Emmysdaddy Joins the Damsels to Dine, Even with Princesses: Em started PDR see link

[emmysmommy]

Hi everyone! I've had a long and busy week with no DisBoard time. I have spent time with our son and his wife so I hope you can forgive my lack of updates lately. Since our weekend is full of family activities before he heads back to Texas before he deploys, I will likely only get a few updates done. (Crossing fingers.) And then... I have a conference in Vegas most of the week so I will not have time to update much if any while there. Sigh....

It's so exciting that you and Linda had an awesome time in Disneyland! Cafe Orleans looks really good, and that gift basket is incredible!

I hope Linda is still having a great time in Cali, and that you enjoy the next few days with your son and his wife.

Hi DDW! Yes, we had a wonderful time (with Linda I mean) and yes great time spent with my son. Thanks!

Awww, what a wonderful update and DISmeet! The photos of you two are lovely, and those gifts are SO thoughtful! I've seen very few pics of DL food but what I have seen looks delicious, and your lunch is no exception!

Hi Becky! Linda was awesome - the gifts were so perfect!

It's so funny about DL food, I don't get too excited over it since we mostly snack while there. They do have some good choices but nothing like WDW!

What a wonderful update! I loved those Pomme Frites. May have been my favorite thing that we ate in DL!

What a great UK gift bag! Really love that mug!

Just the smell of the pomme frites with the garlic and parmesan was wonderful!! Glad you know how lovely they are as well!

Linda knows me so well since the mug was perfect!!! All of my favorites and really who I am.

How wonderful you got a chance to meet and share a meal with Linda! You have a lot in common as you're both lovely ladies who write wonderful dining reviews. I really enjoyed reading about your DISmeet, thanks for sharing it with us!

Thanks Carol! Glad I could share this Dismeet with my other DisBoards pals!

Outstanding review of your Cafe Orleans lunch and DISmeet with Linda! I am so very glad that you remembered to send me the pics. I told my DH they I wouldn't leave the house to go shopping with him until I had received and posted your update. So it would have been a long night at home waiting if you had forgotten.

And btw, I haven't heard anything from Linda today. Hmm...I wonder if she is still at the Tiki Bar?

Hi Barb!! Glad that I eventually remembered to send the pictures. We were so busy chatting that I almost forgot. By the time I sent them it would have been dinner-time for you.... thanks for hosting them on the live thread!

Your dinner at Cali Grill looks wonderful, and you guys look beautiful all dressed up (one of the reasons I'll never get Mark to a signature restaurant...he refuses to dress up on vacation).

And for a DIS meet, and at Disneyland for lunch yet.

Hi Kathy! Thanks! Honestly, I think many signatures don't really have a dressed up vibe - especially the park signature restaurants. But heck, you are on vacation, I can understand his logic!

Wow! What an amazing California Grill dinner! We're eating there for the first time on our honeymoon and I really can't wait after reading this.

Is the door to the observation deck hard to find? If we don't get a window seat I definitely want to make sure we get out to the observation deck!

Hi Alliebelle! What a great place to choose to eat on your honeymoon! If you want to find the back observation deck walk past the elevators towards the bathrooms and go straight back past the banquet room. It was a great un-crowded deck.

Wow, best present ever!!! She is so thoughtful and I can't believe she made that mug for you!

Hi Rachel - I hope you are enjoying your trip right now!!! Yes, Linda nailed it with the mug since everything was absolutely perfectly spot on about me!

I'm here, I'm here

I've finally got back to my hotel room (I think I have spent all of 10 minutes here)

Brenda, it was an absolute pleasure to meet you and I really enjoyed our time together. I really do hope we get to meet again some time - we need to get a dining boards DIS meet in WDW organised!

Oh and the gifts you got for me were just awesome, I've packed them away but as soon as I get home I will post a photo

World Of Color was AMAZING by the way

Awwww Linda! My adorable Dis-Brit buddy! I'm so glad that you loved WOC - they really do a great job. If you were in the VIP/front row you may have gotten a little wet.

I love that idea, Linda! Okay, who wants to be in charge of organizing it? I'd volunteer but I've got my hands full with the Live Update thread these days.

Barb you more than have your hands full!!! Linda talked about end of Oct/beginning of Nov. next year. We'll see if this can work out because that would be so amazing.

That mug is the cutest thing ever!! I love it!!

Your meal at CG sounds excellent - I'm so glad you liked it! We were not there at Wishes time but that must have made it even more amazing. I'm smiling about Emily's wishing star...because I carry mine around in my purse as well! I'm not sure why but I can't bring myself to take it out. I've never thought of redeeming it for a real wish. Perhaps I can bring it out and tell her that I "wish" she'd stop texting so much!

Hi Tracy! Ha! That would be so funny to throw down your wishing star on Eilee!!! After her stunned look I'm sure she would put down the phone if for nothing else to roll on the ground laughing!

I had to laugh at your Halloween comments regarding the trick-or-treaters and not having enough candy. I had the opposite problem, too much candy and not enough kids. I ate so much candy corn and snickers that I never want to see those again!

As promised, here is a photo of the super cute and wonderful gifts that the lovely Brenda gave to me at our DIS meet

Aren't they lovely?

And so very kind

I also had some delicious cookies but they were too good to resist and were eaten before I remembered to take a photo

Thanks again for a wonderful lunch and these perfect gifts Brenda xx

Glad you liked the cookies. It's so funny but now that I think about it I said you were Minnie sized and you have a Minnie bag!!! Once again, it was lovely meeting you!!

Loved reading about your meal together, Linda and Brenda!

Thanks!!!

I've been playing catch-up! I keep reading on the I-Pad but have no idea how to comment (or even if I can!)

Grand Floridian Cafe looks amazing and will defo have to make the list on our next trip - especially for that dessert sampler.

I now really feel the need for some eggs benedict after seeing the wonderfulness of them at WCC. I'd quite like to follow my eggs with the breadbowl dip from LTT, but have to say I would prefer them not to cut my flatbread up into little bits! Now this is where it falls apart - what happened to the ooey gooey toffee cake

But nevermind, because I am now fixating on the Pork Tenderloin from Cali Grill

Hi Marie! Glad you are caught up and can now add some places to your list! Enjoy your weekend!

 

[emmysmommy]

Grand Floridan Cafe - Breakfast​

The Grand Floridian Café has become one of my favorites for not only breakfast but dinner. I really like the breakfast options here and it is such a lovely restaurant with a relaxed atmosphere free of the crowds and noise levels of character dining. Plus since it is a short monorail ride from CR it is also convenient.

When we arrived for our 8:30am ADR we asked to be seated in Robert’s section. He had been our server the last two times we ate breakfast here and we wanted to experience his enthusiasm and wonderful service once again. Lucky us, his section was full but they said that they would seat us adjacent to his section and assign him to our table.

Robert came around to take our drink orders and it wasn’t until we started to talk that he remembered us…because ya know, we’re so memorable!! Ha!

Beverages:

I didn’t need to consult the menu for my entrée choice, the French toast does it for me and I don’t care that I’ve ordered the same thing every time that I’ve been to GFC for breakfast. As you can tell, I’m such a creature of habit – I don’t think there’s a cure for my type! Oh, and I don’t really eat breakfast meat so I subbed a scrambled egg for sausage or bacon. The French toast is served with a dusting of powdered sugar and a dash of cinnamon. It is so wonderfully delicious!!

Maple Vanilla French Toast; Challah bread dipped in Maple and Vanilla Batter: $11.99

Em DID decide to try something new and ordered the citrus pancakes with a scrambled egg instead of breakfast meat. The pancakes were served with fresh sections of mandarin oranges and sprinkled with powdered sugar. She thought the pancakes were good but didn’t prefer the oranges on top which were easy enough to remove. The orange butter also had cranberries in it which added a nice texture and flavor to the dish. From looking at the photos of her food this certainly looks like a worthy option for future consideration!

Citrus Pancakes; Roasted Pecan and Sun Dried Cranberry Pancakes served with House Made Orange Butter: $11.99​

Michael couldn’t pass up the smoked salmon plate which was served with the usual accompaniments of onion, tomato, capers, hard-boiled egg, and lemon wedges. All of the toppings were diced or shredded in little pieces and presented in a compartment tray. Unlike some of the smoked salmon that he had at buffets during the week, this one was nicely lean and beautifully colored. Michael also ordered a bowl of granola – very health once again! I don’t think he’d had anything with syrup or whip cream or powdered sugar yet although he did have that pecan bun the day before.

Smoked Salmon; with Tomatoes, Capers, Onion, Cream Cheese and a Toasted Bagel: $9.99​

Granola Cereal: $3.99

After chatting briefly with Robert we posed for our usual photos since he is one of our favorite servers in WDW!

Floral arrangement at GF:

The bill was $46.78 that included $9.07 in TiW savings.

Menu:

Next Up: Chefs de France

 

[SAT887]

That's great you are spending time with your family. I think we all know how important it is right now.

You're reviews have me considering quite a few breakfasts on our upcoming trip- places also I wouldn't think of! The French toast looks very scrumptious (I love maple syrup so it's hard not to love French toast)

Oh and try to have fun in Vegas

 

[Linda67]

Well hello
London Calling
I headed out with my beautiful Minnie purse today (went down a storm in Windsor!)
I hope you have really enjoyed your family time xxxx
We have to get this DIS meet together, it would be awesome

 

[sushi candy]

I am finally caught up! I love how Michael's choices end up similar to mine- he chooses the pescatarian dishes, lol! I loved the sashimi platter at Cali Grill and the smoked salmon plate.

The lunch with Linda looks wonderful! She is so sweet and thoughtful with her presents. I loved the mug the most!

 

[debrapagliasotti]

The french toast at GFC is the main reason I want to eat bkfst there one day...it just sounds so yummy!

In the meantime, we are booked for lunch (which I am equally excited to try).

Vegas...so jealous! We didnt make it there this year

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

I haven't been to GFC for breakfast before, but your review makes me really want to try it! All three dishes look great, but I'm especially in the mood for that smoked salmon plate.

 

[TigerKat]

I just booked breakfast at GFC for our March trip. So glad I did after reading your review.

Can't wait to hear about Chefs. We hadn't eaten there in 5 years and on a whim two weeks ago, we walked up and got right in. It turned out to be one of the best meals of our trip.

 

[ILikeWaffles]

That french toast is the reason that I booked GFC for my upcoming trip. It helped that DH really wants the citrus pancakes, too.

 

[KatMark]

Ooooh....breakfast looks so yummy (and I saw a Mickey Waffle on the menu!).

Hope you are having a good visit with your son and his wife.

 

[francis6306]

YUM. I'm all caught up and I would like one of EVERYTHING please!!!! Oh, except the pork tenderloin at CG… can't have that (pork upsets my tummy!), but Corey would like it, so you might as well ship it on as well!!!

TWO more weeks and I'll be there myself! I can't wait!!!

 

[AvasMommy526]

I thought I commented before but I guess not, all this Dising has got me confused
Your CG meal looks delicious! I'm so disappointed the refurb will be going on during our trip!
Love the Dismeet, that mug is wonderful, how thoughtful! And I adore that Minnie bag!
GFC breakfast also looks yummy! I love French toast and the pancakes too, I don't care for mandarin oranges so I would pick those off but that orange butter with cranberries is right up my alley lol!

 

[Linda67]

We've still not tried the GF Cafe and need to put that right!

Your breakfast looks wonderful, what a great way to start the day

 

[happy2012]

I'm back to being caught up!! Such a fun read!! I was LOL over the "BOB" link!!! GFC looks like a great breakfast!! Maybe we should swap the Wave for GFC breakfast. & then there was WCC, we LOVED those brisket eggs ben! I think they took them off the menu!

 

[happy2012]

Nice DL dismeet too!!! Sounds fun!!

 

[Tracerr00]

The french toast sounds lovely!! I'm going to be at WDW for exactly three days and I'm trying to figure out our dining plans and I think GFC sounds like a perfect breakfast option (as well as Kona of course, which is a must do!). And maybe if we're lucky we'll get Robert!!

As for the Halloween fiasco...I should confess that I went to the kitchen and I found a box of Capri Suns that my mother had given to us in a flavor that we all hate. So I turned the light back on and a family with six kids stopped by so I was able to get rid of all but one! Is that bad?

 

[smile4stamps]

I'm caught up after my trip!!

I wish I had read your Whispering canyon Review before I left!! That Banana French toast sounds amazing!!

Can't wait to read more!

 

[emmysmommy]

Hi there everyone! I'm back from Vegas and my son and his wife are back in Texas so now I can get caught up and get this thing finished!

That's great you are spending time with your family. I think we all know how important it is right now.

You're reviews have me considering quite a few breakfasts on our upcoming trip- places also I wouldn't think of! The French toast looks very scrumptious (I love maple syrup so it's hard not to love French toast)

Oh and try to have fun in Vegas.

Thanks! I had just the right balance of fun and work! Well....maybe more fun than work but that's ok. And we had some great time with our son.

Well hello
London Calling
I headed out with my beautiful Minnie purse today (went down a storm in Windsor!)
I hope you have really enjoyed your family time xxxx
We have to get this DIS meet together, it would be awesome

Thanks Linda! I'm glad you are enjoying your purse! And yes, time with our son was wondeful!

I am finally caught up! I love how Michael's choices end up similar to mine- he chooses the pescatarian dishes, lol! I loved the sashimi platter at Cali Grill and the smoked salmon plate.

The lunch with Linda looks wonderful! She is so sweet and thoughtful with her presents. I loved the mug the most!

Hi Rosey! My tastes run along the lines of creme brulee and Mickey waffles so I'm glad that Michael's preferences aligned more with yours!!

The mug from Linda was absolutely perfect. She knows me so well.

The french toast at GFC is the main reason I want to eat bkfst there one day...it just sounds so yummy!

In the meantime, we are booked for lunch (which I am equally excited to try).

Vegas...so jealous! We didnt make it there this year

Hi Debra! I'm glad you are trying lunch at GFC since I love the menu. We have always had a great experience for breakfast and it is really reasonable and a great quick breakfast.

Awww... maybe Vegas next year? November is a great time to go since it was in the 70's until yesterday when it cooled off and was very windy. Lovely nonetheless.

I haven't been to GFC for breakfast before, but your review makes me really want to try it! All three dishes look great, but I'm especially in the mood for that smoked salmon plate.

Hi Mr. DDW! Doesn't that salmon platter look good? (And I don't even eat smoked salmon) I love the little compartments for the dish. I love organization so that speaks to me!!

I hope all is well!

I just booked breakfast at GFC for our March trip. So glad I did after reading your review.

Can't wait to hear about Chefs. We hadn't eaten there in 5 years and on a whim two weeks ago, we walked up and got right in. It turned out to be one of the best meals of our trip.

Hi there!!! I think you will really like GFC for breakfast! It is one of the few restaurants that we have re-booked for breakfast every trip.

That french toast is the reason that I booked GFC for my upcoming trip. It helped that DH really wants the citrus pancakes, too.

The frech toast has consistently been fabulous! I hope you like it as much as we do. My DD decided to try something new this time with the pancakes. She just wasn't a mandarin orange fan but those are easy to remove!

Have a great time with your trip!

Ooooh....breakfast looks so yummy (and I saw a Mickey Waffle on the menu!).

Hope you are having a good visit with your son and his wife.

Thanks so much Kathy! I'm going to get caught up this weekend since I have to see more hat photos of Mark! (Saw some on FB and I still giggle at his antics.) You guys look like you have such fun wherever you go and whatever you do!

YUM. I'm all caught up and I would like one of EVERYTHING please!!!! Oh, except the pork tenderloin at CG… can't have that (pork upsets my tummy!), but Corey would like it, so you might as well ship it on as well!!!

TWO more weeks and I'll be there myself! I can't wait!!!

Ha! You're funny Christen! Em decided to try and avoid pork entirely this trip to see if she would feel better without it so she may have some issues as well.

You are so close to your trip by now - How EXCITING!!!!!

I thought I commented before but I guess not, all this Dising has got me confused
Your CG meal looks delicious! I'm so disappointed the refurb will be going on during our trip!
Love the Dismeet, that mug is wonderful, how thoughtful! And I adore that Minnie bag!
GFC breakfast also looks yummy! I love French toast and the pancakes too, I don't care for mandarin oranges so I would pick those off but that orange butter with cranberries is right up my alley lol!

Hi there - glad you are caught up. Now I need to do the same.

I'm a little disappointed that our next trip will likely be during the refurb so we'll miss CG again as well but I do look forward to it re-opening!

I'm such a breakfast fan so I love the GFC options which are really, really delicious! We've never been disappointed.

And yes the mug from Linda was absolutely perfect! She's adorable.

We've still not tried the GF Cafe and need to put that right!

Your breakfast looks wonderful, what a great way to start the day

Yes, please put GFC on your list! Maybe in November..... I hope you have a great weekend my little Brit Dis friend!

I'm back to being caught up!! Such a fun read!! I was LOL over the "BOB" link!!! GFC looks like a great breakfast!! Maybe we should swap the Wave for GFC breakfast. & then there was WCC, we LOVED those brisket eggs ben! I think they took them off the menu!

Hi there! What About Bob is one of my favorite Bill Murray comedies... that scene was what I was experiencing.

I haven't seen the updated WCC menu for breakfast.... I think they added the banana foster french toast as a regular menu item but I haven't seen if they removed the tasso pork eggs ben. Hmmm.... it fits in with their theme so well.

Nice DL dismeet too!!! Sounds fun!!

Thanks!

The french toast sounds lovely!! I'm going to be at WDW for exactly three days and I'm trying to figure out our dining plans and I think GFC sounds like a perfect breakfast option (as well as Kona of course, which is a must do!). And maybe if we're lucky we'll get Robert!!

As for the Halloween fiasco...I should confess that I went to the kitchen and I found a box of Capri Suns that my mother had given to us in a flavor that we all hate. So I turned the light back on and a family with six kids stopped by so I was able to get rid of all but one! Is that bad?

I can imagine how hard it is to decide where you want to eat with only 3 days at WDW. How do you decide?? You can reward yourself with a huge dinner after your run! No guilt there after running 10 miles.

You and your Halloween adventures are so funny! Glad to know that your ick Capri Suns were pawned off on those innocent kids!

I'm caught up after my trip!!

I wish I had read your Whispering canyon Review before I left!! That Banana French toast sounds amazing!!

Can't wait to read more!

Hi Paula! I need to get caught up with your DR! It was good to see some of the highlights from Jabead's "live" thread.

Yes, the banana foster french toast was pretty amazing!

 

[emmysmommy]

Chefs de France - Lunch

Chefs de France is another Disney restaurant for which we have been repeat diners since our first girl trip. We love the food and service and it is a great table-service option at Epcot. Today, we had a 1:30 ADR and wanted to share one of our favorites with Michael.

We checked in and had a short wait before we were seated as always in the annex dining room which is the “atrium room”. From our table you could see the characters being escorted to and from their rotation. Sebastian was our server, the best that we had had at Chefs de France thus far. He holds the distinction of helping me to pronounce profiterolles with an uncanny French accent! Ha! Not really but after about 6 attempts I think I understood the way he was saying it!

I don’t believe the lunch menu has changed much if any from when we first dined here over 2 years ago… which I am fine with that fact since as I’ve already stated, I’m a dining creature of habit! Good thing we have Michael with us to see if he orders anything new and exciting for us to try!

Lunch Menu:​

After our drinks were delivered we placed our orders. I wanted the French onion soup and the bacon/onion flatbread. Em chose the quiche at which point a very attentive and helpful Sebastian suggested that we order the prix fixe lunch which would combine these items into a bundled price that would be cheaper since we didn’t intend to pass on dessert! Excellent suggestion Sebastian, not sure why the analyst in me didn’t think of that first! Michael ordered the cheese plate and a house salad.

Sourdough baguette with butter:

The bread is always good here but I feel like I am being served cafeteria butter with the little foil pats that they offer. Just an observation, not a compliant. Since Michael doesn’t eat much bread that left the entire loaf to Em and I to split, no problem there!

The appetizers arrived and I was fascinated with the cheese plate since it was so artfully arranged. It had 5 varieties of cheese, raisin bread, walnuts and a small bunch of grapes. It was a LOT of cheese for one person! Honestly, I don’t know my cheeses well on sight but I believe the plate consisted of a brie, camembert, some type of bleu/gorgonzola/stilton or roquefort, and another soft white cheese. This along with the house salad that had mixed greens, tomato, red onion and dressed with a vinaigrette was the perfect light lunch for Michael. I was glad that he really enjoyed this meal and he was even able to throw in “pardon but do you have any grey poupon?” Why, yes, they did have a dijon!

Plateau de Fromages de France; imported cheese board with raisin walnut bread and fruit: $14.50

Salade Maison; House salad – selected greens & house dressing: $6.99

​

Em has ordered the quiche several times at Chefs; therefore it must be fairly good to be a dining repeater like me! This was no exception, the quiche had that subtle tang from the Swiss with a nice touch of nutmeg in the background. Em is just as much a fan of the salad as she is the quiche so this was very good as well.

Quiche Lorraine; the famous ham & cheese quiche served with mixed green salad: Prix Fixe price with soup & dessert: $23.99 As a stand-alone entrée: $14.99

As for my fabulous choices.. I love the melted gruyere cheese on top of the soup terrine, in fact, I could just eat that with a baguette and be content. The soup has a rich beef broth with plenty of sweet onion. If your mouth survives the molten cheese and boiling broth you may get to the bottom of the bowl and find the soggy bread slice!

Soupe a l’oignon gratinee: French onion soup with gruyere cheese: $7.99 if not part of the prix fixe menu

The onion and bacon flatbread has become one of my must haves at WDW since it is so light and delicious. The crispy flatbread is topped with crème fraiche, tender cooked onion, and bacon crumbles. Oh so delicious! And this time, I did not have the dilemma of do I eat this with my hands like a pizza or be more refined and use my knife & fork?? I ate it the easiest way possible – in my dainty paws! I’m proud to say that I almost finished this appetizer item this time – at least I made it ¾ of the way through before considering whether to finish or save room for dessert. Hmmm…. Tough choice… NOT… dessert rules!

A la flamme Alsacienne; bacon, onion, crème fraiche flatbread: $12.99

Sebastian presented us with the dessert menus and after debating trying a new item I went with the crème brulee since Michael wanted to split something creamy and brulee. Emily chose the profiterolles which I was excited to see since I wanted to have a taste of this very popular dessert. However, as luck would have it they were out! How can you be out in the middle of lunch? Darn! She chose the sorbet instead.

Dessert Menu:

As for the crème brulee, you can never go wrong with this delicious dessert. It is such creamy sweet perfection and this one had the perfect delicate caramelized sugar crunch on top. Michael enjoyed the creamy richness of this dessert probably as much as me.

Although the sorbet was not Em’s first choice she ended up adoring the peach sorbet while the passion fruit was a close second. She is not a coconut lover so that version didn’t appeal to her. I tried the coconut and loved it!! The madeleine was delicate and spongy and oh so good as well.

Vanilla Crème Brulee: $8.99

Sorbets of the day with a Madeleine; Served with fresh berries: $8.99

It had begun to rain really heavy so we lingered over our dessert and drinks for a little longer. They were rushing the face and the fur characters into shelter. It was funny to see Aurora in character but getting wet! I think her wig needed to go under a hair dryer !

The bill using TiW was $75.75 which included $14.68 in savings.

Oh, and I finally saw the Bistro de Paris entrance/lobby:

Next Up: 'Ohana dinner

 

[rachel09985]

Glad to see you are back. I hope everything is well with your family! I need to eat at Les Chefs de France one of these times.