Walt Disney World, January 2017, Part 4

By Nick


Tuesday, January 24th

We had a nice lazy morning at the Boardwalk, just enjoying the beautiful weather.

Barbie and I walked in to Trattoria al Forno, and asked if they could fit us in for breakfast, and we were seated immediately.

Being able to do this will very likely change April 2nd when they start hosting the new character dining experience Bon Voyage Breakfast.

After breakfast we took a dip in the pool and relaxed in the hot tub before heading to the Magic Kingdom.

We didn't have any FastPasses until later that evening, so we just walked around, enjoying the weather,  the relatively low crowds, and the Festival of Fantasy Parade.

We headed over to Tomorrowland and took a ride on the People Mover and visited the Carousel of Progress before heading to Adventureland to meet up with Gaylin for a ride on the Jungle Cruise.

The 3 of us met up with our friends Kandi, John, and their 2 kids Grayson and Sawyer for dinner at Skipper Canteen.

We had a very good meal and, just like every time I've eaten here, we had excellent service! Thanks Robin!

Barbie, Gaylin and I headed over to Big Thunder where we had FPs, and then met up with Kandi, John and the kids at Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. The guys took a ride while the ladies waited with the baby, and then we swapped.

 Front: Kandi and Gaylin Back: single rider guy and Barbie

We said our goodnights and headed out before Wishes was over to beat the crowd.

Before heading in for the evening, we grabbed ice cream at Ample Hills Creamery. Wow, amazing stuff!

We took a walk around the entire Boardwalk/Yacht and Beach Club area as we ate this fantastic treat.

Parts 1 - 2 - and 3

The Thrill is Gone, Episode 116 of the Disney Exchange Podcast

The Disney Exchange is Lisa, Dave and the always thrilling me, Nick

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

We're talking thrill free touring at each of the parks at Walt Disney World. We each have our own vision of what that means. For instance, I approached it as if I was planning a trip for a friend that suffered from extreme motion sickness, and chose attractions throughout the Magic Kingdom that have zero to very little motion.

Each of our choices sparked some debate, especially as to what constitutes a "thrill."

 
The Wheel of Distiny topic: There is a new character breakfast coming to Trattoria al Forno at Disney's Boardwalk Resort will be offering a new character breakfast this April. Are character breakfasts at resorts worth going out of the way for?

You can send us an email at info@thedisneyexchange and reach out with show suggestions, submit Wheel of Distiny topics, or request a listener number on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thedisneyexchange, Twitter: https://twitter.com/disneyexchange

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Thank you for listening to The Disney Exchange!

Trattoria al Forno at Disney's Boardwalk Resort

By Nick

A few months ago, Trattoria al Forno opened at Disney's Boardwalk Resort in Walt Disney World, replacing Kouzzina by Cat Cora.

Trattoria al Forno takes it's patrons on a taste tour of Italy featuring regional specialties as well as classic dishes, such as wood-fired pizzas made with house-made-daily mozzarella and pastas prepared al forno, which is Italian for baked in an oven, using authentic ingredients and recipes hailing from all over Italy.

There is a wonderful back story created by Walt Disney Imagineering that tells of an Italian family that ran a modest tavern and boarding house on the boardwalk, which expanded over the years into a popular restaurant. As the establishment was handed down, each generation added their own touches to the meals and the restaurant’s design.

The interior helps to convey this story, starting with the original Entrata, or entrance, where the story begins, with intage family photos lining the walls introducing the generational story. A custom wine cabinet displays authentic regional wines offered on the menu.

The story continues into the dining areas, which were once boarding house spaces. There are four distinct rooms, with furnishings, finishes and lighting relating to the character of each original boarding house room.

The three main dining rooms are open to the show kitchen and to each other.

 On to the important part. The food!

My wife and I had dinner here in January, and it was the best meal of that trip.

The meal started with a warm loaf of Ciabatta Bread.

Anyone who knows me knows I'm a beer guy, but I chose to go with the Romantic wine flight on that evening, primarily because I wanted to try the Sogno d'Italia Chianti, which is made exclusively for Disney.
Trattoria al Forno has an extensive, 100% Italian, wine list with over 60 offerings by bottle and more than 25 by glass.

For an appetizer, we shared the Fried Calamari with White Balsami and Lemon Agrodolce which is a traditional sweet and sour Italian sauce. Calamari is one of my favorites, and this was in all honesty one of the best I've ever had. Perfectly cooked and the sauce was excellent.

 

While our entrees were very good, we both agree we'd try something different next time.

Barbie had the Eggplant Rollatini with shaved fennel-arugula salad. 

She actually preferred my meal which was the Braised Beef with house-made cavatelli. The beef was very tasty, but it could have used more sauce, as it was a huge hunk of meat, which would have benefited from more of a flavor variety.

Desserts were terrific. Barbie had the Tiramisu, lady finger-soaked espresso and layered with Italian mascarpone cream.

 I had the Bomboloni, essentially an Italian doughnut with dark chocolate, served with vanilla gelato.

Both my wife and I look forward to returning to try more meals at Trattoria al Forno in the future.

This article was originally published on The Disney Exchange Blog and Podcast, which Nick co-writes and co-hosts.