The 2016/2017 Winter Menu at Seasons 52

Monday, December 19, 2016
This post was done in partnership with Seasons 52 in Houston, who provided me with my food and drinks, free of charge. I was not monetarily compensated for writing this restaurant post. All opinions are completely, 100% my own!

Brrrr, it's cold out!


Whaddaya say we crank up the Mariah Carey Christmas, bust out our best mock turtle necks, take a break from all the cookie-baking, and go out for some deee-licious food?!?!

A few weeks ago, Jon and I were invited to try the winter menu at Seasons 52. The restaurant has two Houston locations, one in City Center and one near the Gallaria/River Oaks (where we ate). We've been to the restaurant a couple of times (read about it here, and here), and we had such good experiences both times, that of course we were thrilled to go back!

As the name implies, Seasons 52 changes its food with the seasons, or "What's Good Now." Feeling inspired, I kicked things off with one of their seasonal cocktails, the organic sunshine martini.


Made with orange-infused prairie organic vodka and simple syrup, the basic drink was anything but! Sweet, bright, light, and smooth, it went down a little too easy - It really was sunshine in a drink! While I enjoyed it, I'm not a super sweet toothed person, so I opted for a glass of red wine as my second drink. Seasons 52 has an awesome wine list, and I always love investigating it!

We were presented with an amuse bouche of prosciutto, goat cheese, and peaches, which Jon happily enjoyed for the both of us!


Then we ordered a couple of appetizers, starting with the lobster & fresh mozzarella flatbread for Jon and the artichoke & Laura chenel goat cheese flatbread for me. 


Having previously had the lobster & fresh mozzarella flatbread, Jon knew he was going to love it again. I'd had a version of the artichoke flat bread before BUT it was back when I had my stint with veganism so IT HAD NO CHEESE. But this time? IT HAD CHEESE. And I'm telling you, the soft cheese cut very nicely through the tart balsamic coated veggies. The flatbread itself was super light and crispy, and a great way to kick things off!

We also ordered the artisan cheese fondue to split during this first round of food.


OH Y'ALL.

A creamy, luscious combination of cave-aged gruyere and cheddar made this dreamy cheese dip one of my favorite two food items of the evening. The tangy, lovely cheese was made even more delicious when paired with an assortment of breads that offered varying tastes and textures to elevate it. This was one hella awesome fondue!

Oh but this round of food was not over, folks, because we also ordered a side of their roasted brussels sprouts without bacon!


Cooked in a 15-year aged balsamic, what I found most notable about these brussels sprouts were their ever-so-slightly crisped outer layer. The texture was great!

I also ordered a side of truffle mac 'n cheese en brodo.


I LOVE truffle, but I recognize how easy it is to mess it up. Throw too much in, and forget about it being palatable. Luckily for me, the restaurant could not have gotten this truffle mac more right! It had the perrrrfect amount of truffle oil, along with a rich swirl of gruyere and cheddar, all topped with a delightfully crunchy panko crust. This mac and cheese was DIVINE.

For our main course of food, Jon ordered his favorite, the red snapper (what he always gets at the restaurant), and I went with the vegetarian tasting plate.


I also always order the vegetarian tasting plate, however this one had completely different components in it than it did on my previous two visits. The plate consisted of a wood-grilled kohlrabi steak, asparagus, a fennel-roasted onion, and vegan paella. The kohlrabi and asparagus were fresh, standard, and good, and the fennel-roasted onion, was unique and surprisingly delightful (I don't hate fennel, but I generally don't lose my mind over it). But the vegan paella? OH THE VEGAN PAELLA. Y'all, I seriously ate chorizo that night. I mean I didn't really eat chorizo, of course, but I ATE CHORIZO. The vegan paella was hearty, earthy, spicy, textured, and insanely delicious, with vegetables and bits of some sort of fake chorizo thrown in there. This was my other favorite thing I ate that night, it was so incredible!!

The restaurant then presented us with their beautiful display of teeny, adorable desserts. Jon opted for his usual, the pecan pie, and I went with the red velvet cake. Jon's was very good, but I adored my less sweet, richer, decadent red velvet much more. The cheesecake frosting was perfect, and there was a surprise little raspberry at the bottom!

I love Seasons 52, which is why I keep going back. The restaurant offers incredible, seasonally appropriate food, as well as awesome service to boot. Houston is lucky to have multiple locations, and I can't wait to go back again!


Have a safe and Happy Holiday Season!!

Cooking Girl

Monday, November 14, 2016
I'M STILL ALIVE, HOUSTON, I SWEAR!!!

Cooking Girl - A Chinese restaurant, in Houston

For all [two of you] still reading this (hi mom!), thank you. This long string of few-and-far-between restaurant blog posts will come to an end in a few months when life settles down for me. But I'm here now, and I'm here to tell you about the awesome, fabulous food at Cooking Girl - a BYOB ($4.99 corking fee, y'all!) Chinese restaurant located in Houston's Montrose neighborhood.

My parents are huge fans of the restaurant, so my mom and I went a few weeks ago. When we were seated in the tiny, packed (make a reservation!), no-frills spot, we were presented with a complimentary appetizer of light puffy chip-like things (you've missed my super excellent food descriptors, haven't you?). They weren't exceptionally flavorful, though slightly sweet, and a nice little pre-dinner teaser.

appetizer at Cooking Girl - A Chinese restaurant, in Houston

For our first course of food, we ordered (at the server's recommendation) the garlic-flavored cucumber. 

Unfortunately, it wasn't exactly a first round of food, in that it took quite a bit of time to come out, and it when it finally did come out, it was about a minute before we received our entrees. All that aside, the dish itself was pretty darn good. As a general rule, cucumbers make me feel dead inside, but I was glad I trusted our server on this one! The sauce that the crisp cucumbers were swimming in was super garlicky, with a lovely oily, syrupy feel. There was definitely chili in there, and it also packed some serious heat! I don't know if I'd order it on my next visit (since the whole cucumber/dead inside thing), but it will be on my regular rotation of food items to order there for sure.

garlic-flavored cucumber at Cooking Girl - A Chinese restaurant, in Houston

Oh but you know what I will order EVERY. SINGLE. TIME?

The pepper potato silk.

For our main course of food, my mom and I split two items - one of which was the pepper potato silk. People rave about this dish, and WOW. Potatoes are delicately peeled into noodle-like strands and cooked ever-so-simply in oil and peppers. This fine dish also had some MAJOR heat, and I cannot convey just how multi-layered and incredible it was. Eating it was a beyond-delightful, jaw-dropping experience. I seriously have not stopped thinking about this dish for the past few weeks, and it will definitely be in the running for my top 10 favorite dishes of the year!

pepper potato silk at Cooking Girl - A Chinese restaurant, in Houston

The other entree we split was the restaurant's mabo tofu.

I requested for the dish to be made vegetarian (I believe it normally comes with pork), which was no problem. Once again, my mouth was on fire, and once again, I loved what I was eating. Served with a side of steamed white rice, the sauce was on trend with the other dishes and perfectly oily. It was hartier, earthier, and thicker than the other two sauces and had *slightly* more of a gel-like consistency. Typically I'm more a fan of firmly cooked tofu, but the softness of this tofu was a welcome alleviating contrast to the über spicy (yet welcome) attack on my tongue. Even my mother - who thought she didn't like tofu - was a fan!

Cooking Girl is a no-frills, super affordable authentic Chinese food restaurant in Houston. And for all of you Houstonites who love to sweat over the spiciest of foods, take heart! This place is for you. Even with the slight timing issue with the courses, the service was great, and the food was super impressive! And hello, you had me at "BYOB."

mabo tofu at Cooking Girl - A Chinese restaurant, in Houston

*insert peace sign fingers emoji*

Cooking Girl Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Vacation Days: West Hartford & Beyond

Tuesday, October 11, 2016
Hey there, stranger!

New England Brewing Co. - A brewery near New Haven, Connecticut

Yes, it's been almost a month since you've heard from me, and it's due to three things:

1) I'm planning a wedding. If you haven't gathered from this blog, I am a super Type A, organized planner of a person, and whenever people had previously told me how stressful and difficult and crazy it is to plan a wedding, I always thought, "I believe it, but how bad is it really?" Well the Wedding Planning Gods are now laughing their faces off at me, because y'all? It's seriously a lot of work. It's fun, don't get me wrong! But a massive time-suck. Bear with me through these next six months. (Because eek! I decided it'd be a good idea to only give myself SIX MONTHS to plan a wedding!)

2) I'm quietly cleansing. Well I guess it's not so quiet since I'm announcing it on my blog. I did a lot of traveling last month that entailed eating indulgent (albeit DELICIOUS) food, as well as *slightly* over-imbibing some of the alcohols. So I'm on day 10 of a modified vegetarian Whole30 (allowing myself tofu, beans, quinoa, and permission to not be a total spaz when I actually do go to restaurants) in order to clean myself out a bit. But only for 20 days because I value my sanity. (Also, my sister will be in town on Day 21, and we have champagne plans <~~~ Real reason). But this means I'm not really eating out at new restaurants a whole bunch, so there's a lack of content for the blog. Whomp whomp.

3) I traveled more than I was home last month. I'm still catching up on everything after a trip to Disney World, a work trip to New Orleans, a work trip to Vermont, and a trip to West Hartford, Connecticut.

What's that, you say? Can I share more about my trip to Connecticut? I thought you'd never ask.

Jon and I visited our close friends Lenny and Christy in West Hartford towards the end of September. This was tacked on to the tail end of our trip to Vermont. West Hartford is adorable and charming and filled with great food, restaurants, and bars. When Jon and I arrived, Christy took us to the laid back restaurant Max Burger for lunch.

veggie burger at Max Burger - a restaurant in West Hartford, Connecticut

I ordered The Grateful Veg with a fried egg on top and a side of baby broccoli. The restaurant's housemade quinoa-sunflower seed burger was topped with cheddar cheese, shaved red onion, roasted tomato, baby arugula, green goddess dressing, and avocado. This was one OUTSTANDING veggie burger, filled with unique textures and mouthwatering flavors! Lenny joined up with us after he finished work, and we headed over to happy hour at the open, airy, and pretty Max's Oyster Bar (same owners as the burger spot!). We enjoyed some bubbly champagne and oysters (I opted out of the oysters because, #shellfish).

After freshening up and hanging out for a bit at L and C's house, we headed out to dinner at the Italian restaurant Treva in West Hartford.

bread and wine at Treva - a restaurant in West Hartford, Connecticut

Our super engaging server was born and raised in Italy and full of fun, informative facts! We started off with a delicious bottle of red wine, and some of the restaurant's complimentary rustic bread with olive oil.

For our first round of food, we ordered the restaurant's burrata.

burrata at Treva - a restaurant in West Hartford, Connecticut

I adore burrata, and this one ranks high on my list. The inside of the cheese gave off a textured, almost cottage cheese-like consistency. The flavor was light and slightly tangy, and paired wonderfully with some roasted peppers and arugula salad. It was delicious!

For the next round of food, we split the arancini.

arancini at Treva - a restaurant in West Hartford, Connecticut

Another crowd-pleaser, these golden-fried rice balls were stuffed with luxardo cherries and more delicious burrata. The sweet/salty combo that resulted was lovely!

For my final round of food, I couldn't not order the restaurant's tonnarelli cacio e pepe.

cacio e pepe at Treva - a restaurant in West Hartford, Connecticut

(If you know of my love affair with Coltivare's version, you understand why).

Treva's version was a bit heartier, with thicker noodles and a more syrupy olive oil. It was smooth, simple, and really wonderful!

The next day was our day of hopping around (aka eating food around) the state of Connecticut AND Massachusetts! We started off with breakfast at Goldberg's in West Hartford (as recommended to me by my friend Lauren).

Goldberg's - a restaurant in West Hartford, Connecticut
bagels at Goldberg's - a restaurant in West Hartford, Connecticut
bagels at Goldberg's - a restaurant in West Hartford, Connecticut

I ordered a jalapeño cheddar everything bagel with scallion cream cheese (say that ten times fast), and it was EVERYTHING. Fluffy, oozy, melty, tangy, spicy, and absolutely GLORIOUS, eating it was essentially a religious experience.

After that, we headed to New England Brewing Co. near New Haven to taste some local beers!

New England Brewing Co. - a brewery near New Haven, Connecticut
New England Brewing Co. - a brewery near New Haven, Connecticut

I'm not even anywhere close to being any sort of beer expert, but these beers were REALLY good. And the tasting space was small, but super fun!

After that we decided we hadn't had enough bread, so we were off to the restaurant Frank Pepe for some authentic New Haven pizza!

Frank Pepe - a restaurant in New Haven, Connecticut
salad at Frank Pepe - a restaurant in New Haven, Connecticut

We ordered a tasty house salad, which meant the whole experience was healthy of course.

pizza at Frank Pepe - a restaurant in New Haven, Connecticut
pizza at Frank Pepe - a restaurant in New Haven, Connecticut

For our main course of food, we split two pies: One was half tomato pie/half mozzarella, while the other was half pepperoni/half mushroom, garlic, and onion. New Haven pizza really is in its own category of pizza. It's a thinner, crispier, slightly sweeter version of New York pizza, and I really really enjoyed it! The mozzarella pizza was a nice introduction to this style of pizza, but the tomato pie and the mushroom/garlic/onion versions were tied as my favorites. While other tomato pies I've had in the past had no cheese at all, Frank Pepe's version had a very small amount, which allowed the sweet tomato sauce to shine without being overpowering. And the veggie pizza was simply outstanding. The caramelized veggies were wonderful atop the crispy, almost-burnt crust! I even had some later that night (and maybe accidentally bit into a pepperoni that somehow ended up on my slice? Oops. I didn't freak out too much though).

After we had finished filling ourselves up on [more] bread and beer, we headed up (over? down? I'm terrible at geography) to Worcester, Massachusetts to see the band We & Mrs. Jones play at Nick's (fun fact, a scene from American Hustle was filmed there!). L and C's friend Madelyn is the lead singer of the band, and she is AWESOME.

We & Mrs. Jones playing at Nick's - a bar in Worcester, Massachusetts

Actually, we got to witness one of her final shows before going into retirement to have a baby! It was so seriously great.

martini at Nick's - a bar in Worcester, Massachusetts
pretzel at Nick's - a bar in Worcester, Massachusetts
cheese plate at Nick's - a bar in Worcester, Massachusetts

I sipped on a sturdy martini ('natch), and we also ordered some food to share - a giant pretzel, along with a no-frills cheese plate. The pretzel came with a side of - wait for it - CREAM CHEESE, which seriously completed my life. The cheese plate was massive, and really just what we needed (MORE CARBS).

The next day, Jon and I headed back home to Houston, but not before stopping at Total Wine, the rest of the country's response to Spec's. And it was glorious.

Total Wine in West Hartford, Connecticut

And that concludes our trip! It was a whirlwind of an awesome weekend with great friends, great food, and great fun in West Hartford and beyond!

Nick's - a bar in Worcester, Massachusetts

I should probably have some more bread now.

Vacation Days: Disney World 2016 + Some Very Exciting News!!

Tuesday, September 20, 2016
Spoiler alert, because I can't wait an entire blog post to tell you:

Paris Bakery at Epcot in Disney World, Florida

!!!!!!!!!

That's right, as of a little more than a week ago, I am officially engaged to the greatest, kindest, silliest, most thoughtful and wonderful guy I know. To say I am over-the-moon excited would be an extreme understatement! But I'll get to the whole engagement part in a bit. I just needed to start off by letting the long line of men waiting around for me know that I am now very much off the market.

(And by "long line of men waiting around for me" I'm referring to two people - my toddler godson Lincoln and an adorable 80+ year old man who once stopped me in Central Park and told me I looked like Jennifer Aniston. Yes of course he had 20/20 vision, why do you ask?)

My family is a Disney family. Like a fanatical, starry-eyed, super enthusiastic Disney family. We hadn't been to Disney World all together in three years (I had gone a separate time since then with friends). So we were pumped to go on this trip, along with Jon and Emily's boyfriend Danny! So if you're interested in the deets, scroll on down below for some photos (taken by me, my dad, and my sister) from our super fun and memorable family vacation!

We arrived late in the morning on a Thursday and all checked into our respective hotels, grabbing a bite to eat along the way.

Beach Club Villas in Disney World, Florida
salad at Beach Club Villas in Disney World, Florida

All of our hotels were on Disney property, and Jon and I stayed at the Beach Club Villas. Located on a beautiful boardwalk, and just a five minute's walk away from my favorite park, EPCOT, I absolutely loved this lovely hotel. I grabbed a quinoa, vegetable, chickpea salad from the hotel's marketplace for my lunch, and it was very tasty and filling!

Then we hopped on a bus and met up with everyone at Animal Kingdom!

Animal Kingdom in Disney World, Florida
magic bands at Animal Kingdom in Disney World, Florida

Animal Kingdom is beautiful and lush with vegetation, as well as - duh - animals. It's such a peaceful and pretty park!

Animal Kingdom in Disney World, Florida

^ Emily got chosen to be a line time taker for Kali River Rapids. We were very proud.

Expedition Everest at Animal Kingdom in Disney World, Florida
Expedition Everest at Animal Kingdom in Disney World, Florida

After the rapids, we went on Emily's favorite ride, Expedition Everest. It's this super fun roller coaster through "Mount Everest" and there may or may not even be a couple of scary yeti appearances along the way!

Then my mom and Jon needed a beer.

Animal Kingdom in Disney World, Florida

And Emily and I needed a (spiked!) Dole Whip.

Dole whips at Animal Kingdom in Disney World, Florida

This was pretty exciting for us because we love the Dole Whips at Magic Kingdom. But with rum? HELLO. Ice cream + pineapple juice + booze, yes please.

Maybe it was the live music, maybe it was the Dole Whips, or maybe it was the all around magic of Disney, but then we decided to dance in the streets like no one was watching.

Animal Kingdom in Disney World, Florida

(Except clearly Jon and Danny were, off to the right, and were quickly trying to get as far away from this bizarre family as possible).

(Also, please ignore my horrifying roots).

Then we watched the Festival of the Lion King live performance, followed by going on a safari, aka, watching Lion King but in real life.

safari at Animal Kingdom in Disney World, Florida
safari at Animal Kingdom in Disney World, Florida

We also hit up a spinning roller coaster ride that whips you around like crazy and makes you lose all feeling in your neck called Primeval Whirl.

Primeval Whirl at Animal Kingdom in Disney World, Florida

(The pole is covering Jon's face in this photo)

The last attraction we hit up at Animal Kingdom was what shockingly ended up being Jon's favorite thing we did, the Bug's Life 3D movie in the Tree of Life called, It's Tough to be a Bug!


Tree of Life at Animal Kingdom in Disney World, Florida
It's Tough to be a Bug! at Animal Kingdom in Disney World, Florida

Having worked up a major appetite, it was time for some food (and more booze)! We headed to Rix Lounge, a martini bar located in Disney's Coronado Springs hotel.

martini at Rix Lounge in Disney World, Florida
potato wedges at Rix Lounge in Disney World, Florida
flatbread at Rix Lounge in Disney World, Florida

First of all, you had me at martini bar. Second of all, it was a really swanky, fun spot. My martini was stiff and delicious. The food offered at Rix consists of mostly shareable bites from a small menu. There weren't a whole lot of veg options, but I ordered their buffalo chicken potato wedges without chicken (which I really enjoyed), as well as their veggie flatbread (which didn't really do much for me). The atmosphere was great, and we all had a really fun time!

Before embarking on Magic Kingdom the next morning, Jon and I ordered up some room service for breakfast. It was decently priced and really convenient because we were able to schedule it the night before. We did this twice during the trip, we were such big fans.

breakfast in Disney World, Florida

Both times I ordered an egg white vegetable omelet with sliced tomatoes and toast, and it gave me the perfect amount of fuel to start the day off!

Magic Kingdom in Disney World, Florida

We told Jon that since it was his first visit to Disney World, he had to wear a first timer button. He was a good sport about it.

Magic Kingdom in Disney World, Florida
Magic Kingdom in Disney World, Florida
Magic Kingdom in Disney World, Florida
Magic Kingdom in Disney World, Florida

Yes, that's a giant crane behind Cinderella's castle. Apparently it's famous!

Our first ride that day was the Winnie the Pooh Ride. I rode with my mom and sister, while the boys all shared a honey pot.

Winnie the Pooh ride at Magic Kingdom in Disney World, Florida

They said it was pretty awkward.

I'm not going to recap every ride we went on at Magic Kingdom because there were a lot, but I'll go through some highlights.

Buzz Lightyear:

Buzz Lightyear ride at Magic Kingdom in Disney World, Florida
Buzz Lightyear ride at Magic Kingdom in Disney World, Florida
Buzz Lightyear ride at Magic Kingdom in Disney World, Florida

Carousel of Progress:

Carousel of Progress at Magic Kingdom in Disney World, Florida

^ This is apparently what the future looks like. Aren't you PUMPED? Also, we got stuck in the year 1890, and the animatronic characters looped through their script three different times. It was equal parts hilarious and terrifying.

Oh, and we ran into none other than my favorite person in the world, my cousin Colleen!

Magic Kingdom in Disney World, Florida

(This was planned. She works at Disney).

Other highlights included Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, the Haunted Mansion, Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor., and the Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover!

PeopleMover at Magic Kingdom in Disney World, Florida

For lunch we ate at the Columbia Harbour House, which is a tradition in my family.

Sandwich at Columbia Harbour House in Magic Kingdom in Disney World, Florida

I ordered the lighthouse sandwich with a side of broccoli, and it was quite tasty!

Dole Whips at Magic Kingdom in Disney World, Florida

And we also had another Dole Whip OF COURSE.

Magic Kingdom in Disney World, Florida
Magic Kingdom in Disney World, Florida
Magic Kingdom in Disney World, Florida

So that was was Magic Kingdom Day, aka THE DAY MY LITTLE SISTER GOT ENGAGED!!!

Wait, what's that, you say? Two engagements in one trip?! You would be correct!

So the thing is, all of us knew Danny was planning on proposing to Emily at Disney. I knew for months, and I did not. tell. a. soul. I swear, it's the biggest secret I've ever kept! He had this whole plan that he would propose to her at the end of the day in front of Cinderella's castle, so it was this big, anxious, exciting day leading up to that moment!

(Except for Emily. She was completely clueless, even when I - out of nowhere - started applying makeup to her face 10 minutes before the proposal).

(Also, major props to my mother, who carried the ring around with her and was having minor panic attacks over it all day).

My parents said, "Danny and Emily, take a picture with us in front of the castle, and then we'll take one with Jon and Kim." <~~ (Fun fact, that second part never happened.)

Magic Kingdom in Disney World, Florida

Then Danny was like, "Em, let's take a selfie!"

(and she was like uhh wtf you never want to take selfies.)

Magic Kingdom in Disney World, Florida

(um, please pause for a moment to check out the people in the background).
 
And then he was all, "Okay, on the count of three, say YES!"

And she was all, "wwwhhhhaaaattttt???"

Magic Kingdom in Disney World, Florida
Magic Kingdom in Disney World, Florida

And then I was like, "EXCUSE ME I CANNOT TAKE ANY MORE PICTURES I'M IN A GLASS CASE OF EMOTIONSSSS!!!!!!"

And then Danny's parents casually walked up and were like "Oh hey, you guys are here too?" Because Danny flew them in for the proposal!

Is that not perfect and wonderful and amazing, and did you not just cry your eyes out like I did?

Whew!

After that, we all headed to EPCOT for a lively, joyous, love-filled, lederhosen'ed dinner at the Biergarten!

Biergarten at EPCOT in Disney World, Florida

Then we watched the EPCOT fireworks show Illuminations, cried some more, and had champagne at a bar in our hotel!

The next day was our full day at EPCOT. Prior to Jon and me meeting up with my parents for breakfast, he suggested we have coffee on our pretty hotel balcony.

AND BY THAT HE MEANT COFFEE AND A PROPOSAL.

!!!!!!!!!!!!

Needless to say, I was completely, 100%, totally shocked. And so so SO happy! I knew pretty early on that Jon was it for me, and I'd be the luckiest person alive if I were able to spend my life with him. And now that's all coming true!

The cool thing about Jon's proposal is that my mom, my sister, and Colleen had no idea. So when we went to breakfast on the Boardwalk with my parents, my mom freaked! Also, where we ate was absolutely beautiful.

Boardwalk in Disney World, Florida
Boardwalk in Disney World, Florida
Boardwalk in Disney World, Florida

Before meeting my sister and Danny at the Paris bakery in EPCOT, we got some action shots of me telling Emily.

EPCOT in Disney World, Florida
EPCOT in Disney World, Florida
drinks at the Paris bakery in EPCOT in Disney World, Florida

Then we drank champagne, rode my favorite ride, Soarin', and met up with Colleen. And man, I got her good.

EPCOT in Disney World, Florida

More rides, more laughter, more love, more magic, and more food.

Lunch at the Mexican restaurant in EPCOT in Disney World, Florida

Another Ogonosky family tradition is grabbing lunch and margaritas at EPCOT's La Cantina de San Angel in Mexico. So good!

EPCOT in Disney World, Florida
EPCOT in Disney World, Florida

(If these pictures are getting annoying, feel free to click on that little red box with the "x" on it in the top right hand corner of your screen).

After we ate and drank around the world, we all split up for dinner. Jon, Colleen, and I had a wonderful meal at Le Cellier, located in Canada.

bread at Le Cellier in EPCOT in Disney World, Florida
brie at Le Cellier in EPCOT in Disney World, Florida
tofu at Le Cellier in EPCOT in Disney World, Florida
potatoes at Le Cellier in EPCOT in Disney World, Florida

Once we were seated we were provided with complementary pretzel bread, which was ugh SO GOOD. Colleen and I ordered the baked triple-cream brie to split as an appetizer, and while I liked it, it was almost - I can't even believe I'm saying this - a little too rich for me with the doughy baked shell around it. For my entree I ordered the meyer lemon-scented tofu, which was good, but didn't blow me away. But I also ordered a side of the potato-turnip gratin, and it was INCREDIBLE. Oozy, creamy, rich, cheezy, bubbling, and SO decadent. I couldn't get enough! Colleen and Jon were totally enamored with their dishes of New York Strip and halibut.

Then Jon and I came back to our hotel room to find a super thoughtful gift from our friends Dillon and Melinda!

champagne at Beach Club Villas in Disney World, Florida
Snapchat: newishcityHOU
The next day was our last full day, and we spent the first part of it in Hollywood Studios. Jon and I were able to take a ferry there from our hotel.

Hollywood Studios in Disney World, Florida

This picture is funny because where is Jon even looking, AND check out the other couple taking a selfie behind us. BFFs.

Hollywood Studios in Disney World, Florida
Hollywood Studios in Disney World, Florida

Our first ride of the day was the Rockin' Rollercoaster, which goes so fast it makes you look like this:

Rockin' Roller Coaster at Hollywood Studios in Disney World, Florida

We also hit up Toy Story Mania (SO fun!), Muppets 3D, the Great Movie Ride, and the Tower of Terror, where Jon almost knocked a lady out with his backpack that flew up in the air as we plummeted downwards.

The Great Movie Ride at Hollywood Studios in Disney World, Florida
The Tower of Terror at Hollywood Studios in Disney World, Florida

For lunch that day, we ate at Backlot Express (another Ogonosky tradition of course), and I had an awesome caprese sandwich.

Sandwich at Backlot Express in Hollywood Studios in Disney World, Florida

After lunch, we all went our separate ways - My parents hung out at their hotel pool, Emily and Danny went back to Magic Kingdom because they're young and alive, and Jon and I did about 30 laps floating in our hotel's lazy river.

We met up that evening for drinks at Trader Sam's, followed by dinner at Kona Cafe in Disney's Polynesian resort.

drink at Trader Sam's in Disney World, Florida

There was a 30 minute wait to get into Trader Sam's, so we enjoyed some fun, tropical drinks on the patio beforehand.

Once we got into the bar, we were quickly able to see why people love this place so much. It's a small, dimly lit tiki bar, where the bartenders do crazy things every time you order a drink. I ordered a zombie drink, and all of a sudden creepy music started playing, lights went up on some shrunken heads, and the bartender slowly limped out towards me, with a fake eyeball popping out of his head. Also, I guess one of them played a joke on Danny because his chair kept getting shorter and shorter, until we finally realized he was up to my mom's elbow and could no longer reach his drink.

Trader Sam's in Disney World, Florida

After drinks, we headed up to Kona Cafe for dinner.

bread at Kona Cafe in Disney World, Florida
soup at Kona Cafe in Disney World, Florida
sushi at Kona Cafe in Disney World, Florida

When we were seated, we were presented with an INCREDIBLE fluffy Hawaiian roll with sweet butter. My mom, sister, and I ordered the Thai chili soup to split as an appetizer, which was spicy and soul-warming. We also ordered some sushi rolls for the table, including a vegetable roll. It took forever for those to come out, and it turns out there was some kind of mix-up in the kitchen. When they did finally arrive, we dug into them and were very pleased!

pan-Asian noodles with tofu at Kona Cafe in Disney World, Florida
chocolate covered strawberries at Kona Cafe in Disney World, Florida

For my main course of food, I ordered the pan-Asian noodles with tofu, and they were AWESOME. This was by far one of my favorite things I ate the whole trip. The yakisoba noodles were wok-seared with vegetables in a velvety ginger-garlic sauce, and they were insanely addicting! After we finished all of our food, they brought out a complimentary dessert of chocolate strawberries and a strange little Mickey head candy to congratulate us on our engagements! It was super delicious.

The next day (aka sad day) was our last day in Disney. Jon and I met up with Colleen for breakfast at the EPCOT Paris bakery before heading to the airport.

Paris in EPCOT, in Disney World, Florida
bakery at Paris in EPCOT, in Disney World, Florida

I ordered an egg and cheese breakfast sandwich on the freshest, butteriest, flakiest croissant you could ever imagine!

Once again, I had another incredible trip at Walt Disney World in Florida. The food was fantastic, the service was great, the sights were gorgeous, the attractions were beyond fun, and there were some obviously exciting events that transpired. I cannot wait to go back!

Magic Kingdom in Disney World, Florida

Like, tomorrow. Can I please go back tomorrow.
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