Food Porn & Other Stories: A Dining Review ~ 1/19-1/28/08

[honeybee30]

Better late than never – the mantra of procrastinators everywhere. I think we should have a flag to fly on our as-of-yet-undeclared-but-greatly-undeserved national holiday, Procrastination Day. Now we just need a date. Leap year would be good. That would give us a whole 4 years to procrastinate making our celebration plans for next Procrastination Day. Oh silly me. I almost forgot….. Procrastination Day is everyday!

That’s right. I procrastinated writing my dining review until over 3 months after our return home from our January ’08 trip to WDW. But I’ve been reassured (TigerKat – This one’s for you, babe!) that my fellow DISers and fans of the food porn would look kindly upon a dining review even a good 100 days after the fact. So, if perusing the DIS is your preferred form of procrastination and you’re not too adverse to a little alliteration, then hold on to your hats and glasses, folks, cause this here’s my long belabored January dining review!

Playas

Me: 32 & terminally cool.
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/graciethedog25/IMG_0665.jpg
Foshizz, my nizz.

DGF: 32 & almost as cool as me, but a great deal sassier.
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/graciethedog25/IMG_1609.jpg
Don't hate the playa, hate the game.

Table of Contents
Prologue: A Cautionary Tale (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=25209931&postcount=2)
Chapter 1, Part 1: Greater or lesser Orlando (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=25210032&postcount=3)
Chapter 1, Part 2: The Plaza (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=25210110&postcount=4)
Chapter 2: Petrifries, Flame Tree Barbecue, Yak & Yeti, & Everything Pop! (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=25221099&postcount=16)
Chapter 3, Part 1: Crystal Palace, Pecos Bill Café, & Enchanted Grove (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=25231035&postcount=32)
Chapter 3, Part 2: California Grill (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=25246010&postcount=45)
Chapter 4: Cantina de San Angel, Kringla Bakeri, Spoodles, & Lots o' Booze (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=25275453&postcount=80)
Chapter 5: Everything Pop, Jiko, & the Unthinkable! (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=25303566&postcount=102)
Chapter 6: Kona Café, Chefs de France, California Grill, & a Semi-Celebrity Sighting (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=25331452&postcount=141)
A Short Aside: I’ve been doing my homework…. (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=25335244&postcount=158)
Chapter 7: Starring Rolls, bluezoo, Sleepy Hollow, & a Dream! (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=25428573&postcount=230)
Chapter 8: Earl of Sandwich & Say Goodnight, Gracie! (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=25428666&postcount=231)
Epilogue: A Shameless Act of Self-Promotion (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=25447567&postcount=251)

But first, A little peep show to get the peeps in the mood. Holla!

Champagne
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/graciethedog25/Walt%20Disney%20World/WDW%20January%202008/IMG_2231.jpg

Lobster
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/graciethedog25/Walt%20Disney%20World/WDW%20January%202008/IMG_2321.jpg

Tie-dye Cheesecake
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/graciethedog25/Walt%20Disney%20World/WDW%20January%202008/IMG_2155.jpg

All this and more await you in the chapters ahead….

[honeybee30]

This is not so much a tale of woe and hardship as it is a tale of annoyance and inconvenience. I mean who am I to complain at all really. We’ve been fortunate enough to visit WDW quite a bit over the past few years, and we’ve had a great time doing it! Last year alone, we made it down to the happiest place on earth 3 times, and what with our Annual Passes and a $49 a night rate at Pop Century, we were able to swing yet another 8 day trip in January! :woohoo:

I admit that precious little planning went into our January trip. I booked it about a month out. We chose some places to eat (the most important part! :laughing:). I made the ADRs and then we went for it. January is slow season, right. That magic time of year when you can walk right on Dumbo at noon and fly around and around on your magic elephant until you barf. :dumbo:

Let me tell you a secret, the cautionary part of this tale if you will. :ssst: I love the DIS, but the proverbial wool was pulled over my naïve little lamby eyes on this one. January is not, I repeat not, a slow time of year! Do not listen to the lying liars and the lies that they tell you on the DIS boards about January. It was swamped! I mean Everest FPs gone by 1pm and 70 minute waits for Soarin’ swamped. Europeans and South Americans out the ying-yang! And it was a tad bit nippley to boot. :cold: But there’s always a bright side, right?! We didn’t sweat nearly as much as we do during the warmer months at WDW, and we were awarded 2, count ‘em 2, dreams. They must have a surplus at the beginning of the year or something. :confused3

Once again, the cold and crowds were annoying and inconvenient, but not the end of the world. Nope, the end of the world occurred a few days into our vacation when we both came down with the flu. Not just the sniffles, but the full on funk! :sick: Fevers, aches, cough, the whole nine yards. A bright side, you ask? Well, we didn’t have to drink as much because we were already kind of dizzy, and hefty doses of cold medicine made the liquor work that much quicker. :faint:

But enough of that nonsense. You’re here for the grubs:
http://www.lionking.org/imgarchive/Act_2/TimonGrabsBugs2.jpg
Er, I mean, grub….

[honeybee30]

We had originally planned to arrive in Orland on Monday, January 21st, but with the threat of a massive blizzard in the weather forecast (that dropped a whopping ¼ inch of snow on central North Carolina, BTW. :rolleyes:), we decided to drive down to Florida a few days early. Hey, I wasn’t getting stuck in NC when I had WDW waiting for me! Better to extend than to shorten, that’s my motto, when it comes to vacation, anyway. Root canals are another matter entirely.

Because it was MLK weekend, there was not a hotel room to be had on WDW property, so we had to *gasp* book a room off-site. I went online and found a neato looking hotel on I-Drive – the Doubletree Castle Hotel.

Who knew you could get all this for the price of a moderate:

A king bed junior suite:
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/graciethedog25/Walt%20Disney%20World/WDW%20January%202008/IMG_1844.jpg

With a pool view:
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/graciethedog25/Walt%20Disney%20World/WDW%20January%202008/IMG_1847.jpg

Instant coffee ala Wolfgang Puck:
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/graciethedog25/Walt%20Disney%20World/WDW%20January%202008/IMG_1854.jpg

And towel animals:
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/graciethedog25/Walt%20Disney%20World/WDW%20January%202008/IMG_1849.jpg

As my BIL (aka Homer Simpson) would say, “Hmmm….” :scratchin “Your ideas intrigue me. I would like to subscribe to your newsletter.”

Better yet, Vito’s Chop House shared a parking lot with the Doubletree!
http://images.citysearch.com/profile/44/1a/2398740p1.jpg

We had an awesome meal at Vito’s and quite possibly the best steak I have ever eaten. We shared a bottle of Chianti and a huge shrimp appetizer to start. Literally, those shrimps were huge! Then we each ordered the filet mignon stuffed with gorgonzola and a side of creamed spinach. For dessert we got the most amazing chocolate cake to go, which we later ate while laying in our king bed and watching the L Word. :cloud9: A pricey meal, but well worth it if you ever venture off into Orlando. Sorry, no pictures!

On Sunday, we decided to see how the other half lives and paid a visit to SeaWorld. Unfortunately, not much can be said of the food at the World of Sea.

Polar bears ate ice:
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/graciethedog25/Walt%20Disney%20World/WDW%20January%202008/IMG_1871.jpg

Dolphins ate fish:
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/graciethedog25/Walt%20Disney%20World/WDW%20January%202008/IMG_1877.jpg

A sea monster almost ate DGF:
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/graciethedog25/Walt%20Disney%20World/WDW%20January%202008/IMG_1860.jpg

Needless to say, by Monday morning, we were ready for some Disney magic! So we checked out, said adieu to the Doubletree Castle mascot, and stopped at Denny’s for some breakfast.

Peace out. :hippie:
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/graciethedog25/Walt%20Disney%20World/WDW%20January%202008/IMG_1887.jpg

No Rooty Tooty Fresh ‘N Fruity breakfast at Denny’s, but they had a flood!
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/graciethedog25/Walt%20Disney%20World/WDW%20January%202008/IMG_1889.jpg
Yep, that liquid cascading down the silver wall is water. And nope it is not a fountain. I guess a pipe burst and water began pouring out of the ceiling. Mickey would never allow that to happen. :sad2:

Finally, we passed through those hallowed gates:
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/graciethedog25/Walt%20Disney%20World/WDW%20January%202008/IMG_1891.jpg

And on to our value accommodations:
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/graciethedog25/Walt%20Disney%20World/WDW%20January%202008/IMG_1894.jpg

It’s not the Doubletree Castle, but it sure is colorful!
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/graciethedog25/Walt%20Disney%20World/WDW%20January%202008/IMG_1900.jpg

To be continued…. And I promise the next chapter will include food, lots of Disney food….

[honeybee30]

After we checked in to Pop and hauled all of our stuff upstairs to our room, we headed directly to the bus stop and hopped a bus to MK.
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/graciethedog25/Walt%20Disney%20World/WDW%20January%202008/IMG_1906.jpg

Originally, we had planned on taking a quick looky-loo at the castle and then catching a monorail over to Epcot for dinner at Tokyo Dining. But once we saw the signs for the Pirate & Princess Party, we caved and bought tickets for that evening’s event.

Dang Disney marketing. pirate: princess:
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/graciethedog25/Walt%20Disney%20World/WDW%20January%202008/IMG_1917.jpg

I’m just a girl who can’t say no to the mouse. ::MickeyMo
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/graciethedog25/Walt%20Disney%20World/WDW%20January%202008/IMG_1924.jpg

Once in the park, we decided to stop by the Plaza for a late lunch/ early dinner. I really like this place. We’ve always been able to walk-up and get a seat without an ADR or much of a wait. Plus the art nouveau décor is sweet!

Signage:
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/graciethedog25/Walt%20Disney%20World/WDW%20January%202008/IMG_1950.jpg

Menu, front and back:
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/graciethedog25/Walt%20Disney%20World/WDW%20January%202008/IMG_1954.jpg

http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/graciethedog25/Walt%20Disney%20World/WDW%20January%202008/IMG_1953.jpg

Place Setting:
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/graciethedog25/Walt%20Disney%20World/WDW%20January%202008/IMG_1952.jpg

Condiments:
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/graciethedog25/Walt%20Disney%20World/WDW%20January%202008/IMG_1959.jpg

We both ordered the Grilled Reuben, which is described as thinly sliced corned beef on grilled marble rye with sauerkraut, Swiss cheese, and Thousand Island dressing.

I had mine with French fries:
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/graciethedog25/Walt%20Disney%20World/WDW%20January%202008/IMG_1969.jpg

DGF had hers with German potato salad:
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/graciethedog25/Walt%20Disney%20World/WDW%20January%202008/IMG_1968.jpg

We both found the sandwich and sides to be pretty good. Not excellent, but definitely edible. It hit the spot, so to speak.

For dessert, we both ordered a Mickeylodeon. I had cookie dough ice cream, while DGF had strawberry. These came with chocolate ears and sugar cone hats, which were really cute and tasty!

You gotta have ice cream for dessert at the Plaza!
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/graciethedog25/Walt%20Disney%20World/WDW%20January%202008/IMG_1970.jpg

http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/graciethedog25/Walt%20Disney%20World/WDW%20January%202008/IMG_1972.jpg

I would recommend this restaurant to anyone looking for an escape from the hustle and bustle of the MK, without losing the old fashioned, Victorian charm of Main Street. We plan to have lunch here on our next trip, too!

[arieljasmine]

Excellent start to your report. I really enjoyed your last one, so am looking forward to more. The Plaza looks great, those Mickey ice creams are so cute! And thanks for the lovely pics too, I actually got a pang when I saw the Walt Disney World entrance sign. Plus, of course, the Pop is my favourite resort.

Laur's princess:

[oybolshoi]

We had an awesome meal at Vito’s and quite possibly the best steak I have ever eaten. We shared a bottle of Chianti and a huge shrimp appetizer to start.

What? No Fava Beans??? Dr. Lecter would be so disappointed. :laughing:


It's good to see another set of reviews from you - you're endlessly amusing and you always have good dining variety. I tried to post last night when you first started and was on the receiving end of one of those random and annoying messages about the boards suddenly being down for maintenance ... bah! So I went to bed and dreamed of food. :rotfl2:

Looking forward to more, more, more! :thumbsup2

[SuzieN]

Looking forward to more - loved your last one!!!

[phabric]

Looking forward to more reviews. We have the Plaza booked for our August trip.

[devonsmommy]

I thoroughly enjoyed your last report, so I'm hopping on board for this one too!

[MickeyNicki]

YAY! I loved your Oct report and cannot wait to get all up in this one!

[plutosgirl]

Can't wait for more!! Hopping on!:thumbsup2

[princesstinkerbelle]

i just spent the last half hour reading your dining review from last trip...you are tres cool and have become one of my fave reviewers! i got really sad at the end of this page because i thought there was more to read! anyway...subbing!

ps...edward cullen is my boyfriend...

[TigerKat]

:dance3: :yay: :banana: :cheer2:

I'm sooooooo excited about this review!!!!!!! Bring it on girlfriend.....:thumbsup2

[TigerKat]

Oh no, sorry to hear you both were sick. You're off to a great start!! We've never been to the Plaza but have it planned for our "all new" trip.:goodvibes

[MagiKitty]

Your report so far is so amusing....I can't wait for more!

PS--whoever said it, I thought Edward Cullen was MY boyfriend....hmmm

[honeybee30]

Tuesday morning was sunny and warm. We were feeling good, and we were ready to ride Everest, so we headed over to AK.

It must be WDW because DGF is never this chipper at 8am!
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/graciethedog25/Walt%20Disney%20World/WDW%20January%202008/IMG_2064.jpg

For breakfast, we grabbed a couple of cappuccinos at the kiosk in front of AK, which we drank as we speed walked to EE. But lo and behold, EE was experiencing technical difficulties. Drats and double drats! So we got a couple of FPs and decided to hunt down some “real” food.

From the McDon of time, I can think of no better breakfast than French fries and Coke.
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/graciethedog25/Walt%20Disney%20World/WDW%20January%202008/IMG_2065.jpg

Here we are on our favorite bench. It’s kind of a tradition.
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/graciethedog25/Walt%20Disney%20World/WDW%20January%202008/IMG_2066.jpg

Don’t believe me? Here’s a picture from October:
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/graciethedog25/Walt%20Disney%20World/WDW%20October%202007/IMG_1708.jpg
These really are the best McDonalds French fries evah (as oybolshoi would say, hehe). Always hot and super salty. I’m not sure what the friendly folks at Petrifries do differently than the peeps at my local drive-thru. Maybe it’s the lush surroundings of AK or maybe they still fry in transfat!?

For lunch, we went to that counter service where all those poopy white birds hang out.
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/graciethedog25/Walt%20Disney%20World/WDW%20January%202008/IMG_2078.jpg
That’s right, Flame Tree Barbecue!

After waiting in line until the McEnd of time, we finally ordered a 1/2 Slab of St. Louis Ribs (served with baked beans and corn muffin), an order of onion rings or 2 (although I swear we only ordered 1…. :rolleyes1), and a Safari Amber.
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/graciethedog25/Walt%20Disney%20World/WDW%20January%202008/IMG_2071.jpg
The ribs were really good. Very flavorful and tender and not too fatty. I also liked their special sauce. The beans and corn muffin were really not good. :crazy2: The onion rings, on the other hand, were great. I’m an onion ring fiend and these made the long wait to order worthwhile. Perfect washed down with a cold beer.

If you walk far enough back, past the fountain where all the poopy white birds hang out, you can find some covered seating by the river. We had a nice view of Everest from where we ate.
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/graciethedog25/Walt%20Disney%20World/WDW%20January%202008/IMG_2073.jpg

Full from lunch we wandered around a while and eventually made our way over to Harambi. One of our favorite things to do at AK is to get a couple of drinks at the outdoor bar by Tusker House and watch the live entertainment.

Rum Runners, maybe…. I forget, but they were definitely fruity and rum-laden.
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/graciethedog25/Walt%20Disney%20World/WDW%20January%202008/IMG_2083.jpg

As we unassumingly sipped our cocktails and waited for the African drumming to start, we were approached by a CM. She wanted us to participate in the dance portion of the show. I said no way. Absolutely not. Uh-huh. But the CM wouldn’t give up, so I sold out DGF. :love2:

Isn't she a good sport! ::yes::
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/graciethedog25/Walt%20Disney%20World/WDW%20January%202008/IMG_2089.jpg
This photo op was made possible by a generous contribution of Rum.

Parades also improved by the holistic properties of Rum.
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/graciethedog25/Walt%20Disney%20World/WDW%20January%202008/IMG_2137.jpg

Dinner time already! Where does the time go. Oh yeah, Rum... I really wanted to try Yak & Yeti, and since we were scheduled to be in the AK and we love Asian cuisine, I decided to make an ADR there for 5pm.

Some exterior shots:
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/graciethedog25/Walt%20Disney%20World/WDW%20January%202008/IMG_2139.jpg

http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/graciethedog25/Walt%20Disney%20World/WDW%20January%202008/IMG_2138.jpg

The menu:
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/graciethedog25/Walt%20Disney%20World/WDW%20January%202008/IMG_2141.jpg

We checked-in with the hostess and were promptly seated in the first dining room. It seemed like we were the only people there, and I think they were ready to close. It was the last ADR of the evening, but at 5pm, I hardly think we should have felt rushed. The service wasn’t terrible or anything, but I was half expecting them to turn the lights out on us during dessert.

To start, we ordered some sake.
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/graciethedog25/Walt%20Disney%20World/WDW%20January%202008/IMG_2142.jpg
This sparkling sake is served cold. It is light, sweet, and refreshing. Yum.

And for an appetizer, we got the Dim Sum Basket, which includes pork pot stickers, shrimp siu mai, cha su bao, and pork sie mai, all steamed on a banana leaf, and served with soy lime dipping sauce.
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/graciethedog25/Walt%20Disney%20World/WDW%20January%202008/IMG_2145.jpg
This was pretty good. I particularly liked the shrimp and pork siu mai, which are the little dumplings at the top and bottom of the basket. The pot stickers weren’t bad either, but I’ve had better. I wasn’t a big fan of the cha su bao. This is the big white round thing on the left side of the basket. It is actually a type of roll stuffed with a barbecued pork filling. Sounds good, but too doughy.

We also had the Pork Egg Rolls with chili plum dipping sauce.
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/graciethedog25/Walt%20Disney%20World/WDW%20January%202008/IMG_2146.jpg
Also pretty good. Your standard Chinese take-out egg roll. We each had one, but with the dim sum, we started to get full, so we didn’t finish them. In the future, I’d probably just order the dim sum for the two of us.

For the main course, we shared an order of Tempura Shrimp, which was served with chili plum sauce, coconut-ginger rice, and stir fried vegetables. (Sorry for the blown-out picture!)
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/graciethedog25/Walt%20Disney%20World/WDW%20January%202008/IMG_2151.jpg
Once again pretty good. The tempura was a little salty, but the rice was very tasty, and it was nice to have some veggies with all the fried. None of the food here was phenomenal, but it was decent. We’re going to give Yak & Yeti another shot in August on the DxDP. Maybe at lunch we will get the full affect and not feel so rushed.

Since they started stacking the chairs up on the tables around us, we opted out of dessert, but we did get fortune cookies.
Mine said: :) A nice cake is waiting for you. :)

And you know what, it was!
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/graciethedog25/Walt%20Disney%20World/WDW%20January%202008/IMG_2154.jpg
Freakishly colored cheesecake from the Everything Pop! food court.

DGF thinks it looks and tastes like play-dough. Not that she’s ever eaten play-dough or anything. Not recently at least….
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/graciethedog25/Walt%20Disney%20World/WDW%20January%202008/IMG_2155.jpg
I think it’s pretty and tastes like tie-dye. It turned my tongue blue like all good cheesecake should.

[CoolDisneyKitten]

I always love your reviews! They crack me up.

And puh-leese. Hasn't everyone eaten play-doh? Ok, DBF claims he hasn't, but he's Welsh and weird and had never had an Oreo until last week.

My mom and I had the flu at WDW once. Not fun. :( I'm glad you guys were able to have a good time anyway! Looking forward to more reviews. :)

[John's Mom]

Excellent start to your food porn. :thumbsup2 I really enjoyed your last dining review. Anxiously waiting for more! popcorn::

[KristinAnne]

I'm joining in on the food fun! Love the fries and Coke! I read that McDonalds is no longer going to be at Disney. Is it all of Disney I wonder? I hope your tradition isn't ruined! :confused3

[honeybee30]

Excellent start to your report. I really enjoyed your last one, so am looking forward to more. The Plaza looks great, those Mickey ice creams are so cute! And thanks for the lovely pics too, I actually got a pang when I saw the Walt Disney World entrance sign. Plus, of course, the Pop is my favourite resort.

Laur's princess:

Thanks for joining me again! The Plaza and Pop Century are fun, aren’t they? They both just say Disney to me! :goodvibes

What? No Fava Beans??? Dr. Lecter would be so disappointed. :laughing:

It's good to see another set of reviews from you - you're endlessly amusing and you always have good dining variety. I tried to post last night when you first started and was on the receiving end of one of those random and annoying messages about the boards suddenly being down for maintenance ... bah! So I went to bed and dreamed of food. :rotfl2:

Looking forward to more, more, more! :thumbsup2

The pleasure is all mine. I’m really enjoying your Vegas reviews on your blog, too!

(I do love a nice Chianti. Could give or take the fava beans, but I’ll definitely pass on the liver. I’m just having a little trouble typing out the sound effects… phft-phft-phft….:lmao:)

Looking forward to more - loved your last one!!!

Thank you! Thank you!

Looking forward to more reviews. We have the Plaza booked for our August trip.

We’ll be there in August, too. I can’t wait!

I thoroughly enjoyed your last report, so I'm hopping on board for this one too!

Welcome back!

YAY! I loved your Oct report and cannot wait to get all up in this one!

Hi ya, MickeyNicki! :wave: I’m a big fan of your dining reviews, too.

Can't wait for more!! Hopping on!:thumbsup2

Thanks for reading!

i just spent the last half hour reading your dining review from last trip...you are tres cool and have become one of my fave reviewers! i got really sad at the end of this page because i thought there was more to read! anyway...subbing!

ps...edward cullen is my boyfriend...

Awwww. Thanks! There will be more, I promise.

We will be at WDW on August 2nd and I’m so going to the Virgin Mega-Store in DTD first thing in the morning for my copy of Breaking Dawn! And I just read that the movie comes out on Dec. 12th. Yippee! What do you think of the actor who is playing Edward?

:dance3: :yay: :banana: :cheer2:

I'm sooooooo excited about this review!!!!!!! Bring it on girlfriend.....:thumbsup2

Thanks for encouraging me to do it! The procrastinatory powers are strong in this one. :laughing:

Your report so far is so amusing....I can't wait for more!

PS--whoever said it, I thought Edward Cullen was MY boyfriend....hmmm

Uh-oh! Cat fight! :rotfl2: I hope there’s enough Edward to go around!

[sandybobandy]

signing on! :)

[MagiKitty]

Those onion rings look absolutley amazing. And I'm a fan of the dim sum sampler. I'm taking notes right now...thanks!

PS--I just finished The Host the other day. I was so sad to see it end! Now I have to wait until August for more!

[emmettstack]

interesting

[simonmunro]

Help! All the pics are just red X's. I've been seeing those all the time when on this, my favorite place. Anyone know an easy fix?

[SkyGirl]

I'm totally enjoying this food porn and report! Excellent pictures! Thanks for sharing.

Can't wait for more!

[maxiesmom]

Great pics! Now I want me some onion rings, they looked yummy. :goodvibes Can't wait to see more!

[Sam'sMom0126]

Love your reviews! Glad you came out of procratination! looking forward to more!

[TarzansKat]

Fries and coke...breakfast of champions!

It's the new Wheaties, people.;)

I'm really liking this food tr, and I don't often subscribe to them, but I feel like I might be missing out on some fun here.

Keep the reviews comin'!:thumbsup2

[Nanabug02]

Great reviews! I'm hooked...keep em' coming! :thumbsup2

[Poppinsme]

YUMMY!
Cant wait for more.:) :)

[undertheseas]

Great reviews, I can't wait to read and see more! :thumbsup2

[honeybee30]

Wednesday morning we had to get up super early for our 8:05am ADR at Crystal Palace. It was really hard to get out of bed every morning on this particular trip, which I now know was due to the fact that we were both coming down with the flu. Still it was frustrating at the time because we’re usually up and at ‘em first thing in the morning at WDW. I'll schedule in days where we can sleep late, but otherwise the commando in me likes to be at the park by rope drop. (I think the DISboards needs a little Smilie dressed like Rambo to signify commandos.)

Delirious DGF waiting for the bus. It was chilly that morning! I think I see icicles starting to form on the end of her nose…
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/graciethedog25/Walt%20Disney%20World/WDW%20January%202008/IMG_2166-1.jpg

The best thing about character breakfasts in my opinion is that you can get into the parks early. I loved having Main Street mostly all to ourselves.
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/graciethedog25/Walt%20Disney%20World/WDW%20January%202008/IMG_2169.jpg
That bunch of people behind DGF in the background was part of a tour group. Keys to the Kingdom, maybe?

Heck, Crystal Palace shur is perty.
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/graciethedog25/Walt%20Disney%20World/WDW%20January%202008/IMG_2173.jpg

http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/graciethedog25/Walt%20Disney%20World/WDW%20January%202008/IMG_2181.jpg

Critters
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/graciethedog25/Walt%20Disney%20World/WDW%20January%202008/IMG_2184.jpg

And varments
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/graciethedog25/Walt%20Disney%20World/WDW%20January%202008/IMG_2185.jpg
Get my gun, ma.

We’ve only been to one other character dining thingy and that was the now defunct Donald’s Breakfastosaurus. The food is definitely better at Crystal Palace, but the coffee sucks equally as bad.

Here we have scrambled eggs, breakfast pizza, puffy French toast, some fruit, bacon and sausage (does anyone share my moral apprehension at hugging Piglet while consuming pork products?), and a hash brown casserole of some sort.
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/graciethedog25/Walt%20Disney%20World/WDW%20January%202008/IMG_2186.jpg

A close up:
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/graciethedog25/Walt%20Disney%20World/WDW%20January%202008/IMG_2187.jpg
We enjoyed all of this stuff, particularly the French toast, which DGF ate with honey. The only thing we both despised was the breakfast lasagna. It was mushy and just yuck!

The characters were cute. They paid more attention to the families with kids, which was fine. “What it do?” and a nod sufficed for us. I don’t even think we saw Eeyore. :confused3 What I found entertaining was watching all of the scrapbook mom’s trying to get their children to interact with pooh and friends. “Hop with Tigger!” was definitely the catch phrase of the morning.

After breakfast, we walked briskly to Tommorowland in order to beat the masses to Space Mtn. Unfortunately, we ran into a big crowd who had the same plan and we still waited in line for 20 minutes. At 9am I might add!

MK was indeed crowded, but we still had fun. We bought some jellybeans:
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/graciethedog25/Walt%20Disney%20World/WDW%20January%202008/IMG_2201.jpg

Which we munched on all through the Country Bear Jamboree:
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/graciethedog25/Walt%20Disney%20World/WDW%20January%202008/IMG_2205.jpg

For lunch, we agreed upon Pecos Bill Café because the line wasn’t too long and they have a good toppings bar. I got a ¼ pound cheeseburger with bacon and fries. DGF got a taco salad.
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/graciethedog25/Walt%20Disney%20World/WDW%20January%202008/IMG_2197.jpg
I loaded my burger up with onions and mushrooms and pickles and orange chemical cheese. It was messy good stuff! DGF says the taco salad was ok.

While wandering through Fantasyland later that afternoon, DGF had a hankering for some ice cream, so we got a Strawberry Swirl from Enchanted Grove.
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/graciethedog25/Walt%20Disney%20World/WDW%20January%202008/IMG_2227.jpg
Yummy vanilla soft serve swirled with strawberry sherbet. It was really nice to sit in the warm sun and people watch as we ate our ice cream. :)

To be continued…..Dinner at our favorite restaurant, California Grill!

[toocherie]

popcorn::

Great reviews!

[honeybee30]

I always love your reviews! They crack me up.

And puh-leese. Hasn't everyone eaten play-doh? Ok, DBF claims he hasn't, but he's Welsh and weird and had never had an Oreo until last week.

My mom and I had the flu at WDW once. Not fun. :( I'm glad you guys were able to have a good time anyway! Looking forward to more reviews. :)

Hey there, CoolDisneyKitten. :wave2: I’ve been thoroughly enjoying your reviews as well. And congrats on your graduation, BTW! What did you go to school for?

Excellent start to your food porn. :thumbsup2 I really enjoyed your last dining review. Anxiously waiting for more! popcorn::

Thanks for signing on! :) I’ve noticed you on the Poly FAQ thread lately. Do you have a trip coming up?

I'm joining in on the food fun! Love the fries and Coke! I read that McDonalds is no longer going to be at Disney. Is it all of Disney I wonder? I hope your tradition isn't ruined! :confused3

What?! They can’t get rid of Petrifries! Say it ain’t so! Thanks for reading, BTW! :flower3:

signing on! :)

:welcome:

Those onion rings look absolutley amazing. And I'm a fan of the dim sum sampler. I'm taking notes right now...thanks!

PS--I just finished The Host the other day. I was so sad to see it end! Now I have to wait until August for more!

Ooooh…I can’t wait to read The Host. Did you like it as much as the Twilight series?

interesting

Glad you think so. :thumbsup2

Help! All the pics are just red X's. I've been seeing those all the time when on this, my favorite place. Anyone know an easy fix?

Oh no. I’m not sure how to fix it. Mine are working Ok, so I don’t think it’s anything on my end. Hope you get it working soon! :goodvibes

I'm totally enjoying this food porn and report! Excellent pictures! Thanks for sharing.

Can't wait for more!

Thank you! And you’re welcome! Lots more soon! :cutie:

Great pics! Now I want me some onion rings, they looked yummy. :goodvibes Can't wait to see more!

Those onion rings are wicked good! I want some, too!

Love your reviews! Glad you came out of procratination! looking forward to more!

Hello fellow North Carolinian! Procrastination is so dumb because I always have so much fun once I get going. Having a little extra time on my hands doesn’t hurt either. ;) Summer rules! :cool1:

Fries and coke...breakfast of champions!

It's the new Wheaties, people.;)

I'm really liking this food tr, and I don't often subscribe to them, but I feel like I might be missing out on some fun here.

Keep the reviews comin'!:thumbsup2

Only on vacation, right! :laughing: Thanks for indulging me and the food love.

Great reviews! I'm hooked...keep em' coming! :thumbsup2

More tomorrow! Promise! popcorn::

YUMMY!
Cant wait for more.:) :)

Thanks for tuning in! :happytv:

[CoolDisneyKitten]

Hey there, CoolDisneyKitten. :wave2: I’ve been thoroughly enjoying your reviews as well. And congrats on your graduation, BTW! What did you go to school for?

Thankee, thankee! My major was Comparative Arts, which is just a fancy way of saying I couldn't decide what to major in. I just tell people Art History, because it's easy and doesn't provoke a blank stare. My thesis topic, just to be difficult, was the influence of French Impressionism on 19th century Japanese art.

[mmmears]

Great review so far!!!

Your pictures are great and your narrative is too!:banana:

Sorry you got sick during your vacation.:sad2:

I'm looking forward to reading and seeing more of your adventures!

[arieljasmine]

Thanks for more great reviews. If you can't eat fries for breakfast on vacation, when can you?! I love eating inappropriate breakfast foods at Disney! I am looking forward to trying Yak & Yeti next year. I love that toppings bar at Pecos Bil, yum.

Laur's princess:

[MagiKitty]

Another great post! So excited to see CP--your pictures were great! We decided to make CP our last meal on our trip. I really underestimated how big and beautiful it was inside. But seeing your pictures, makes me want to have some of that puffy french toast!

Sorry to hear that you guys were getting sick while there. Good to see that it didn't stop you though! That's true Disney dedication!

RE: The Host. I found it a little slow in the beginning, but I really got into it and I will say that I hope that it too will become a series. Go get it! You won't be disappointed! Oh, I'm having butterflies just thinking about it....Stephenie claims that its geared more for an adult reader, but I didn't find the stylings much different from the Twilight series. Have you seen some of the promo pictures from the movie? I'm not too thrilled about Edward, I wanted him to be a little more mature looking and brooding.

Waiting for the next installment....

[princesstinkerbelle]

Awwww. Thanks! There will be more, I promise.

We will be at WDW on August 2nd and I’m so going to the Virgin Mega-Store in DTD first thing in the morning for my copy of Breaking Dawn! And I just read that the movie comes out on Dec. 12th. Yippee! What do you think of the actor who is playing Edward?


Uh-oh! Cat fight! :rotfl2: I hope there’s enough Edward to go around!



PS--whoever said it, I thought Edward Cullen was MY boyfriend....hmmm


I am on the fence with how I feel about Robert Pattinson (mostly because Henry Cavil was my DREAM Edward. After seeing the trailer I like him a little more than I used to. You are so lucky you will be in Disney when Breaking Dawn comes out!!! Two of the best things ever...Disney and Twilight!!! But I bet the Virgin Store is going to be a mad house!!! You should check because sometimes they will have a special event at midnight to celebrate the release.

As forMagiKitty you were mistaken...maybe you meant Jacob was your boyfriend!!! hahaha :rotfl2:

[TigerKat]

Loving your review as usual, yep Rum Runners can make me do all sorts of things too....:rolleyes1 .

Sorry you felt rushed at Y & Y, food looked pretty good though, we're going for lunch on our next trip.:goodvibes

Crystal Palace - "Get my gun, ma" - :rotfl2: :rotfl2: :rotfl2:

Can't wait for more!:thumbsup2

[Alice28]

Subscribing- fab job so far! :lmao:

[princesstinkerbelle]

BTW...Honeybee...The Crystal Palace Review was soooooooooooo funny "Get my gun, Ma"...haha too much!
I, too, would feel guilty about eating the bacon infront of Piglet! I dont eat meat so it wouldn't be a problem for me but I would torment my family with that idea haha!

[suzimar57]

enjoying your reviews and photos!

[TarzansKat]

I thought of you this morning. My co-worker recently got back from Denmark and brought in this amazing chocolate. And she had leftovers from her daughter's shower this past weekend.

My breakfast? Chocolate and cheese danish.

:lmao:

Breakfast of champions!

I am DED over your comment about Piglet and eating pork products. I'm sure as a famous character, his innocence protects him from knowing of such atrocities.;)

[honeybee30]

By 4:30 or 5, we’d seen the sights at MK and were ready for a drink. Since we had an ADR at California Grill for 6pm, we thought we’d head over to the Contemporary and chill in the bar for a while until it was time to eat.

http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/graciethedog25/Walt%20Disney%20World/WDW%20January%202008/IMG_1907.jpg
I think the Contemporary is such a b*tchin’ hotel. I don’t care if it does look like a giant toaster. I really dig on the whole Jetson’s vibe, and I would love to stay in a tower room with a view of the MK. :lovestruc Maybe next year! (But it’s highly unlikely…:rolleyes:)

After disembarking the monorail, DGF made a beeline for the new gift shop in the middle of the Grand Canyon Concourse. Boy, was that shop chock full of morons! But we bought some pins anyway and then made our way over to the bar. First stop gift shop. Second stop bar. That’s just how we roll. :thumbsup2

The Outer Rim is the lounge located on the 4th floor. It has lots of comfy chairs and a nice view of Bay Lake. They too have the standardized drink menu that I’ve seen at all the WDW hotels we’ve visited recently. So after perusing the menu for a few minutes, we both decided on a raspberry champagne cocktail. The bartender over there was very nice and tried to warn us about the price.

It won’t cheap….
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/graciethedog25/Walt%20Disney%20World/WDW%20January%202008/IMG_2231.jpg
But it tasted mighty fine!

Around 5:45, we checked in at the California Grill podium on the 2nd floor. I requested a table in the wine room, but I wasn’t complaining when we were seated at a table by the window in the main dining room with this gorgeous sunset taking place right outside.

http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/graciethedog25/Walt%20Disney%20World/WDW%20January%202008/IMG_2233.jpg

http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/graciethedog25/Walt%20Disney%20World/WDW%20January%202008/IMG_2236.jpg

We had a wonderful female server that night. She timed everything really well and anticipated our needs perfectly all night. Oh, I wish I could remember her name! Anyway, she promptly greeted us, took our drink order, and brought us bread.

Evian, Roederer Brut (the house sparkling wine), and delicious sour dough bread with olive oil:
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/graciethedog25/Walt%20Disney%20World/WDW%20January%202008/IMG_2232.jpg
If you haven’t already noticed, I’m a champagne freak! And since we were already drinking it before dinner, we figured, why stop now!?

We are also major Yoshi fans! (She’s the head sushi chef at CG and the foremost female sushi chef in the US, I believe.) And we were seriously craving some California rolls and shrimp tempura rolls, so we got a full order of each to share as an appetizer.

In case you are new to sushi, the California rolls are the ones to the outside of the picture. They are rolled in sushi rice and nori and then stuffed with jumbo lump crab, avocado, and cucumber. The tempura shrimp roll is the one in the middle, and it’s not listed on the regular menu. But it is phenomenal, so ask for it! That’s an order! :laughing:
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/graciethedog25/Walt%20Disney%20World/WDW%20January%202008/IMG_2237.jpg
OMG, I could take a bath in those dipping sauces! Seriously, if I could eat one thing from WDW right now, it would be a platter of this sushi!

For our main courses, we tried something different. (I almost always get the pork tenderloin…) I had hand-crafted butternut squash ravioli in a brown butter sauce with what looks like a parmesan and sage garnish. I also seem to remember chanterelles and balsamic vinegar in there somewhere. Sorry, the menu at CG changes so frequently that I don’t have details in front of me.

But I do remember that it was fabulous!
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/graciethedog25/Walt%20Disney%20World/WDW%20January%202008/IMG_2238.jpg
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/graciethedog25/Walt%20Disney%20World/WDW%20January%202008/IMG_2239.jpg

DGF ordered the Seared Jumbo Day Boat Scallops with Farro Risotto, Roasted Wild Mushrooms, and Banyuls Reduction.
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/graciethedog25/Walt%20Disney%20World/WDW%20January%202008/IMG_2241.jpg
I know she loved this. I had a bite and the scallops were cooked perfectly!

Following the main course, we had a cheese course:
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/graciethedog25/Walt%20Disney%20World/WDW%20January%202008/IMG_2242.jpg

http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/graciethedog25/Walt%20Disney%20World/WDW%20January%202008/IMG_2243.jpg
I know the menu’s kinda too small to read, so here’s a brief description of the cheeses included (left to right): “Coulommiers” – brie (buttery and wonderful); “Abondance” – semi-hard cow milk cheese from France (very swiss-like); “San Andreas” – raw sheep milk cheese from Cali (probably my least favorite); “Clochette” – a French raw goat milk cheese (my very favorite!); “Fourme d’ Ambert” – a blue cheese also from France (I really enjoyed this!). All went fabulously well with the pairings, especially the honeycomb with the blue cheese and the toast with the brie.

For dessert, we shared the Valrhona Chocolate and Orange, which is a warm chocolate cake with molten center and house-made orange sherbet with blood orange sauce. I’m pretty sure we had coffee, too
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/graciethedog25/Walt%20Disney%20World/WDW%20January%202008/IMG_2244.jpg
Can I tell you how much I love this dessert? It is so f-ing good! The cake is always moist, and it always tastes intensely like chocolate. Not just sweet. Know what I mean? CG always has some variation on this dessert. I’ve had it with coffee ice cream and peanut butter, too!

To cap off a perfect night, we watched the fireworks from the observation deck. I’ll let you in on a secret….. Go to the 2nd observation deck - the one past the front desk and down the hall by the bathrooms. No one ever goes out there. We were all alone with a perfect view of Wishes from the 15th floor of the Contemporary, while everyone else in the restaurant crowded out onto the 1st observation deck that connects to the restaurant.

I love seeing the fireworks from this vantage point. And they pipe in the music, too!
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/graciethedog25/Walt%20Disney%20World/WDW%20January%202008/IMG_2250.jpg
Sorry for the blurriness. No tripod, just too-much-wine-drinking, old me!

[TigerKat]

Champagne, Sushi, Vahlrona OH MY!!!!!!! I adore CG also.:cloud9:

I do need someone to educate me on cheese, ashamed to say I've never indulged in a cheese platter before.:guilty:

[oybolshoi]

I do need someone to educate me on cheese, ashamed to say I've never indulged in a cheese platter before.:guilty:

:faint: :faint: :faint:

[girli565]

Champagne, Sushi, Vahlrona OH MY!!!!!!! I adore CG also.:cloud9:

I do need someone to educate me on cheese, ashamed to say I've never indulged in a cheese platter before.:guilty:
Me too!

Also, and let me whisper this... I'm not a huge fan of cheese.

[FinallyDisney]

You write beautifully. Parts of your TR had me laughing out loud. It's also great to meet a fellow "vaca drinker". Who cares how much those raspberry champagne cocktails were? You were on vaca and they looked awesome. A little mean of you to give DGF all that rum and then make her participate in the AK dancing!!!:lmao: Thanks for sharing!

[TarzansKat]

The meal at California Grill looks amazing. It so makes me want to go there on our upcoming trip, but I'm saving that and Citrico's for next year. DS is three, and I'd prefer to have one more year of toddler under our belt before we attempt those signature restaurants.

I am, however, completely contented to live vicariously through your trip report. :thumbsup2

And, I'm with you on the champagne. I loooooove champagne, and that cocktail looked yummy! :goodvibes

[honeybee30]

Great reviews, I can't wait to read and see more! :thumbsup2

Thanks for following along! :)

popcorn::

Great reviews!

Thank ya kindly! :flower3:

Thankee, thankee! My major was Comparative Arts, which is just a fancy way of saying I couldn't decide what to major in. I just tell people Art History, because it's easy and doesn't provoke a blank stare. My thesis topic, just to be difficult, was the influence of French Impressionism on 19th century Japanese art.

Heather (aka DGF) can relate to that. She is a liberal studies major with a concentration in fine arts. And your thesis sounds pretty interesting to me! It can’t produce any more blank stares than my Master’s thesis did – the metaphor of the closet in the novels of Charlotte Bronte and Daphne du Maurier. :thumbsup2

Great review so far!!!

Your pictures are great and your narrative is too!:banana:

Sorry you got sick during your vacation.:sad2:

I'm looking forward to reading and seeing more of your adventures!

That’s very nice of you!

Getting sick was a bummer, but it’s no fun anywhere. I’d rather be at Disney, even with the flu! :goodvibes

Thanks for more great reviews. If you can't eat fries for breakfast on vacation, when can you?! I love eating inappropriate breakfast foods at Disney! I am looking forward to trying Yak & Yeti next year. I love that toppings bar at Pecos Bil, yum.

Laur's princess:

I also frequently enjoy cookies for breakfast at WDW and sometimes even ice cream. Getting drunk before noon also a vacation favorite. ;)

Another great post! So excited to see CP--your pictures were great! We decided to make CP our last meal on our trip. I really underestimated how big and beautiful it was inside. But seeing your pictures, makes me want to have some of that puffy french toast!

Sorry to hear that you guys were getting sick while there. Good to see that it didn't stop you though! That's true Disney dedication!

RE: The Host. I found it a little slow in the beginning, but I really got into it and I will say that I hope that it too will become a series. Go get it! You won't be disappointed! Oh, I'm having butterflies just thinking about it....Stephenie claims that its geared more for an adult reader, but I didn't find the stylings much different from the Twilight series. Have you seen some of the promo pictures from the movie? I'm not too thrilled about Edward, I wanted him to be a little more mature looking and brooding.

Waiting for the next installment....

Thanks! Crystal palace is really pretty. And the food is good too.

I must add The Host to my summer reading list. I read all 3 books in the Twilight series in under a month. Now I want to read them all over again! But I agree with you about the actor who plays Edward. In the stills I wasn’t too sure about any of the Cullens really. After seeing the previews, I like that actor a little better. He was Cedric Diggery (sp?) in Goblet of Fire so I was already familiar with him. Of course the film never lives up to the picture you create in your imagination!

I am on the fence with how I feel about Robert Pattinson (mostly because Henry Cavil was my DREAM Edward. After seeing the trailer I like him a little more than I used to. You are so lucky you will be in Disney when Breaking Dawn comes out!!! Two of the best things ever...Disney and Twilight!!! But I bet the Virgin Store is going to be a mad house!!! You should check because sometimes they will have a special event at midnight to celebrate the release.

As forMagiKitty you were mistaken...maybe you meant Jacob was your boyfriend!!! hahaha :rotfl2:

August is definitely my month! :woohoo: I was also wondering if Virgin will do anything special. Heather manages a book store and they were going to do a midnight release party for Breaking Dawn, but now she’ll be in WDW with me, so I’m not sure if they’re still going to do it. We have a copy on reserve here at home, but you know I won’t be able to wait until the 11th to get my hands on it!

Loving your review as usual, yep Rum Runners can make me do all sorts of things too....:rolleyes1 .

Sorry you felt rushed at Y & Y, food looked pretty good though, we're going for lunch on our next trip.:goodvibes

Crystal Palace - "Get my gun, ma" - :rotfl2: :rotfl2: :rotfl2:

Can't wait for more!:thumbsup2

Rum is my vacation drink, especially in warm locales. But I’m in big trouble here at home now too…my BIL is studying to become a bar tender! Betty Ford, here I come!

Subscribing- fab job so far! :lmao:

Welcome aboard!

enjoying your reviews and photos!

Thanks so much for reading!

I thought of you this morning. My co-worker recently got back from Denmark and brought in this amazing chocolate. And she had leftovers from her daughter's shower this past weekend.

My breakfast? Chocolate and cheese danish.

:lmao:

Breakfast of champions!

I am DED over your comment about Piglet and eating pork products. I'm sure as a famous character, his innocence protects him from knowing of such atrocities.;)

I could go for some good European chocolate right about now! Yum-Yum!

[TigerKat]

:faint: :faint: :faint:

OK Brenda, you are now officially hired as my teacher!!!!:worship: Remember, my next trip includes Bistro, Yachtsman, Narcoossee's and hopefully a Party for the Senses. I'm ready when you are......:banana:

[ses1230]

Ooh, can't wait for more! I laughed out loud more than once.

Tell me, is the puffy french toast as good as it looks? That one had me drooling on my keyboard...

[princesstinkerbelle]

CHEESE AND SUSHI AND CHOCOLATE...all of my favorite things...i wish we were going there!!!!!!! it looks scrumpcious!!!
since Breaking Dawn is such a big deal, there should be something going on! it will probably be soooooo awesome!

[oybolshoi]

OK Brenda, you are now officially hired as my teacher!!!!:worship: Remember, my next trip includes Bistro, Yachtsman, Narcoossee's and hopefully a Party for the Senses. I'm ready when you are......:banana:

Can I start calling you my cheese padawan? :lmao:

All teasing aside, you're such a foodie I just assumed you were a cheese-addict, too. :thumbsup2

Hmmmmm, do you like mild cheeses or stronger flavored ones?

Oh yeah, Honeybee ... your CA Grill review was da bomb! I love champagne cocktails ... one can never have too much bubbly! And closets in Daphne du Maurier ... now I'm going to have to go back and read Rebecca again from a whole new perspective (errr, should I read a different book by Du Maurier to properly entertain the idea of the closet?).

And thanks for the kind words about the blog ... it's hard for me to know just who is and who isn't reading. Of course, I know it's not the best format for everyone but it was free ... what more can a wordy, middle-aged chatterbox ask for? :confused3

[TigerKat]

Can I start calling you my cheese padawan? :lmao:

All teasing aside, you're such a foodie I just assumed you were a cheese-addict, too. :thumbsup2

Hmmmmm, do you like mild cheeses or stronger flavored ones?



You can call me anything you like....:lmao: I like strong flavored ones. :goodvibes

[honeybee30]

Champagne, Sushi, Vahlrona OH MY!!!!!!! I adore CG also.:cloud9:

I do need someone to educate me on cheese, ashamed to say I've never indulged in a cheese platter before.:guilty:

It was indeed a feast that I would eat over and over again!

I like cheese plates because you get to try little tastes of out-of-the-ordinary cheeses. That’s really how I learned about cheese. :thumbsup2

:faint: :faint: :faint:

Somebody get the smelling salts! Aunt PittyPatt’s down for the count! :rotfl:

Me too!

Also, and let me whisper this... I'm not a huge fan of cheese.

No stinky cheese for you, eh… ;)

You write beautifully. Parts of your TR had me laughing out loud. It's also great to meet a fellow "vaca drinker". Who cares how much those raspberry champagne cocktails were? You were on vaca and they looked awesome. A little mean of you to give DGF all that rum and then make her participate in the AK dancing!!!:lmao: Thanks for sharing!

Thanks! Yeah, it was mean to sell out DGF, but the entertainment value alone made it all worth while! :laughing:

The meal at California Grill looks amazing. It so makes me want to go there on our upcoming trip, but I'm saving that and Citrico's for next year. DS is three, and I'd prefer to have one more year of toddler under our belt before we attempt those signature restaurants.

I am, however, completely contented to live vicariously through your trip report. :thumbsup2

And, I'm with you on the champagne. I loooooove champagne, and that cocktail looked yummy! :goodvibes

I highly recommend CG. We’re trying Citricos for the 1st time in August, so I’m looking forward to that.

Have you tried a Kir Royale? You must, if you’re a champagne lover!


Ooh, can't wait for more! I laughed out loud more than once.

Tell me, is the puffy french toast as good as it looks? That one had me drooling on my keyboard...

If bread, sugar, and fried or three of your four food groups. Then you will love that French toast! :goodvibes

[honeybee30]

OK Brenda, you are now officially hired as my teacher!!!!:worship: Remember, my next trip includes Bistro, Yachtsman, Narcoossee's and hopefully a Party for the Senses. I'm ready when you are......:banana:

Sign me up, too. When do classes start?

Can I start calling you my cheese padawan? :lmao:

All teasing aside, you're such a foodie I just assumed you were a cheese-addict, too. :thumbsup2

Hmmmmm, do you like mild cheeses or stronger flavored ones?

Oh yeah, Honeybee ... your CA Grill review was da bomb! I love champagne cocktails ... one can never have too much bubbly! And closets in Daphne du Maurier ... now I'm going to have to go back and read Rebecca again from a whole new perspective (errr, should I read a different book by Du Maurier to properly entertain the idea of the closet?).

And thanks for the kind words about the blog ... it's hard for me to know just who is and who isn't reading. Of course, I know it's not the best format for everyone but it was free ... what more can a wordy, middle-aged chatterbox ask for? :confused3

Rebecca was the novel I used in my paper. :goodvibes I thought I saw it on the suggested reading list on your blog. Good stuff! :thumbsup2

You should really get in on this Twilight action that MagiKitty, princesstinkerbelle, and I have been obsessing about throughout this whole thread, (if you haven’t already, that is! ;)). I bet you’d really like the series, and then we can discuss!

[TarzansKat]

I highly recommend CG. We’re trying Citricos for the 1st time in August, so I’m looking forward to that.

Have you tried a Kir Royale? You must, if you’re a champagne lover!

Citricos is amazing, you'll love it! DH and I ate there on our honeymoon and had a fantastic meal.:goodvibes

I've never had a Kir Royale! Is it yummy and delish? What's in it, besides champagne ;) ?

[honeybee30]

Citricos is amazing, you'll love it! DH and I ate there on our honeymoon and had a fantastic meal.:goodvibes

I've never had a Kir Royale! Is it yummy and delish? What's in it, besides champagne ;) ?

A Kir Royale is champagne and Creme de Cassis, which is a currant liqueur. It is my very favorite out of the many champagne cocktails I enjoy!

[TarzansKat]

A Kir Royale is champagne and Creme de Cassis, which is a currant liqueur. It is my very favorite out of the many champagne cocktails I enjoy!

It sounds good. I promise you, when I have one on my next trip, I will toast my new DIS comrade, honeybee30!:goodvibes

[oybolshoi]

Sign me up, too. When do classes start?

They already have. ;)


Rebecca was the novel I used in my paper. :goodvibes I thought I saw it on the suggested reading list on your blog. Good stuff! :thumbsup2

Yas'm, you saw correctly. I sho' did put Rebecca on my list. I've always loved that book and have read it waaaaaay too many times to count. I think Mrs. Danvers is one of the creepiest characters ever ... she gives me the heebie jeebies.

You should really get in on this Twilight action that MagiKitty, princesstinkerbelle, and I have been obsessing about throughout this whole thread, (if you haven’t already, that is! ;)). I bet you’d really like the series, and then we can discuss!

Tell me more. I don't follow a lot of shows ... or is it a series of books? Right now the only series I'm following closely is Battlestar Galactica and quite frankly it's horking me off lately. I don't mind answer-answerless in a show now and then ... speculation is fun and creates conversation, but it's been five years of fog and I'm getting annoyed by it.

Uh, sorry. Back to your food porn ... didn't mean to derail the good stuff. :goodvibes

[LookingGlassGirl]

OOOPS! Sorry! Typing on DGF's laptop! LookingGlassGirl is Heather's screen name & this is her DIS account, but it's really me, honeybee30!

Tell me more. I don't follow a lot of shows ... or is it a series of books? Right now the only series I'm following closely is Battlestar Galactica and quite frankly it's horking me off lately. I don't mind answer-answerless in a show now and then ... speculation is fun and creates conversation, but it's been five years of fog and I'm getting annoyed by it.

:offtopic: I know, but I must spread the word!

They are a series of books aimed at young adults, but they have gained massive popularity with, well, everybody, a lot like HP did. Twilight is the 1st book, Eclipse is the 2nd book, and New Moon is the 3rd book. Breaking Dawn, the one we're all so amped up about, is the final book in the series and it comes out 8/2. The movie version of Twilight comes out this Christmas.

The series is about an average sort of girl who goes to live with her father in Washington state and falls in love with a vampire. There are also werewolves and lots of unrequited love and suspense, etc... Judging by your taste in books, I bet you'd like them.

[CoolDisneyKitten]

I know this is probably gonna get me officially banned from this thread, and maybe from the DIS boards altogether, but I have a confession... I don't like the Twilight books! I read the first two, and what's-her-name was just so DUMB!! I couldn't stand her. I wanted to smack her pretty much 99% of the time, and those are really long books to want to smack the main character all the way through.

Ok, now that I've said that and everyone is ignoring me... I gotta get one of those cheese platters at California Grill! That looked amazing! :hippie:

[girli565]

honeybee30, definitely no stinky cheese, but I'm willing to try anything at least once!

Also, I'm LOVING this report! I also have a deep love for champagne, Rosa Regale is my fave sparkling wine! But I'm really a champagne lush, as long as it's bubbly I'm in!

[John's Mom]

Thanks for signing on! :) I’ve noticed you on the Poly FAQ thread lately. Do you have a trip coming up?

My DH and I are staying at the Poly and the AKL in December. :woohoo: This will be our first stay at The Poly and our first split stay. I hope you do a review of the Poly and the Tambu Lounge. I also love any drink that has rum in it. ;)

[Booknut]

Yum, yum, yum, yum, yum!!!

Your food port/report is the bees knees!!!! :thumbsup2

I would LOVE to eat that sushi platter...all of it, just for me, no sharing :cloud9: I'm gutted we won't be able to go next time - our daughter Matilda will be 14 months and I don't know if she'd appreciate a long leisurely dinner whilst mummy moans her way through a 4 course extravaganza ;)

And i'm all for that cheese club, just tell me where to send my membership dues :lovestruc

[honeybee30]

I know this is probably gonna get me officially banned from this thread, and maybe from the DIS boards altogether, but I have a confession... I don't like the Twilight books! I read the first two, and what's-her-name was just so DUMB!! I couldn't stand her. I wanted to smack her pretty much 99% of the time, and those are really long books to want to smack the main character all the way through.

Ok, now that I've said that and everyone is ignoring me... I gotta get one of those cheese platters at California Grill! That looked amazing! :hippie:

*Huff* I'm officially pouting now! :snooty: J/K Too each her own! But you will definitely not be granted membership into the "We Heart Edward" fanclub, so there! :laughing:

honeybee30, definitely no stinky cheese, but I'm willing to try anything at least once!

Also, I'm LOVING this report! I also have a deep love for champagne, Rosa Regale is my fave sparkling wine! But I'm really a champagne lush, as long as it's bubbly I'm in!

Now I have a confession to make.... I've never had Rosa Regale!

My DH and I are staying at the Poly and the AKL in December. :woohoo: This will be our first stay at The Poly and our first split stay. I hope you do a review of the Poly and the Tambu Lounge. I also love any drink that has rum in it. ;)

This will be our first stay at the Poly, too. I'm really excited! We loved AKL. It was our most relaxing Disney vacation and I think the resort had a lot to do with that.

[TigerKat]

Now I have a confession to make.... I've never had Rosa Regale!


:faint: :faint: You & Heather must remedy this very soon! Have chocolates on hand too...:love:

[oybolshoi]

:faint: :faint: You & Heather must remedy this very soon! Have chocolates on hand too...:love:

Rosa Regale is very good with cheese, too! :thumbsup2

[TigerKat]

Rosa Regale is very good with cheese, too! :thumbsup2

I'm taking notes!!!!:teacher:

[honeybee30]

I've heard tell it is good stuff. Rosa Regale is a dessert wine, no? It will go on the drink list for August (a list all it's own, separate from the food ;)) , if not sooner....

:faint: :faint: You & Heather must remedy this very soon! Have chocolates on hand too...:love:

Champagne and chocolate :cloud9:

Rosa Regale is very good with cheese, too! :thumbsup2

But is it good with cheescake?

[TigerKat]

I've heard tell it is good stuff. Rosa Regale is a dessert wine, no? It will go on the drink list for August (a list all it's own, separate from the food ;)) , if not sooner....

Champagne and chocolate :cloud9:

Here ya go:

http://www.vigneregali.com/show/xmlsite/xml-standard.xml/xsl-vigneregaliwine.xsl/start_id-cnloeafnbmecddlmlbhdcgmfodeennnjgbenlcaf/

[honeybee30]

Yum, yum, yum, yum, yum!!!

Your food port/report is the bees knees!!!! :thumbsup2

I would LOVE to eat that sushi platter...all of it, just for me, no sharing :cloud9: I'm gutted we won't be able to go next time - our daughter Matilda will be 14 months and I don't know if she'd appreciate a long leisurely dinner whilst mummy moans her way through a 4 course extravaganza ;)

And i'm all for that cheese club, just tell me where to send my membership dues :lovestruc

I love the saying "bees knees" and I love your daughter's name. Matilda - so cute! :cutie:

[honeybee30]

Here ya go:

http://www.vigneregali.com/show/xmlsite/xml-standard.xml/xsl-vigneregaliwine.xsl/start_id-cnloeafnbmecddlmlbhdcgmfodeennnjgbenlcaf/

Thanks for the link, Kat. Sounds wonderful! :goodvibes

[princesstinkerbelle]

They already have. ;)




Yas'm, you saw correctly. I sho' did put Rebecca on my list. I've always loved that book and have read it waaaaaay too many times to count. I think Mrs. Danvers is one of the creepiest characters ever ... she gives me the heebie jeebies.



Tell me more. I don't follow a lot of shows ... or is it a series of books? Right now the only series I'm following closely is Battlestar Galactica and quite frankly it's horking me off lately. I don't mind answer-answerless in a show now and then ... speculation is fun and creates conversation, but it's been five years of fog and I'm getting annoyed by it.


Go buy the following books right away:
Twilight
New Moon
Eclipse
all by Stephanie Meyer

Then proceed to make an advanced reservation for Breaking Dawn (you will thank me for this!)
Enjoy:cheer2:
I know this is probably gonna get me officially banned from this thread, and maybe from the DIS boards altogether, but I have a confession... I don't like the Twilight books! I read the first two, and what's-her-name was just so DUMB!! I couldn't stand her. I wanted to smack her pretty much 99% of the time, and those are really long books to want to smack the main character all the way through.


:scared1: :eek: :confused: :scared: NOOOOOOOOOO....haha i second honeybee...no Edward for you! Bella can't help but be a little "off"...she is in love with a freaking vampire!! I hope you come to your sences lol...but its cool....most of my friends think i am insane for my Twilight obcession.

[disneyquilter]

I love your TR's honeybee!! Great reviews so far popcorn:: Can't wait for more :thumbsup2

[oybolshoi]

OK, here's some suggestions for my cheese-lovin friends ... thanks Honeybee for letting me steal your thread for a minute. If we ever end up at WDW at the same time Jay and I will buy a round of Kirs. :thumbsup2

Cheese Padawan Kathy ... do you like blue cheese? I would suggest a Roquefort (French) or perhaps Maytag Blue (American). Tasty with pears and with some Balsamic vinegar.

Cypress Grove sells some wonderful goat cheeses, which I am rapidly becoming a fiend for. If you like mushrooms they sell something called Truffle Tremor. I didn't like it but Jay thought it was tremendous (very strong flavor, IMHO). Their Humboldt Fog is fabulous ... it looks like a blue cheese but actually has a vein of vegetable ash running through the center.

Hmmmm, that seems to be all that I have for the moment. You'll have to let me know what kind of cheeses you're really looking for.

That's one reason I love cheese plates ... we can try things in small portions that we might not otherwise purchase. And sometimes I try things that I end up falling in love with! :goodvibes

[honeybee30]

Go buy the following books right away:
Twilight
New Moon
Eclipse
all by Stephanie Meyer

Then proceed to make an advanced reservation for Breaking Dawn (you will thank me for this!)
Enjoy:cheer2

Ooops. I think I mixed up the order in my last post. New Moon then Eclipse. :thumbsup2 Have you heard of the special edition of Eclipse that is coming out with new cover art and a preview chapter of Breaking Dawn?

Bella can't help but be a little "off"...she is in love with a freaking vampire!!

Sad to say I can relate to Bella in so many ways. I too love vampires, in the hypothetical sense anyway. Although, Heather does promise to sire me if she ever becomes a creature of the night, which would be awesome. LOL. I also shy away from overt displays of emotion. And I'm definitely accident proned. :rolleyes:

I love your TR's honeybee!! Great reviews so far popcorn:: Can't wait for more :thumbsup2

Hey there! Wondering where you were! :hug:

OK, here's some suggestions for my cheese-lovin friends ... thanks Honeybee for letting me steal your thread for a minute. If we ever end up at WDW at the same time Jay and I will buy a round of Kirs. :thumbsup2

Cheese Padawan Kathy ... do you like blue cheese? I would suggest a Roquefort (French) or perhaps Maytag Blue (American). Tasty with pears and with some Balsamic vinegar.

Cypress Grove sells some wonderful goat cheeses, which I am rapidly becoming a fiend for. If you like mushrooms they sell something called Truffle Tremor. I didn't like it but Jay thought it was tremendous (very strong flavor, IMHO). Their Humboldt Fog is fabulous ... it looks like a blue cheese but actually has a vein of vegetable ash running through the center.

Hmmmm, that seems to be all that I have for the moment. You'll have to let me know what kind of cheeses you're really looking for.

That's one reason I love cheese plates ... we can try things in small portions that we might not otherwise purchase. And sometimes I try things that I end up falling in love with! :goodvibes

Be my guest, madame. I am honeybee30 and I approve this message. :laughing:

I love all the cheeses you mentioned! But the Kirs are on me. :goodvibes

[honeybee30]

Things started to go downhill health-wise on Thursday. We were definitely dragging. Our plan was to spend the day eating, drinking, and shopping our way around World Showcase in Epcot, and since WS doesn’t really open till 11am, we took the opportunity to sleep-in a little, which was much needed. And despite the run-down feeling, we were excited! Epcot is our favorite! So many countries! So many cocktails! For some odd reason, I really enjoy the counter service nachos in the Mexico pavilion, so that was our first stop.

Breakfast Cantina de San Angel style!
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/graciethedog25/Walt%20Disney%20World/WDW%20January%202008/IMG_2252.jpg
Disgustingly good Cantina Nachos with tortilla chips, beef, cheese, tomatoes, jalapeno peppers, sour cream, and refried black beans. We eat these with extra sour cream and douse them with packet upon packet of cheapy hot sauce. Also notice the churro. It tastes like cinnamon Styrofoam, which just goes to show that even foamed polystyrene tastes good deep fried and rolled in sugar! And what would a Mexican feast be without some alcoholic slushiness to wash it all down – a frozen lime margarita, with salt of course! ;)

Norway is only good for one thing (that hussy) and I don’t mean garden gnomes (or trolls or whatever that multi-headed thing is that hexes everybody on Maelstrom). Norway is synonymous with bread in this family. One special type of bread in particular…. It’s sweet. It’s filled with goo. It’s educated. You guessed it: School Bread! :teacher:
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/graciethedog25/Walt%20Disney%20World/WDW%20January%202008/IMG_2253.jpg
This time, in addition to that creamy coconutty confection we all love so, DGF wanted to try one of their waffles. These are made fresh to order, filled with strawberry jam, and then dusted with powdered sugar. And they smell even better than waffle cones! So Norway isn’t a one trick pony after all! We also had a Viking Coffee, which is Kamora Coffee Liqueur and Baileys Original Irish Cream. Perfect for a winter’s day when one has a scratchy throat!

After almost asphyxiating on Norwegian perfume (that hussy), we continued on our tour, looking through the shops in China and Germany before moving on to Italy, where we bought some Venetian glass Christmas ornaments. Since we were right there, it would have been unconscionable to pass up a Bellini.
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/graciethedog25/Walt%20Disney%20World/WDW%20January%202008/IMG_2258.jpg
This delicious cocktail is made with Prosecco and peach puree. Fruity and refreshing!

Next stop on the alcohol express – France – home of the Grey Goose Citron Slush and the Grand Marnier Slush. It’s a cornucopia of slushy goodness!
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/graciethedog25/Walt%20Disney%20World/WDW%20January%202008/IMG_2261.jpg
Lemon for me (Citron) and orange for DGF (Grand Marnier).

So good DGF broke out into theatrics:
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/graciethedog25/Walt%20Disney%20World/WDW%20January%202008/IMG_2262.jpg
She’s such a drama queen! :laughing: Actually, we found this mask lying on a bench. It says “I love sunshine.” So cute! :cutie:

And just when you thought we couldn’t drink anymore, we down a pitcher of sangria! With a straw, no less!
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/graciethedog25/Walt%20Disney%20World/WDW%20January%202008/IMG_2274.jpg
But there’s some back story here, so lemme ‘splain….

Originally we had a 7:30pm ADR for Flying Fish, which is one of our favorite Disney restaurants. But by about 5 o’clock we had done WS, we were over it, and we were ready to sit down. This can be attributed to any number of factors, most notably the 6 hours of drinking we had just done, but I suspect the evil flu bug was a culprit here as well. So we decided that we’d hop a boat to the Boardwalk and ask to be seated early. Keep in mind this is January, the s-l-o-w season (sorry, I’ll never let that one go…). We walked in to an empty restaurant. They had literally just opened. Empty tables out the wazoo. Servers standing around, watching the glasses sweat. I approached the hostess and politely made my request. Denied! I repeat, the hostess said, “No, but come back in an hour and we’ll see what we can do.” :confused3

I was a good sport about this rejection for a total of 10 minutes, and then it started to rain. Cold yucky rain. I’d take the steamy sauna summer rain any day over that cold yucky winter rain! At this point DGF intuited from my facial expression that now was not a good time for a lesson in patience. She really wanted to eat there and I felt bad about missing it, but waiting an hour in the rain in a “we’ll see what we can do” situation was not going to happen. Instead we walked next door to Spoodles and they sat us right away! Now I don’t hold a grudge against Flying Fish per se. That hostess was a crotch cricket, but we’ve had good service there in the past and we plan to eat there again in the future. August, in fact.

Actually it was a happy disaster because Spoodles was very good. We had an excellent server, although I can’t remember her name. (Sometimers strikes again! :headache:) We were each going to get a single glass of the sangria, but she encouraged us to go for the pitcher. Atta girl! :thumbsup2
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/graciethedog25/Walt%20Disney%20World/WDW%20January%202008/IMG_2263.jpg
Smart move really because the tipsier we get, the better we tip! In case you’re unfamiliar with this lovely, Spanish beverage, sangria is a blend of red wine, brandy, triple sec, orange juice and citrus fruit.

A view of the open kitchen from where we sat:
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/graciethedog25/Walt%20Disney%20World/WDW%20January%202008/IMG_2268.jpg
Spot the hidden Mickey?

Herby focaccia bread with olive oil for dipping:
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/graciethedog25/Walt%20Disney%20World/WDW%20January%202008/IMG_2264.jpg

For an appetizer, we had the Mediterranean Dips. I can’t remember precisely what everything was but I think it included a creamy feta cheese dip, a spicy chermoula dip, a cool tzatziki or cucumber/ yogurt dip, and hummus. It was served with toasted pita for dipping and marinated olives.
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/graciethedog25/Walt%20Disney%20World/WDW%20January%202008/IMG_2265.jpg
Really fabulous. We loved all these flavors. All the dips were wonderful with the pita. The hummus was a bit boring, but then again, I make an awesome homemade hummus!

For our main course, we both got the Oak-fired Steak Kabobs with multigrain pilaf, balsamic red onions, and harissa:
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/graciethedog25/Walt%20Disney%20World/WDW%20January%202008/IMG_2269.jpg
In retrospect, we could’ve easily shared one order. Neither of us made a dent in this.

A little blurry? Must be the punch!
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/graciethedog25/Walt%20Disney%20World/WDW%20January%202008/IMG_2271.jpg
Not my favorite entrée of the trip. The meat was a little chewy and the rice was sort of bland. But it wasn’t terrible either.

Even though we were stuffed at this point, we went ahead and asked our server for a dessert suggestion. She raved about the cheesecake, so we shared a piece.
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/graciethedog25/Walt%20Disney%20World/WDW%20January%202008/IMG_2275.jpg
This is a Mascarpone Cheesecake with a walnut crust served with fresh strawberries and a balsamic reduction. Very good cheesecake! And believe me, we are connoisseurs! DGF really liked the balsamic with strawberries. I agree those flavors do go wonderfully together. We also shared a hot toddy to sooth our poor throats. It’s a White Chocolate coffee with Godiva liqueur and Bailey’s Irish Cream. It did the job!

In the next chapter, the unthinkable happens :scared1:.….Stay tuned to find out more…..

[princesstinkerbelle]

\Have you heard of the special edition of Eclipse that is coming out with new cover art and a preview chapter of Breaking Dawn?


Sad to say I can relate to Bella in so many ways. I too love vampires, in the hypothetical sense anyway. Although, Heather does promise to sire me if she ever becomes a creature of the night, which would be awesome. LOL. I also shy away from overt displays of emotion. And I'm definitely accident proned. :rolleyes:



yes...and i guess it means that i will have 2 copies of eclipse!!

i am also VERY accident prone...it is a problem! i could only wish that the day i find that special someone they will give me that same vow!!!! hahahahahahaha...you are very lucky to have such a great GF! lol

[oybolshoi]

Things started to go downhill health-wise on Thursday. We were definitely dragging. Our plan was to spend the day eating, drinking, and shopping our way around World Showcase in Epcot, and since WS doesn’t really open till 11am, we took the opportunity to sleep-in a little, which was much needed. And despite the run-down feeling, we were excited! Epcot is our favorite! So many countries! So many cocktails!

Sounds like a good day to me!


Norway is only good for one thing (that hussy) and I don’t mean garden gnomes (or trolls or whatever that multi-headed thing is that hexes everybody on Maelstrom). Norway is synonymous with bread in this family. One special type of bread in particular…. It’s sweet. It’s filled with goo. It’s educated. You guessed it: School Bread! :teacher:

:rotfl2: :lmao: :laughing: I love your sense of humor!

The trolls are my favorite part of Norway ... well, the trolls and the ridiculously priced Nordic sweaters that cost more than a barrel of oil ...as of today.



We also had a Viking Coffee, which is Kamora Coffee Liqueur and Baileys Original Irish Cream. Perfect for a winter’s day when one has a scratchy throat!

I've been wanting to try the Viking coffee ... once you were finished with it did you feel the urge to pillage and burn neighboring world showcase pavilions? ;)


We also shared a hot toddy to sooth our poor throats. It’s a White Chocolate coffee with Godiva liqueur and Bailey’s Irish Cream. It did the job!

Mmmmmm, that coffee looks wonderful! It's pretty obvious that I've yet to have mine this morning since I seem to be fixating on hot, caffeinated beverages right now.

Sorry to hear you both were feeling punk ... nothing sucks more than being sick on vacation unless it's just not being able to go on vacation in the first place.

And I meant to highlight your comment about Sometimers ... :rotfl2: :rotfl2: ... but I seem to have lost it (literaly) so I just want you to know that I very much appreciate the wordplay. :thumbsup2

Thanks for the amusing start to the morning .... this is the last relaxed Friday I'm going to have for the next three weeks and your update was the perfect opening to the day! :goodvibes

[girli565]

Now I have a confession to make.... I've never had Rosa Regale!

:eek: Blasphemy ;) !!! It is delicious! You must try it. Hey, even Publix carries it nowadays. Popped up in the wine section a few weeks ago.

[MickeyNicki]

:eek: Blasphemy ;) !!! It is delicious! You must try it. Hey, even Publix carries it nowadays. Popped up in the wine section a few weeks ago.

Cool! Thanks for the tip, I am grocery shopping tonight! :thumbsup2

[arieljasmine]

Thanks for more great reviews. I love sangria! Being 5 months pregnant I can only dream of these exotic drinks! And your breakfast nachos looked great. Hope you got chance to have some in the Pop Century, they are my must-do Disney food.

Laur's princess:

[bellenbuzz]

Thanks for the Fun Fun Entertaining Reading!! Love It !

[Eeyore's Tailfinder]

More please!! I am looking forward to Jiko!

Please sign up another member of the Cheese fanclub :) Hopefully I'll get to try one of those signature cheese plates in August!

[disneyquilter]

Honeybee,

Another fabulous installment wrought with good humor (the "crotch cricket" comment had me almost choking on my breakfast, laughing hysterically :lmao: ).

Loved this chapter--can't wait for the next one popcorn::

[MagiKitty]

:worship: :worship: I am thoroughly impressed by your beverage capacity. I wouldn't have made it to Italy, but that bellini looked marvelous!

Spoodles was not in my plan, but if there's Sangria calling me...I may have to reconsider. Did they have white also? Or just red?

Mmm....food looks delicious. Keep it coming!

I tried to read past the Bella, she didn't do it for me either. But Edward made it all worthwhile. When's the special edition of Eclipse supposed to come out? I got the gift set last Christmas its lovely.

Can't wait for more! Happy Memorial Day weekend everyone!

[princesstinkerbelle]

mmmmmmmmmm marscapone cheese!!! i feel like i need to completely redo my adr list :(

mmmmmmmmmm Edward Cullen

[TigerKat]

Cheese Padawan Kathy ... do you like blue cheese? I would suggest a Roquefort (French) or perhaps Maytag Blue (American). Tasty with pears and with some Balsamic vinegar.

Cypress Grove sells some wonderful goat cheeses, which I am rapidly becoming a fiend for. If you like mushrooms they sell something called Truffle Tremor. I didn't like it but Jay thought it was tremendous (very strong flavor, IMHO). Their Humboldt Fog is fabulous ... it looks like a blue cheese but actually has a vein of vegetable ash running through the center.



I am seriously taking notes!!!! I've been battling a stomach bug for the past few days so nothing appeals to me right now, but I'm making a list for when I feel better!!!:thumbsup2

[TigerKat]

WOW - What a liquor filled update, right up my alley....lime margarita, bellini, slushies and sangria!!!!:cool1: :banana: :dance3:

Too bad you couldn't get seated at FF, crotch cricket - :laughing: . But we love Spoodles too!!

[Ms. Heimlich]

I'm a late comer, but I am really enjoying your review!:cheer2:

Your DGF & you sound like a blast. :laughing:

I am disappointed in FF. Dh and I LOVED it on our last trip and plan to go back. I'm glad the crappy hostess didn't turn you off of it forever.

I HATE BEING SICK :sick: ON VACAY. it sucks.:mad:

I hope you recover in time to enjoy part of your vacation.


keep up the good work!

[suzimar57]

love that school bread photo!

[shovan]

I'm late to this party too!

How did I miss this heavily alcohol laden thread!:confused3

As if the scrumptious food & Roederer champagne at CG wasn't enough to make me drool, followed up by margaritas, sangria, bellinis, and slushies!

Great review! :thumbsup2 You definitely do Disney, Myyy Waaaayy!:worship:

And now we're talking Valrhona, Rosa & CHEESE!!!:banana:

And since y'all are talking cheese. Tigerkat, I agree with Brenda, maytag blue with pears AND a bottle of ice wine!!! MM-MMm Good!:goodvibes

But can I digress and ask a question about those books?
Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, by Stephanie Meyer.

To what would you compare this book series? Sort of a cross between Harry Potter & Lestat? Anything like HEX the BBC TV Series?

[honeybee30]

yes...and i guess it means that i will have 2 copies of eclipse!!

i am also VERY accident prone...it is a problem! i could only wish that the day i find that special someone they will give me that same vow!!!! hahahahahahaha...you are very lucky to have such a great GF! lol

The major problem with becoming a vampire (well besides the moral complications of killing people) is you don’t enjoy food anymore, which is really too bad. Imagine all of the amazing dining experiences you could have if you were immortal! :laughing:

Sounds like a good day to me!

It’s our favorite type of day at WDW, especially during F&W fest! :goodvibes

The trolls are my favorite part of Norway ... well, the trolls and the ridiculously priced Nordic sweaters that cost more than a barrel of oil ...as of today.

Gas prices are obscene. $4 a gallon for regular in NC! :eek: Thank goodness it is summer so I don’t have to commute everyday. The community college where I teach is an hour away….

It’s funny you mention the sweaters in Norway, though. One day, Heather met a Norwegian woman in the bookstore, who had gone to WDW recently. I guess Heather was asking her about the authenticity of the products & food they sell in the Norway pavilion at Epcot, and the woman said that the sweaters sold at Puffin’s Roost are phenomenally cheap compared to the prices in Norway! :scared1: I guess there are bargains to be had at WDW after all!

I've been wanting to try the Viking coffee ... once you were finished with it did you feel the urge to pillage and burn neighboring world showcase pavilions? ;)

:rotfl: Yep. Pillage all the sweaters from the Puffin’s Roost and sell them on the black market in Norway! Then maybe I could afford a tank of gas! :lmao:

And I meant to highlight your comment about Sometimers ... :rotfl2: :rotfl2: ... but I seem to have lost it (literaly) so I just want you to know that I very much appreciate the wordplay. :thumbsup2

Thanks for the amusing start to the morning .... this is the last relaxed Friday I'm going to have for the next three weeks and your update was the perfect opening to the day! :goodvibes

My college years really did a number on my short term memory. That’s a side effect of education they don’t tell you about in all those college brochures they send out to high school seniors. Of course most of my extra curricular activities were not advertised either, if you KWIM. :rotfl2:

Thanks for the amusing start to the morning .... this is the last relaxed Friday I'm going to have for the next three weeks and your update was the perfect opening to the day! :goodvibes

I’m here for you, babe. ;)

:eek: Blasphemy ;) !!! It is delicious! You must try it. Hey, even Publix carries it nowadays. Popped up in the wine section a few weeks ago.
I will definitely look for it when I’m out doing my shopping this weekend! I can’t wait to try it. Must also add chocolate and cheese to the list…. Looks like I may need to make a Whole Foods run! :woohoo:

Thanks for more great reviews. I love sangria! Being 5 months pregnant I can only dream of these exotic drinks! And your breakfast nachos looked great. Hope you got chance to have some in the Pop Century, they are my must-do Disney food.

Laur's princess:

Congrats on your pregnancy! My sister had twin girls in October, and they are the loves of our lives! My whole family is just head over heels! :lovestruc But I know DSis was craving a glass of wine (or 3) by the end of her pregnancy! Hang in there!

Thanks for the Fun Fun Entertaining Reading!! Love It !

Glad you could join us! :)

[honeybee30]

More please!! I am looking forward to Jiko!

Please sign up another member of the Cheese fanclub :) Hopefully I'll get to try one of those signature cheese plates in August!

Hi, Eeyore's Tailfinder! :flower3:

Looks like you’ve got a big trip planned for August! Over 2 weeks at WDW & a cruise! Amazing! I hope you write another dining review!

Another fabulous installment wrought with good humor (the "crotch cricket" comment had me almost choking on my breakfast, laughing hysterically :lmao: ).

My BIL has all these lovely witticisms that he shares with us on a daily basis, and they seep into my subconscious. That one must have accidentally hopped out! :laughing:

:worship: :worship: I am thoroughly impressed by your beverage capacity. I wouldn't have made it to Italy, but that bellini looked marvelous!

Spoodles was not in my plan, but if there's Sangria calling me...I may have to reconsider. Did they have white also? Or just red?

I’d like to say that we both felt so lousy that we just kept drinking to maintain a state of comfortable numbness. But who am I kidding, we always drink that much on vacation! :lmao:

Spoodles was not in our plan either. But I’m glad we tried it. I’d definitely eat there again. I think the sangria is only made with red.

I tried to read past the Bella, she didn't do it for me either. But Edward made it all worthwhile. When's the special edition of Eclipse supposed to come out? I got the gift set last Christmas its lovely.

According to Amazon, the special edition of Eclipse comes out on 5/31 and it includes: the first chapter of Breaking Dawn, a limited-edition, full-color print (of what I’m not sure?), and two exclusive Eclipse-inspired t-shirt transfers (neato).

I am seriously taking notes!!!! I've been battling a stomach bug for the past few days so nothing appeals to me right now, but I'm making a list for when I feel better!!!:thumbsup2

Oh no! I hope you feel better soon!

I'm a late comer, but I am really enjoying your review!:cheer2:

Welcome! I’ve really enjoyed reading your dining review, too!

Your DGF & you sound like a blast. :laughing:

I am disappointed in FF. Dh and I LOVED it on our last trip and plan to go back. I'm glad the crappy hostess didn't turn you off of it forever.

Thanks! We have a good time. If it’s not fun, why do it!

We will definitely return to FF. The food is great! That hostess was just full of her own sense of power! :laughing:

I HATE BEING SICK :sick: ON VACAY. it sucks.:mad:

I hope you recover in time to enjoy part of your vacation.

Actually I was sick for another whole week after we got back! That flu was nasty business!

love that school bread photo!

Thanks! Pastry is indeed an inspiring subject!

I'm late to this party too!

How did I miss this heavily alcohol laden thread!:confused3

As if the scrumptious food & Roederer champagne at CG wasn't enough to make me drool, followed up by margaritas, sangria, bellinis, and slushies!

Great review! :thumbsup2 You definitely do Disney, Myyy Waaaayy!:worship:

And now we're talking Valrhona, Rosa & CHEESE!!!:banana:

And since y'all are talking cheese. Tigerkat, I agree with Brenda, maytag blue with pears AND a bottle of ice wine!!! MM-MMm Good!:goodvibes

Hello! All foodies welcome! But most especially chocolate, cheese, and champagne lovers! :dance3:

But can I digress and ask a question about those books?
Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, by Stephanie Meyer.

To what would you compare this book series? Sort of a cross between Harry Potter & Lestat? Anything like HEX the BBC TV Series?

I think the series is aimed at a little bit older audience than HP, but it’s definitely similar in its cross-over appeal. I think Lestat is a good comparison, though. And I love Lestat! But what is HEX? British vampires? I’m all over it!

[TigerKat]

I'm late to this party too!

How did I miss this heavily alcohol laden thread!:confused3


Lindley - Meet Sheryl, my NOLA (New Orleans) buddy, we loves us some alcohol...:lmao:

[SunnieRN]

Just found your trip report and am loving it! Oh man California rolls and sangria. Well not together, but two of my favorites!!!
Can't wait to read more!

[CoolDisneyKitten]

Originally we had a 7:30pm ADR for Flying Fish, which is one of our favorite Disney restaurants. But by about 5 o’clock we had done WS, we were over it, and we were ready to sit down. This can be attributed to any number of factors, most notably the 6 hours of drinking we had just done, but I suspect the evil flu bug was a culprit here as well. So we decided that we’d hop a boat to the Boardwalk and ask to be seated early. Keep in mind this is January, the s-l-o-w season (sorry, I’ll never let that one go…). We walked in to an empty restaurant. They had literally just opened. Empty tables out the wazoo. Servers standing around, watching the glasses sweat. I approached the hostess and politely made my request. Denied! I repeat, the hostess said, “No, but come back in an hour and we’ll see what we can do.” :confused3

Flying Fish confuses me sometimes. Now I love me some Flying Fish, I think everyone who's read my dining report knows that! But sometimes weirdness occurs...

When we went on Mother's Day, I originally had a 6:25 ADR, but I called to change it to a later time. The guy at Dining told me the earliest he had was 8:45, so I took it. We got there about 5 minutes early, and we checked in right behind walk-ups. Now I know the definition of an ADR is that you get the next available table for your party size after your ADR time, and we were 5 minutes *before* our ADR time (they say to get there 15 minutes early...), but it was still strange to us when the walk-ups got seated first... esp when I'd been told I couldn't get an ADR before 8:45. I dunno. Flying Fish strangeness... :confused3

[honeybee30]

Lindley - Meet Sheryl, my NOLA (New Orleans) buddy, we loves us some alcohol...:lmao:

Hi Sheryl & Kat! How cool to live in New Orleans. It is one of my favorite places! I haven't been down there in a lot of years and Heathers never been. We must remedy that soon....

Just found your trip report and am loving it! Oh man California rolls and sangria. Well not together, but two of my favorites!!!
Can't wait to read more!

Hi! Thanks for reading!

Flying Fish confuses me sometimes. Now I love me some Flying Fish, I think everyone who's read my dining report knows that! But sometimes weirdness occurs...

When we went on Mother's Day, I originally had a 6:25 ADR, but I called to change it to a later time. The guy at Dining told me the earliest he had was 8:45, so I took it. We got there about 5 minutes early, and we checked in right behind walk-ups. Now I know the definition of an ADR is that you get the next available table for your party size after your ADR time, and we were 5 minutes *before* our ADR time (they say to get there 15 minutes early...), but it was still strange to us when the walk-ups got seated first... esp when I'd been told I couldn't get an ADR before 8:45. I dunno. Flying Fish strangeness... :confused3

I love the food at FF, too. That snapper dish with the potato and the leek fondue brings a tear to my eye. But yeah the hostess was having a Pamprin day. And I don't think it was very smart from a customer satisfaction angle. Now if the place was packed and people were waiting, then OK, but the restaurant was empty. And we were a two-top! Not a group of 15 or something. So it was indeed strange, and it did irritate me. But we'll be back....for the snapper!

[honeybee30]

We both woke up on Friday feeling like doggy doo-doo of the squished to the bottom of your shoe and scraped off on the nearest curb variety. I know, appetizing image, right….:dog:

MGM (nope, still won’t call it Hollywood Studios) was the park of the day, but neither the wake-up call nor the promise of Beauty & the Beast, Live on Stage, was capable of rousing us. At some point, DGF raised her sad little head and mumbled something along the lines of “Can’t move…” I hacked and wheezed in response. So we pulled the curtains, put out the Do Not Disturb sign, turned on the Lifetime movies, and slept the whole day away at WDW. I agree, unthinkable, but true.

At some point during the day (I know it was still daytime ‘cause the sun was in the middle of the sky), we realized that we were hungry, so we got dressed and dragged our wretched corpses to the Pop Century food court. I’m sure we were a sight fit for the haunted mansion. :hmghost:

Neither of us was feeling very creative at this point, so we both ordered the best looking thing from the first food station we came to. Parmesan Crusted Chicken Penne Alfredo with a Breadstick:
http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/aa261/JackieWiegand/Picture097.jpg
My taste buds were not really working at this point, to paraphrase DGF, “Everything tasted like the snot in the back of my head,” so I honestly don’t know if the chicken was any good. All I remember is that my throat hurt, so I mainly stuck to the coke slushy.

Disclaimer: I borrowed the 2 pictures featured in this post from the Categorized Food Pictures (http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1601839) thread, an act that probably violates some kind of copyright law, but I’m not making any money off this, so it should be ok. Kudos to my fellow DISers, BTW, for being more meticulous than I and taking such great pics! :flower3:

We had an ADR at Jiko for that evening, so after sleeping for another 4 hours or so, we decided to shower and venture out. At least the day wasn’t going to be a total wash, right! We drove over to AKL, (*sigh* I love that place! :cloud9:), valet parked for free (A most excellent feature of the DDE! :goodvibes), and since we still had a few minutes to kill, decided to mill around the gift shop (Must find bag of Kenyan coffee! :hyper:). Unfortunately, the gift shop only had a few bags of the eunuch version, i.e. decaf, left. I mean what’s the point? :confused3 We consulted with a most pleasant and helpful CM who confirmed the shortage and suggested we try the Mara to see if they had any over there. Okey-dokey. We walked down to the Mara. No go. A bummer, but no biggie.

At this point in the trip, the Disney gods took pity upon us and began throwing liberal amounts of pixie dust in our direction. :wizard: As we were walking back from the food court towards Jiko, we heard someone behind us calling, “Wait!” We looked back and there’s the lovely CM who had helped us earlier in the gift shop. She was chasing us down to bring us a bag of caffeine-infused Kenyan coffee! She had found a spare bag in the storeroom and insisted we take it for free! Is that not the sweetest thing?! :hug: It considerably improved our outlook on what was a most crummy day!

And we still had a yummy dinner at Jiko to look forward to as well, so having thanked our fairy godmother profusely, we went inside and checked in at the podium. We were given a pager and directed towards the bar. I had heard many good things here on the DIS (Thanks for the tip John’s Mom!) about the Victoria Falls Mist, a signature cocktail of the AKL that seems to have disappeared with the onset of standardized drink menus. *Bah Humbug* I mentioned it to the bartender, however, and he said, “Sure, I can make you one of those.” Groovy! I couldn’t wait to try it.

A Victoria Falls Mist is a cocktail made with a bunch of different fruit liqueurs (tangerine, melon, & banana), sweet & sour mix, orange juice and a splash of Sprite. Sounds good, eh. Well this snotty lady at the bar sure didn’t think so! She was watching him make our drinks with some interest and asked him what was in it, so he told her and she was all like, “That is so not my kind of drink.” :snooty: And I was all like, “Well it’s a good thing you don’t have to drink it then.” :crazy2: You know I’m not feeling well when I get snarky with a stranger in the bar. :rolleyes2 This whole exchange seemed to make both DGF and the biatch’s husband uncomfortable, so I was glad when our pager went off, and we were taken to our table. The Victoria Falls Mist was tasty, though. A perfect fruity vacation drink!

I stopped drinking after things got catty at the bar and had Ginger Ale with dinner. I think DGF had wine. Honestly, I didn’t bring the camera with me, and I didn’t take any notes. I was probably running a fever, so it was a miracle I remembered to wear pants. Needless to say, the details are spotty…. I actually had to call DGF at work today to probe her for details.

For an appetizer, I ordered the Maize and Sweet Potato Tamales, which are described as herbed maize pudding and truffled sweet potato mash with shredded goat cheese in corn husk boats. As I was commenting on another dining review, I crave these suckers! The flavor is mild, but rich and delicious. DGF had the Lentil Pastilla, which are lentil filled phyllo pockets with a sweet and sour sauce. This is another one of our favorite appetizers at Jiko. Spicy and wonderful with the sauce! And how can you go wrong with phyllo? We shared the apps between the two of us, although it was a sacrifice to give up one of my little tamale boats. :p

We both ordered the same thing for our main course, the Chermoula Roasted, Tanglewood Chicken with red-skin mashed potatoes, preserved lemons, kalamata olives, roasted garlic, and harissa:
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y165/marymerges/1094.jpg
I’m always jealous when DGF orders this dish because the flavors are just so amazing, so I decided to get it this time, too. Jiko is one of those restaurants where everything on the menu sounds good. I have systematically been trying to sample each dish. So far I’ve had the filet, the short ribs, and now the chicken. All fantastic!

Unfortunately, our appetites weren’t up to snuff that night, so it wasn’t as enjoyable a meal as it could have been. We skipped dessert (unthinkable!), returned to our room, and you guessed it, went back to sleep......Edited to add: I just remembered what happened with dessert! We ordered it to go! We got the Madagascar Vanilla Bean Mouse with cardemom-spiced pound cake, mascerated strawberries, and strawberry sauce, which we ate back in the room before taking a big ole swig of Nyquil and passing out again. If I recall, it was light and not overly sweet with a nice vanilla flavor. So there ya go!

Don’t worry though, the rest of the chapters won’t be quite so pathetic. The day of sleep did us some good and, with the help of Dayquil, we continued on with our vacation and had lots o’ fun!

[TarzansKat]

Bummer about being sick on vacation and not having tastebuds working in their full capacity! Thanks for still posting your adventures, however delirious they may have been.;)

I am intrigued by Jiko's. So many people rave about it, it looks and sounds like your meal there was yummy.:thumbsup2

[pooch]

DD and I will be down in Sept. and since all our lovely food is free, we will partake liberally of the delicious drinks WDW has to offer. People always look at me funny, no besides the norm, when I mention drinking at WDW. Poor souls have no clue!! Anyway DD & I love to drink around the World. Thanks for the new suggestions! Now get back to work here and write some more reviews!!!!!:cool1: :cool1:

[TigerKat]

I can't believe you got snarky with the biatch at the bar...:rotfl2: WTH...what business is it of hers, it was your drink....ugh some people....:mad:

I'm so sorry you weren't able to FULLY enjoy JIKO like I know you can.:hug:

[honeybee30]

Bummer about being sick on vacation and not having tastebuds working in their full capacity! Thanks for still posting your adventures, however delirious they may have been.;)

I am intrigued by Jiko's. So many people rave about it, it looks and sounds like your meal there was yummy.:thumbsup2

Jiko is great. I highly recommend it! :goodvibes

DD and I will be down in Sept. and since all our lovely food is free, we will partake liberally of the delicious drinks WDW has to offer. People always look at me funny, no besides the norm, when I mention drinking at WDW. Poor souls have no clue!! Anyway DD & I love to drink around the World. Thanks for the new suggestions! Now get back to work here and write some more reviews!!!!!:cool1: :cool1:

Glad you came out of lurkdome! Drinking at WDW is not only fun, it is a neccessity. ;) But yeah, I agree that a lot of people don't understand that WDW is an adult vacation destination too.

I can't believe you got snarky with the biatch at the bar...:rotfl2: WTH...what business is it of hers, it was your drink....ugh some people....:mad:

I'm so sorry you weren't able to FULLY enjoy JIKO like I know you can.:hug:

I know, right! That biatch! :lmao: Oh well, there's always next time for Jiko....

[TarzansKat]

Jiko is great. I highly recommend it! :goodvibes



I know you didn't on this trip but have you ever tried the filet with the mac and cheese? I couldn't believe people would go so crazy over mac and cheese, but I guess it's supposed to be amazing!

[oybolshoi]

Too bad about Jiko ... I know what it's like to eat there when not feeling well, and you just can't do justice to the menu.

Can't believe the woman in the bar ... so what if you're drinking something she wouldn't? Was she planning on using your glass for something once you were finished? :confused3

I think it's great that the CM brought you that bag o' beans for free! How cool is that?

We really liked the vanilla bean mousse when we had it last year - very light and refreshing!

Tarzankat - I've had the filet with mac & cheese at Jiko and it's excellent!

[TarzansKat]

Tarzankat - I've had the filet with mac & cheese at Jiko and it's excellent!

Alright, I confess. I lurked my way through your latest food report, but didn't remember a Jiko review...was it part of Hungry are the Damned?

Oddly enough, even though I've never met you, I thought of you today.

Why you may ask?

DS3 was watching Spongebob. It's the episode where Plankton makes a robotic Mr. Crabs and tries to steal the secret recipe for the crabby pattie. Funny how something so simple can connect you to someone you've never even met. :lmao:

[oybolshoi]

BTW - saw a preview for Twilight today before the Indiana Jones movie started. Without knowing much more than what I've seen on Amazon it looks pretty damn cool! :thumbsup2

[oybolshoi]

Alright, I confess. I lurked my way through your latest food report, but didn't remember a Jiko review...was it part of Hungry are the Damned?

Well thank you for reading! There is a Jiko review in that mess ... there's a link to it on the very first post of the entire thread. :goodvibes


Oddly enough, even though I've never met you, I thought of you today.

Why you may ask?

DS3 was watching Spongebob. It's the episode where Plankton makes a robotic Mr. Crabs and tries to steal the secret recipe for the crabby pattie. Funny how something so simple can connect you to someone you've never even met. :lmao:

:rotfl2: :rotfl2: That's awesome! Thanks for sharing! Wait until I tell Jay ... :lmao:

[honeybee30]

I know you didn't on this trip but have you ever tried the filet with the mac and cheese? I couldn't believe people would go so crazy over mac and cheese, but I guess it's supposed to be amazing!

Yes, I have had the filet with mac-n-cheese, and it is very tasty. I love gourmet mac-n-cheese even though I admit it is a strange accompaniment to filet. The red wine sauce is really good with it too!

[TarzansKat]

Well thank you for reading! There is a Jiko review in that mess ... there's a link to it on the very first post of the entire thread. :goodvibes You know, I pretty much read that in one sitting, so it's no wonder that I'm hazy on the reviews. I do have to tell you, I loved them, and remarked to DH that I need to go during Food & Wine again. :thumbsup2


:rotfl2: :rotfl2: That's awesome! Thanks for sharing! Wait until I tell Jay ... :lmao: Glad to make you laugh!

Yes, I have had the filet with mac-n-cheese, and it is very tasty. I love gourmet mac-n-cheese even though I admit it is a strange accompaniment to filet. The red wine sauce is really good with it too!

It just seems like such a weird thing to put with a filet, you know? And the sauce, but it sounds strangely good. I'll have to try it, at some point, but I've booked all my ADRs for September. Of course, I could be brave and try to shuffle things around, but I really wanted to try Boma. How do you all feel about Boma for dinner?

[oybolshoi]

We haven't made it to Boma yet - we have a reservation for breakfast there in October. The hubby and I aren't big buffet fans but thought it sounded tasty for a breakfast option.

I'm going to finish my wine now ... have a good evening! :flower3:

[honeybee30]

Too bad about Jiko ... I know what it's like to eat there when not feeling well, and you just can't do justice to the menu.

Can't believe the woman in the bar ... so what if you're drinking something she wouldn't? Was she planning on using your glass for something once you were finished? :confused3

I think it's great that the CM brought you that bag o' beans for free! How cool is that?

It was a sad sort of day in general. I don't mind sleeping all day at home - I quite enjoy it actually - but at WDW it was a dirty shame.

Jiko was still good, but we were generally unenthused with being alive, so it tooks its toll on dinner, unfortunately.

The bar incident was pretty funny, though. I love it when my spunky side comes out because I'm pretty laid back normally. Her husband told us to enjoy our drinks like 3 times after that. I'm surprised he didn't offer to buy them for us. :lmao:

The coffee was definitely Disney magic, which we got a bunch more of in the days to come.

[honeybee30]

BTW - saw a preview for Twilight today before the Indiana Jones movie started. Without knowing much more than what I've seen on Amazon it looks pretty damn cool! :thumbsup2

It does look good! I can't wait. We watched Into the Wild last night and the actress who plays Bella in Twilightwas in that. She was good, and I think she will make a convincing female lead.

It just seems like such a weird thing to put with a filet, you know? And the sauce, but it sounds strangely good. I'll have to try it, at some point, but I've booked all my ADRs for September. Of course, I could be brave and try to shuffle things around, but I really wanted to try Boma. How do you all feel about Boma for dinner?

We really like Boma for breakfast and dinner. Not big on the buffets, either, but this one is very high quality and has somemore exotic choices. Of course I would never try to dissuade someone from trying Jiko. It's in a whole other category of dining. Very inventive!

I'm going to finish my wine now ... have a good evening! :flower3:

Good night!

[KristinAnne]

Bummer about being sick, but the meal sounds tasty regardless. And as for that woman...I would have been snarky, sick or otherwise!

[SunnieRN]

Wow! I'm impressed. I think I would have just stayed in bed and slept the night away! I hope as your trip continued you felt much better!
Yummm Jiko sounds GREAT! Thanks for another great review!

[disneyquilter]

It is such a bummer being sick on vacation.

And what was up with that woman?? I think sick or not, I totally would've responded the same as you ;) The drink sounds fabulous btw--Jiko's is on our list during our DxDDP experience in May '09 and that drink will be first on my list to order.

My kids are drooling over the description of the filet. Can I assume the "wine sauce" is cooked out, so my kids can have it (they are 10 and 11 y/o--don't know if it would be frowned upon if the kids were hittin' the bottle at dinner, ya know what I mean? :lmao: ) ??

Again--bravo, many applause, great review. Can't wait for the next exciting chapter popcorn::

[John's Mom]

Glad that you liked the Victoria Falls Mist. Next time you visit the AKL, try the Nahtazu--another sweet, delicious drink. A few years ago, I requested the recipe for these drinks so that I make them at home. :woohoo:

[texasgirl73]

Thanks for the great reviews, I am so excited about trying Jiko, this is my first trip to WDW and I am so glad I found this group of foodies here on DIS. I wouldn't have known any better....I assumed that WDW would only have your typical theme park fare ala Six Flags (oh joy, burgers and funnel cakes,) silly me. Reports like this have shown me the light, Disney isn't just a place I have to endure for my kids!

[iluvpluto27]

Fantastic reviews. I'm really enjoying them.

[honeybee30]

Bummer about being sick, but the meal sounds tasty regardless. And as for that woman...I would have been snarky, sick or otherwise!

It was a bummer. I like to go-go-go at WDW and being sick really held us back. But we had a good time anyway. :)

Wow! I'm impressed. I think I would have just stayed in bed and slept the night away! I hope as your trip continued you felt much better!
Yummm Jiko sounds GREAT! Thanks for another great review!

At home I definitely would have stayed in bed, and I did for the whole week after we got back! :sick:

It is such a bummer being sick on vacation.

And what was up with that woman?? I think sick or not, I totally would've responded the same as you ;) The drink sounds fabulous btw--Jiko's is on our list during our DxDDP experience in May '09 and that drink will be first on my list to order.

My kids are drooling over the description of the filet. Can I assume the "wine sauce" is cooked out, so my kids can have it (they are 10 and 11 y/o--don't know if it would be frowned upon if the kids were hittin' the bottle at dinner, ya know what I mean? :lmao: ) ??

Again--bravo, many applause, great review. Can't wait for the next exciting chapter popcorn::

Thanks! More coming soon. I'm playing with my neices today, so maybe tomorrow. :cutie:

The wine definitely cooks out. So have no fear. Your kids will not get drunk off their steak. :laughing:

Glad that you liked the Victoria Falls Mist. Next time you visit the AKL, try the Nahtazu--another sweet, delicious drink. A few years ago, I requested the recipe for these drinks so that I make them at home. :woohoo:

It was a very good drink! I'll have to try the Nahtazu when we go back to Jiko in August. :goodvibes

We are mixologists ourselves. This weekend Heather made me a cocktail with Absolut Citron Vodka, Triple Sec, Limonata, and a splash of cranberry juice. Yummy! Then my BIL came over today and made us a modified Appletini with Skyy Vanilla Vodka, Apple Pucker liqueur, and apple juice. Really good and intoxicating! :upsidedow

Thanks for the great reviews, I am so excited about trying Jiko, this is my first trip to WDW and I am so glad I found this group of foodies here on DIS. I wouldn't have known any better....I assumed that WDW would only have your typical theme park fare ala Six Flags (oh joy, burgers and funnel cakes,) silly me. Reports like this have shown me the light, Disney isn't just a place I have to endure for my kids!

There are many foodies on the DIS and so many wonderful dining reviews! I love it that I can spend upwards of 10 days at WDW and never eat a burger (unless I want one, of course ;)) and eat at fine dining restaurants every night of my vacation! :cloud9:

Fantastic reviews. I'm really enjoying them.

Thanks! :flower3:

[TigerKat]

Thanks! More coming soon. I'm playing with my neices today, so maybe tomorrow. :cutie:


Then my BIL came over today and made us a modified Appletini with Skyy Vanilla Vodka, Apple Pucker liqueur, and apple juice. Really good and intoxicating! :upsidedow





I'd be happy to baby-sit your nieces if I can get a drink like that!!:rotfl2:

[honeybee30]

I'd be happy to baby-sit your nieces if I can get a drink like that!!:rotfl2:

Come on over, girlfriend. :cutie: Heather's making panko-breaded pork chops w/ blue cheese mac-n-cheese for dinner & there's plenty!

[TarzansKat]

Come on over, girlfriend. :cutie: Heather's making panko-breaded pork chops w/ blue cheese mac-n-cheese for dinner & there's plenty!

Wow. I want in. Between that and your yummy beverages, I'm sold! Now how old are these nieces? Will they find my three year old son adorable?;) ;)

[TigerKat]

Come on over, girlfriend. :cutie: Heather's making panko-breaded pork chops w/ blue cheese mac-n-cheese for dinner & there's plenty!

I'm on my way with shrimp etouffee.....:drive:

[honeybee30]

Wow. I want in. Between that and your yummy beverages, I'm sold! Now how old are these nieces? Will they find my three year old son adorable?;) ;)

They are 7 mos. (twins). They find other little kids fascinating and hysterical, so I'm sure they would be endlessly entertained by your son. :goodvibes

I'm on my way with shrimp etouffee.....:drive:

Just a short 16 hour drive! :laughing:

[TarzansKat]

They are 7 mos. (twins). They find other little kids fascinating and hysterical, so I'm sure they would be endlessly entertained by your son. :goodvibes

Well that sounds just peachy! We actually have a 10 month old niece who is mesmerized by my son. She loves to watch him as he runs all over the place. Isn't it such a kick to see babies watching older kids?:goodvibes



Just a short 16 hour drive! :laughing:
Piece of cake, right guys?

[TigerKat]

Piece of cake, right guys?

You bet, where there's a will or drink in this case, there's a way!

[honeybee213]

I just wanted to say I love your reviews. Also, I took my nephew to WDW last year, and he didn't quite understand the concept of "adult beverage" (I needed a citron slush to watch the fireworks), and got in trouble for sampling it. You might want to try training the nieces beforehand. ;)

[Ciciwoowoo]

I am so enjoying your reviews!

I have to comment on something you said a few posts back, I thought I was the only weirdo who was opposed to eating pork products while hugging Piglet! Its nice to know I'm in good company! :rotfl2:

[honeybee30]

You bet, where there's a will or drink in this case, there's a way!

:lmao: I am highly alcohol motivated as well.

I just wanted to say I love your reviews. Also, I took my nephew to WDW last year, and he didn't quite understand the concept of "adult beverage" (I needed a citron slush to watch the fireworks), and got in trouble for sampling it. You might want to try training the nieces beforehand. ;)

Thanks for reading! :goodvibes And no alcoholic slushies for my neices until they are at least 3! :laughing:

I am so enjoying your reviews!

I have to comment on something you said a few posts back, I thought I was the only weirdo who was opposed to eating pork products while hugging Piglet! Its nice to know I'm in good company! :rotfl2:

Thank you! :)

Yeah, to be fair there should be Tigger sausage and Pooh steak and Eeyore jerky on the buffet, too. I mean why should Piglet be the only fuzzy manifestaion of breakfast meat? :confused3

[TarzansKat]

Yeah, to be fair there should be Tigger sausage and Pooh steak and Eeyore jerky on the buffet, too. I mean why should Piglet be the only fuzzy manifestaion of breakfast meat? :confused3

Oh the humanity! ;)

:rotfl2:

[honeybee30]

Oh the humanity! ;)

:rotfl2:

Oh the Poohmanity! *hehe* pooh:

[MissK]

Lovely reviews! Your pictures actually have me wanting to hit Spoodles, it looks so fun. Thank you :)

[tink1957]

Thanks for the great report. You're so funny:rotfl: I can really relate to being sick at WDW. My DD & I both had the flu when we went in December.
I also found that the margaritas in Mexico made me feel much better:)
Can't wait to read more.

[soontobewed07]

What is it that we always get sick on vacation? Everytime we go someone gets a cold:confused3 Great foodie report. You have inspired me to drink a little more around the world:rotfl2: We were thinking spoodles for this trip that sangria looks oh so refreshing.

[TigerKat]

You have inspired me to drink a little more around the world:rotfl2: We were thinking spoodles for this trip that sangria looks oh so refreshing.

honeybee - Job well done!!:rotfl:

The Sangria at Spoodles is really good!!!!

[shovan]

Hello! All foodies welcome! But most especially chocolate, cheese, and champagne lovers! :dance3:

I think the series is aimed at a little bit older audience than HP, but it’s definitely similar in its cross-over appeal. I think Lestat is a good comparison, though. And I love Lestat! But what is HEX? British vampires? I’m all over it!

Thanks for the welcome! :goodvibes

I hate to tell you about Hex now, because it was cancelled. Great series though, it was shown on BBC America during the summers of '06 & '07. More of a witches, ghosts & demons drama set in British boarding highschool/college. It's main character Cassie (she learns later that she's a witch) falls in love with Azaziel (who she later learns is the leader of the Nephilim /fallen angels ). But Azazeil kills her best friend Thelma who continues in the series as a ghost & we learn during her "ghosthood" that she is really in love with Cassie. Cassie finds herself pregnant with Azaziel's child, the birth of this witch/demon child would break a seal alllowing all of the Nephilim to be released into the human world. It was really good stuff!


Lindley - Meet Sheryl, my NOLA (New Orleans) buddy, we loves us some alcohol...:lmao:

Hi Sheryl & Kat! How cool to live in New Orleans. It is one of my favorite places! I haven't been down there in a lot of years and Heathers never been. We must remedy that soon....



Hi Lindley, Here I am late to the party again! And after having a formal introduction from my df, Kathy!

So sad that y'all were sick during vacation. But for totally selfish reasons, I'm really glad that you drug yourselves over to Jiko's for dinner. Loved the review, Jiko is our fav wdw eatery! I can't believe the snarky woman at the bar though! It wasn't like you were forcing her to drink it or anything. :confused3 I haven't tried that chicken yet, I'll will put that one on my to-do list.

[honeybee30]

Having slept roughly 18 hours the day before, we woke up feeling better, not way better or even much better, but a little better. Better enough to haul our collective booties to the Poly for breakfast at Kona Cafe at the very least.

DGF wanted Tonga Toast, and who can blame her? So we called Disney Dining a few days earlier and made an ADR for around 8am. Theoretically, you could experience WDW this way, i.e. fly by the seat of your pants ADR-wise and wait to see what’s available while you’re there. That way you wouldn’t have to plan your meals so far in advance. I, on the other hand, could not do it that way because I am a control freak. ::yes:: One time per trip, ok. More than that and we’re getting into nervous twitch territory. :bitelip:

A quick spin in the Doom Buggy later and we were there! (The Poly, not insanity…not yet, anyway.) Ahh, the Poly. So tropical. So relaxing. So Brady circa 1972. I can’t wait to stay there in August! :banana: And I love me some Kona, especially the coffee!

Dude! Some guy messed up my signage!
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/graciethedog25/Walt%20Disney%20World/WDW%20January%202008/IMG_2307.jpg
This place is actually pretty quiet early on. I bet itzazu between 9 & 10am, though.

Here we have the ever-tasty, though hard to pronounce, Lilikoi juice, featuring a blend of passion fruit, orange and guava. But most importantly, behold the French press pot of 100% Kona coffee. Finally! Coffee that somewhat resembles the high-test that gets us going every morning at home.
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/graciethedog25/Walt%20Disney%20World/WDW%20January%202008/IMG_2308.jpg

We both ordered Tonga Toast for breakfast, which is described as banana stuffed sourdough bread, rolled in cinnamon sugar and served with strawberry compote and a pork product of your choosing. We both got bacon.
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/graciethedog25/Walt%20Disney%20World/WDW%20January%202008/IMG_2309.jpg
This probably goes without saying, but really, really, really good! Fried and bread are the key words here. Banana, strawberry, and cinnamon sugar give the fried bread a breakfasty vibe, which works out pretty well.

Blood sugar elevated and arteries sufficiently clogged, we monorailed it on over to Epcot. Soarin’ was the first thing on the agenda for the morning, but by the time we got to the Land pavilion (at like 9:15, I might add), there was a line 10 deep at every FP machine and an hour long stand by wait. This is the slow season, folks. Didn’t anybody get the memo? Grumpy, but undeterred, I sent my brave little toaster into the fray to procure FPs, while I waited off to the side. Fortuitously, I positioned myself in the general vicinity of a CM who was looking for a Soarin’ family of the day. And she chose us to bestow this privilege upon! :woohoo: We didn’t even have kids or matching T-shirts or anything!

Look, we got a certificate!
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/graciethedog25/Walt%20Disney%20World/WDW%20January%202008/IMG_2276.jpg
Plus we didn’t have to wait in line, we walked backstage and went in through the classified entrance, we got to wait in the Johnny Depp holding area (at least that is who I imagined waiting in there - it's how they discretely slip VIPs onto the ride), and we were seated front row, center! Thank you, Disney gods! Thank you! :worship: It was a really cool experience!

Still basking in the glow of our Soarin’ victory, we rode some more stuff and then headed over to the France pavilion when lunchtime rolled around for our noon ADR at Chefs.

An attempted artsy-fartsy fountain pic:
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/graciethedog25/Walt%20Disney%20World/WDW%20January%202008/IMG_2279.jpg

DGF’s “I’m annoyed with you” face:
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/graciethedog25/Walt%20Disney%20World/WDW%20January%202008/IMG_2277.jpg

Shum shuper shinage:
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/graciethedog25/Walt%20Disney%20World/WDW%20January%202008/IMG_2282.jpg

Our table with a side view of Morocco:
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/graciethedog25/Walt%20Disney%20World/WDW%20January%202008/IMG_2284.jpg

To drink, we both ordered Kir Royales. This is one of my favorite champagne cocktails, of which there are many! :goodvibes It is mixed with Crème de Cassis, which is a currant liqueur, and it is just fabulous! It really sweetens up dry champagnes.
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/graciethedog25/Walt%20Disney%20World/WDW%20January%202008/IMG_2285.jpg

For lunch, we both ordered the French Menu, which is prix fixe and begins with Soupe a l' oignon gratinee, ou en Anglais, onion soup topped with Gruyere cheese.
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/graciethedog25/Walt%20Disney%20World/WDW%20January%202008/IMG_2286.jpg
We both love this soup. It’s a lovely, rich consommé with lots of stringy cheese. Yum!

The soup is followed by a toasted ham and cheese sandwich with a green salad, or in French, Croque monsieur et sa salade verte.
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/graciethedog25/Walt%20Disney%20World/WDW%20January%202008/IMG_2287.jpg
It might underwhelm some, but I’m the queen of grilled cheese, so I found it to be pretty satisfying. Commensurately crispy and gooey where appropriate.

For dessert, vanilla crème brulee and a Madeleine. Delicious in any language.
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/graciethedog25/Walt%20Disney%20World/WDW%20January%202008/IMG_2288.jpg

And coffee, but of course…
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/graciethedog25/Walt%20Disney%20World/WDW%20January%202008/IMG_2289.jpg

As we were exiting Chefs de France who should we see but Samantha Brown filming a special for the Travel Channel:
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/graciethedog25/Walt%20Disney%20World/WDW%20January%202008/IMG_2297.jpg
It’s a semi-celebrity sighting!

She enjoys the alcoholic slushies, too!
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/graciethedog25/Walt%20Disney%20World/WDW%20January%202008/IMG_2298.jpg
Take after take after take…. Does that make her a slushaholic, like us?!

After our brush with fame at Epcot, we were sleepy and still not feeling up to par health-wise, so we went back to the room for a nap. Dinner was at California Grill much later that night. All we could get was a 9:10pm ADR, but that was ok because we got a redo of our favorite restaurant at Disney and a nice long rest!

Saturday must’ve been our lucky day because not only did we get a certificate and see a sort-of-celebrity but we also got an amazing table at Cali Grill! A completely unsolicited window seat with a perfect view of MK! No request, no special occasion brouhaha, just dumb luck! Once again, we received stellar service from both host and server. And the food was wonderful as always. We’ve never had a bad experience here (I hope I don’t jinx myself!), and I can’t recommend it highly enough.

This time I went with a flatbread for my appetizer:
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/graciethedog25/Walt%20Disney%20World/WDW%20January%202008/IMG_2303.jpg
I can’t remember what all was on it and it’s not on the menu anymore, but I do remember it was insane! I think I recall thinly sliced steak, creamed spinach, and mushrooms….

DGF revisited her sushi appetizer from the other night and ordered a Shrimp Tempura roll:
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/graciethedog25/Walt%20Disney%20World/WDW%20January%202008/IMG_2304.jpg
Always a treat!

For our entree, we both got the Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Creamy Goat Cheese Polenta, Cremini Mushrooms, Zinfandel Glaze, and Sage:
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/graciethedog25/Walt%20Disney%20World/WDW%20January%202008/IMG_2305.jpg
This is my favorite dish at Cali Grill and perhaps in all of WDW. The pork was juicy and flavorful (no mean feat) and the polenta was rich and goat cheesy and heavenly!

I’m certain we refrained from dessert that night (too full, I guess), but we did get yet another wonderful view of the fireworks, and we didn’t even have to leave the table! :lovestruc

[alaskanmommy]

Nice job, I just ate lunch and now I'm hungry again! Thanks a lot. ;) Great report and I am totally subsrcibing. :banana:

[TarzansKat]

Glad to hear you were feeling relatively better this day. I love your review of France! My mom and nana recently surprised me with a weekend trip in December (don't know if I mentioned that already) and this is one of their favorite places to eat dinner, so I'm really looking forward to it. Except, I for an appetizer would love the escargot...I haven't had good escargot in soooo long. And that creme brulee looks to die for! :thumbsup2

[Alice28]

very cool on getting to go on soarin' like that! And seeing Samantha Brown! Neato~ I think I saw that episode recently too- her top 10 faves or something like that. We have CA Grill on our ADR list for June- looking forward to it!

[John's Mom]

More great reviews! popcorn:: It's nice to know that I'm not the only one who didn't go away for the holiday weekend. ;)

[TigerKat]

I LOVE Heather's "I’m annoyed with you” face...:rotfl2: and YES Samantha is a slushaholic like us, obviously!!!!:lmao:

Another awesome update!!:thumbsup2

[honeybee30]

Lovely reviews! Your pictures actually have me wanting to hit Spoodles, it looks so fun. Thank you :)

Thanks! Glad you're enjoying them!

Spoodles is yummy. Give it a try! :thumbsup2

Thanks for the great report. You're so funny:rotfl: I can really relate to being sick at WDW. My DD & I both had the flu when we went in December.
I also found that the margaritas in Mexico made me feel much better:)
Can't wait to read more.

Awww, shucks! :blush:

This isn't the first time I've gotten sick at WDW, either. In 2005, I got the flu on our last day, so it wasn't quite as bad, but it sure made for a wretched flight home! :sick:

What is it that we always get sick on vacation? Everytime we go someone gets a cold:confused3 Great foodie report. You have inspired me to drink a little more around the world:rotfl2: We were thinking spoodles for this trip that sangria looks oh so refreshing.

I know! Everybody was sick the week we were there. Coughing and sneezing and whatnot. I blame January. ::yes::

I'm glad I could be of service. Maybe I should open a travel agency - Drunken Disney Destinations: Inspiring You to Drink a Little More Around the World! :drinking1

honeybee - Job well done!!:rotfl:

The Sangria at Spoodles is really good!!!!

And I'm hiring you on as my first Disney Drinking specialist! :lmao:

Thanks for the welcome! :goodvibes

I hate to tell you about Hex now, because it was cancelled. Great series though, it was shown on BBC America during the summers of '06 & '07. More of a witches, ghosts & demons drama set in British boarding highschool/college. It's main character Cassie (she learns later that she's a witch) falls in love with Azaziel (who she later learns is the leader of the Nephilim /fallen angels ). But Azazeil kills her best friend Thelma who continues in the series as a ghost & we learn during her "ghosthood" that she is really in love with Cassie. Cassie finds herself pregnant with Azaziel's child, the birth of this witch/demon child would break a seal alllowing all of the Nephilim to be released into the human world. It was really good stuff!

That storyline sounds really interesting! We watch most of our TV on DVD anyway, so now I just have to find it! Heather could really get into Hex, too, I think. We both love anything supernatural, and I'm a BBC fanatic.

Hi Lindley, Here I am late to the party again! And after having a formal introduction from my df, Kathy!

So sad that y'all were sick during vacation. But for totally selfish reasons, I'm really glad that you drug yourselves over to Jiko's for dinner. Loved the review, Jiko is our fav wdw eatery! I can't believe the snarky woman at the bar though! It wasn't like you were forcing her to drink it or anything. :confused3 I haven't tried that chicken yet, I'll will put that one on my to-do list.

Jiko is one of our faves as well. We almost never order chicken in restaurants, but that chermoula chicken is awesome. So flavorful! Next time I really want to sit at the counter overlooking the open kitchen, and I want to try the curry shrimp.

Nice job, I just ate lunch and now I'm hungry again! Thanks a lot. ;) Great report and I am totally subsrcibing. :banana:

Sorry, ma'am. ::cop: Occupational hazard! :laughing:

Glad to hear you were feeling relatively better this day. I love your review of France! My mom and nana recently surprised me with a weekend trip in December (don't know if I mentioned that already) and this is one of their favorite places to eat dinner, so I'm really looking forward to it. Except, I for an appetizer would love the escargot...I haven't had good escargot in soooo long. And that creme brulee looks to die for! :thumbsup2

Chefs is a favorite of ours, too. I think it's romantic! I don't know about the escargot, though. The thought alone kinda triggers my gag reflex, but they are a delicacy! And I've heard they are good at Chefs.

How nice for your family to surprise you! You're also writing a pre-trip for this fall, right? I've been meaning to check it out!

very cool on getting to go on soarin' like that! And seeing Samantha Brown! Neato~ I think I saw that episode recently too- her top 10 faves or something like that. We have CA Grill on our ADR list for June- looking forward to it!

Very cool, indeed! :goodvibes I felt it was a great reversal of fortune following this flu epidemic that we suffered with all week. I hope you enjoy CG!

More great reviews! popcorn:: It's nice to know that I'm not the only one who didn't go away for the holiday weekend. ;)

Thanks! Nope, nowhere special for Memorial Day. We're saving our pennies for August!

I LOVE Heather's "I’m annoyed with you” face...:rotfl2: and YES Samantha is a slushaholic like us, obviously!!!!:lmao:

Another awesome update!!:thumbsup2

I get that look once or twice a day, believe me...

Want to know the tragedy of Samantha's slushaholism... She can't drink them while filming! She just had to pretend to drink them take after take!

[MickeyNicki]

Hey honeybee30, we will be in at the Poly Aug 22-24, when will you be there? Maybe the 4 of us can meet at the bar..I am the short brunette trying to drink her own body weight! :rotfl2:

[TarzansKat]

Chefs is a favorite of ours, too. I think it's romantic! I don't know about the escargot, though. The thought alone kinda triggers my gag reflex, but they are a delicacy! And I've heard they are good at Chefs.

See, my parents were very open with food when I was little. Therefore, I would set waitresses and waiters alike to asking "does she know what it is?" when at the tender age of eight I ordered escargot.:rotfl2: My favorite, however, is my mom's. But, since she doesn't make it anymore, I have to settle for Chefs de France.


How nice for your family to surprise you! You're also writing a pre-trip for this fall, right? I've been meaning to check it out!
It's technically a birthday present. My birthday's in October, and in lieu of gifts, they're giving me a girls weekend away. Mom said, you know this means no presents. Um, hello? Disneyworld with just the girls at Christmas and fine dining...presents...tough choice!:rotfl:

I would love for you to check out my pre-trip report. DH, DS, and I are taking our first just the three of us vacation. We've been to the World before, but always with extended family. Bless you if you can make it through the whole thing...I believe I'm at 30+ chapters.:scared1:

[TigerKat]

I'm glad I could be of service. Maybe I should open a travel agency - Drunken Disney Destinations: Inspiring You to Drink a Little More Around the World! :drinking1

And I'm hiring you on as my first Disney Drinking specialist! :lmao:

Want to know the tragedy of Samantha's slushaholism... She can't drink them while filming! She just had to pretend to drink them take after take!


DDD(Drunken Disney Destinations) first employee reporting for duty ma'am!:drinking1 party:

Samantha's a lightweight...:p

[TigerKat]

Hey honeybee30, we will be in at the Poly Aug 22-24, when will you be there? Maybe the 4 of us can meet at the bar..I am the short brunette trying to drink her own body weight! :rotfl2:

Oh Lordy....you two getting together...drinking......:eek: I want pics....:woohoo:

[honeybee30]

Hey honeybee30, we will be in at the Poly Aug 22-24, when will you be there? Maybe the 4 of us can meet at the bar..I am the short brunette trying to drink her own body weight! :rotfl2:

Unfortunately we leave on the 11th. :( Otherwise definitely! I'd match ya mai-tai for mai-tai! :laughing:

See, my parents were very open with food when I was little. Therefore, I would set waitresses and waiters alike to asking "does she know what it is?" when at the tender age of eight I ordered escargot.:rotfl2: My favorite, however, is my mom's. But, since she doesn't make it anymore, I have to settle for Chefs de France.


It's technically a birthday present. My birthday's in October, and in lieu of gifts, they're giving me a girls weekend away. Mom said, you know this means no presents. Um, hello? Disneyworld with just the girls at Christmas and fine dining...presents...tough choice!:rotfl:

I would love for you to check out my pre-trip report. DH, DS, and I are taking our first just the three of us vacation. We've been to the World before, but always with extended family. Bless you if you can make it through the whole thing...I believe I'm at 30+ chapters.:scared1:

I'm a semi-adventurous eater. I consider escargot very adventurous, especially for an 8 y.o. :laughing:

Nice b'day/ xmas present. :goodvibes I'll take it! I'm an October baby, too!

I will definitely look up your trippie! And I promise not to lurk!

[honeybee30]

DDD(Drunken Disney Destinations) first employee reporting for duty ma'am!:drinking1 party:

Samantha's a lightweight...:p

:rotfl2:

Oh Lordy....you two getting together...drinking......:eek: I want pics....:woohoo:

Seriously we should plan a DIS meet!

[MickeyNicki]

Oh Lordy....you two getting together...drinking......:eek: I want pics....:woohoo:

Can you imagine! Lets have our mates pick up the bar tabs!

Unfortunately we leave on the 11th. :( Otherwise definitely! I'd match ya mai-tai for mai-tai! :laughing:


Oh that stinks!

:rotfl2:



Seriously we should plan a DIS meet!

I think should too! Oh the fun we would have and the food we would eat!!

[TigerKat]

You guys are reading my mind.... A DDD Dis meet....I am so ready...let's start planning!:thumbsup2

[MickeyNicki]

You guys are reading my mind.... A DDD Dis meet....I am so ready...let's start planning!:thumbsup2

Ok babe you got it, since I am the closest (3 hours south) you all work it out and I will drive up, whenever it is I will be there.....even if that leaves poor DH behind :woohoo:

[honeybee30]

I think should too! Oh the fun we would have and the food we would eat!!

You guys are reading my mind.... A DDD Dis meet....I am so ready...let's start planning!:thumbsup2

Ok babe you got it, since I am the closest (3 hours south) you all work it out and I will drive up, whenever it is I will be there.....even if that leaves poor DH behind :woohoo:

I'm all about it! :yay: When, when?

[honeybee30]

This holiday weekend it was my mission to fill a grievous gap in my champagne repertoire….Rosa Regale! Luckily it was payday, so we made a trip to our local Whole Foods and scouted out the makings of a most excellent wine and cheese tasting. Being the food porn lover that I am and knowing how much all of you love the porn and the cheese and the chocolate and most especially the booze, I took the liberty of photographing our wine and cheese spread for your approval.

http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/graciethedog25/Walt%20Disney%20World/WDW%20January%202008/IMG_2536.jpg
Here we have: Rosa Regale (The star to whom all others have been paired), cheese (Danish Blue, Cypress Grove Midnight Moon goat cheese, Frommage de Meaux brie), El Rey chocolate, D’Anjou pears, strawberries, water crackers, and balsamic vinegar.

Everything went splendidly with the Rosa Regale. It is a delicious sparkling wine that I can’t wait to try again. Heather particularly liked the way the wine and the goat cheese brought the flavors out in each other. Midnight Moon is too die for, btw. The brie and blue cheese were excellent, too, especially with the fruit, which we drizzled with balsamic. I highly recommend El Rey to you chocolate lovers out there. It is a Venezuelan chocolate, and wow, is it ever good! However, I must admit that Rosa Regale was the perfect accompaniment to dark chocolate. We sampled it with a piece of Lindt Excellence 70% Cocoa.

More from our January trip coming soon.....Sweet Dreams! :cloud9:

[TigerKat]

:yay: Love your spread, I may duplicate it this weekend!!:thumbsup2

[arieljasmine]

Congrats on your pregnancy! My sister had twin girls in October, and they are the loves of our lives! My whole family is just head over heels! :lovestruc But I know DSis was craving a glass of wine (or 3) by the end of her pregnancy! Hang in there!

Thank you :hug: This is our first baby and we're so excited :yay:

More great reviews. I love the story about the coffee at AKL, definitely some pixie dust around that night :wizard: Glad to hear you were a little better the next day - and family of the day on Soarin', very cool.

Laur's princess:

[girli565]

Mmmm, strawberries and balsamic are soooooooooo delicious. Have you tried slicing the strawberries and mixing with a small spoon of sugar, then adding the balsamic, letting it sit for a bit then spooning that mixture over premium vanilla ice cream?!! Yummy! It's like pure decadence.

And of course a glass of Rosa Regale to round it out with!

[honeybee30]

:yay: Love your spread, I may duplicate it this weekend!!:thumbsup2

Please do and tell us how you liked it! :goodvibes

Thank you :hug: This is our first baby and we're so excited :yay:

More great reviews. I love the story about the coffee at AKL, definitely some pixie dust around that night :wizard: Glad to hear you were a little better the next day - and family of the day on Soarin', very cool.

Laur's princess:

Thanks! :cutie: We did get showered with pixie dust towards the end of our vacation. We got another dream the next day, too!

Mmmm, strawberries and balsamic are soooooooooo delicious. Have you tried slicing the strawberries and mixing with a small spoon of sugar, then adding the balsamic, letting it sit for a bit then spooning that mixture over premium vanilla ice cream?!! Yummy! It's like pure decadence.

And of course a glass of Rosa Regale to round it out with!

Yum! That does sound good. I've had strawberries mascerated (sp?) in balsamic and sugar at a restaurant before, but I've never made it at home. I'll have to try it! Hurray for strawberry season! :yay:

And thanks for clueing my in about Rosa Regale. We liked it....a lot! We may have to get 2 bottles next time, though. We argued over the last glass! :laughing:

[girli565]

Yum! That does sound good. I've had strawberries mascerated (sp?) in balsamic and sugar at a restaurant before, but I've never made it at home. I'll have to try it! Hurray for strawberry season! :yay:

And thanks for clueing my in about Rosa Regale. We liked it....a lot! We may have to get 2 bottles next time, though. We argued over the last glass! :laughing:

I think mascerated is the word! That mixture even makes a simple strawberry shortcake into complete deliciousness!! Especially with a scone instead of a normal biscuit.

You're welcome!!! My DFi and I argue over the last glass all the time. Did you get the big botttle or the smaller one? The big bottle is about 5-6 glasses while the small one is 3-4. I'm a lush so 3 glasses is not enough for me :rotfl:

[honeybee30]

I think mascerated is the word! That mixture even makes a simple strawberry shortcake into complete deliciousness!! Especially with a scone instead of a normal biscuit.

You're welcome!!! My DFi and I argue over the last glass all the time. Did you get the big botttle or the smaller one? The big bottle is about 5-6 glasses while the small one is 3-4. I'm a lush so 3 glasses is not enough for me :rotfl:

They only had the small bottles for sale at our Whole Foods, so I may have to make a trip over to Just Wine to stock up. I bet they have big bottles there. :goodvibes

[undertheseas]

Sam's carries it too, I think I paid $17? We're going to have a bottle tonight for our anniversary ;)

[TigerKat]

Sam's carries it too, I think I paid $17? We're going to have a bottle tonight for our anniversary ;)

Happy Anniversary!!:love:

[oybolshoi]

Somehow I knew you two were gonna like the Rosa Regale!

If you have a World Market anywhere near you, they typically sell the large bottle for about $20 (at least around here they do).

Happy anniversary! :goodvibes

[shovan]

Wow you're fast! I'm used to reviews at a much slower pace. ;) Yes Brenda::yes:: I mean you!:goodvibes

I'm already to post about the delicious french press of Kona Coffee & then you hit me with the cheesiness of Chef's onion soup & sammie. Follow that up with the best seat in the house at CG. And a celebrity who's a slush!Then I'm slammed by another view of yuumiliciousness! Cheese, chocolate & wonderful Rosa Regale! :eek: It's more than I can handle in one sitting!!:faint:

I have to say you two, have wonderful taste! I have to go rest now...

[oybolshoi]

Wow you're fast! I'm used to reviews at a much slower pace. ;) Yes Brenda::yes:: I mean you!:goodvibes

Sheryl, can I can quote you the next time someone says that I'm taking too long to update? :rotfl:

I've been updating about once a week on our blog and I'm starting to wonder if that's too fast??? :rotfl2:

Sorry for interrupting again Honeybee. BTW ... why can't we all plan a WDW meet for next October? Say sometime between 10/16 - 10/24??? I know Jay and I will be there on those dates and then we're leaving for a Disney Cruise on the 24th ... we could all have some good times together at the F&W Festival. :thumbsup2

[CoolDisneyKitten]

Sorry for interrupting again Honeybee. BTW ... why can't we all plan a WDW meet for next October? Say sometime between 10/16 - 10/24??? I know Jay and I will be there on those dates and then we're leaving for a Disney Cruise on the 24th ... we could all have some good times together at the F&W Festival. :thumbsup2

Boo! We'll be there (I think) Nov 2-7. *le sigh* C'est la vie.

[TigerKat]

Sorry for interrupting again Honeybee. BTW ... why can't we all plan a WDW meet for next October? Say sometime between 10/16 - 10/24??? I know Jay and I will be there on those dates and then we're leaving for a Disney Cruise on the 24th ... we could all have some good times together at the F&W Festival. :thumbsup2

Are you talking 2009?:yay: 2008 wouldn't work for me, we're going 11/8-11/13.

[oybolshoi]

Are you talking 2009?:yay: 2008 wouldn't work for me, we're going 11/8-11/13.

Yes indeedy-do ... I speak of 2009. :thumbsup2

[TigerKat]

Yes indeedy-do ... I speak of 2009. :thumbsup2

:yay: :dance3: :woohoo: :cool1: Count us in and now I get to plan another trip!!!!!

[oybolshoi]

:yay: :dance3: :woohoo: :cool1: Count us in and now I get to plan another trip!!!!!

PFTS next year just happens to fall on October 17th ... a great way to help a silly girl from Missouri celebrate her 40th birthday, doncha think? :banana:

[TigerKat]

PFTS next year just happens to fall on October 17th ... a great way to help a silly girl from Missouri celebrate her 40th birthday, doncha think? :banana:

Oh WOW, what a great trip this will be. Celebrating your 40th with a bunch of drunk foodie DISers....:cool1: I think I'm actually looking more forward to this trip (09) than this year's.

[oybolshoi]

Oh WOW, what a great trip this will be. Celebrating your 40th with a bunch of drunk foodie DISers....:cool1: I think I'm actually looking more forward to this trip (09) than this year's.

Jay is already very very frightened ... for our credit cards. :rotfl2:

Honeybee ... thanks to you I am now reading Rebecca for the eleventy-first time. Can you shed some light on the metaphor(s) I should be looking for? I mean ... I can speculate but I'd be interested to know specifically what you focused on. Unless I'm being too nosy, in which case I can be told to shut it.

I loved the practical criticism of literature courses I had to take before I could "minor" in English. I really enjoyed tackling things from a historical point of view, but there were times when I had to use a feminist approach and that's where my head keeps taking me with Rebecca.

OK ... I've rambled enough on your thread for one night. I'm going to try to write on the ol' bloggity-blooo.

See ya! :goodvibes

[honeybee30]

Sam's carries it too, I think I paid $17? We're going to have a bottle tonight for our anniversary ;)

Happy anniversary!

I wonder if costco carries Rosa Regale as well.

Happy Anniversary!!:love:

Here! Here!

Somehow I knew you two were gonna like the Rosa Regale!

If you have a World Market anywhere near you, they typically sell the large bottle for about $20 (at least around here they do).

Happy anniversary! :goodvibes

We luuurrrved it! And we took your advice on the cheese pairing. One word...yum! I will have to check out World Market.

Wow you're fast! I'm used to reviews at a much slower pace. ;) Yes Brenda::yes:: I mean you!:goodvibes

It takes time to be as witty and wonderful as Brenda's dining reviews! :goodvibes I'm more the quick and dirty type. :smokin:

I'm already to post about the delicious french press of Kona Coffee & then you hit me with the cheesiness of Chef's onion soup & sammie. Follow that up with the best seat in the house at CG. And a celebrity who's a slush!Then I'm slammed by another view of yuumiliciousness! Cheese, chocolate & wonderful Rosa Regale! :eek: It's more than I can handle in one sitting!!:faint:

I have to say you two, have wonderful taste! I have to go rest now...

Thanks! We do love to taste that's for sure. :)

And I agree, it is all food that should be savored. When I look back on it, I'm amazed at the large quantities of rich food we can eat in one day on vacation. Especially compared to the measley yogurt and salad I subsisted on today!

BTW ... why can't we all plan a WDW meet for next October? Say sometime between 10/16 - 10/24??? I know Jay and I will be there on those dates and then we're leaving for a Disney Cruise on the 24th ... we could all have some good times together at the F&W Festival. :thumbsup2

That's a great idea!

Boo! We'll be there (I think) Nov 2-7. *le sigh* C'est la vie.

What about in 2009?

:yay: :dance3: :woohoo: :cool1: Count us in and now I get to plan another trip!!!!!

Hurray! :cheer2:

PFTS next year just happens to fall on October 17th ... a great way to help a silly girl from Missouri celebrate her 40th birthday, doncha think? :banana:

Absolutely! party:

Oh WOW, what a great trip this will be. Celebrating your 40th with a bunch of drunk foodie DISers....:cool1: I think I'm actually looking more forward to this trip (09) than this year's.

I'm getting excited about this prospect! :hyper:

Jay is already very very frightened ... for our credit cards. :rotfl2:

I know! We'll need the next year to save up! I'm definitely thinking Epcot resort and lots of F&W events....

Honeybee ... thanks to you I am now reading Rebecca for the eleventy-first time. Can you shed some light on the metaphor(s) I should be looking for? I mean ... I can speculate but I'd be interested to know specifically what you focused on. Unless I'm being too nosy, in which case I can be told to shut it.

I loved the practical criticism of literature courses I had to take before I could "minor" in English. I really enjoyed tackling things from a historical point of view, but there were times when I had to use a feminist approach and that's where my head keeps taking me with Rebecca.

OK ... I've rambled enough on your thread for one night. I'm going to try to write on the ol' bloggity-blooo.

See ya! :goodvibes

Uh-oh, lady. You asked for it.... :teeth:

Rather than trying to paraphrase myself very poorly here, I have PMed you a link to my thesis. [insert evil laugh]. :rotfl2:

Night-night. Can't wait for a Vegas update!

[girli565]

Yes indeedy-do ... I speak of 2009. :thumbsup2
Foodie Diser's meeting?!!! Well my B-day is Oct. 20 and I'm always in Disney for my B-day. I'm in!!

[TigerKat]

We'll need the next year to save up! I'm definitely thinking Epcot resort and lots of F&W events....


My thoughts exactly!!:goodvibes

[MickeyNicki]

Sorry for interrupting again Honeybee. BTW ... why can't we all plan a WDW meet for next October? Say sometime between 10/16 - 10/24??? I know Jay and I will be there on those dates and then we're leaving for a Disney Cruise on the 24th ... we could all have some good times together at the F&W Festival. :thumbsup2

Count me in, we will be there Oct 18-26 at the AKL and the BW....let me know we would love to meet up with you guys!

[MickeyNicki]

Oh DUH those dates you are speaking of are for 2009! Then we will be there Oct 16 to Oct 25 too! I want to go I want to go!

[MickeyNicki]

Brenda on the 17th
Girli565 on the 20th
ME ON THE 19th

We need to party party party

[girli565]

Brenda on the 17th
Girli565 on the 20th
ME ON THE 19th

We need to party party party
Heck yeah!!!! I see us being very tipsy all weekend!

[oybolshoi]

Heck yeah!!!! I see us being very tipsy all weekend!

Just the weekend? :rotfl2:

[girli565]

Well I'll probably only be there for the weekend before my birthday so I'll only be tipsy for that weekend... the rest of you, well I'm sure it will be all week!!:rotfl2:

[oybolshoi]

Do we need to start a DIS-meet thread 17 months early? :hyper:

[princesstinkerbelle]

oh honeybee...you food never ceases to make me completely starved!!!! i love your little cheese/wine spread...i was away at the jersey shore for the past few days so i didnt get to see your updates until now..but good job! i aspire to make all of my food reports like yours!

ps...i just bought "The Host" i am going to start reading it soon hopefully.

[BriarRosie]

Count me among the members of your Procrastinators Club.

I'm just finishing up with the Plaza Restaurant. I'll continue reading while having Chef BoyArDee for lunch nuked in the company's kitchenette. :laughing:

[MagiKitty]

Ok, now I'm just jealous of y'all planning for a trip for NEXT YEAR! What a good time that'll be!

[shovan]

Sheryl, can I can quote you the next time someone says that I'm taking too long to update? :rotfl:

I've been updating about once a week on our blog and I'm starting to wonder if that's too fast??? :rotfl2:

Sorry for interrupting again Honeybee. BTW ... why can't we all plan a WDW meet for next October? Say sometime between 10/16 - 10/24??? I know Jay and I will be there on those dates and then we're leaving for a Disney Cruise on the 24th ... we could all have some good times together at the F&W Festival. :thumbsup2

This sounds like a great plan!

PFTS next year just happens to fall on October 17th ... a great way to help a silly girl from Missouri celebrate her 40th birthday, doncha think? :banana:

Oh WOW, what a great trip this will be. Celebrating your 40th with a bunch of drunk foodie DISers....:cool1: I think I'm actually looking more forward to this trip (09) than this year's.

Kathy, Most of us will be very drunk & very very full, if we try to keep up with Brenda!


It takes time to be as witty and wonderful as Brenda's dining reviews! :goodvibes I'm more the quick and dirty type. :smokin:

Thanks! We do love to taste that's for sure. :)

And I agree, it is all food that should be savored. When I look back on it, I'm amazed at the large quantities of rich food we can eat in one day on vacation. Especially compared to the measley yogurt and salad I subsisted on today!




:rotfl2:

Yogurt & salad sounds like the way to prepare for a WDW trip for sure! It is really all about the food, right? ;)

Foodie Diser's meeting?!!! Well my B-day is Oct. 20 and I'm always in Disney for my B-day. I'm in!!

That would be great! Especially if we actually find you next time! I'm still sad that our big meet at PFTS last year, didn't work out.

[TigerKat]

Just the weekend? :rotfl2:

By then I'll be primed for at least a solid week drunk...:rotfl2:

Do we need to start a DIS-meet thread 17 months early? :hyper:

::yes:: Let us know when you start it!



Kathy, Most of us will be very drunk & very very full, if we try to keep up with Brenda!



I'm going to train and practice very hard, kinda like drinking/eating boot camp!:idea:

[girli565]

That would be great! Especially if we actually find you next time! I'm still sad that our big meet at PFTS last year, didn't work out.
I know, well at least I got to meet Melissa, we ended up getting there a bit late so everyone was inside already. Hopefully this one will work! I hate to drink alone :drinking1 :drinking1 :drinking1 :drinking1 :drinking1 :drinking1

[shovan]

I know, well at least I got to meet Melissa, we ended up getting there a bit late so everyone was inside already. Hopefully this one will work! I hate to drink alone :drinking1 :drinking1 :drinking1 :drinking1 :drinking1 :drinking1

Since we have 17 months to plan, hopefully we'll do a better job of it this time!

I just noticed your wedding ticker!!!! Is it going to be the Disney wedding you were considering?

[FormrCastMbr]

Subbing to come back later and read...thanks!!! :thumbsup2

ETA: Wait a minute...I see some of my friends here...are you planning a meet and not including me??? (tigerkat and shovan)...I guess I gotta catch up on this thread... :)

[girli565]

Since we have 17 months to plan, hopefully we'll do a better job of it this time!

I just noticed your wedding ticker!!!! Is it going to be the Disney wedding you were considering?
Yes, much better at planning this one!

No, no wedding ticker, lol, I'm pushing that back until I'm in my last year of law school. No need to rush it.

[shovan]

Yes, much better at planning this one!

No, no wedding ticker, lol, I'm pushing that back until I'm in my last year of law school. No need to rush it.

Sorry, I read that wrong! I thought it said discounted deluxe WEDDING!!! :confused3 And I haven't even had a drink yet this evening! Really! Maybe that's the problem, I need a glass of wine. ;)

[girli565]

Sorry, I read that wrong! I thought it said discounted deluxe WEDDING!!! :confused3 And I haven't even had a drink yet this evening! Really! Maybe that's the problem, I need a glass of wine. ;)
mmm, I might join you in that glass of wine, I have a lovely zinfandel that has yet to be opened.

[TigerKat]

Hey, I'd like to thank Lindley for starting this thread that has now led to what may be one of the best DIS meets EVAH!!!!!:thanks:

[honeybee30]

Hello all! I’ve been away from my computer all day (oh the withdrawal), but I love the evolution of the 2009 Foodie DIS meet that is happening here!

Foodie Diser's meeting?!!! Well my B-day is Oct. 20 and I'm always in Disney for my B-day. I'm in!!

Mine is 10/9! Lot's of celebrating to do! :dance3:

Count me in, we will be there Oct 18-26 at the AKL and the BW....let me know we would love to meet up with you guys!

Fantastic! :woohoo:

Brenda on the 17th
Girli565 on the 20th
ME ON THE 19th

We need to party party party

That's a heluva lotta Libra's in one place! Should we standardize our scales? ;)

Do we need to start a DIS-meet thread 17 months early? :hyper:

Absolutely! ::yes::

Ok, now I'm just jealous of y'all planning for a trip for NEXT YEAR! What a good time that'll be!

It's an open invitation! :goodvibes

This sounds like a great plan!

Kathy, Most of us will be very drunk & very very full, if we try to keep up with Brenda!

:rotfl2:

I hope that means you're in! :hyper:

Yogurt & salad sounds like the way to prepare for a WDW trip for sure! It is really all about the food, right? ;)

No pain, no gain. We've got to loose a few before we can gain a few! :rotfl:

By then I'll be primed for at least a solid week drunk...:rotfl2:

I'm going to train and practice very hard, kinda like drinking/eating boot camp!:idea:

I admire your commitment to the cause! :laughing:

Subbing to come back later and read...thanks!!! :thumbsup2

ETA: Wait a minute...I see some of my friends here...are you planning a meet and not including me??? (tigerkat and shovan)...I guess I gotta catch up on this thread... :)

Please, come join us!

Hey, I'd like to thank Lindley for starting this thread that has now led to what may be one of the best DIS meets EVAH!!!!!:thanks:

I hope it works out! I'd love to meet all you crazy DIS foodies! :hug:

[honeybee30]

oh honeybee...you food never ceases to make me completely starved!!!! i love your little cheese/wine spread...i was away at the jersey shore for the past few days so i didnt get to see your updates until now..but good job! i aspire to make all of my food reports like yours!

ps...i just bought "The Host" i am going to start reading it soon hopefully.

Awww, thanks! :p I hope you had a nice weekend away. My mom grew up on the Jersey shore in and around Asbury Park.

I'm looking forward to reading The Host. Tell me how you like it. :goodvibes Right now, I'm reading The Boleyn Inheritance and it is really good! But I'm a sucker for historical fiction/ romance (not harlequin though :crazy2:)

Count me among the members of your Procrastinators Club.

I'm just finishing up with the Plaza Restaurant. I'll continue reading while having Chef BoyArDee for lunch nuked in the company's kitchenette. :laughing:

:welcome:

[BriarRosie]

Hmm, looks like I've stumbled upon the 2009 Foodies trip, too. Those dates are lookin' mighty good to me.

[TigerKat]

Mine is 10/9! Lot's of celebrating to do! :dance3:


:yay: Another birthday to celebrate, that means more to eat & drink!!!!

[girli565]

Mine is 10/9! Lot's of celebrating to do! :dance3:
Woohoo!! I'll be 26 next year so it's my "entering late 20's" kick off party!!!!

[honeybee30]

Hmm, looks like I've stumbled upon the 2009 Foodies trip, too. Those dates are lookin' mighty good to me.

The more the merrier! :goodvibes

:yay: Another birthday to celebrate, that means more to eat & drink!!!!

F&W fest will be like 1 big b'day party for us! :cool1:

Woohoo!! I'll be 26 next year so it's my "entering late 20's" kick off party!!!!

I'll be 34 next year. Does that mean I'm entering my mid-30's? Oy! :faint:

[FormrCastMbr]

Hi to all my new friends! :goodvibes Kat has briefly filled me in on the meet and I would love to join you guys! I already told my DH that he has to babysit!!! :lmao:

Honeybee30...I skimmed through your report and it looks great :thumbsup2 (I looked at the pics...gotta go back and read). Can wait to get me some great Disney food and drink in a few weeks!

Love the spread!


http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/graciethedog25/Walt%20Disney%20World/WDW%20January%202008/IMG_2536.jpg
Here we have: Rosa Regale (The star to whom all others have been paired), cheese (Danish Blue, Cypress Grove Midnight Moon goat cheese, Frommage de Meaux brie), El Rey chocolate, D’Anjou pears, strawberries, water crackers, and balsamic vinegar.


I am also a lover of Rosa! Here I am :) :
http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l145/atomsdepot/Picture024.jpg

[TigerKat]

I am also a lover of Rosa! Here I am :) :
http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l145/atomsdepot/Picture024.jpg

:yay: My partner in crime is here!!!!!!

[princesstinkerbelle]

Awww, thanks! :p I hope you had a nice weekend away. My mom grew up on the Jersey shore in and around Asbury Park.

I'm looking forward to reading The Host. Tell me how you like it. :goodvibes Right now, I'm reading The Boleyn Inheritance and it is really good! But I'm a sucker for historical fiction/ romance (not harlequin though :crazy2:)


so...the host is much better than i anticipated...actually, it is fantastic!!!!! i love historical fiction too (except cheesey romance...ala harlequin hahahahaha)...anne boleyn and the whole tudor time period is my favorite. i must say that i was a sucker for the other boleyn girl...

[BriarRosie]

Yay! I'm finally caught up, and I realized that all the ladies here seem like Sisters From Other Misters as far as I'm concerned. :grouphug:

We're all slushy and foodie and cheesy. And as I once told Brenda, "Your literacy is showing!" :eek:

When I read about your thesis, I thought that you'd probably enjoy Jasper Fforde. If you haven't read the series starting with The Eyre Affair, run, don't walk to your bookstore or library to read these suckers. I was hooked by the end of the first page.

And boy your food porn didn't disappoint! You'd fit right in with all the peeps at F&W, and I would definitely think you'd get on the Larded and Loaded Tour with the rest of us. ;)

[TarzansKat]

Mine is 10/9! Lot's of celebrating to do! :dance3:
Your birthday is 10/9? Me too! :goodvibes


That's a heluva lotta Libra's in one place! Should we standardize our scales? ;)
Spooky...:rolleyes1


When I read about your thesis, I thought that you'd probably enjoy Jasper Fforde. If you haven't read the series starting with The Eyre Affair, run, don't walk to your bookstore or library to read these suckers. I was hooked by the end of the first page.

I second this suggestion! The Thursday Next series by Jasper Fforde is awesome, I really enjoy them.:thumbsup2

[LastLookAtTheCastle]

I second this suggestion! The Thursday Next series by Jasper Fforde is awesome, I really enjoy them.:thumbsup2

I third them. Any literature lover will adore the Thursday Next series.

[BriarRosie]

I second this suggestion! The Thursday Next series by Jasper Fforde is awesome, I really enjoy them.:thumbsup2

I third them. Any literature lover will adore the Thursday Next series.

Woohoo! Three Fforde Ffans can't be wrong, can we? :banana:

[MagiKitty]

Ooh! Thanks for the new author suggestion....I'll be sure to check out Jasper Fforde this weekend!

[honeybee30]

Hi to all my new friends! :goodvibes Kat has briefly filled me in on the meet and I would love to join you guys! I already told my DH that he has to babysit!!! :lmao:

Bwaahaha! Another willing victim! :stir:

Honeybee30...I skimmed through your report and it looks great :thumbsup2 (I looked at the pics...gotta go back and read). Can wait to get me some great Disney food and drink in a few weeks!

Thanks! Hope you enjoy it! :goodvibes

I can't wait to go back to Disney either. I need a vacation! :beach:

I am also a lover of Rosa! Here I am :) :
http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l145/atomsdepot/Picture024.jpg

I'm a recent convert, but good stuff! :thumbsup2

so...the host is much better than i anticipated...actually, it is fantastic!!!!! i love historical fiction too (except cheesey romance...ala harlequin hahahahaha)...anne boleyn and the whole tudor time period is my favorite. i must say that i was a sucker for the other boleyn girl...

I'm looking forward to reading The Host. It's seems to be a hit!

Have you seen the Showtime show The Tudors? Jonathan Rhys Meyers as Henry the VIII...yummy!

Yay! I'm finally caught up, and I realized that all the ladies here seem like Sisters From Other Misters as far as I'm concerned. :grouphug:

We're all slushy and foodie and cheesy.

I know! Isn't it great!

And as I once told Brenda, "Your literacy is showing!" :eek:

:laughing: That's dirty....:blush:

When I read about your thesis, I thought that you'd probably enjoy Jasper Fforde. If you haven't read the series starting with The Eyre Affair, run, don't walk to your bookstore or library to read these suckers. I was hooked by the end of the first page.

I'm not familiar with Jasper Fforde, but I'm always looking for a good read, so I'll definitely check it out. Thanks for the suggestion! :)

And boy your food porn didn't disappoint! You'd fit right in with all the peeps at F&W, and I would definitely think you'd get on the Larded and Loaded Tour with the rest of us. ;)

Well, thank you! Glad you enjoyed it! I love F&W fest & it will be so much fun to meet everyone!

Your birthday is 10/9? Me too! :goodvibes

You, me, and John Lennon...all born on 10/9! :woohoo:

I third them. Any literature lover will adore the Thursday Next series.

Definitely a lit lover!

Woohoo! Three Fforde Ffans can't be wrong, can we? :banana:

3 recs in 1 day must be a good sign! I'm convinced! :goodvibes

Ooh! Thanks for the new author suggestion....I'll be sure to check out Jasper Fforde this weekend!

Maybe in addition to a 2009 Foodie DIS meet, we should start a book club! :scratchin

[shovan]

I'm going to train and practice very hard, kinda like drinking/eating boot camp!:idea:

Oh yeah, training that's what we'll call it!!! ;)


I'm looking forward to reading The Host. Tell me how you like it. :goodvibes Right now, I'm reading The Boleyn Inheritance and it is really good! But I'm a sucker for historical fiction/ romance (not harlequin though :crazy2:)

:welcome:

That's going to be next on my list! I LOVED The Other Boleyn Sister! I'm a sucker for that historical fiction stuff too, but just as you said not that harlequin crapola.::yes::


Hello all! I’ve been away from my computer all day (oh the withdrawal), but I love the evolution of the 2009 Foodie DIS meet that is happening here!

I hope that means you're in! :hyper:


No pain, no gain. We've got to loose a few before we can gain a few! :rotfl:



I hope it works out! I'd love to meet all you crazy DIS foodies! :hug:

Yes I'm in! This year will be our third October trip for the F&W fest. We can definitely plan another for next year!:cool1:

Hi to all my new friends! :goodvibes Kat has briefly filled me in on the meet and I would love to join you guys! I already told my DH that he has to babysit!!! :lmao:



Girlfriend, We could have Sooo much fun!!! You HAVE to join us!!!! party, party, partey!!!

so...the host is much better than i anticipated...actually, it is fantastic!!!!! i love historical fiction too (except cheesey romance...ala harlequin hahahahaha)...anne boleyn and the whole tudor time period is my favorite. i must say that i was a sucker for the other boleyn girl...

My feelings exactly! Is there a spy-cam in my house??


Maybe in addition to a 2009 Foodie DIS meet, we should start a book club! :scratchin


::yes:: This is almost wierd. A bunch of Food lovin, slushie drinkin & book learnin peeps, all in one place!!! :goodvibes

[tigger536]

Just finished your report! Loving it so far! :thumbsup2

PS: Can I join in on the book club and meet talk? I am a food lovin, (grand marnier) slushie drinkin and lit lovin peep also!

Anyway, thanks for the great reviews!

[TheBeadPirate]

Kathy sent me here too! I just read everything and loved it!:rotfl2:

Ya'll are too funny!

Once again, I show up late for the party....but I brought Rosa and Magic Shell with me!

Sooo, 2009....Think it's too much to convince the man that we can go to DL the first weekend in Oct and then fly from there to WDW for the meet?:hyper:

huh?huh?huh?::yes::


PS-Maybe Eeyore was missing from your trip to Crystal Palace because he was the sausage?!? (Evil, I know, but you gotta work with what ya got....:sad2: )

[TigerKat]

Once again, I show up late for the party....but I brought Rosa and Magic Shell with me!



Anyone wanna guess how the Magic Shell is used?:lmao:

[oybolshoi]

I'm officially signing up for the book club. I've always wanted to join one but I can't seem to find one in my area that is even remotely appealing or not located 50 miles from our house.

What's the first book ... who's leading the discussion ... how much time do we have ... ??? :hyper:

I'm not half-joking here. We could actually set up a Yahoo Group for this and we could also keep track of the foodie-boozie-bookie meet for next October at the same site. :thumbsup2

Going to rest now ... horrid horrid weather-related headache has sapped all desire to write about food.

But ... before I go: one of the best pieces of historical fiction that I've recently read is a book called Duchess, A Novel of Sarah Churchill by Susan Holloway. It's very well written and the characters are fully developed and engaging.

[FormrCastMbr]

Kathy sent me here too! I just read everything and loved it!:rotfl2:

Ya'll are too funny!

Once again, I show up late for the party....but I brought Rosa and Magic Shell with me!


I showed up late for the party as well and can't seem to catch up on the thread...the pics are nice along with the people!

Magic Shell? I thought that was only for hubby to carry around the World Showcase? :rotfl:

Anyone wanna guess how the Magic Shell is used?:lmao:

I'd like to leave it to the imagination!




Sheryl, 2 glasses of wine and I deleted your whole post!!! :confused: Jeez, are you sure you want me to come???

The meet sounds like a blast!


PS: Can I join in on the book club and meet talk? I am a food lovin, (grand marnier) slushie drinkin and lit lovin peep also!

Anyway, thanks for the great reviews!

Hi! I am new here too just can't get caught up! :)

***************
Honeybee, Thanks for starting a great thread!

[honeybee30]

That's going to be next on my list! I LOVED The Other Boleyn Sister! I'm a sucker for that historical fiction stuff too, but just as you said not that harlequin crapola.::yes::

The Boleyn Inheritance picks up pretty much where The Other Boleyn Girl left off. It's from multiple points of view. And very addictive! popcorn::

Yes I'm in! This year will be our third October trip for the F&W fest. We can definitely plan another for next year!:cool1:

Yay! :yay:

Just finished your report! Loving it so far! :thumbsup2

PS: Can I join in on the book club and meet talk? I am a food lovin, (grand marnier) slushie drinkin and lit lovin peep also!

Anyway, thanks for the great reviews!

Thanks for reading! :goodvibes And please jump on in! I think you fit the criteria... ;)

Kathy sent me here too! I just read everything and loved it!:rotfl2:

Ya'll are too funny!

Once again, I show up late for the party....but I brought Rosa and Magic Shell with me!

Sooo, 2009....Think it's too much to convince the man that we can go to DL the first weekend in Oct and then fly from there to WDW for the meet?:hyper:

huh?huh?huh?::yes::

Thanks! Glad you could join us and with offerings of Rosa no less. Good form! :thumbsup2

::yes:: I think "the man" :lmao: would be crazy not too fly you straight to WDW from DLR for the meet!

PS-Maybe Eeyore was missing from your trip to Crystal Palace because he was the sausage?!? (Evil, I know, but you gotta work with what ya got....:sad2: )

Donkey sausage....so that's what the Magic Shell is for....:scratchin

Anyone wanna guess how the Magic Shell is used?:lmao:

I hope it has something to do with ice cream or else you've been very naughty...:laughing:

I'm officially signing up for the book club. I've always wanted to join one but I can't seem to find one in my area that is even remotely appealing or not located 50 miles from our house.

What's the first book ... who's leading the discussion ... how much time do we have ... ??? :hyper:

I'm not half-joking here. We could actually set up a Yahoo Group for this and we could also keep track of the foodie-boozie-bookie meet for next October at the same site. :thumbsup2

Going to rest now ... horrid horrid weather-related headache has sapped all desire to write about food.

But ... before I go: one of the best pieces of historical fiction that I've recently read is a book called Duchess, A Novel of Sarah Churchill by Susan Holloway. It's very well written and the characters are fully developed and engaging.

Oh no! Go sleep off that headache & feel better! :hug:

I think a book club would be great fun! And I'm up for any suggestions on the ins, outs, whats & wheres!

Duchess....pulls out summer reading list....I'll add that one to the queue. Thanks for the suggestion! :flower3:

I showed up late for the party as well and can't seem to catch up on the thread...the pics are nice along with the people!

Honeybee, Thanks for starting a great thread!

Take your time! I'm just thrilled with all the positive responses and bonding that is going on!

[FormrCastMbr]

I have made it through to page 6!!! :cool1: Your reviews are amazing! What a great group you also have following along!

We are leaving in about 3 weeks so I'll be taking pics to review Raglan Rd (my fav), La Nouba/House of Blues (for our 1 year anniversary), Blue Zoo, Cape May breakfast and Yak and Yeti lunch.

I just added Y&Y yesterday based on your review and pics and also my DS10 asked to go to Nine Dragons yesterday (this is a must for my guys since they love Chinese food) and it will be closed when we go. Y&Y seems close enough food wise.


They are a series of books aimed at young adults, but they have gained massive popularity with, well, everybody, a lot like HP did. Twilight is the 1st book, Eclipse is the 2nd book, and New Moon is the 3rd book. Breaking Dawn, the one we're all so amped up about, is the final book in the series and it comes out 8/2. The movie version of Twilight comes out this Christmas.


I'll have to check these out...I just started the Harry Potter series. I am going to read the first book, then have my son read it. I think it will be fun for us. Then we will watch the movies since we have never seen them. I thought this would be a nice motivator since DS needs to improve on his reading.

OK, the dog is barking and DH is growling...be back later to start reading again.

Have a great day!

[MickeyNicki]

Miss honeybee...here is a stupid question, how do you get your list of dining to show up as a link in a different color and write what the place is..instead of just posting a link....

Am I making any sense? Can you tell I need help?

[TigerKat]

Going to rest now ... horrid horrid weather-related headache has sapped all desire to write about food.



Oh no, hope you're feeling better today.:hug:

[oybolshoi]

Feeling better .... ahhhhhh!

Thanks for the hugs! :goodvibes

As to an on-line bookclub, here are some thoughts off the top of my head ...

1) We'd need more than one moderator for the Yahoo site to keep things running smoothly and issue member invitaitons (most of the cruise groups I've joined with in the past .. all from the DIS ... have 3-5 mods so that no one person has to "do it all").
2) I'd suggest that when it's time for a new book all members make a suggestion and then we can all vote on it - majority vote wins and then the member whose book was chosen gets to lead the discussion.
3) Two months between books to allow for plenty of time to read and discuss ... is that enough time? I read pretty fast so I'm trying to allow plenty of time for others who may not be a "gready" (Jay calls me a greedy reader or gready because I read so fast).
4) Agree upon a discussion time ... maybe once a week until we're through the book?

I've never been in a book club so I'm not sure of the ins and outs ... these are just things that popped into my freshly caffeinated brain.

**Discuss amongst yourselves**

:rotfl2:

[KristinAnne]

How great is it when a TR turns into a potential book club? I would love to join. My biggest problem is that I'm an English teacher. During the summer I can read non-stop, but during the school year. I read SO much, both the books my students are reading and the papers they write, that it is nearly impossible for me to motivate myself to read when I come home. I need to get better at that! Looking forward to more reviews (back to the topic at hand!)

[girli565]

Feeling better .... ahhhhhh!

Thanks for the hugs! :goodvibes

As to an on-line bookclub, here are some thoughts off the top of my head ...

1) We'd need more than one moderator for the Yahoo site to keep things running smoothly and issue member invitaitons (most of the cruise groups I've joined with in the past .. all from the DIS ... have 3-5 mods so that no one person has to "do it all").
2) I'd suggest that when it's time for a new book all members make a suggestion and then we can all vote on it - majority vote wins and then the member whose book was chosen gets to lead the discussion.
3) Two months between books to allow for plenty of time to read and discuss ... is that enough time? I read pretty fast so I'm trying to allow plenty of time for others who may not be a "gready" (Jay calls me a greedy reader or gready because I read so fast).
4) Agree upon a discussion time ... maybe once a week until we're through the book?

I've never been in a book club so I'm not sure of the ins and outs ... these are just things that popped into my freshly caffeinated brain.

**Discuss amongst yourselves**

:rotfl2:
My god, I'm gone for 2 days and this blows up!! I love it!

That sounds great, I'm definitely in for the book club. I used to read a book a week but when I started college that took a back seat to research and studying for my political science BA. Then when I graduated I finally read a real book again, Wicked.

I'm so in for the book club, I need to start reading again... and I'm also a greedy reader. I could finish a 400-page book in 2-3 days, and that's with maybe 2-3 hours a day of reading time.

[FormrCastMbr]

Feeling better .... ahhhhhh!

As to an on-line bookclub, here are some thoughts off the top of my head ...



Glad you're feeling better. I am in to try the book club. I have never been a part of one either but me, I'm a slow reader so 2 months is fine for me.

[BriarRosie]

It's a trip report! No, it's a book club! I love it. :rotfl2:

I'm semi-"gready". The only times I've stayed up indecently long to read were for the Harry Potter books and The DaVinci Code. Damn that Dan Brown for putting alternating cliff-hangers at the end of every chapter! :teeth:

Egad, thread-jacking. :blush:

[kermits girl]

*knock knock knock* Where's the food? :confused: I need more!

[honeybee30]

Sunday was our last full day. Or the next to the last day, before Monday, which was our last last day when we packed up the farfugnugen and drove home. (I’m confused… :confused:) Anyway, the point of all the last day semantics is that this inevitability always leaves me feeling ambivalent. It’s like the last week of summer vacation when you’re a kid. You can still ride your bike all day, but school and homework loom in the not too distant future. Same with WDW. I’m hurdling through the galaxy on Space Mountain, but I still feel the real world breathing down my neck. Plus I’m a big baby! :sad:

So on Sunday I resisted the urge to glare at people checking in as we made our way through the lobby towards the MGM bus. We missed MGM on Friday when we slept all day, so we deviated from plan :scared1: and bypassed MK for the Studios.

As you’ve probably noticed, we’re not what I’d call breakfast people. And we only visit the food court under extreme duress. Procuring coffee, however, is not optional. To say that DGF is irritable without her caffeine fix is a gross understatement. Remember the picture of DGF’s “I’m annoyed with you” face….that’s just the tip of the iceberg, my friends. Needless to say we got coffee somewhere and I’d bet my bottom dollar, big Daddy Warbucks, and the whole orphanage that espresso was involved.

After chemically altering our personalities for the better, we decided that we were not up for the big thrills this morning. ToT & RnR are usually our first stops when we are healthy Disney fans, but we were still a bit immune depressed, so we got in line for the much tamer Magic of Disney Animation tour. :artist:

It was the first tour of the morning and we were the first in line, so we’re waiting there at the turnstiles when three members of the Dream Team happen to materialize through one of their Dream Team portals. :teleport: I elbow DGF in the side. She says, “Ow!” and pinches me. I say, “Dream Team! Dream Team!” She looks at me like I’m crazy. Then the Dream Team separates. One comes towards us and two stand on either side of the Animation doors. This looks promising! :hyper: The Dream Team gives each other the :thumbsup2, the CM announces the beginning of the tour, and we are all led towards the entrance. It turns out that we were to be the proud recipients of Dream Fastpasses! Being sick worked to our benefit after all!

Hotdiggitydam! :banana:
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/graciethedog25/Walt%20Disney%20World/WDW%20January%202008/IMG_2312.jpg

To celebrate we drew some pictures of Goofy:
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/graciethedog25/Walt%20Disney%20World/WDW%20January%202008/IMG_2313.jpg

Next stop Pixar…
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/graciethedog25/Walt%20Disney%20World/WDW%20January%202008/IMG_2315.jpg

Winning and drawing stuff are hard work, so we stopped by Starring Rolls Café for a nibble.
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/graciethedog25/Walt%20Disney%20World/WDW%20January%202008/IMG_2318.jpg

Jalapeno chips, chocolate chip cookie, and Coke:
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/graciethedog25/Walt%20Disney%20World/WDW%20January%202008/IMG_2316.jpg
Now, I’m no nutritionist, but that looks like well-balanced junk to me!

Not a very big lunch though. But that’s ok because we had a hearty dinner planned at bluezoo. We ate there last fall and it was so unbelievably good that we wanted to save lots of tummy room. So after cashing in a majority of our FPs, we hopped a boat to the Dolphin for our 5pm ADR.

Upon checking in with the hostess, we took our seats, ordered a bottle of Evian and a glass of white wine, and were given a nice basket of bread:
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/graciethedog25/Walt%20Disney%20World/WDW%20January%202008/IMG_2320.jpg
The crispy, crackery type bread was really good!

Crab is one of DGF’s favorite foods, so for an appetizer, we shared two enormous Alaskan King crab claws with a nummy mustard sauce:
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/graciethedog25/Walt%20Disney%20World/WDW%20January%202008/IMG_2319.jpg
I don’t think these were listed on the menu, and I’m pretty sure we had to ask the waiter for them special, but they were well worth the market price. Succulent, fresh, and delicious! My advice (for what it’s worth): if you’re craving something that does not appear on the regular menu, then just ask. The worst they can say is no!

For my main course, I ordered the two-pound Maine Cantonese lobster, which is a whole lobster that is fried and tossed in a sticky glaze:
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/graciethedog25/Walt%20Disney%20World/WDW%20January%202008/IMG_2321.jpg
This dish is as decadent as it sounds! Although it was fried, the lobster was still tender and delicate. Not chewy or coated too heavily with batter or sauce. And the soy glaze was a nice combination of sweet and savory, but also not too overpowering. The rice and veggies that accompanied the lobster were very good too. This was my 2nd time ordering it, and I would be hard pressed not to order it again!

DGF wanted to try something new, so she ordered the Simply Fish.
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/graciethedog25/Walt%20Disney%20World/WDW%20January%202008/IMG_2323.jpg
Isn’t that a gorgeous presentation?! DGF was given a choice of a bunch of different fishes and she decided on arctic char, which was grilled teppanyaki style and served with a warm crabmeat, Dijon, and chive sauce. She proclaimed this to be one of the best fish dishes she’s ever eaten. It was prepared perfectly, and I tasted that sauce…wow!

I admit one of the main reasons that we decided to re-visit bluezoo was this side dish right here:
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/graciethedog25/Walt%20Disney%20World/WDW%20January%202008/IMG_2324.jpg
Tempura Haricot Vert with Truffle Aioli. I’ve had other tempura style green beans, and they don’t compare. I think it’s because the French green beans are so thin and keep their bite. The coating on these is light and crispy, and of course the truffle aioli is unbelievable!

We made sure to save room for dessert:
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/graciethedog25/Walt%20Disney%20World/WDW%20January%202008/IMG_2328.jpg
This is one of those crazy strawberry three ways types of deals. On the left is a quite unconventional strawberry napoleon, which I wish I remembered more about so I could tell you guys more about it. I do remember the middle one, however, because it was my favorite. It is a chocolate covered strawberry meringue with a little scoop of strawberry sorbet on top. This was like a gourmet, strawberry-flavored 3 Musketeers bar that was put in the freezer for a while. Oh yeah! The third delicacy is a strawberry coated in a hard candy shell. A little impractical (hard to share!) and a little dangerous (cracked sugar is sharp!), but unique and very pretty!

And of course, a prerequisite cup of coffee to finish off a most excellent meal!
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/graciethedog25/Walt%20Disney%20World/WDW%20January%202008/IMG_2326.jpg
bluezoo has become a favorite of ours in recent trips, and I highly recommend it to anyone who loves fresh fish, seafood, and innovative preparations! Plus it is a fairly child-free environment, which is at a premium even in WDW’s better restaurants.

From bluezoo, we went over to MK for evening EMH. It was our last night at WDW and the MK was open till a whopping 11pm! :cool1: So we walked around and rode some stuff, and at the end of the night, we stopped by Sleepy Hollow for a funnel cake:
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/graciethedog25/Walt%20Disney%20World/WDW%20January%202008/IMG_2335.jpg

Which we enjoyed from the best seat in the house:
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/graciethedog25/Walt%20Disney%20World/WDW%20January%202008/IMG_2334.jpg

[honeybee30]

On Monday, we had to go home. :( And as per tradition that meant one last stop at DTD to make sure we spent every last red cent on Mickey infused merchandise. It also meant lunch at Earl of Sandwich. :woohoo:

Is that place ever not busy? We were willing to wait though for those delicious sammiches. We both had the Original 1762, chips, and Earl Grey lemonade:
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd189/graciethedog25/Walt%20Disney%20World/WDW%20January%202008/IMG_2336.jpg
You’ve heard the rumors, and they’re true – the original has roast beef, cheddar, and horseradish sauce, and it’s good! So hop on over to the Earl, little bunnies, and get you one!

And so closes another WDW vacation full of fantastic food! Goodnight, Gracie! :wave2:

Coming up… the last chapter with a http://www.advin.com/uv-eraser-plug-USA-W512.JPG for my next trippie!

[MickeyNicki]

NOOOO!!!! Say it aint so, its over already???

So when ya going back??

[oybolshoi]

Mmmmm, bluezoo looks mighty tasty - can't wait to get there in October!

Thanks for the terrific reviews ... it's always a pleasure to follow one of your threads! :thumbsup2

PS. Congrats on the Dream Fastpasses!!!

[TigerKat]

Ahhhhhhhh........I'm in heaven.....:cloud9: when I see Blue Zoo goodies!

Hate to see your thread end, your reviews are the best and where will we go to talk about our '09 trip?:(

[honeybee30]

I have made it through to page 6!!! :cool1: Your reviews are amazing! What a great group you also have following along!

Aw, shucks....:blush: They are a good group, though, aren't they! :goodvibes

We are leaving in about 3 weeks so I'll be taking pics to review Raglan Rd (my fav), La Nouba/House of Blues (for our 1 year anniversary), Blue Zoo, Cape May breakfast and Yak and Yeti lunch.

I just added Y&Y yesterday based on your review and pics and also my DS10 asked to go to Nine Dragons yesterday (this is a must for my guys since they love Chinese food) and it will be closed when we go. Y&Y seems close enough food wise.!

Yay! :yay: You will take loads of pictures and write a food review when you get back, won't you?!

Yak & Yeti is fun. I hope you enjoy it! We're going back in August, too.

I'll have to check these out...I just started the Harry Potter series. I am going to read the first book, then have my son read it. I think it will be fun for us. Then we will watch the movies since we have never seen them. I thought this would be a nice motivator since DS needs to improve on his reading.

Lucky you! Harry Potter through fresh eyes! I've read them all several times, but nothing is like the first time!

Miss honeybee...here is a stupid question, how do you get your list of dining to show up as a link in a different color and write what the place is..instead of just posting a link....

Am I making any sense? Can you tell I need help?

I know exactly what you mean & I'll try my best to explain.

1. Look at the tool bar at the top of the message box and find the little world with the infinity symbol at the bottom. This is the Insert Link icon.

2. Hit the Insert Link icon and a new box will pop up on the screen.

3. Copy the url of the link you want to include in your post and paste it in the box. Then hit OK.

4. Your link will appear in the message and there will be 2 sets of brackets. The bracket at the beginning has the url address and the bracket at the end looks like this: [/URL] In the space between the two sets of brackets you can write whatever you want.

5. Once you've titled your link, you can highlight it and change the color. When you post your message, the link should show up the way you want it to.

**If you want to create a link to a single post, like I do in my dining review, just go to the post you want to link and hit the post number. A window will open with the single post. Just copy the url and paste that in the Insert Link box.

Hope that makes sense!

Feeling better .... ahhhhhh!

Thanks for the hugs! :goodvibes

As to an on-line bookclub, here are some thoughts off the top of my head ...

1) We'd need more than one moderator for the Yahoo site to keep things running smoothly and issue member invitaitons (most of the cruise groups I've joined with in the past .. all from the DIS ... have 3-5 mods so that no one person has to "do it all").
2) I'd suggest that when it's time for a new book all members make a suggestion and then we can all vote on it - majority vote wins and then the member whose book was chosen gets to lead the discussion.
3) Two months between books to allow for plenty of time to read and discuss ... is that enough time? I read pretty fast so I'm trying to allow plenty of time for others who may not be a "gready" (Jay calls me a greedy reader or gready because I read so fast).
4) Agree upon a discussion time ... maybe once a week until we're through the book?

I've never been in a book club so I'm not sure of the ins and outs ... these are just things that popped into my freshly caffeinated brain.

**Discuss amongst yourselves**

:rotfl2:

Glad you are feeling better!

Your suggestions for the book club sound perfect! I agree to moderate (as long as you explain my moderator duties cause I'm not exactly sure what that entails. :cutie:) The book choice, timing, and discussion leading responsibilities all sound very reasonable also.

My first book suggestion is The Host.

Any takers? Or ideas?

How great is it when a TR turns into a potential book club? I would love to join. My biggest problem is that I'm an English teacher. During the summer I can read non-stop, but during the school year. I read SO much, both the books my students are reading and the papers they write, that it is nearly impossible for me to motivate myself to read when I come home. I need to get better at that! Looking forward to more reviews (back to the topic at hand!)

I'm an English teacher, too. So I understand completely. In the summer I gobble down the books. During the school year, I'm lucky to read People magazine. But I think a book club would motivate me to read and 2 months would be plenty of time!

My god, I'm gone for 2 days and this blows up!! I love it!

That sounds great, I'm definitely in for the book club. I used to read a book a week but when I started college that took a back seat to research and studying for my political science BA. Then when I graduated I finally read a real book again, Wicked.

I'm so in for the book club, I need to start reading again... and I'm also a greedy reader. I could finish a 400-page book in 2-3 days, and that's with maybe 2-3 hours a day of reading time.

Oooh! Loved Wicked! Great book!

Glad you're feeling better. I am in to try the book club. I have never been a part of one either but me, I'm a slow reader so 2 months is fine for me.

Another taker! Awesome! Any suggestions for our first read?

It's a trip report! No, it's a book club! I love it. :rotfl2:

I'm semi-"gready". The only times I've stayed up indecently long to read were for the Harry Potter books and The DaVinci Code. Damn that Dan Brown for putting alternating cliff-hangers at the end of every chapter! :teeth:

Egad, thread-jacking. :blush:

My thread's been hijacked by foodies and readers! :eek: What is the world coming too!

I get gready-induced insomnia once in a while, myself. Now that you mention it, last night I stayed up till 2:30am reading.

*knock knock knock* Where's the food? :confused: I need more!

I updated today! :cheer2:

[honeybee30]

NOOOO!!!! Say it aint so, its over already???

So when ya going back??

Parting is such sweet sorrow...But we will be back in August for 13 days of eating, drinking, and merry-making! 10 of those will be on the DxDP! :woohoo:

Mmmmm, bluezoo looks mighty tasty - can't wait to get there in October!

Thanks for the terrific reviews ... it's always a pleasure to follow one of your threads! :thumbsup2

PS. Congrats on the Dream Fastpasses!!!

It's always a pleasure to have you follow one of my reviews! :goodvibes You and Jay will love the bluezoo! :lovestruc And Dream Fastpasses - so not overrated!

Ahhhhhhhh........I'm in heaven.....:cloud9: when I see Blue Zoo goodies!

Hate to see your thread end, your reviews are the best and where will we go to talk about our '09 trip?:(

We definitely share the bluezoo love! As far as '09 goes, I think we should follow Brenda's advice and either start a thread on the DIS Meet board or form a Yahoo! group. Are you interested in the book club, too?

[oybolshoi]

I'd be up for The Host ... I just gotta get myself to Borders sometime this week (Jay will love that, I was just there on Wednesday and bought two books which I've already raced through).

BTW, thanks to you Honeybee, I not only re-read Rebecca this week but I went out and bought Rebecca's Tale. It was approved by Du Maurier's estate and all-in-all it's not a bad read. It could have been better but it could have been worse.

I'll PM you later about the Yahoo thing - it's pretty easy. I'm a mod on another group and trust me when I say that if I can do it, anyone can!

[ztam3]

LOVED your reviews! thanks so much for sharing. I am very curious to see how the book "club" would work! I love the idea...
:cool1:

[Sam'sMom0126]

question: is the horseradish sauce on the original more saucey or mayoey (is that a word?) I love roast beef, cheddar and horseradish but not a fan of mayo!

thanks!

[girli565]

Your suggestions for the book club sound perfect! I agree to moderate (as long as you explain my moderator duties cause I'm not exactly sure what that entails. :cutie:) The book choice, timing, and discussion leading responsibilities all sound very reasonable also.

My first book suggestion is The Host.

Any takers? Or ideas?



Oooh! Loved Wicked! Great book!


I'm in!! I just need to find the book. I'm a library girl so I'll just go search.::yes::



I know, I loved Wicked too. And what makes it even better was I got to see it on stage in April! I am sooooooooo in love with the soundtrack.:goodvibes

[TigerKat]

Are you interested in the book club, too?

Unfortunately with DS's baseball I haven't had time to even read the newspaper in the last 4 years. I did, however, buy a book for the first time in ages, just two weeks ago, which will probably take me 6 months to read.;)

[MagiKitty]

Oh no! The foodie report is over? Noooo!!! I want more food porn!

Thanks so much for sharing your wonderful trip with us, although you did have to battle illness, but that didn't keep you down too much! And Dream FastPasses! Awesome!

Looking forward to reading your next adventures in dining! :thumbsup2

[John's Mom]

Thanks for sharing your great reviews and pics. :worship: I'm going to miss them. :(

Hope you and your DGF have a wonderful stay at The Poly! :cool1: I'm looking forward to your next chapter in Food Porn when you return.

[suzimar57]

the food at dolphin looked wonderful!!!! :love:

really enjoyed your reviews and photos - thanks so much!

[FormrCastMbr]

Oh my freakin goodness, I cannot wait to try Blue Zoo in a little over 3 weeks!!! Thanks for another great installment. Sad its your last...

I love Earl too! I worked in that bldg when it was the Gourmet Pantry. I get all tear eyed when I go there.

I am in for the book club. If I miss something about it, can you please PM me the info? You have to make it idiot proof for me:) ...I'm kinda of ditzy. :rolleyes1

Thanks again! I am off to my son's baseball game...the first playoff...Have a great night all!

[lucas]

Great report! I enjoyed your reviews and especially all the pics. Thanks for posting them. :thumbsup2

[SkyGirl]

That was fantastic!! BRAVO!:dance3: :dance3: :dance3:

[disneegrl4eva]

that was a great review...you crack me up girl......

[honeybee30]

I'd be up for The Host ... I just gotta get myself to Borders sometime this week (Jay will love that, I was just there on Wednesday and bought two books which I've already raced through).

BTW, thanks to you Honeybee, I not only re-read Rebecca this week but I went out and bought Rebecca's Tale. It was approved by Du Maurier's estate and all-in-all it's not a bad read. It could have been better but it could have been worse.

I'll PM you later about the Yahoo thing - it's pretty easy. I'm a mod on another group and trust me when I say that if I can do it, anyone can!

You sound like us. I think we bought 5 books this week. Of course Heather does manage a bookstore, so the temptation is always there....But I did secure a copy of The Host today, which I'm pretty excited about. It's new and in hardback, so a little pricey. But it's 40% off for Borders Rewards members.

I love Rebecca. I only wish the Hitchcock film version would rerelease on DVD! Rebecca's Tale sounds interesting. It's from the 1st wife's p.o.v. I'm guessing. I'll have to check that out as well.

I'd love to proceed with the book club. Whenever you have time, just let me know and I'll help set it up. :goodvibes

LOVED your reviews! thanks so much for sharing. I am very curious to see how the book "club" would work! I love the idea...
:cool1:

Thanks! If we can get the book club off the ground we'll definitely let those who seem interested know, probabbly through a PM.

question: is the horseradish sauce on the original more saucey or mayoey (is that a word?) I love roast beef, cheddar and horseradish but not a fan of mayo!

thanks!

The horseradish sauce didn't taste overly like mayo to me. It was creamy and mild, but distinctly horseradishy.

I'm in!! I just need to find the book. I'm a library girl so I'll just go search.::yes::

I know, I loved Wicked too. And what makes it even better was I got to see it on stage in April! I am sooooooooo in love with the soundtrack.:goodvibes

Great! Now we just have to get organized!

I'm jealous! I'd love to see Wicked on stage! Did you read Son of a Witch? It's on my very long "to read" list....

Unfortunately with DS's baseball I haven't had time to even read the newspaper in the last 4 years. I did, however, buy a book for the first time in ages, just two weeks ago, which will probably take me 6 months to read.;)

I understand. You're just such a pleasure to have around that I want you to join!

Oh no! The foodie report is over? Noooo!!! I want more food porn!

Thanks so much for sharing your wonderful trip with us, although you did have to battle illness, but that didn't keep you down too much! And Dream FastPasses! Awesome!

Looking forward to reading your next adventures in dining! :thumbsup2

Thanks for all your great comments! It was really fun to write!

Thanks for sharing your great reviews and pics. :worship: I'm going to miss them. :(

Hope you and your DGF have a wonderful stay at The Poly! :cool1: I'm looking forward to your next chapter in Food Porn when you return.

I can't wait to stay at the Poly, and I know you can't either! I'll be sure to take lots of pictures of all the tropical drinks we have at the Tambu lounge! ;)

the food at dolphin looked wonderful!!!! :love:

really enjoyed your reviews and photos - thanks so much!

bluezoo was excellent! Thank you for reading!

Oh my freakin goodness, I cannot wait to try Blue Zoo in a little over 3 weeks!!! Thanks for another great installment. Sad its your last...

I love Earl too! I worked in that bldg when it was the Gourmet Pantry. I get all tear eyed when I go there.

I am in for the book club. If I miss something about it, can you please PM me the info? You have to make it idiot proof for me:) ...I'm kinda of ditzy. :rolleyes1

Thanks again! I am off to my son's baseball game...the first playoff...Have a great night all!

I hope you enjoy bluezoo as much as we have!

I'll definitely let you know any news on the book club!

Good luck to your son! Go Team!

Great report! I enjoyed your reviews and especially all the pics. Thanks for posting them. :thumbsup2

Awww, thanks!

That was fantastic!! BRAVO!:dance3: :dance3: :dance3:

Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it!

[honeybee30]

that was a great review...you crack me up girl......

Thank you for reading my silly reviews! I'm glad I made you giggle! :cutie: