Flame Tree BBQ is a great place to stop in for some quick BBQ, as we did on a recent visit just after the holidays (but still during what Disney considers their "peak" holiday period).

The good news... the onion rings are still the same spot-on, great, golden onion rings that I've come to expect from this location. I haven't run into an onion ring from the Flame Tree BBQ that I didn't like.

My main entree on this day was my old stand by, the pork sandwich with coleslaw. The coleslaw here has always been a little nondescript, but well chilled and never "bad" per-say. The pork sandwich at Flame Tree is a bit different than you would find at some other Disney locations (such as Pecos Bill's over at the Magic Kingdom). This one is a "dry" pulled pork, with the "BBQ" originating from a Flame Tree original spice rub that the meat is cooked in (so it's not swimming in red sauce when you get it).

Usually, it's a quite delicious and a fair, hardy helping... but on this particular visit, the amount of pork in the bun was a little lacking. Perhaps it was because they were still in their "the park is packed with guests / holiday" mode... they were trying to ration things out a bit? That's not an excuse, but it might be the reason. The flavor was still great, but an extra bit of dryness might lead one to think it had spent a little too much time in a "keep warm" state, rather than being freshly pulled.

A bigger issue though, was the lack of cast members in the various dining areas. I have found, that when the Flame Tree is busy, the cast members are busy... and the place stays fairly clean (for an outdoor dining venue) and there's always somebody around to help you.

On this particular visit, it was around 3:30pm, well past the lunch crowd, as there was ample seating available. In the particular paddock that we sat under, the BBQ sauce and Ketchup pumps were out of their oozy goodness... as in... completely dry. Now fortunately, the pork sandwich doesn't really "need" BBQ sauce, but it's nice knowing the option is there. On this visit, with the pork being a little "over", it would have been nice to have some.

There were a few seating and area attendants far off in the distance, but not once in the half-hour that we were eating, did anyone set foot in our dinning area. Not to clean up after other guests, not to check the condiments bar... nothing. Which is a little disappointing.

I have eaten at Flame Tree many times, so I am familiar with the food and the experience, and can file "unattentive attendants" off in the "maybe it will be better next time" column...  but I wonder if the three other parties that were in our area might have wanted BBQ sauce or Ketchup? And if it was their first time at the restaurant, what kind of impression that left on them.