Tag: family eats

T-Rex Café!

Imagine. You walk into a restaurant buzzing with excitement. Not just from the little kids running around holding their dinosaur plushies, but from the adults alike filled with the awe and joy from what they’re seeing. You proceed forward towards a jungle of dinosaur animatronics while “roars” fill the room. You have just entered into the one (and only), T-Rex Cafe in Orlando, Florida.

Located in Disney Springs at the Disney World Resort, T-Rex Café is a fun-filled restaurant where the atmosphere gives you there feeling that you just walked onto a Dinosaur themed movie. Due to limited capacity (due to Covid), my family and I made sure to make reservations a month in advance.

After we entered, we waited in line for the hostess to take down our names and a cell phone number to let us know when our table would be ready. We waited about 10 minutes before being called back to the hostess table and to our table. It was really cool looking at all of the dinosaurs, giant bugs (fake of course), and ice age sections of the restaurant.

Our waiter came to the table and placed QR codes on the table for us to scan to access to the menu. The menu had a wide range of choices from pastas, burgers, ribs, and more! T-Rex Cafe is owned by the Landry’s company and is known to be the “prehistoric” version of The Rainforest Cafe (also a Landry’s owned restaurant).

I ordered one of their special themed alcoholic drinks, the Raptor Rita which was contained Corazón Blanco Tequila, sweet & sour, and Patrón Citrónge Orange Liqueur. It was a really tasty margarita! Very yummy! I tried a bit of my mom’s drink of choice, the “Lava Flow” which was a delicious strawberry Pina colada slush! The Lava Flow contained Don Q Coconut Rum, Tropics Piña Colada, and Tropics Strawberry Purée.

My Mom and her Lava Flow

As for the taste of the food, we were very satisfied with the dishes we ordered. My sister, mom, and I ordered the Prehistoric Pasta made with alfredo sauce, fettuccine pasta, sautéed mushrooms, Roma tomatoes. This was a perfect option for my sister Madison who is a vegetarian. I ordered mine with shrimp (because I love shrimp)! Although I wouldn’t call it a five star dish, it was still pleasantly delicious and I would definitely order it again. My other siblings and dad truly enjoyed their dishes overall even my brother Kellan who ordered the Boneyard Buffet which consisted of Fire-Roasted Rotisserie Chicken, slow roasted St. Louis style pork spareribs, seasoned fries, and coleslaw!

Although we were full, we knew we had to try their famous dessert, the Chocolate Extinction. This out of the world dessert had four full slices of chocolate brownies along with vanilla ice cream and your own personal volcano (for show).

The dessert was delicious and both pleasing to the eye and to the palate. The overall experience of the restaurant was fun and I would definitely go back because of the amazing atmosphere. The coolest part was the “meteor shower” that occurred from time-to-time. The ceiling would turn red and the dinosaurs would begin to ROAR in fear which really played into the feel of the atmosphere.

If you’re in the Orlando area and want to check out T-Rex Cafe, I linked the website down below! Feel free to leave me a comment, subscribe to my Food Blog for updates, and donate to my “Buy me a pretzel” fund so that I can continue exploring new eateries!

Website Link: https://www.trexcafe.com/

Buy Me A Pretzel Link: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/izzyscope

The MELT ~ An Eatery for Everyone

Today’s food adventure is to a California based eatery known as ‘The Melt.’ The Melt is popular for their specialty grilled cheese creations and macaroni. Made without any artificial preservatives, colors, flavors, sweeteners, and hydrogenated fats, you truly feel like you’re eating GOOD food.

Due to the current situation, dining indoors is strictly prohibited but they are open for outdoor patio seating which is exactly what my family and I did. The Melt is located at the Irvine Spectrum, a beautiful outdoor mall at the southeast edge of Irvine.

The Beautiful Irvine Spectrum

Coming from a family of 7, we all have similar but different taste buds. On top of that, my youngest sister has a metabolic disorder that doesn’t allow her to eat meat. With a big family and a dietary restriction, a grilled cheese eatery seemed like the perfect place to eat.

Upon walking in, we noticed that the inside tables were pushed up against the wall, allowing room for social distance while waiting and prevention of sitting. This was great to see especially in a time like this.

We looked at the menu and were very pleased at what we saw. Various grilled cheese sandwich options to please both all types of people (from picky eaters to the more adventurous taste buds). Not only does The Melt serve grilled cheese sandwiches, but there’s also a selection of burgers as well. They also had a selection of side dishes, desserts, and drinks.

My sister and I both ordered the “Italian Job” which was a grilled cheese sandwich made with Fontina and provolone cheeses, grilled mushrooms on spicy garlic bread. We were both highly impressed with this dish. It was the perfect blend of cheese and mushrooms (which were very fresh), and the garlic bread was the cherry on top! Literally perfect for vegetarians and meat eaters alike!

The “Italian Job”

My brother and mom ordered the “Italian Chicken” which is made with the same ingredients as the Italian Job except with some added grilled chicken pieces. They said the chicken was grilled to perfection and easy to eat. Just like the Italian Job, they said the mushrooms were extremely fresh and the garlic bread was the perfect addition to this tasty sandwich.

My youngest brother Kellan and his Italian Chicken

My mom Julia, also ordered the tomato soup with her sandwich as a dipping sauce which she said was creamy and smooth.

The Italian Chicken
The tomato soup: The perfect addition

My sister Ariel, surprised all of us and ordered the ‘Garlic Bacon Mac and Cheese.’ This was a surprise because this particular sister never orders or eats macaroni and cheese, so her review was something we were very curious to hear about. After trying the macaroni, she ended up really liking it and even finished her leftovers the next day. That definitely proved that this restaurant knows how to make some good quality food.

My other brother opted for something different and ordered the ‘Patty melt.’ Featured on their menu, the patty melt consists of grilled Angus & Wagyu burger patty, sweet, caramelized onions, melted Swiss and provolone cheese with spicy mustard on fresh artisan bread. The staff gladly removed the mustard and onions for my brother with no issues. Just like the rest of us, he enjoyed his sandwich and would gladly return to eat it again.

My brother Kieran and his Patty Melt

Last but certainly not least was my dad’s order. He wanted to go for one of their signature dishes, “The Meltburger.” The Meltburger is made with more than 1/3 pound of their signature Angus & Wagyu beef, chopped, grilled and filled with loads of melted cheddar, their special pickle and jalapeño mix, and Melt sauce on a toasted, artisan bun. He too devoured his burger and loved every bite of it. He stated the burger was juicy and wonderfully flavored. The burger came with a side of garlic fries which were evenly cooked and seasoned, along with a pickle (all sandwiches come with pickles on the side).

As for the rest of our side dishes, we all ordered the garlic Parmesan fries. The first thing you notice when you open the box was how amazing they smell. Although they tasted good, the garlic was a little “heavy-handed” which made it a difficult to eat a bunch at once. We ended up taking home the majority of the fries as leftovers because the over powering garlic didn’t compliment the meal like it should have. If there was less garlic added then it might have been perfect.

The Garlic Parmesan fries

My sister Madison and her Garlic Parmesan Fries

Lastly, when it comes to natural, The Melt also provided all natural drinks. It was amazing choosing a normally dark soda (like black cherry cola) and it coming out of the nozzel clear. The taste of these sodas were great and it was nice knowing we were drinking soda without artificial flavors. The only thing we wish they had was a diet cola. This would give people an extra option for a no-sugar alternative.

My dad (Glen) and his clear ORANGE soda!

In conclusion, the Melt was an amazing experience. We were impressed with the range of foods available and was glad to find somewhere for my vegetarian sister to eat and enjoy. The entire staff was AMAZING. They went above and beyond to make sure that our eating experience was excellent. This was one of the best customer service experiences we’ve ever had and we have no complaints at all. We would have loved to try their desserts however we were too full to try them. If you’re interested in looking at the full menu and Melt website, the link is down below. Thanks to The Melt for a new and fun experience!

https://www.themelt.com/

Loving my Italian Job Sandwich!

Thank you “The Melt!”