I'd Walk a Mile for a Cupcake- an SSR Quickie! 4/4-4/7/11 FINISHED!! 6/29

[podsnel]

I was very anxious to go ride the Sum of all Thrills in Innoventions- the last time we had tried to do this, Tyler got frustrated, time ran out on him, his ride was very short, and he took my place riding with Timmy. Tyler's problem was largely due to the fact that he didn't watch the video in the beginning that tells you what to do. So THIS time, I made SURE he was paying attention (and he made sure, too!). We had about a 25 minute wait until we were watching the how-to. This attraction rarely has a longer line than that, and I thnk it is because most visitors don't realize it's there (like all the people I knew from home that were in WDW that week- when I would talk about it, they all said, "Isn't that in Disney Quest?"). Anywho.....

Soon the boys were designing their rides-

The boys decided I would ride with Timmy on this one. We got up to the top, and the CM said "Put your stuff in this locker". Well, because it was raining, I was in my raingear- a great DVC rain pullover I had purchased 2 years ago when I was visiting WDW during monsoon season. It has, on the front, a GREAT BIG zippered pocket, and almost everything was in there. ALMOST. So no bag. ANd the kid said, "You'll be fine with stuff in your pockets". Well.....maybe not.....but I know better now, don't I! So, Timmy & I got on our ride, and we were having LOADS of fun, and we heard a CLUNK! and Timmy said, "WHAT WAS THAT???" and I couldn't imagine what it could be- I actually checked my earrings, thinking one of them fell off, but, of course they would never have made a CLUNK!, they would have barely made a sound at all...

We exited the simulator, and walking down the stairs from the ride, I instinctively reached for my pants pocket (cargo pants, I always wear cargo pants at Disney so I can put things in my pockets) to grab my iphone....



So....guess what the clunk was? That's right! My two month old Verizon iphone had popped the snap on my pants' pocket during one of the inversions, and dropped to the ground from waaaaaaay up where the ride is.

DUH. Stupid Mommy.

The CMs were able to locate it down there on the floor, but would not be able to get to it until the ride closed that day (nor did I want them to get it before then- I sure wasn't going to be responsible for the first ever 50 minute wait for SOAT!!!!). So....we went outside, where the rain had stopped, and rode the Orange MS, and then TT in the single rider line, then decided we were hungry, so headed for WS. The boys were in the mood for tacos, so we went to La Cantina.

It was 11:30 am, and there was NO line to speak of. Both boys wanted the same thing- smoked beef brisket tacos served on fresh handmade corn tortillas with pico de gallo, lime and tortilla chips. $11.95.

This was such a large serving, and full well knowing there would be MUCH more snacking around WS that day, we got just 2 orders, and 1 order of churros. I ate 1 of each of the boys' 3 tacos- it was great! Here are the churros, already missing two in the basket (even I'm not that fast with my camera!)

The CMs had directed us inside to sit- can I tell you I had no CLUE that this was like this? It is so pretty inside!

What a great view this must be, minus the raindrops-

That was a great lunch, such a pretty counter service restaurant, and the tacos were generous and delicious! But now there was something else I wanted to try...something which has eluded me on all these visits...and that's where we had to go next- because of my must-do's for this trip, there was one treat at the top of the list. Can you guess what it was???

 

[podsnel]

Nice Updates, Ellen! So cool you got to ride RNRC so much and then got FP to TSM! You are the queen of good things happenin' But I think you deserve it! The ice cream looks so yummy. I have to try it in SF - haven't yet. I'm glad Timmy's team won!

IKWYM about MK in the rain. I think there are so many inside escapes at Epcot - good choice!

Awww...thank-you!! I feel very blessed when good things happen, I am very thankful. When bad stuff happens, I am one of those people who tries to look on the bright side, find the silver lining, think everything happens for a reason....you get the idea. So maybe that's why I attract some good things in my life. And I am STILL so envious you will be visiting SF- that's my favorite city EVER!

UGH a cliff hanger

hope your meds came I don't want to think about it if I forgot Hayden's arthritis meds Sorry you have it too

Oh, honey- my arthritis is NOTHING I am sure to what young Hayden has to cope with! I have the genetic marker for inflammatory illnesses- so I have a form of Ankylosing Spondalytis- but a very mild case. It made me go temporarily blind in one eye with severe iritis when Tyler was 7 months old- but then that is how we have Timmy. He was a surprise, due to the fact I was on MASSIVE steroids with the eye thing. Everything happens for a reason, doesn't it?

I always try and get extra fast passes, especially when I am with my dh. I always give them away. Training is going good, I had a private trainer show me a few exercises at the Ritz's Spa to help me strengthen my back,arms, stomach. Had to use the spa for something.

I remember seeing the weather in Florida on Tuesday and I was glad that we opted to fly in early Wed. Morning. We were going to fly in after work on Tuesday.

Wow, I would LOVE to have a private trainer give me some exercises- what a great experience for you! So happy the training is still going so well.

By Tuesday afternoon the weather was fine- that night the boys played hoops for hours at SSR.

Hello there chica!!! So happy you started another TR
EOS looks delicious on a Sunday am!! It's not to early for a Sammie is it?!!I can't wait to see all of those topiaries in TWO weeks!!!! I am so excited

Tracy

Hey stranger!!! So glad you are here! Never too early for EOS- and only two weeks to go? Pods is going to be there in 2 weeks- but staying off property on his annual Golf trip. If you see him stumbling around DTD, make sure he's behaving!!

just checkin in! glad i found another of your great trip reports! i agree with the previous poster who said it was cool to hear your voice on the video with tyler. we've all been enjoying your trip reports and it was funny to hear a human voice. anyway, thanks for allowing us to vicariously enjoy disney when we can't be there, plus it helps us to plan for all the great disfood that we might otherwise not know about for our own trips! your tr's are always a blast.

Hi there! And I'm so glad, too!! Thank-you for SO MANY kind words- I'm happy you liked hearing my voice, but, wow- do I HATE it!!

 

[Wicket's Mom]

Wow, so glad that you found your phone. I have RA so know how you need your meds. Mine is in a sort of remission now, so I don't take any of the more powerful meds for now.

That design your own ride, is that the same one that was in the old video game place on Pleasure Island? I couldn't get the DH to try that as he hates stuff the spins, makes him ill.

 

[Queenofallthings]

Thank goodness you realized it was your phoneI would be lost without mine

Your pics of the sit down area are beautiful...we'll definitely be eating there on our next trip. I have to try those tacos!!!

 

[podsnel]

So we left the Cantina and walked towards Norway.....

We loved these cockatoos in Mexico-

And I took a photo of these skulls for one of my cruise buddies-

But really? We needed to get to Norway. Because, as many times as I have noshed my way around WS, I have NEVER, EVER tried the elusive Schoolbread. And in preparing for this quickie trip, I looked at a LOT of DIS food porn. And that Schoolbread is pretty popular- it has had it's photo taken more than once, and it has been making me CRAZY lately that I don't know what all the fuss was about. So on to Norway....where the line for Kringla Og was OUT THE DOOR in a BIG way. Well...it WAS lunchtime, after all....but we weren't waiting in that line. It was BIG!!! Instead, the boys wanted to get on the non-existant line in Norway for Maelstrom.

Seriously, we were on in 2 minutes.

It is a very cool ride, what cracks me up everytime is that back in my wimpy, pre-RnRC, scared to death of rides existence, I was scared on this ride. Seriously. I tell you this so that you know there is hope for EVERYONE to be bitten by the thrill ride bug! Or at least the Disney thrill ride bug- I don't see myself riding Kingda Ka at Great Adventure anytime soon, I can promise you THAT!

After the ride, the guys decided to channel their inner-viking-

Timmy is laughing SO HARD here, that is why you can't see his face-

When we got outside, the line was STILL too long...so I figured we'd just have to come back later. Damned elusive Schoolbread!

I thought these were so playful in China-

These were playful in China, too-

There were about 6 teenage boys at that stand, all playing with the Chinese toys. I could see how Tyler wanted to join them, so I would imagine he'll be playing with the yoyos on our next trip. A pic of me with the birthday boy-

They stopped to play the drums in the Outpost- it's been so long since they have done that. It used to be a place we would ALWAYS have to stop when they were small. Boys just looooove to bang on drums!!!

Well, since we did not have the schoolbread, I went to #2 of my never before food must-dos-

T&T were UBER excited about this shop!! They are caramel lovers, and when I had mentioned this shop existed to them, well....there was no doubt we had to stop in. I have heard the lines in here are CRAZEEEEE times 10- but not today, for us....we were alone in the sugar shack-

They both picked the same thing (and, FWIW, it is what Tyler had asked me to bring home for him when he thought he wasn't coming. This and a marble cupcake from Starring Rolls. This choice, however, was completely DIS food porn driven!). Milk chocolate caramel drizzled marshmallows-

I got a german caramel-

It was filled with the ooey-est, gooey-est caramel- delicious!! I took a couple of bites, and T&T fought over the rest.

Our trip continues with some noodle fun, next!!

 

[francis6306]

Hmmm... the pregnant reader should NOT be looking at disney food porn... MAN EVERYTHING looks sooo good! Our Epcot day got totally side tracked with rain and cold, so we didn't get anything snack wise while we were there...

I'm soo sorry about your iPhone!!!!!! Hope its not messed up after that drop! I assume that the verizon plans are the same as the ATT and do not cover iPhones with the regular insurance. Hence the reason this ATT never got an iPhone to begin with... no reason to have something that can't handle my butter fingers with cell phones.

 

[NikkiLovesWDW!]

I can not WAIT to try to Cantina!!! Those brisket tacos look so delish!!

 

[princess aleya]

Hi Ellen , just found your TR.. How exciting to take a mother son trip! Looks like you guys had a blast. Love the pics of the of your resort, and of course all the food porn. I can't wait to try La Catina when we go, those tacos look amazing. Can't wait to hear more.

 

[OhMari]

You didn't let us guess, where you went next. So now I know what you wanted. But I want to know if you needed lots of water or milk.

 

[tinytreasures]

Oh, honey- my arthritis is NOTHING I am sure to what young Hayden has to cope with! I have the genetic marker for inflammatory illnesses- so I have a form of Ankylosing Spondalytis- but a very mild case. It made me go temporarily blind in one eye with severe iritis when Tyler was 7 months old- but then that is how we have Timmy. He was a surprise, due to the fact I was on MASSIVE steroids with the eye thing. Everything happens for a reason, doesn't it?

That is what my Hayden has. HLA B27+ it sounds like it is rare that he is having problems from it so early in life. I knew something was wrong the second I picked him up from the hospital at 36 hours old. We have to have his eyes checked every 6 months. He only had problems once with his eyes, when we did a trial off his meds.
I am so glad you have your Timmy.

I would have cried if I lost my i-phone. I hope it is Okay.

 

[anewmac]

As promised, here is ALL the excitement of Tyler's Disney surprise...not exactly that magical of a moment, but what can we expect from a 13 year old boy??
LMAO omg that was great.. you and Timmy are more excited for him!

Btw I still have single riders stuck in my head again.. thanks Nikki LOL

I was OUT OF MY MIND excited!! It was soooooo hard not to blurt it out before hand- I'm glad you could tell in the vid. You should have heard me right after I booked his ticket and added him to our room- I was FREAKISH!!

No not you.. Freakish never LOL (btw I say that with much love)

I would have cried if I lost my i-phone. I hope it is Okay.

Ditto! So do we have to wait to see if you get it back like the cruise laptop?

And what No DITCH?? im so sad I was looking forward to your obligitory jalapeno rita! or at least a margarita from the cantina? lol

 

[CRdisMom]

ahhhhh Karamell Kuche!!!i waited in that line and it was sooooo totally worth it.

Norway seems like home to me. The vikings are near and dear to me.

 

[podsnel]

Wow, so glad that you found your phone. I have RA so know how you need your meds. Mine is in a sort of remission now, so I don't take any of the more powerful meds for now.

That design your own ride, is that the same one that was in the old video game place on Pleasure Island? I couldn't get the DH to try that as he hates stuff the spins, makes him ill.

SOOOO happy for you, that your RA is taking a break!! I have 2 friends with it- they are managing it, but it's not always easy.

And no, this is a different ride from the one at DTD in DQ. It is a more updated version by a different company- the robotic arm can do a lot more manuevers than the other one. You flip upside down alot (well, if you design your ride that way), and you have to use math to figure out the combination of moves, speed, etc. You get a card with your ride downloaded onto it, then can access a website for additional math stuff when you get home. They have four simulators for the ride running constantly.

Thank goodness you realized it was your phoneI would be lost without mine

Your pics of the sit down area are beautiful...we'll definitely be eating there on our next trip. I have to try those tacos!!!

Yea- in the short time I have had that iphone I have become very attached to it!! I tried not to think about it too much- didn't want it to mess with my otherwise happy day!

I was very impressed with that CS! It was REALLY nice, and those tacos, although expensive, were worth it. They came with a TON of chips, and those were really good too. I will definitely be back!

Hmmm... the pregnant reader should NOT be looking at disney food porn... MAN EVERYTHING looks sooo good! Our Epcot day got totally side tracked with rain and cold, so we didn't get anything snack wise while we were there...

I'm soo sorry about your iPhone!!!!!! Hope its not messed up after that drop! I assume that the verizon plans are the same as the ATT and do not cover iPhones with the regular insurance. Hence the reason this ATT never got an iPhone to begin with... no reason to have something that can't handle my butter fingers with cell phones.

Sorry about that- and CONGRATULATIONS!! When are you due? EAt whatever you want- you'll be dieting for the rest of your life, this is the only break you get!

I'm not sure what the coverage is on my phone, but I'm pretty sure dropping it 15 feet to the floor out of a simulator ride at Disney is NOT covered...

I can not WAIT to try to Cantina!!! Those brisket tacos look so delish!!

I was thinking of you while we were eating- you will love it there! The tacos were excellent!

Hi Ellen , just found your TR.. How exciting to take a mother son trip! Looks like you guys had a blast. Love the pics of the of your resort, and of course all the food porn. I can't wait to try La Catina when we go, those tacos look amazing. Can't wait to hear more.

Well hello there, Princess!! How are you? So happy you're here- we did have a really wonderful time, and the tacos were YUMMY!!! You will LOVE them!

 

[NikkiLovesWDW!]

Oh and I forgot to say it before but I am thrilled that my Single Riders song lives on through you!!!

 

[podsnel]

You didn't let us guess, where you went next. So now I know what you wanted. But I want to know if you needed lots of water or milk.

Sorry- I guess I didn't leave alot of time between posts. No...no need for lots of water or milk- you mean because the food was spicy? Not at all- Tim HATES even the slightest bit of spice. Tyler can do some- and I am up for MEGA hotness anytime!! But this was just yummy, not spicy. Is that what you meant?

That is what my Hayden has. HLA B27+ it sounds like it is rare that he is having problems from it so early in life. I knew something was wrong the second I picked him up from the hospital at 36 hours old. We have to have his eyes checked every 6 months. He only had problems once with his eyes, when we did a trial off his meds.
I am so glad you have your Timmy.

I would have cried if I lost my i-phone. I hope it is Okay.

That's the one!! HLAB-27! Sean has it too. The iritis is a HORRIBLE thing- I am glad to hear he has only had that once- and interesting about the meds. I always had back pain, then the iritis came out of the blue one day, and it took THREE doctors before I got to someone who had seen such a bad case and knew to put me on steroids. First I was mis-diagnosed, then the eye dr. I had thought I should just suck it up when he handed me 4 percocet like I was a heroin addict - but he was just inexperienced with the disease. Pods got REALLY mad and took me to a new eye dr- who said, "On a scale of 1 to 10, your iritis is a 10++. You poor thing, you must be in so much pain (and I was!)." He put me on 60 mg of prednisone & unlimited percocet...the next day I saw the specialist and he upped it to 80 mg....thank-GOD for that drug- it saved my sight! There was more ahead (like cortisone shots- UGH) but several months later it was gone. Years later I was diagnosed with this AS thing (but a mild case) and put on celebrex- since I have been on that, my eyes have been fine. I worry about Sean, though, because he has it, too (HLAB 27- no idea about anything else). But I DO know, that when the weather changes, or is particularly bad (like this past Saturday with all the heavy, heavy rain) my whole body reacts- and Sean throws alot of tantrums, so I am guessing he is feeling it, too. Is HAyden like that? Have you noticed how he is on changeable days? I am so sad for him, for a kid to have that pain- I'm so glad his medicine has kept it at bay.

And no crying over the iphone! We were in Disney!

As promised, here is ALL the excitement of Tyler's Disney surprise...not exactly that magical of a moment, but what can we expect from a 13 year old boy??
LMAO omg that was great.. you and Timmy are more excited for him!

Btw I still have single riders stuck in my head again.. thanks Nikki LOL


No not you.. Freakish never LOL (btw I say that with much love)


Ditto! So do we have to wait to see if you get it back like the cruise laptop?

And what No DITCH?? im so sad I was looking forward to your obligitory jalapeno rita! or at least a margarita from the cantina? lol

YES- it DOES seem like we are more excited for him!! And Timmy was SOOO good at keeping his mouth shut- that kid is gooooood at keeping a secret.

I appreciate the freakish (with love) comment....I called Jane & Joan to babble it to them, and they just laughed and laughed at me! I was SOOOO freakish!!

And sorry, but no ditch- promise to make up for that in May!

ahhhhh Karamell Kuche!!!i waited in that line and it was sooooo totally worth it.

Norway seems like home to me. The vikings are near and dear to me.

I was expecting a line- so glad there wasn't one! Go figure! Hmmm...can't imagine, though why Norway seems like home to you...so puzzling- LMAO!

 

[podsnel]

Oh and I forgot to say it before but I am thrilled that my Single Riders song lives on through you!!!

We sang it MANY times on the trip- sometimes we even danced to it!

 

[nenner1]

Looks like we have both been busy this weekend, chica!
Hate it when I get too far behind!

Anyhoo, random thoughts:

-You should have told me about Mark, we could have had him come out and talk to Savannah and convince her she would live to tell the tale of her ride to the concert on RNRC. I still can't believe I *FINALLY* talked her into riding it!

-SCORE! (TSMM FP) I couldn't believe how fast those still go- they were like totally gone by noon the day we were there- crazy.

-Epcot- the topiaries look awesome, even in the rain!

-All the single riders, all the single riders, now putcha hands up- oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh! Earworm. love it!

-SOAT- oh my gosh, your iphone! I know what you mean, I got my Verizon iphone and it is now an extra appendage on my right arm. I hope it was OK, but it sounds like it might not be! Do you pay the extra $15/month for the full coverage (with my luck you know I do...LOL!) I should make you ride with Sav then you would never worry about it again because she builds the lamest rides!

-Cantina, ooh they let you eat inside for the CS...didn't know! those tacos look soooo good too. CHURROS!!! (can you tell I'm hungry?)

-Schoolbread, love it but OMG...Karamel Kuche....that porn you posted- you can get arrested for having pictures like that on your computer you know! O>>>M>>>>G! When you are looking for me in May, don't bother to call me first you will know RIGHT where to find me. No question.

-Kingda Ka- you don't want to ride it anyway. It's haunted you know.

 

[podsnel]

We continued around WS-

Such beautiful flowers everywhere, I just LOVED all the color!! Delphiniums are one of my favorite flowers, but the NJ climate is not so great for them- I usually only get one season out of them when I plant them. Much better in the Pacific NW! And Timmy says, "Aren't we going to Japan?" because earlier I had given them the choice of lunch in Mexico or Japan, or just 2 lunches to share in Mexico & another shared lunch in Japan- which is what they chose, but, quite frankly- I was still full from the tacos and all the chips and the caramel- apparently, Timmy was not! So on to Yakitori House we went-

This is yet another CS we have never been inside of- this one looks a little more fast-food-ish inside, but then, if it had been a nicer day, we would have taken advantage of the lovely outdoor seating, and been admiring the Japanese gardens. I asked Timmy what he wanted to eat here, and he said he would like some shrimp. It took a few minutes to decide (we were told you could order the shrimp as a side dish, even though it is not shown on the menu), but we opted for the full on Tempura Shrimp Udon - Tempura shrimp and udon noodles served in a clear broth with green onions $9.99

In hind site, I wish we would have ordered the shrimp as a side dish, but still ordered the udon. The shrimp loose their crunchyness when they are laid on top of the soup- I wish they would serve them on the side, or maybe I would just request they be served on the side next time. Still, even though the texture was off, and even though Timmy hates, I repeat HATES soup, sauce, gravy or anything resembling any of those things, he ate the shrimp. Tyler & I worked on the Udon.

The best part? When i told the boys the way to eat the noodles properly was to SLURP them up! Perfectly polite to slurp those noodles as dramatically as possible! WOW...now THOSE are some table manners they can get behind!!

Even Timmy had some soup to give his slurping skills a shot!

BTW, that was only the second time in his life that he has willingly eaten soup- the other time it was chicken noodle, onboard the Disney Magic.

Once the noodles had been sucked up, we went outside, and were just in time for the Matsuriza Taiko Drummers.

We all enjoyed watching them- they are so in-sync, their timing is impeccable! At this point, both kids decided it was time to go on a ride, and they chose a boat ride over a walk. As luck would have it, a boat had just docked, so we boarded and in minutes were back to Mexico. Our next stop was Test Track....where we did our single rider dance, and hopped on in minutes!

Here's tyler's ride-

Next, it was on to Mission Space Orange, which had a 30 minute wait for stand-by. On the way, we ran into our friends the Webers, from town. They said they have NEVER gone on MS, not even the Green- and they wanted to know what was in the big golf ball. We did our very best to talk them into both, and I keep meaning to call her and find out if they survived!

It must be really hard to eat or work out sideways or upside down!

Goofy kids-

Timmy was laughing SO HARD again, trying on the hats-

Cont'd next post-

 

[podsnel]

It was finally time for our Soarin FPs, so we went over to the Land-

It's Puddy time!

The naughty Mouseketeer-

Aaaahhhhhh......

After our flight to Mars, I convinced T&T to go see Captain EO. It was a battle with 13 year old, I'm too cool for anything besides Eminem, Tyler- but even HE enjoyed it. Although he did NOT think it made ANY sense whatsoever.

We made a quick stop in the butterfly house, but it was chilly and cloudy, and that means the butterflies were not very active. I did want to try it anyway, since the boys have never been here before during F&G, and this would be a first for them.

Bambi is one of my son Sean's favorites. Next we saw-

There were columbines, another of my favorites, in that garden. Those I CAN grow here in NJ!

Soon we were out of the park and on our way to Kouzzina, for an early 5:30 pm ADR. I had planned dinner here for two reasons. One, I REALLY wanted to eat at Kouzzina and judge it for myself. TWO, I REALLY, REALLY wanted to go to the Boardwalk with my kids- it IS our new home, having just closed on BWV points in January, and I wanted them to see how fun it is, and look forward to staying there in our future. On our walk...

Up next- Kouzzina!

 

[podsnel]

We were on our way to Kouzzina for dinner.

We checked in at the Podium, and the hostess wished Timmy a Happy Birthday (as did EVERYONE, all the time! That kid was LOVIN all the attention!) and asked him if he had been having a special birthday. To which he replied, "Yea, but I haven't gotten any special desserts or anything yet, if that's what you're askin' about..." No worries, Tim- I'm sure they've got you covered! We were handed a buzzer, and timmy & I went to explore, while Tyler sat on a bench.

As we were walking, I remembered what I really, really, really wanted to shop for. Since January, I have been looking for a print of the BW to add to my other homes. I have one by Larry Dotson of AK, Jambo, and I have one of BCV, but no matter how much I searched on ebay or anywhere on the internet, I just couldn't locate a BWV one. Well, the Screen Door had one- even though it is only of the Inn side, and not the DVC side, but it serves the purpose. Larry Dotson- I wish he would paint the villas, but I am happy to have it of the Inn all the same. Just as I paid, our buzzer went off, so we went back to the restaurant. We were seated in a back room, and i ordered a Kouzzina-rita - Organic Blanco Tequila, Agave Nectar, fresh Lime Juice, and a splash of PAMA Pomegranate Liqueur $10.25

I am a sucker for anything with PAMA in it, absolutely love the stuff, and this cocktail was fantastic! Our waiter was adorable, and he quickly took our order and brought the bread & EVOO tasting-

YUM...that bread, the oils & the olives were FABULOUS! The boys loved the bread, too, although they were not big on the olives. Both Tim & Ty got chicken noodle soup for an appetizer (they were both ordering from the kids' menu), although Timmy immediately picked his up, put it in front of Tyler, and said, "Here's some soup."

I ordered Spiro's Greek Salad - Vine-ripened Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Red Onions, Kalamata Olives, and Feta $7.99

It was kind of a deconstructed salad, and while I would have preferred a crispier lettuce more than the arugula (although I am a big arugula fan), I LOVED this salad- it was SO refreshing, the cheese was delicious, the seasoning was perfect, the tomatoes truly WERE ripe tomatoes- I thoroughly enjoyed it. YUMMMMMM.... Our entrees came out, timed just right (I kept reading that the timing of the meals was off here in everyone's reviews, that was not the case for us). T&T were having Cheese Pizza - served with veggies and sliced apples $8.99

I wanted to try Saffron Pasta - tossed with Lamb Ragu and Shaved Kefalograviera Cheese (Macaronada) $21.99

The kids enjoyed their pizza, and I liked my pasta alot- but I think next time I would like to try the lamb shank, pork tenderloin or the whole fish (I don't mind the head- I just hesitate because of the bones). I also had a glass of wine with my meal- it was the recommended pairing, a Merlot- very nice. Once our plates were cleared, it was time for Timmy's favorite part- the Happy Birthday Timmy part!

Charlie, our waiter, made sure Timmy felt very, very special. We did order more desserts, too! I HAD to get an order of Loukoumades - Freshly Made Greek Doughnuts drizzled with Warm Honey $6.99

YUMMMMM...so light, but crispy outside, delicious with the raspberry & vanilla sauces. The kids had no problem polishing them off! They also had their own desserts. Tyler was building his own dessert pizza-

TA-DAAAA!!!

Timmy was doing a make your own sundae-

This meant he was putting sprinkles on vanilla ice cream, and giving some chocolate sauce to his brother. We finished our desserts, and while I waited for the check from Charlie (minus my TIW discount), T&T went to shoot baskets on the Boardwalk.

Cont'd next post-