A Review of Minnie's Holiday Dine
Our November trip to Walt Disney World coincided with the start of holiday celebrations. At Disney’s Hollywood Studios we wanted to celebrate the season and see some of our favorite characters so we reserved Minnie’s Holiday Dine at the Hollywood & Vine, which runs from November 6th to January 4th.
In the past this dining experience had lots of character interaction. We were concerned that the current situation would limit our access to characters. I can say, while it was different, we had lots of interactions with Minnie, Mickey, Pluto, and Goofy. Both the atmosphere and the menu did not disappoint!
When we first arrived, we had the opportunity to take a selfie and then were seated at a physically distant table. Holiday music was playing and the characters were walking around the restaurant.
We just loved Minnie Mouse in her red sparkling dress, Mickey in his dapper jacket, Pluto with his reindeer antlers and of course, Goofy as Santa! Truth be told, I really just wanted to see Goofy!
We were given a pamphlet with a QR code so we could see the menu. This wasn’t really necessary as the cast member waiting on us told us what where the menu options, which were:
Garlic and Cracked Black Pepper Prime Rib of Beef: Sour cream-chive whipped potatoes, fried Brussel sprouts, and pearl onions with red wine jus
Seared Fresh Salmon with Grain Mustard Beurre Blanc: Olive oil crushed fingerling potatoes, garlic lemon broccolini
Pork Osso Bucco: Boursin cheese hominy grits, caramelized apples, lemon gremolata, pork reduction gravy
Macaroni and Cheese with Shrimp: Cavatapi pasta, four cheese sauce, shrimp, crispy bacon, buttered panko crust with fennel and arugula
Carved Herb Roasted Turkey Breast: Garlic redskin mashed potatoes, cornbread stuffing, sauteed green beans, turkey gravy, and cranberry orange relish
Plant-based Pan Roasted King Trumpet Mushrooms: Braised lentils, blistered grape tomatoes, roasted mushroom ragu, roasted root vegetables, and Marsala mushroom sauce
Along with a family style salad, we each had the carved Turkey Breast. It was delicious and made us feel like we were at a Thanksgiving or Christmas meal. I even asked if I could get the recipe for the stuffing and cranberry relish. After way too much food, our server told us of the dessert choices, which were:
Apple Blueberry Pie: Baked apples, blueberries, caramel, and streusel
Plant-based Cherry Lemon Pie: Cherry with lemon drizzle
Vanilla Creme Brulee: Rich custard with caramelized sugar
Chocolate S’mores Pie: Dark chocolate mousse with toasted marshmallow fluff and graham cracker streusel
Banana Cream Pie: Bananas, cream, and caramel sauce
I had the Vanilla Creme Brulee and Marisa had the Chocolate S’mores Pie. Both were to die for!
While we were eating Minnie, Mickey, Pluto and Goofy roamed the restaurant, waving to the patrons, posing for pictures and even throwing an imaginary snowball or two.
The atmosphere was so festive! It was wonderful to see the looks on the faces of the little ones there as they waved to all the characters. It kind of made me feel like a little kid again.
At the end of our meal we were both presented with little cards “signed” by Minnie and friends to top off the experience.
In a time where you can’t have the same character meet and greets we did in the past, this is the next best thing and definitely an experience I will remember!
-Debbie
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