Trip Report Sweating at the Swolphin: a 2017 Food and Whine Report

Hello and welcome to another Bee trip report! My DW M and I had the privilege of attending the opening weekend of the 2017 Epcot Food and Wine Festival, and the timing couldn't have been better! We both go "back to school" soon (she's an academic admin at a university and I teach voice and piano at a performing arts school), and last month we found out we have to move from the very affordable apartment we've loved for over three years because someone new bought the building and wants everyone out. We considered cancelling the trip given the moving news but almost everything was paid for already, and we decided in the end that we really needed this escape from reality. We made the right call!

You may know from the PTR to my California trip that this trip was originally scheduled for the end of September and beginning of October to coincide with Epcot's 35th birthday, but a flight change caused us to reschedule. More on that here.

The Plans
Who: M and me
What: A quick trip to Food and Wine!
When: Thursday, August 31-Monday, September 4
Where: Caribbean Beach and WDW Dolphin
Why: Because we needed a distraction from real life!
How: Lyft, Southwest Airlines, Magical Express, and more Lyft!

Keep reading for new experiences, old favorites, and of course lots of food and drinks!

 

[krisri18]

We had no noise issues from where we were, but we also weren't there for long during the daytime, which is when most or all of construction work is done. It definitely was quiet at night!

Since Barbados and Martinique are now demolished I assume the best place to stay for proximity to the (limited) amenities would be Trinidad North. Personally I wouldn't go back until construction is finished, but I would definitely give it another shot later, especially after the gondola system is operating!

We stayed in Trinidad North mid-August. We had a water view and could see the pool from our room (if we smushed our faces against the window and looked right). It was a great location: pool, the pool bar trailer, merchandise trailer and the pseudo-restaurant were all within a 1 minute walk!

 

[coachwnh]

Poor M was really feeling the heat and said she didn't care what we did next as long as it involved air conditioning! That gave us a few choices, and you can bet we picked one that involved booze.

Excellent idea!

 

[Figgy1]

I've got a way for you to put away a few extra dollars for Disney. Now that you won't be schlepping laundry put a jar by the washer dryer(YEA for having your own) and every time you do laundry drop in what you would have paid if you had to schlep your laundry and if you had to take a bus, cab, uber or such add that in also

 

[bee]

Congratulations!! I'm sure your relieved!!

Thank you! We are soooo relieved!

Congratulations on the new apartment - what a relief!!!

Thank you! It's a huge relief!

Congrats and you could also insert a joke about any women renting one. ok just the one about me renting one to move my sisters. It wasn't pretty

Thank you! Now I'm trying to picture that...

P.S. Congrats on the new apartment!

Thank you!

Glad to hear your new lease went through and continuing to follow along!

Thank you!

Wonderful news about your new apartment!! Talk about a weight off your shoulders. And sometimes it's better to pay more, for a good place in a safe neighborhood. Very happy for the both of you.

Thank you! Our new street and the immediately surrounding area is very quiet and residential (we've walked or taken the light rail over several times to check it out, even before we were looking at this building in particular). But one block east is a major shopping/dining area, and we are close to many more bus lines to New York, Hoboken, Journal Square, etc.

congrats on the new place and good luck!

Thank you!

Congrats on your new apartment! Sounds like an upgrade.

Thank you! It will be a HUGE upgrade for us!

I've got a way for you to put away a few extra dollars for Disney. Now that you won't be schlepping laundry put a jar by the washer dryer(YEA for having your own) and every time you do laundry drop in what you would have paid if you had to schlep your laundry and if you had to take a bus, cab, uber or such add that in also

BRILLIANT!

Thanks for posting the vegetarian menu at FF. I had been looking online for one. It looks good, but I was such a fan of the old vegetarian bento box.

You're welcome! That's always the trouble with Disney changing their menus frequently. On the one hand, I like to try new things, but on the other hand sometimes I find a favorite and I'm sad to see it go!

You + me = AGREE.

It's everything....size, layout and most of all HEAT.
Are you sure we're not related?

I'm not sure...is any of your family from Texas? My family goes back many generations to Texas on both sides!

I am also not a huge fan of the Animal Kingdom. I think maybe because I was high school aged when it opened and quite frankly there wasn't that much to do back then rides wise. It was incredibly hot-lack of shade- and the vegetation hadn't grown in fully yet. It still only takes us a half day to tour, but hopefully Pandora adds some excitement. Epcot is also my main jam.

Glad to know I'm not alone in my preferences...or...anti-preferences!

We stayed in Trinidad North mid-August. We had a water view and could see the pool from our room (if we smushed our faces against the window and looked right). It was a great location: pool, the pool bar trailer, merchandise trailer and the pseudo-restaurant were all within a 1 minute walk!

Good to know! If I happen to stay at CBR again during construction I'll request Trinidad North.

Excellent idea!

That's how we do Disney!

 

[bee]

Day 3, cont.

So. It was hot. We still had an hour and a half until dinner. We didn't have any FPs, and none we wanted were available. How ever were we going to pass the time??

First we stopped in a shop.

That could only take up so much of our time...

...but what's this??

Do I see a lounge?

I do!!

We started off at the long shared table in the photo above, but we spotted a couch and went there instead. I can't say enough about how much I loved the design and decor in Nomad Lounge.

Marisa brought us a magical menu.

I had the Spice Trader Classic: Hayman's Old Tom Gin, Dolin Vermouth Blanc, Lemon Juice, and Strawberries topped with Soda Water

M had the Snow Leopard Salvation: Snow Leopard Vodka, Belle de Brillet Pear Liqueur, Mint, and Lime Juice topped with Ginger Beer

These were good. I ended up liking M's just a bit more than I liked mine but they were both refreshing.

For the next round we decided to try something else (and this time I got photos of the menu!).

Tempting Tigress for me

Mustang Coffee for M

We both liked these better than our first pair of drinks. Bourbon is my liquor of choice (and after red wine, my drink of choice in general), and as you may have noted from all my WHINE-ing, I love spice in both food and beverages. This was the PERFECT balance of spicy and sweet and a little savory. After we move I'll be on a mission to find the allspice liqueur they used so I can make my own version of this!

Marisa was a wonderful server. The lounge was busy and severely understaffed, but she kept checking in on us. I overheard some other guests complaining about slow service and later talking to a manager about it, and I also overheard Marisa telling some guests that she had been there since opening and hadn't had a break. I hope this isn't typical (though I imagine it is).

I have to reiterate how much we liked the atmosphere of Nomad Lounge. Some fellow guests in sports attired asked a server where the TV was to watch the game ( ) but we were so glad there wasn't one! We will definitely make our way back to NM and will hopefully get to try some of the food next time, too.

Up next: TIFFINS!!

 

[DisneyGigi]

I meant to try the Lounge, but everytime it hit me to, I had already made a trip or 2 to the Dawa Bar. :- / The drink menu looked really good! Will definitely have to next trip.

 

[Figgy1]

I meant to try the Lounge, but everytime it hit me to, I had already made a trip or 2 to the Dawa Bar. :- / The drink menu looked really good! Will definitely have to next trip.

You must go and don't just take her word for it

Night monkey and Boko Rita

Veggie spring roll and wagu beef. Sorry about the hijack @bee

 

[bee]

I meant to try the Lounge, but everytime it hit me to, I had already made a trip or 2 to the Dawa Bar. :- / The drink menu looked really good! Will definitely have to next trip.

You must go and don't just take her word for itView attachment 232239 View attachment 232240Night monkey and Boko RitaView attachment 232241 View attachment 232244 Veggie spring roll and wagu beef. Sorry about the hijack @bee

Yumm! Yes, @DisneyShe, you must try NL!

 

[bee]

Day 3, cont.

After delicious drinks at Nomad Lounge it was time to check in for our Tiffins reservation. This post is going to focus on the atmosphere, and the next will focus on the food.

When I checked in the host took my cell number so I could receive a text that the table was ready; I received it almost immediately and we were seated in the Safari Gallery.

My view looking up!

Our server greeted us promptly...but I'll get to the food and service in the next post. For now, bathroom pics!

I loved that both Nomad Lounge and Tiffins had beautiful light fixtures that cast dancing geometric shadows on the walls and ceilings. We were very pleased with the theming in the restaurant: unique, upscale, thoughtful, meaningful.

Up next: FOOD TIME

 

[prfctlyximprct]

Loving your report so much! I've never wanted to stay at the Swolphin so much until just now! Going to look at pricing as soon as I get off the forums

Oh and I'm a fellow jersey resident! Hello from Morris County! Well that was until joe ripped me away and made me move to Philadelphia I'll always be a Jersey girl! I miss those bagels

Loving all your food pics! I've been a vegetarian for about 6 months now and I am so relieved to see so many veggie options in the World! Was nervous I'd have to eat Mickey pretzels only the whole trip!

Glad you were going into AK with an open mind! It's my favorite park, and although it's hot(WHINE) it's sooooooo beautiful! I hope others appreciate all the details, and I'm glad to see you trying

The Nomad lounge looks amazing! Sad to hear about the CMs being overworked.. hope that isn't the usual! Your drinks look super yum and I must forego Golden Monkey next time I'm in AK for some cocktails!!

 

[bee]

Day 3, cont.

Our server was Mark and he was one of the best, friendliest, most fun servers we've had at any Disney restaurant. We asked for just water (since we'd just had cocktails and didn't really need more at the moment!) and he poured the water into our wine glasses. He said it was just for us.

We decided to order several things and share everything.

Black-Eyed Pea Fritters. YUM. These had the outside crunch of falafel but with a more moist inside. They were seasoned well and the sauces complemented them.

Tiffins Signature Bread Service. The crispy bread (blurry in the photo above) ended up being both our favorites, but we enjoyed all the breads and accompaniments. Of course no one can beat Sanaa, but this was like an appropriately scaled-down version.

This was the free bread that came with the meal. It was a pomegranate bread (the same as one of the breads in the Bread Service appetizer) with an accompaniment of olive oil and something resembling a thick balsamic vinegar. (Disney Food Blog tells me it's a mix of pomegranate, molasses, and olive oil). The flavors were intense and bold; the bread was tasty by itself (if unusual), but the olive oil blend brought it to another level. This won't be for everyone, but it's free bread so you may as well try it!

Roasted Vegetable Curry...

...and Gobi Manchurian (aka fried cauliflower with sauce).

When Mark brought these out he said, "Enjoy...I'm jealous!" I asked if he had tried everything on the menu, and he said, "Yes. That's why I'm jealous."

Yum yum yum. These were both fresh and flavorful, and there was even a bit of...SPICE...in the cauliflower. Not so much in the vegetable curry, which leaned more sweet than spicy, but we still liked it.

Between the bread, fritters, and all these vegetables, we were STUFFED. Somehow Mark talked us into dessert.

M's Cheesecake

My Mexican Coffee (you didn't think I could go a whole meal without a cocktail, did you?? JK I swear I only drink like this on vacation)

The cheesecake was light and airy and the coffee. The. Coffee. I wish I had one of these right now.

With the check Mark brought out our "souvenirs:" prints of art by Joe Rohde.

Apparently these change every month and you have to keep coming back to get the next one??

We really liked Tiffins. The atmosphere and service were excellent, and the food was flavorful. The calm (and air conditioning!!) of the restaurant was a more than welcome break from the crowds and the rain. I'd probably go back to Sanaa and Jiko before I'd go back to Tiffins, but I would certainly go back! I also like that you can order some Tiffins-esque items at Nomad Lounge and I'll definitely be going back there soon.

Up next: Giving Pandora another shot

 

[bee]

Loving your report so much! I've never wanted to stay at the Swolphin so much until just now! Going to look at pricing as soon as I get off the forums

Thank you!! If you can get over the Swolphin not being an "official" resort it's a beautiful place to stay in one of the best locations on property! Pricing can vary wildly (I've paid as little as $160-ish per night and seen the same room for $300-400 other nights) since the hotels host conventions and reserve large blocks of rooms for attendees. For our last two stays I booked one room rate initially and then was able to change to a better rate later.

Oh and I'm a fellow jersey resident! Hello from Morris County! Well that was until joe ripped me away and made me move to Philadelphia I'll always be a Jersey girl! I miss those bagels

Hi from Hudson County! I've only been here a little over three years, but I intend to stick around. Do you visit your bagels-I mean family-often?

Loving all your food pics! I've been a vegetarian for about 6 months now and I am so relieved to see so many veggie options in the World! Was nervous I'd have to eat Mickey pretzels only the whole trip!

Thank you! M and I have been vegetarians for over nine years and we've seen the veggie options at WDW vastly improve over time. Since there are two of us we get to try twice as many things.

Glad you were going into AK with an open mind! It's my favorite park, and although it's hot(WHINE) it's sooooooo beautiful! I hope others appreciate all the details, and I'm glad to see you trying

I'm determined to spend more time there during an upcoming trip! It will have to be in the fall or winter, but it will happen!!

The Nomad lounge looks amazing! Sad to hear about the CMs being overworked.. hope that isn't the usual! Your drinks look super yum and I must forego Golden Monkey next time I'm in AK for some cocktails!!

They were so good!!

 

[Tuvalu]

No Apple Walnut Salad? Big mistake.

 

[Figgy1]

No Apple Walnut Salad? Big mistake.

^^^This, double

 

[bee]

No Apple Walnut Salad? Big mistake.

^^^This, double

OOPS! Next time!

 

[75disney]

Loving your report so much! I've never wanted to stay at the Swolphin so much until just now! Going to look at pricing as soon as I get off the forums

Oh and I'm a fellow jersey resident! Hello from Morris County! Well that was until joe ripped me away and made me move to Philadelphia I'll always be a Jersey girl! I miss those bagels

Loving all your food pics! I've been a vegetarian for about 6 months now and I am so relieved to see so many veggie options in the World! Was nervous I'd have to eat Mickey pretzels only the whole trip!

Glad you were going into AK with an open mind! It's my favorite park, and although it's hot(WHINE) it's sooooooo beautiful! I hope others appreciate all the details, and I'm glad to see you trying

The Nomad lounge looks amazing! Sad to hear about the CMs being overworked.. hope that isn't the usual! Your drinks look super yum and I must forego Golden Monkey next time I'm in AK for some cocktails!!

Let's feel some love for Philly. We have pretzels, cheesesteaks, and Wawas!

 

[Figgy1]

Let's feel some love for Philly. We have pretzels, cheesesteaks, and Wawas!

But not Blueberry wine, bagels or decent pizza

 

[ScarletBegonias]

Okay. I want every version of the coffee listed on that menu!!! YUM!!!

 

[Tony the Tigger]

Day 2, cont.

My soup

M's grilled salad

Okay I just need to stop right here and say BEST. APPETIZERS. EVER. When we ate at Jiko last year I had a roasted poblano soup that was soup heaven. This tomato bisque may have been even better, or at least tied for best soup ever. I tried a bite of M's salad and WHOA. I've had grilled salads once or twice before but never this good. There was nothing dull or bland about either of these dishes!

We'd seen other tables with bread baskets so we requested one, and Joey brought it with a smile. He told us the butter had SEA salt and the bread had SEAweed in it.

HOLY. BREAD. This may have been my favorite bread from any restaurant ever. Fair warning, it does have a strong seaweed taste so if you don't like seaweed you probably won't like this. But I could have eaten the whole basket alone and asked for a second (I didn't!).

Entree time!

Shirred egg with spaetzle

Grilled avocado and tomato

We didn't think the meal could get any better after the appetizers and bread...but it did! The flavors, textures, and presentation were all spot on. I love spaetzle and mine was cooked perfectly, and the eggs and vegetables and different sauces all complemented each other. M's grilled plate (we only noticed after the entrees came that her meal had a grilled theme ) was delicious as well. We both ate every bite.

We also had wine! I had the Stag's Leap Petite Sirah (YUM) and M asked me to pick a citrusy white that I thought she'd like, and I picked the Eroica Riesling. She said I chose well.

(PS yes, that's M in the plaid. *insert lesbian joke*)

We didn't order dessert because we knew we wanted to try a couple of things at F&W later in the evening.

At the end of the meal we concluded that we both loved Flying Fish and would absolutely return! The food, service, and atmosphere were all great and the 30% Tables discount was a nice bonus. Of all the restaurants we've tried at WDW, FF may have had the best variety of vegetarian dishes, which is important to us as we like to share things and get different things and try each other's food. We actually liked the food here better than California Grill, though of course CG has an ambience that can't be topped.

Up next: A rainy evening in Epcot

I am so, so happy you loved the Fish!

As you know, we were supposed to have gone there the night before, but ended up at the Crystal Palace. By the time you were on the Boardwalk, we were home.

And I've never even seen an entire separate vegetarian menu. Is that standard at WDW now? I eat vegetarian + fish (and no dairy) most of the year, but I eat anything at WDW. Some of those dishes look like I'd really enjoy them.

 

[Tony the Tigger]

You + me = AGREE.


It's everything....size, layout and most of all HEAT.
Are you sure we're not related?

P.S. Congrats on the new apartment!

I think this could make you, me, and bee a throuple!

Day 3, cont.

So. It was hot. We still had an hour and a half until dinner. We didn't have any FPs, and none we wanted were available. How ever were we going to pass the time??

First we stopped in a shop.

That could only take up so much of our time...

...but what's this??

Do I see a lounge?

I do!!

We started off at the long shared table in the photo above, but we spotted a couch and went there instead. I can't say enough about how much I loved the design and decor in Nomad Lounge.

Marisa brought us a magical menu.

I had the Spice Trader Classic: Hayman's Old Tom Gin, Dolin Vermouth Blanc, Lemon Juice, and Strawberries topped with Soda Water

M had the Snow Leopard Salvation: Snow Leopard Vodka, Belle de Brillet Pear Liqueur, Mint, and Lime Juice topped with Ginger Beer

These were good. I ended up liking M's just a bit more than I liked mine but they were both refreshing.

For the next round we decided to try something else (and this time I got photos of the menu!).

Tempting Tigress for me

Mustang Coffee for M

We both liked these better than our first pair of drinks. Bourbon is my liquor of choice (and after red wine, my drink of choice in general), and as you may have noted from all my WHINE-ing, I love spice in both food and beverages. This was the PERFECT balance of spicy and sweet and a little savory. After we move I'll be on a mission to find the allspice liqueur they used so I can make my own version of this!

Marisa was a wonderful server. The lounge was busy and severely understaffed, but she kept checking in on us. I overheard some other guests complaining about slow service and later talking to a manager about it, and I also overheard Marisa telling some guests that she had been there since opening and hadn't had a break. I hope this isn't typical (though I imagine it is).

I have to reiterate how much we liked the atmosphere of Nomad Lounge. Some fellow guests in sports attired asked a server where the TV was to watch the game ( ) but we were so glad there wasn't one! We will definitely make our way back to NM and will hopefully get to try some of the food next time, too.

Up next: TIFFINS!!

Now I know where that giant green rat picture came from! This was in B's pics but I had no idea why.

Apparently the drinks at Nomad were that good!

We absolutely loved it.

Mega-congrats on the new place! Sounds great.