We Smelled It ... It Had To Be Eaten! Christmas Eve Food Porn posts #1170 & #1171!!

[Tink rules]

Old lady waitresses don't like me very much ... I'm too asky ... er, requestitive ... ummmm, demanding! ;)

Yup... She orders just like Meg Ryan in "When Harry Met Sally"... Big "O" Scene optional... ;) ;) ;)

[A fat english gent]

When you see just how much these two can pack away i always think "Never offer to pay" and "Don't open the drinks cabinet before midnight".....Hmm i wonder do aliens really live amongst us?......:rolleyes1


ps....Bendy remember "when" you guys do come over here the first 10 pots are on me AND i'll buy you both some PROPER Fish and chips,mushy peas salt and vinager with a Tea cake (bread cake) all served in yesterdays newspaper just the way REAL fish and chip should be served.....:snooty:

[oybolshoi]

puckerup: :love2:

Do we get to eat the newspaper, too? :rotfl2:


When you see just how much these two can pack away i always think "Never offer to pay" and "Don't open the drinks cabinet before midnight".....Hmm i wonder do aliens really live amongst us?......:rolleyes1


ps....Bendy remember "when" you guys do come over here the first 10 pots are on me AND i'll buy you both some PROPER Fish and chips,mushy peas salt and vinager with a Tea cake (bread cake) all served in yesterdays newspaper just the way REAL fish and chip should be served.....:snooty:

[pinkrose]

I always enjoy your reports. I can't wait to read more and see more pictures of yummy Disney food!

[TPCShauna]

As an aside, patrons and CMs alike at Pooh's stall were no doubt very pleased by our departure since all we did was make childish poop jokes while waiting for the rain to ease up. The best perhaps was wondering aloud if we could purchase a Pooh Pooh Platter. :lmao:

And speaking of dessert, we were total pigs and ordered two because I wanted to try something new. Jay opted for the traditional Raglan Road dessert, Ger's Bread & Butter Pudding which is served with Butterscotch and Creme Anglaise Sauces.

Stuff yer face with that!
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l213/oybolshoi/October%202008/33.jpg

Still as good as we remember it ... this was warm and sweet and chock full o' raisins. And the mix of both sauces poured over it ... this sort of devilish combination should be outlawed. I'm not typically a big fan of bread pudding but this is one of the best desserts I've ever eaten. If you dine at Raglan Road save room for the bread pudding - it's that good!

Pooh Pooh Platter. :lmao: :rotfl: :rotfl2: snarfle snort giggle giggle chuckle chuckle. My boss wanted to know what was so funny. And there were so many reasons why I couldn't answer. Ha ha!

Question - Did the raisins appear to be something sprinkled on after the fact rather than baked into the bread pudding? I ask because (much like Alton Brown) nothing is better with raisins but I want that pudding.

Another awesome RR review! Your reviews are the primary reason why I decided to book an ADR here so DH and I will be dining at this lovely establishment in 6 short weeks. I specifically booked a 9:00pm ressie on Saturday night in the hopes of enjoying my Irish heritage with a little booze and tunes. I hope to have equally lovely things to report.


Old lady waitresses don't like me very much ... I'm too asky ... er, requestitive ... ummmm, demanding! ;)

It is fabulous, isn't it? Although I still think Commander's Palace Bread Pudding Souffle w/Whiskey Cream Sauce may be the best dessert I've ever had.

Ever.

There is nothing on any menu anywhere that I order the way it is written. I look at menus more as suggestions of things to eat rather than specific items. And servers don't like me either for it but I tip well if they at least have the illusion of tolerance.

And I totally agree with you on Commander's Palace Bread Pudding. I could eat that Whiskey Sauce with a spoon. It was my first and will always be the best in my book.

Yup... She orders just like Meg Ryan in "When Harry Met Sally"... Big "O" Scene optional... ;) ;) ;)

My ex-fiance used to call me Sally because of my ordering peculiarities. I prefer to think of it as just knowing your own mind and what you want out of life. :teeth:

[MA pigletfan]

so fun!!! raglan is def. on our must do list next time we go to WDW!
that scotch flight looks great.mmmmmm scotch scotch scotch in my belly!

[Tink rules]

When you see just how much these two can pack away i always think "Never offer to pay" and "Don't open the drinks cabinet before midnight".....Hmm i wonder do aliens really live amongst us?......:rolleyes1


ps....Bendy remember "when" you guys do come over here the first 10 pots are on me AND i'll buy you both some PROPER Fish and chips,mushy peas salt and vinager with a Tea cake (bread cake) all served in yesterdays newspaper just the way REAL fish and chip should be served.....:snooty:

Ok.. I'm in... for it all... What's real fish???

puckerup: :love2:

Do we get to eat the newspaper, too? :rotfl2:

Fiber in your diet... I'd want yesterdays comics though... :laughing:

[A fat english gent]

Ok.. I'm in... for it all... What's real fish???



Fiber in your diet... I'd want yesterdays comics though... :laughing:

Hell yer we only do real fish over here dear......:rotfl2: :lmao: :rotfl2:

The fiber news is all Crappy anyways.....:rolleyes1

[jess20k]

Love the RR review! We are going to try it out for the first time in Jan. It is a last minute extra oop addition to our ADR's (we are on the ddp). But, I have been dying to try it out, and finally went for it.

There are so many different things that look good on the menu, so I will have a hard time deciding, but the Bangers and Mash looked really good, so maybe I will try that. My DH and I will also enjoy the beer flight that you can choose your own selection. Thanks for the info and terrific pics as always! :thumbsup2

[oybolshoi]

I always enjoy your reports. I can't wait to read more and see more pictures of yummy Disney food!

Thank you very much! I'm hoping to get a small update posted tonight ... it depends on how I feel (this cold will not go away ... :headache: ).

Pooh Pooh Platter. :lmao: :rotfl: :rotfl2: snarfle snort giggle giggle chuckle chuckle. My boss wanted to know what was so funny. And there were so many reasons why I couldn't answer. Ha ha!

Glad you liked it! We thought it was pretty funny. :thumbsup2

Question - Did the raisins appear to be something sprinkled on after the fact rather than baked into the bread pudding? I ask because (much like Alton Brown) nothing is better with raisins but I want that pudding.

I'm pretty sure the raisins are baked in. They're golden raisins if that makes any difference, and I didn't notice them much at all once Jay added the sauces.

Another awesome RR review! Your reviews are the primary reason why I decided to book an ADR here so DH and I will be dining at this lovely establishment in 6 short weeks. I specifically booked a 9:00pm ressie on Saturday night in the hopes of enjoying my Irish heritage with a little booze and tunes. I hope to have equally lovely things to report.

Thank you very much - I hope it lives up to the hype I've given it. I think if people go in expecting a bar / pub type experience with good comfort food and live folk music they will be perfectly happy at RR. Be sure to let me know what you think once you get back - I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

There is nothing on any menu anywhere that I order the way it is written. I look at menus more as suggestions of things to eat rather than specific items. And servers don't like me either for it but I tip well if they at least have the illusion of tolerance.

Couldn't have said it better myself! And we tip well, too; unless someone is just terrible at their job. But that's a conversation for a different thread. ;)

And I totally agree with you on Commander's Palace Bread Pudding. I could eat that Whiskey Sauce with a spoon. It was my first and will always be the best in my book.

We've actually made their bread pudding souffle here at home a few times ... we do a fair job on it. It's not at the same level as CP, but it does well for a fix (especially the whiskey sauce).


so fun!!! raglan is def. on our must do list next time we go to WDW!
that scotch flight looks great.mmmmmm scotch scotch scotch in my belly!


Hi Gina! I think you guys would really enjoy Raglan Road, so definitely give it a try if you get a chance. Oh yeah ... scotch baby! :thumbsup2

Love the RR review! We are going to try it out for the first time in Jan. It is a last minute extra oop addition to our ADR's (we are on the ddp). But, I have been dying to try it out, and finally went for it.

There are so many different things that look good on the menu, so I will have a hard time deciding, but the Bangers and Mash looked really good, so maybe I will try that. My DH and I will also enjoy the beer flight that you can choose your own selection. Thanks for the info and terrific pics as always! :thumbsup2

Hiya Jess - thanks for reading! Be sure to let me know what you think of RR after you get back from your trip - I always like to know what people think of places that we've tried. I hope you enjoy it as much as Jay and I do!

Jay just said he really enjoyed their bangers and mash (too heavy for me) and would order it again. And we loved putting our own flight together!

[D&R love Disney]

I'm finally caught up, how the H E double hockey sticks did I get behind by 14 pages :sad2:

Great start, I love the nip bottles for the flight :thumbsup2
How did you like Saratoga Springs, Mom and I are there for a week in December (unless waitlist comes through). I hope to get a DTD view.

Back to the reviews, RR looks great and that chocolate dessert :worship:

[oybolshoi]

I'm finally caught up, how the H E double hockey sticks did I get behind by 14 pages :sad2:

Great start, I love the nip bottles for the flight :thumbsup2
How did you like Saratoga Springs, Mom and I are there for a week in December (unless waitlist comes through). I hope to get a DTD view.

Back to the reviews, RR looks great and that chocolate dessert :worship:

Hey Deb! Nice to see you! :hug:

We actually like Saratoga Springs a lot, it's just a different experience than what we're used to at the Beach Club. We love the grounds at SSR and the smaller pools, especially the Grandstand pool because it has a bar. And we really like the walk over to DTD, even though it was a bit long from where we were staying this time. We would walk to the water-taxi area and then hop a boat to DTD most nights.

Raglan Road was as good as we hoped it would be - it's yet to let us down.

Thanks for reading!

[oybolshoi]

Thursday, October 9th - Breakfast in a Studio Yields Many Surprises ...

There's so much backstory for this silly little segment that I don't really know where to start. I suppose it should be with the coffee ... over the years Jay and I have turned into something akin to coffee snobs. While we sometimes drink the swill that Disney peddles as their version of java joy, we find that in most instances we're better off bringing our own coffee and starting the mornings off nice and slow in our room.

Prior to this trip Jay and I have always stayed in a one-bedroom vacation home which includes a nice little kitchen with dishes and silverware and hand towels. And of course, a coffee maker! I've always been a little puzzled as to why coffee filters aren't already in the kitchens, but they never are. And even though I know this, I invariably manage to forget to buy coffee filters for the trip. I can perhaps be excused just a little because our coffee maker here at home doesn't require paper filters so it just doesn't dawn on me until it's sleep o'clock at WDW and I'm holding a pot of water in one hand and a baggie of ground coffee in the other wondering where the hell the filters are ... again.

This year I made a concerted effort to pull my act together and I bought paper filters at the grocery store about two weeks before we left for WDW. I was so proud of myself until we went to make coffee Thursday morning and found that I had purchased what looked to be filters for Malibu Barbie's single-cup coffee maker. :headache: :laughing:

Jay and I had a good laugh at my expense because of course now we were going to have to go buy coffee filters at the Big House once again. Luckily there was a sample pack of French Roast that was encased in one of those flow through filters, so we drank that instead of our home brew.

I have to touch on something else though, and that's this: the studios at SSR don't have dishes or silverware. :confused3 I assume the rationale is that without a dishwasher in the studio it's too difficult for Mousekeeping to keep things clean, but drinking coffee out of a tacky styrofoam Year of a Million Dreams cup is not in my contract. Along with said cups, there were a couple of paper plates and one set of plastic flatware. That's it.

This meant that we had to go shopping on Wednesday for coffee cups and a milk pitcher (we heat milk for our coffee), and while doing so we just happened to wander past the Main Street Bakery and were entranced by the warm, sugary smell wafting from their doorway.

**Nice segue way, don't you think?

Thursday was going to be our first day at Epcot sampling the culinary joys (we hoped) of this year's Food and Wine Festival, so we wanted to keep breakfast light. But the baked-good joy that is the Main Street Bakery went to our heads when we were at the MK on Wednesday afternoon and we purchased two of the most beautiful, calorie-laden cinnamon rolls we've ever laid eyes on when one certainly would have sufficed.

The good news is that in purchasing more than we needed we had enough for two mornings - mmm, twice the cinnamon-ey joy! We microwaved them so that they were nice and warm and delicious... and the smell was divine!

So here it is: breakfast courtesy of the Main Street Bakery. Feel free to admire our spiffy new coffee mugs while you ogle our split cinnamon roll. ;)

Mega roll ... so sweet, so fresh, so glazed with sugary goodness!
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l213/oybolshoi/October%202008/35-1.jpg

That's all for this installment. Coming soon our first experience with the F&W booths - yum yum yum!!!

[Yzerbear19]

Yum! Those cinnamon rolls do look really good! :) Nice mugs! ;)

[whogirl'smom]

You heat the milk for your coffee? I'm going to slink away to my cave now where we pour International Delight flavor-of-the-day straight into the mug.:rotfl:

[Tink rules]

I love coming home with my must need accessories from WDW.. of course that is usually shower gel from the GF spa... but this time... I lugged home several mugs...

I'm surprised you didn't hit WOD's kitchen section...you could have redesigned the whole suite!!! (or did you??? :rotfl: )

[oybolshoi]

Yum! Those cinnamon rolls do look really good! :) Nice mugs! ;)

They are very tasty ... we don't usually buy much at the Main Street Bakery, but everything we have tried has been really good.

And I love the mugs ... I drink my coffee every morning from my Goofy mug or from the F&W Festival mug that Michelle gave me. :goodvibes

You heat the milk for your coffee? I'm going to slink away to my cave now where we pour International Delight flavor-of-the-day straight into the mug.:rotfl:

I told you we were coffee snobs! We picked that up from Cafe du Monde ... never add cold milk to hot coffee ... add warm milk! So that's what we do at home and on vacation ... :snooty: ;)

Hey, doesn't your cave have really tasty Oregon cheese? It can't be all that bad! ;)

I love coming home with my must need accessories from WDW.. of course that is usually shower gel from the GF spa... but this time... I lugged home several mugs...

I'm surprised you didn't hit WOD's kitchen section...you could have redesigned the whole suite!!! (or did you??? :rotfl: )

We usually don't buy a lot of Mickey stuff ... we like Disney but we don't want our house to look like Disney. I do like the mugs, though ... we needed some new ones anyway. :thumbsup2

[whogirl'smom]

Hey, doesn't your cave have really tasty Oregon cheese? It can't be all that bad! ;)

Sadly, the Oregon cheese is long gone; but I did get a yummy chunk of Jarlsburg at Kroger's today! :thumbsup2

[luvpooh]

Brenda, you do know you could have just called Mousekeeping for 2 mugs right? LOL
I have to try a cinnamon roll from the Main St Bakery one day, they always look so good!

[cntkg1]

I've heated my milk for my coffee for years Bendy! :thumbsup2 :thumbsup2 :thumbsup2 Now I only do it at home as nuking milk in a microwave at work doesn't appeal to me. Not only isn't all that nuking good for you, but it always ends up tasting like someone's overspilled lunch from the day before.
Milk and Polish sausage do not mix! :scared1:

Of course, you just know I'm drooling over those cinny rolls though. ;)

[DisKate]

I've been lurking for a few days now, but that cinnimon roll has pushed me over the edge :scared1: now I have to go and heat the oven for a midnight snack....thanks

[travelmel]

nice mugs!

P.S. Curse you for banning Grimmy from the high seas. Mutiny my ****, I'm leaving! Even my little slow mickey is ticked! (see boo heads below).

You could have brought plankton along to keep her in line?

EDIT: Who knew that a word rhyming with farse would get bleeped? :rolleyes1

[Poppinsme]

Holy crap I'm way behind!:eek:
Now I can finally catch up to your reviews. Thats what happens when you miss work because of kidney stones, you catch up with the DIS.:rolleyes1

Loved the RR review. Those booze flights are so tasty.:)

[ChelleinNC]

Uuummmm, yummy yummy yummy! I like cinnamon rolls :rolleyes1

Did you miss the hullaballoo last year when DVC pulled the mugs out of the studios? Let's just say that Dis DVC members made enough of a stink that they put the mugs back except at OKW & SSR (will give them with a request) and are working on installing commercial dishwashers to permanently put the mugs back in the studios at SSR & OKW.

[oybolshoi]

Brenda, you do know you could have just called Mousekeeping for 2 mugs right? LOL
I have to try a cinnamon roll from the Main St Bakery one day, they always look so good!

Ummmm, no we didn't know we could call and ask for coffee mugs. I wonder if that works for buckets stuffed with $100 bills? :laughing:

I wish I'd taken a picture of those rolls at the bakery because they looked just perfect, but there were a lot of people behind us and I didn't want to hold anyone up.

I've heated my milk for my coffee for years Bendy! :thumbsup2 :thumbsup2 :thumbsup2 Now I only do it at home as nuking milk in a microwave at work doesn't appeal to me. Not only isn't all that nuking good for you, but it always ends up tasting like someone's overspilled lunch from the day before.
Milk and Polish sausage do not mix! :scared1:

Of course, you just know I'm drooling over those cinny rolls though. ;)


I don't notice a difference in the milk when we nuke it ... but we only heat it for about a minute and we use skim milk (it's practically water ... ;) ).

Yes, I knew you'd like the rolls! :goodvibes

I've been lurking for a few days now, but that cinnimon roll has pushed me over the edge :scared1: now I have to go and heat the oven for a midnight snack....thanks

Thanks for de-lurking! The next time you visit MK be sure to stop in at the bakery and drool over all their offerings ... truly impressive!

nice mugs!

P.S. Curse you for banning Grimmy from the high seas. Mutiny my ****, I'm leaving! Even my little slow mickey is ticked! (see boo heads below).

You could have brought plankton along to keep her in line?

EDIT: Who knew that a word rhyming with farse would get bleeped? :rolleyes1

Hi Mel! Grimmy wouldn't be happy on a ship with no casino ... I know it ... you know it ... she knows it! :lmao:

And I think the mods caught on to all our British friends ... I noticed it was starting to get bleeped last year. ;)

Holy crap I'm way behind!:eek:
Now I can finally catch up to your reviews. Thats what happens when you miss work because of kidney stones, you catch up with the DIS.:rolleyes1

Loved the RR review. Those booze flights are so tasty.:)


Kidney stones ... that's no fun. Hope you feel better soon! :flower3:

Thanks for taking the time to read - glad to see you here on the new thread! And I love the Homer Simpson version of The Scream. :rotfl2:

[oybolshoi]

Uuummmm, yummy yummy yummy! I like cinnamon rolls :rolleyes1

Did you miss the hullaballoo last year when DVC pulled the mugs out of the studios? Let's just say that Dis DVC members made enough of a stink that they put the mugs back except at OKW & SSR (will give them with a request) and are working on installing commercial dishwashers to permanently put the mugs back in the studios at SSR & OKW.

I missed all of that ... :confused3

I must say, it made us feel like second class citizens. Welcome home ... here's your two paper plates to eat off of for the next four days and whatever you do don't lose this priceless black plastic knife, fork, and spoon! :rotfl2:

Sheesh, there wasn't even a glass in the bathroom. The last time I stayed at a Holiday Inn Express and a Hampton Inn they both gave us real glasses and coffee mugs ... and they're not even classified as "deluxe" resorts.

I guess I probably just hit on part of the argument, huh? ;)

I'm still planning on writing a nicely worded letter of discontent. :laughing:

[jakenjess]

I'm sitting here with my Wilderness Lodge refillable mug drinking my morning coffee,:surfweb: and boy do those cinnamon rolls look good! Love the new mugs, too! I finally broke down and got an Owner's Locker, so now I can stock it with such things as coffee filters and not worry about it anymore. We also can't bring ourselves to drink whatever it is that WDW tries to pass off as coffee :sad2: yuck!!

Looking forward to the F&W reports!:goodvibes

[ChelleinNC]

I missed all of that ... :confused3

I must say, it made us feel like second class citizens. Welcome home ... here's your two paper plates to eat off of for the next four days and whatever you do don't lose this priceless black plastic knife, fork, and spoon! :rotfl2:

Sheesh, there wasn't even a glass in the bathroom. The last time I stayed at a Holiday Inn Express and a Hampton Inn they both gave us real glasses and coffee mugs ... and they're not even classified as "deluxe" resorts.

I guess I probably just hit on part of the argument, huh? ;)
I'm still planning on writing a nicely worded letter of discontent. :laughing:

Pretty much word for word :rotfl:

[29apr00]

Just found your TR, what an amazing meal you had at Raglan Road!! everything looked great, but Oh MY!! I could never have drank all that Whiskey and Scotch! Man i could probably do 1 shot, but all that! WOW you go girl!! :rotfl:

The cinnamon roll looks heavenly. Can't wait to follow along your TR! Off to check out your older trips!

[dizneykid]

Hey lady,

Just back from our trip and just getting caught up with your food report!! Yummy so far.

Can't wait until your reports on the F&W booths!! We thought this year has been wonderful.

[Alice BlueBonnet]

Wow, those cinnamon rolls looked great....may just have to get one next month. I can't wait for your F&WF review, we are going for the first time next year, and I'm looking forward to hearing about your experience this year!

[Jennifer48]

Ya know, I love the smell coming out of Main Street Bakery but I have never purchased anything. DBF loves cinnamon buns so we might have to make a stop in December. Great entry!:goodvibes

[oybolshoi]

I'm sitting here with my Wilderness Lodge refillable mug drinking my morning coffee,:surfweb: and boy do those cinnamon rolls look good! Love the new mugs, too! I finally broke down and got an Owner's Locker, so now I can stock it with such things as coffee filters and not worry about it anymore. We also can't bring ourselves to drink whatever it is that WDW tries to pass off as coffee :sad2: yuck!!

Looking forward to the F&W reports!:goodvibes

We've talked about getting an owner's locker ... just haven't done it yet. For just the two of us it seems unnecessary, but if I keep forgetting filters it might be a wise investment. :laughing:

I think you'll like our F&W stuff ... they had some nice new selections this year which was really refreshing. :thumbsup2


Pretty much word for word :rotfl:

At least we DVC members are consistent! ;)

Just found your TR, what an amazing meal you had at Raglan Road!! everything looked great, but Oh MY!! I could never have drank all that Whiskey and Scotch! Man i could probably do 1 shot, but all that! WOW you go girl!! :rotfl:

The cinnamon roll looks heavenly. Can't wait to follow along your TR! Off to check out your older trips!

Hi there and thanks for reading! Raglan Road was terrific ... it's one of our favorite places to start off a trip to WDW. And as for the drinking ... we've been working on our endurance during non-vacation times so that we drink like fishes during vacation! :laughing:

Hey lady,

Just back from our trip and just getting caught up with your food report!! Yummy so far.

Can't wait until your reports on the F&W booths!! We thought this year has been wonderful.

Hi Jeanne! Hope you had a great trip. :hug: For the most part we thought the booths this year were pretty good - we really liked some of the variety we saw (which we all know was something I'd been griping about on the F&W thread ... ;) ). I don't know about you, but we're already counting down to next year's trip! :lmao:

Wow, those cinnamon rolls looked great....may just have to get one next month. I can't wait for your F&WF review, we are going for the first time next year, and I'm looking forward to hearing about your experience this year!

Hi there - thanks for stopping by to read! Those rolls are great ... I can only imagine how good they must be when you eat them right away instead of waiting until the next morning.

I hope you like what we have to say about our F&W experiences ... for the most part it was good but there were a few glitches along the way (there always are). :goodvibes

Ya know, I love the smell coming out of Main Street Bakery but I have never purchased anything. DBF loves cinnamon buns so we might have to make a stop in December. Great entry!:goodvibes

Hey Jen! Buy a cinnamon roll in December, woman! Do it; do it; do it!!! :thumbsup2

[jeminni]

They are very tasty ... we don't usually buy much at the Main Street Bakery, but everything we have tried has been really good.

And I love the mugs ... I drink my coffee every morning from my Goofy mug or from the F&W Festival mug that Michelle gave me. :goodvibes



I told you we were coffee snobs! We picked that up from Cafe du Monde ... never add cold milk to hot coffee ... add warm milk! So that's what we do at home and on vacation ... :snooty: ;)

Hey, doesn't your cave have really tasty Oregon cheese? It can't be all that bad! ;)



We usually don't buy a lot of Mickey stuff ... we like Disney but we don't want our house to look like Disney. I do like the mugs, though ... we needed some new ones anyway. :thumbsup2



Do you use chicory in your coffee like Cafe du Monde ? Those cinnamon rolls looked great. I have to remember to buy some next trip and bring back to CBR for in the morning.:)


Looking forward to your F&W reviews. I really missed going there this year. Hopefully next year. :goodvibes

[Me&3]

Well, I'm flattered that you'd take my advice and I hope he doesn't end up disappointed, althought I don't think he will. :goodvibes

BTW, how's your dad doing? :hug:




Allow me to welcome you into the bright light of posterdom! :laughing:
Thanks so much for reading - I'm happy to know you're enjoying our food stories. And I hope you enjoy RR when you try it - be sure to let us know what you think!



:lmao: :rotfl2: :rotfl: OMG!!! That is awesome! I wonder if Jay could photoshop that and put my mom in there ... I'm sure he could.

And for you Mel, a brief Grimace update: she's actually been in a pretty good mood lately (no doubt because she's had lots of gambling to keep her occupied). She and Jon were in Vegas in August and now Jay's aunt wants her to come back in April for a slot tournament. :lmao: When I told her that Jay and I are taking a Disney cruise next October she sounded like she wanted to come ... :scared1: I talked her out of it ... if she wasn't happy at WDW she'd be miserable on a ship. And I don't think she'd understand why so many strangers would refer to her as Grimace every time they spotted her wandering around the Magic. :rotfl2:

Thanks for reading!



We totally lucked into the GC ... I think I nabbed it around lunchtime on a day where the firewalls were down at work and I saw a post about it here on the DIS.

Thanks for reading!



Hey there Litebrite! We always wondered what Dalkey represented, so thanks for edumacating us. No idea that the "l" was silent ... we've been mispronouncing for as long as we've been ordering it. D'OH! :headache:



:laughing: I never thought about bonus liquor being better than a dream but for us that's probably true. You need to try some scotch, it can still burn but less so ... and not at all when paired with certain yummy foods.

I'm so glad to hear you enjoyed Raglan Road ... wasn't that your husband's birthday? Were they able to do anything special for him?



Hey Lori, how ya doing? I hope you enjoy RR when you dine there in April - be sure to come back to let us know how it goes. The dancer is supposed to be there every night that the band plays, but she doesn't come out a whole lot. I think in two hours we saw her two or three times. Your best bet is to get there as close to nine as possible and then you'll be likely to see her at least twice.

You have to do the grimace with your mom in it please.

[oybolshoi]

Do you use chicory in your coffee like Cafe du Monde ? Those cinnamon rolls looked great. I have to remember to buy some next trip and bring back to CBR for in the morning.:)


Looking forward to your F&W reviews. I really missed going there this year. Hopefully next year. :goodvibes

We do use Chicory Coffee sometimes, although not as much lately. Jay found some on-line coffee bean place that he really likes so he's been ordering beans directly from them and having them shipped to the house for later grindage.

And yes - get yerself a cinnamon roll!!! :thumbsup2

I'm working on getting those F&W bits up tonight. :goodvibes

You have to do the grimace with your mom in it please.

Jay and I will play with it this weekend and see if we can make something presentable. :laughing:

[oybolshoi]

OK ... no update tonight. I started a new medication this evening and I just got whacked over the head by it and can hardly keep my eyes open. The good news is that I have half of the review saved so if all goes well I can finish up and post tomorrow night.

So have a good evening and thanks for reading and look for an update tomrrow night! :thumbsup2

[Tink rules]

Take care Bendy... we will wait... :hug: :hug:

(we'll eat half the fridge in the meantime... but we'll wait... :surfweb: )

[A fat english gent]

popcorn::

Am waitingggggggggggggggggg....:rotfl2: :lmao: :rotfl2:

[TigerKat]

Hope you're feeling better today.:hug:

[oybolshoi]

Take care Bendy... we will wait... :hug: :hug:

(we'll eat half the fridge in the meantime... but we'll wait... :surfweb: )

popcorn::

Am waitingggggggggggggggggg....:rotfl2: :lmao: :rotfl2:

Hope you're feeling better today.:hug:

Thanks very much - it's a new drug for an ongoing issue so to tell the truth right now I'm used to feeling crappy (I don't think I've felt really good since July ... bah!). Ahhh, chronic issues ... they make life fun! :rolleyes: :laughing:

Look for an update tonight! :goodvibes

[jakenjess]

Hope you're feeling better soon, Brenda!:hug:

[Jennifer48]

Hey Jen! Buy a cinnamon roll in December, woman! Do it; do it; do it!!! :thumbsup2
Ok ok ok!!! :goodvibes

[TPCShauna]

Thanks for responding about the raisins. I'll just have to eat around them as I MUST have that wonderful looking bread pudding.

Hope you feel better soon!

[ChelleinNC]

Here's hoping that your new medicine works :goodvibes and that you get that update done tonight ;)

[mcrabeck]

looking forward to more reviews! Hope you feel better!

[AZ Navy Wife]

After more than a year of lurking about, I must tell you just how much I have enjoyed your many trip reports Brenda! :yay:

I think your report of Raglan Road has pushed my hubby over the edge. Beer?! Irish Food?! More Beer?! :love: I just got done making our reservation for January!

Many thanks to you for your wonderful humor and entertaining reports. They always make my day! :flower3:

[D&R love Disney]

I hope you are feeling better and you get used to the new medicine :hug: I can't wait to read more.

I think I'll bring a few real dishes with me for our week since we are in a studio and I really don't want to eat my cereal out of a paper bowl and with a plastic spoon :scared1:

[whogirl'smom]

Hope you're feeling better (and awake!) :flower3:

[oybolshoi]

Hope you're feeling better soon, Brenda!:hug:

Thanks, Lori. I hope I wasn't whining ... I know how much worse it could be, but it's been a really frustrating week. At least tomorrow is Friday!

Ok ok ok!!! :goodvibes

Excellent! :laughing:

Thanks for responding about the raisins. I'll just have to eat around them as I MUST have that wonderful looking bread pudding.

Hope you feel better soon!

Thanks so much. As for the raisins, there usually aren't so many that you can't eat around them. I think you will really enjoy that bread pudding ... I hope so at any rate. :thumbsup2

Here's hoping that your new medicine works :goodvibes and that you get that update done tonight ;)

Thanks very much. I'm eating a quick dinner right now and then I'm headed to WORD for the rest of the update. :thumbsup2

looking forward to more reviews! Hope you feel better!

Thanks! :goodvibes

After more than a year of lurking about, I must tell you just how much I have enjoyed your many trip reports Brenda! :yay:

I think your report of Raglan Road has pushed my hubby over the edge. Beer?! Irish Food?! More Beer?! :love: I just got done making our reservation for January!

Many thanks to you for your wonderful humor and entertaining reports. They always make my day! :flower3:

Hello and thanks for de-lurking - I love to hear from readers! I hope you have a great time at Raglan Road and WDW in January - be sure to come back here and let me know how it was (good or bad, but it should be good!).

Thanks for your comments - you just made my day, too! :hug:

I hope you are feeling better and you get used to the new medicine :hug: I can't wait to read more.

I think I'll bring a few real dishes with me for our week since we are in a studio and I really don't want to eat my cereal out of a paper bowl and with a plastic spoon :scared1:

Hi Deb - thanks so much! :goodvibes I'm glad you made that comment about the studio because there weren't any bowls in ours at all ... paper or otherwise. When I say Slim Pickins I do not refer to that country music guy. :lmao:

Hope you're feeling better (and awake!) :flower3:

I am very much awake and while not really feeling better I'm not feeling worse, so that's good. Stay tuned for hopefully fun and entertaining updates of a food and wine nature! :goodvibes

[Donald is #1]

Hope you're feeling better and I hope that it doesn't take you long to adjust to the new medication. :hug:

[oybolshoi]

Hope you're feeling better and I hope that it doesn't take you long to adjust to the new medication. :hug:

Thanks very much ... I get frustrated sometimes because it feels like I'm constantly fighting my own body, but it could be a lot worse and I try to remind myself of that whenever I start feeling too whiny. ;)

Working on that update right now! :thumbsup2

[ses1230]

OMG, I haven't even finished that last TR (awesome, btw) and now there's more than 500 posts on this one! I really should be cleaning or doing laundry or packing... oh well, DH already says I'm addicted to the DIS so I'm on board!

[oybolshoi]

Thursday, October 9th - Alrighty Festival ... Dazzle Us!!!

One of the things that most concerned us about staying at Saratoga Springs this fall was the transportation issue. We've been spoiled by our DVC membership at the Beach Club Villas, which is our October resort of choice due to the easy-peasy Epcot access granted by the International Gateway.

Our motto when staying at the Beach Club is: No bus; feet! :thumbsup2

Well, at Saratoga Springs the more appropriate motto is: Have feet; need bus. Now where's the damn bus???

To be fair, the buses actually were running in pretty timely fashion at the resort itself. Even at the parks we only had one wait that I would term as excessive, so we really can't complain. We also noticed that there were transportation CMs at the first and last Saratoga bus stops - they were asking people where they were headed and were trying to manage the bus traffic accordingly. There were some glitches during our stay but for the most part the system seemed to work pretty well and I applaud Disney or Saratoga Springs management for taking this step and making an effort to improve a situation that in years past has been downright craptacular.

Have bus, will travel - now step on it!
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l213/oybolshoi/October%202008/36.jpg

We arrived at Epcot a little before ten that morning and hopped on Spaceship Earth to check out the wondrous improvements that were made to the attraction last year. Our overall impression - the interactive stuff was goofy and kind of fun but we were pretty underwhelmed.

Crowds were already rather high for the day so Jay and I killed some time over at the Festival Welcome Center. I learned my lesson from last year and made sure that we purchased our F&W gear the moment we found the appropriate sizes. We took a gander at the booze selections but opted not to buy any alcohol - for the most part our booze prices in Stinktown are better than those at the festival and if we find something we really like while visiting we make note of it and then purchase or order it at home. Two things we noticed this year ... the F&W collector pin set is of lesser quality than the ones we purchased last year and the F&W Festival cookbook only has 20 recipes.

The cookbook issue really miffed us both. We always buy the festival cookbook and with all the new food booth entries this year we were really looking forward to some new recipes. Instead, this lovely binder had a big sticker on the front reading: 20 of your favorite F&W Festival recipes!

Only twenty recipes? Why not all of them? What's going on here? And since when do they know what our favorite recipes are? Talk about over-priced presumption. This is the first time in something like six years that we don't have a F&W cookbook to commemorate our visit and it still makes me kind of sad. I can't wait to hear the official line of reasoning for increasing the cookbook price by $8 from last year while reducing the number of recipes by half. ;)

Enough about those marketing bastiches and their infernal changes designed to charge us all more for less. Let's go to the festival and have some food before we come back to the Welcome Center and try to attend that free Banfi wine seminar!

First stop:

Greece!
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l213/oybolshoi/October%202008/39.jpg

Greek Salad & Spanakopita
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l213/oybolshoi/October%202008/40.jpg

We thought the salad was really tasty - crisp and refreshing even with those horrid red onions and lurking olives! I didn't care much for the bread that was included on the side - it was really hard and tasteless. Something soft and warm like pita bread would have been a better match in my opinion. As for the spanakopita, it was chock full of cheese and spinach and Jay really liked it. I took a bite but I'm not a fan ... too much spinach not enough cheese. ;)

While we enjoyed our first taste of the festival Jay and I had a reunion of sorts with the ducks and Ibis ... Ibii ... Ibises ... (???) that patrol the banks of the world showcase lagoon in search of handouts from generous, often tipsy guests. Usually the birds are much more active, but they must have needed a late morning nap on this day. They were so cute that we couldn't resist taking a picture.

Mmmmm, foie gras ....
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l213/oybolshoi/October%202008/41.jpg


Second stop:

Puerto Rico!
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l213/oybolshoi/October%202008/42.jpg

Mofongo; Plantain and Beef Casserole; Frozen Mojito
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l213/oybolshoi/October%202008/43.jpg

For those of you who, like me, may not know what mofongo is, here's a little help: mofongo is considered the signature dish of Puerto Rico; it's a mound of mashed up plantains into which seafood, or beef, or veggies has been mixed into.

I just like the way the word sounds: Mofongo ... mofongo ... mofongo! :woohoo:

As for the food itself, I actually was surprised by how much I liked the mofongo. The plantains didn't really have much taste ... they were just a big ol' mound of mush ... but the shrimpie salsa that was added to it was very tasty and had a nice, mild spiciness that really perked up the flavor.

The casserole dish was less enjoyable in my opinion - this one was too spicy and the beef was stringy and chewy. Jay got to keep most of this to himself ... lucky him. ;)

The real winner at this booth was the frozen mojito! We're not big fans of mojitos in general so this was a bit of a risk but it really was terrific. Very refreshing - the rum was definitely pronounced but it was offset by just the right amount of mintiness. Our only gripe is that for the $6.50 price tag we really thought the portion should have been larger.

Third stop:

The Mouse Catch!
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l213/oybolshoi/October%202008/45.jpg

Three Cheese Selection; Prosecco
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l213/oybolshoi/October%202008/44.jpg

Jay and I lurves us some cheese and we were very pleased to find that Epcot had added a cheesemonger booth to the F&W lineup for 2008. The cheese selection here was safe, designed to appeal to a broad audience without offending their noses or stomachs with foot-reeking, mildew-tasting dairy by-products.

The three cheeses being offered were as follows, tasting notes courtesy of igourmet:

Dorothea: A pasteurized goat's milk cheese from the Netherlands. This is an award-winning cheese; it has a firm body and a full, nutty flavor that develops over the 60-day aging process. This cheese is flavored with potato skins and basil oil.

Asiago Pressato Doc: A pasteurized cow's milk cheese from Italy. This is a younger, sweeter version of the Asiago that most people are familiar with; it's aged between 20 and 40 days and has a springy, creamy interior.

Manchego: A pasteurized sheep's milk cheese from Spain. This is considered one of Spain's most famous cheeses and it is made from pure La Mancha sheep's milk. It is prized for its rich, complex flavor and slightly grainy texture.

The only cheese that was new to us was the Dorothea, but we thought all three selections were excellent! We liked that each cheese was made from a different type of milk and thought the serving sizes were very generous. And the Prosecco was a nice complement to all three cheeses, although I think a glass of tawny port would have been better! :thumbsup2


Fourth stop:

Mexico!
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l213/oybolshoi/October%202008/54.jpg


Quesadilla con Chorizo; Capirotada (bread pudding); Chilaquile
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l213/oybolshoi/October%202008/53.jpg

OMIGAWD! Mexico has a new food item on its menu!!! :faint:

Yes, it's true ... along with that which we have always come to expect from our friends south of the border, there was a third food choice ... and it was dessert! Yeah baby!

So, what is there to say about the quesadilla that hasn't already been said? Not much, other than that I preferred this so much more when it included chicken as well as chorizo. Jay said he thought the chilaquile was very good and well prepared (and generously portioned), but I don't like them very much. The scary green sauce doesn't sit well with the Crohn goblin.

As for dessert, it was good. More like a coffee cake than an actual bread pudding, the best part was the caramel sauce that was drizzled over the top. They served this warm, which I thought really brought out some great cinnamon flavoring along with hints of chocolate.

Hard to believe but that's all we had for the first day ... coming soon will be a review of a free wine seiminar and then after that a truly gluttonous dinner at CA Grill.

Thanks for reading! :goodvibes

[oybolshoi]

OMG, I haven't even finished that last TR (awesome, btw) and now there's more than 500 posts on this one! I really should be cleaning or doing laundry or packing... oh well, DH already says I'm addicted to the DIS so I'm on board!

Hi there! No rush ... there will always be something waiting for you to read - just glad you're enjoying it all! :goodvibes

[jeminni]

Great first F&W reviews. :goodvibes I've always loved the greek salad and the chilaquile. The cheese plate at the Mouse catch looked great too. Looking forward to more reviews. :)

[whogirl'smom]

Great reviews! I really missed not getting to sample the cheese booth. Both days in Epcot we had late lunches scheduled, which left me way full till 8ish and only alcohol sounded good then! Say it with me, "Next time, I am not eating 5 character meals!"

Hope you guys have a great Halloween tomorrow! Our good friends (read drinking friends :laughing: ) are coming over to trick or treat then it's back to the house to pop open the wine for the grown-ups and marshmallows to roast for the kids. I love that Halloween's on Friday this year!:yay:

[TigerKat]

Thanks for the F&W update Brenda! I'm going to try the three cheeses and Prosecco for sure. I've been taking notes on everyone's recommendations and I think we'll need to be rolled out of there if we try and sample everything...:rotfl:

[disgrits]

It all looks good, Bendy Girl.:thumbsup2 Your descriptions are very well written. One can almost taste the foods you're describing. Thanks for another great installment!:goodvibes

[oybolshoi]

Great first F&W reviews. :goodvibes I've always loved the greek salad and the chilaquile. The cheese plate at the Mouse catch looked great too. Looking forward to more reviews. :)

Thanks! The cheese plate was great - I wish we'd gone back for a second one later in the trip but we were so focused on trying as many booths as possible that we didn't repeat on anything. Can you believe that?

Great reviews! I really missed not getting to sample the cheese booth. Both days in Epcot we had late lunches scheduled, which left me way full till 8ish and only alcohol sounded good then! Say it with me, "Next time, I am not eating 5 character meals!"

Hope you guys have a great Halloween tomorrow! Our good friends (read drinking friends :laughing: ) are coming over to trick or treat then it's back to the house to pop open the wine for the grown-ups and marshmallows to roast for the kids. I love that Halloween's on Friday this year!:yay:

Thanks for reading Jamie - it's too bad that you missed the cheesemonger booth because I'm sure you'd have really enjoyed it.

Have yourself a good Halloween, too! We're going out for sushi for dinner tomorrow night since it's so hard to get home with the traffic being what it is. I'll be taking pictures so that I can post a review on the ol' gastropod. :thumbsup2

Thanks for the F&W update Brenda! I'm going to try the three cheeses and Prosecco for sure. I've been taking notes on everyone's recommendations and I think we'll need to be rolled out of there if we try and sample everything...:rotfl:

Hey Kathy! Thanks for reading! We enjoyed all four of these booths - they weren't the best that we tried, but they were good, reliable choices with fairly generous portion sizes. We were able to share everything with no problem. Try and sample everything ... that's half the fun!! :laughing:

It all looks good, Bendy Girl.:thumbsup2 Your descriptions are very well written. One can almost taste the foods your describing. Thanks for another great installment!:goodvibes

Thanks for reading Sistah P! Your compliment made me smile so thanks for that, too ... :goodvibes

[ktmetke]

Thank you for sharing your reviews/pics of the F+W......We've never been, but your report is definitely making it a priority!

[Tatania]

Always a big fan of your reviews (I always get a good laugh from your witty writing) and dragged myself from the sick bed to get caught up on this review.
Being a big Disney recipe collector, I totally agree with the disappointment over the yearly recipe book. It's like they wanted to do as little work as possible on it and double the price. I ordered it through a fellow Disser (and am grateful they went to the trouble to purchase it for a total stranger) and will let you know if there's any new recipes.

[travelmel]

mow-fawn-go! (Sing it like the opening of sequence of the Lion King song)

More African than Puerto Rican.

For me, I read it as Mo-Fo-on-the-go. But that's just me. :smokin:

[A fat english gent]

Wow Bendy looking at the pictures i have to ask,Do your reviews carry so much weight within the Disney corporation that their now opening the parks for just you and Jason?.....:worship: :worship: :worship:

ps....I found this instalment "cheesy" but still very good as always.....:rotfl2:

[cntkg1]

Great installment B. :thumbsup2 Even I found something I think I'd like from each booth in that tour.

BTW..Tell Jay he takes some great self pics. Chuck tried that once and we only got his face and my ear! :goodvibes

BTWA...Ahem, I do believe Cass made a BOB logo just for you. Where the heck is it?? C'mon Bendy, be proud...show us your logo! :cool1:

[jakenjess]

Everything looks so yummy! I love the idea of a cheese booth!:thumbsup2

Glad you're feeling better, and you're not whining at all! :hug:

Can't wait to hear about Cali Grill -- it's my favorite!

[travelmel]

ps....I found this instalment "cheesy" but still very good as always.....:rotfl2:

:lmao:

[MA pigletfan]

YUM!!!! i think i would enjoy that frozen mojito if it was a raspberry mojito..those are so flippen good! Ever try one? I actually had a blackberry one in Disneyland..yum!
Thanks for the great reviews of the food booths..I NEED to go there for F&W festival!!!

[29apr00]

boo for more money for less stuff!! :sad2: Disney seems to taking that philosophy alot lately. :headache:

[DisneyMom5]

Nice update! :thumbsup2

[D&R love Disney]

I don't think I'd be sharing that cheese plate!!!!! Everything looks good, I really need to get back to the F&W!

I'm glad you mentioned no bowls, I'll definetly be packing a couple. Since this upcoming trip is with Mom we won't go out for many breakfasts. Her and I are both cereal and toast kind of gals. Rick's the one who wants a real breakfast when on vacation.

[TDC Nala]

And who dares mock the
Mexican chilaquiles?
Oh well more for me.

[BriarRosie]

And who dares mock the
Mexican chilaquiles?
Oh well more for me.

You're lucky you get to have them again soon. I dig the chilaquiles, too.

[ChelleinNC]

I can't wait until my inlaws move to town or the kids are big enough to leave alone so I can go to F&W!

It all looks really good :thumbsup2

[ses1230]

There was only one thing to do ... stop at Aloha Isle and try the fabled Dole Whip. Jay likes pineapple and I don't, so it took me a few minutes to decide what to order. And then I shocked the CM by requesting a swirlie.

"I beg your pardon, ma'am?"

"I'd like a chocolate / vanilla swirlie, please."

And then as soon as I heard the words come out of my mouth I wanted to laugh ...


:lmao: Reminds me of the time we were there and I asked for rainbow jimmies on my ice cream... i didn't realize calling them jimmies (aka sprinkles) was a regional thing!

[oybolshoi]

Thank you for sharing your reviews/pics of the F+W......We've never been, but your report is definitely making it a priority!

Thanks for reading! If you've never had a chance to attend F&W you should definitely give it a try if your schedule ever permits. It's definitely worth trying at least once.

Always a big fan of your reviews (I always get a good laugh from your witty writing) and dragged myself from the sick bed to get caught up on this review.

Thanks so much and I hope you're feeling better soon. :hug:


Being a big Disney recipe collector, I totally agree with the disappointment over the yearly recipe book. It's like they wanted to do as little work as possible on it and double the price. I ordered it through a fellow Disser (and am grateful they went to the trouble to purchase it for a total stranger) and will let you know if there's any new recipes.

It's really too bad that they changed the cookbook this year - I hope it's a temporary change, because we liked to give them to people as holiday gifts. And now we're all out of ideas. :headache:

I'd love to hear what you think of it when you see it. I thought the design was pretty and I really liked that it was hardbound (it's really a small 3-ring binder) but I was totally underwhelmed by the number of recipes inlcuded relative to the number of food and drink items being offered at the festival food booths.

mow-fawn-go! (Sing it like the opening of sequence of the Lion King song)

More African than Puerto Rican.

For me, I read it as Mo-Fo-on-the-go. But that's just me. :smokin:

I actually say it as Mo-fun-c'mon-let's go, but the "c'mon let's" is silent. It takes a while to get used to the pronounciation but once you do you never go back! :lmao:

Wow Bendy looking at the pictures i have to ask,Do your reviews carry so much weight within the Disney corporation that their now opening the parks for just you and Jason?.....:worship: :worship: :worship:

ps....I found this instalment "cheesy" but still very good as always.....:rotfl2:

You big ol' pun machine ... :rotfl2:

And our reviews and opinions and letters and phone calls carry no weight whatsoever as far as I can tell. I am apparently a heartless crank who eats defenseless animals and then demands more, more, more!!! ;)

Great installment B. :thumbsup2 Even I found something I think I'd like from each booth in that tour.

BTW..Tell Jay he takes some great self pics. Chuck tried that once and we only got his face and my ear! :goodvibes

BTWA...Ahem, I do believe Cass made a BOB logo just for you. Where the heck is it?? C'mon Bendy, be proud...show us your logo! :cool1:

Thanks for reading, MG! See ... there's stuff for you at the F&W Festival and lots of good beer, too! As for the self-portraits ... Jay's had a few years to perfect his technique - it doesn't hurt that he's got a really long reach, either.

Will look into the logo later ... you know how I feel about peer pressure! :laughing:

Everything looks so yummy! I love the idea of a cheese booth!:thumbsup2

Glad you're feeling better, and you're not whining at all! :hug:

Can't wait to hear about Cali Grill -- it's my favorite!

Thanks Lori! The cheese booth was great - seems like a lot of people we talked with were really pleased by its addition this year. CA Grill will get a bit of a mixed review this year. Jay really liked it and I thought it was good but not as good as in years past. I don't think we'll be eating there next fall, however; we need something new.

YUM!!!! i think i would enjoy that frozen mojito if it was a raspberry mojito.. those are so flippen good! Ever try one? I actually had a blackberry one in Disneyland..yum!
Thanks for the great reviews of the food booths..I NEED to go there for F&W festival!!!

Hi Gina! I've never had a raspberry mojito although right about now it sounds pretty good. :thumbsup2 Glad you liked the booth reviews so far - there are plenty more to come. You and your fiance need a trip to the festival at least once!

boo for more money for less stuff!! :sad2: Disney seems to taking that philosophy alot lately. :headache:

Yeah, we've noticed that a lot this year ourselves. I'm not opposed to Disney making money ... that's what they're in the business to do ... but I do object to the way they've been going about it lately.

Nice update! :thumbsup2

Thanks for reading Momof7not5. :goodvibes

[oybolshoi]

I don't think I'd be sharing that cheese plate!!!!! Everything looks good, I really need to get back to the F&W!

I'm glad you mentioned no bowls, I'll definetly be packing a couple. Since this upcoming trip is with Mom we won't go out for many breakfasts. Her and I are both cereal and toast kind of gals. Rick's the one who wants a real breakfast when on vacation.

Hi Deb! Any chance you can make it to WDW next October betwen the 16th and the 24th? There's a big ol' informal group of DISers from the food boards who are planning to be there. I'm trying to think of a way to host a get together without having to sell a kidney. ;)

As for the studio, I hate to have to tell you to bring some dishes when you're staying at a DVC property. Have you thought of calling in advance and requesting some dishes so that they'll be there when you arrive? A couple of DISers here have mentioned that I probably could have called and requested some mugs and such rather than buying some.

Watch out DVC ... the next letter I write is coming your way! :laughing: And I fully expect you to ignore me just like everyone else has so far. ;)

And who dares mock the
Mexican chilaquiles?
Oh well more for me.

You and Lori and Jay can fight over them ... I'm going back for more cheese.

You're lucky you get to have them again soon. I dig the chilaquiles, too.

Please see above response. :lmao:

I can't wait until my inlaws move to town or the kids are big enough to leave alone so I can go to F&W!

It all looks really good :thumbsup2

Thanks for reading! For what it's worth we see a lot of parents with kids at F&W. If your kids are into more adventurous eating maybe you can swing a family trip during that strange and scary Fall break thing I keep hearing so much about. ;) Having said that ... if I were a parent, I think I'd still rather do F&W without kids, but I'm selfish that way.

:lmao: Reminds me of the time we were there and I asked for rainbow jimmies on my ice cream... i didn't realize calling them jimmies (aka sprinkles) was a regional thing!

:rotfl2: Now that's a perfect example. If you had said jimmies to me I would have been wondering why you wanted teeny little boys sprinkled on your ice cream. :lmao:

[oybolshoi]

Well, we went for sushi tonight.

First ... the place we originally planned on going to has closed - thank goodness I called to make a reservation otherwise we wouldn't have known until we showed up ready to sweep the seas clean.

Second ... the place we ate at tonight was good but did not live up to the hype that local magazine reviews have created.

Third ... we were obviously spoiled by our sushi experiences in WDW on this most recent trip and it's become evident to us that Stinktown Sushi is always going to be a notch below what we've come to expect.

Fourth ... Jay and I are not trendy people.

Fifth ... I fail to understand how European rave music adds to the ambiance at a sushi restaurant. We fully expected the Techno-twins to burst out of the kitchen at any moment.

Sixth ... we took pictures and ate a lot of food just so that I could write a review and post it on the blog for everyone to read!

Happy Fishoween! :thumbsup2

[A fat english gent]

:rotfl2: :lmao: :rotfl2:

Can i release Shamu and Flipper from the safe house now?....:rolleyes1

[oybolshoi]

:rotfl2: :lmao: :rotfl2:

Can i release Shamu and Flipper from the safe house now?....:rolleyes1

Yes ... they are safe for the rest of the year. :lmao:

[AngVT]

Hi Brenda!!! Just checking in to see how you're doing! Love the review on RR!

I swear I'm going to WDW by my self for my next birthday... unless DH decides to treat me to St. Lucia. (there's no decision there St.Lu wins hands down) but if not... I'll try to be there for my B-Day next year (or should I say "our" birthday...lol!) It will be a monumental one so I'll need to hang out with someone who can handle their liquor... cuz I'm a lightweight! LOL!

Can't wait for your next installment! YAY!

[D&R love Disney]

Hi Deb! Any chance you can make it to WDW next October betwen the 16th and the 24th? There's a big ol' informal group of DISers from the food boards who are planning to be there. I'm trying to think of a way to host a get together without having to sell a kidney. ;)

As for the studio, I hate to have to tell you to bring some dishes when you're staying at a DVC property. Have you thought of calling in advance and requesting some dishes so that they'll be there when you arrive? A couple of DISers here have mentioned that I probably could have called and requested some mugs and such rather than buying some.

Watch out DVC ... the next letter I write is coming your way! :laughing: And I fully expect you to ignore me just like everyone else has so far. ;)



Sad to think I need to bring a few dishes after shelling our serious $$$ to own DVC. Rick and I always stay at a 1 BR so it's never been a problem. I suppose 2 bowls won't take up to much room in the suitcase.

I'll seriously think about October, I should be able to do a few days {fingers crossed}.

[BriarRosie]

Well, we went for sushi tonight.

First ... the place we originally planned on going to has closed - thank goodness I called to make a reservation otherwise we wouldn't have known until we showed up ready to sweep the seas clean.

Second ... the place we ate at tonight was good but did not live up to the hype that local magazine reviews have created.

Third ... we were obviously spoiled by our sushi experiences in WDW on this most recent trip and it's become evident to us that Stinktown Sushi is always going to be a notch below what we've come to expect.

Fourth ... Jay and I are not trendy people.

Fifth ... I fail to understand how European rave music adds to the ambiance at a sushi restaurant. We fully expected the Techno-twins to burst out of the kitchen at any moment.

Sixth ... we took pictures and ate a lot of food just so that I could write a review and post it on the blog for everyone to read!

Happy Fishoween! :thumbsup2

So you weren't impressed by the sushi place with the punny names for their food? Bummer. Those Techno-twins sure do get around. They were at PFTS and now they're playing at the Stinktown Sushi Joints. ;)

Sad to think I need to bring a few dishes after shelling our serious $$$ to own DVC. Rick and I always stay at a 1 BR so it's never been a problem. I suppose 2 bowls won't take up to much room in the suitcase.

I'll seriously think about October, I should be able to do a few days {fingers crossed}.

Actually, when you're at the 1 BR, you're getting all the "real" dishes and flatware. It's only when you're at a Studio that they give you the cheap stuff. The strange thing I noticed was I was at a Studio at BCV when Brenda and Jay were at SSR in a Studio. I had the ceramic coffee mugs and they got the styrofoam cups. I think they got the raw end of the deal. I heard you can ask for the "real" coffee mugs from Housekeeping if you don't have any. The rest of the stuff were paper plates and bowls and plastic flatware.

So if you always stay in the 1 BR, you don't need to pack your own dishes. :laughing:

[oybolshoi]

Hi Brenda!!! Just checking in to see how you're doing! Love the review on RR!

I swear I'm going to WDW by my self for my next birthday... unless DH decides to treat me to St. Lucia. (there's no decision there St.Lu wins hands down) but if not... I'll try to be there for my B-Day next year (or should I say "our" birthday...lol!) It will be a monumental one so I'll need to hang out with someone who can handle their liquor... cuz I'm a lightweight! LOL!

Can't wait for your next installment! YAY!

Welcome home - I've been following your reviews and they're very good!

Well, if I were you I'd choose St. Lucia over WDW for our birthday, too. But if you happen to be at WDW on the monumental day let me know and we can buy each other some alkiehaul to celebrate!

Sad to think I need to bring a few dishes after shelling our serious $$$ to own DVC. Rick and I always stay at a 1 BR so it's never been a problem. I suppose 2 bowls won't take up to much room in the suitcase.

I'll seriously think about October, I should be able to do a few days {fingers crossed}.

It's easy to be spoiled by staying in the 1 BR ... we never even stopped to think that a studio would be like roughing it. ;)

Hope you can make it next fall! :thumbsup2

So you weren't impressed by the sushi place with the punny names for their food? Bummer. Those Techno-twins sure do get around. They were at PFTS and now they're playing at the Stinktown Sushi Joints. ;)

It was the punny place that was closed down ... I have a feeling we would have liked them better just based on their menu. :laughing:


Actually, when you're at the 1 BR, you're getting all the "real" dishes and flatware. It's only when you're at a Studio that they give you the cheap stuff. The strange thing I noticed was I was at a Studio at BCV when Brenda and Jay were at SSR in a Studio. I had the ceramic coffee mugs and they got the styrofoam cups. I think they got the raw end of the deal. I heard you can ask for the "real" coffee mugs from Housekeeping if you don't have any. The rest of the stuff were paper plates and bowls and plastic flatware.

So if you always stay in the 1 BR, you don't need to pack your own dishes. :laughing:

Poor poor us ... ;) And that's why I'm booking a 1-bedroom for next October. Well, that and the fact that I loves me a whirlpool tub!

[TDC Nala]

Was looking at October 24 to November 2. I might still do that. But I could also do October 17 to 25. Maybe a big Dis contingent at the festival would help things, especially since I bet there won't be many events to go to next year... I am still going to a PFTS though. I didn't think it was horrible at all. In fact I'd rather do that than sit around a table.

No one bedroom for me, always the BCV studio, I have too many other uses for the points. I don't eat in the room anyway. (Well on the trip next week we are bringing our own cheese which cost less than the Festival cheese tasting and having cheese in the room since we can't go to the Adventurers Club).

OKW and SSR don't have glasses and mugs because they don't have commercial dishwashers. Silly, eh? big time.

[DisneyLaura]

I will say so far there isn't one thing that you had that I wouldn't have tried. I normally don't try new foods, old boring I am. Those cheeses do look yumilicous.

[*KeepMovingForward*]

Well, we went for sushi tonight.

Fifth ... I fail to understand how European rave music adds to the ambiance at a sushi restaurant. We fully expected the Techno-twins to burst out of the kitchen at any moment.


I'm going to be laughing all day thinking about this...techno twins and sushi. :rotfl2:

[Tink rules]

:rotfl2: :lmao: :rotfl2:

Can i release Shamu and Flipper from the safe house now?....:rolleyes1

Yes ... they are safe for the rest of the year. :lmao:

& Charlie the Tuna is coming out of the closet... ;)

I'm going to be laughing all day thinking about this...techno twins and sushi. :rotfl2:

Dancing....

:fish: :fish: :fish: :fish: :fish: :fish: :fish: :fish: :fish: :fish: :fish: :fish: :fish: :fish:

[oybolshoi]

Was looking at October 24 to November 2. I might still do that. But I could also do October 17 to 25. Maybe a big Dis contingent at the festival would help things, especially since I bet there won't be many events to go to next year... I am still going to a PFTS though. I didn't think it was horrible at all. In fact I'd rather do that than sit around a table.

No one bedroom for me, always the BCV studio, I have too many other uses for the points. I don't eat in the room anyway. (Well on the trip next week we are bringing our own cheese which cost less than the Festival cheese tasting and having cheese in the room since we can't go to the Adventurers Club).

OKW and SSR don't have glasses and mugs because they don't have commercial dishwashers. Silly, eh? big time.

I've been told by several DISers that they are planning on being at WDW during that middle stretch of October ... so I'm anticipating a pretty decent gathering of restaurant board folks during this time. Everybody BYOB and we can have an informal beach party at the Beach Club in October 2009! :cool1:

We were totally spoiled by the 1BR ... it just never dawned on us that there wouldn't be a small number of "real" dishes available for our use in a studio. Surprise! :laughing:

I will say so far there isn't one thing that you had that I wouldn't have tried. I normally don't try new foods, old boring I am. Those cheeses do look yumilicous.

Excellent! That's great news ... I haven't yucked you out yet! And the cheeses were really good - I hope they bring the booth back next year with some new selections.

I'm going to be laughing all day thinking about this...techno twins and sushi. :rotfl2:

:lmao: My work here is done.

[PNO4TE]

Eureka!!! I found it! Now I know what I will be doing tonight. :teeth:

Thanks, Brenda (and Jason!)

[TDC Nala]

I have a friend who owns this game:

http://www.surlatable.com/gs/foodie-fight-a-trivia-game-food-lover-4.shtml

I think the informal beach party needs to have this game. She could probably be persuaded to bring it...if we end up booking that week.

[oybolshoi]

Eureka!!! I found it! Now I know what I will be doing tonight. :teeth:

Thanks, Brenda (and Jason!)

Hi Elin! Glad you're able to join in the fun ... plenty more to come! :goodvibes

I have a friend who owns this game:

http://www.surlatable.com/gs/foodie-fight-a-trivia-game-food-lover-4.shtml

I think the informal beach party needs to have this game. She could probably be persuaded to bring it...if we end up booking that week.

That game looks like it would be a hoot ... especially with alcohol involved. :laughing:

[Circusgirl]

I'm hoping that the California Grill dinner included sushi!!! I always admire it but have never ordered it there so perhaps you will inspire me...
I absolutely love vicarious eating of little battered fried sausages with mustard dipping sauce. Thanks!

[BriarRosie]

That game looks like it would be a hoot ... especially with alcohol involved. :laughing:

Now you're talking! I think I'm on the October 17-25 bandwagon. I wasn't going to go, but I'm so easily influenced.

[oybolshoi]

I'm hoping that the California Grill dinner included sushi!!! I always admire it but have never ordered it there so perhaps you will inspire me...
I absolutely love vicarious eating of little battered fried sausages with mustard dipping sauce. Thanks!

Hi there Circusgirl! We did order some sushi at CA Grill and it was terrific - hopefully I will inspire you to order some the next time you dine there. And I'm glad you enjoyed the deep-fried sausage porn ... mmmmm, we love those tasty little guys!

Thanks for reading!


Now you're talking! I think I'm on the October 17-25 bandwagon. I wasn't going to go, but I'm so easily influenced.

Excellent - join us!!! :thumbsup2

[oybolshoi]

Thursday, October 9th - Did Someone Say Free Wine???

During the Food & Wine Festival there are daily "events" taking place at the Festival Welcome Center. Some of them are pre-paid and some of them are complimentary - in years past the festival was chock full of complimentary food and beverage events every day. Of course, Jay and I never managed to take advantage of any of these events either because of scheduling conflicts or because those being offered during our days at Epcot just didn't sound all that appealing.

Welcome to 2008 ... not much has changed except that Epcot has massively scaled back on the freebies, especially on weekdays. Jay and I scoured the program one of our DISfriends mailed to us before our trip (thanks dizneykid!) and we managed to find one event that fit into our schedule that we thought would be worth attending. Just for reference, the wine seminars typically last about 45 minutes and are led by the featured winery principal - attendees usually get to sample between three and four different wines.

The Banfi Wine seminar was slated to begin at 12:15 on Thursday afternoon. Jay and I arrived at the Festival center about 30 minutes before the start time and found this:

A Sea of Thirsty People!
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l213/oybolshoi/October%202008/46.jpg

I can't say I was completely surprised since Banfi was bound to be popular with F&W junkies because of the likelihood of free Rosa Regale. Heck, that was the only reason we were trying to get in! :laughing:

We hurried over to the end of the line where a CM was standing with a few precious line tickets left in her hand. I nabbed 96 and 97 for Jay and me and breathed a sigh of relief. One hundred attendees is the maximum for the wine seminars, so we were really lucky to squeak in at the not last minute.

And this is precisely why we didn't try to attend any other freebies during our vacation. We just didn't want to spend that much time in the Festival center waiting in line for tickets and then waiting in line for the event and then sitting through the event. That's just too much wasted eating time for us!

Of course I had to make a bathroom run before the seminar began ... here's another picture of everyone waiting in line. At least we were all able to wait inside in nice, cool air conditioning.

Hey! I know that guy!!!
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l213/oybolshoi/October%202008/47.jpg

We were seated in one of the last rows of tables, which was fine by us since it gave us a bit more breathing room. There was a gentleman who introduced the Banfi representative (I can't remember her name, sorry), and then we sat through 45 minutes of company / wine-making history. And in between it all we were able to sample four different wines including the Rosa Regale, which came with a dark chocolate Hershey's kiss to further enhance our enjoyment. Yum yum good!

Introducing the Winery Representative
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l213/oybolshoi/October%202008/51.jpg

Mmmmmmm...wine, wine, wine, and wine!!!
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l213/oybolshoi/October%202008/49.jpg

Here's some information for you from the program guide about the wines we tried, all of which we thought were pretty good.

San Angelo Pinot Grigio: White-gold color with a fresh bouquet - notes of pear, banana, peach, anise, and honey. The taste was fruity and crisp - very refreshing.

Centine: Made from a combination of 60% Sangiovese, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 20% Merlot grapes, this wine's color was an intense ruby red. The bouquet was fragrant with dark fruit and floral nuances while the taste was medium-bodied with black cherry, tart plum, and spice flavors.

Cum Laude: Made from a combination of 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 25% Sangiovese, and 15% Syrah grapes, this wine also has a deep, intense ruby red color. The bouquet was full with an aroma of blackberries and plums complemented by licorice, black olives, and even pipe-tobacco (hey, these are their tasting notes not mine!). The taste was full-bodied with supple tannins.

Rosa Regale: Made 100% from Brachetto d'Acqui grapes, the color is described as "festive cranberry." The bouquet is aromatic with hints of raspberries, strawberries, and Bulgarian rose while the taste is that of fresh raspberries with a crisp acidity.

All in all a pretty good free seminar and we left pleased by the experience but not enough so to hang around for anything else. However, on the way out we happened by some people who were waiting for a Kitchen Conversation with Ming Tsai and I saw someone I thought looked familiar. Taking my courage in hand (I don't usually approach people unless I'm sure of who they are ... I don't want to scare anyone) I approached this lady and asked her if she was ------, otherwise known as Webray here on the DIS.

:woohoo: I was right! She and I had PMd each other about trying to meet up on Thursday but we both left our cell phones somewhere other than on our persons (pay attention - this is an ongoing theme during our trip). Jay and I chatted for a bit with Webray and her hubby before leaving to head back to SSR for a nap before dinner. Meeting them was really a delight - we felt like we'd known them forever. :hug:

Coming soon ... dinner at CA Grill!

[TigerKat]

Wow - Rosa and Webray.....doesn't get much better than that!;)

[whogirl'smom]

So glad I found your update tonight as I sit here watching the Vols get their butts whipped. :sad2: I'd love to do a wine seminar, but not all those reds unfortunately. I know everyone raves about the Rosa Regale; is it as heavy as all the other reds? Sweeter?

Ah, a little foreshadowing of the cell phone woes...

[oybolshoi]

Wow - Rosa and Webray.....doesn't get much better than that!;)

It's true! :thumbsup2

So glad I found your update tonight as I sit here watching the Vols get their butts whipped. :sad2: I'd love to do a wine seminar, but not all those reds unfortunately. I know everyone raves about the Rosa Regale; is it as heavy as all the other reds? Sweeter?

Ah, a little foreshadowing of the cell phone woes...

Hiya Mom-of-Whogirl! :goodvibes

Rosa Regale is not heavy at all ... it's a very light, sparkling wine. It's also sweet, but not overpoweringly so. We've enjoyed it with cheese and with chocolate and just by itself. Love it!

Yeah, the cell phone woes. First webray ... then zweihund ... then you ... and onward from there! :lmao:

[whogirl'smom]

It's true! :thumbsup2



Hiya Mom-of-Whogirl! :goodvibes

Rosa Regale is not heavy at all ... it's a very light, sparkling wine. It's also sweet, but not overpoweringly so. We've enjoyed it with cheese and with chocolate and just by itself. Love it!

Yeah, the cell phone woes. First webray ... then zweihund ... then you ... and onward from there! :lmao:

I really like sparkling whites, so I went to the website and checked it out. I think you (and their marketing team :laughing: ) may have talked me into this one. It is touted to go with everything short of Ruffles and onion dip even the "myriad" of flavors of Thanksgiving dinner, so I think I will give it a whirl for that very occasion. Hope it's at the corner package store....they've surprised me before!

[Tink rules]

Make sure you have some dark chocolate with it... if you buy the glass full in Italy... they should give you some chocolate to try it with... I think it loses something without it... but I could be wrong... :rolleyes:

[Tatania]

Well, we went for sushi tonight.

Sixth ... we took pictures and ate a lot of food just so that I could write a review and post it on the blog for everyone to read!

Happy Fishoween! :thumbsup2

I went to your blog but couldn't find anything posted since the beginning of October - the one about delayed flights and peanuts. Is the sushi review in another section?

I was curious about whether any of the food booths or demos hand out recipe cards? if so, where there any new or interesting recipes to share on the Dis Recipe exchange?

[DisneyLaura]

:thumbsup2 nothing better than free booze I say. Oh and I know that guy in line too;)

[oybolshoi]

I went to your blog but couldn't find anything posted since the beginning of October - the one about delayed flights and peanuts. Is the sushi review in another section?

I was curious about whether any of the food booths or demos hand out recipe cards? if so, where there any new or interesting recipes to share on the Dis Recipe exchange?

Sorry, I guess that last sentence was a little misleading. I'm in the middle of the sushi write-up but it's not finished yet which is why you can't find it.

I'll post something here when it's ready for everyone to read - that's what I did with all of our Vegas updates on my last food porn thread.

As for the booths - they were not handing out recipe cards. The Louisiana demos were handing out recipes but each time we wandered by it was always for etouffe or jambalya and we always turned them down since we have plenty of recipes for those here at home already.

The whole cookbook thing sucks this year ... I can't believe Epcot / Disney made that decision. :sad2:

:thumbsup2 nothing better than free booze I say. Oh and I know that guy in line too;)

Free booze is always good ... apparently many people think so! :goodvibes

[oybolshoi]

I really like sparkling whites, so I went to the website and checked it out. I think you (and their marketing team :laughing: ) may have talked me into this one. It is touted to go with everything short of Ruffles and onion dip even the "myriad" of flavors of Thanksgiving dinner, so I think I will give it a whirl for that very occasion. Hope it's at the corner package store....they've surprised me before!

Good luck finding it - I hope you do. :thumbsup2 EDITED: I just realized that may have sounded as though it's difficult to find. I don't think it is ... we actually saw it at our local grocery store for the first time ever last weekend. Our local booze haunts have always carried it and we pay about $20 per bottle, which I think is a pretty fair price.

Make sure you have some dark chocolate with it... if you buy the glass full in Italy... they should give you some chocolate to try it with... I think it loses something without it... but I could be wrong... :rolleyes:

We bought a glass from a stand in Italy and they didn't give us any chocolate ... I wonder if you have to buy it from one of the stores to score some free chockie. :confused3

Personally, we like to drink Rosa Regale by itself, especially in the summer. I think it's a wonderful aperitif (oooooh, I sound so snooty ... :snooty: :laughing: ).

And we also like Rosa with cheese ... it's terrific!

[KristinAnne]

I really have got to get myself to the F&W Festival some year! I will never be able to take a week long trip (they don't look highly on that kind of thing in the world of teaching!), but I need to work in a long weekend. The rosa and pinot look great. I'm a pinot kind of girl! Looking forward to California Grill!

[erinuga]

Hey Brenda! Well, I am late (as usual) but I'm caught up and love your reviews so far!

I have to mention that I did get the Dalkey Duo as my dinner (not a starter) a couple of years ago...the first few were great, but....it should not ever be ordered as a solo project.

[oybolshoi]

I really have got to get myself to the F&W Festival some year! I will never be able to take a week long trip (they don't look highly on that kind of thing in the world of teaching!), but I need to work in a long weekend. The rosa and pinot look great. I'm a pinot kind of girl! Looking forward to California Grill!

Definitely get yourself to F&W some time ... it's really a fun experience.

As for the wines, I liked the pinot grigio and the Rosa Regale the best out of all the wines - the pinot was excellent!

Hey Brenda! Well, I am late (as usual) but I'm caught up and love your reviews so far!

I have to mention that I did get the Dalkey Duo as my dinner (not a starter) a couple of years ago...the first few were great, but....it should not ever be ordered as a solo project.

Hey Erin! No one is ever late to one of these threads ... just jump in and go with the flow! ;) Yeah, the dalkeys definitely need two appetites to finish them off ... it's a pretty good sized portion (and oh-so-tasty).

Thanks for reading! :goodvibes

[D&R love Disney]

I would have loved going to the wine seminar. I haven't tried the Rosa yet because I'm not a fan of sweet wine. Maybe I'll have to suck it up and just try it and make sure I have a nice piece of dark chocolate to go with it.

Looking forward to Cali Grill and see what you got on the cheese plate.

Side note; Rick and I went to Whole Foods last night and got some cheese. He picked a cheddar with horseradish and I got a manchego and some feta. We also hit the wine store and got 4 bottles of chardonney :thumbsup2 and martini fixings for Rick. I just can't drink a dirty martini like he does but a chocolate martini thats another story :rotfl:

[DizWisher]

We were at Dolphin/OKW Oct. 15-26.
Post Disney depression much helped by planning next October (I turned 33 on Oct. 20) at Grand Floridian.
We are hard to miss-- I have muscular dystrophy and use a ventilator/power chair. DH and my caregiver are both big, bearded men who eat everything in sight.
Happy Birthday!

DizWisher
aka
Miri

[oybolshoi]

I would have loved going to the wine seminar. I haven't tried the Rosa yet because I'm not a fan of sweet wine. Maybe I'll have to suck it up and just try it and make sure I have a nice piece of dark chocolate to go with it.

Looking forward to Cali Grill and see what you got on the cheese plate.

Hi Deb! The Rosa is actually quite good - I was skeptical the first time I tried it for the exact same reason ... I don't like really sweet wines. But this is quite subtle and refreshing and so pretty in a glass!

I think I'll work on the CA Grill review on Tuesday - I'll be up late watching the election returns so that will give me something to work on while the TV is blathering away.

Side note; Rick and I went to Whole Foods last night and got some cheese. He picked a cheddar with horseradish and I got a manchego and some feta. We also hit the wine store and got 4 bottles of chardonney :thumbsup2 and martini fixings for Rick. I just can't drink a dirty martini like he does but a chocolate martini thats another story :rotfl:

Yum! Whole Foods ... :cloud9: I'd love some manchego and feta cheese right about now - sounds pretty darn tasty. I don't like dirty martinis either but I'd be happy to join you in a chockie drink anytime! :thumbsup2

We were at Dolphin/OKW Oct. 15-26.
Post Disney depression much helped by planning next October (I turned 33 on Oct. 20) at Grand Floridian.

We are hard to miss-- I have muscular dystrophy and use a ventilator/power chair. DH and my caregiver are both big, bearded men who eat everything in sight.
Happy Birthday!

DizWisher
aka
Miri

Hi Miri - thanks for posting! We left WDW on the morning of the 17th, so I'm not sure if we happened to see you or not ... my memory is really bad for spot sightings, especially if I don't speak to someone - maybe I need to cut back on the alcohol??? ;)

Happy belated birthday to you and I hope you had a great trip. We're already planning our trip for next Fall, too! :goodvibes It's an addiction, I think. :laughing:

[John's Mom]

The last time we had Rosa Regale from the Italian Pavilion, we had to buy a small piece of chocolate to go with the wine. They tell you that the chocolate goes very well with the Rosa Regale and then charge you for it.

[kabuki]

Just a heads up for all Rosa Regale fans that I am seeing. Our Costco in San Diego just got it in for the drinking I mean Christmas season! :thumbsup2

[oybolshoi]

The last time we had Rosa Regale from the Italian Pavilion, we had to buy a small piece of chocolate to go with the wine. They tell you that the chocolate goes very well with the Rosa Regale and then charge you for it.

Figures, doesn't it? :laughing:

Just a heads up for all Rosa Regale fans that I am seeing. Our Costco in San Diego just got it in for the drinking I mean Christmas season! :thumbsup2

Thanks Kabuki!

[PNO4TE]

And if you have trouble finding Rosa Regale, we became very fond of Paringa Sparkling Shiraz this summer. Not quite as sweet as Rosa Regale, but yummy, and cheaper around here!

http://kybecca.com/components/com_virtuemart/shop_image/product/3b6e918305f867f199c9a7feff864b8f.gif

[oybolshoi]

Hey there kids! I just updated the blog with a review of our sushi-fest on Halloween. The link's in my signature if you feel like taking a read.

Thanks!

B. :goodvibes

[PNO4TE]

Brenda - Thanks for your review of Raglan Road. Bob and I are going to try it next month for the first time. He cannot wait to try the Dalkeys! And our reservation is for 8:30 so we ought to be able to enjoy the band too. :)

[TigerKat]

Hey there kids! I just updated the blog with a review of our sushi-fest on Halloween. The link's in my signature if you feel like taking a read.

Thanks!

B. :goodvibes

Great update Brenda! I love sushi, DH not so much so I truly enjoy it every chance I can get it. You guys were really hungry, you PIGS!!:lmao:

[oybolshoi]

Brenda - Thanks for your review of Raglan Road. Bob and I are going to try it next month for the first time. He cannot wait to try the Dalkeys! And our reservation is for 8:30 so we ought to be able to enjoy the band too. :)

Thanks for reading Elin - glad you found it helpful! Jay and I love those little snausages - hope you and your hubby enjoy the restaurant and the music! Be sure to let me know what you think once you get back. :goodvibes

Great update Brenda! I love sushi, DH not so much so I truly enjoy it every chance I can get it. You guys were really hungry, you PIGS!!:lmao:

Hi Kathy! So you enjoyed our sushi-fest? I can't believe we ate that much food ... I'm almost embarrassed (almost). Yes, that little waitress was right - we're pigs! :laughing:

[candilicious478]

when is the seafood fext thing at epcot?

[oybolshoi]

when is the seafood fext thing at epcot?

Ummm, I'm not sure I understand what you're referring to. Could you expand your question a bit? Thanks!

[jeminni]

Great sushi review Brenda :)

I loved the big platter, I dont know how you guys eat so much though. ;) Cute name for a restaurant. :)



"Jay and I fully expected the AT&T Techno Twins, Claude and Veter, to burst from the kitchen with their boom box and rhythmic gymnastic ribbon at any moment."


:rotfl: I can just you see you and Jay sitting there drinking your drinks and watching the Techno Twins. :lmao:

Thanks for all your reviews, Looking forward, as always, to more. :goodvibes

[kabuki]

WOW! Brenda! "This drink tasted like frothy, milk-tinged cat p*#$." (Blocked word for DIS;) ) That is a Very Descriptive description! I am so sorry -being a person with a diabetic cat you hit a nail right on the head - perfect and I hope you didn't have to pay for that drink!:scared1:
As for the sushi place .. it sounded like you landed in a Mike Myers Deeter skit! At least you were not asked to touch a monkey!:lmao:
Thank you as always for the adventure eaters update!:thumbsup2

[oybolshoi]

Great sushi review Brenda :)

I loved the big platter, I dont know how you guys eat so much though. ;) Cute name for a restaurant. :)



"Jay and I fully expected the AT&T Techno Twins, Claude and Veter, to burst from the kitchen with their boom box and rhythmic gymnastic ribbon at any moment."


:rotfl: I can just you see you and Jay sitting there drinking your drinks and watching the Techno Twins. :lmao:

Thanks for all your reviews, Looking forward, as always, to more. :goodvibes


Hi Bridget! Thanks for reading - glad you've enjoyed everything so far! Sometimes I wonder how we're able to eat so much, too! :lmao:



WOW! Brenda! "This drink tasted like frothy, milk-tinged cat p*#$." (Blocked word for DIS;) ) That is a Very Descriptive description! I am so sorry -being a person with a diabetic cat you hit a nail right on the head - perfect and I hope you didn't have to pay for that drink!:scared1:
As for the sushi place .. it sounded like you landed in a Mike Myers Deeter skit! At least you were not asked to touch a monkey!:lmao:
Thank you as always for the adventure eaters update!:thumbsup2

Hey Kabuki! I've never actually partaken of cat pee, but it seemed like a good description of just how bad this drink was. I was trying to be funny but now I'm wondering if I just grossed everyone out instead? :confused3

:lmao: I can't believe we didn't think about Sprockets while we were there! I'm just embarrassed now ... :rotfl2:

Thanks for reading!

[kabuki]

Hi Bridget! Thanks for reading - glad you've enjoyed everything so far! Sometimes I wonder how we're able to eat so much, too! :lmao:





Hey Kabuki! I've never actually partaken of cat pee, but it seemed like a good description of just how bad this drink was. I was trying to be funny but now I'm wondering if I just grossed everyone out instead? :confused3

:lmao: I can't believe we didn't think about Sprockets while we were there! I'm just embarrassed now ... :rotfl2:

Thanks for reading!

Never too gross and always funny to me!:hug:

[travelmel]

I love to hear about you getting free stuff for a change! :goodvibes

My aunt went to WDW many years ago and reported back to me that she received LOTS of free stuff at the F&W festival. She had no idea that it was a once in awhile event. This was back when WDW was just sort of a rumor to me. :rotfl: But she said they were handing out food left and right. Musta been the early days :confused3

[whogirl'smom]

Just wanted to let you guys know that the ad at the bottom of the page is reading "How I lost 90 pounds in 6 months"! :rotfl2:

[Briarmom]

BRENDA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have had no computer charger for weeks and months now, but had to finally go to the desktop to read some things.

A) You cancelled V&As?:sick:
B) Raglan Road Bread Pudding!:cool1: I need to get to Ireland....
C) I drank a few 1664s for you at Disneyland Paris. We went after you'd already returned, I think. I'm going to be on vacation from Nov 7-Dec 7 on a whirlwind tour of the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, and Austria, then a 12 hour reprieve in Belgium before going home for Thanksgiving. Any beer you want me to taste for you?:laughing:

[winkers]

I'm going to be on vacation from Nov 7-Dec 7 on a whirlwind tour of the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, and Austria, then a 12 hour reprieve in Belgium before going home for Thanksgiving. Any beer you want me to taste for you?:laughing:

Can I come with you? Do you need a personal assistant????

[Tatania]

Hey there kids! I just updated the blog with a review of our sushi-fest on Halloween. The link's in my signature if you feel like taking a read.

Thanks!

B. :goodvibes

Sushi should never smell fishy so you were right to avoid the crab. If you want fabulous sushi, come and visit us in Vancouver where it seems there's a Starbuck's and sushi place on every block. We have some of the best sushi places anywhere and are spoiled by low prices. Actually Vancouver is known for it's great restaurants and I bet you'd have some interesting dining experiences here if you ever decide to give Disney a miss.

[oybolshoi]

Never too gross and always funny to me!:hug:

Thank you ma'am ... :flower3:

I love to hear about you getting free stuff for a change! :goodvibes

My aunt went to WDW many years ago and reported back to me that she received LOTS of free stuff at the F&W festival. She had no idea that it was a once in awhile event. This was back when WDW was just sort of a rumor to me. :rotfl: But she said they were handing out food left and right. Musta been the early days :confused3

Glad you enjoyed the free stuff ... I don't think there was any more after this; unless you count that golf ball at Fantasia Minigolf and since that wasn't edible and wasn't filled with alcohol it probably doesn't count. :laughing:

Yeah, your aunt must have been there in the good old days. There aren't nearly as many freebies at the F&W festival these days as there used to be.

Just wanted to let you guys know that the ad at the bottom of the page is reading "How I lost 90 pounds in 6 months"! :rotfl2:

:lmao: Irony can be pretty ironic sometimes.

BRENDA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have had no computer charger for weeks and months now, but had to finally go to the desktop to read some things.

A) You cancelled V&As?:sick:
B) Raglan Road Bread Pudding!:cool1: I need to get to Ireland....
C) I drank a few 1664s for you at Disneyland Paris. We went after you'd already returned, I think. I'm going to be on vacation from Nov 7-Dec 7 on a whirlwind tour of the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, and Austria, then a 12 hour reprieve in Belgium before going home for Thanksgiving. Any beer you want me to taste for you?:laughing:

Briarmom!!! We did cancel V&A ... that economic meltdown and watching 50% of our retirement savings disappear made us feel like we should tighten our belts ... a little. ;)

Eat the bread pudding ... you must eat it!!!

Don't have beer when in Hungary, have some Royal Tokaji wine instead - that stuff is awesome!

Nice to see you here, my friend; don't be a stranger. :hug:

Can I come with you? Do you need a personal assistant????

Brilliant Winkers ... can I come too?

Sushi should never smell fishy so you were right to avoid the crab. If you want fabulous sushi, come and visit us in Vancouver where it seems there's a Starbuck's and sushi place on every block. We have some of the best sushi places anywhere and are spoiled by low prices. Actually Vancouver is known for it's great restaurants and I bet you'd have some interesting dining experiences here if you ever decide to give Disney a miss.

I have heard from more than one person that Vancouver has a terrific food scene (especially sushi). Actually Jay and I had talked about heading up to Vancouver in February 2010 for the Winter Olympics but that plan's been smashed to bits by the economy.

I appreciate the suggestion ... we'll definitely keep Vancouver on our list!

[wilma-bride]

Hi Brenda, have been avoiding this thread like plague since I started WW (again) last week but couldn't resist a catch-up session today - and, as always, have thoroughly enjoyed every word - and now I'm starving! :rotfl:
I fear I will also be risking huge unpopularity as we are travelling next year with friends who want to try some off-site restaurants - and, every time I read a review lately, I keep adding yet another Disney eatery back onto the list :lmao:

[oybolshoi]

Morning all! :goodvibes

Rolled out of bed and went to the polling station at 6:10AM ... just got back so now I've got to clean up and head out for work. But please folks, regardless of your party affiliation ... get out there and vote. Let your voice be heard! :thumbsup2

[DisneyLaura]

Hey there kids! I just updated the blog with a review of our sushi-fest on Halloween. The link's in my signature if you feel like taking a read.

Thanks!

B. :goodvibes

I just read it. I'm mickeyspal on blogger, FYI not DisneyLaura just so you know you're not being stalked by a stranger, it's just me stalking:lmao:

[oybolshoi]

Hi Brenda, have been avoiding this thread like plague since I started WW (again) last week but couldn't resist a catch-up session today - and, as always, have thoroughly enjoyed every word - and now I'm starving! :rotfl:
I fear I will also be risking huge unpopularity as we are travelling next year with friends who want to try some off-site restaurants - and, every time I read a review lately, I keep adding yet another Disney eatery back onto the list :lmao:

Hi Joh! Thanks for reading ... I feel bad knowing that my food porn may be interfering with your WW efforts, though. :flower3:

You're going to be in big trouble once I get into the restaurant reviews ... we had some great meals at new places on this trip. ;)

I just read it. I'm mickeyspal on blogger, FYI not DisneyLaura just so you know you're not being stalked by a stranger, it's just me stalking:lmao:

Thanks for checking out the sushi post - hope you enjoyed it! And thanks for letting me know who you were ... sometimes I see posts out there and I'm not sure who they're from. Not that that's a bad thing but it always nice to know when it's a friend, ya know? :flower3:

Now everyone get out there and vote! :thumbsup2

[kabuki]

Morning all! :goodvibes

Rolled out of bed and went to the polling station at 6:10AM ... just got back so now I've got to clean up and head out for work. But please folks, regardless of your party affiliation ... get out there and vote. Let your voice be heard! :thumbsup2


I have but I like what you say sista .. vote..other wise you get stuck with what Brenda and I picked! :thumbsup2

[gatrbait]

Wow I'm de lurking again...I just did this for MickeyNicki and now I'm hooked on your TR...thanks for all the reports they are great...I completely understand about your "issues" my sis had colorectal cancer and has alot of the same "issues" as chrones...so hang in there and take care of yourself and just take one day at a time right? Just a note to describe the Rosa Regale my sisters and I have described it as almost a sparkling sangria not to sweet...but definitly not dry...and thanks to the poster who said it was at costco.. I will have to run by there today!!! Here in the south it is at Publix.
I will have to check out your STL blog as we have an office in Chesterfield!Thanks again for the crazy fun reports...and I would love to meet up with ya'll next Oct! :banana: :banana:
M

[BriarRosie]

Morning all! :goodvibes

Rolled out of bed and went to the polling station at 6:10AM ... just got back so now I've got to clean up and head out for work. But please folks, regardless of your party affiliation ... get out there and vote. Let your voice be heard! :thumbsup2

I didn't go to Starbucks afterwards to get my free coffee, but I could make up for that tonight with free ice cream at Ben and Jerry's. :laughing: (free scoops 5-8pm)

Loved the sushi review, you oinker, you! :rolleyes1

[PNO4TE]

Loved the sushi review, you oinker, you! :rolleyes1

:rotfl2:

[TPCShauna]

Wow, your polls open early! DH and I arrived at 7:10am to a 20 minute line. It's so nice to see so many people out voting!

Looking forward to the Cali Grill review. I'm off to read your blog.

[oybolshoi]

I have but I like what you say sista .. vote..other wise you get stuck with what Brenda and I picked! :thumbsup2

:rotfl2: It's true! I can't speak for Kabuki but I'm a left-leaning independent. ;)

Wow I'm de lurking again...I just did this for MickeyNicki and now I'm hooked on your TR...thanks for all the reports they are great...I completely understand about your "issues" my sis had colorectal cancer and has alot of the same "issues" as chrones...so hang in there and take care of yourself and just take one day at a time right? Just a note to describe the Rosa Regale my sisters and I have described it as almost a sparkling sangria not to sweet...but definitly not dry...and thanks to the poster who said it was at costco.. I will have to run by there today!!! Here in the south it is at Publix.
I will have to check out your STL blog as we have an office in Chesterfield!Thanks again for the crazy fun reports...and I would love to meet up with ya'll next Oct! :banana: :banana:
M

Hello and thanks for de-lurking! I love it when readers throw off their invisibility cloaks! Thanks for reading and I'm glad you're enjoying everything so far.

Thanks very much for the kind words about the issues ... really appreciate the encouragement and I hope your sister is doing well. :hug:

Hope to see you on the blog! Chesterfied is just over the river from where we live ... about a 20-30 minute drive from our house. My in-laws live in Chesterfield.

As for next October ... the more the merrier! :goodvibes

I didn't go to Starbucks afterwards to get my free coffee, but I could make up for that tonight with free ice cream at Ben and Jerry's. :laughing: (free scoops 5-8pm)

Loved the sushi review, you oinker, you! :rolleyes1

I didn't make it to Starbucks either - our loan committee got moved up by a day so today was frantic deadline day in my department. :eek:

Glad you liked the sushi review ... too bad you weren't there to trough with us! :laughing:

:rotfl2:

Hi Elin! :goodvibes

Wow, your polls open early! DH and I arrived at 7:10am to a 20 minute line. It's so nice to see so many people out voting!

Looking forward to the Cali Grill review. I'm off to read your blog.

Our polls open at 6AM CST and close at 7PM CST ... I had ballot #131 when I voted; Jay stopped on his way home from work about 2:30 and had ballot #676. That's amazing ... I've never seen this kind out turnout. :thumbsup2

[oybolshoi]

OK, I whiffed.

My CA Grill pictures haven't been uploaded to photobucket yet ... and now that it's already 8PM and there's this election-thing going down ... well, I won't be updating tonight.

I'll see if I can manage to get it done tomorrow but I can't promise ... work stuff is kind of hairy this week.

Anyhoo, many apologies but it will be up this weekend at the latest.

Thanks! :goodvibes

[whogirl'smom]

I kept telling myself if I could stand in line for rope drop at WDW, I should be in line for "rope drop" this a.m. at dd's school where we vote. Yeah, it just doesn't work the same during an election, does it? :laughing: I had ballot 0015 and still didn't get out for almost an hour. Fastpass, anyone??

[ncsjodi]

I kept telling myself if I could stand in line for rope drop at WDW, I should be in line for "rope drop" this a.m. at dd's school where we vote. Yeah, it just doesn't work the same during an election, does it? :laughing: I had ballot 0015 and still didn't get out for almost an hour. Fastpass, anyone??

Tell me about it. I stood in line for over 2 hours. They had two machines for about 900 people in our precinct and they had over 90% turnout in our county! Just glad I didn't have my DD4 with me!:sad2:

[oybolshoi]

Wowser! That's a heck of a wait both of you had.

Mine could have been worse ... I've been reading that some areas in St. Louis City & County had waits up to and beyond 4 hours. :scared1:

BTW ... hi Jodi! Are we finally going to have a WDW trip overlap next year? :goodvibes

[ncsjodi]

BTW ... hi Jodi! Are we finally going to have a WDW trip overlap next year? :goodvibes

Not sure if we'll go in October again next year. Eric started paramedic school and can't miss class like that. I'm considering trying to take the girls by myself, but i'm not sure if he'll go for that! We may try to go the week before Christmas instead. Or maybe Thanksgiving week??

[oybolshoi]

Not sure if we'll go in October again next year. Eric started paramedic school and can't miss class like that. I'm considering trying to take the girls by myself, but i'm not sure if he'll go for that! We may try to go the week before Christmas instead. Or maybe Thanksgiving week??

Well that's great news for Eric but I'm sorry we won't bump into each other ... again. :hug: We definitely will be back in October since we have a cruise planned for my 40th next year.

Did you have a good time on your most recent WDW trip? What did you think of the festival this year?

[2xcited2sleep]

Next October? Are "we" planning for next October? ;)

[oybolshoi]

Next October? Are "we" planning for next October? ;)

Why yes we are! I've known for two years that we were headed to WDW in October 2009; it was this trip we took last month that was the "surprise."

I was going to start a meet thread for October 2009 at the beginning of the year and link to it here in case any of our food-lovin' friends are going to be at the world as the same time as us. :goodvibes

[ncsjodi]

Well that's great news for Eric but I'm sorry we won't bump into each other ... again. :hug: We definitely will be back in October since we have a cruise planned for my 40th next year.

Did you have a good time on your most recent WDW trip? What did you think of the festival this year?

Haven't started the trip report yet. We had a great time. Met up with Buzz (MontanaDisneyFan) and his family along with a lot of other IpDips. I think there were 16 in total for our meet. We sampled some food one afternoon, but having the kiddos with us slowed us down a bit. I'd like to make a solo trip next year if I can swing it for F&W. I'll keep you posted.

[oybolshoi]

Haven't started the trip report yet. We had a great time. Met up with Buzz (MontanaDisneyFan) and his family along with a lot of other IpDips. I think there were 16 in total for our meet. We sampled some food one afternoon, but having the kiddos with us slowed us down a bit. I'd like to make a solo trip next year if I can swing it for F&W. I'll keep you posted.

Excellent! :thumbsup2

And please let me know when you start your TR so that I can subscribe! :goodvibes

[Donald is #1]

Tell me about it. I stood in line for over 2 hours. They had two machines for about 900 people in our precinct and they had over 90% turnout in our county! Just glad I didn't have my DD4 with me!:sad2:

Only 2 machines??? That sounds like poor planning.

[kabuki]

:rotfl2: It's true! I can't speak for Kabuki but I'm a left-leaning independent. ;)



:love: Oh Brenda! You CAN speak for me on this one! I'm a crazy California left-leaning independent also.. But no matter what happens it makes me happy to see so MANY people out voting!
Now .. More food please~!:yay:

[Briarmom]

Can I come with you? Do you need a personal assistant????

Yes. Yes I do. You take care of the kids. They'll need some extra schooling while we're there.:thumbsup2


Briarmom!!! We did cancel V&A ... that economic meltdown and watching 50% of our retirement savings disappear made us feel like we should tighten our belts ... a little. ;)

Eat the bread pudding ... you must eat it!!!

Don't have beer when in Hungary, have some Royal Tokaji wine instead - that stuff is awesome!

Nice to see you here, my friend; don't be a stranger. :hug:
Brilliant Winkers ... can I come too?


Hungary = Wine. Gotcha.

You are also invited. You'll be in charge of alcohol. ;)

[honeybee30]

Oooohh Nooohh! :eek: I am so out of touch with my DISfriends!

I can't wait to catch up with you, Brenda, and find out about your trip last month! :goodvibes Off to read now....

[winkers]

Yes. Yes I do. You take care of the kids. They'll need some extra schooling while we're there.:thumbsup2



I'm on my way!!

[praisehisname]

We definitely will be back in October since we have a cruise planned for my 40th next year.

Hey Brenda! Next year is my 40th, too (7/26). Tom offered to take me to DW without the kids, and I can't decide between F&W or December to see the Christmas decorations. Of course, my parents think I'm nuts for even wanting to go. They don't understand that it's not just for kids. :confused3

Denise

[whogirl'smom]

Ok, did everybody go out for a drink without me? :magnify:

[Planky]

Ahem....

we interupt Bendy's trip Report to bring you a Public Service Announcement...

:woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: EAT CHOCOLATE!!!!:woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo:
(Preferably with some Rosa Regale on the side...:thumbsup2 )

That is all...

We now return you to your regularly scheduled insertion of foodie Goodness... :flower3:

Thank you...

[PNO4TE]

Ahem....

we interupt Bendy's trip Report to bring you a Public Service Announcement...

:woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: EAT CHOCOLATE!!!!:woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo:
(Preferably with some Rosa Regale on the side...:thumbsup2 )

That is all...

We now return you to your regularly scheduled insertion of foodie Goodness... :flower3:

Thank you...

Aye, Aye, Captain! :sail:

[BriarRosie]

Hey Brenda! Next year is my 40th, too (7/26). Tom offered to take me to DW without the kids, and I can't decide between F&W or December to see the Christmas decorations. Of course, my parents think I'm nuts for even wanting to go. They don't understand that it's not just for kids. :confused3

Denise

There are quite a few of us celebrating that milestone in 2009. ;)
But I'm still younger than you and Bendy. :teeth:

[oybolshoi]

Oooohh Nooohh! :eek: I am so out of touch with my DISfriends!

I can't wait to catch up with you, Brenda, and find out about your trip last month! :goodvibes Off to read now....

Hey woman! I've been wondering where you were hiding yourself! Glad to see you're still hanging around and don't worry, it looks like you've missed a lot but you really haven't. :hug:

Hey Brenda! Next year is my 40th, too (7/26). Tom offered to take me to DW without the kids, and I can't decide between F&W or December to see the Christmas decorations. Of course, my parents think I'm nuts for even wanting to go. They don't understand that it's not just for kids. :confused3

Denise

Hey Denise! How was your cruise? I think you should come during F&W and then you can celebrate the number 40 with the rest of us!

Ok, did everybody go out for a drink without me? :magnify:

Not me ... to be honest I was recovering from an overdose of shock and joy and wonder on election night and I'm still trying to get rid of this cold that seems to have become a sinus infection and I've been dealing with a muscle pull in my right leg .. and quite frankly I'm just a mess right now. I feel like I'm fighting with my own body and it's really getting on my nerves. :mad:

The good news is that being couch bound this weekend means that I should be able to update with the next review. :thumbsup2

Ahem....

we interupt Bendy's trip Report to bring you a Public Service Announcement...

:woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: EAT CHOCOLATE!!!!:woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo:
(Preferably with some Rosa Regale on the side...:thumbsup2 )

That is all...

We now return you to your regularly scheduled insertion of foodie Goodness... :flower3:

Thank you...

Aye, Aye, Captain! :sail:

Yeah, what they said! :rotfl2:

There are quite a few of us celebrating that milestone in 2009. ;)
But I'm still younger than you and Bendy. :teeth:

You're only as old as you think you are ... and today I think I'm 83. :lmao:

[Circusgirl]

Hope you feel better soon Brenda! I hope you can enjoy snuggling in and writing some more wonderful things for us to read.

[Tink rules]

Bendy...

Me thinks the hangover has finally kicked in... :rolleyes1

[PNO4TE]

Bendy...

Me thinks the hangover has finally kicked in... :rolleyes1

:rotfl2:

But, truly, Brenda... I hope your body settles back into its normal self very soon! :hug:

[oybolshoi]

Hope you feel better soon Brenda! I hope you can enjoy snuggling in and writing some more wonderful things for us to read.

Bendy...

Me thinks the hangover has finally kicked in... :rolleyes1

:rotfl2:

But, truly, Brenda... I hope your body settles back into its normal self very soon! :hug:

Thanks so much ... I'd like to feel better soon, too. And I'm sure Jay agrees because if nothing else he's getting tired of me limping around the house barely able to bend over to pick anything up or stand long enough to wash the dishes. :rolleyes: :sad1:

I'm almost finished with the CA Grill update - just pausing for a bit to have some creamy tomato soup, grilled cheese, and smoked porter in front of the nice fire that Jay's got going in our living room. Ahhhhh, heat ... it's warm and toasty. :cloud9:

Check back with me in about an hour and an update you should see! :goodvibes

[Tink rules]

& you have one good lookin nurse there to take care of you!!! :cool2:

[oybolshoi]

Thursday, October 9th - Dinner at CA Grill: Stormy Weather and an Utter Lack of Foie Gras.

After our late morning / early afternoon food and drink fest at Epcot, Jay and I decided that we needed a quick nap before cleaning up for dinner. Keeping in mind that the fireworks-smitten crowds like to dine at CA Grill later in the evening so as to nab a window table for pretty pyrotechnic displays, I made an ADR for 6PM. This meant that we needed to leave no later than 5PM to allow ourselves enough time to get from our resort to the Magic Kingdom where we would catch the monorail to the Contemporary.

Ya'll smell so nice and flowery!
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l213/oybolshoi/October%202008/59.jpg

On this particular evening we also had to deal with some weather anxiety - there were storms popping all over the place and we (ok, mostly me) were concerned that we'd get caught in the middle of one before arriving at the Contemporary.

Here's what the skies looked like right before we left for the bus stop:

In Stinktown the funnel would have dropped by now ...
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l213/oybolshoi/October%202008/56.jpg

Honestly, I have the hardest time gauging the weather in Florida. In St. Louis this storm would have broken with big rain, hail, rumbly thunder, jagged lightning, and whippy winds. The good news is that none of that happened while we were on our way to California Grill ensuring that we didn't show up looking like drowned sewer rats; the bad news is that ... ummm, well I guess for us it wasn't really bad news, but it definitely sucked for those poor folks who were attending Mickey's Halloween party that night.

Luckily we made it to the Contemporary with no trouble and checked in right on time. We requested a window table just like everyone else, but also told the CM that we'd be perfectly happy seated in the Wine Room. It's so much more quiet in there than in the main dining room with its open kitchen that we sometimes feel like we're in a completely different restaurant. The wine room has two walls of windows that look out over Bay Lake towards downtown Orlando, one wall that's primarily made up of glass doors leading into the main dining room, and a fourth wall that has several racks filled with tasty bottles of wine.

So many bottles, so little time!
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l213/oybolshoi/October%202008/63.jpg

There are about ten four-topper tables in the wine room, which helps keep the noise level to a minimum; there is also a dedicated group of servers who just work the wine room which is nice because the service tends to be a bit more personal and attentive ... most of the time.

Our first priority upon being seated was to order a bottle of pellegrino and a couple of glasses of wine. I had a glass of Bonterra Vineyards Viognier. I had asked our waiter for something similar to a pinot grigio and that's what he suggested - it was good but still a little too heavy, too much like a chardonnay, for my taste. Jason ordered a La Crema Winery Pinot Noir which he thought was quite good.

It was about this time that I think I got us into trouble with our server. He reappeared to take our order and happened to ask if we had any questions. My response, was, "Yeah, I have a question: Where's the foie gras?"

I can't say that we were surprised by the missing foie gras appetizer; the DIS-foodie grapeline had alerted me to a potential dearth of foie gras at WDW in October but no one could verify if this was a short-term removal or a permanent state of sad culinary affairs. Our server had a deer-in-the-headlights look for just a moment and then he composed himself and replied, "We just removed that from our menu at the end of September."

"Why?"

He looked slightly annoyed by my follow up question but then he decided to level with me, probably in the hopes that I would stop bothering him about items he couldn't provide me with in the first place. "Well, I don't know this for sure, but I got the distinct impression that it was a political decision made by our executive dining management. None of our signature restaurants, not even Victoria and Albert's, are offering it any longer."

Jay and I rolled our eyes at each other and then my mouth opened and I heard myself saying, "Well, that's just stupid. I can't believe that your executive chefs, especially someone like Scott Hunnel over at Victoria and Albert's, would allow themselves to be dictated to in that fashion."

He shrugged; after all what else could he say? And then he suggested that we try the Little Bunny Foo Foo appetizer that had been created to replace their Over-Stuffed Duck Liver appetizer.

Now, I'm not going to hold you guys hostage while I spend pages ranting about our inability to order foie gras at WDW any longer, but I am going to say this: I respect everyone's right to eat or not eat whatever they choose as long as it doesn't impinge on my right to do the same. To single out the foie gras industry for animal cruelty while overlooking the mistreatment and indignity suffered by animals in the industrialized food industry as a whole is hypocritical in the extreme. Disney's restuarant menus were already suffering from a noticeable homogenization trend before this most recent incident and I think this move serves as notice that it's just going to continue. Jay and I were extremely disappointed and while we're in the minority, I'm sure we weren't the only patrons to feel this way.

My rant is now over (I'm still waiting to hear back from WDW ... I'm sure they think I'm a duck-liver-eating freak of the first order for even writing to them about this) so let us enjoy some pictures of the circling storms from our wine room vantage point. Cass, these pics are for you my friend! :goodvibes

Ominous ...
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l213/oybolshoi/October%202008/60.jpg
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l213/oybolshoi/October%202008/64.jpg
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l213/oybolshoi/October%202008/70.jpg

Well, if there was one thing our waiter learned to his delighted amazement it was that when Jay and I can't order the one appetizer we really want we'll order three instead in an effort to stem the rising tide of hungry disappointment. :laughing:

First up, we decided to have an order of nigiri sushi. Nigiri is my all-time favorite form of sushi - it's just pressed rice and fish. Most people liven it up with pickled ginger, wasabi, or soy sauce, but I'm boring and I eat it plain. When it's made right it's wonderfully light and flavorful and I could stuff myself silly with nigiri all night long.

Salmon, tuna, and hamachi ... yum!
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l213/oybolshoi/October%202008/66.jpg

Wasabi wad, pickley ginger, and soy sauce
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l213/oybolshoi/October%202008/67.jpg

The sushi was wonderful and fresh and delicate; we seriously considered a second order but then we remembered that we had more appetizers coming and exercised some culinary restraint ... for a change.

My second appetizer was a tried and true choice: the Sonoma Goat Cheese Ravioli with Sun-Dried Tomatoes, Pesto, Shiitake Mushrooms, and Basil.

Goat cheese in a tomato bath ...
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l213/oybolshoi/October%202008/71.jpg

You will notice that my ravioli appears somewhat nekkid and vulnerable because I requested it sans 'shrooms; what I noticed was that the pesto sauce seemed a bit thin and a wee bit greasy. The goat cheese ravioli was as good as I remembered it being - soft and creamy and tart - but the sauce left a lot to be desired.

Jason bravely ordered Little Bunny Foo Foo, also known as the Seared Loin of Rabbit with Carmelized Fennel, Truffled Panisse, and Herb Game Sauce, for his second appetizer.

Run Rabbit, Run!
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l213/oybolshoi/October%202008/72.jpg

In the spirit of trying something new, I did take a taste of this and I didn't care for it - too gamey. Jay, on the other hand, disagreed with me and said that it could have been a lot gamier. He really liked this choice and thought it was very tasty. Panisse, by the way, is a kind of gravy as far as I can tell. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong. :thumbsup2

Before we knew it, dinner was making an appearance. Again, I ordered something that I'd tried before and which has always been one of my favorite dishes at CA Grill: Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Goat Cheese Polenta, Button Mushrooms, and Zinfandel Glaze.

Lots of pork ... and lots of empty plate, too
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l213/oybolshoi/October%202008/73.jpg

Once again I ordered this sans 'shrooms, but it just wasn't as good as the last time we dined here. The pork was cooked well, maybe a bit too well because some pieces were a tad on the chewy side. And the polenta, which is really the reason that I order this dish at all, was gritty and nowhere near as creamy a delight as it was the last time I ordered it. What a letdown; yes indeedy, enough of a letdown for me to have already decided that on our next WDW visit we would skip CA Grill in favor of something else like Jiko or Flying Fish.

For his entree Jason ordered the Roasted Lamb Tenderloin with Eggplant "two ways", Rosemary Potatoes, Confit Garlic, and Current Tomatoes.

Jason had a lot of lamb, lot of lamb, lot of lamb ...
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l213/oybolshoi/October%202008/74.jpg

Jason said this wasn't baaaaaaaad.

That's supposed to be funny ... it's him pretending to be a baby sheep. :laughing:

In all seriousness Jay was very pleased with his choice - he thought it was cooked very well so that the meat was tender and juicy and he really liked the eggplant. For those of you in the reading audience who enjoy lamb he highly recommends this dish!

When the dessert menu showed up I was really disappointed - nothing sounded very good to me so I defaulted to the cheese plate with a glass of port. Jason ordered a cappuccino and CA Grill's original dessert: Butterscotch Creme Brulee with a Duo of Banana Cakes and Carmelized Bananas.

Cappuccino and Fonseca 20-Year Port
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l213/oybolshoi/October%202008/75.jpg

California Grill makes a tasty cappuccino and I would have ordered one myself if I'd been having dessert for dessert instead of cheese. But I can't complain because I loves me some tawny port with a plate of cheesie goodness. This port was deep amber in color and tasted of spice with a little bit of fruitiness - it was very smooth and very tasty!

Mmmm, cheese five ways!
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l213/oybolshoi/October%202008/76.jpg

The cheese accessories included some crostini, raisins, a mystery item that may be almonds, a fig cake, and honey. From left to right the cheeses we enjoyed were as follows (information taken directly from CA Grill menu):

St. Marcellin - A soft cow's milk cheese with a runny interior and strong flavor originating from the former Dauphine region of France. As this cheese matures the flavor becomes more pronounced yet still remains mild, slighty acidic, and salty with some nutty flourishes.

Chaource - A small town in the Champagne region of France, Chaource has produced this unpasteurized cow's milk cheese since the early 14th century. While this cheese is reminiscent of some of the most decadent triple cremes, it is in fact only a double creme (no! really?). When aged, Chaource becomes very creamy - almost liquid - and is similar to Camembert. It smells slightly of mushrooms with a rich, fruity flavor.

Crottin - A goat's milk cheese made in the heart of France in the verdant Loire Valley. When the Crottin is young, it is slightly moist and has a tangy goat's milk flavor. As it ages, this perfect little cheese takes on a harder texture and a stronger, gamier flavor that is equally delicious.

Casciotto D'Urbina - Shepherds in Urbino, Italy, make this mixed sheep and cow's milk cheese. The origins of this cheese are ancient and noble, having such famous admirers as Pope Clement XIV and Michealangelo. The cheese has a yellowish-straw color and a mild buttery flavor.

Bleu d'Auvergne - A French blue cheese named for its place of origin in the Auvergne region of south-central France, this is made from cow's milk. It has a strong and pungent taste but to a lesser extent than other blue cheeses; it's less salted, with a creamier and more buttery taste and a more moist texture.

I enjoyed all of these, except for the Bleu cheese ... no surprises there, right? As for Jay's dessert, take a look:

The original dessert, or so we've been told ...
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l213/oybolshoi/October%202008/77.jpg

The butterscotch creme brulee was like warm butterscotch schnapps and Jay said the chocolate covered banana cakes were really yummy. He was quite happy with his dessert, especially because he didn't have to share with me ... I'm not a big fan of naners.

We used our Disney Rewards to pay for dinner and also used our DDE card for the 20% discount, but forgot about the automatic 18% gratuity. So the poor waiter had to come back for the balance of the bill - d'oh! I apologized to him because we completely forgot, but I also told him that I thought an automatic 18% gratuity was a disservice to the wait staff and could possibly prevent diners from leaving a larger tip. Jay and I would typically leave 20% to 25% for a tip depending on the level of service but when the receipt showed up with the tip already added in we just let it go.

One other thing happened that night that we thought was a total riot. As we were on our way out of the hotel to catch a taxi back to the resort (it was pouring rain by this time) we stopped at the restaurant's check-in desk to ask for a copy of the menu.

As the very nice lady handed me a menu she said, "Don't you want to go back upstairs to watch the fireworks?"

To which Jay and I shook our heads. "We don't think the fireworks are really all that good from the observation deck."

She looked stunned for a moment and then cackled like a loon. "Well, I sure don't hear that very often!"

We're freaks, what can I say? Besides, we were fat with food and standing in the rain to watch fireworks did not sound like a fun way to end the evening.

Final verdict?

Actually it's a split decision. Jason thought that CA Grill was as good on this evening as it had been on past visits. I thought it was good, but not nearly as good as previous experiences. Undoubtedly some of it had to do with our food choices as mine were definitely not as good as Jay's were. But I also thought our sevice was a little distant. To be fair, I probably set the tone by asking too many questions about the missing foie gras but I wasn't rude about it and I certainly didn't blame the waiter for someone else's decision.

The truth is that I think CA Grill has become a little boring and there are other signature restaurants that we both like more, such as Jiko, Citricos, and Flying Fish. I would never tell anyone not to dine here because the food is quite good, but I think that Jay and I need a break from CA Grill so that we can come back and be delighted by it again.

Thanks for reading! Next up .... breakfast at Boma and a scare that adds more gray to my hair and another furrow to my brow! :laughing:

[oybolshoi]

This space intentionally left blank due to the DIS deciding to double post ... no review is that good. ;)

[jeminni]

Brenda, I love your red dress. You look so good in it. :goodvibes

Your sushi looks so good. I wish I could have some right now. Poor little bunny foo foo. ( Of course you know now I have that song in my head ;P )

Thanks for the review :)

[AussieAngel]

Hmm, I've always wondered about that Goat Cheese Ravioli thingy. It totally sounds like something I would order, and I probably will in January, but it always looks watery to me! Yours is the first review I've read who actually agrees with me!! :surfweb:

Thanks for a great CG review! :thumbsup2

[oybolshoi]

Brenda, I love your red dress. You look so good in it. :goodvibes

Your sushi looks so good. I wish I could have some right now. Poor little bunny foo foo. ( Of course you know now I have that song in my head ;P )

Thanks for the review :)

Thanks for reading and thanks for the compliment on the dress. I like that one just because it's a little different, ya know?

We always get some kind of sushi when we eat at CA Grill and it's always very good, but this was my favorite. It was so good ... I kind of wish now that I'd canceled the rest of my order and just kept on ordering sushi! :laughing:

Hmm, I've always wondered about that Goat Cheese Ravioli thingy. It totally sounds like something I would order, and I probably will in January, but it always looks watery to me! Yours is the first review I've read who actually agrees with me!! :surfweb:

Thanks for a great CG review! :thumbsup2

Thanks for reading! I've ordered this before and it's always good but the sauce this time was very thin ... I don't know if that means the kitchen was having an off night or if they've changed the recipe a bit. It's never been a thick pesto sauce, but I don't remember it ever being quite this thin.

You'd still probably like it though, if you like goat cheese. :thumbsup2

[sunny04]

Thursday, October 9th - Dinner at CA Grill: Stormy Weather and an Utter Lack of Foie Gras.
the bad news is that ... ummm, well I guess for us it wasn't really bad news, but it definitely sucked for those poor folks who were attending Mickey's Halloween party that night.

Yeah, thanks. I was at that Halloween party...with a cranky party of 11 other members of my family.:headache:

[whogirl'smom]

Hey, Brenda, sorry that CG didn't really deliver that night. That's always such a disappointment when you think you're going to one of your favorites and it kind of fftts out, ya know? I thought the creme brulee sounded really good, though! Our next trip is so far away I can't even think about the dining yet (May/June 2010!!!).

I hope you're feeling better tonight after your grilled cheese. We went to Texas Roadhouse and it was a big blahhhh.

[oybolshoi]

Yeah, thanks. I was at that Halloween party...with a cranky party of 11 other members of my family.:headache:

That totally stinks; I'm really sorry. :hug:

When we were on the bus from SSR to the Magic Kingdom there were a ton of people headed to MNSSHP so we were feeling pretty bad for everyone when we saw how badly it started to rain, and rain, and rain.

Did they give you vouchers for another party or did you all just have to suck it up in the rain?

[oybolshoi]

Hey, Brenda, sorry that CG didn't really deliver that night. That's always such a disappointment when you think you're going to one of your favorites and it kind of fftts out, ya know? I thought the creme brulee sounded really good, though! Our next trip is so far away I can't even think about the dining yet (May/June 2010!!!).

I hope you're feeling better tonight after your grilled cheese. We went to Texas Roadhouse and it was a big blahhhh.

Hi Jamie! Well I guess it's fair to say that it delivered for Jay and for me it was kind of pfffft. :laughing:

I'm not really feeling much better but thanks for the kind words. Looks like I'll be back at the doctor on Monday or Tuesday. :headache:

[ireland_nicole]

I agree w/ your assessment of Cali Grill; I just wasn't feeling the cali love this trip; first of all, we got forgotten at the bar (not that I minded that much, kind of reminded me of DH and I's first date, but still...almost 2 hours after being sent upstairs, just not ok... and then they kept insisting that we had checked in at the wrong time? Hello, checked in downstairs, they said a few minutes, 20 tops... now I'm an idiot and don't know the time? Anyway, the bartender was great! The highlight of our evening. The cheese selection was good, although the portion size a little small, def. too small for DH and I to each have even one small bite of each. And I made the tragic error of ordering (gasp) that awful mushroom "lasagne/ravioli/uncooked pasta nightmare thingy"... I'd almost put the traumatic culinary experience behind me as a momentary lapse, but now I see that the time has come to broaden my horizons- (I have to admit, I was feeling like, I missed V&A's (just too much $$ this trip) and Jiko (husband wanted Cali) for This????
Anyway, off to the fridge; got the leftovers from the cheeseboard from our dinner party tonight calling my name, and it's my sacred duty to answer the call!!

[chell]

Great thread!

[Tink rules]

This space intentionally left blank due to the DIS deciding to double post ... no review is that good. ;)

Think again dear Bendy... :worship: :worship: :worship:

BTW... are we missing BOTH legs this year???

[wilma-bride]

Thanks for another great installment Brenda - sorry you haven't been feeling too well and sorry the CG didn't live up to its previous performance. Hope that you start feeling better soon :hug:

[PNO4TE]

Final verdict?

Actually it's a split decision. Jason thought that CA Grill was as good on this evening as it had been on past visits. I thought it was good, but not nearly as good as previous experiences. Undoubtedly some of it had to do with our food choices as mine were definitely not as good as Jay's were. But I also thought our sevice was a little distant. To be fair, I probably set the tone by asking too many questions about the missing foie gras but I wasn't rude about it and I certainly didn't blame the waiter for someone else's decision.

The truth is that I think CA Grill has become a little boring and there are other signature restaurants that we both like more, such as Jiko, Citricos, and Flying Fish. I would never tell anyone not to dine here because the food is quite good, but I think that Jay and I need a break from CA Grill so that we can come back and be delighted by it again.

Thanks for another great review, Brenda. Bob and I agree with you (sorry, Jason!). We found the service to be mediocre and the menu to be lackluster this time too. I have to say that Bob went into our meal with a 5-year old chip on his shoulder from the last time we dined there, but they did nothing to remove that chip at all. As for me, I would choose Jiko or Citricos in a heartbeat over CA Grill. Hands down.

[luvpooh]

Thanks Brenda, now I see what you were talking about when you said that it wasn't anything special at CA Grill last time. The lamb did look good and so did the cheese plate though. I think we decided on Jiko for my b'day dinner, BTW.

PS - I had foie gras last night!!! :goodvibes

[njprincess]

Great job Brenda! Unfortunately, I'm always hungry after your reviews :laughing:

I had heard that the California Grill was slipping lately, but it still sounds interesting. b/t/w the La Crema Pinot Noir is just about my favorite wine right now. I ordered it for the first time on the advice of a friend of mine who lives in Sonoma (thank goodness he was buying, since it was $14/glass and I had more than one!) and now I get it whenever I can!

[MickeyNicki]

Thank you so much for making me feel not as bad for cancelling our Cali Grill last month. We loved FF and Jiko so much I would have been bummed if Cali Grill spoiled the momentum.

We are heck bent on trying Citricos, Narcoossee's and maybe Cali Grill on our next trip. Maybe we will have to do all signature places in Oct??

[MRYPPNS]

Count me in as someone who isn't that impressed with the fireworks from the Cali Grill. Give me the Wine Room any day!

[oybolshoi]

I agree w/ your assessment of Cali Grill; I just wasn't feeling the cali love this trip; first of all, we got forgotten at the bar (not that I minded that much, kind of reminded me of DH and I's first date, but still...almost 2 hours after being sent upstairs, just not ok... and then they kept insisting that we had checked in at the wrong time? Hello, checked in downstairs, they said a few minutes, 20 tops... now I'm an idiot and don't know the time? Anyway, the bartender was great! The highlight of our evening. The cheese selection was good, although the portion size a little small, def. too small for DH and I to each have even one small bite of each. And I made the tragic error of ordering (gasp) that awful mushroom "lasagne/ravioli/uncooked pasta nightmare thingy"... I'd almost put the traumatic culinary experience behind me as a momentary lapse, but now I see that the time has come to broaden my horizons- (I have to admit, I was feeling like, I missed V&A's (just too much $$ this trip) and Jiko (husband wanted Cali) for This????
Anyway, off to the fridge; got the leftovers from the cheeseboard from our dinner party tonight calling my name, and it's my sacred duty to answer the call!!

Hi Nicole! Sorry to hear about your bad experience at CA Grill. I think their check-in process is a little chaotic and I can see (unfortunately) where things like what you described happen. We definitely want a trip to Jiko next time instead of CA Grill. :thumbsup2

Great thread!

Thanks so much - I hope you enjoy the reviews and all the in-between!

Think again dear Bendy... :worship:

BTW... are we missing BOTH legs this year???

The leg / legs move in and out of pictures at will this year! :laughing:

Thanks for another great installment Brenda - sorry you haven't been feeling too well and sorry the CG didn't live up to its previous performance. Hope that you start feeling better soon :hug:

Hi Joh! Thanks for reading and thanks for the kind words. I hope to start feeling better soon ... very soon. :goodvibes

Thanks for another great review, Brenda. Bob and I agree with you (sorry, Jason!). We found the service to be mediocre and the menu to be lackluster this time too. I have to say that Bob went into our meal with a 5-year old chip on his shoulder from the last time we dined there, but they did nothing to remove that chip at all. As for me, I would choose Jiko or Citricos in a heartbeat over CA Grill. Hands down.

Hi Elin! It's interesting and kind of sad to hear so many people talking about less than stellar experiences at CA Grill lately. Our dinner wasn't bad by any stretch of the imagination, but it just didn't live up to my expectations based on past dinners. And I'd choose Jiko and Citricos over CA Grill, too! Yummy!

Thanks Brenda, now I see what you were talking about when you said that it wasn't anything special at CA Grill last time. The lamb did look good and so did the cheese plate though. I think we decided on Jiko for my b'day dinner, BTW.

PS - I had foie gras last night!!! :goodvibes

Hiya! Jay really enjoyed the lamb and I did like the cheese plate very much and the sushi was very tasty, so there were bright spots in the evening.

Jiko is a great place to celebrate your birthday - I'm sure you'll have a lovely time there!

And yum yum yum on the foie gras. I have no idea now when Jay and I will have a chance to have it again. There aren't any restaurants in St. Louis that I'm aware of that serve it and we don't have any foodie trips planned for next year until October and that's WDW. Oh well, I guess we'll just have to eat more cheese! :laughing:

Great job Brenda! Unfortunately, I'm always hungry after your reviews :laughing:

I had heard that the California Grill was slipping lately, but it still sounds interesting. b/t/w the La Crema Pinot Noir is just about my favorite wine right now. I ordered it for the first time on the advice of a friend of mine who lives in Sonoma (thank goodness he was buying, since it was $14/glass and I had more than one!) and now I get it whenever I can!

Hi Kathy! Thanks for stopping by to take a read. If you've never been to CA Grill I'd suggest that you try it some time because it still is good and they do have a nice menu selection. As for the wine, Jay was really happy with that selection ... he loves a good red wine and that one was spot on!

Thank you so much for making me feel not as bad for cancelling our Cali Grill last month. We loved FF and Jiko so much I would have been bummed if Cali Grill spoiled the momentum.

We are heck bent on trying Citricos, Narcoossee's and maybe Cali Grill on our next trip. Maybe we will have to do all signature places in Oct??

Hi Nicki! I think you need to try CA Grill at least once - in all honesty I can't tell people not to dine there because it was still good and we could have caught them on a bad night, ya know what I mean?

As for your alternate list, having tried all three I'd rank them in this order: Citricos, CA Grill, and Narcoossee's. We loved Citricos - it was the last meal of the trip and it was a great end to our vacation. :thumbsup2

Count me in as someone who isn't that impressed with the fireworks from the Cali Grill. Give me the Wine Room any day!

And here I thought we were the only ones! ;) Thanks for reading! :goodvibes

[allshookup]

Brenda, I loved reading about your dinner at CG! You have such a way of making the reader feel like that sat & witnessed the whole dining scene with you! :thumbsup2

Anyway, we took friends to CG for the first time this trip & thankfully it lived up to all the hype we gave them beforehand. They thought the shrimp tempura sushi, pizza, ravioli, filet mignon & pork tenderloin were excellent. Of course none of us were anticipating ordering foie gras. I had foie gras on my plate once, but I stuck my fork in it & it wiggled so I was afraid to touch my lips to it. That just shows you how unrefined we are! :laughing:

I am also a fireworks geek! I never tire of seeing them, and we try to catch Wishes & Illuminations a couple of times each trip. I oooh & aaaah like a little kid (not out loud....those people drive me crazy) everytime I watch. So we DO time our dinner around the fireworks, but if I didn't love the food at CG, I would just go to the park to catch them. We just love the whole experience at CG, and so far they haven't disappointed us. I hope it stays that way! :scared:

[oybolshoi]

Brenda, I loved reading about your dinner at CG! You have such a way of making the reader feel like that sat & witnessed the whole dining scene with you! :thumbsup2

Thanks so much - that's what I'm trying to do so hooray for success! :goodvibes

Anyway, we took friends to CG for the first time this trip & thankfully it lived up to all the hype we gave them beforehand. They thought the shrimp tempura sushi, pizza, ravioli, filet mignon & pork tenderloin were excellent. Of course none of us were anticipating ordering foie gras. I had foie gras on my plate once, but I stuck my fork in it & it wiggled so I was afraid to touch my lips to it. That just shows you how unrefined we are! :laughing:

Well I'm glad your dinner with your friends lived up to the billing. Like I said earlier, we could have just caught them on a bad night, but I really do think that Jay and I just need to let some time pass before we try CA Grill again. There are too many other restaurants to stuff our faces at, so we'll give them a try on our next visit.

Eeek! Wriggling foie gras? I wouldn't eat it either! :rotfl2:


I am also a fireworks geek! I never tire of seeing them, and we try to catch Wishes & Illuminations a couple of times each trip. I oooh & aaaah like a little kid (not out loud....those people drive me crazy) everytime I watch. So we DO time our dinner around the fireworks, but if I didn't love the food at CG, I would just go to the park to catch them. We just love the whole experience at CG, and so far they haven't disappointed us. I hope it stays that way! :scared:

Jay and I actually both like the fireworks shows quite a bit, but we don't like them from CA Grill. From that vantage point it's really easy to see the location behind the park where the fireworks are being launched and it just ruins the effect for us. We prefer watching from ground level - that way it feels like we're surrounded by pretty explosions in the sky. :thumbsup2

[iluvpluto27]

Thanks for the review, sorry Cali Grill wasn't quite as good this time. We've had the somana goats cheese ravioli before and the sauce in your picture does look much thinner, than when DH had it.

And we were at Universals Halloween Horror Nights on the 9th, the heavens opened around 7pm and we got soaked to the bone in about 10 minutes!! My poor shoes took a day to dry out. We still had tons of fun though.

[DisneyMom5]

I think I might like that kind of sushi. The only ones I have had, I haven't liked the flavor of what I assume was the vinegar in it, AND, I didn't like the texture of the seaweed wrap.

Sorry your dinner was blah.

I have a countdown ticker!
Nothing is set in stone,
and we have some debt to pay off (hoping that the new Pres.'s proposed "stimulus package" includes a big fat check for ME!),
but if that all works out, we're going back in Sept.
What can I say, we're addicted to free dining. Sigh.
Darn you MOUSE! Show me how the finer half eats and then through me back to the masses, never to be satisfied with 10 days of chicken strips again!

[KristinAnne]

Sorry you didn't enjoy your meal so much. The pictures look good! lol
Hope you're feeling better soon!

[travelmel]

so BORING, eh? Hmmm... you have left me pondering.

I was so excited about your review of the cheese plate the first time that (and I say this with all honesty) I was so interested in that stupid cheese plate that when you would review OTHER cheese plates and act like you liked them I would say in my head, "YEa but not as much as the CA Grill cheese plate" :lmao:

Ohhh the humanity!

A fun review but I feel crushed for the CA Grill. LOL

It happens.

I agree about (what sounds like as I can only hear and have never seen) the homogonation (SP FOR CRAP) of the rest (and alcohol it sounds like!). I hate that idea.

[disgrits]

I'm sorry CG wasn't up to par. And sorry you didn't get the foie gras.....:hug:

I love that Jay likes anything he eats. This is the kind of man for whom I like to cook!:thumbsup2

[Tatania]

Jay and I rolled our eyes at each other and then my mouth opened and I heard myself saying, "Well, that's just stupid. I can't believe that your executive chefs, especially someone like Scott Hunnel over at Victoria and Albert's, would allow themselves to be dictated to in that fashion."

He shrugged; after all what else could he say? And then he suggested that we try the Little Bunny Foo Foo appetizer that had been created to replace their Over-Stuffed Duck Liver appetizer.

Now, I'm not going to hold you guys hostage while I spend pages ranting about our inability to order foie gras at WDW any longer, but I am going to say this: I respect everyone's right to eat or not eat whatever they choose as long as it doesn't impinge on my right to do the same. To single out the foie gras industry for animal cruelty while overlooking the mistreatment and indignity suffered by animals in the industrialized food industry as a whole is hypocritical in the extreme. Disney's restuarant menus were already suffering from a noticeable homogenization trend before this most recent incident and I think this move serves as notice that it's just going to continue. Jay and I were extremely disappointed and while we're in the minority, I'm sure we weren't the only patrons to feel this way.

I am someone who is very much for domestic meat animals being treated as humanely as possible before they are killed for our tables. Meat has been part of the human diet for millions of years so I'm not against that at all - I just feel that animals, which have been domesticated for our use, deserve to be treated as humanely as possible.

The controvery over foi gras is, of course, the method called 'la gavage' - the practice of placing a metal tube down the neck of the geese and force feeding them grains. This is done twice a day. The large amounts of food fatten the gooses liver and turns it into an oversized, pale "diseased" organ which is no longer like a real liver. Personally, I can live without it, just like I live without veal, frogs legs, snake, and a few other things BUT if one likes fois gras there are alternative products made without cruelty. Apparantly, a Spanish company has developed an alternative product. Called 'Ganso Iberico', this type of fois gras does not involve 'la gavage', but rather utilises the natural feeding cycle of the geese. Here, the birds are tricked into being fattened up for their annual winter migration to Africa and then slaughtered. This means that the liver is still very large, but they have not been force fed to achieve it.

I guess Disney decided the easiest way to deal with the controvery was to ban the product (as some European countries have done) but perhaps if they are told about the ethical production of fois gras they may put it back on the menu.

[allshookup]

Thanks so much - that's what I'm trying to do so hooray for success! :goodvibes

:goodvibes

Well I'm glad your dinner with your friends lived up to the billing. Like I said earlier, we could have just caught them on a bad night, but I really do think that Jay and I just need to let some time pass before we try CA Grill again. There are too many other restaurants to stuff our faces at, so we'll give them a try on our next visit.

Eeek! Wriggling foie gras? I wouldn't eat it either! :rotfl2:


Oh you mean it's not suppose to wriggle? Ha that explains it! :laughing: Bad fois gras? That's really gross! :sick:

Jay and I actually both like the fireworks shows quite a bit, but we don't like them from CA Grill. From that vantage point it's really easy to see the location behind the park where the fireworks are being launched and it just ruins the effect for us. We prefer watching from ground level - that way it feels like we're surrounded by pretty explosions in the sky. :thumbsup2

Ah that makes perfect sense! ;)

I forgot to mention....we were one of those schmucks at MNSSHP that night in the pouring rain. We sat at the shooting range & watched DS shoot for about an hour & then we sucked it up & donned our ponchos & trudged along. Luckily it stopped in time for Hallowishes & it was completely dry out by the second Boo to You Parade. http://www.unity.i8i.co.uk/forum/images/smiley_phew.gif

Okay I'll be quiet now. I think you were better off when I just read & kept my mouth shut! :laughing:

[oybolshoi]

Thanks for the review, sorry Cali Grill wasn't quite as good this time. We've had the somana goats cheese ravioli before and the sauce in your picture does look much thinner, than when DH had it.

And we were at Universals Halloween Horror Nights on the 9th, the heavens opened around 7pm and we got soaked to the bone in about 10 minutes!! My poor shoes took a day to dry out. We still had tons of fun though.

Thanks for coming over to take a read. And the good news is that this really was the least pleasing meal of our entire trip, so that's pretty darn good!

You went to HHN? We haven't been to that in about three years but it is so much fun ... I want to do it again some day. I'm glad you still had fun even with all the rain that night. :goodvibes

I think I might like that kind of sushi. The only ones I have had, I haven't liked the flavor of what I assume was the vinegar in it, AND, I didn't like the texture of the seaweed wrap.

Sorry your dinner was blah.

I have a countdown ticker!
Nothing is set in stone,
and we have some debt to pay off (hoping that the new Pres.'s proposed "stimulus package" includes a big fat check for ME!),
but if that all works out, we're going back in Sept.
What can I say, we're addicted to free dining. Sigh.
Darn you MOUSE! Show me how the finer half eats and then through me back to the masses, never to be satisfied with 10 days of chicken strips again!

Hiya Sarah! Nigiri sushi is very simple - that's why I like it so much. I have problems with the rolls because of the seaweed ... it bothers my stomach so I try to avoid it whenever possible, especially on vacation.

A new ticker!!! Woo hoo for you! Just wish you were going in October instead of September, but that's me being selfish. :goodvibes

Sorry you didn't enjoy your meal so much. The pictures look good! lol
Hope you're feeling better soon!

Thanks for reading - glad you enjoyed the pics. And thanks for the kind words ... my leg seems to be doing better today but it's faked me out before so I'm playing the wait and see game. Tomorrow will be the real test since I'll be back at my desk.

so BORING, eh? Hmmm... you have left me pondering.

I was so excited about your review of the cheese plate the first time that (and I say this with all honesty) I was so interested in that stupid cheese plate that when you would review OTHER cheese plates and act like you liked them I would say in my head, "YEa but not as much as the CA Grill cheese plate" :lmao:

Ohhh the humanity!

A fun review but I feel crushed for the CA Grill. LOL

It happens.

I agree about (what sounds like as I can only hear and have never seen) the homogonation (SP FOR CRAP) of the rest (and alcohol it sounds like!). I hate that idea.

:lmao: I was actually a little disappointed in the cheese plate. I mean, I liked it and thought the selections were pretty tasty, but the serving sizes seemed a little skimpy for an $18 cheese board. I've seen pictures of past CA Grill cheese plates that were just to die for and this one, well, I guess it just fit right into the theme of the evening: good, not great. ;)

The real story is that this was the only cheese plate we ordered on the entire trip! :scared1:

Glad you liked the review and I'm sure CA Grill will not suffer from my partial thumbs down. :lmao:

I'm sorry CG wasn't up to par. And sorry you didn't get the foie gras.....:hug:

I love that Jay likes anything he eats. This is the kind of man for whom I like to cook!:thumbsup2

Hiya Sistah! Thanks for reading. :goodvibes It wasn't the end of the world that we didn't get the foie gras but we sure were looking forward to trying it at CA Grill. If you'd like to cook for Jay he'd love anything Cajun you choose to make! :thumbsup2

I am someone who is very much for domestic meat animals being treated as humanely as possible before they are killed for our tables. Meat has been part of the human diet for millions of years so I'm not against that at all - I just feel that animals, which have been domesticated for our use, deserve to be treated as humanely as possible.

The controvery over foi gras is, of course, the method called 'la gavage' - the practice of placing a metal tube down the neck of the geese and force feeding them grains. This is done twice a day. The large amounts of food fatten the gooses liver and turns it into an oversized, pale "diseased" organ which is no longer like a real liver. Personally, I can live without it, just like I live without veal, frogs legs, snake, and a few other things BUT if one likes fois gras there are alternative products made without cruelty. Apparantly, a Spanish company has developed an alternative product. Called 'Ganso Iberico', this type of fois gras does not involve 'la gavage', but rather utilises the natural feeding cycle of the geese. Here, the birds are tricked into being fattened up for their annual winter migration to Africa and then slaughtered. This means that the liver is still very large, but they have not been force fed to achieve it.

I guess Disney decided the easiest way to deal with the controvery was to ban the product (as some European countries have done) but perhaps if they are told about the ethical production of fois gras they may put it back on the menu.

Thanks for your post. I totally agree with you about humane animal treatment and I appreciate the information you provided. I've made the argument before that there are humane producers of foie gras but no one ever believes me. My guess would be that Disney doesn't want to pay for the humanely treated product and found it easier to just ban it. I do find it interesting that they did so very quietly with no fanfare.

Ah well, it's not really that big of a deal in the overall scheme of things but it was something we looked forward to once or twice while on vacation. Especially since we can't get it here at home.

I gotta tell you ... my mom would be rolling on the floor in hysterical laughter right now if she read this. When I was younger I wouldn't even eat things like crab and now I'm b----ing about not being able to find foie gras. :lmao:

Ah that makes perfect sense! ;)

I forgot to mention....we were one of those schmucks at MNSSHP that night in the pouring rain. We sat at the shooting range & watched DS shoot for about an hour & then we sucked it up & donned our ponchos & trudged along. Luckily it stopped in time for Hallowishes & it was completely dry out by the second Boo to You Parade. http://www.unity.i8i.co.uk/forum/images/smiley_phew.gif

Okay I'll be quiet now. I think you were better off when I just read & kept my mouth shut! :laughing:

Sorry to hear you guys were among the crowds that got soaked at MNSSHP that night. We really did feel bad for everyone. We've been at the party when it's been freezing cold but I'll take that over rain any day. I'm glad the weather cleared in time for the fireworks.

And don't worry ... you can post whatever you want. I'm pretty easy that way. :goodvibes

[sunny04]

Did they give you vouchers for another party or did you all just have to suck it up in the rain?
Actually, last year's MNSSHP we attended was much more of a washout than this one, rain-wise. This year, nothing got cancelled just delayed, last year, a lot was cancelled. They didn't offer us vouchers either time.

But considering we had security dealing with my family that night...I doubt they would have offered us a free time to come back anyway. :eek:

[EnnEss]

AHahha, I just have to say OP, I love the theme of your post.

I only clicked it because the title, I was thinking, a Simpsons reference to one of the greatest endings of the show ever? Probably not, just a coincidence. Then I click, and bam, "foodarinos"! Thats no coincidence, I love it.

[Timon]

http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l213/oybolshoi/October%202008/70.jpg

Love love love this B! :thumbsup2 :cool1: Too bad me and Nancy weren't there, we would have LOVED to watch those stormy fireworks under an umbrella, right Nanc? :love: :cloud9:

Sorry that your dining experience wasn't as good as the last time, it sucks when that happens!:sad1:

[Tink rules]

Hey Brenda.. if you're gonna get soaked watching fireworks... I suggest the Poly...

& I hear that Narcoosees is back to being tops of the "lets have a view of the Magic Kingdom" restaurants... Gotta get me some more mussles!!!

[oybolshoi]

Actually, last year's MNSSHP we attended was much more of a washout than this one, rain-wise. This year, nothing got cancelled just delayed, last year, a lot was cancelled. They didn't offer us vouchers either time.

But considering we had security dealing with my family that night...I doubt they would have offered us a free time to come back anyway. :eek:

I've heard that on rain-out nights you can go to Guest Services and they will sometimes (not always) offer a voucher for another night.

Security and your family ... sounds like a story there ... :scared: :flower3:

AHahha, I just have to say OP, I love the theme of your post.

I only clicked it because the title, I was thinking, a Simpsons reference to one of the greatest endings of the show ever? Probably not, just a coincidence. Then I click, and bam, "foodarinos"! Thats no coincidence, I love it.

You've come to the right place if you like Simpsons references ... my hubby and I are total cartoon geeks. :laughing: And we love that episode ... so many great moments! Thanks for stopping by! :goodvibes

http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l213/oybolshoi/October%202008/70.jpg

Love love love this B! :thumbsup2 :cool1: Too bad me and Nancy weren't there, we would have LOVED to watch those stormy fireworks under an umbrella, right Nanc? :love: :cloud9:

Sorry that your dining experience wasn't as good as the last time, it sucks when that happens!:sad1:

Hi Cass! I thought you might like some of those pics. The weird thing is that we never saw any lightning, which we thought was kind of strange. But it was still cool to sit up there in the restaurant and watch the clouds roll in and out and up and down.

If this was the suckiest meal we had (and it was) then we got off really lucky on this trip. :thumbsup2

Hey Brenda.. if you're gonna get soaked watching fireworks... I suggest the Poly...

& I hear that Narcoosees is back to being tops of the "lets have a view of the Magic Kingdom" restaurants... Gotta get me some more mussles!!!

I think Narcoossee's has a great view of the MK - we thought it was very romantic last year when we ate dinner there and were able to watch fireworks from our table. I don't think we'll go back though - I think there are better signature restaurants on property.

[Tink rules]

They just redid some of the menu... I hear the swordfish is incredible... I hope to go there long enough to hit ALL the signature restaurants on property... and then they will just roll me out of the place and send me back to Weight Watchers... ;)

[oybolshoi]

They just redid some of the menu... I hear the swordfish is incredible... I hope to go there long enough to hit ALL the signature restaurants on property... and then they will just roll me out of the place and send me back to Weight Watchers... ;)

A worthy goal my friend, a worthy goal! :thumbsup2 :lmao:

[Me&3]

The sushi looked so good I wish I had some right now:rotfl2: . Yes I know it's only 10 AM. I read your travel blog I noticed Jay works for JM we are fimaliar with JM we live in Florida my husband is in the boating indutry. He knows one of the chefs for the Galent Lady. Where did you guys stays the view could have been better:confused3 ?

[Jennifer48]

Great review B :goodvibes

Is California Grill the restaurant where everyone gets the Pomegranate Kir?

[TPCShauna]

:eek: on your CG review! DH and I are dining there in just under a month purely based upon all the hype (especially since we live in CA and can get pretty good CA cuisine within minutes.) I hope we aren't disappointed.

Sounds like I need to request the wine room. Do they still seat there for late ressies (9:35pm)?

[jakenjess]

Sorry your CG meal wasn't the best this time around, Brenda. You're right, there are so many other choices, as much as I love CG I keep telling myself we need to try new places first, which is my goal for the next trip, all (or almost all;) new dining experiences!

Looking forward to more fabulous food report!:goodvibes

[oybolshoi]

The sushi looked so good I wish I had some right now:rotfl2: . Yes I know it's only 10 AM. I read your travel blog I noticed Jay works for JM we are fimaliar with JM we live in Florida my husband is in the boating indutry. He knows one of the chefs for the Galent Lady. Where did you guys stays the view could have been better:confused3 ?

I wish I had some sushi right now, too!

We stayed at the Boca Raton Beach & Yacht Club and were apparently given the janitor's suite. :lmao: What were the odds that we'd get a room with a view of three other walls? :rotfl2:

Jay wants to know if your husband or his friend can get us jobs on the Galant Lady? ;)

Great review B :goodvibes

Is California Grill the restaurant where everyone gets the Pomegranate Kir?

Thanks Jen! Ummm, I would think you could get a Pomegranate Kir at CA Grill - I know for sure that you can get them at Epcot. And I've had Pomegranate Martinis at Narcoossee's - they're pretty tasty, too! :thumbsup2

:eek: on your CG review! DH and I are dining there in just under a month purely based upon all the hype (especially since we live in CA and can get pretty good CA cuisine within minutes.) I hope we aren't disappointed.

Sounds like I need to request the wine room. Do they still seat there for late ressies (9:35pm)?

Oh, I hope I don't throw you off your plans! And I hope you aren't disappointed. I want to be very clear - it wasn't a bad meal at all, it just didn't live up to my expectations. Having said that there were definitely things that seemed a little off the night we dined there, but I wouldn't warn anyone away. If you've never been you should definitely give it a try - I think you'll have a great time and a great meal.

And yes, I think you can still be seated in the wine room later in the evening. Just make the request when you first check in and the CM will note on your reservation that is where you'd prefer to be seated.

Sorry your CG meal wasn't the best this time around, Brenda. You're right, there are so many other choices, as much as I love CG I keep telling myself we need to try new places first, which is my goal for the next trip, all (or almost all;) new dining experiences!

Looking forward to more fabulous food report!:goodvibes

Hi Lori! Thanks for reading. It could have been worse and I like I've said before...if that was the worst meal I had on a 9-day trip than I've got nothing to complain about.

So what are your new restaurants going to be this time?

[tinklynn]

Loving the reviews, Brenda. But please, ma'am, may I have some more?? (Said in my best cockney accent!) :lmao:

Take care, and hope you're feeling better!

Lynn

[A fat english gent]

Brenda let me know when you sort something out for your "Meet and Eat" in October....I know two greedy mares who'd love to make one in with you guys...:rolleyes1

"I respect everyone's right to eat or not eat whatever they choose as long as it doesn't impinge on my right to do the same. To single out the foie gras industry for animal cruelty while overlooking the mistreatment and indignity suffered by animals in the industrialized food industry as a whole is hypocritical in the extreme."


I think it's only fair Brenda you address the balance by giving Disney some credit for helping clean up the mess made by the 10,000,000 annual cow suicides.....:rolleyes1

[cntkg1]

Well B, I did enjoy your update and thought I responded to it on Sunday. Looks like MG forgot to hit the old enter button. I have no idea what I said either so forgive me and please chalk it off to wedding gitters. ;)

I'll be more attentive next time. ;)

[TDC Nala]

a mystery item that may be almonds

Those are Marcona almonds (glazed ones I think)

I liked Cali Grill much more than you did. But I don't order entrees there anymore. Or dessert. Sushi and flatbread and the occasional cheese, that's it.

[oybolshoi]

Loving the reviews, Brenda. But please, ma'am, may I have some more?? (Said in my best cockney accent!) :lmao:

Take care, and hope you're feeling better!

Lynn

Hi Lynn! Thanks for reading and posting ... I hope I start feeling better soon, too. :hug:

Brenda let me know when you sort something out for your "Meet and Eat" in October....I know two greedy mares who'd love to make one in with you guys...:rolleyes1

Really? Let me know where they want to dine and Jay and I will be there with bells on. I think we're going to V&A on my birthday ... right now I think I deserve at least that much for making it to 40. ;)

I think they might like Jiko ... I'll try to remember to email Jess today and ask her what she thinks about it. :thumbsup2


"I respect everyone's right to eat or not eat whatever they choose as long as it doesn't impinge on my right to do the same. To single out the foie gras industry for animal cruelty while overlooking the mistreatment and indignity suffered by animals in the industrialized food industry as a whole is hypocritical in the extreme."


I think it's only fair Brenda you address the balance by giving Disney some credit for helping clean up the mess made by the 10,000,000 annual cow suicides.....:rolleyes1

:lmao: You kill me. :lmao: And you forgot to mention the pig and chicken suicides. ;)


Well B, I did enjoy your update and thought I responded to it on Sunday. Looks like MG forgot to hit the old enter button. I have no idea what I said either so forgive me and please chalk it off to wedding gitters. ;)

I'll be more attentive next time. ;)

Hiya Mother Goose! Thanks for taking the time to read ... I know you've got a lot on your mind right now. :hug:

Those are Marcona almonds (glazed ones I think)

I liked Cali Grill much more than you did. But I don't order entrees there anymore. Or dessert. Sushi and flatbread and the occasional cheese, that's it.

Jay said he thought they were almonds ... I wasn't sure since I don't eat nuts. And I think the next time we dine at CA Grill I'm going to try your method - I think I'd enjoy it a little more. Their sushi was wonderful!

[oybolshoi]

Bendy comes clean ...

I know I have a reputation around here for .... uh .... taking a long time to finish up my reviews. It's true ... I probably do take too long but I always want to try to post something that's enjoyable and entertaining to read.

So I want to let you dear food lovers know what's going on right now that may slow me down for a bit.

Before leaving for WDW I was dealing with urological problems which were finally diagnosed about two weeks ago as Intersitial Cystistis. Translation: chronic bladder inflammation that feels like a constant UTI. I've started some medication for it and it seems to be working so hopefully that will be somewhat under control soon.

Yesterday I finally went to the doctor for the problem I've been having with my leg ... turns out it's sciatica. At least I know now why it's so darn painful. ;) I'm going to be starting physical therapy next week to see if that does any good and in the meantime I've got some blissful pain killers.

The good news is that I have almost finished my review of Boma and I hope to get that posted tonight. :thumbsup2

I'm not looking for sympathy - gawd knows it could be a heck of a lot worse - but I have to admit that I have been feeling more geriatric than middle-aged lately. :laughing: I just wanted you guys to know that I'm not trying to string out the food love or keep you waiting on purpose ... and I'm trying to find my sense of humor which has been MIA for the last week or so. ;)

Anyway, thanks for reading and thanks for putting up with me. I will do the best I can to stick with an update schedule of at least once a week.

Bendy (the not very bendy anymore)

[curlz2tite]

Brenda, We as your loyal followers are willing to 'bendy" for you & wait. Pain is never good , but a tleast you get drugs:cool1: Your reviews are always so much fun I don't like them to end to soon anyway! Hope you start feeling better soon:hug:

[PNO4TE]

Brenda - the best news is that you now know why you aren't feeling well and can do something about it all! Take care. :hug:

[wilma-bride]

Ouch, sciatica - that's nasty. From one sufferer to another :hug: You know your loyal subscribers will wait patiently - although I can't promise not to have the occasional fling with another food review while I'm waiting ;) Hope you are feeling much better soon Brenda :goodvibes

[Circusgirl]

:hug: :hug:
Double hugs and sympathy for your double owies! Gack - either one alone would be plenty to deal with.
It never seems like a hardship to me to have the reviews stretch out for longer - it will just mean that there will be less time to wait for the next trip when this one is complete!

[D&R love Disney]

I hope you get back to being Bendy real soon :hug: Nothing worse than feeling miserable all the time.

Bummer that your dinner at CG wasn't as good as in the past. Rick thought the same thing even though my pork was fantastic (first time trying that dish) and the cheese plate was excellent. We love the wine room too, what a view and we even had a few kids seated in there and it stayed quiet :rotfl2:

[whogirl'smom]

Here's a :hug: and some :flower3: to hopefully make you feel better. You stretch out the review as long as you want; if people get antsy just give them a re-run of an old review and we'll all be just as happy! Are you having to drive to work on those new pain pills???:scared1: (j/k) It's okay, I remember having to drive home for weeks from work on phenergan when I was preggo with whogirl--I would go to sleep at every red light and wake up to drive when somebody would beep at me!!!

[Lanie]

Hi Brenda, another lurker here :wave:

Just wanted to tell you that your reviews are ALWAYS worth the wait! Even if I do get impatient sometimes.;)

Take care of yourself and I hope your hubby is taking good care of you!

[TPCShauna]

I hope you are feeling better soon. We are happy to wait for your wonderful reviews and just want you to feel good!

[HPHammer]

Bendy, first of all -- you've got lots of people sending you good thoughts, so get well soon!

Secondly...I am right there with you on the foie gras. When D. and I were at the World in July, we were fortunate to get a Chef's Table ressie at V & A's and one of my very favorite things that evening was an outrageously good foie gras on a Georgia peach tart.

Like so many other things we ate that night, the combination kind of made you go, 'Huh?' until you tried it...Out of this world!

I guess we timed our visit just right...

[tlynk]

I'm starting to plan the dining part of my trip for January and I came across your reviews.:thumbsup2 Thank you for taking the time to post them- they are extremely helpful! :thanks: I hope you are feeling better soon!

[Me&3]

I hope you are feeling better:flower3: . Can't wait to read morepopcorn:: .

[tinklynn]

I know I have a reputation around here for .... uh .... taking a long time to finish up my reviews.

Uhh..being that I'm sort of a newbie here I have a tiny little question: You finish reviews??;) ;) J/K!!

On a more serious note...I have a 23 year old friend who is suffering from IC so I know how much agony she has been through. :sad2: She's d
oing rolfing right now and says it helps some. (Untwists the nerves, I guess) jAs for the sciatica, I had that, and the best thing about that is the butt massages where they stretch that nerve. It feels heavenly to get the tightness and pressure taken off that nerve!

I am sending you all my prayers, positive thoughts. and best wishes. (I can even do chicken soup if you want, and let's not discount floor picnics-with wine pairings, of course! :dance3: ) If there's anything you need just PM me.

Even though I only know you from here, I have a hard time picturing you losing your sense of humor. I'm pretty sure you'll miss us all too much to stay away long! :rolleyes1

Think positive and get better soon!

Lynn

[nts4wdw]

Feel better, friend!

[jenn&nelsonrego]

Oh mannnnn...... <insert whining noises here>... ;)

Does anyone know where I left off before I went on vacation on 10/24? :headache:

Ugh! Never Mind! I will find it! pirate:

:goodvibes :goodvibes :goodvibes :goodvibes :goodvibes :goodvibes :goodvibes :goodvibes :goodvibes :goodvibes

[ChelleinNC]

Sorry you're going through all of that :sad2: on the up side, at least they know what's wrong and can treat it :goodvibes

CG still sounds good, even if it wasn't as stellar in the past. Looking forward to the next review :goodvibes

[winkers]

Brenda........all I can say is OUCH!!!

I hope you get feeling better!!:goodvibes

[allshookup]

Brenda I said I would shut the %$** up but I just have to send good wishes your way! You have a right to complain, you have a lot of ailments to deal with at such a young age & my DH's mother had Chron's disease so I know how painful that can be. Take care & do some more reviews when you feel up to it...we'll wait! ;)

[jenn&nelsonrego]

Oh mannnnn...... <insert whining noises here>... ;)

Does anyone know where I left off before I went on vacation on 10/24? :headache:

Ugh! Never Mind! I will find it! pirate:

:goodvibes :goodvibes :goodvibes :goodvibes :goodvibes :goodvibes :goodvibes :goodvibes :goodvibes :goodvibes

Found it! Page 28... :scared: only took me three hours... but hey ~ if I don't have three hours to spend on a food porn fix what do I have three hours for? :confused3 ;)


Brenda! So sorry that you feel so crappy! Sending you some good wishes :flower3: :goodvibes :flower3: and hoping that you begin feeling better real soon! :hug:

We will all be around... waiting patiently! :upsidedow

[Tink rules]

Bendy comes clean ...

I know I have a reputation around here for .... uh .... taking a long time to finish up my reviews. It's true ... I probably do take too long but I always want to try to post something that's enjoyable and entertaining to read.

So I want to let you dear food lovers know what's going on right now that may slow me down for a bit.

Before leaving for WDW I was dealing with urological problems which were finally diagnosed about two weeks ago as Intersitial Cystistis. Translation: chronic bladder inflammation that feels like a constant UTI. I've started some medication for it and it seems to be working so hopefully that will be somewhat under control soon.

Yesterday I finally went to the doctor for the problem I've been having with my leg ... turns out it's sciatica. At least I know now why it's so darn painful. ;) I'm going to be starting physical therapy next week to see if that does any good and in the meantime I've got some blissful pain killers.

The good news is that I have almost finished my review of Boma and I hope to get that posted tonight. :thumbsup2

I'm not looking for sympathy - gawd knows it could be a heck of a lot worse - but I have to admit that I have been feeling more geriatric than middle-aged lately. :laughing: I just wanted you guys to know that I'm not trying to string out the food love or keep you waiting on purpose ... and I'm trying to find my sense of humor which has been MIA for the last week or so. ;)

Anyway, thanks for reading and thanks for putting up with me. I will do the best I can to stick with an update schedule of at least once a week.

Bendy (the not very bendy anymore)

We will wait until the real Bendy returns... :worship: :worship: :worship:

What???? A bendy TR not taking a full year of glorious foodiness???? Come on... we expect it to last that long!!!

Did they give you the little pills that make you pee orange???

Feel better my friend :hug: and remember not to take your drugs and alcohol together... we'd like to keep you around for a while... :flower3:

[Donald is #1]

Jason bravely ordered Little Bunny Foo Foo, also known as the Seared Loin of Rabbit with Carmelized Fennel, Truffled Panisse, and Herb Game Sauce, for his second appetizer.


First off, great review!

But, now the song is running through my head! :rotfl2:

"Little bunny Foo Foo hopping through the forest...." :lmao:

[BriarRosie]

Thursday, October 9th - Dinner at CA Grill: Stormy Weather and an Utter Lack of Foie Gras.

Oh don't get me worked up again about that foie gras. :mad:


There are about ten four-topper tables in the wine room, which helps keep the noise level to a minimum; there is also a dedicated group of servers who just work the wine room which is nice because the service tends to be a bit more personal and attentive ... most of the time.

Our first priority upon being seated was to order a bottle of pellegrino and a couple of glasses of wine. I had a glass of Bonterra Vineyards Viognier. I had asked our waiter for something similar to a pinot grigio and that's what he suggested - it was good but still a little too heavy, too much like a chardonnay, for my taste. Jason ordered a La Crema Winery Pinot Noir which he thought was quite good.

We almost ordered that Pinot Noir when we went, but my friend suggested a different one. It was still really good.


It was about this time that I think I got us into trouble with our server. He reappeared to take our order and happened to ask if we had any questions. My response, was, "Yeah, I have a question: Where's the foie gras?"

I can't say that we were surprised by the missing foie gras appetizer; the DIS-foodie grapeline had alerted me to a potential dearth of foie gras at WDW in October but no one could verify if this was a short-term removal or a permanent state of sad culinary affairs. Our server had a deer-in-the-headlights look for just a moment and then he composed himself and replied, "We just removed that from our menu at the end of September."

"Why?"

Me-OW! Wow you're feisty! That poor server didn't know what hit him. :laughing:


He looked slightly annoyed by my follow up question but then he decided to level with me, probably in the hopes that I would stop bothering him about items he couldn't provide me with in the first place. "Well, I don't know this for sure, but I got the distinct impression that it was a political decision made by our executive dining management. None of our signature restaurants, not even Victoria and Albert's, are offering it any longer."

Jay and I rolled our eyes at each other and then my mouth opened and I heard myself saying, "Well, that's just stupid. I can't believe that your executive chefs, especially someone like Scott Hunnel over at Victoria and Albert's, would allow themselves to be dictated to in that fashion."

He shrugged; after all what else could he say? And then he suggested that we try the Little Bunny Foo Foo appetizer that had been created to replace their Over-Stuffed Duck Liver appetizer.

I totally agree with the waiter's off the cuff remark. I know the chefs can't be happy about the decision, but I don't think they have any clout or veto power over something of that nature.


Now, I'm not going to hold you guys hostage while I spend pages ranting about our inability to order foie gras at WDW any longer, but I am going to say this: I respect everyone's right to eat or not eat whatever they choose as long as it doesn't impinge on my right to do the same. To single out the foie gras industry for animal cruelty while overlooking the mistreatment and indignity suffered by animals in the industrialized food industry as a whole is hypocritical in the extreme. Disney's restuarant menus were already suffering from a noticeable homogenization trend before this most recent incident and I think this move serves as notice that it's just going to continue. Jay and I were extremely disappointed and while we're in the minority, I'm sure we weren't the only patrons to feel this way.

Preaching to the choir, girlie. I shared my thoughts with the designated PR cast member du jour who called me in response to my email about the lack of foie gras. I made sure to mention that Chicago had a ban and repealed it 6 months or so ago. I also gave my opinion that if Disney was doing this for political correctness, they'd have to ban all animal products and force us to become vegan. Drat, I was going to talk about all of this (eventually) in my own food report. :blush:


My rant is now over (I'm still waiting to hear back from WDW ... I'm sure they think I'm a duck-liver-eating freak of the first order for even writing to them about this) so let us enjoy some pictures of the circling storms from our wine room vantage point. Cass, these pics are for you my friend! :goodvibes

Apparently they didn't think I was enough of a freak to avoid contacting me. :laughing:


First up, we decided to have an order of nigiri sushi. Nigiri is my all-time favorite form of sushi - it's just pressed rice and fish. Most people liven it up with pickled ginger, wasabi, or soy sauce, but I'm boring and I eat it plain. When it's made right it's wonderfully light and flavorful and I could stuff myself silly with nigiri all night long.

Salmon, tuna, and hamachi ... yum!
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l213/oybolshoi/October%202008/66.jpg

Wasabi wad, pickley ginger, and soy sauce
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l213/oybolshoi/October%202008/67.jpg

The sushi was wonderful and fresh and delicate; we seriously considered a second order but then we remembered that we had more appetizers coming and exercised some culinary restraint ... for a change.

Very nice! Our table shared a couple of beautiful sushi maki (rolls) that would probably make your Crohn's Monster rear its ugly head. But I think Jason would have been :cloud9: .


My second appetizer was a tried and true choice: the Sonoma Goat Cheese Ravioli with Sun-Dried Tomatoes, Pesto, Shiitake Mushrooms, and Basil.

Goat cheese in a tomato bath ...
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l213/oybolshoi/October%202008/71.jpg

You will notice that my ravioli appears somewhat nekkid and vulnerable because I requested it sans 'shrooms; what I noticed was that the pesto sauce seemed a bit thin and a wee bit greasy. The goat cheese ravioli was as good as I remembered it being - soft and creamy and tart - but the sauce left a lot to be desired.

I had this dish, too. But I don't know why I let my server suggest getting two of them when I said I didn't want to get an entree. It was too rich for me to finish if I wanted any dessert. (I was no fool. I didn't finish it.) I thought the sauce was thin, but I thought it was meant to be that way. I was trying not to drip any of on my "shelf". :laughing:


Jason bravely ordered Little Bunny Foo Foo, also known as the Seared Loin of Rabbit with Carmelized Fennel, Truffled Panisse, and Herb Game Sauce, for his second appetizer.

Run Rabbit, Run!
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l213/oybolshoi/October%202008/72.jpg

In the spirit of trying something new, I did take a taste of this and I didn't care for it - too gamey. Jay, on the other hand, disagreed with me and said that it could have been a lot gamier. He really liked this choice and thought it was very tasty. Panisse, by the way, is a kind of gravy as far as I can tell. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong. :thumbsup2

I have a photo of this, too! My friend ordered it, and I guess he seemed to enjoy it.


Before we knew it, dinner was making an appearance. Again, I ordered something that I'd tried before and which has always been one of my favorite dishes at CA Grill: Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Goat Cheese Polenta, Button Mushrooms, and Zinfandel Glaze.

Lots of pork ... and lots of empty plate, too
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l213/oybolshoi/October%202008/73.jpg

Once again I ordered this sans 'shrooms, but it just wasn't as good as the last time we dined here. The pork was cooked well, maybe a bit too well because some pieces were a tad on the chewy side. And the polenta, which is really the reason that I order this dish at all, was gritty and nowhere near as creamy a delight as it was the last time I ordered it. What a letdown; yes indeedy, enough of a letdown for me to have already decided that on our next WDW visit we would skip CA Grill in favor of something else like Jiko or Flying Fish.

Wow, I narrowly escaped on that one. If I was in the mood for an entree, that would have been my pick. I must say the polenta looks kinda icky, too.

For his entree Jason ordered the Roasted Lamb Tenderloin with Eggplant "two ways", Rosemary Potatoes, Confit Garlic, and Current Tomatoes.


Jason had a lot of lamb, lot of lamb, lot of lamb ...
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l213/oybolshoi/October%202008/74.jpg

Jason said this wasn't baaaaaaaad.

That's supposed to be funny ... it's him pretending to be a baby sheep. :laughing:

In all seriousness Jay was very pleased with his choice - he thought it was cooked very well so that the meat was tender and juicy and he really liked the eggplant. For those of you in the reading audience who enjoy lamb he highly recommends this dish!

That looks much more appealing than your dish.


When the dessert menu showed up I was really disappointed - nothing sounded very good to me so I defaulted to the cheese plate with a glass of port. Jason ordered a cappuccino and CA Grill's original dessert: Butterscotch Creme Brulee with a Duo of Banana Cakes and Carmelized Bananas.

When it doubt, go for the chocolate! You'd never guess that I would do that, right? :rotfl2:


Cappuccino and Fonseca 20-Year Port
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l213/oybolshoi/October%202008/75.jpg

California Grill makes a tasty cappuccino and I would have ordered one myself if I'd been having dessert for dessert instead of cheese. But I can't complain because I loves me some tawny port with a plate of cheesie goodness. This port was deep amber in color and tasted of spice with a little bit of fruitiness - it was very smooth and very tasty!

Mmmm, cheese five ways!
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l213/oybolshoi/October%202008/76.jpg

The cheese accessories included some crostini, raisins, a mystery item that may be almonds, a fig cake, and honey. From left to right the cheeses we enjoyed were as follows (information taken directly from CA Grill menu):

St. Marcellin - A soft cow's milk cheese with a runny interior and strong flavor originating from the former Dauphine region of France. As this cheese matures the flavor becomes more pronounced yet still remains mild, slighty acidic, and salty with some nutty flourishes.

Chaource - A small town in the Champagne region of France, Chaource has produced this unpasteurized cow's milk cheese since the early 14th century. While this cheese is reminiscent of some of the most decadent triple cremes, it is in fact only a double creme (no! really?). When aged, Chaource becomes very creamy - almost liquid - and is similar to Camembert. It smells slightly of mushrooms with a rich, fruity flavor.

Crottin - A goat's milk cheese made in the heart of France in the verdant Loire Valley. When the Crottin is young, it is slightly moist and has a tangy goat's milk flavor. As it ages, this perfect little cheese takes on a harder texture and a stronger, gamier flavor that is equally delicious.

Casciotto D'Urbina - Shepherds in Urbino, Italy, make this mixed sheep and cow's milk cheese. The origins of this cheese are ancient and noble, having such famous admirers as Pope Clement XIV and Michealangelo. The cheese has a yellowish-straw color and a mild buttery flavor.

Bleu d'Auvergne - A French blue cheese named for its place of origin in the Auvergne region of south-central France, this is made from cow's milk. It has a strong and pungent taste but to a lesser extent than other blue cheeses; it's less salted, with a creamier and more buttery taste and a more moist texture.

I enjoyed all of these, except for the Bleu cheese ... no surprises there, right?

No unctuous commentary in there? :lmao: I love the cheese menus at California Grill mostly because of the descriptions! I took the menu we had, 5 different cheeses, just so I had a keepsake of the flowery verbage. ;)


As for Jay's dessert, take a look:

The original dessert, or so we've been told ...
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l213/oybolshoi/October%202008/77.jpg

The butterscotch creme brulee was like warm butterscotch schnapps and Jay said the chocolate covered banana cakes were really yummy. He was quite happy with his dessert, especially because he didn't have to share with me ... I'm not a big fan of naners.

Still...it's not chocolate. :rolleyes1


One other thing happened that night that we thought was a total riot. As we were on our way out of the hotel to catch a taxi back to the resort (it was pouring rain by this time) we stopped at the restaurant's check-in desk to ask for a copy of the menu.

As the very nice lady handed me a menu she said, "Don't you want to go back upstairs to watch the fireworks?"

To which Jay and I shook our heads. "We don't think the fireworks are really all that good from the observation deck."

She looked stunned for a moment and then cackled like a loon. "Well, I sure don't hear that very often!"

We're freaks, what can I say? Besides, we were fat with food and standing in the rain to watch fireworks did not sound like a fun way to end the evening.

I did go outside to watch the fireworks, but you wouldn't get me out there if there's any rain involved. You're still a freak, though. :hug:


The truth is that I think CA Grill has become a little boring and there are other signature restaurants that we both like more, such as Jiko, Citricos, and Flying Fish. I would never tell anyone not to dine here because the food is quite good, but I think that Jay and I need a break from CA Grill so that we can come back and be delighted by it again.

I enjoyed everything I ate, but I can totally understand how the consistency of quality can be an issue.


Thanks for reading! Next up .... breakfast at Boma and a scare that adds more gray to my hair and another furrow to my brow! :laughing:

Ooh, a Brenda adventure! I am looking forward to it.

[BriarRosie]

Egad, I hope you start feeling better soon! At least now I don't feel so bad about my own lags on my nosh report. :hug:

[angelmav]

Just got caught back up and had to check in to say, You Rocked that Red Dress Girl! Hope your feeling better soon Brenda!

[njprincess]

So when are we going to get to the Saratoga Springs Parking Lot Smackdown? I'm waiting with bated breath :lmao:

[MA pigletfan]

i have to agree with you about the Cali grill..it was good, but not great. We have only dined their once, but with so many other stellar restaurants I think we will hold off on going back for awhile ourselves. Great review though, as always..THOUROUGH'!

[Mocharilla]

Hey. I know I'm late to join in, but I'm still here! That's what matters, right? :thumbsup2

I'm all caught up.

I gotta say: Wow, the liquor at Raglan Road. :rotfl:

Don't worry, I followed the rules, and licked the computer monitor! :rotfl2:

Can't wait for more! :goodvibes

[shovan]

Brenda, First of all, let me say how sorry I am to hear of your illnesses! Hopefully your meds on working on the cystitis. On your back, I truly feel your pain! As a long time sufferer with back problems, I hope the PT really helps you. :hug:

I'm shocked :eek: that your review started before the trip & so quickly upon your return!! Due to some health problems of my own, and our F&W feasting trip, I've been away from the review board awhile. When I came upon your review, I hungrily skipped all the chat & went quickly through each review! I'm sure I've missed some interesting & hilarious chat with you & your ever faithful groupies! Now that I've devoured your reports & since you're review resting awhile, I'll get to go back & read all of it.

I LOVE DA RULES!:rotfl2:

I have to say I'm thrilled to hear of the build your own beer flight at RR!!! Woohoo :cool1: that will have to be scheduled for our next trip!

Glad you were able to get in to enjoy that free Rosa! Unfortunately the long waits for the seminars did not abate during our visit. Didn't the lines for the seminars just suck! We were very, very disappointed this year with the cutbacks on the seminars.

Can't wait to read more! :goodvibes Really looking forward to all of it, but especially your review on Blue Zoo. We ate there for the 1st time this past trip & thought it was fabulous!

[oybolshoi]

Author's note: Thank you all so much for your very kind comments and good thoughts. My pain medication has started working so I'm feeling a lot better than I did even two days ago. I have my first physical therapy session tomorrow morning ... I have a feeling I'm gonna need those meds once I'm finished. ;) Let me offer a warm welcome to the new posters and de-lurked lurkers and a warm thanks to everyone for putting up with me. You're all a wonderful bunch of food lovin' DISers. :grouphug:

Friday, October 10th - We Might as well Enjoy a Last Meal before the Bottom Falls out of the Stock Market ... Again.

I've said it before and I'll say it again ... Jay and I just aren't big fans of buffets. Seems like most of them are long on quantity and short on quality. If we do hit up a buffet most likely it's for the morning meal - it takes a special kind of stupid to muck up scrambled eggs, snausage, and fruit. I’m not saying that it can't be accomplished, but it requires a real dedication to failure the likes of which hasn’t been seen since we invited Grimace to vacation with us at WDW in 2006.

Our original dining plans did not include Boma, but after reading so many great reviews and seeing so many drool-worthy pictures (a big thanks to MickeyNicki for finally pushing me over the edge!) I had no choice but to make an ADR; besides, I had a feeling that my lovey would really enjoy a buffet that offered some alternatives to the standard breakfast fare.

And so Friday morning rolled around and we got ourselves onto an Animal Kingdom bus with plenty of time to spare. We had to switch buses at the park and find ourselves a new bus to the lodge but luckily one was waiting for us when we got there.

Thank you great and glorious gods of air conditioned mass transportation!

We actually made it to Boma with about ten minutes to spare - just enough time to check in and visit the bathroom because that's what I did on this trip. I'm thinking of writing a completely separate review just about the complex and varied bathroom options that Disney offers its guests. ;)

We were seated at a four-top table in the very back of the restaurant next to a window - it was a nice, peaceful little alcove, well out of the way of foot traffic, and very quiet. We had a really friendly young waiter whose name escapes me, but who would add some new gray hairs to the strands I already had before the meal was finished.

The first thing we did before scoping out our buffet options was to put in an order for some of that pressed pot Kenyan coffee along with water for me and Frunch for Jay. He likes weird juice combinations and I usually think they're disgusting - I did like the word 'frunch" though.

There were so many great words on this trip: Mofongo ... Frunch ... Wattleseed ...

:lmao:

Ahem.

Frunch, by the way, is a combination of lemonade, pineapple juice, guava juice, orange juice, and papaya juice. Here's a picture ...

Hmmmm, looks like Tang!
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l213/oybolshoi/October%202008/82.jpg


Deep, dark, caffeinated goodness...
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l213/oybolshoi/October%202008/81.jpg

By the time we returned from the buffet our coffee had arrived. It was good, but not quite as good as I thought it would be. I think I like the Kona pressed pot better.

The buffet itself is comprised of several small stations, or pods, as they like to call them at Boma. The chefs are nearby to answer questions, which I thought was pretty cool since there were some things being offered that I'd never heard of before. I really wanted to try to get some pictures of the buffet to post here but there were always people trying to serve themselves food whenever I whipped out my camera ... the nerve! :laughing:

In addition to the standard breakfast buffet items you would expect (fresh fruit, pastries, dried cereal, scrambled eggs, sausage, bacon, pancakes, waffles, and an omelet station) there were some interesting new things to consider and, in some cases, eat: bobotie, carved ham, carved corned beef, spicy breakfast 'taters, pap, quinoa, brioche, and some kind of egg-casserole type thingie.

Bendy's breakfast plate...
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l213/oybolshoi/October%202008/78.jpg

No surprises on my plate, but I did hit the pork trifecta! Homer Simpson would be so proud ... ham, sausage, bacon ... delectable meats from a magical animal. :laughing:

Jason's plate o' plenty ...
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l213/oybolshoi/October%202008/79.jpg

Lemme see ... what's he got there? There's that egg casserole thingie, bobotie, spicy 'taters, another pork trifecta, and something unidentifiable. He also brought back a bowl of quinoa to which he'd added some cinnamon. Quinoa is a type of high-protein porridge - I tried some and it was actually pretty tasty. It reminded me of oatmeal but was less chunky, oatie, and mealie. ;)

We shared even though we didn't have to
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l213/oybolshoi/October%202008/80.jpg

Glorious fresh fruit ... it tastes so good! I hate living in Missouri; by the time October rolls around the only produce we can get our hands on with any regularity are apples and bananas. Now and then rogue strawberries or melons make an appearance at the grocery store, but it's obvious that they're the dregs of the fruitworld and we know they'll taste like sour socks and yet we buy them anyway. It's a puzzlement.

The pastries - a miniature cinnamon roll and a chockie chip muffin were fresh and tasty; the mini croissant was dried out. Why oh why can't anyone provide a fresh croissant for a cranky crohn to enjoy with her breakfast???

Even though I was pleasantly stuffed after eating all this food, I went back to the buffet for some pap … anything called pap just begs to be eaten – it’s right up there with orphan's choice gruel. I added some brown sugar and raisins to my pap - it reminded me of Cream of Wheat, only creamier and tastier.

Pappy!
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l213/oybolshoi/October%202008/83.jpg

Now, I must make a confession to everyone. In the spirit of continuing to try new stuff, I took a taste of Jay's frunch fully expecting to wrinkle my nose in distate while sticking out my tongue with a definitive "gack!" But it was actually very good - so good that I had to order my own glass in order to prevent myself from sucking down Jay's frunch.

It's true ... I actually liked Frunch!
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l213/oybolshoi/October%202008/84.jpg

While we were finishing up the remains of breakfast and trying to decide what to do with our day, we went ahead and gave our room charge and DDE card to our waiter. Imagine our horror when he reappeared a few moments later to tell me that the charge had been declined!

This was particularly horrifying to me because I had contacted our credit card companies before leaving Stinktown to let them know we were going to be taking a vacation and to expect charges from Florida. This isn't part of my normal pre-vacation routine, but considering the turmoil in the financial markets and concern over tightening credit availability I wanted to make sure that we could use our cards as planned - gotta get those rebates and points for the next trip! After being assured by said companies that we had no reason for concern, my blood pressure began a rapid ascent when our waiter informed us of our little problem.

I looked at Jay, whose disbelief must have mirrored my own, and sputtered, "I called them ... those wank..."

Jay reached for his wallet, "We'll just pay with cash and call..."

And then our waiter jumped in, "Gosh, I was just kidding around ... everything is fine. I didn't mean to freak you out; I'm really sorry."

:eek: :scared1: :eek:

Jay and I shared one of those relieved, shaky laughs that usually mean you just wet yourself and are awfully embarrassed about the subsequent mess and odor. Then I spoke to our waiter, "Dude ... never mess around about declined credit charges to a woman who works in finance. I think you just gave me more gray hair to cover up when I get home."

The waiter apologized repeatedly, perhaps having realized that scaring two middle aged dinks in the middle of a nationwide financial crisis was not the best way to ensure a generous tip. ;)

Final assessment: Boma's breakfast buffet definitely lived up to the hype and we both recommend that anyone reading who enjoys buffet dining give it a try. There is a great mix of traditional, "safe" breakfast items mixed in with more adventurous selections. And that frunch is addictive - I think they put crack in the juice pitcher! :laughing:

Jay paid the bill (for real this time) and we made our way upstairs to look for some coffee beans in the market for a friend of ours back home. As we were headed upstairs the opportunity presented itself for a few pictures...

Cast members playing drums...
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l213/oybolshoi/October%202008/92.jpg

Beery selections for later in the day...
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l213/oybolshoi/October%202008/91.jpg

And a couple of pictures from outside of the restaurant ... it's really quite large:

http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l213/oybolshoi/October%202008/94.jpg

http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l213/oybolshoi/October%202008/93.jpg


We discovered at the market that no one has coffee beans ... there were plenty of bags of ground coffee but no beans. We even asked a very nice gentleman working in the marketplace if he knew where we could find some and he was stumped, although he finally suggested Downtown Disney. Sadly, we already knew, just as there is no joy in Mudville that there were no beans in Disney's Hyper-Global-Mega-Shopping-Mart.

What gives with the woeful shortage of coffee beans? Beans are more fresh and they travel better ... who wants grounds when they can have beans? Oh wait, let me guess ... if I write Disney and ask that question they will respond by telling me that the decision was made after serious deliberation and massive guest feedback. :rolleyes:

And that's the reason that I couldn't bring Kenyan coffee beans home from WDW as a gift for my friend Anila.

Jay and I wandered out to the bus stop, still unsure about how we wanted to spend the rest of our day. We finally decided that we'd let the bus decide for us. If a DTD bus showed up we'd head back to the resort and lounge at the pool all afternoon; if an Epcot bus showed up we'd take it and make our way over to Fantasia MiniGolf after some F&W snacking.

The bus that eventually decided for us: Downtown Disney. Watch out pool ... we're headed for a lazy afternoon of margarita drinking and lounge chair napping.

Here's a self portrait while we waited for transporation to show up:

Smile - you're credit worthy after all!!!
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l213/oybolshoi/October%202008/99.jpg

Thanks for reading ... next up: F&W Fest V.2 and another adventure in dining where everything eventually works out OK and Zweihund and her hubby share sushi with Jay and me at Tokyo Dining!

[ICNAnnie2]

I’ve been lurking for awhile and thoroughly enjoy your reviews. I used to be into fine dining, but can no longer tolerate many foods so cannot eat that way anymore. Reading your delightful reports has been so enjoyable to me because it helps me enjoy once again, through your experiences, all the wonderful, flavorful foods I used to love.

I responded to your thread in the Coping and Compassion Forum. I have had interstitial cystitis (aka IC) for 6 years and also suffer from ulcerative colitis and pelvic floor dysfunction. For those who don’t know, interstitial cystitis is incurable (it is NOT an infection, but rather permanent damage to the protective inner lining of the bladder) and is extremely painful. It can take quite a bit of time to find the right combination of meds or treatments that help to bring relief and begin to control this monstrous disease.

To Brenda’s friends I want to say Brenda really needs your support as she learns to deal with this illness. I’m sure you will generously give it to her.

Brenda, I’ve already emphasized in your Coping and Compassion thread the extreme importance of following the IC diet to reduce your pain level. I don’t want to overdo it, but I’m going to say it one more time. The diet is bland, limited and not anyone’s idea of fun. Abstaining from flavor and living with plain, un-marinated and unseasoned meats, fish and chicken, steamed plain vegetables and drinking nothing but bottled spring water (no Dasani because of the bladder-irritating minerals added to the water) is pretty hard to accept, especially for someone into fine dining. I DESPISE having to do it……….but those of us experienced with IC do it because IT WORKS! It is the biggest self-help tool available to reduce your pain. Later, you may be able to tolerate more foods, but now I hope you will begin by helping yourself. It may not sound inviting, but you will be surprised how comforting a cup of hot water with a little honey in it can be. BTW, when visiting WDW or in FL you might want to try Zephyrhills brand bottled spring water available in that locale. It is one of the few bottled waters that is slightly alkaline. I find it very soothing to my IC bladder.

Many of those with IC develop commonly concurrent disorders (IBS---or, if really unlucky, Crohn’s or colitis…, fibromyalgia, endometriosis, CFS etc). With all of that going on, a very large percentage of us also develop pelvic floor dysfunction (PFD). The muscles of the pelvic floor which support internal organs begin to spasm and contract and lose the ability to relax. It increases the pain and can cause pain to radiate to the back and down to the legs. You might want to ask your physical therapist to evaluate you for possible PFD. Physical therapy can do WONDERS to help with both PFD and IC, but it must be done by a physical therapist specially trained to treat PFD and IC patients and one who has experience in doing so. Before seeing a physical therapist, an IC patient needs to check to be sure their therapist has received this additional training. Hint: If a PT suggests you do Kegel exercises, RUN……ok, hobble as fast as you can……away (it’s a classic mistake made by those not trained to treat PFD or IC). Kegels further strengthen the pelvic floor muscles………the last thing a person with IC or PFD needs for muscles in constant spasm as it just strengthens the muscle contractions and INCREASES PAIN. Later in therapy when muscles have been stretched and “taught” how to relax, Kegels might help to make further progress. They almost never should be done in the beginning. So, Brenda, please check on your therapist and make sure they are qualified to treat you. If you have a hard time finding one qualified to treat IC patients, you can contact the Interstitial Cystitis Network or the Interstitial Cystitis Assoc. They maintain databases of IC-knowledgeable urologists and physical therapists and can send you a list of care providers in your area.

I am not a physician. I am, however, a retired biologist and educator. I assist my local urologists by speaking with their newly diagnosed IC patients helping them learn the complex IC diet and giving tips to help them cope with this disease. I would be glad to help you in whatever way I can. Please feel free to send me a PM if there is anything I can do to help you.

Sending you gentle hugs and wishes for rapidly finding meds and treatments which will quickly bring you relief.:hug: :flower3:

[travelmel]

Pap looks yummy! Good thing there were no shmears around to go with it! :lmao:

ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh that was bad.

:rotfl:

My alltime favorite breakfast buffet is the Paris in Vegas. All the stations are themed to areas of France. OMG.. it's a marvel. What a fantastic way to spend time.

P.S. I forgot to say sorry you are/were feeling low. :hug: Glad to see you up and at 'em.

[Alice BlueBonnet]

Hey Brenda! That was a great Boma review, I'm glad you liked the Frunch. I'm really sorry to hear about all your pain, that really blows. While physio may suck (I go twice a week), it should do you some real good. And just a little tip from me, sometimes it helps to refer to them as physioterrorists. Feel better soon!!!

[Tink rules]

Bendy... I'm tellin ya... I would have gotten up and smacked that server to heaven if he did that to me... :lmao: :lmao: :lmao:

[chell]

Sorry to hear you have been dealing with all that. I hope they can find something to help you real soon!

[Timon]

Hey Brenda,

I felt the same way after reading MickeyNicki's reviews, MUST EAT BREAKFAST AT BOMA :eek: :thumbsup2 I can't wait till next year when I get to. Until then, I will just keep reading great reviews like yours and MickeyNicki's :goodvibes

Love the frunch pic :lmao: :rotfl2:

Thanks for sharing another dining experience with us, always delighted to be eating with you ;) :rolleyes: (Sorry I can't help NOT eating when I read your reviews :rolleyes1 )

On a personal note, I hope you find a new path soon, one that will lead you to a long journey of pain-free days. Get better my friend :hug:

[Tatania]

Brenda - I'm so sorry to hear about your disease. It especially sucks if this means eating only bland foods. I guess it would be one way to lose weight though :guilty:

Just wanted to say your breakfast at Boma post had me rolling on the floor after coming home late and tired from work. There were so many funny lines I can't comment on them all but it sure feels good to laugh like that. You really have a fabulous comedic sense and should go into travel writing or food reviews.

[A fat english gent]

Bendy Dear i only have one simply question about your latest review and it relates to the sliced HAM.....Does it come by the slice or can i simply ask for the whole PIG?.....:rolleyes1