I recently had the opportunity for a quick day trip to Orlando, so I detoured by Shades of Green to check for updates and get some new pictures. I was there during lunchtime so I decided to eat at the Garden Gallery Restaurant. I thought I’d share my experience so you’d get a feel for dining at Shades of Green.
During the day at Shades of Green most of the guests are in Disney’s Theme Parks so the resort isn’t very busy. This goes for the restaurants too.
I was seated at a table for two in the medium sized dining room. My server Sarah came right over to get my drink order and gave me time to look over the Garden Gallery lunch menu. There were only two other parties in the dining room and one soon left. During my meal two other parties arrived. It was a nice relaxing atmosphere. Sarah was a very friendly and attentive server.
As this was my first time eating at a Shades of Green restaurant in many years I didn’t want to try any standard fare like a burger or club sandwich so I opted for the Mediterranean Vegetable Wrap. I wanted to get a feel for how good something out of the ordinary would be. The menu described it as roasted eggplant, squash, peppers, onions, and garlic with hummus on a honey wheat tortilla. I asked for fries and a cup of the soup du jour which was minestrone. There was a slight wait for the fries Sarah told me but my lunch soon arrived.
The minestrone soup was outstanding! I really enjoyed it. It had a really great spicy Italian flavor. It had a tomato based broth and while the tomatoes were canned all the other vegetables were fresh and not overcooked. Besides chunks of tomatoes there was zucchini, potatoes w/ skin, carrots, yellow squash, onion, chick peas, and tiny bits of cauliflower. I didn’t want it to end!
To be honest I was a little disappointed with the vegetable wrap. I found it rather bland. The wheat wrap was very fresh and there was a good amount of leaf lettuce but the vegetables while cooked to keep some firmness didn’t have a lot of flavor. I unwrapped each half and added a little salt and pepper which helped. A bit of vinaigrette would have made it much better.
The fries were very good, a generous serving, done perfectly, crispy on the outside soft on the inside.
Overall a good meal. If I were going back today I think I’d opt for a bowl of the minestrone and a salad instead.
Kudos to Sarah, just perfect service!
NOTE: the Garden Gallery is not currently open for lunch.
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