MLinDisney and Kimpup CELEBRATE and GO DELUXE!! 1ST DR! TONS OF PHOTOS! COMPLETE

[Tracerr00]

Oh, and now I'll probably have to find a bakery that sells big cinnamon rolls too!

 

[NoOrdinaryPrincess]

Those Cinnamon rolls look fabulous! Much better than the ones from Sunshine Seasons in my DR! (also, my next post is about Le Cellier, too! I wonder how they will compare!)

I wanted to reply to your thoughtful comment on my DR here, as you'd be sure to see it.

I am not quite an English teacher, as you guessed. Instead I am a researcher at a Large Southern Research University, so I do a lot of writing in my profession, but it's dry, academic writing, not fun and creative writing like this. J actually went to school for creative writing and Physics, and is a much better writer than I am, but he uses his science degree professionally. I do teach occasionally and absolutely adore teaching (not this semester, unfortunately), but I lack the credentials to teach full time.

If you enjoy seafood, I unhesitatingly recommend the Cape May Clambake, even without the opportunity to try the Oreo Bon Bons. You will not regret it.

Regarding book suggestions, I get really frustrated when people mistakenly believe that Young Adult fiction is trite and not relatable to adults (this is the same part of me that becomes annoyed when people say "You're going back to Disney AGAIN? Isn't that for children?") I feel there are many young adult authors who write stories that are equally compelling, complex, and engaging as books traditionally marketed toward adults. That said, I most frequently recommend 13 Little Blue Envelopes as a vacation read (or, more often, an "I wish I was on vacation" read). It's well-crafted but light read.

To me, the value of a book club is to discuss the larger themes and societal commentaries present in stories, and this book is not as good for that purpose. (Think a Mary Higgins Clark murder mystery versus Dickens's Oliver Twist. Both are valuable works of art in their own right, but one lends itself to book club analysis more than the other). There is nothing wrong with a book that is entertaining for entertainment's sake, and that does not mean that the book or story is not high-quality. They are just different.

If you are looking for a book club recommendation, I implore you to try John Green's "The Fault in Our Stars". Absolutely wonderful read. It's a story of two teenagers with cancer, but throw every preconception that came to your mind when you heard that description out the window. Absolutely fabulous book, and not quite what you'd expect.

 

[MLinDisney]

I had a nice weekend mostly away from the computer but now I'm back and caught up on your reviews! I swear that I'm way to easily influenced by the things I read on here and tonight I'll probably end up making my DD hit our local Mexican restaurant after looking at your photos of tacos and chips and churros!!

Love the review of Citricos. I've also never been to the GF but it looks beautiful. I'd love to try it sometime and I'm pretty sure that my DD and I would order the exact same things that you did! And I do like the special things that Disney does like the menu and the straws and the writing on the plate. I love it!

Yes those Tacos with the brisket were so tasty! Makes me want to have some right now!

Oh, and now I'll probably have to find a bakery that sells big cinnamon rolls too!

Those Main Street Bakery buns were better than Cinnabon!!

Those Cinnamon rolls look fabulous! Much better than the ones from Sunshine Seasons in my DR! (also, my next post is about Le Cellier, too! I wonder how they will compare!)

I wanted to reply to your thoughtful comment on my DR here, as you'd be sure to see it.

I am not quite an English teacher, as you guessed. Instead I am a researcher at a Large Southern Research University, so I do a lot of writing in my profession, but it's dry, academic writing, not fun and creative writing like this. J actually went to school for creative writing and Physics, and is a much better writer than I am, but he uses his science degree professionally. I do teach occasionally and absolutely adore teaching (not this semester, unfortunately), but I lack the credentials to teach full time.

If you enjoy seafood, I unhesitatingly recommend the Cape May Clambake, even without the opportunity to try the Oreo Bon Bons. You will not regret it.

Regarding book suggestions, I get really frustrated when people mistakenly believe that Young Adult fiction is trite and not relatable to adults (this is the same part of me that becomes annoyed when people say "You're going back to Disney AGAIN? Isn't that for children?") I feel there are many young adult authors who write stories that are equally compelling, complex, and engaging as books traditionally marketed toward adults. That said, I most frequently recommend 13 Little Blue Envelopes as a vacation read (or, more often, an "I wish I was on vacation" read). It's well-crafted but light read.

To me, the value of a book club is to discuss the larger themes and societal commentaries present in stories, and this book is not as good for that purpose. (Think a Mary Higgins Clark murder mystery versus Dickens's Oliver Twist. Both are valuable works of art in their own right, but one lends itself to book club analysis more than the other). There is nothing wrong with a book that is entertaining for entertainment's sake, and that does not mean that the book or story is not high-quality. They are just different.

If you are looking for a book club recommendation, I implore you to try John Green's "The Fault in Our Stars". Absolutely wonderful read. It's a story of two teenagers with cancer, but throw every preconception that came to your mind when you heard that description out the window. Absolutely fabulous book, and not quite what you'd expect.

Thank you for your comment. I like the book recommendation! I'll read it now before my turn comes up to choose.

Here goes my Lecellier review.

 

[MLinDisney]

We had just spent the morning at Epcot and were on our way to Lecellier.


They have such beautiful gardens on the walkway to the restaurant.

We checked in at 11:30 and had to wait a few minutes to be seated,
and then we ordered drinks:

I had a Godiva Chocolate Martini. This was excellent! DD ordered Pinot Noir. The waitress took our picture:

The gentleman sitting next to us was on a solo trip. He comes to Disneyworld often and we started talking to him about his favorite places to eat. He loves Lecellier and also Artist Point. Those are his two favorites. This was his second time eating at Lecellier this trip. I have to make a note to try Artist Point one day.
Then the waitress brought out the bread service:


the popular pretzel bread, sourdough bread and flax roll. I tasted the sourdough and flax but between the two of us we finished one of those pretzel breads. The other one I had wrapped and I brought it back to the room.

For appetizer I had:


Canadian Cheddar Cheese soup with Moosehead beer and bacon! This was delicious! I dunked the pretzel bread in this soup as advised to do on Disboards and this was one of the few dishes we had that was finished! I rate this appetizer second only to the shrimp appetizer I had at Citricos!
DD rates this: She said she doesn't eat bacon, hence the low mark.
For her appetizer DD had


Spicy chicken and chipotle sausage with roasted corn polenta and sweet onion jam.
I didn't taste this I was too busy with the cheese soup!! DD rated this The corn polenta was good but she didn’t care for the sausage. I think the fact that it was wrapped in some type of pork product ruined it for her.

LUNCH - LECELLIER Continued in next post...............

 

[MLinDisney]

For my entree I ordered:

New York Strip steak, topped with Bercy butter and served with cream cheese mashed potatoes. This was a great steak and I really loved those potatoes! I give this

DD had

Wild Mushroom Filet Mignon It is Lecellier's signature dish and it is supposed to be served with wild mushroom risotto and white truffle butter sauce. She asked them to substitute the risotto with baked macaroni and cheese. It looks like the white truffle butter sauce is on top. I tasted the macaroni and cheese and a little of the filet. It was very good, but not as good as my meal. The filet was slightly better than the strip, but those cream cheese potatoes mmmm. I rated this DD rated it She said the mac & cheese was amazing and the filet was very close to a New York steakhouse!

PART 3 LECELLIER LUNCH continued in next post.

 

[MLinDisney]

For dessert I ordered:

Maple crème Brulee. This was very good. I rated it Probably one of the better crème brulees I had this trip. DD rated it
She wasn't that fond of it but then again, she said she is not a crème brulee person.

DD had:

Chocolate Moose! Except for the ears and tongue, which were made out of cookies, this was excellent! Slightly better than the one at Chefs de France. Years ago, I used to make Chocolate Mousse with lots of butter and eggs and DD commented that it tasted like that. I rate this and DD rated it Enough said!!!

This was one of our favorite meals on this trip.
For lunch it was 1 credit each on the dining plan. The total for lunch was $95.78 not including tip. The drinks were $24.39, which we put on the Disney Rewards card.

NEXT UP: Snack - TANTIERINE CAFE

 

[NoOrdinaryPrincess]

Your DD had almost the exact same dishes as J and I! How fun! I'm glad you seemed to enjoy it as much as we did.

 

[Terrie..]

LeCellier looks so good!! I was so glad to see a picture of the cheese soup . You're really having great meals on this trip!

 

[Tracerr00]

Ooooh your steaks at LC look great! I always have the filet with the cream cheese mashed potatoes. Gosh, I love those potatoes (and the filet of course, which goes without saying)!! This is hands down my DD's favorite restaurant and she was bummed out when we didn't go there during our last trip. I think she was 10 years old the first time we ate there and she finished the entire New York Strip so it must have been good! We also love the creme brulee and the chocolate moose - Yes, this place definitely deserves a spot on my must do list for next time. I just wish lunch wasn't turning into 2 credits!

 

[MLinDisney]

Your DD had almost the exact same dishes as J and I! How fun! I'm glad you seemed to enjoy it as much as we did.

I noticed and wrote on your DR! I wanted to taste that risotto, but DD substituted for mac & cheese.

LeCellier looks so good!! I was so glad to see a picture of the cheese soup . You're really having great meals on this trip!

I want to get the recipe for the cheese soup! The soup and the pretzel bread were so good. I want to get just that in January!

Ooooh your steaks at LC look great! I always have the filet with the cream cheese mashed potatoes. Gosh, I love those potatoes (and the filet of course, which goes without saying)!! This is hands down my DD's favorite restaurant and she was bummed out when we didn't go there during our last trip. I think she was 10 years old the first time we ate there and she finished the entire New York Strip so it must have been good! We also love the creme brulee and the chocolate moose - Yes, this place definitely deserves a spot on my must do list for next time. I just wish lunch wasn't turning into 2 credits!

Yes I saw a recipe on Allears for those mashed potatoes. I'm wondering if they will taste like that! It is too bad it will be 2 credits at lunch. What a treat this was!

 

[MLinDisney]

After we ate at LeCellier, we were shopping in Canada, UK, France and Morocco. We also stopped to see the movie in France. DD wanted to stop at Tangierine Café for a snack.
We looked at the treats and chose:


Mint Tea and Pistachio baklava. The Baklava was very good but too sweet and the tea was refreshing. I would rate the Baklava DD rated it and tea

For some reason, I noticed by the receipt that we didn’t use snack credits for these two and I don't know why. It was $5.85 for both and we paid for it on the Disney Rewards Card.

NEXT UP: Dinner - CALIFORNIA GRILL

 

[MLinDisney]

We had a 7:20 ADR. We were seated right away in the wine room. The wine room is a smaller room in the back and it has wine bottles on the wall. Another thing I wish I took photos of. This room doesn't have a view of the MK.


We saw these little castles on the table:

I noticed they weren't on anyone else's table. The manager came around and pointed to them and said I notice you are celebrating something tonight. So then I knew why they were there
We both ordered Pinot Noir which I don't have a photo of and the waiter brought us:

Sour Dough Bread and butter with sea salt. This was ok. We ordered our appetizers. I ordered:

Sonoma Goat Cheese Ravioli - with Sun-dried Tomatoes, Pesto, Shiitake Mushrooms, and Basil. Notice how the presentation is all messed up because I started eating it before I took the photo This was good, but kind of heavy. I rated it DD rated it:

DD ordered:

Tuna Three Ways - Poki, Tartare, and Tataki I didn't taste this but she said she liked this and rated it She said this could have been the meal!! The fish was very fresh!

Entrees in next post............................

 

[NoOrdinaryPrincess]

I think we had the same vacation! My next post is Tangerine Cafe and I was just looking at the Cali Grill menus as it's my first ADR for our trip next week! The tuna three ways was a dish I was interested in, as I adore seared tuna. Glad DD seemed to enjoy it.

 

[MLinDisney]

We both ordered the same entrée:

Oak-fired Filet of Beef - horseradish whipped potatoes, blue lake beans, teriyaki barbecue. This was an excellent filet. One of the better ones of our trip. I rated it DD said it was the best filet so far. She rated it She thought the steak here was better but the overall meal at Lecellier was better.

Dinner: CALIFORNIA GRILL continued in next post.................

 

[MLinDisney]

For dessert I ordered:

Valrhona Chocolate cake served with raspberries, raspberry sherbert and raspberry syrup. The chocolate cake was great, but the raspberry accompaniment was too sweet. I gave this DD gave it She said if the sorbet was vanilla ice cream it would have been 5 thumbs up.

DD's dessert:

Bananas and Caramel - Crispy baked phyllo squares layered w/banana, caramel, mascarpone mousse, and caramelized banana. Notice how we started eating both of these desserts before we remembered the photo This dessert was hard to eat but delicious. The Banana brittle on top was very hard. The mousse inside was very good. I rate this DD rates it and said it was too hard to eat.

We arrived at the restaurant at 7:20 and left at 8:45. The meal was $160.78 not including tip, which was 2 credits each on the DxDP. The pinot noir was $28, which we put on the Disney Rewards Card. So far everything that we bought off plan, we put on this card. We also put some souvenirs on this card.

Even though Wishes didn't start until 10:00 that night, we went out on the deck to see the view:

Very beautiful view of the castle from California Grill. I wouldn't want to eat any later than we did to catch wishes there. If wishes started at 9:00, we could have stayed to see it. Instead, we walked over to the Magic Kingdom.

NEXT UP: BREAKFAST - CAPTAIN COOKS

 

[chocolateMinnie]

great photos and reviews - I'm with your DD on the brain freeze effects of the frozen margeritas - maybe the speed we drink them?

 

[MLinDisney]

I think we had the same vacation! My next post is Tangerine Cafe and I was just looking at the Cali Grill menus as it's my first ADR for our trip next week! The tuna three ways was a dish I was interested in, as I adore seared tuna. Glad DD seemed to enjoy it.

This is so funny! We did seem to go to many of the restaurants that you did. Can't wait to read about your next trip with the California Grill!

great photos and reviews - I'm with your DD on the brain freeze effects of the frozen margeritas - maybe the speed we drink them?

That is true. I think she was very thirsty at the time and gulped it down too fast!

 

[Tracerr00]

My DD and I ate the exact same things at Cali Grill - we didn't have an appetizer but we both had the filet, DD had the bananas and caramel dessert and I had the chocolate cake. DD liked the bananas/caramel but I thought the caramelized layer was too thick to eat easily. While we both had an amazing time and the food was great, my DD can't get over her steak at LC and it's still her favorite. We ate at Tangierine as well but we never got to try the baklava!

 

[MUFFYCAT]

Coming in late here. Glad you liked 2 of my fav restaurants LC and CG, The bread at Le Cellier is worth a visit!

Have to go and read all your earlier reviews!

 

[vettegirl]

Awww I love the castle confetti