Beignets -- Snacks -- Sassagoula Floatworks & Food Factory -- Port Orleans French Quarter

*This dining experience took place in May 2016.Note: Sassagoula Floatworks and Food Factory will be undergoing a refurbishment and will be closed beginning July 11, 2016 and re-open at a to be determined date in Fall 2016. At this time, a temporary location will be set-up in the lobby. Some options, like the beignet sundae bowl may be limited and/or unavailable. The gluten free & allergy friendly beignets will still be available for purchase.One of my favorite snacks are the gluten free and allergy friendly beignets served at Sassagoula Floatworks & Food Factory at Disney's Port Orleans French Quarter Resort. Perfectly deep fried and smothered in powdered sugar, these classic New Orleans treats make the perfect snack, breakfast, or dessert any time you visit Sassagoula Floatworks & Food Factory.And you'll want to even more now with the addition of the gluten free and allergy friendly beignet bowl sundae. That's right. As if these beignets couldn't get any better, Chef Tony and the culinary team at Port Orleans French Quarter created this amazing gluten free and allergy friendly dessert that you're going to want to try.Made with several pressed beignets, the fried beignets turn into a sundae base. Topped with your choice of ice cream (in my case, I got So Delicious Coconut Milk ice cream) and sauces (I went with Hershey's Chocolate Syrup and Raspberry Sauce on one visit and just Raspberry Sauce on my second visit), it's a delicious treat.Typically, the gluten free only version of this sundae comes with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, raspberry sauce, a chocolate chicory sauce. You can see a photo and review of it on Alexis's Gluten Free Adventures's site.Of course, I love a classic fried beignet. If you're looking for something to add to your beignet, try one of the three new dipping sauces. All three are gluten free and the raspberry sauce is both gluten free and dairy free (and probably vegan too). I love the raspberry sauce because combined with the beignet it reminds me of jelly donuts!If you're interested in recreating beignets at home, check out the recipe from Disney's Port Orleans French Quarter.Have you tried the gluten free and allergy friendly beignets? 

Scat Cat's Cafe -- Dinner -- Table Service -- Port Orleans French Quarter

*This dining experience took place in December 2015.Port Orleans French Quarter is home to many things - gluten free and dairy free beignets and the ever popular Sassagoula Floatworks & Food Factory - but has not had a proper table service dining location after the closing of Bonfamille's Cafe well over a decade ago (read a history of the resort over at PortOrleans.org).During the 2015 holiday season for about a week, Scat Cat's Cafe, a pop-up restaurant located in the space formerly known as Bonfamille's Cafe, served up guests classic N'Awlins flavors with a family style all-you-care-to-eat dinner.Because I love the Port Orleans restaurants so much, I knew I had to go. And, of course, my friends Alexis from Gluten Free in Orlando and Amanda from Eating Out Without, also wanted to dine here too (you can read their reviews of our dinner on their blogs).When we arrived, we were greeted by Chef Tony and Chef Paul who I often see at the resort at Sassagoula Floatworks & Food Factory or Boatwright's, one of my favorite restaurants on Disney property. Both chefs gave us a run-down of the menu. It was awesome to hear that the majority of the menu was naturally gluten free and mostly dairy free. The only dairy filled items included the mashed potatoes and mac & cheese (a gluten free mac & cheese substitute was offered for Alexis). Hearing this reminded me that we were in for a treat at this dinner.While Chef Tony went over the menu with us, Chef Paul came out with GNI brand rolls and some extra virgin olive oil with herbs in it. These were very well heated and the olive oil was a great accompaniment to the rolls. Of course, knowing the dinner was all-you-care-to-eat, I made sure not to indulge in to many of these!The house salad made served included a delicious roasted garlic vinaigrette and was easily one of my new favorite salad dressings. The sweet and garlicky taste of this dressing was a nice variation of so many of the vinaigrette made on Disney property.Up next were the maque choux (made with corn, peppers, and onions) and collard greens. Both were naturally gluten free and dairy free and delicious. I think I might have been the only diner at my table to really dig into both of these, and I certainly ate my fair share. Having family with Southern roots, I absolutely adore collards, and I found these to be a delicious version.Since we couldn't have mashed potatoes, Chef Paul also brought out seasoned asparagus. Asparagus is on my high list of favorite vegetables, and this version was outstanding. Both Amanda and I quickly made our way through this dish. Hands down one of my favorite things from the meal.The main course included roasted chicken, which had been brined and seasoned well. The brining made the chicken extra moist and super flavorful. Everyone at the table loved this, and we quickly asked for seconds on the chicken.I also really enjoyed the sausage that accompanied the main platter, though I only ate one piece of this. The jambalaya was equally good, but I could have gone for the dirty rice that is served at Boatwright's. That dirty rice is bananas good!The pot roast with carrots was very flavorful, and I added a bit of the juice on the bottom of the bowl to the meat, since our version didn't have gravy. I'm not a huge beef eater, but I did enjoy the portion of it that I ate.As you can see from my plate, I certainly did not go hungry at this meal. Highlights of the main meal were definitely the salad, roasted asparagus, collard greens, and roasted chicken. If you like classic Cajun and Creole cuisine, this meal would have been right up your alley.The restaurant was serving a bread pudding for dessert, which was unfortunately not gluten free or dairy free. Thankfully, Chef Paul brought out some beignets for Amanda and me (Alexis got a bananas foster ice cream sundae), and this was the perfect ending to our meal.I absolutely adore the beignets served at Port Orleans French Quarter, and I seriously couldn't have imagined another dessert with my meal. Smothered in powdered sugar and deep fried, these beignets continue to be one of my favorite unique sweets at Disney World. Whether they are dessert or a decadent breakfast option, they are always worth the trip!Our dinner at Scat Cat's Cafe was terrific, and I can't thank Chef Tony and Chef Paul enough for continually taking care of special diets diners with delicious and decadent food. So much of their menu was already safe for us to eat, and that made having a "normal" dining experience even more possible. It's definitely a testament to why I am such a huge fan of the Port Orleans restaurants and culinary team. They are so committed to making great food for everyone, dietary restrictions or otherwise!I would love to see Scat Cat's Cafe or some other type of table service come back to Port Orleans French Quarter. The restaurant space was terrific, and the family style meal was both tasty and a very affordable dining option ($25.99 per adult). Fingers crossed that they may explore that option at POFQ in the future.Many of the items served at Scat Cat's Cafe can be found over at Sassagoula Floatworks & Food Factory, so if you're craving this roasted chicken or the Jambalaya, you can still get your fix there or at Boatwright's at Port Orleans Riverside.Would you like to see a table service dining location at Port Orleans French Quarter? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section! 

Sassagoula Floatworks & Food Factory -- Lunch/Dinner -- Quick Service -- Port Orleans French Quarter

*This dining experience took place in August 2015.Sassagoula Floatworks & Food Factory, located at Disney's Port Orleans French Quarter Resort, is one of my favorite quick service locations. With N'Awlins inspired food and decor, you'll be ready to "let the good times roll" when you dine here...especially since it's home to gluten free & dairy free beignets!On this particular occasion, I was greeted by Chef Tony. He showed me the new allergy friendly menus, and after some debating, I settled on the 1/3 lb Angus Avocado Burger with French fries and a side of remoulade. On my previous visit, I had the grilled fish sandwich which I enjoyed a lot but wanted something different.As you can see from my photo, I had a huge sandwich and serving of fries and a giant container of remoulade. Yes, you know the chefs know you well when they serve you condiments in a large container.The sandwich itself was served on a Local Oven bun and well cooked. I enjoyed the addition of the avocado on the sandwich, and, of course, added some remoulade on it to round out the flavors. The French fries dipped in remoulade continue to be my favorite way to eat fries. So so good (trust me on this one!).For dessert, I had to get some beignets. Deep fried and smothered in powdered sugar, even though I was totally full from my dinner, I had to enjoy these sweet treats. Piping hot is the best way to eat them, and they really are perfect for any meal. (Go ahead, eat them for breakfast like they do in New Orleans; no judgement here!)Have you been to Sassagoula Floatworks & Food Factory? What did you order when you dined there?

Sassagoula Floatworks & Food Factory -- Breakfast -- Quick Service -- Port Orleans French Quarter

*This dining experience took place in October 2013.

View of lobby in Port Orleans French Quarter

This is a brief review of POFQ's quick service location Sassagoula Floatworks & Food Factory for breakfast. As I've mentioned in my recent reviews, this is the place to be for New Orleans inspired cuisine on property. From the Mardis Gras vibe to the amazing beignets, there's just a terrific vibe in this resort & restaurant.On this particular visit, I stopped by with my friend Alexis from Gluten Free in Orlando (http://glutenfreeinorlandoflorida.blogspot.com/). We caught up right before my very first runDisney race (Happy Haunted 5K), and it was great to indulge in some beignets before I got myself prepared for the big race day. We both knew we were going to get the now famous GF/DF beignets that Chef Tony & the rest of the POFQ team serves up. I may have a slight beignet addiction right now!We were lucky because Chef Tony was also at the restaurant that morning, and we were able to say "hi" and chat briefly. He's been a very busy guy with Food & Wine Festival season doing culinary demos, Party for the Senses, and even being in the cranberry bog! So, it was a nice treat to be able to say hello!Another Disney CM took our beignet order, and I also ordered some scrambled eggs & bacon as well. As much as I love the sweets I knew I needed some pre-race day protein, particularly as I was heading to the expo center to pick up my bib and then meet up with some friends which meant food might be elusive for a while!And, of course, I was not disappointed. These beignets were amazing as always. I will say that right now I think the recipe is just right! I love the puffiness of them and how light they are. The chewiness that I mentioned the 1st time I had them has definitely gone away. These are just terrific! I have to say anything deep fried and smothered in powdered sugar is just A-OK to me!

Beignet deliciousness!

Scrambled eggs & bacon

As far as my eggs & bacon, I'm going to give some big credit to the CM who made these. I believe her name was Molly. These were really good! I'm going to say probably the best cooked QS scrambled eggs that I've ever had. I'm not kidding! They were delicious. Not overcooked and flavorful! I was very pleased with these. It's rare that a QS doesn't completely overcook my scrambled eggs (and I can't fault them, they are handling large quantities), so this was pretty awesome! The bacon was the typical bacon you get in the QS locations. Nothing special, but hey, bacon is bacon right?!Overall, I found this to be a really nice morning breakfast. I have to say the beignets just knock it out of the park as a breakfast choice! It certainly gave me a nice sugar boost to get through the rest of the day, which was very busy!I'd give this a solid 8 out of 10 as far as QS go, this is one of my favorites! The fact that I can get beignets morning, noon, and night makes me swoon!Have you tried the fabulous allergy friendly beignets yet?

Beignets -- Sassagoula Floatworks & Food Factory -- Port Orleans French Quarter -- Quick Service

*This dining experience took place in September 2013.

 There's nothing quite like a beignet. Deep fried and smothered in powdered sugar, they are truly a decadent treat for breakfast and a great dessert in the evening. For many guests with a special diet, these treats have been a no-go but at WDW and specifically at Sassagoula Floatworks & Food Factory at Port Orleans French Quarter this has become a reality! They have become one of my most favorite sweet treats on property!You may recall that a reader tipped me off to these delicious beignets a while back, and I was finally able to check them out (you can read the first review HERE). When I went, I had to contact the WDW Special Diets Department well in advance to make sure they had these on hand. As it turns out, they've become so popular that now you don't need to call in advance--just head on over to Port Orleans French Quarter, grab yourself a cup of coffee and enjoy these treats! Chef Tony and the rest of the culinary team at POFQ have now made these an everyday occurrence, so you are sure to be able to enjoy no matter when you go! This just makes me so excited because now make an impromptu visit whenever I'm craving beignets.On this particular occasion, I stopped by before making the trek back home to get some beignets for the road (well, more before the road...they didn't make it out of the restaurant). My family hadn't tried them either, so it was a great time to see what they thought. The ordering couldn't have been simpler. I just walked up to the counter that makes beignets and asked for them specifically. The cast member went back and got the chef. Chef Paul came out to assist me, and Chef Tony also popped out to chat quickly. He mentioned that they have tweaked recipe for the beignets just slightly (replacing some of the water with club soda, etc.). I really love that they are striving to make things better for those of us with special diets. It's just another example of the magical Disney touch! We also talked about how much of the menu can be easily made GF, so that's excellent news! I totally want to stop by and grab lunch or dinner here soon!Once we got our beignets (which really didn't take long at all--maybe 5-10 minutes), we headed over to dig in! I will say, I could tell immediately that they had modified the recipe some because they were much puffier than the last ones I had.

I never saw a GF/DF beignet I did not love!

Anything smothered in powdered sugar makes me happy!

And let me tell you, I didn't think they could make these beignets any better, but they did! I will say that they chewiness that the previous version had is literally gone. These are much lighter and fluffier and well...just delicious! The texture has definitely hit the beignet texture that I remember from the glutenous ones. And my family really enjoyed these! Let's put it this way, I think they finished theirs before I did!Overall, I can't say enough good things about Chef Tony & the rest of the culinary team at Port Orleans French Quarter. The time, dedication and care they have put into these beignets are so evident. And the fact that you can now get them anytime, just like you can allergy Mickey waffles, is just amazing to me! I'm thinking of hosting a breakfast meetup in the next few months here! It will be a beignet bonanza!To me, the beignets on this trip were 9 out of 10--my only complaint? I should have ordered more!! Thanks again to Chef Tony and all at Port Orleans French Quarter for making these delicious treats available to those of us who normally can't have things like this!Have you tried the special diets beignets at POFQ? Do you love them as much as I do?

Beignets -- Sassagoula Floatworks & Food Factory -- Port Orleans French Quarter -- Quick Service

*This dining experience took place in July 2013.

 There's nothing like a beignet. Deep fried and smothered in powdered sugar, it's a confectionery delight! And any proper N'awlins experience wouldn't be complete without one. But what if you're gluten free, dairy free or even egg free and soy free? Luckily for guests at WDW, they can experience this treat even with a special diet! Back in May, a blog reader emailed me to tell me that they were able to get special diets beignets at Port Orleans French Quarter (POFQ) at Sassagoula Floatworks & Food Factory. You know that meant I needed to investigate and try them out for myself.The first thing I did was contact the WDW Special Diets Department. They let me know that you can indeed get these beignets with advance notice. At first, they only noted that they were gluten free, but after further investigation revealed that they were also dairy, egg, and soy free--making them vegetarian and vegan friendly. I asked Special Diets to let POFQ know that I would be arriving about a week in advance; however, I didn't actually hear from them until 1 day before I went to confirm. I would recommend arranging this well in advance because as I learned later, there were some miscommunications that occurred partially due to my last minute request.

The Bakery Station is currently to the far left of this photo.

When I arrived at POFQ, we headed to Sassagoula Floatworks & Food Factory. Like many QS locations at resorts, they have various food stations (such as the Po'Boy station, Pizza station, etc.). Since the beignets were prepared at the Bakery station, I inquired there about the chef. Once the chef came up, I explained that I had emailed ahead of time for the beignets. He said that they were told by Special Diets that I was coming in the morning and had a dedicated fryer with hot oil running for part of the day but had shut it off because they assumed I wasn't coming. I felt bad there was some confusion, as I had noted lunch or dinner time and visited at 5 p.m. I told the chef that I understood if he couldn't make it happen that night, but he was very obliging and agreed to make them. He said it would just take a bit.While we were chatting I mentioned that I had a friend who was vegan who might want to try them and wondered what the ingredients were. He didn't bring out the ingredients but he did say they were vegan. In fact, they sounded a bit like the ingredients for the allergy Mickey waffles! He said they used Bob's Red Mill Pancake Mix, rice flour, applesauce and he thought apple juice and cinnamon. As I mentioned before, they do use a dedicated fryer and they seem to only use it when special requests are made.While we waited, we checked out the layout. I will say that I really like this resort. It's really small but has a great vibe to it. Very mardi gras like!

Dining area

The chef gave me a pager so that we could wait at the tables and then come back to pick up the beignets. Once I got them, I was super excited to try them. I also told the chef that I would come back the next day because he said that they had several orders the next day, so to stop by.

Beignet gloriousness!

The first thing I noticed about these, is that they are smothered in powdered sugar. You will be on a sugar high once you eat these (and also, if you are vegan you'll need to confirm the powdered sugar ingredients to confirm they are safe). The other thing is that they aren't quite as light as "regular" beignets. But that being said, they were delicious. Like a little deep fried donut. And so often allergy friendly donuts are not deep fried, so this was amazing. I will say, they weren't as hot as I expected, but it didn't stop me from scarfing them down. The taste is very very similar to the allergy Mickey waffles. (oh, if someone could deep fry an allergy Mickey waffle, I bet they would!)So, the next day I stopped back again for the beignets. This time it was about 3 p.m. The chef was a little busy because the regular deep fryers for the beignets out front went down and there were a couple of other kitchen crises, so he was very distracted. But, he said they had the fryer ready and that he'd have them ready for me. He was in such a hurry, he did not give me a pager, and I waited for a while out by the stations. Once they were ready, he brought them out. This time I scored 4 beignets because he said the oil wasn't as hot as he liked it to be, so he wanted to give me an extra one. That's ok by me!!

Beignets take 2!

Oh my, these were glorious!! Super piping hot and crispy. I don't know why he said they wouldn't be as good, but I thought they were better the second time around. Lots of powdered sugar deep fried deliciousness! Because they were so hot, I really had time to savor each bite. As I mentioned, they aren't quite as light and fluffy and are a little chewy, but hey...deep fried beignets are deep friend beignets! These would go great with a nice cup of coffee in the morning.One other great thing about this location is that they take Tables in Wonderland here, which means 20% off your ticket for food and beverage. That meant my beignets were only $2.55 for a serving. Not too shabby.Overall, I can't say enough good things about the beignets themselves. They were quite delicious and a nice rare treat. I wouldn't do this all the time, but definitely on special occasions. Make sure you get a hold of Special Diets well in advance to arrange these and it is a good idea to check in with the restaurant, especially if you are staying there at the resort itself.For me, I'd give this a solid 7 out of 10! Head over there to check these out and let me know what you think!Have you been to Sassagoula Floatworks & Food Factory for the allergy friendly beignets? What did you think?