Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’ at Disney Springs

Chef Art Smith's Homecomin'I am not a “foodie” who follows cooking shows.  I have a hard enough time not stuffing my face while sitting on my couch, so why would I watch an hour long show that akes everything look so delicious?  If you ask me, that’s a temptation that I can’t handle!

The first time my family suggested that we visit Chef Art Smith’s restaurant at Disney Springs, I had no idea who he was.  Of course they knew who he was because two of them are addicted to cooking shows and are the type of people who get excited about a new kitchen appliance.  I was worried that it would be some ‘fancy food’ – but they assured me that it was famous for fried chicken.

We arrived at Chef Art Smith’s Homecoming for our reservation.  I really liked the way the interior was laid out; it was very inviting and open.  The details and theming were impressive, you really felt like you were in someone’s home in the south with the screened in front porch.

Inside Chef Art Smith's Homecomin'

Everyone was enjoying themselves and the atmosphere when my sister took out her phone and started snapping pictures of some man.  I couldn’t figure out what she was doing, until this man came to the table and I realized that this was THE Chef Art Smith.  He was a lovely man who chatted with us and posed for pictures.  Let’s just say a few people at our table were very excited to get to meet him!

Chef Art Smith

My nephew and sister were over the moon to meet him!

I have been back to Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin at Disney Springs many times since that first visit.  When friends join us at Walt Disney World it is usually one of the places we take them to.  There is a great variety of drinks on the menu

I’m generally a beer drinker – so that’s my drink of choice

But once – we thought we were smart and tried the moonshine tasting.  Let’s just say – WOW!  It burned… a lot of it burned going down, but I can now say I’ve tried all sorts of moonshine, and I can safely say I don’t like it.

Art Smith Moonshine Taster

What I do like though is the starters.  We have tried a few including the Jasper Board (An array of Southern goodness perfect for sharing with the table. Smoked fish dip, pimento cheese, char-grilled smoked sausage, bread and butter pickles, candied pecans, and buttermilk crackers)

Art Smith Jasper Board

I’m missing the crackers in this pic

And a bunch of puppies (House-made hushpuppies served with pimento cheese and red jalapeño jelly)

Art Smith Bunch of Puppies

These were surprisingly yummy!

But my absolute favourite starter is the Church Lady Deviled Eggs

Art Smith Church Lady Deviled Eggs

At one point I thought of placing an order all to myself and skipping my main course – they were THAT good

The problem with the starters is that they are so good, you run the risk of not leaving enough room for the main course!

 

 

Yes, Art Smith is famous for the fried chicken, and with good reason.  That chicken is so moist and tender you could mash it up with a spoon if you wanted.  The skin is perfectly seasoned and yummy that I can’t NOT get the chicken when I go. The big debate is what sides you order WITH the chicken.

I usually get the fried chicken and doughnuts, because – well… where else do you get doughnuts WITH your dinner?

Art Smiths Chicken

But there are so many great side items to choose from… you could just order 3 sides?

Art Smith Side Dishes

Mac & Cheese, Biscuits and Mashed Potatoes

If you are a Mac and Cheese lover, honestly – you don’t want to miss this.  It’s SO incredibly cheesy – sometimes we’ll just order one as a side for the table we all share because we just need a couple of bites.

Art Smith Mac and Cheese

We can’t NOT get an order of Mac and Cheese

Once the main course is over, I can honestly never think about dessert.  I have taken my leftovers more times than I care to share – but I will say the chicken is great the next morning for breakfast in the room or a late night snack!

BUT – if you do have room, my friend have split the famous Hummingbird Cake

Art Smith Hummingbird Cake

The famous pineapple-banana cake with cream cheese frosting

Have you eaten here?  Did you make it to dessert or did you have to take your leftovers with you?

I’d love to hear from you how your meal was!  There are some great places to eat at Disney Springs it’s so hard to choose!

 

Splitsville At Disney Springs Is More Than Bowling

Splitsville at Disney Springs is more than just a bowling alley, it’s a dining experience you don’t want to miss.

I was one of those people who rolled my eyes when others suggested I go to eat at Splitsville.  I mean c’mon – it’s a bowling alley surrounded by restaurants of award winning chefs like Art Smith, Wolfgang Puck and Chef Morimoto.   Why on EARTH would I take one of my meals at Disney Springs and go to the bowling alley if I wasn’t bowling?  That made no sense to me.

Until the day my sister and I were at Disney Springs and found ourselves on the West Side just before lunch without a reservation anywhere.  It was hot, we were hungry and we had just picked up cigars for my nephew at Sosa’s after a morning of shopping.  We were all the way down at the end of the West Side and just wanted to sit, relax and have a beer.

Remembering everyone telling me that Splitsville was the place to be – I figured we would at least get a drink in there to cool off.  Why not see if they could take us?

I had never even been inside of Splitsville before and I was immediately impressed with the size!  The two floors hold 30 lanes of bowling and 5 bars, there’s even a small little gift shop with some cute souvenirs!

Splitsville Disney Springs Bar Tables

Lots of space and a great view!

We were taken upstairs to one of the bars and seated by the widow, what a view we had.  The seating was comfortable and we were impressed at how bright and spacious it was.  I know it was lunch time and it wasn’t busy, but even if it had been full – there was still lots of space between the tables.

The menu was HUGE, it was so surprising how many choices there was on this menu.  We were both hungry and I started to think there were too many choices because I couldn’t decide!  I have heard the Sushi is amazing and our server said he dines there for sushi on his days off!  But I’m not a sushi gal, so I had to find something more suitable.

Splitsville Lunch Menu at Disney Springs

The menu had SO many choices for lunch!

We ordered drinks and perused the menu – I finally decided on the buffalo chicken sandwich and my sister had the sweet and spicy chicken.  Yes – both chicken dishes, you might think a little boring.

While we were waiting for our meals I decided it was a good time to wander around and get some pics inside.  I loved seeing the families playing together, enjoying their games while nibbling on the snacks at the end of their lanes.  This would be a perfect spot for an afternoon outside of the parks to do something together as a family – they were having a LOT of laughs!

Splitsville Bowling Lane at Disney Springs

Splitsville Bowling Lane Score board

Our meals arrived at our table and they looked delicious, but so often that happens and looks are deceiving… 

Ummmm NO.  They were every bit as good as they looked and then some!

Splitsville Buffalo Sandwich

This was incredibly delicious!

My chicken sandwich was the right kind of spice, it was hot – but not burning my mouth so much that it wasn’t enjoyable.  Can I say I love crinkle cut fries too?

I had a taste of my sisters chicken too, it was so flavourful.  It was such a large serving but it was SO good that we couldn’t leave any of the chicken behind! 

Splitsville Sweet and Spicy Chicken

This chicken dish was amazing – even with the vegetables it might be on my list for next visit!

As we left we laughed about how we weren’t going to go in – and now it’s on our list of places we need to go back to.  My sister now wants to try the sushi, and I just want another bite of that chicken sandwich!

Yes – we’ll be back at Splitsville in Disney Springs.  Maybe next time we’ll actually try the bowling!  Dining and bowling are booked separately, if you want to reserve your lanes call (407) 938-7467

Splitsville Disney Springs Gift Shop

We will be back – for SURE

Have you eaten at Splitsville yet?  What did you have?

B.B. Wolf’s Sausage Co At Disney Springs

BB Wolf's B.B. Wolf’s Sausage Co at Disney Springs was one of those places that I knew I had to try,  The problem with Disney Springs is that there are too many great places to eat and snack, that I rarely find myself ready for something spontaneous when I have passed this particular kiosk.  I decided I had to make a trip to Disney Springs just to TRY this place given that my Facebook followers had encouraged it!

So I don’t know HOW it went right over my head, but BB Wolf’s?  Big Bad Wolf’s that serves 3 Little Pigs?  Ya, I’m ashamed to admit it – but it never clicked!

The kiosk is located at the end of the bridge closer to Paddlefish and almost across from the Lego store.  It’s important to note that finding a place to eat your food could be challenging on a busy night as there no dedicated area for BB Wolf’s seating.  We were there in the afternoon, so we managed to grab a table right across from the kiosk that had an umbrella.  I don’t particularly like eating outside, especially when it’s hot, but this was more of a snack than a meal.

BB Wolf's Menu

I was travelling with a friend who really loves hot dogs, so it wasn’t difficult to convince him that we should eat here.   I wanted to try the basic hot dog – no frills, no salad – just a good old fashioned hot dog that I could compare to the ones I like at Cosmic Rays.

BB Wolf Hot Dog

All Beef Quarter Pound Hot Dog

The hot dog was good – but the only ‘toppings’ available were mustard and ketchup.  No relish, onions, tomatoes, pickles – nothing extra.  While I’m a bit of a plain eater – this was a bit too plain for me.

My friends decided to be a bit more adventurous and tried the Greek Dog and the trio.

The Greek Dog

The feedback on the Greek Dog was that it was a salad – on a hot dog.  There was plenty of salad on the dog, in fact they could have just eaten the salad itself.

3 Little Pigs Trio

The Trio was different, plenty of toppings on each and the house made pickles were delicious.  I know that they have switched up what type of dogs are in the trio from time to time – so it’s best to check the menu when you arrive to see if they are something you might like.

For us – the hot dogs were okay, but I wouldn’t be racing back for them.  What I WOULD make sure I get to have again is the House Made Pretzel Braid.  It is served with cheese fondue and mustard, and was awesome!

The Pretzel Braid with cheese fondue

This was something I could happily snack on while roaming around Disney Springs, something to fill the gap before a dinner reservation.  This way I can save the Sprinkles Cupcake for after dinner!

Have you eaten at B.B. Wolf’s?  What did you think?

 

The Void Star Wars Virtual Reality At Disney Springs

The Void at Disney Springs was a fantastic experience that I wish was still there!  I had the pleasure of experiencing it when it was open and wow – why don’t they do more stuff like this?  

Below is my review of the experience:

The Void at Disney Springs might have been the best immersive experience available outside of the theme parks. This hyper-reality experience took virtual reality to a whole new level, and it was incredible!

Being a family of Star Wars fans, we knew that we had to try to get in to this virtual world.  Since it was a vr experience, there were 2 in our group that thought it might be a bit much for them and they opted out.  That left 4 of us to try it – my nephew, his two sons and myself which worked out well since the experience was in groups of 4.  It’s important to note that guests had to be a minimum of 48 inches tall and at least 10 years of age to participate, and a waiver was signed before you entered.

We pre-booked tickets for $29.95 USD in advance and selected a time slot before our dinner at Art Smith’s.  We had no idea what it would be like – but we were excited for what was to be an immersive Star Wars experience.

The Void Secrets Of The Empire Inside

Once we checked in we were taken to a set-up room where we watched a short video and a cast member scanned our wrist bands.  Then it was off to get our VR gear on – and that was interesting!

The full gear included a vest and a helmet (with microphone) that allowed you to talk to the other members of our group.  In total I would say it all weighed about 10 pounds but didn’t feel uncomfortable.  My vr headset made me feel pretty official in a Star Wars kind of way.  When they took us in to the room and we pulled our visors down, we were laughing trying to talk to each other and realized we were now Storm Troopers.  It was hysterical seeing the youngest one as a miniature Storm Trooper and when we stuck out our hands we could see that we had ‘on’ the full Trooper uniform!

The experience took us on a mission where we could interact with things and use levers on the wall to open doors.  We knew then that we really had to work together to complete our mission.  To say that it was ‘immersive’ would be an understatement – we were THERE.  At one point there was a bridge to walk across, high up above boiling lava, and I can tell you that I literally felt like I could fall off of this bridge!  The kids had to reach back and take my hand to guide me across.  

Secrets of the Empire The Void

The next thing I knew we were under attack in this Star Wars universe and I was on high alert. We had blasters in our hands and were shooting at Storm Troopers, feeling the recoil with our shots and ducking behind things for cover.  We were shouting to each other to find a safe place to shoot from while one was trying to break the code to get us out of harms way.  It was so much fun and the kids thought it was the coolest thing ever.

There was an additional experience at one point called Ralph Breaks VR that featured Wreck-It Ralph.  While it was fun, it wasn’t as much fun as the Secrets of the Empire in my opinion.  

Unfortunately the Void closed at Disney Springs and the official website has very little information.  It appears that the immersive virtual reality experience is not available anywhere at the moment.  It would be AMAZING if they could put something like this in to Galaxy’s Edge – but that might be wishful thinking.

Did you get a chance to try the Void when it was open?

  Have you tried this yet?  

The Boathouse At Disney Springs Review

The Boathouse Disney SpringsWith so many great places to eat at Disney Springs, it makes for a very difficult decision if you’ve only got time for one.  We had a chance to have lunch at The Boathouse and I can tell you, it did not disappoint!  Often when I hear rave reviews about a place I am disappointed.  I guess I have such a high expectation that there is no way for it to be met.  This was not the case with the Boathouse.

When we arrived I was pleasantly surprised with how ‘open’ it felt.  There was plenty of room and lots of natural light coming in.  I don’t know what the lighting would be in the evenings, but I did love the feel during the day.

The Boathouse Disney Springs Inside

The decor was fun, with nautical themes and a full size booth inside of a boat in the middle of the dining room.   There are other dining rooms in this restaurant, but we were seated next to this boat.

The Boathouse Booth in a Boat

We started off with water and pop while we looked at the menu.  The waiter brought out some bread that was so good that I could have just had that for lunch and would have been satisfied.

The Boathouse Bread

My sister Becky ordered the New England Lobster Roll.  She’s a big fan of lobster and said she was sure there was an entire lobster in it.

The Boathouse Lobster Roll

I ordered the Smokehouse Angus Brisket French Dip as recommended by our waiter.  I couldn’t believe the size of it when he brought it out.

The Boathouse Brisket

The meat was so tender and full of flavour that I started to wish I hadn’t eaten so much bread.

Boathouse Brisket Inside

Becky and I both got the French fries with our meals and both agreed that they were delicious!  While we both got huge portions of fries, we made a good dent in them. When the waiter came back and asked if we wanted dessert, we both thought we couldn’t… but then we saw the people at the next table having theirs – and decided we had to try it! Becky had the Key Lime Pie In A Mason Jar

The Boathouse Key Lime Pie

And I had (surprise!) the Double Chocolate Bundt Cake

The Boathouse Double Chocolate Bundt Cake

To say that dessert was yummy is a huge understatement.  I couldn’t stop myself eating this cake even though I was thoroughly stuffed.

Double Chocolate Dessert The Boathouse

I can’t say there was anything about the Boathouse that we didn’t enjoy.  It’s making it very difficult for us to decide where to go when we visit.  We love Art Smith’s Homecomin’ as well as Morimoto – too many choices!!  Seems like we might just need a week vacation just to eat around Disney Springs??

PS – after this dessert, I had to get my Sprinkles cupcakes to go!

Have you eaten at The Boathouse?

Paddlefish Appetizer Review at Disney Springs

Disney Springs PaddlefishWe were very lucky when we arrived at Paddlefish at Disney Springs, it was early afternoon and they had seating available for us. I was stunned at the inside and how beautiful it was. The views from the dining room we were seated in were gorgeous. We had a great view of the water and Saratoga Springs in the background.
When we sat down at our table and looked at the menu, I had a feeling we might be there for a while! Drinks were ordered (including the Captain Handsome) and we started the debate about what to eat.

When looking at the appetizers, we struggled. There was too much ‘goodness’ that we couldn’t decide what to have. What appetizers would we skip to make sure we had room for the main course? The answer was simple really, let’s just have appetizers! The waitress came and askedPaddlefish Restaurant Appetizers if we had decided on an appetizer, we said “no, we can’t… so we’ll just have to try them all”.

When the food came to the table, I couldn’t help but start to wonder if I might like seafood after all? The beef skewers and fried green tomatoes were supposed to be what I would eat, but everything looked so good!!

We took our time savoring the flavors of all of the dishes, they were all delicious!

The beef skewers were tender and full of flavor, the pickled onions were a nice pairing with them.

Paddlefish Captain HandsomeWhile I didn’t have the crab cake, my dining companions raved about it! They said the amount of crab in it was surprising. The fried green tomato that came with the crab cake was thicker than the ones that came as the stand-alone appetizer. The batter on the tomatoes was the right amount of crispy and didn’t dilute the flavor of the tomato.

Calamari isn’t my thing, but judging from the “oh wow” and “this is delicious” coming from the table, the calamari was a hit.

The lobster corn dogs were another favorite of the table. The sweet chili aioli was the perfect dip to go with them and added just a little kick.

The biggest surprise was the crab fries. While these fries had crab on them, I had to try. The crab was so big and easy enough to see that I could pick around it. My dining companions assured me that the crab was delicious, but I was in love with the fries and the louie dressing! Salted to perfection and still crispy after sitting under all of that crab, these fries will not disappoint.

Sadly, there was no room for dessert (and I always have room for dessert!). The portions were so big and the food so filling that the four of us couldn’t manage another bite. We had dinner reservations at Homecoming, and we didn’t want to spoil that either.

I should point out that Paddlefish would be a great place to go in the evenings. We took a tour of the deck and bar upstairs, I can only imagine how awesome it is in the evening. Don’t forget to check out the bathrooms as well – I loved how they had all of the different types of knots on the walls.

Would I go back to Paddlefish? Absolutely. Would my seafood loving companions recommend the actual seafood? There was a big resounding YES from all of them!

 

Sprinkles Cupcakes at Disney Springs

Sprinkles Cupcakes Disney SpringsI’ve written many blogs about my favorite sweet treats at Walt Disney World, yes I’m a sugar addict!  I love cupcakes and was very disappointed about my favorite being removed from the Cheshire Café.  Even though there are many different cupcakes available at Walt Disney World, I was intrigued to find out about a new cupcake shop at Disney Springs.

My first view of Sprinkles was a little negative – I was not impressed with the line up outside of the store where I had to wait in 100-degree heat to get inside to order.   I studied the menu while I waited, but I knew what I wanted – the salty caramel.  My sister was opting for the key lime and we were anxious to try them.   When we finally made it inside (after a good 20 minutes in line) the customer at the register was still debating was flavor she wanted!   After 20 minutes in line, she got to the counter and proceeded to have a 10 minute conversation asking for input from the staff about what she should order!  I was losing my patience, but decided I had waited this long I may as well get them as I would never come back to get more.

I ordered our cupcakes and had them boxed up because we were just too hot and cranky.  We took them back to our resort (Saratoga Springs) and put them in the fridge for later.

Sprinkles Chocolate CupcakeWhen we finally got around to eating our cupcakes, I couldn’t believe it – they were delicious!!  It was the perfect mixture of sweetness with a hint of salt in the icing and the cake was moist and light.  This was honestly one of the best cupcakes I’ve ever eaten!

A couple of days later I found myself back in line at Sprinkles, I just had to have another.  This time we were smart and got 2 each to take back to the resort.  There is no doubt that this will be a ‘must visit’ on my Disney vacations going forward, but hopefully the lines will be shorter next time. Now if only I could figure out how to bring some cupcakes home to Toronto without ruining them….

Have you tried Sprinkles?  What did you think?

Cupcake ATM Sprinkles Selection

Morimoto and the Picky Eater

Morimoto Disney SpringsBeing that my family is from Scotland, I grew up on a healthy diet of meat and potatoes.   Dinner at my house was roast beef and chips, fish and chips, mince and potatoes, steak pie and mashed potatoes – you get the idea, it’s not a meal without potatoes.  I was the picky eater in the family, but my sister Becky has always been much more adventurous with food and really wanted to try Morimoto.  I figured if I didn’t like it, I could always grab a burger somewhere after.

We decided to go for lunch and when we arrived were one of the first in the restaurant.  It is gorgeous inside and the high ceilings and chandeliers were breathtaking.  When we were seated and handed our menus I knew we would have to try a couple of the appetizers – after all, if you’re going to dine here, you may as well get the full experience!

Morimoto RibsWe ordered the ribs and chicken wings for appetizers and I think they set our expectations REALLY high.  The ribs were amazing; I don’t think I’ve ever tasted anything like it.  I normally don’t eat ribs (I don’t like to have to pick meat off of a bone), but I could eat these with just a fork.  The meat literally fell off of the bone; it was spiced perfectly and was full of flavor.  The seasoning on the chicken wings was subtle and they were nice and crispy – just the way we like them!  We were anxious to get our entrees because we knew they would be delicious!

I ordered the chicken and noodles while Becky had the Shrimp Pad Tai.  My chicken was a little overcooked and chewy, but the noodles were awesome.  They almost knocked my top noodles from O’hana out of their spot!  Becky said there was tons of shrimp in hers and it was the best tofu she had ever tasted.  All in all, we were pretty happy with our meals.

For dessert I had to have the churro with chocolate sauce.  They brought me a package of chocolate sauce and I have to be honest, I Morimoto Churrowasn’t sure what I was supposed to do?  Do I drizzle it on top?  Eat it with a knife and fork?  Or do I put the chocolate sauce on my plate and hold the churro with my fingers and dip it in?  I even asked the waitress (who thought I was nuts) and then told me she’d seen people eat it all different ways.  I opted for using my fingers, why not?  The churros were nice and warm and a really good sweet option for the end of my meal.

Becky opted for the Chocolate Cream and Crunch dessert that the waitress recommended.  The waitress was right, and she loved it and said the gelato was amazing.

Overall we were happy with our lunch at Morimoto.  There were things on the menu that I could eat, and Becky was happy she got to experience it.  We talked about visiting Morimoto again, but next time we will focus on the appetizers and order more ribs!

Morimoto Main Course Morimoto Main Course Chicken Inside Morimoto Inside Morimoto Disney Springs Morimoto Table Morimoto Menu

D-Luxe Burger at Disney Springs

D-Luxe Burger and FriesIt was an eventful day for us, up at 3 to get ready for our flight to Orlando.  We arrived at Saratoga Springs around noon and relaxed for a bit before heading to Disney Springs.  We weren’t sure what we were going to have for dinner, but we were starving so we knew it had to be something ‘hearty’.

We made our way over to D-Luxe Burger in Disney Springs after hearing how big the burgers were.  We figured that the appetites we had, we would have no problem with the giant burgers.

I ordered the Classic Cheeseburger with Fries and my Sister Becky ordered the Southern Classic Burger with fries.  We paid with our dining plan and waited for our buzzer to go off.

The good news is that at 4:30 on a Saturday there wasn’t a big line.  There were seats available, but they were all outside.  We selected our table and waited.

When the food was ready (fairly quickly I might add) I picked up the bags and headed to our table.  I then realized they had forgot my D-Luxe Southern Classic Burgerbottle of water – no biggie – I went back and they gave me one.

We opened the burgers and were shocked at the size – they were HUGE!  The fries came with dipping sauce and we both preferred the chipotle mayo vs. the buffalo blue cheese.

We both started eating, the first bite was good – but there was a LOT of grease.  If you knew me, you would know that I love greasy food – but this was a little over the top.  The second bite brought more grease and it was downhill from there.

The fries were okay, mainly because of the dipping sauce.  They were good, just nothing special.

I’m normally someone who loves ANYTHING when I’m really hungry – but this time it didn’t work.   We both left two thirds of our burgers and fries and decided this would NOT be on our list of ‘must do’ places at Disney Springs.Red Velvet Burger Macaron

The bright side was the Red Velvet Burger Macaron that we got for dessert.  My brain was a little confused by this sweetness that looked like a burger – but my taste buds really enjoyed the sweet delight.  Okay – so maybe I’d go back to D-Luxe for one of those!