get something at the restaurant we’re going to, whether it be a salad or grilled chicken.

We were seated right at the windows and had a great view of the lake and the World Showcase around it. After perusing the menu a bit, I started to get a little nervous that this restaurant might be the exception to my rule of thumb. I had read ahead of time that their corn tortillas were delicious and gluten free so I was hoping to try the Queso Fundido sans peppers and sausage, maybe substituting chicken, really trying to avoid any spice whatsoever. The chef came out and went over my gluten free options with me and I asked if my idea was a possibility. He was so great and assured me that it could be done and that the homemade corn tortillas would be sent out instead of the flour tortillas. Not too long after ordering, our dishes arrived!

Gluten free Queso Fundido with chicken and corn tortillas at La Hacienda de San Angel in Epcot.

After cutting up my little girl’s chicken tacos, which she had for the first time that night and apparently loved, I finally caught a glimpse of my dish. I have to say the homemade corn tortillas looked delicious!

Let me just say that I’ve never been a fan of store bought corn tortillas. Texturally, they’re kind of rubbery to me and the taste is equally off putting. However, these were amazing! They were soft and not rubbery by any means, just like the flour tortillas that I used to enjoy in years past. Their flavor was mild and perfect to pair with the melted cheese that accompanied them. Not to mention that they’re gluten free!

As far as the gluten free melted cheese and chicken combo, it was perfection. Okay, so everyone’s level of spicy is different, but for me, I even find pepper can be too spicy; so as far the spice level on the chicken, I have to admit that it was a bit too spiced for me, but it was still incredibly delicious and went perfectly with the melted cheese! Layering the chicken and cheese on the corn tortillas reminded me of homemade quesadillas that I once enjoyed. The soft and tender gluten free corn tortillas were mildly flavored and embraced the flavorful cheese and chicken amazingly! Despite the smidgen of too much spice on the chicken, I would absolutely order this one again on future visits.

By the time we had finished with dinner, it had finally begun to dry up a bit outside, just in time for us to enjoy a nighttime stroll around Epcot. We wandered through the countries and even made a stop for a little sweet treat thanks to the Flower and Garden Festival. Stay tuned to find out which gluten free treat caught my eye!

Have A Magical Day,

Lindsay