We Smelled It ... It Had To Be Eaten! Christmas Eve Food Porn posts #1170 & #1171!!
- Thread starter oybolshoi
- Start date
- Status
travelmel
Blue Banana Vacation Club
- Joined
- Aug 31, 2007
THat sounds like something Jay would call you when he's:
a) ticked "Listen here, BRAN-DEEN (head shake left to right with or without finger)
b) very romantical "ohh, Brandine..."
Either way it is not something I feel comfortable saying to you.
a) ticked "Listen here, BRAN-DEEN (head shake left to right with or without finger)
b) very romantical "ohh, Brandine..."
Either way it is not something I feel comfortable saying to you.
Circusgirl
Queen of the Moisture Festival. Allora!
- Joined
- Nov 10, 2007
"BRAAANDIIIIIIIIIINE!!!!!"
oybolshoi
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 16, 2004
Friday, October 10th - Poison ... Poison ... Poison ... Tasty Fish!!!
Within the past year or so Jay and I have begun to experiment with the endlessly varied, often amusing, and sometimes scary joys of sushi. During the ADR merry-go-round this past summer I happened upon some pictures of absolutely drool-worthy, gorgeous sushi from Tokyo Dining in Epcot and decided that Jay and I needed to give it a try. An open Friday night on my planning calendar just happened to coincide with Extra Magic evening hours at Epcot ... ah, destiny the stars were aligned for a fish-fest of epic proportions!
Our reservation was for 7:45 that evening so we had plenty of time to relax before making ourselves presentable and heading over to the giant fishbowl uh, I mean, giant golfball. If youve been following along youll know that we spent the afternoon lounging at the pool. For those of you who havent stayed at Saratoga Springs, the resort has four pools the main pool with the water slide is located at the Big House, but there are three smaller pools scattered around various other sections of the property. We were staying in the Grandstand section and the pool was about a five minute walk from our room. The pool area was very nice and had a cool play area for the urchins that included fountains and mounted water guns. Our happiest discovery upon arriving at the pool was that it had a bar The Backstretch Pool Bar its just not pool time without some kind of tasty beverage to sip on while soaking up that delightful warmth from the Florida sun.
Since the pedestrian powers-that-be decided to streamline all the resort bar menus, Jay and I often struggle to find just the right poolside beverage. Gone are the Espresso Chillers and Shipwrecks that were so good other pool patrons would often approach us to ask the name of the frosty delights we were enjoying. Neither one of us are big fans of fruity drinks so we opted for a Grand Margarita on the rocks, no salt or sugar and it was fantastic! Those CMs tending bar were well trained in the mixological arts every time we ordered the Grand Margarita during our vacation the drink was exceptionally well made and most enjoyable. For now, until some Disney genius decides to take it off the menu along with everything else we like, Jay and I have a new poolside favorite.
After all this talk of drinks you might think that Id have a picture to share, wouldnt you? Sorry kids, no dice. Cameras and pools just dont mix and trust me when I tell you that the last thing you want to see is me in swimwear holding a beverage.
We now return you to our dinner review, not even remotely in progress.
Jay and I were supposed to meet up with Erica (Zweihund) and her husband Lionel near the squishee stand in France around 6PM that evening. The hazy plan-no-plan was to munch a bit before dinner, gorge on fish at Tokyo Dining, and then snack with abandon after dinner since Epcot was going to be open until midnight. Last year we were unable to hook up with Erica thanks to the combined double whammy of Jays illness and my craptacular cell phone, so I made sure to call her that afternoon to double check that our plans were still a go.
After our conversation I promptly turned off my phone and locked it in the safe along with Jays phone, an extra camera, most of our cash and credit cards, and an emergency stash of booze and chocolate. I have a strong dislike of cell phones I rarely turn mine on in the real world, primarily using it for emergencies, which explains why I sometimes find three-month old voice mail messages when I do use it. Having confirmed our plans I saw no need to carry my phone with me to Epcot the second time in two days that I would reach such a conclusion.
**Now might be an appropriate time for you to select some ominous music to further aid the foreshadowing, if youre so inclined. May I suggest Bachs Toccata and Fugue in D Minor or perhaps Planktons favorite: A Night on Bald Mountain?**
Here's a picture of Jay and me just before leaving for Epcot ... note the relaxed postures and easy confidence born of pre-meeting communication.
Don't laugh ... I'm trying to hide my drinking belly!
BTW, for anyone here who has not had the pleasure of reading Erica's wonderful cruise trip reports, get thee hence to the Disney Cruise boards and avail yourself of her travels. She's brilliant - and I mean this in all seriousness - she's a far better writer than yours truly, and while it hurts a bit to say that I try to be honest with you fine people and steer you towards only the best. So go forth and read with my tipsy thumbs-up!
Anyhoo, once reaching the designated rendezvous point, Jay and I positioned ourselves on the railing outside of Chefs de France directly across from the slushie stand. While the idea was that we could easily spot them from either direction a funny thought considering that wed never met face-to-face I was certain that they would enter France from the Great Britain side of Epcot. The shortest way to get to France when entering Epcot from the front entrance is to enter the world showcase from the right-hand side invading Canada and then storming France through Britain. If once-a-year visitors like Jay and me knew that, then of course practised Disney-hands like Erica and Lionel would know it.
Jay did ask me at one point, "Who or what exactly are we looking for?"
To which I responded, "Well, I've only seen pictures randomly posted on the boads; but I'd say we're looking for a shorter, darker, cuter, two-eyed version of me with a taller, equally handsome version of you. Don't worry, I'll know them when I see them."
I doubt that this statement gave Jay much confidence, especially considering that I was sucking down a Grand Marnier slushee while keeping a keen, terribly near-sighted eye out for two people we'd never met. Surely I can be forgiven? Not only had I promised certain DISers that I would have a squishee on their account, but it had been two years since I personally had indulged in the cool, alkie-holic joy that is France. Cut a girl some slack ... it's been a tough year!
Good alcohol and bad posture ... just try to focus on the drink, ok?
That Grand Marnier slushee was just as good as we remembered ... cool, refreshing, and just the right amount of sweet ... and I was planning on ordering one for Erica and Lionel but it was steamroom-humid that night and I just didn't think it would be very friendly of me to offer them a plastic martini glass of runny, orange goop at our first meeting. That might be the kind of thing that Grimace would do, but never me!
We waited we watched we wandered. No Erica. No Lionel. No Erica and Lionel. Hmmmm . we speculated that on a Friday night the rush hour traffic could be bad. And the threatening clouds were piling up again ... we discussed the possibility that like a good baseball game Erica and Lionel were rain-delayed. Since we hadn't had anything to eat and were dizzy with hunger Jay and I decided to visit France's F&W Festival booth for a snack to hold us over until our friends arrived.
A picture of France from Saturday ... it's time travel, man!
A snack for Jay and a snack for me ... yum!
Along with the ever-present bottle of Dasani, which we also drink at home, we selected the Escargot Persillade en Brioche and the Goat Cheese and Leek Quiche. I don't like escargot ... I just can't bring myself to eat something that leaves a slimey trail in its' wake ... but Jay really enjoys them so as long as the French booth offers these little critters I guess I'll be taking their picture. Jay maintains that these are some of the best taste treats offered at the F&W Festival and who am I to dispute? However, I much prefer the goat cheese alternative provided by our sometime-allies across the Atlantic. The tartlet offered this year was wonderful, full of goat-ey goodness offest by just a hint of onion - it was wonderful!
While keeping a weather eye on the increasingly stormy skies and another eye on the entrances to France by which Erica and her hubby would at any moment be approaching us, I managed to avail myself of the Moroccan bathroom facilites not once ... not twice ... but three times in one hour!!! I'm going to go out on a limb here and highly recommend Morocco for all your bathroom needs - it's convenient and clean and most importantly the stalls are all centered. Curious about the meaning behind that last comment? Pay a visit to Germany's bathrooms and wonder no more!
It was about this time ... close to 7PM ... that the skies grew dark and stormy and the winds kicked up and we were still minus half of our dining party ... since we never deign to bring an umbrella with us on vacation, Jay and I decided to bolt for Japan, assuming that Erica and Lionel would catch up with us there in time for dinner.
We made it to Japan and its endless shopping area just as the skies opened and dumped ridiculous amounts of water on Epcot. As much as Jay and I love Japan-mart I must say ... it's far less enjoyable when swarming with hordes of steamy, poncho-clad guests all waiting for the weather to clear. It's almost impossible to get close enough to all the Japanese food that we so enjoy snickering at. How, I ask, can anyone laugh uproariously at the Crunky Chocolate Bar, when you can't even get close enough to pick it up and take a picture for posterity?
Looking around at all the people swarming into the store, I began to wish that I'd brought my cell phone along with me because it was quite possible that a phone call might have served the dual purpose of letting Erica and Lionel know Jay and I were headed to Tokyo Dining to check in early and we would wait for them there while they could in turn let us know that they were alive and well and on their way ... which they tried to do ... multiple times.
Luckily after about thirty minutes of pacing and worrying and stomach growling, I spotted someone walking through the multitudes waiting for their tables at Tokyo Dining and Teppan Edo (they share the same waiting area; how unfriendly) ... it was the Zweihund! Long story short, it turns out that the car in front of them on the highway was involved in an accident and they stopped to help and give a report to the highway patrol. See what good peoples they are?
We had a fine time chatting and were soon seated at a four topper table that provided just enough room for us, our food, and our drinks. And from here quite frankly things get a little blurry because even though I took pictures of everything I don't remember exactly what Erica and Lionel ordered. The evening started out with Edamame, which I'd never eaten - Lionel offered me some and I took one, gave it a sniff, and promptly tossed the whole thing in my mouth.
Dining faux pas number one: Don't chew the edamame!!!
You're supposed to suck the wee little soybeans out of the pods right there at the table for all the world to see, no matter how naughty or uncouth it may seem.
Pretty; it's a healthy soybean infused prezzie!
I was surprised by how much I actually liked these, although I didn't eat many of them in order to save room for fishies! But before the fishies could make an appearance we had to order some libations to wash them down. Lionel ordered a really cool sake the name of which totally escapes us, but it was a milky, white sake with a smooth, creamy taste. We liked it very much.
Milky mystery sake...
Jay and I opted for a sake sampler ... and we have no idea which sakes were included, but they were all enjoyable.
Isn't it cute?
I think Erica ordered a green tea infused martini or some such drink, but I neglected to take a picture of it. If memory serves me right, it was "interesting" but perhaps not worthy of being ordered a second time.
As for food, I ordered a Sushi Sampler and a California Roll.
Sampler
Yum! Three pieces of nigiri - Tuna, Yellowtail, and Shrimp - and two pieces of California Roll.
Crabbie California goodness!
Eight more pieces of California roll ... the picky person's sushi of choice!
Jay ordered a Spicy Tuna Roll, a Dynamite Roll, and Octopus ... yes, I said Octopus.
Spicy Tuna
This was a Spicy Tuna mix with cucumber, green onions and sesame seed - Jay liked it very much.
Dyno-o-mite!
This was Jay's favorite selection of the evening - a California roll with wasabi mayo sauce topped with salmon, tuna, yellowtail, green onion, and spicy green smelt roe.
I'd like to be, under the sea, in an Octopus' garden in the shade ...
Jay said this wasn't bad; it was about what you'd expect with octopus in terms of texture and chewiness. Next time he said he might order the squid platter with extra tentacles. Blech!!!
Now for my best guess about Erica and Lionel's dinner ... ummmm, sushi!?! Yes, they definitely partook of sushi.
A sushi smorgasboard!
My inexperienced eye tells me that Lionel's plate looks like a Spicy Tuna roll and a California roll, but I could be wrong so if someone here knows the absolute truth don't hesitate to correct me. Erica had a bowl of mystery soup and something like egg nigiri which I think is an omelet over rice. For the life of me I don't know what her other two choices were but I'm going to go out on a limb here and say I think she ordered an avocado roll and a cucumber roll. Humble apologies if I'm wrong ... Erica will be along eventually and she can correct me if needs be.
I can't speak for Erica and Lionel, but Jay and I had a fine time with them at dinner - we really enjoyed their company and they are two of the smartest, most amusing geeks we've had the pleasure to meet in a long time! Tokyo Dining was also a great restaurant in our opinion - their menu offered a wide selection of sushi as well as items for the those guests who might be less inclined towards fish. The service was prompt and helpful and the food was quite tasty. For you sushi lovers out there I'd strongly suggest giving Tokyo Dining a try ... it's easily on par with Kimonos, maybe even a little better, surprising though that may sound.
We probably left the restaurant around 9:30PM - Illuminations was over and thankfully so was the rain. But it dawned on me suddenly that we'd neglected to take a single picture of people while having dinner ... thus does food porn cloud my vision as to what's important. Thank goodness Jay has honed his long-armed reach for self-portrait taking purposes!
Four peoples in one picture? That's unpossible!
And now it was time to set off in search of some dessert and where better to start than France? We ordered two Milk Chocolate Creme Brulees and two Sparkling Pomegranate Kirs.
Chockie Creme Brulee in a tin
I'm willing to give France the benefit of the doubt on this one because it was fairly late in the day. Normally French-town can always be counted upon for a good dessert, but this creme brulee obviously hadn't had time to set up. It was like runny chocolate pudding. The taste was good but the texture was all wrong.
We needs it ... we must have it ... the precious!
One of my all-time favorite drinks and it more than made up for the disappointment of runny chocolate pudding masquerading as brulee. Ah, alcohol ... somehow it always makes things better.
We wandered slowly from France through Great Britain, enjoying the thinning crowds and what had turned into a rather steamy but pleasant Florida evening, all things considered. Lionel disappeared for a moment and then turned up with a yummy surprise from Turkey's F&W booth: Pistachio Baklava!
A Pistachio Baklava Four-Square!
A sweet, sticky, crispy, gooey, crumbly delight ... and I don't even like baklava! Bwaaahahahahaha!!! It was good, it really was. And it would have been a lot of fun to amble from food booth to food booth sampling desserts for the rest of the evening but all the booths were closing down by 10PM, which pleased me not at all. What's the point of having EMH at Epcot during the Food and Wine Festival if the booths all shutter their windows two hours before the park closes?
We all took that as our cue to call it an evening. Lionel and Erica for sure had had a long day and were still looking at a fairly long drive home from the park, so we walked up to Epcot's front entrance, thanked them for coming to have dinner with us, shared a few hugs, and bade them a fond farewell as I promised never to not have my cell phone with me again.
BTW, I broke that promise less than two days later, but that's a story for another review.
Thanks for reading!!!
Within the past year or so Jay and I have begun to experiment with the endlessly varied, often amusing, and sometimes scary joys of sushi. During the ADR merry-go-round this past summer I happened upon some pictures of absolutely drool-worthy, gorgeous sushi from Tokyo Dining in Epcot and decided that Jay and I needed to give it a try. An open Friday night on my planning calendar just happened to coincide with Extra Magic evening hours at Epcot ... ah, destiny the stars were aligned for a fish-fest of epic proportions!
Our reservation was for 7:45 that evening so we had plenty of time to relax before making ourselves presentable and heading over to the giant fishbowl uh, I mean, giant golfball. If youve been following along youll know that we spent the afternoon lounging at the pool. For those of you who havent stayed at Saratoga Springs, the resort has four pools the main pool with the water slide is located at the Big House, but there are three smaller pools scattered around various other sections of the property. We were staying in the Grandstand section and the pool was about a five minute walk from our room. The pool area was very nice and had a cool play area for the urchins that included fountains and mounted water guns. Our happiest discovery upon arriving at the pool was that it had a bar The Backstretch Pool Bar its just not pool time without some kind of tasty beverage to sip on while soaking up that delightful warmth from the Florida sun.
Since the pedestrian powers-that-be decided to streamline all the resort bar menus, Jay and I often struggle to find just the right poolside beverage. Gone are the Espresso Chillers and Shipwrecks that were so good other pool patrons would often approach us to ask the name of the frosty delights we were enjoying. Neither one of us are big fans of fruity drinks so we opted for a Grand Margarita on the rocks, no salt or sugar and it was fantastic! Those CMs tending bar were well trained in the mixological arts every time we ordered the Grand Margarita during our vacation the drink was exceptionally well made and most enjoyable. For now, until some Disney genius decides to take it off the menu along with everything else we like, Jay and I have a new poolside favorite.
After all this talk of drinks you might think that Id have a picture to share, wouldnt you? Sorry kids, no dice. Cameras and pools just dont mix and trust me when I tell you that the last thing you want to see is me in swimwear holding a beverage.
We now return you to our dinner review, not even remotely in progress.
Jay and I were supposed to meet up with Erica (Zweihund) and her husband Lionel near the squishee stand in France around 6PM that evening. The hazy plan-no-plan was to munch a bit before dinner, gorge on fish at Tokyo Dining, and then snack with abandon after dinner since Epcot was going to be open until midnight. Last year we were unable to hook up with Erica thanks to the combined double whammy of Jays illness and my craptacular cell phone, so I made sure to call her that afternoon to double check that our plans were still a go.
After our conversation I promptly turned off my phone and locked it in the safe along with Jays phone, an extra camera, most of our cash and credit cards, and an emergency stash of booze and chocolate. I have a strong dislike of cell phones I rarely turn mine on in the real world, primarily using it for emergencies, which explains why I sometimes find three-month old voice mail messages when I do use it. Having confirmed our plans I saw no need to carry my phone with me to Epcot the second time in two days that I would reach such a conclusion.
**Now might be an appropriate time for you to select some ominous music to further aid the foreshadowing, if youre so inclined. May I suggest Bachs Toccata and Fugue in D Minor or perhaps Planktons favorite: A Night on Bald Mountain?**
Here's a picture of Jay and me just before leaving for Epcot ... note the relaxed postures and easy confidence born of pre-meeting communication.
Don't laugh ... I'm trying to hide my drinking belly!
BTW, for anyone here who has not had the pleasure of reading Erica's wonderful cruise trip reports, get thee hence to the Disney Cruise boards and avail yourself of her travels. She's brilliant - and I mean this in all seriousness - she's a far better writer than yours truly, and while it hurts a bit to say that I try to be honest with you fine people and steer you towards only the best. So go forth and read with my tipsy thumbs-up!
Anyhoo, once reaching the designated rendezvous point, Jay and I positioned ourselves on the railing outside of Chefs de France directly across from the slushie stand. While the idea was that we could easily spot them from either direction a funny thought considering that wed never met face-to-face I was certain that they would enter France from the Great Britain side of Epcot. The shortest way to get to France when entering Epcot from the front entrance is to enter the world showcase from the right-hand side invading Canada and then storming France through Britain. If once-a-year visitors like Jay and me knew that, then of course practised Disney-hands like Erica and Lionel would know it.
Jay did ask me at one point, "Who or what exactly are we looking for?"
To which I responded, "Well, I've only seen pictures randomly posted on the boads; but I'd say we're looking for a shorter, darker, cuter, two-eyed version of me with a taller, equally handsome version of you. Don't worry, I'll know them when I see them."
I doubt that this statement gave Jay much confidence, especially considering that I was sucking down a Grand Marnier slushee while keeping a keen, terribly near-sighted eye out for two people we'd never met. Surely I can be forgiven? Not only had I promised certain DISers that I would have a squishee on their account, but it had been two years since I personally had indulged in the cool, alkie-holic joy that is France. Cut a girl some slack ... it's been a tough year!
Good alcohol and bad posture ... just try to focus on the drink, ok?
That Grand Marnier slushee was just as good as we remembered ... cool, refreshing, and just the right amount of sweet ... and I was planning on ordering one for Erica and Lionel but it was steamroom-humid that night and I just didn't think it would be very friendly of me to offer them a plastic martini glass of runny, orange goop at our first meeting. That might be the kind of thing that Grimace would do, but never me!
We waited we watched we wandered. No Erica. No Lionel. No Erica and Lionel. Hmmmm . we speculated that on a Friday night the rush hour traffic could be bad. And the threatening clouds were piling up again ... we discussed the possibility that like a good baseball game Erica and Lionel were rain-delayed. Since we hadn't had anything to eat and were dizzy with hunger Jay and I decided to visit France's F&W Festival booth for a snack to hold us over until our friends arrived.
A picture of France from Saturday ... it's time travel, man!
A snack for Jay and a snack for me ... yum!
Along with the ever-present bottle of Dasani, which we also drink at home, we selected the Escargot Persillade en Brioche and the Goat Cheese and Leek Quiche. I don't like escargot ... I just can't bring myself to eat something that leaves a slimey trail in its' wake ... but Jay really enjoys them so as long as the French booth offers these little critters I guess I'll be taking their picture. Jay maintains that these are some of the best taste treats offered at the F&W Festival and who am I to dispute? However, I much prefer the goat cheese alternative provided by our sometime-allies across the Atlantic. The tartlet offered this year was wonderful, full of goat-ey goodness offest by just a hint of onion - it was wonderful!
While keeping a weather eye on the increasingly stormy skies and another eye on the entrances to France by which Erica and her hubby would at any moment be approaching us, I managed to avail myself of the Moroccan bathroom facilites not once ... not twice ... but three times in one hour!!! I'm going to go out on a limb here and highly recommend Morocco for all your bathroom needs - it's convenient and clean and most importantly the stalls are all centered. Curious about the meaning behind that last comment? Pay a visit to Germany's bathrooms and wonder no more!
It was about this time ... close to 7PM ... that the skies grew dark and stormy and the winds kicked up and we were still minus half of our dining party ... since we never deign to bring an umbrella with us on vacation, Jay and I decided to bolt for Japan, assuming that Erica and Lionel would catch up with us there in time for dinner.
We made it to Japan and its endless shopping area just as the skies opened and dumped ridiculous amounts of water on Epcot. As much as Jay and I love Japan-mart I must say ... it's far less enjoyable when swarming with hordes of steamy, poncho-clad guests all waiting for the weather to clear. It's almost impossible to get close enough to all the Japanese food that we so enjoy snickering at. How, I ask, can anyone laugh uproariously at the Crunky Chocolate Bar, when you can't even get close enough to pick it up and take a picture for posterity?
Looking around at all the people swarming into the store, I began to wish that I'd brought my cell phone along with me because it was quite possible that a phone call might have served the dual purpose of letting Erica and Lionel know Jay and I were headed to Tokyo Dining to check in early and we would wait for them there while they could in turn let us know that they were alive and well and on their way ... which they tried to do ... multiple times.
Luckily after about thirty minutes of pacing and worrying and stomach growling, I spotted someone walking through the multitudes waiting for their tables at Tokyo Dining and Teppan Edo (they share the same waiting area; how unfriendly) ... it was the Zweihund! Long story short, it turns out that the car in front of them on the highway was involved in an accident and they stopped to help and give a report to the highway patrol. See what good peoples they are?
We had a fine time chatting and were soon seated at a four topper table that provided just enough room for us, our food, and our drinks. And from here quite frankly things get a little blurry because even though I took pictures of everything I don't remember exactly what Erica and Lionel ordered. The evening started out with Edamame, which I'd never eaten - Lionel offered me some and I took one, gave it a sniff, and promptly tossed the whole thing in my mouth.
Dining faux pas number one: Don't chew the edamame!!!
You're supposed to suck the wee little soybeans out of the pods right there at the table for all the world to see, no matter how naughty or uncouth it may seem.
Pretty; it's a healthy soybean infused prezzie!
I was surprised by how much I actually liked these, although I didn't eat many of them in order to save room for fishies! But before the fishies could make an appearance we had to order some libations to wash them down. Lionel ordered a really cool sake the name of which totally escapes us, but it was a milky, white sake with a smooth, creamy taste. We liked it very much.
Milky mystery sake...
Jay and I opted for a sake sampler ... and we have no idea which sakes were included, but they were all enjoyable.
Isn't it cute?
I think Erica ordered a green tea infused martini or some such drink, but I neglected to take a picture of it. If memory serves me right, it was "interesting" but perhaps not worthy of being ordered a second time.
As for food, I ordered a Sushi Sampler and a California Roll.
Sampler
Yum! Three pieces of nigiri - Tuna, Yellowtail, and Shrimp - and two pieces of California Roll.
Crabbie California goodness!
Eight more pieces of California roll ... the picky person's sushi of choice!
Jay ordered a Spicy Tuna Roll, a Dynamite Roll, and Octopus ... yes, I said Octopus.
Spicy Tuna
This was a Spicy Tuna mix with cucumber, green onions and sesame seed - Jay liked it very much.
Dyno-o-mite!
This was Jay's favorite selection of the evening - a California roll with wasabi mayo sauce topped with salmon, tuna, yellowtail, green onion, and spicy green smelt roe.
I'd like to be, under the sea, in an Octopus' garden in the shade ...
Jay said this wasn't bad; it was about what you'd expect with octopus in terms of texture and chewiness. Next time he said he might order the squid platter with extra tentacles. Blech!!!
Now for my best guess about Erica and Lionel's dinner ... ummmm, sushi!?! Yes, they definitely partook of sushi.
A sushi smorgasboard!
My inexperienced eye tells me that Lionel's plate looks like a Spicy Tuna roll and a California roll, but I could be wrong so if someone here knows the absolute truth don't hesitate to correct me. Erica had a bowl of mystery soup and something like egg nigiri which I think is an omelet over rice. For the life of me I don't know what her other two choices were but I'm going to go out on a limb here and say I think she ordered an avocado roll and a cucumber roll. Humble apologies if I'm wrong ... Erica will be along eventually and she can correct me if needs be.
I can't speak for Erica and Lionel, but Jay and I had a fine time with them at dinner - we really enjoyed their company and they are two of the smartest, most amusing geeks we've had the pleasure to meet in a long time! Tokyo Dining was also a great restaurant in our opinion - their menu offered a wide selection of sushi as well as items for the those guests who might be less inclined towards fish. The service was prompt and helpful and the food was quite tasty. For you sushi lovers out there I'd strongly suggest giving Tokyo Dining a try ... it's easily on par with Kimonos, maybe even a little better, surprising though that may sound.
We probably left the restaurant around 9:30PM - Illuminations was over and thankfully so was the rain. But it dawned on me suddenly that we'd neglected to take a single picture of people while having dinner ... thus does food porn cloud my vision as to what's important. Thank goodness Jay has honed his long-armed reach for self-portrait taking purposes!
Four peoples in one picture? That's unpossible!
And now it was time to set off in search of some dessert and where better to start than France? We ordered two Milk Chocolate Creme Brulees and two Sparkling Pomegranate Kirs.
Chockie Creme Brulee in a tin
I'm willing to give France the benefit of the doubt on this one because it was fairly late in the day. Normally French-town can always be counted upon for a good dessert, but this creme brulee obviously hadn't had time to set up. It was like runny chocolate pudding. The taste was good but the texture was all wrong.
We needs it ... we must have it ... the precious!
One of my all-time favorite drinks and it more than made up for the disappointment of runny chocolate pudding masquerading as brulee. Ah, alcohol ... somehow it always makes things better.
We wandered slowly from France through Great Britain, enjoying the thinning crowds and what had turned into a rather steamy but pleasant Florida evening, all things considered. Lionel disappeared for a moment and then turned up with a yummy surprise from Turkey's F&W booth: Pistachio Baklava!
A Pistachio Baklava Four-Square!
A sweet, sticky, crispy, gooey, crumbly delight ... and I don't even like baklava! Bwaaahahahahaha!!! It was good, it really was. And it would have been a lot of fun to amble from food booth to food booth sampling desserts for the rest of the evening but all the booths were closing down by 10PM, which pleased me not at all. What's the point of having EMH at Epcot during the Food and Wine Festival if the booths all shutter their windows two hours before the park closes?
We all took that as our cue to call it an evening. Lionel and Erica for sure had had a long day and were still looking at a fairly long drive home from the park, so we walked up to Epcot's front entrance, thanked them for coming to have dinner with us, shared a few hugs, and bade them a fond farewell as I promised never to not have my cell phone with me again.
BTW, I broke that promise less than two days later, but that's a story for another review.
Thanks for reading!!!
njprincess
I thought I should give you warning. We're taking
- Joined
- Jun 26, 2008
Well, hey there Brandine I can't decide between a gothic novel heroine and a stripper
I must admit, I have limited knowledge of sushi, but I thoroughly enjoyed your report and pictures. I'm getting much more adventurous in my old age, so I may have to give this a try one of these days!
We recently made our 1st visit to Teppan Edo, which we thoroughly enjoyed. It would have been even more fun if we hadn't been seated with Ma & Pa Kettle, who kept repeating 'I can't understand a word these people are saying' and 'what do you mean I can't get a rum & coke'. Pa asked for Kirin in the bottle (I don't think he trusted the tap, if ya know what I mean ) and Ma asked for butter for her rice. Isn't the Disney Dining Plan a wonderful thing???
Hope you're feeling better soon!
I can't decide between a gothic novel heroine and a stripperI must admit, I have limited knowledge of sushi, but I thoroughly enjoyed your report and pictures. I'm getting much more adventurous in my old age, so I may have to give this a try one of these days!
We recently made our 1st visit to Teppan Edo, which we thoroughly enjoyed. It would have been even more fun if we hadn't been seated with Ma & Pa Kettle, who kept repeating 'I can't understand a word these people are saying' and 'what do you mean I can't get a rum & coke'. Pa asked for Kirin in the bottle (I don't think he trusted the tap, if ya know what I mean
) and Ma asked for butter for her rice. Isn't the Disney Dining Plan a wonderful thing??? Hope you're feeling better soon!
BriarRosie
<font color=blue>Creator of Tag Fairy Haiku:<br>Cl
- Joined
- Mar 7, 2002
First, hope your sciatic nerve gives you some relief. 
BWAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHahahahaha.
That was my reaction, with the involuntary snort and hand cupped over my mouth. *snicker*
Because I had a visual of some guy named Skeeter asking, "Hey Brandine! Did you finish milking Bessie yet?" Yes, it was a complete hayseed visual. I totally thought of that stereotype. Or perhaps a character out of "My Name is Earl" as one of Earl's old girlfriends. But you're not slutty enough.
Or maybe you used to dance under that name?
That's not as bad as my mom getting a mailer addressed to "Marble". Her name is Margo.
Yesterday in the mail we received some propaganda from the jewelry store where we purchased my engagement ring and our wedding bands .. as well as a nice pair of diamond studs for yours truly when times were good. This store never sends out mailers ... they don't need to. But they must be feeling the pinch this holiday season ... just like the rest of us. They have lovely custom-made pieces and I love looking at their collections but we rarely purchase from them because we always have more important things to spend our cashola on.
Anyhoo... as I was perusing their sparkly temptations I noticed how the brochure was addressed. Amazingly enough they got our last name correct - no mean feat. They also got Jason's name right but somehow seem to think my name is ...
And I'm not kidding ...
Brandine.
I don't know if it was a joke or if they really have me in their records that way, but we had a great laugh when we saw that.
BWAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHahahahaha.
That was my reaction, with the involuntary snort and hand cupped over my mouth. *snicker*
Because I had a visual of some guy named Skeeter asking, "Hey Brandine! Did you finish milking Bessie yet?"
Yes, it was a complete hayseed visual. I totally thought of that stereotype. Or perhaps a character out of "My Name is Earl" as one of Earl's old girlfriends. But you're not slutty enough. Or maybe you used to dance under that name?
That's not as bad as my mom getting a mailer addressed to "Marble". Her name is Margo.
PNO4TE
I used to be the DIS Musician and a Jamborini...
- Joined
- Jul 14, 2001
Another wonderful review, Brenda! I think you and Erica and your men could pass for brothers and sisters in law!
I agree 100% on your review of the creme brulee in France. It is always runny and Hunts' pudding-cup tasting to me. As my younger DD used to say... "I can't like it!"
Hope your week includes some success with your ills... we need you back to fighting strength!
I agree 100% on your review of the creme brulee in France. It is always runny and Hunts' pudding-cup tasting to me. As my younger DD used to say... "I can't like it!"
Hope your week includes some success with your ills... we need you back to fighting strength!
Tink rules
<font color=teal>The kids in my family sometimes t
- Joined
- Dec 30, 2006
Hiya everyone!
I just wanted you to know that I haven't forgotten my pledge to try to post at least one review per week. I'm working on the next update and should get it posted later today (I've got house chores to take care of while I'm writing).
It was a very busy week at work and I've really been struggling to get this sciatica under control. I thought it was best for me to just unplug for a few days and focus my energy on those real life things that are really important right now.
But to let you know that I've not lost my sense of humor, which for a while there I really thought was a possibility, I would like to share a little story with you.
Yesterday in the mail we received some propaganda from the jewelry store where we purchased my engagement ring and our wedding bands .. as well as a nice pair of diamond studs for yours truly when times were good. This store never sends out mailers ... they don't need to. But they must be feeling the pinch this holiday season ... just like the rest of us. They have lovely custom-made pieces and I love looking at their collections but we rarely purchase from them because we always have more important things to spend our cashola on.
Anyhoo... as I was perusing their sparkly temptations I noticed how the brochure was addressed. Amazingly enough they got our last name correct - no mean feat. They also got Jason's name right but somehow seem to think my name is ...
And I'm not kidding ...
Brandine.
I don't know if it was a joke or if they really have me in their records that way, but we had a great laugh when we saw that.
Hope everyone has a great day and I promise to have the last of October 10th posted later in the day (probably close to this evening knowing me).
Did you get your ring engraved??? You should check to see if they got it right!!!
Bendy... Brandine... I can't keep up with all your personalities...
Tink rules
<font color=teal>The kids in my family sometimes t
- Joined
- Dec 30, 2006
First, hope your sciatic nerve gives you some relief.
BWAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHahahahaha.
That was my reaction, with the involuntary snort and hand cupped over my mouth. *snicker*
Because I had a visual of some guy named Skeeter asking, "Hey Brandine! Did you finish milking Bessie yet?"
Or maybe you used to dance under that name?
That's not as bad as my mom getting a mailer addressed to "Marble". Her name is Margo.
We need to get Bendy a Gingham dress...
BriarRosie
<font color=blue>Creator of Tag Fairy Haiku:<br>Cl
- Joined
- Mar 7, 2002
Wow, I really did nail the title of this report.
Cool. It would have been funny had this been posted yesterday, because I had my own sushi jones for lunch. Miso soup, edamame, 8 pieces of nigiri and a California Roll. Yum.
Gee, I'd never have guessed you enjoyed pool lounging.
Yeah, the homogenized drink menus leave much to be desired. I still refuse to try the blue glowtini just in principle.
Ok, this explains a lot to me. I wasn't sure you'd get my messages or not, because it seemed like you just kept your phone off for any length of time. I always keep my phone on, but I silence it when I'm in attractions.
That Grand Marnier slushee was just as good as we remembered ... cool, refreshing, and just the right amount of sweet ... and I was planning on ordering one for Erica and Lionel but it was steamroom-humid that night and I just didn't think it would be very friendly of me to offer them a plastic martini glass of runny, orange goop at our first meeting. That might the kind of thing that Grimace would do, but never me!
I keep making myself a promise to try the slushie, but would you believe for the second year in a row, I still haven't tried it?
We waited we watched we wandered. No Erica. No Lionel. No Erica and Lionel. Hmmmm . we speculated that on a Friday night the rush hour traffic could be bad. And the threatening clouds were piling up again ... we discussed the possibility that like a good baseball game Erica and Lionel were rain-delayed. Since we hadn't had anything to eat and were dizzy with hunger Jay and I decided to visit France's F&W Festival booth for a snack to hold us over until our friends arrived.
A picture of France from Saturday ... it's time travel, man!
A snack for Jay and a snack for me ... yum!
Along with the ever-present bottle of Dasani, which we also drink at home, we selected the Escargot Persillade en Brioche and the Goat Cheese and Leek Quiche. I don't like escargot ... I just can't bring myself to eat something that leaves a slimey trail in its' wake ... but Jay really enjoys them so as long as the French booth offers these little critters I guess I'll be taking their picture. Jay maintains that these are some of the best taste treats offered at the F&W Festival and who am I to dispute? However, I much prefer the goat cheese alternative provided by our sometime-allies across the Atlantic. The tartlet offered this year was wonderful, full of goat-ey goodness offest by just a hint of onion - it was wonderful!
I wish I did get the quiche, but I still enjoyed my slimy critters like Jay did. The brioche hides them, but I think because they are mushroom-like in texture, you would probably hate them.
I totally know what you mean about the centered stalls. I believe I've visited every bathroom at WDW at one point or another. Best tile: Downtown Disney West Side, right near the entrance of it, by the lake. It looks like growing grass on the tile. Seriously cool. Gawd I'm such a geek.
We made it to Japan and its endless shopping area just as the skies opened and dumped ridiculous amounts of water on Epcot. As much as Jay and I love Japan-mart I must say ... it's far less enjoyable when swarming with hordes of steamy, poncho-clad guests all waiting for the weather to clear. It's almost impossible to get close enough to all the Japanese food that we so enjoy snickering at. How, I ask, can anyone laugh uproariously at the Crunky Chocolate Bar, when you can't even get close enough to pick it up and take a picture for posterity?
I don't remember Crunky. I'm all about the Pocky. Did you know they have a ginorous box of Pocky for Men? It's strong enough for a woman, but made for a man-sized hunger for chocolate stix.
...and that's why I carry my phone on me and powered ON at all times. (I won't wag my finger at you this time.)
Mad props to Erica and her DH!
Whenever I've ordered edamame and shared it with an edamame virgin, I always give proper instructions about how to eat it to avoid that newbie mistake. *giggle* I love the stuff.
Pretty; it's a healthy soybean infused prezzie!
Very pretty! I didn't order edamame when I ate there, but that's a great present-ation of it.
Jay and I opted for a sake sampler ... and we have no idea which sakes were included, but they were all enjoyable.
Isn't it cute?
If there's a flight of boozy goodness to be had, leave it to Bendy Brandine and Jay to order it.
As for food, I ordered a Sushi Sampler and a California Roll.
Sampler
Yum! Three pieces of nigiri - Tuna, Yellowtail, and Shrimp - and two pieces of California Roll.
Crabbie California goodness!
Eight more pieces of California roll ... the picky person's sushi of choice!
Oh yum! My tasty fish yesterday were tuna, white albacore tuna, salmon and red snapper. I think you'd probably like those.
Yeah, octopus. So? I don't care for the texture much. Too chewy. I'll only eat it if it's part of a sushi meal that I can't change out of which pieces they give me. Everything looked fantastic.
Now for my best guess about Erica and Lionel's dinner ... ummmm, sushi!?! Yes, they definitely partook of sushi.
A sushi smorgasboard!
My inexperienced eye tells me that Lionel's plate looks like a Spicy Tuna roll and a California roll, but I could be wrong so if someone here knows the absolute truth don't hesitate to correct me. Erica had a bowl of mystery soup and something like egg nigiri which I think is an omelet over rice. For the life of me I don't know what her other two choices were but I'm going to go out on a limb here and say I think she ordered an avocado roll and a cucumber roll. Humble apologies if I'm wrong ... Erica will be along eventually and she can correct me if needs be.
I'd say your guesses are fairly accurate. I would have guessed the same sushi you did.
I enjoyed my unagi roll. Yes, that's eel.
Four peoples in one picture? That's unpossible!
Aww, you all look cute.
And now it was time to set off in search of some dessert and where better to start than France? We ordered two Milk Chocolate Creme Brulees and two Sparkling Pomegranate Kirs.
Chockie Creme Brulee in a tin
I'm willing to give France the benefit of the doubt on this one because it was fairly late in the day. Normally French-town can always be counted upon for a good dessert, but this creme brulee obviously hadn't had time to set up. It was like runny chocolate pudding. The taste was good but the texture was all wrong.
No need to give France the benefit of the doubt, hon. The chocolate creme brulée is always like that, sadly. I avoid it, and I'm a chocoholic.
We wandered slowly from France through Great Britain, enjoying the thinning crowds and what had turned into a rather steamy but pleasant Florida evening, all things considered. Lionel disappeared for a moment and then turned up with a yummy surprise from Turkey's F&W booth: Pistachio Baklava!
A Pistachio Baklava Four-Square!
A sweet, sticky, crispy, gooey, crumbly delight ... and I don't even like baklava! Bwaaahahahahaha!!! It was good, it really was. And it would have been a lot of fun to amble from food booth to food booth sampling desserts for the rest of the evening but all the booths were closing down by 10PM, which pleased me not at all. What's the point of having EMH at Epcot during the Food and Wine Festival if the booths all shutter their windows two hours before the park closes?
I'm just not a baklava person, but I'll take your word for it. And yes, I heard a lot of people mention that EMH made no difference with the booths this year. It's a shame, really.
BriarRosie
<font color=blue>Creator of Tag Fairy Haiku:<br>Cl
- Joined
- Mar 7, 2002
TigerKat
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Apr 29, 2006
Great update Brenda! Hope you're feeling better. I too died when I saw "Brandine"... . I have to admit I'm the same when it comes to the cell phone, hate it. Use it for emergencies only if possible. We've been thinking of trying Tokyo Dining on our next trip, may be a good choice!
. I have to admit I'm the same when it comes to the cell phone, hate it. Use it for emergencies only if possible. We've been thinking of trying Tokyo Dining on our next trip, may be a good choice!
Tink rules
<font color=teal>The kids in my family sometimes t
- Joined
- Dec 30, 2006
You might want to check your messages... I left you a text... on the 15th...OF LAST MONTH!!!!
Planky
Taking over the World... one trip at a time
- Joined
- Apr 30, 2008
Guy Incognito
Greetings, good men. Might I trouble you for a dri
- Joined
- Mar 6, 2007
I don't remember Crunky. I'm all about the Pocky. Did you know they have a ginorous box of Pocky for Men? It's strong enough for a woman, but made for a man-sized hunger for chocolate stix.
mmmmm..... Men's Pocky
BriarRosie
<font color=blue>Creator of Tag Fairy Haiku:<br>Cl
- Joined
- Mar 7, 2002
Brenda, I'm really enjoying your TR so much! I'm a newbie here at DIS but not Disney 
I have a question about the escargot for Jay. I enjoy escargot (but can't bring myself to eat sushi, what's up with THAT?) and purchased an order when I was in WDW during F&W festival a couple of years ago, but it did not come inside the bread. How do you go about eating that? With a fork? lol or do you take a big bite out of the bread itself??? just curious
I have a question about the escargot for Jay. I enjoy escargot (but can't bring myself to eat sushi, what's up with THAT?) and purchased an order when I was in WDW during F&W festival a couple of years ago, but it did not come inside the bread. How do you go about eating that? With a fork? lol or do you take a big bite out of the bread itself??? just curious
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