We were a party of 3 with dinner reservations at Gaslight. We were seated right away with a nice table by the window (even though it was raining out). Our waitress came over and took our drink order. For appetizers we ordered the Tuna Tartare and the Boston Chowder. I ordered the Tuna Tartare without avocado due to my allergy. I didn't love this dish as underneath the tuna was a very large pool of soy sauce. The overall taste was too salty.
For entrees we ordered the Pan Seared Scallops, the Sticky Vietnamese Short Ribs, and the Branzino. All three entrees were delicious. My entree was the Branzino. The fish was cooked perfectly, the ratatouille was beautiful, and the tapenade added wonderful flavor. For side dishes we ordered the french fries (my weakness) and the brussel sprouts. We all agreed the brussel sprouts were one of the best we've tried. We would return again but perhaps the during the next visit we would ask them to hold the additional salt.
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Today was all about relaxing! We slept in and eventually made it down to the Peacock Alley for some coffee and fruit. After breakfast we decided to spend the day by the pool. We were greeted right away by the pool staff even though they were helping some one else. We found a couple of chairs with an umbrella and the staff put covers and towels on them for us. A little while later we decided it was 5 'o clock somewhere and we ordered a round of drinks. We both enjoyed the Preserved Bulleit. When it came time for lunch we were still enjoying our time by the pool so we ordered from Aquamarine. We started with Shrimp Cocktail and then I enjoyed the Asian Chop Salad with Shrimp and Greg enjoyed the Tuna Tacos. In the late afternoon we decided to head to Disney Springs earlier than our reservation time at Morimoto Asia. We did a little shopping for friends and family. We bought some toys, some vinyl dolls for Greg to paint, and some Guinness Glaze. While we were shopping inside Raglan Road we decided to enjoy a drink and watch the singers and dancers. Finally it was time for our dinner at Morimoto Asia. We had a reservation booked through Molly for the Omakase. When booking the Omakase you need to email or call for a reservation, provide your information, and then leave a 50% deposit. Our experience was amazing however it didn't start out that way.
We we arrived at the restaurant the first check in desk didn't have our reservation. The second check-in desk didn't have our reservation either. 10 min later and only a small apology we finally got seated. However now the staff didn't know about my allergies and I had to explain them to our waiter. Sadly the restaurant doesn't offer a sake or wine pairing but our sake flight was a generous pour. The next small disappointment was when I was given a Dirty hand towel. Our waiter was very busy so it took a few minutes to get his attention but it was finally replaced. Our waiter was very fun. Chef Yuhi Fujinaga's and Chef Alex were wonderful to us. All of the dishes we received were beautiful, innovative without being to flashy, a perfect balance of flavor profiles, and abundant in portions. Our Omakase included: Gooey duck, Oysters Caviar and Uni, Skipjack, Clam, Snapper, Another sushi (can't remember which), Smoked raw fish (can't remember which one), Lobster soup, Braised fish, Scallop and Peeking duck, Yellowtail rice stone bowl, Wagyu beef, Yuzu palate cleanser , and Matcha panna cotta, My dessert wasn't originally planned. there was a miscommunication about my allergy to the pastry chef. I was given the panna cotta but then our waiter and I spoke up about my allergy. I was then given Strawberry sorbet, watermelon soda, and boba. Unfortunately it was sweet upon sweet, upon sweet. This meal has surpassed all of our other Omakase experiences (Morimoto NYC, Nobu, Oishii, O Ya, and Zuma Miami). We would go back and do it again in a heartbeat. Today we got to sleep in a bit since we wanted to miss the rush hour traffic heading south. Once we were ready we called down to the Valet and had our car brought around. We decided to get some breakfast on the road so to Starbucks we went! I ordered my usual Iced Green Tea unsweetened and the pumpkin bread (which is dairy free). Back on the road we made the drive down to Miami. Our first stop was Wynwood Walls. We were enjoying the warm weather and loved seeing some new pieces in the area. Sadly a store that we visited last year didn't offer many unique items this time around. For lunch we went next door to KYU. We were seated right away even though we didn't have a reservation. We ordered a couple cocktails and took a few minutes to peruse the menu. Our waitress was nice, unobtrusive, and was cautious with my allergy. For our meal we ordered the Thai style cripsy pork "guy", Tuna tataki, Shishito peppers, and the Thai fried rice stone pot with king crab. Everything we ordered was outstanding. Each dish was beautifully presented, and had some many different layers of flavor. After lunch we fought traffic to visit Little Havana. Our next stop was to visit the Romero Britto gallery's (one of my favorite artists of today). Romero Britto also happened to be out front of his gallery as we were entering. We enjoyed a couple of drinks outside and just relaxed for a while. Our last stop in Miami was to The Bazaar. We loved this restaurant last year and had high hopes for this visit. We received an offer from the manager to book our next reservation directly through him (via Tripadvisor). The Bazaar was in fact our main reason for driving down to Miami for the day from Orlando. Unfortunately we were utterly let down. We were seated right away but we ended up being next to a staff door to outside area. The door was constantly being slammed closed. Our waiter was friendly but more definitely more rehearsed and not personable. We would hear the same speech given to the tables around us. I was completely disappointed that on this visit I was given a dairy free menu. This is one of my pet peeves. In a high end restaurant items should be made to order (just like they were last year). The coconut rice we loved last year apparently now contains dairy. The waiter seemed perturbed but did ask the chef to make it dairy free. After a very long wait we ordered the Japanese tacos, Jamón Ibérico de Bellota 'Fermin, Oysters with caviar, Coconut rice, Potatoes sofrito, and King crab. There was no guidance from our waiter, no suggestions, no mention to pair drinks. Rather than making an experience for their guests the restaurant seems very streamlined now. During our meal we had to ask for another drink and he never asked how we were doing. The items we ordered were just okay. The coconut rice was watery, the oysters were just salty without other notes, and the king crab ruined my taste buds by the addition of tarragon. The highlight of the evening was a man named Dobie Charles. Dobie made us our complimentary Caipirinha with liquid nitrogen. Dobie has a great smile, loads of personality, and entertained us and those around us including the staff. $360.00 later we left feeling lackluster. We definitely won't be returning again. We will go ahead and try one of the many other restaurants in the area. After dinner it was time for the long ride back to Miami. It was a good day but definitely no the day we had hoped for.
This morning we had tickets for the three of us to go to Epcot. For breakfast we opted to go to Peacock Alley in the Waldorf Astoria. I was thrilled to see that they offered fruit cups as well as dairy free coffee options. We drove to Epcot and opted for the premium parking. The small added cost is well worth it. There was a rather large line for getting into the park. Luckily none of us had bags so we got to bypass most of the crowds. Once inside the park we decided to see if there were any rides that the lines weren't to long. Our first ride was Mission Space. We decided to go the less intense green team since my friend gets motion sick. The green team worked in our favor as the wait was only 5 minutes! We then tried to get on Test Track and Soarin'. Unfortunately, the waits for those rides was over an hour each and the fast passes weren't available until the evening hours. We gave up on going on rides and decided to go to the World Showcase. Our first stop is always Mexico. We head down to La Cave del Tequila for some margarita's. We spent a relaxing and fun time having a couple of margarita's along with chips and salsa. My favorite is the Cucumber Margarita (Tequila blanco, orange liqueur, caramelized pineapple juice, muddled fresh basil, agave nectar, muddled cucumber, served on the rocks with a Tajín chili powder rim). Next we wandered through each of the countries checking out their stores, bars, and restaurants. A couple of the highlights were the Beijing style candied strawberries, buying perfume in Italy, and seeing the lovely garden sculpture of Tink/Peter Pan. We decided to have lunch at The Rose & Crown. We did have reservations and were seated right away. For lunch we enjoyed beer, cider, scotch eggs, potato leek soup, and oven roasted fish and chips (dairy and gluten free). The service is friendly, I was offered the option to speak with the chef, my allergies were accommodated, and the food was very good. We continued on our way around the World Showcase. I don't know how but my friend who is originally from New England has never tried maple candy! Luckily Canada was nearby and so we purchased some for her to try. Naturally she loved it! Who doesn't!! We left the park and headed back to our hotel to cool off and get changed for dinner. We took a car from our hotel to Disney Springs. Tonight we decided to sit on the outdoor deck of Paradiso 37 for before dinner drinks. We had no idea that we would end up having a lovely experience to go with our drinks. I ordered a Pineapple Caipirinha. Next thing we know the Caipirinha cart pushed by a lovely woman came our way. They custom make your Caiprinha in front of you. On our 2nd round the bartender suggested combining fruit flavors. I opted for a pineapple and mango Caipirinha and it was amazing!!
For dinner we had reservations at STK. We walked over to the restaurant and were seated right away at an outdoor table. Our waitress was wonderful! She was funny, vibrant, professional, and cared that we were happy with our meal. To start our meal we ordered the wedge salad and the beef tartare. The tartare was amazing with it's bright flavor, hint of heat, and crips to enjoy it on. Our entrees came out and my Dry Aged Delmonico came out cold. Our waitress took it back right away. A few minutes later and someone else brings my plate back. I look down and my $63 steak was cut in half and reheated. I called the waitress back over and she agreed that this shouldn't have happened. A few minutes goes by again and the manager comes out and explains that he asked for it to be rushed and that's why the chef cut it in half and reheated it. I explained that this was awful service, a disservice to me and to the steak. Once I received my new steak it was hot, tender, and delicious. Our waitress took $20 off of our bill for our inconvience which I thought was really nice. We ended up adding that $20 to her 20% tip since she was so wonderful. We left Brunswick early in the morning so that we could maximize our time in Orlando. 4 hours later and we pulled up to the Waldorf Astoria Orlando. Our reservation was for 6 nights in a Deluxe Suite. Before our stay we contacted the concierge department in regards to booking a pool cabana and ordering a fruit platter to our room. I wrote them back and on Saturday I received a response saying that they were closed on Saturdays. On Sunday we didn't receive a response nor did anyone say anything while we checked in. Needless to say we didn't receive our fruit platter nor did we decide to purchase the cabana. It was around 11 a.m. when we went inside to check in. Our room wasn't ready yet so we visited the Peacock lounge for a drink and snacks. We received a text that our room 930 was available. We were pleased to find out that we got an upgrade to a luxury suite. This was our third stay at the property and our first upgrade. The room was a lovely layout and very clean except for the sofa bedding which had a bright red stain on it. Our friend met us at the hotel and we opted for lunch poolside. We ordered the Asian salad, tuna tacos, and Caesar salad. The food was good however the drinks were just okay. We decided to relax back in our room for a while. That evening we went out to dinner. When we arrived back at the hotel around 11 pm. We walked into our room and were instantly disgusted by a fried fish smell. We called downstairs and were told that someone would come by to fix it. Housekeeping called us and said that could spray air freshener. We found that the scent was coming from the vent near the front door (air freshener won't solve this problem). We called again and couldn't get through to the front desk. We decided to walk down stairs. After a long wait we were given a room on 4th floor which would be larger. We felt it was a little odd though when the Bellman escorted us to make sure the room would be okay. During our walk to the new room the bellman was the only person who finally admitted that room 930 was above the kitchen. The new room was handicapped, very narrow layout, and felt claustrophobic. We went back downstairs to explain that this wasn't acceptable. Finally we were given a a room smaller than we had and 100 credit. We packed our stuff and made our way to the new room. The new room was fine but it was on a lower level than the room we originally booked, lower than the upgraded room, and did overlook a rooftop. The next morning housekeeping rang our doorbell at 8:30 and wanted to know when we would be out of the room. The housekeeping manager Angie called during the day to express an apology for our experiences. We came back to a bottle of red wine, chocolates, and extra amenities. The next day someone else called to check on our happiness. Unfortunately the staff are all trained to ask what would make you happy to correct the issues. We agreed that we felt that this question is inappropriate.We were the ones wronged, you know the value of our loss, and yet you want me to tell you what I want? Okay comp all my extras, give me back my 130k points, etc. We would never ask for compensation however if you ask how our stay is going we will tell you (especially for this being our 3rd stay and for 6 nights). The other offering is a free breakfast. I have a dairy and gluten allergy and never eat breakfast. In the end Angie called again to check on us. We explained our feelings about their procedures and she went above and beyond by working with the front desk staff to remove our daily fees. The highlights of the Waldorf Astoria is valet staff are definitely efficient and friendliest of the resort, the women at the coffee bar are always smiling and warm, the coffee is very good, peacock lounge is always a nice spot for drinks, pool chair attendants are fast and friendly, and room service is lovely. We checked out of the hotel very early in the morning and the process of bell service, check out, and valet was nice and smooth. We would still return to the Waldorf Astoria thanks to the beautiful surroundings and the special staff like Angie. This evening we went to Downtown Disney for drinks and dinner with our friend. We first opted for the Jock Lindsey's Hangar Bar. The drinks were delicious. We ordered the Himalyan Zing - Gochujang Pepper Sauce wings. While the wing sauce was flavorful and not too spicy things wings themselves were unappetizing. I'm not sure if it's because of my allergies but the fat wasn't rendered and the skin was very chewy.
For dinner we had a reservation at The Boathouse. We opted to sit outside on their beautiful deck. The wait staff were definitely some of our favorites! The staff was warm, concerned about guest happiness, and a few of them were hilarious! The chef did come out to discuss options for my dairy allergy. Our octopus appetizer was chewy and stringy and our waiter sent it back when we weren't in love with it. A new one was sent out and it was much better. Our entree's were fried fish, swordfish, and tuna. They were all prepared well, very flavorful and were large portions.
This review took place in October 2016.
I woke up to a big breakfast thanks to my father! Can't go wrong with Eggs, toast, bacon, and fruit especially when you don't have to make it! We all hopped in the car and made our way to Dead Horse State Park. We stopped at the visitor center first for a chat with the park guides and some souvenirs. Last year Greg, Fred and I hiked one of the trails but this year Fred got to relax in comfort with my parents. While they drove to the viewpoints Greg and I hiked our way up to Dead Horse Point.
We met Fred and my parents at Dead Horse Point where we walked around together for photographs. The area is great for families. There are restaurants, seating area, and beautiful views.
Before heading back to our AirBnb we drove up and down and back up the main road in Moab trying to decide on lunch!! 4 people with varying tastes and allergies can't always decide easily apparently. We finally opted for food from Fiesta Mexicana. The food was hot, fresh, and pretty tasty.
That night we hung in and had the insane task of organizing all of our stuff and all of our new purchases and pack up the car for the ride home. Luckily we had a very big Chevy Suburban!!!
This review is from October 2016.
Breakfast time so let's try a new place.....or not. We ventured into Sweet Cravings Restaurant. Unfortunately there is not one thing on their menu that was or could be dairy free. I wish I was kidding but I'm not. Two people in the restaurant confirmed this. Greg and I opted for some black coffee's and sat outside in the gorgeous sunshine with Fred while my parents dined inside. Their experience wasn't much better. They both ordered biscuits and gravy and the biscuits were hard as rocks and the gravy tasted like uncooked flour. Once they were done we drove up the way to Peace Tree Cafe where I enjoyed breakfast last year. I ordered my warm quinoa bowl with coconut milk, maple syrup, and blueberries. Greg also ordered their green monster juice. Both were perfect to go items and a delicious and not overly filling breakfast. Today we were exploring Arches National Park which was a little for my parents and a little for us. My parents got to experience the park at the viewpoints and we got to have them watch Fred as we went off on short hikes. We got to drive through the entire park together and then my parents dropped us off to hike at a few areas. We hiked Park Ave, Double Arch, Sand Arch, and Broken Arch. Unfortunately a few roads weren't passable due to flooding and other hikes would have taken us a longer time than we wanted to make them wait. This park is truly one of my happy places.
Leaving the park we drove back into Moab for a late lunch at Eddie McStiffs. Greg and I dined here last year too and so we knew what we could expect. We were greeted and given a table right away on their pet friendly patio. Our waiter was very friendly, funny, and took great care of us. We ordered the Miso Shrimp, Fish & Chips (which were gluten and dairy free), and the cowboy reuben burger. Our order consisted of large portions, fresh ingredients, and perfect seasoning.
To end the day we went back to our AirBnb for a bottle of wine, snacks and some star gazing!
This review is from October 2016.
Early this morning we stripped the beds, wiped down the kitchen, and loaded up the car. We made our way out of town (with one last stop at Jackey Leighs for a bagel) then on to Bryce Canyon National Park. First up was a stop at the Visitors Center for some shopping and restrooms. We decided to drive all the way to Rainbow Point before stopping. Sadly almost all of our stops were fogged in but it was really unique to see the sights at the different elevations, in the fog, and to see the fog clearing. Bryce is definitely another park we would love to come back to and do some hiking.
Heading out of Bryce we drove the short distance to Mossy Cave trail. The waterfall was turned off for the season but it was a pretty and quick hike. Of course we had to take some silly photos of the men holding up the cave before heading back to the car.
Back onto Highway 12 all the way to Moab UT. Highway 12 is one of the most beautiful roads I have ever been on. The road scared me with it's heights and sharp edges, amazed me with it's towering rock formations, and calmed me with it's serene beauty.
We were all pretty hungry when we entered into Moab so before heading to our home away from home we stopped at The Blu Pig. Last year we dined here twice and enjoyed their pet friendly patios, the friendly service, and the delicious food. Since it was a long day we all opted for take out this time. The Hostess took our order and was conscious of my allergies. We ordered wings, brisket, pulled pork, tri-tip, and a variety of sides. The food was just as good as we remembered!
Our AirBnB was very easy to find thanks to the directions and maps we were given. We booked Red Rock Getaway for our stay. The unit is a 3 bedroom 2 bath property with a living room, kitchen, dining area, laundry area, garage, gated back yard, and all the amenities you would need. The property was kept up well, and was very clean. The only things we noticed is that the walls were a bit damaged probably from moving the furniture around. We also noticed that one of the chairs in the living room tips over very easily. When I received our information about entering the property we were told that there would be 2 keys and a garage door opener on the counter. Unfortunately when we got there only 1 key was on the counter. I messaged them on AirBnb and didn't receive a response. The next morning I called the number we had for the housekeepers and was told that a previous renter accidentally drove away with them. This would have been good to know before we arrived so that we knew the garage wouldn't be an option but also so we didn't panic about the owners thinking we lost them and charging us for the loss.
Here we are at Coral Pink Sand National Park. The color of the sand is phenomenal and this was my first time visiting Sand Dunes. We frolicked around a bit climbing up and down the dunes until the skies opened up and decided to soak us! Running back up the dunes to our car wasn't what we were hoping for but it made for an adventure!
Back in Kanab we went for a late lunch at Big Al's Burgers. It's a pleasant surprise when a local restaurant is willing to accommodate my dairy free and gluten free needs! We all ordered burgers, french fries, onion rings, and lots of their delicious fry sauce!!! Our food came up quickly and we were able to eat at their outside picnic tables.
To end the night we stayed in at our AirBnb and just had some light snacks and then packed up to head to Moab the next morning!
In the afternoon we made our way over to the offices of Dreamland Safari Tours. We had pre-booked the Mystical Slot Canyon Tour. Dreamland Safari Tours does also allow dogs provided that others on the tour approve of the dog coming along. Luckily we had another couple with us who didn't mind Fred joining us. Our guide Brent met us at the office and it was just a short wait until the tour started. Brent drove us up past Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, then off road, and into the slot canyon. Brent was knowledge about the area, very friendly, but also wasn't obtrusive. I appreciated that Brent allowed us to experience the canyon and take photographs at our own pace. All of us thoroughly enjoyed this tour however Dreamland Safari lists this as recommended for all ages and abilities. I kind of disagree with this. My mother is a senior citizen and has knee issues which causes her to walk unsteady. During this tour we had to walk over loose rocks, climb some large rocks, and maneuver under a fallen tree. We were amazed that my mother did go through the entire tour (with the help of my father) but it's something to keep in mind if you have similar concerns.
After the tour we headed back to our AirBnb and make a nice steak dinner and shared our favorite parts of the day with each other.
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