27: Disney Recap
Are you looking for where to eat when you run a Disney World race? Or, perhaps you're visiting Disney World and still want to run even though you are going to be walking a lot. You’re in luck. Robert Gormley (a.k.a. my husband) and I talk about where to run and where to eat. I specifically talk about how to eat gluten-free at Disney World. Disney treats folks with dietary needs like kings and queens and princes and princesses.
Serena Marie, RD joins the show for Free for All Friday and discusses the food of the week, micro greens. Micro greens are seedlings that are younger than “baby salad”. Researchers have found that micro greens of a plant have four to six times the nutrients of the full plant. Micro greens are great sources of vitamin C, E and beta-carotene.
Where to Run at Disney World:
- Around the Boardwalk area and by Hollywood Studios. You can get in about a mile run around the boardwalk and if you go check out the Swan and Dolphin hotels, about 1.5 miles. If you want to head down to see Hollywood studios, its about another mile from the Boardwalk hotel so plenty of places to run. All the areas are well lit so you can easily run early in the morning or late at night.
- Bay Lake Tower area, near Magic Kingdom has a trail that is about a mile and has nice scenery -
-I’m not sure if this “allowed”, but we ran once during the fireworks at Epcot. It was pretty easy as people were against the “fences" and we ran in the middle the walk way with out dodging people.
Where NOT to Run:
- Disney does not recommend this and I agree. Running on the roads near Animal Kingdom is not safe as there are a lot of turns and even if you are facing traffic, cars can come up quickly! If you’re staying at an Animal Kingdom hotel, and you want to run, you’re pretty much left with the parking lots, and that is not a good idea of course.
Must Visit Disney World Restaurants:
-California Grill (Michael the manager and Mark the chef will take great care of you!) - great salads, sushi and wine - in fact they have over 1600 wines!
-Sanaa - we love the tandoori sandwiches and the yummy sauces. Amazing view of the animals such as giraffes and zebras at Animal Kingdom Lodge.
-Boma (Chef John will take good care of you) - don’t miss the zebra domes (gluten free and with gluten) and African salads on the dinner buffet- they also have an amazing gluten free waffle they make up for you during the breakfast buffet.
-Garden Grove - held at the Swan Hotel, we have seen Chip and Dale twice, Goofy twice and also Pluto twice. Its a seafood buffet on Friday nights and has amazing crab legs. They also serve stuffed lobster in addition to a traditional buffet. I LOVE the crab legs and they’ll bring out freshly steamed legs if you like.
Cat Cora’s - is closing soon and will re open as an Italian restaurant. Chef Dee, the chef who is currently in charge, will be running the new restaurant. Some favorites such as the whole fish (which has ALWAYS been good) will potentially be on the new menu, just done Italian style rather than Greek style.
Yak and Yeti- always good. We especially like the tuna tartare salad. Best restaurant at the Animal Kingdom Park. We especially like the tuna tartare salad. Lou Mongello of WDW Radio agrees with us that its the best sit down restaurant in Animal Kingdom Park.
Spice Market - great mint ice tea and watermelon cooler. Jiko - it’s been a few years but they have really interesting spices in their foods and a great wine list. Excellent food. Possibly the best Signature Restaurant at Disney World.
Definitely Go Back Again:
Plaza Restaurant - sandwiches and salads came out quickly and they did not cost much more than a quick serve restaurant. It was really nice to get out of the hot and sit down for lunch. They have gluten free buns.
Via Napoli - best pizza outside of NYC was Robert’s opinion. Eating gluten free wasn’t super special. If you don’t like loud restaurants, asked to be seated off to the room to the right where its quieter and you can look out at the piazza.
Liberty Tavern - salads, sandwiches and traditional dinners. A lot of gluten free choices you don’t get everywhere such as gluten free stuffing, sauces and buns. I had the salad with carved turkey and it was good.
Tony’s Restaurant - tasty salads and gluten free pastas. Pretty busy restaurant at the front of the park.
Big River - get the blackened salmon salad. That’s all I can say. :-)
Tusker House - eating here gluten free was not great, but Robert felt there were a lot of tasty options on this buffet.
Nothing Special (it's not bad but I would consider it meh):
Wave - food was fine - don’t really remember much as it was three years ago - just know it was unmemorable and didn’t feel like I need to go back.
Tokyo Dining - we’re sushi snobs and it didn’t measure up with what we eat at Sagami in Collingswood, NJ and Blue Ribbon Sushi in NYC.
Chef de France - REALLY authentic French atmosphere but not as good as you would find in Paris. The nicoise salad was tasty, and one of the better options we felt. Robert said the bread though was really good.
Would Not Go Back To:
Citiricos - pricy fine dining restaurant and you can have much better food at California Grill or Jiko for the same price point.
Wolfgang Puck Restaurant - pizzas, salads, and sandwiches. I had a sirlion burger without the bun and it wasn’t anything special. We would try the Wolfgang Puck Restaurant cafe although since we have heard good things about that.
Ohana - It wasn’t bad, it's just we have gone once and feel like we don’t need to go again. Choices were limited three years ago for people following a gluten free diet. They do have games for the children during dinner.
Hoop de Doo Review - show was nice and they easily made accommodations. It's just one of those things we think you go to once and that’s good.
Coral Reef- seafood restaurant that is more about the experience then the food. We would consider going back for just an appetizer, or dessert or drink.
Food of the Week
If you want the most bang for your buck, the best green for C is red cabbage while if you’re looking for Vitamin E, green daikon radish micro greens have the most. When it comes for recipes of the week, Serena likes to mix micro greens in salads while I enjoy using micro greens as a garnish for entrees such as omelets, and dishes with a sauce over rice. These greens can be pricy, but they pack in a large amount of nutrition is a small bunch.
Mention
Lou Mongello of WDW Radio and author of 102 Ways to Save Money at Walt Disney World
This podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and solely as a self-help tool for your own use. I am not providing medical, psychological, or nutrition therapy advice. You should not use this information to diagnose or treat any health problems or illnesses without consulting your own medical practitioner. Always seek the advice of your own medical practitioner and/or mental health provider about your specific health situation. For my full Disclaimer, please go to www.karigormley.com/disclaimer.